VIDEO: Hours after pro-life rally, ambulance arrives outside Philly Planned Parenthood

On Friday, May 10, nearly 1,000 pro-lifers attended a rally in front of a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood abortion facility where State Rep. Brian Sims harassed and bullied teenage girls and an elderly woman. But after the majority of the crowd had left the area, an ambulance arrived to transport a patient to the hospital.

Operation Rescue reports that at about 3:00 in the afternoon, a right to life supporter captured the arrival of the ambulance on camera. Antonio Calimano watched as the emergency team appears to bring a woman out of the side of the abortion facility building using a wheelchair, placing her in the ambulance.  Click here for more.

One of strongest pro-life bills in U.S. heads to Alabama governor’s desk

On Tuesday, April 30th, the Alabama House voted 74-3 in favor of HB 314, the Human Life Protection Act, which would — according to the text of the bill itself — “make abortion and attempted abortion felony offenses except in cases where abortion is necessary in order to prevent a serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother.” The bill “would provide that a woman who receives an abortion will not be held criminally culpable or civilly liable for receiving the abortion.” Only the doctor committing the abortion would be held criminally liable.

On Tuesday, the Alabama Senate passed the bill in a 25-6 vote, which means it will now be sent to the governor for a signature. As ABC News points out, this bill is different from “heartbeat bills” like the one that was recently signed into law in Georgia. Alabama’s bill, which now heads to Governor Kay Ivey for her signature, provides no exemptions for rape or incest, but allows an exemption “in cases where abortion is necessary in order to prevent a serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother,” according to the bill. Ivey is pro-life, and in the past has reportedly “made statements supporting pro-life positions, including bans without exceptions for rape or incest,” according to AL.com, though she has not publicly stated whether she would sign the bill.  Click here for more.

Surprise: Pro-lifers OK with Alyssa Milano’s sex strike for women who don’t want kids

In a tweet sent out on the afternoon of May 11, abortion activist and erstwhile actress Alyssa Milano sent the entire pro-life movement into side-splitting gales of laughter with her new strategy for battling the conveyor belt of anti-abortion legislation that has been passing across the United States this year: a “sex strike” calling for women to cease having sex “until we get bodily autonomy back.”

To summarize: In order to punish the pro-life movement for their recent legislative successes, Milano is suggesting that pro-abortion women stop having sex because sex makes babies, and if you can’t get abortions, you can’t abort those babies, so it is better not to have sex in the first place.  Milano probably did not expect the wave of enthusiastic support from pro-lifers, who would be thrilled if people who are not ready to have babies would stop engaging in baby-making activities, thereby drastically reducing the number of babies being aborted.  Click here for more.

Federal judge strikes down Kentucky ban on gruesome dismemberment abortion procedures

Kentucky cannot ban the second-trimester abortion procedure infamous for dismembering babies in the womb, U.S. District Judge Joseph McKinley declared Friday in a ruling state leaders plan to appeal.

McKinley, a Bill Clinton appointee, based his ruling on the fact that the ban limits abortion options starting at around 14 weeks, which is well before the U.S. Supreme Court’s “viability” threshold, despite the fact that it still allows second-trimester abortions via other methods.

NOTE: Dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortion procedures are more commonly known as “dismemberment abortions” because they function by tearing a preborn baby apart limb by limb.  Click here for more.

Abortion Industry and media mangle the truth so they can pretend Born-Alive Abortion Survivor Protection Act is not needed

Talk about striking a nerve. The Abortion Industry and its multitudinous defenders in the media are in hyper-overdrive trying to explain away the Democrats’ adamant resistance to providing equal care to abortion survivors as you would to any other baby delivered at the same gestational age.

They have fixated on President Trump’s use of the word “execute.” In his State of the Union Address, the President boldly told the nation what happens when a baby survives a “failed” abortion: “They wrap the baby beautifully, and then the doctor and the mother determine whether or not they will execute the baby.”

This allows them to avoid the truth: if the abortionist and the mother give the thumbs down to anything beyond providing a blanket, the baby is left to die. So rather than be honest, they quibble over the President’s use of the word “execute.”  Click here for more.

Lawmakers call on FDA director to crack down on illegal online abortion pill sales

Lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to crack down on illegal online sales of the abortion pill. According to information from Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX) and Rep. Martha Roby (R-AL), the Congressional letter, sent to Dr. Norman Sharpless, Acting Commissioner of the FDA, was signed by 117 members of Congress. It comes on the heels of information showing that Aid Access and Rablon, two foreign companies, have been distributing the chemical abortion drug Mifeprex by mail-order to U.S. customers in violation of the FDA’s safety protocols. Live Action News previously documented a larger push by pro-abortion organizations to lift the FDA’s safety requirements, known as REMS, to expand abortion pill dispension to mail order and online sales, via self-managed abortions.

The Congressional letter urges the FDA to “continue to conduct oversight” of the entities following FDA warning letters to Aid Access and Rablon ordering them to halt dispensing the pills. Lawmakers point out that the pills are prescribed by an abortionist in the Netherlands and filled by a pharmacy in India. A fact sheet published by Charlotte Lozier Institute research organization found that “72 unique websites” were selling the pills online.  Click here for more.

No, children who would be born into poverty are not better off aborted

Many pro-choice activists claim that it is a form of “compassion” to end a child’s life in an abortion instead of allowing that child to be born into poverty. What is not often brought up in these assertions is the views of mothers who are experiencing poverty. The bottom line is there is nothing “pro-choice” about coercing vulnerable mothers into abortion. Instead of assuming we know what women need, it is time our society listened to them.

More than four decades of legal elective abortion in our country has led to a society that is not more equal but less. Even the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute acknowledges that three-quarters of women seeking elective abortion are considered low income, with almost half living at less than the federal poverty level. Disturbingly, it is increasingly common to hear people suggest that these statistics should not upset us. The implication is that children who would be born into poverty are better off killed in abortion.

The experience of women pressured into abortion due to poverty tells a very different story than this callous and inhumane calculus for the worth of human life. The reality on the ground is that most people still view children as a gift, not a burden. Researchers who spent years living in some of the poorest communities in our nation report that poor women saw abortion as “abandoning hope.”  Click here for more.

Former NFL player Steve Fitzhugh revealed this week “My mom almost aborted me…that’s why I’m pro-life”

Former professional American football (NFL) player Steve Fitzhugh revealed this week how he was almost aborted by his mother in 1962.  He was the former safety for the Denver Broncos (1986–87) told young people at the May 9 Youth Banquet following the National March for Life in Ottawa, Canada how he grew up in a toxic family atmosphere of violence, promiscuity, alcohol and drug abuse, and divorce.

Fitzhugh, 56, explained how his mother almost aborted him during the breakdown of his parents’ marriage. His mother was lying on a hospice bed dying of multiple cancers when she told him the story for the first time.  Click here for more.

NRLC Expresses opposition to the Equality Act (H.R. 5)

Dear Member of Congress:

The House of Representatives is expected to take up the Equality Act (H.R. 5) next week.

H.R. 5 contains language that could be construed to create a right to demand abortion from health care providers, and likely would place at risk the authority of state and federal government to prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions.

Historically, when Congress has addressed discrimination based on sex, rules of construction have been added to prevent requiring funding of abortion or nullifying conscience laws. Unless such a rule of construction is added to the Equality Act, National Right to Life urges you to oppose the bill, and will include a House roll call on this measure in our scorecard of key pro-life votes of the 116th Congress.

Section 9 of the Equality Act would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by defining “sex” to include “pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.” It is well established that abortion will be regarded as a “related medical condition.” See 29 C.F.R. pt. 1604 App. (1986) and Doe v. CARS Protection Plus, Inc., 527 F.3d 358 (3d Cir. 2008).

H.R. 5 goes on to expand this anti-discrimination provision by stating that “pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition shall not receive less favorable treatment than other physical conditions,” and would add “establishments that provide health care” to the list of covered “public accommodations.”

What these provisions will mean, taken together, is that health care establishments and individuals providing healthcare will be required to provide abortion as a “treatment” for pregnancy.

H.R. 5’s new definition of “public accommodations” includes any “establishment that provides health care, accounting, or legal services.” The bill has an additional rule of construction that the term “establishment” “shall be construed to include an individual whose operations affect commerce and who is a provider of a good, service, or program” and “shall not be construed to be limited to a physical facility or place.” These provisions would apply to individual health care providers who object to abortion, including those with religious objections (indeed, the bill explicitly overrides the protections contained in existing federal law under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, 42 2U.S.C. 2000bb et seq.).

These pro-abortion requirements may also apply to non-physical entities like federal and state governments that determine health care coverage under Medicaid. H.R. 5 does include a reference to Pub. L. 88–352, title VII, §?703, which prevents employers from being forced to offer abortion coverage. However, there is no language to thus protectindividual health care providers. Also, there is no language applying to the authority of federal or state governments (non-physical entities) to prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions, as under the Hyde Amendment. The pro-abortion National Partnership for Women and Families explains, “women would be able to challenge denials of reproductive health care.”

To summarize: The bill as written may be construed to create a right to demand abortion from health care providers and to destroy conscience protections for health care providers.

Again, unless a rule of construction is added to the Equality Act that would ensure that the legislation will not require funding of abortion or nullify conscience laws, National Right to Life urges you to oppose the bill, and will include a House roll call on this measure in our scorecard of key pro-life votes of the 116th Congress.

Should you have any questions, please contact us at (202) 378-8863, or via e-mail at jpopik@nrlc.org. Thank you for your consideration of NRLC’s position on this important legislation.

Sincerely,

A Mother’s Day Proclamation from the President of the United States

MOTHER’S DAY, 2019

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

For more than a century, Americans have set aside the second Sunday in May to honor, celebrate, and thank the inspirational mothers in our lives. In 1914, the Congress, by joint resolution (38 Stat. 770), designated this day as Mother’s Day and requested the President to call for its appropriate observance. Today, we recognize mothers everywhere who inspire us to dream big and to never give up.

Mothers have always played an integral role in shaping our great Nation. Even before our country was founded, mothers inspired sons and daughters to patriotism and devotion to the ideal of freedom for all. After First Lady Abigail Adams died in 1818, her son, President John Quincy Adams, wrote: “She had been, during the war of our Revolution, an ardent patriot, and the earliest lesson of unbounded devotion to the cause of their country that her children received was from her.” Inspirational mothers across America continue to pass on this same lesson, encouraging their children to become leaders in their own families and great citizens in their communities and this Nation.

Even in our lowest moments, mothers see the best in their children. Through their guidance and unwavering love, they prepare us for the challenges of adulthood and provide us with the confidence we need to reach our full potential. They are some of the best examples of everyday heroes, and their consistent devotion to family and grace under pressure too often go overlooked. At any stage in life, we find comfort in knowing that we can call on our mothers and grandmothers or reflect on our wonderful memories of them to find wisdom and strength.

On this Mother’s Day, we pay tribute to our mothers, whether we are their children by birth, adoption, or foster care, for their devotion to seeing us lead happy and successful lives. Today, and every day, let us ensure that our mothers know and feel our deep gratitude for the gift of life and for their unmatched sacrifices to strengthen our families and our Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 12, 2019, as Mother’s Day. I encourage all Americans to express their love and respect for their mothers or beloved mother figures, whether with us in person or in spirit, and to reflect on the importance of motherhood to the prosperity of our families, communities, and Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-third.

DONALD J. TRUMP

Happy Mother's Day!

VIDEO: Rep. Jaime Beutler defends abortion survivors in passionate speech before House Committee

Yesterday at the House Appropriations hearing on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill for 2020, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) offered a Born Alive amendment to protect abortion survivors. The Cole Amendment would, in his own words, “withhold federal funds… to any entity that does not ensure that any infant born alive following an abortion,” denying appropriate medical care as would be given to any other baby of the same gestational age. “There is no existing federal law that prohibits the denial of medical care to infants born alive in the context of abortion,” stated Cole.

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) spoke out in favor of the Cole Amendment to the bill, telling her personal story about being told her first child, daughter Abigail, had a 100% chance of death. Beutler and her husband were told that to abort would be easier on them. They learned during Jaime’s pregnancy that Abigail had Potter’s Syndrome, which meant that her kidneys (if present) would not function effectively, and low amniotic fluid would also leave her lungs underdeveloped. They were told the condition would be fatal. But then, after hitting brick walls with other doctors who gave them no hope, encouraging them to just abort and try again, the Beutlers instead sought an experimental treatment through Johns Hopkins University, which changed everything.  Click here for more.

VIDEO: Abortion activist attacks pro-lifer on campus, gets assault charge from police

A pro-abortion activist assaulted one of Created Equal's team members in a shocking new video. Created Equal was conducting a campus tour traveling to 14 college campuses in 3 states to display large signs depicting the gruesome reality of abortion and to engage students in conversation about this human injustice.

Our traveling team was attacked during its visit to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on April 2nd, 2019. Footage of the outburst begins with a woman asking our team, "Did you put these [signs] up?" When they respond affirmatively, she proceeds to repeatedly punch and kick a member of our staff. Watch the attack and hear from law enforcement that the student is being charged with assault the video below.  Click here for more.

Trump Strengthens Medical Conscience, San Francisco Sues

The Trump administration has finalized a rule that will expand HHS enforcement of existing — not new — statutory conscience protections for doctors, nurses, and other professionals who do not wish to participate in legal medical services — such as assisted suicide, abortion, or transgender medical interventions. Generally stated, the rule prevents employers that receive federal funds (like hospitals) from punishing medical professionals who so refuse.

Prior to the new rule, HHS only focused on enforcing conscience protections contained in three federal laws — and the Obama administration was credibly charged with barely enforcing those. Under the new rule, all federal laws granting medical conscience rights will be vigorously enforced.

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera sued the Trump administration on Thursday, accusing it of effectively sacrificing patients’ health and lives by expanding “conscience” protections for patients and health care professionals who opposed controversial treatments.  Click here for more.

Equality Act guts every pro-life protection ever passed into law

In the history of bad bills, there are a lot of doozies. Just in the last handful of months, we've had a Democratic grab bag of everything from abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the Green New Deal. But nothing -- not even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (R-N.Y.) crusade against airplanes and cows -- compares to the one measure that out-radicals them all: the Equality Act. And the worst mistake any of us can make is not taking the threat seriously.

Maybe, like a lot of Americans, you think the Democrats' H.R. 5 is just about sex and gender. Well, think again. This isn't just the most extreme LGBT bill ever written. This is one-stop-shopping for the worst the far-Left agenda has to offer -- including, we've discovered, the largest expansion of taxpayer-funded abortion this country has ever seen. That's right. The Equality Act doesn't just torch religious freedom and the First Amendment, it guts every pro-life protection ever passed into law.

On the Hill, the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus is just one of the groups frantically trying to warn members. Now that the text of the bill has been released, staffers have had time to comb the language for landmines. And based on what our team has seen, there's a field of them. Believe it or not, Democrats didn't just expand the meaning of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" -- they've also defined it to mean "pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition." In other words, under the terms of this proposal, "pregnancy, childbirth or a related medical condition... shall not receive less favorable treatment than other physical conditions." Click here for more.

STUDY: More than 23 million girls missing due to sex-selective abortion

A groundbreaking new global demographic study has found that the world is missing at least 23.1 million females who would otherwise have been born, but fell victim to sex-selective abortion.

The peer-reviewed study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on April 15th, resulted from a five-year project of combing through data from over 90 countries around the world identified as having the most complete statistical data for the period of the study, 1950 to 2017.

The authors attribute the millions of missing women to three causes. First, certain cultures have a strong preference for male children. Second, sex identification in the womb and legalized abortion have become widespread throughout the world. Third, “fertility has fallen to low levels” and resulted in a “squeezing effect” in which parents use sex selection to attain their preferred family composition and size. Click here for more.

Surround our State Capitol in Prayer - May 15th

Pro-life group taking message to pro-abortion states

Presidential candidates are speaking about abortion to the moment of birth and some states have taken similar action or are considering action along that line.

Viewing the Democratic candidates who want to occupy the White House, Mark Harrington of Created Equal says all of them refuse to protect newborn children from murder.

“In fact,” he points out, “many of them have been on record saying they don't believe the government should mandate giving medical care to babies that survive an attempted abortion.”  Click here for more.

VIDEO: PBS documentary failed to show painful reality of abortion pill experience

In a weak attempt to make abortion seem like a normal part of a woman’s life, PBS completely failed to accurately portray abortion in its documentary series “The Abortion Divide.” Claiming to go “inside” abortion facilities to show what it’s like, the documentary touched on medication abortions but stopped short of actually showing what women go through after they have swallowed the deadly pills.

One mother featured in the abortion pill portion of the documentary is Taryn, who is nonchalant about killing her preborn twins with the abortion pill. “What I hope I feel is a sense of peace, not only with myself and the decision that I’ve made but also a sense of peace with these two beings that I’ve chosen not to bring into the world. Thank you for choosing me,” she says to her twins. “And I’m honored to be given this gift of life. And also, I can’t do it right now. I can’t accept that mantle in terms of the other lives that I’m taking care of and I’m responsible for.”

Taryn and PBS fail to realize that there are approximately two million couples waiting to adopt babies — that’s 36 couples for every one baby placed for adoption. A couple could have immediately adopted those babies and Taryn could have gone back to her life raising her other two children. Instead, she decided she would rather her twins were dead — never born — than raised by someone else.  Click here for more.

VIDEO: Pro-abortion State Rep. bullies and harasses elderly pro-life woman

Because his distasteful and bullying behavior was caught on video (in fact, he videotaped the exchange himself), I’m guessing the uproar over Pennsylvania Democratic State Rep. Brian Sims’ abominable treatment of an elderly pro-life woman will not blow over in a day or two. Or, at least I can hope not.

Sims’ behavior toward the unnamed woman goes beyond whether he broke state law. According to columnist Timothy Meads, Sims either didn’t know or didn’t care that he needed her permission to record her words while he badgered her outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in his 182nd district.

And as the eight-minute long video makes clear, Sims, on more than one occasion, indicates he wants (actually demands) to have a conversation. Each time “the women says no and does not give permission to record,” Meads explains.  Click here for more.