Planned Parenthood Announces Large Political Fund to Defeat Pro-Life Candidates

Planned Parenthood announced Wednesday that it plans to spend a minimum of $45 million to defeat pro-life candidates in the 2020 election. Its initial target states will include Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, but there are plans to expand that reach.

Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson participated in an interview in July with CBS News which included the following statement:

“We are primarily a health care provider,” said Johnson, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “We provide access to sexual and reproductive health, in some cases primary care. We’re not political by nature but we’ve been politicized, and that fight has actually been our focus — to ensure that our health centers stay open.”

Click here to read more.

English Woman Sues Hospital and Wins for "Wrongful Birth" of Disabled Son

Edyta Mordel (right) outside London’s High Court

Edyta Mordel from Reading, England sued Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust after she gave birth to a son diagnosed with Down syndrome, saying that she was not given a test that would have allowed her to know ahead of time and choose to abort. It is NHS's policy to offer this test to all mothers expecting children, and Mordel originally opted to take the test, but during a screening when she was asked if she would like it she responded no. The court found that Mordel had misunderstood the question and the hospital should have further questioned her about her response since it had changed. She was awarded $360,000 worth of damages as a result.

In her testimony, Mordel stated, “I knew someone from work with Down’s syndrome. I saw how difficult his life is and I would not have continued my pregnancy. I would not have wanted a disabled child, and I would not have wanted my child to suffer the way that disabled people suffer. I wouldn’t want to have brought my child into the world like that.” NHS is not even a pro-life institution, but because there was a miscommunication regarding a medical test it is now 'at fault' for a life that the mother deems isn't worth living. Click here to read more.

Woman Shares Experience of Doctors Refusing to Assist her Premature-Born Children

Sonia with her husband and children.
Source: Sonia's Facebook post

Sonia Homeak Charbonneau gave birth to twin boys at 21 weeks gestation due to medical complications. Even though the babies survived birth, doctors refused to offer any medical assistance to help them live because the letter of the law stated that her children were "unviable". They were born 10 days before the law would have considered them viable. Charbonneau recently went to Facebook and explained the situation.

“[T]hey put me on progesterone and bed rest explaining to us that if the babies were born before 23 weeks they would not do anything to try to save them. They also did not want to give me the steroids to help their lungs develop until 23 weeks. We just really hoped they would stay in there!”

The twins, named Thunder and Cloud, lived for about an hour and a half before passing away. They needed medical assistance to survive since their lungs were not yet fully formed, but it was refused to them because they were born before 23 weeks gestation. Instead, she held her deceased children throughout the night. Click here to read more.

More Bodies of Aborted Babies Found When Family Members Investigated Deceased Abortionist's Vehicles

Ulrich Klopfer

Update: The total number of aborted children found in Klopfer's vehicles has been totaled to 165. Read more about that here.

As family members continue to go through deceased abortionist Ulrich Klopfer's belongings, they encountered even more bodies of aborted children in the trunk of a vehicle put in storage. Up to this point, 2,246 bodies were found in the abortionist's Illinois home. They are assumed to have been transported from abortion facilities he associated with across state lines in South Bend, Indiana.

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill had this to say regarding the discovery:

“Today we were notified by authorities in Illinois that family members this morning found additional fetal remains as they continued to sort through the late doctor’s belongings,” Attorney General Hill said. “We have dispatched investigators to Illinois to gather facts, but we anticipate simply adding these remains into the protocol we have already set up for dealing with these disturbing circumstances.”

Click here or here to read more.

Beverly Hills Woman Hemorrhages After Aborting 18-week Twins

On August 6, 2019, A 39-year old woman was brought from the Pro-Choice Medical Center in Beverly Hills to a hospital for hemorrhaging after she had an abortion on her 18-week preborn twin children. The abortion procedure for preborn children of that gestational age, known as dilation and evacuation, involves a doctor physically tearing limbs off preborn children and crushing the skull so that each piece can be removed without undergoing surgery or inducing labor.

Abortion-vulnerable women need to be made aware of the dangers involved with this procedure. Late-term abortions that require dilation and evacuation involve the risk of physical harm to the mother while the doctor physically tears pieces of her children out of her body. If a piece gets left behind or the doctor damages the mother's uterus during the removal process, the mother could experience life-threatening infection or hemorrhages. Click here to read more.

Nevada Dementia Patients Can Now Request to Thirst to Death if Incapacitated

Nevada has passed a law allowing people to request, if they become incapacitated from dementia, that their caregivers thirst and starve them to death. Not only is this problematic because it legalizes a form of assisted suicide, but it could easily require an unwilling caregiver to take part in assisted suicide.

Bioethicist Thaddeus Mason Pope had this to say on the law's passage:

Even after we stop offering food and fluids, other problems may arise. Most problematically, the patient may make gestures or utterances that seem to contradict her prior instructions [to be starved].

Does such communication revoke the advance directive? A recent court case from the Netherlands suggests the answer is “no.” Once the patient reaches late-stage dementia, she is unable to knowingly and voluntarily revoke decisions she made with capacity. But the answer remains uncertain in the United States.

The lives of those suffering from dementia or any other condition are not worthless. This legislation was born out of a culture of ableism and cannot be allowed to stand. Click here to read more.

Baby Boy Missing Part of Skull Survives Birth

Lucas being held by his mother. Screenshot from WABC

Maria Santa Maria was told that her son would die upon delivery due to a rare condition that caused her son's skull to not develop fully. Doctors recommend that she abort and be done with her pregnancy, but Maria decided that she wanted to preserve her child's life for as long as possible. 

When the baby, whom she named Lucas, was finally born, everyone was surprised to see him survive hours, let alone days. Doctors were able to develop an entirely new procedure to remove a fluid sac along with part of Lucas's brain tissue in order to ensure that his brain could develop correctly as he continued to grow older. After a successful surgery, Lucas has gone on to live a full seven months, showing that even a seemingly hopeless pregnancy can lead to a wonderful and miraculous life. Click here to read more.

Facebook Rejects Story with Picture of Baby Born without Nose for Being 'shocking'

Screenshot Credit: Live Action News

Live Action News reported that Facebook rejected one of its news stories as a post due to containing an image that “may shock or evoke a negative response from viewers.” The image in question was of a baby boy named Eli Thompson who was born without a nose. The image is not graphic in any way except that it depicts the boy's face, and apparently that is unacceptable for Facebook.

This action is an insult to anyone with disabilities and shows a devaluation of the lives of anyone born with a disability. To say that this baby's face is inappropriate to show on their platform is to say that either the parents should never have chosen to give birth to Eli or those with disabilities or physical deformities shouldn't be seen by the public. Either perspective is not a good sign. Click here to read more.

Attorney for Undercover Journalists Says Court is Handicapping Defendants' Case

A defense attorney for one of the undercover journalists facing charges of illegal recording when they found evidence of Planned Parenthood selling baby body parts to researchers stated that the defense's case is severely handicapped by the court's imposed rules. The defense will not be allowed to show the videos containing evidence that Planned Parenthood was conducting violent actions, while simultaneously being told to present why the defense had reasonable belief that Planned Parenthood was conducting violent acts. The recording law in California states that if a person has a reasonable belief that violent acts were occurring, then they are not committing a crime by recording people involved. The defense then hinges on whether it can convince the jury that the journalists' reasoning before recording any conversations was "reasonable".

Defense counsel Horation (Harry) Mihet made several statements on Facebook, including the following excerpts:

“...Thus, the Court is NOT allowing us to play ANY portion of the videos that show how Planned Parenthood broke the law by profiting from the sale of baby parts. To show that the videos were recorded, Planned Parenthood is playing only very carefully edited snippets, of only the most innocuous things (people saying ‘hello’). And we can’t play the rest of the videos that show Planned Parenthood’s abhorrent crimes and inhuman conduct...”

“...The result, unless things change during this trial, is that the jury will never see the evidence of Planned Parenthood crimes,” wrote Mihet. “They are being asked to determine whether, BEFORE recording the videos, Sandra had a reasonable belief that Planned Parenthood was committing violent crimes, without being allowed to see that the videos themselves CONFIRMED Sandra’s belief that those crimes were being committed. How could her belief that crimes were being committed be ‘unreasonable,’ when the videos she recorded demonstrated that crimes WERE in fact being committed?”

Click here to read more.

Mississippi 15-Week Abortion Ban Considered in Federal Appeals Court

A new Mississippi law will face a ruling in Federal appeals court following a challenge by the Center for Reproductive Rights. The law would have banned abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy except in cases when the mother is endangered or the child is not expected to survive outside of the womb at full term. Physicians who willingly violated this ban would have lost their medical licenses, and falsifying records would result in additional fines.

U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves issued a temporary injunction against the law on March 20, 2018, the day after Gov. Phil Bryant signed it into law. The first arguments were heard on October 7. Click here to read more.

Supreme Court to Hear Louisiana Law Requiring Abortionists to Have Admitting Privileges in Nearby Hospital

State Rep. Katrina Jackson and the Executive Director
of Louisiana Right to Life Benjamin Clapper

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this winter regarding Louisiana Act 620, the Unsafe Abortion Protection Act. The law requires that all abortionists have admitting privileges at a local hospital. As part of this case, the Supreme court will also consider the issue of third-party standing, which an abortion clinic is using to claim they are representing their patients even when no women have stepped forward to challenge this law.

Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director for Louisiana Right to Life, had this to say:

“We look forward to the Supreme Court reviewing Louisiana’s 2014 Unsafe Abortion Protection Act. Abortion facilities should not be provided loopholes when it comes to health and safety standards that apply across the board to outpatient surgical facilities. We are also pleased that the Supreme Court has accepted Louisiana’s challenge on third-party standing. Substandard physicians and for-profit providers unable to meet health requirements should not be able to hide behind their supposed patients when making legal claims against a law.”

Click here to read more.

Jackson, Mississippi Enacts Restrictions on Protesting Outside Medical Facilities

The Jackson, Mississippi city council voted 3-1 to create 15-foot "buffer zones" around medical facilities, including the town's abortion clinic. The new ordinance would have police officers enforce restrictions on noise near medical facilities and also prevents approaching patients while they are within 100 feet of the facility. Violators could spend up to 90 days in jail and pay a $1,000 fine.

The Mississippi Center for Public Policy said this in response to the ordinance: “the noise is often escalated by the abortion center who will turn up music while sidewalk participants attempt to speak with those around the abortion center and that the regulation curtails their free speech rights.” Click here to read more.

New Bill Would Require States to Report When Babies Survive Abortions

Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas recently introduced the Ensuring Accurate and Complete Abortion Data Reporting Act of 2019 which, if passed, would require states to report when a child survives and is delivered after an attempted abortion. This data would then be publicly available and would serve as an additional resource to the Guttmacher Institute reports, which are biased in favor of abortion and only collect information on a voluntary basis.

Other organizations attempt to report statistics regarding abortion, but they have difficulty collecting information. The United States Center for Disease Control also only collects information submitted voluntarily by states. States report various amounts of information that is dependent on each state's individual reporting requirements. California, Maryland, and New Hampshire report no information whatsoever. Click here to read more.

Students for Life of America Schedules Rally at Planned Parenthood's New Fairview Heights Clinic

In response to the construction of a new Planned Parenthood facility in Fairview Heights, Students for Life of America will be holding a rally in conjunction with the dioceses of Saint Louis, Belleville, and Springfield in front of the facility. Everyone is invited to come and protest the construction of this mega-clinic and listen to the many speakers scheduled.

Date: Wednesday, October 9th
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: 317 Salem Place, Fairview Heights, IL
Click here to view the Facebook event

Following the rally, Students for Life of America will also be holding a prayer vigil for those who choose to stay.

Planned Parenthood's Fairview Heights mega-clinic was constructed in secret by the use of a shell company to prevent protestors from coming and delaying its completion.

UK Child's Parents Win Fight to Transport Daughter to Italian Hospital

Tafida Raqeeb

Tafida Raqeeb, a five-year-old girl from the United Kingdom, was recently transported to an Italian hospital after a hard-fought legal battle. Tafida Raqeeb was going to be taken off life support by Barts Health NHS Trust because they believed that action was in the child's best interest. Shelina Begum and Mohammed Raqeeb, Tafida's parents, are relieved that they are allowed to continue to make decisions that protect the life of their child.

Barts Health NHS Trust lawyers stated that the hospital was considering appealing the court's ruling. If this is successful, then the UK will have created a right for doctors to decide when a patient is ready to die. Click here to read more.

Mother Learns School Nurse Put Birth Control Implant in Daughter Without Notification

Screenshot from video explaining the Nexplanon implantation process.
Credit: Design Science / YouTube

Nicole Lambert, a mother in Baltimore, Maryland, learned that a school nurse put a birth control implant in her 16-year old daughter without asking for the mother's consent. Her daughter was experiencing headaches, so they visited her pediatrician and learned that a contraceptive tube had been improperly implanted in her daughter's arm without the mother's knowledge, let alone consent. The doctor recommended its removal to alleviate the discomfort and any further side-effects.

“Ms. Lambert wasn’t given the choice to pick the medical provider where her daughter would feel comfortable going and receiving these services, who she knew did a comprehensive medical exam, who she knew knew her medical history,” said David Ledyard, her new attorney.“Are they looking at the medical history of the students and doing a full workup before implanting these devices? What is the certification process and training of the nurses?” Birth control in this situation was seen as a right that surpassed even this mother's right to care for her child by taking her to a medical professional she trusted.  Click here to read more.

Jury Selection for Daleiden Trial Began Tuesday

David Daleiden

The highly-anticipated legal battle reached an important checkpoint on October 2 when jury selection began for the trial. Undercover journalists David Daleiden and Sandra Merrit are facing charges for recording supposedly confidential conversations while exposing Planned Parenthood for selling baby body parts. The journalists are defending themselves mostly through a clause that states situations in which the recorder has a reasonable belief that they are investigating violent acts are an exception to the law. If they successfully convince the jury that altered abortion practices designed to collect intact body parts are more risky to women, the undercover journalists can defend their innocence. If not, the journalists face jail time and the Center for Medical Progress will be forced to pay millions of dollars in damages to Planned Parenthood.

The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks. Click here to read more.

Federal Judge Blocks Georgia Heartbeat Law

On Tuesday, District Judge Steve C. Jones blocked a Georgia heartbeat law from going into effect next year. The bill would have banned abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. To explain his reasoning for blocking the law, Judge Jones wrote, “By banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, HB 481 prohibits women from making the ultimate decision to terminate her pregnancy at a point before viability.”

Candice Broce, a spokeswoman for Georgia Governor Kemp issued a response to the judge's ruling, saying, “Despite today’s outcome, we remain confident in our position. We will continue to fight for the unborn and work to ensure that all Georgians have the opportunity to live, grow and prosper.” Click here to read more.

New Planned Parenthood Clinic Secretly Constructed in Southern Illinois

CBS News Screenshot

CBS News reported Wednesday that Planned Parenthood secretly completed construction on a new facility in Fairview Heights, Illinois by using a shell company to hide the building's purpose. Fairview Heights was chosen to provide abortion services to Missouri residents since Missouri only has one remaining abortion clinic which is struggling to maintain its license. Planned Parenthood hid the true purpose of the facility via a shell company to prevent protestors from slowing down its construction and ensure that it hit its deadline.

Missouri residents will be more able to take advantage of Illinois' more relaxed abortion laws to obtain services that legislators fought against in their own state. The facility expects to be operational later this month. Click here to read more.

Pro-life Title X Clinics and Pregnancy Centers to Receive Funding Turned Down by Planned Parenthood

Health and Human Services announced Sept. 30th that $33.6 million will be used to help fund 50 organizations that receive Title X funding. This is as a direct result of Planned Parenthood and other organizations voluntarily rejecting funding due to a rule requiring Title X recipients to stop providing abortions, colocating with abortion facilities, or sending clients to abortion facilities. These organizations will be more empowered to provide life-affirming family-planning services to more women than they were ever able before.

Click here to read the HHS statement, which includes a full list of benefitting organizations.