Baby Tinslee Lewis Case Heard in Second Court of Appeals

Tinslee Lewis

The Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth, Texas heard arguments on Feb 4 regarding Tinslee Lewis and the Texas 10-Day Rule.

The Texas rule allows medical facilities to have a medical board to make the decision about whether a person's life is worth trying to save. Even without the agreement of the patient or their loved ones, doctors can choose to withhold treatment after 10 days once they gain permission from this independent board.

Cook Children's Medical Center wanted to pull the plug on Tinslee Lewis's breathing assistance months ago, using the 10-Day Rule as justification. Tinslee's parents appealed this decision, but a judge ruled against them in January. Since then, her legal battle gained widespread media attention and the support of Texas's executive branch. Cook Children's Medical Center received a temporary injunction against its use of the 10-Day Rule on Tinslee, and the Texas Office of Attorney General has come to her aid as well.

Trinity Lewis, Tinslee's mother, gave a statement during the Feb. 4 hearing about her daughter's condition and parents' need to be involved in their children's healthcare:

"Tinslee has not had 'dying spells' or blue spells requiring resuscitation for many months. The last time she had anything like that was right around her last surgery in August. She has not had any 'dying spells' or blue spells since then. A lot of the nurses that care for her tell me that they enjoy caring for her. They pray for Tinslee before their shift is over, they decorate her room, and help me take good care of her. Tinslee enjoys her bubble gum oral care, and she lets us know when she needs a diaper change–but she is not having dying spells, and I do not believe that she is suffering.

Tinslee is a fighter, and as long as she keeps responding to us and showing she is fighting, as her mom I will keep fighting for her.

I hope and pray these new judges will give Tinslee a fair chance. Every parent should have a voice and decision in their child’s care."

The hospital attempted to argue that if Tinslee's breathing assistance was taken away, the hospital would not be at fault for her death. It would instead be the fault of Tinslee's illness. The Office of Attorney General gave the counterargument that treating Tinslee's death in this way would be the same as saying a plane crash was the fault of gravity rather than the pilot or the plane's construction.

Since the temporary injunction against Cook Children's Medical Center, Tinslee has lived past her first birthday.

Click here to read more.

Donald Trump Speaks about Abortion During State of the Union Address

During his State of the Union address on Feb. 4, Donald Trump again emphasized the need to end late-term abortion. He spoke about to proposals he has set before Congress which would help reduce the horrible life-ending practice.

Immediately after bestowing the Medal of Honor to radio personality Rush Limbaugh, who was recently diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, President Trump transitioned to the issue of abortion:

“As we pray for all who are sick, we know that America is constantly achieving new medical breakthroughs. In 2017, doctors at St. Luke’s hospital in Kansas City delivered one of the earliest premature babies ever to survive. Born at just 21 weeks and six days and weighing less than a pound, Ellie Schneider was a born fighter. Through the skill of her doctors and the prayers of her parents, little Ellie kept on winning the battle of life. Today Ellie is a strong, healthy two-year-old girl, sitting with her amazing mother Robin in the gallery. Ellie and Robin, we are glad to have you with us tonight.”


“Ellie reminds us that every child is a miracle of life, and thanks to modern medical wonders, 50 percent of very premature babies delivered at the hospital where Ellie was born now survive,” the president continued. “Our goal should be to ensure that every baby has the best chance to thrive and grow just like Ellie. That is why I’m asking Congress to provide an additional $50 million to fund neonatal research for America’s youngest patients.”

“That is why I’m also calling upon members of Congress here tonight to pass legislation finally banning the late-term abortion of babies. Whether we are Republican, Democrat or independent, surely we must all agree that every human life is a sacred gift from God.”

This follows President Trump becoming the first sitting president to speak in person at March for Life on January 24. His ability to speak about these issues without fear of political backlash sets him apart from many supposedly pro-life politicians of the past.

Click here to read more.

New Kentucky Governor Approves Abortion Clinic License Previously Denied for Breaking Law

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear

The recently elected governor of Kentucky is making room for a new abortion provider in the state. Specifically, one that was unable to obtain a license from the previous administration because it failed to comply with regulatory laws.

Democratic Governor Andy Beshear approved a provisional license for Louisville Planned Parenthood on January 24th. It will go into effect in March, making them the second abortion provider in the state. Previous Governor Matt Bevin’s administration refused a license to Planned Parenthood twice during its time in power. The first of these times was because Planned Parenthood failed to create a hospital transport agreement with an ambulance service, and the second time because the organization was committing abortions with a license of any sort.

The Kentucky government's lax position on abortion under the new administration will not only cause a rise in abortion there, but it may also harm pregnant women by exposing them to lower-quality care.

Click here to read more.

New Hampshire Legislators Hear Testimony on Abortion Survivor Protection Bill

Credit: James Walsh / Flickr

New Hampshire's Senate and House of Representatives are both considering legislation that would cement the human rights of infants born during abortions.

The New Hampshire State Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard testimony on Tuesday regarding SB 741-FN, its version of born-alive infant protection. If passed, it would require medical personnel to provide the same level of treatment to infants born during an abortion as they would to any other person. A doctor who refuses to do so would be guilty of a felony.

The Center for Disease Control's reports show that 143 babies died after being born alive during abortion procedures between the years 2003 and 2014, but those statistics come with an asterisk. They only include states which record and report abortion-related statistics to the federal government. About half of the country, including some of the most pro-choice states, doesn't do this, making these numbers incredibly inaccurate. New Hampshire is one of those states.

Click here to read more.

New Report Encourages Businesses to Pay for Employees' Abortions

Credit: Daniel Günther / Flickr

A new report suggests that businesses should pay for their employees' abortions because doing so would benefit businesses. While this might be true, it would only harm women.

The report, titled “Hidden Value: The Business Case for Reproductive Health,” argues that businesses will benefit from paying for their employees' abortions for several reasons: They argue that businesses will be able to attract and retain workers who would otherwise not be able to afford "reproductive health care," women who become pregnant could easily abort their children and continue to provide value towards businesses' bottom lines, workforces would be more diverse, and businesses would appease shareholders who care about their position on social issues.

Employers have discriminated against women in the past because they can become pregnant. They choose to hire men instead of women simply because they will not need maternity leave. This study feeds employers' stigma against working women by trying to make abortion a standard benefit (and the standard response to working women becoming pregnant). It furthers the idea that unless women abort, business owners have no good reason to hire or promote women.

If businesses take this advice, women will feel even more pressure from their employers to make life-ending decisions regarding their children.

Click here to read more.

Kansas Senate Passes Amendment to Remove "Constitutional Right" to Abortion

Credit: Ben Smith / Flickr

A Kansas Supreme Court ruling in April declared that the Kansas constitution creates a right to abortion which cannot be infringed upon through legislation. The Kansas state senate is now trying to combat this by passing an amendment which, if accepted by the Kansas House of Representatives and Kansas citizens, would remove any such right from their constitution.

The Senate passed the "Value them Both" amendment with a 28-12 vote last Wednesday, but any vote to bring it through the House of Representatives is likely to be close. The Republican Representatives could pass the amendment in a party-line vote, but it is unknown what moderates on either side might choose to do.

If the amendment passes the House of Representatives, Kansans will be able to vote on it at the ballot.

Click here to read more.

Live Action News TikTok Account Banned and Later Reinstated by Social Media Giant

Credit: Live Action News

On January 30, the video-sharing app TikTok temporarily banned LiveAction News from its platform for "violating multiple community guidelines." TikTok responded on January 31 that the ban was a result of "human error" and reinstated Live Action News's account, but this action is not outside of the norm for social media corporations with how they have treated pro-life media in the past.

“Live Action’s videos shared baby photos and videos and highlighted the illogic of the pro-abortion movement,” Live Action President Lila Rose said in a statement. “At the same time, TikTok allows pro-abortion accounts and videos to remain on the platform, videos like this that simulate brutal harm to preborn or born infants. Live Action appealed TikTok’s decision to remove one of our videos and within a half hour our account was completely removed on the platform. No more account, no more videos. This is blatant viewpoint discrimination and an egregious attempt to silence pro-life voices. TikTok should reinstate our account in full and allow all voices on the platform.”

This is the video that TikTok says violated their “Community Guidelines” and banned us for.

In it, we share the beautiful personal stories that some of our followers have shared with us about choosing life for their babies. pic.twitter.com/EBADFmxUEW

— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) January 31, 2020

Live Action News's reinstatement allows the organization to continue reaching out to young adults who are often the most vulnerable to having abortions.

Click here to read more.

U.S. Senate Bill Would Let Pregnant Mothers Receive Child Support from Fathers

Credit: Frank de Kleine / Flickr

Last Tuesday, North Dakota Senator Kevin Cramer introduced a bill that would allow judges to require the father of an unborn child to pay child support to the mother.

The Unborn Child Support Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), would allow a mother to use the legal system and require her child's father to pay child support throughout pregnancy. This support can even be retroactive up to the month of conception. The mother can require a paternity test to be done if it does not put the child's life at risk.

This bill would both put forth a standard that life begins at conception, and protect vulnerable women from being pushed toward abortion due to financial concerns if a father is otherwise unwilling to help support his child and the mother.

“Life begins at conception. Our laws should reflect that truth, especially when it comes to helping mothers provide for the welfare of their children,” said Senator Cramer in a press release. “If we are going to be pro-life, we should be pro-all-of-life and ensure we give moms the support they need.”

Click here to read more.

Bill to Repeal Virginia Abortion Regulations Passed by Lt. Governor's Tie-Breaking Vote

Virginia Senate Floor
Credit: VCU Capitol News Service / Flickr

A Virginia bill designed to repeal several abortion regulations in the state was recently passed the Senate as a result of a tie-breaking vote by Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax.

Senate Bill 733 repeals the rule that only doctors perform abortions. Under the new law, nurses and medical assistants will also be allowed to commit abortions. Additionally, abortionists will no longer be required to give women certain information about abortions or tell them about abortion alternatives. Finally, facilities which “perform five or more first-trimester abortions per month,” will no longer be considered "hospitals" under Virginia law. This allows abortion facilities to operate under lower safety and cleanliness standards.

The bill had already passed the House of Representatives. Once Gov. Ralph Northam signs it, it will become law.

Click here to read more.

Parental Consent Bill Moves to Florida Senate Floor

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

In his second State of the State address, pro-life Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he hoped the Senate would pass a parental consent bill like one that passed the Florida House of Representatives last year, so he could sign it into law. It seems likely that he will soon get what he asked for.

Senate Republicans on the Florida Rules Committee approved SB 404, which would require teenagers under the age of 18 to obtain permission from their parents or legal guardian before having an abortion. It is not identical to the bill passed by the House of Representatives last year, but Senate President Bill Galvano told reporters that he believes the House will approve the new Senate bill.

The 23-17 GOP majority is expected to pass SB 404 as early as next week.

Click here to read more.

Appeals Court Hears Arguments Regarding Kentucky Dismemberment Abortion Ban

On Wednesday, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati heard oral arguments regarding the legality of Kentucky House Bill 454, which would limit dismemberment abortion in the state. The ACLU and State Deputy Solicitor General Matthew Kuhn gave arguments in front of the three-judge panel.

“We, Kentucky, can change how abortion procedures are performed to make them more humane,” Kuhn said. He argued that the law does not necessarily ban dismemberment, but it would require fetal demise before an abortionist could tear the limbs from a fetus's body. During a dismemberment abortion, this is done to a living fetus because the child is otherwise too large to remove from the mother's womb without inducing labor.

He also pointed out that Ohio currently exercises a similar law, saying, “If doctors in Ohio are already doing it, why can’t doctors in Kentucky do it?”

It could be months before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals makes a decision on this law, but Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said he is prepared to appeal to the Supreme Court if necessary

Click here to read more.

Tennessee Governor Introduces Heartbeat Bill

Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced a bill last week which would take several steps to protect the lives of unborn children in the state.

Governor Lee's bill would ban abortions after a child's heartbeat is detected, require mothers to have ultrasounds before they have an abortion, and ban abortions “motivated by sex, race or disability diagnosis of the unborn child.”

“The General Assembly has been committed to making Tennessee a very strong pro-life state over the last decade,” Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton said to Fox 17. “Obviously, we are very supportive and appreciative of the Governor’s dedication to pro-life principles. We are looking forward to working with him and his team on this issue, as well as his legislative vision. I know members of the House and the chairmen are eager to review the proposed language and continue their strong support for life.”

Click here to read more.

Trump Administration Restores Federal Funding to Pro-Life Texas Women's Health Program

On January 22, the Trump administration announced that it would reinstate federal funding for Healthy Texas Women, a women's health organization that previously lost federal funding under the Obama administration.

The Obama administration revoked Healthy Texas Women's funding because it differentiated itself from Planned Parenthood and refused to subsidize abortion. It now has $350 million in federal funds to use for the next five years.

Healthy Texas Women provides cancer screenings, well-woman exams, family planning, to low-income women throughout Texas. With the reinstated funding, it is poised to help more women than it ever has before.

Click here to read more.

Fox Sports Refuses Abortion Survivors Ad for Super Bowl Sunday

Fox Sports has refused to give Faces of Choice an answer regarding whether it will accept a 30-second ad featuring abortion survivors for Super Bowl Sunday. Ultimately, Fox rejected the ad by simply waiting for slots to fill and telling the organization nothing was left for them.



“We were one of the very first people to submit anything to them. We met every single stipulation that they asked for and every time we met the line they moved the line further to request something else,” Lyric Gillett, founder of Faces of Choice, told LifeSite News.

The ad was produced specifically so that it would be appropriate for a Super Bowl audience and doesn't use the word "abortion" once. Despite this, Faces of Choice was forced to jump through hoops to appease Fox's legal team, but it all came to nothing. Slots sold out and Fox never gave a yes or no answer to their submission. More slots became available last week, but Fox did not respond immediately to Faces of Choice's new application.

An extended version of the ad was shown at March for Life in Washington DC last week.

Click here to read more.

Former Planned Parenthood Worker from Champaign, IL Talks about Why She Worked There and How She Changed

In a podcast by weDignify, counselor and former Planned Parenthood employee Linda Couri details why she chose to work for the abortion corporation and how coming to terms with her own abortion drove her to become pro-life 11 years later. Now Couri works with weDignify (a pro-life organization in Illinois) to promote a life-affirming culture on college campuses.



Click here if the player above isn't working.

Buttigieg Asked if there is Room in the Democrat Party for Pro-Life Voices

Democrat Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg
Credit: Flickr / Gage Skidmore

Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America, asked a question to Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg on Monday on whether he believed there was space in the Democratic party for pro-life voices.

“I am a proud pro-life Democrat. So, do you want the support of pro-life Democrats—pro-life Democratic voters?” Day asked. “And if so, would you support more moderate platform language in the Democratic Party, to ensure that the party of diversity, of inclusion, really does include everybody?”

After avoiding the question to reiterate his pro-abortion stance, he told Day that he "understands" if Democrats choose not to vote for him because of his beliefs that the government should not regulate abortion in any way. This once again reveals the issue that pro-life Democrats have nowhere to turn in the upcoming election.

Senator Warren was asked on the presidential debate stage on November 20th if there was any room in the Democratic party for a pro-life politician, to which she responded the party was "fundamentally" about preserving access to abortion and “abortion rights are human rights.” She attempted to clarify that she didn't want to drive anyone away from the Democrat party, but she may be driving some away from the ballot box in 2020.

Pro-life activists have expressed frustration at the increasingly partisan nature of the abortion debate. Some even voiced to the Catholic News Agency that President Donald Trump's attendance at March for Life last week could alienate non-republicans, despite several pro-life Democrats also speaking at the event. “As a pro-life person, I think the movement needs all the help it can get to cross party lines,” Connie Poulos told CNA.

Click here to read more.

National Right to Life Annual Report: "The State of Abortion in the United States"

The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) released its seventh annual report, titled “The State of Abortion in the United States, 2020,” last Wednesday. The report tackles a variety of subjects surrounding the fight to end abortion: federal and state legislation, statistics analyzing the rate of abortions, what the Equal Rights Amendment represents, and Planned Parenthood's  2018-2019 annual report.

Key highlights from the report include:

• Based on data from the Guttmacher Institute and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)– and estimating figures for subsequent years (2018-2019)–National Right to Life now estimates 61,628,584 abortions have been performed in the United States since 1973.

• Utilizing data from the Guttmacher Institute and the CDC, National Right to Life estimates that the number of abortions has dropped to 862,320 annually – the lowest number recorded since 1973, and nearly 800,000 fewer than the all-time high of 1.6 million abortions in 1990. National Right to Life attributes continued pro-life educational, legislative, and political efforts with much of the overall decline seen over the past 30 years.

• State legislatures continue to be successful in enacting pro-life legislation that extends protections to unborn children and helps their mothers. These laws include protections for pain-capable unborn children, laws banning dismemberment abortions of living unborn babies, and efforts to steer state funding away from organizations that perform abortions, such as Planned Parenthood.

• Planned Parenthood, which reported over $1.6 billion in revenues in 2018-2019, while posting over $240 million in “excess revenue,” is estimated to have made nearly $160 million performing 345,672 abortions – over 40% of all abortions in the United States annually.

Click here to read more.

HHS Issues Warning to California: Stop Forcing Insurers to Cover Abortion or Lose Funding

Alex M. Azar II
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) at the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a press release on Friday, Jan 24 stating that California could lose HHS funding if it continues to require insurers in the state to cover elective abortions.

"OCR is issuing a Notice of Violation to the state of California, formally notifying California that it cannot impose universal abortion coverage mandates on health insurance plans and issuers in violation of federal conscience laws," the press release reads. "California has deprived over 28,000 people of plans that did not cover elective abortion, but now must cover abortion due to California’s mandate."

The OCR found that California's requirement violated the conscience protections of the Weldon Amendment. Under the amendment, federal funds can be withheld from governmental institutions that discriminate against those who do not wish to support abortion.

"If, after 30 days, OCR does not receive sufficient assurance that California will come into compliance with federal law, OCR will forward the Notice of Violation and the evidence supporting OCR’s findings in this matter to the HHS funding components from which California receives funding for appropriate action under applicable grants and contracts regulations. This action may ultimately result in limitations on continued receipt of certain HHS funds."

The press release further stated that the OCR was reprimanded in January of 2019 for requiring pro-life pregnancy centers to refer patients to abortions under the threat of fines.

“No one in America should be forced to pay for or cover other people’s abortions,” said Roger Severino, Director of OCR. “We are putting California on notice that it must stop forcing people of good will to subsidize the taking of human life, not only because it’s the moral thing to do, but because it’s the law,” Severino concluded.

Click here to read more.

President Trump Becomes First President to Speak at March for Life

On Friday, President Trump became the first president to attend March for Life in Washington D.C. The event has been held every year near the anniversary of Roe v. Wade to rally pro-life advocates in their fight to protect unborn life.

"When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God's creation," Trump said. "When we hold a newborn in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family. When we watch a child grow, we see the splendor that radiates from each human soul. One life changes the world – from my family, and I can tell you, I send love, and I send great, great love – and from the first day in office, I have taken historic action to support America’s families and to protect the unborn."

The President used his speaking time to thank and encourage pro-life advocates, tout the steps his administration has taken to protect unborn life, and point out the steps abortion advocates have taken to expand abortion.


"We cannot know what our citizens yet unborn will achieve. The dreams they will imagine. The masterpieces they will create. The discoveries they will make. But we know this: every life brings love into this world. Every child brings joy to a family. Every person is worth protecting."

"And above all, we know that every human soul is divine and every human life, born and unborn, is made in the holy image of Almighty God."

Click here to read more.

Ohio State Senator to Introduce Bill Protecting Women from Telemed Abortions

The practice of selling abortion medication online to women to use in their homes without medical supervision has resulted in the deaths of at least 24 women in the US (though likely more since most states don't report abortion-related statistics). An Ohio State Senator plans to introduce legislation designed to stop that practice from killing women in his state.

Ohio State Senator Steve Huffman says his bill will require women who want to use the abortion pill to visit an abortion facility.

“It’s about safety,” Huffman said to NBC 4. “… It’s so important that someone should be there looking somebody in the eye and making that decision, not somebody out in California or New York that has a website that you can get on and get the medication to have an abortion.”

Huffman plans to introduce the bill next week and believes it can garner enough support to make it to Ohio's House of Representatives.

Click here to read more.