April 13, 2020

Undercover Pro-Lifer Finds Websites will Mail Abortion Pills to Women without Meeting a Doctor

Undercover pro-lifer Joe Baca recently found that when he used female aliases on several abortion pill websites, businesses were willing to send him pills and prescriptions without him needing to meet a doctor or verify his identity.

Joe Baca was able to order abortion pills from the websites AbortionRx.com and AidAccess.org, and he shared his experience with Live Action News.

“Neither company required proof of a doctor’s visit or even an ultrasound proving I was pregnant,” he said. “They did nothing to make sure I was not being abused, raped or trafficked. They did absolutely nothing to verify I was an adult beyond asking me how old I was. I simply told them I was born in 1995, but they never asked for an ID.”

“When I asked someone from AbortionRx.com if I needed an ID to prove I was an adult they said, ‘We trust that you are at least 18,'” Baca said. “When I asked if I should go to a doctor after I took the abortion pills, I was highly discouraged. They said that the medical staff would only try to con me into additional charges. When I asked one of these recommended companies what I should do if I bled profusely for several days, they let me know that they were not doctors but I could ‘Google it’ if I was concerned.”

He was able to order the first part of the abortion pill regimen, mifepristone, from AbortionRx.com, and it came packaged in bubble wrap with candy. He received prescriptions for the second part of the abortion pill regimen, misoprostol, from both websites. Mifepristone kills an unborn child by stopping the flow of nutrients from a mother to her child, while misoprostol completes an abortion by causing a woman to go into labor and "complete her miscarriage." Misoprostol is not recommended by the FDA to be used alone to complete abortions, but that is what AbortionRX.com prescribed.

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April 10, 2020

Pennsylvania Health Department Document Proposes "Point System" Potentially Rationing Health Care for the Disabled

Disability Rights Pennsylvania has filed a civil rights complaint against the Pennsylvania Health Department for a document suggesting that those with disabilities might not receive ventilators during the coronavirus outbreak. The document suggests that healthcare providers use a "point system" biased against those with preexisting conditions and disabilities for accessing these life-saving devices.

The points system specifically prioritizes those with longer life expectancies over those with preexisting conditions.

“Doctors associate certain disabilities with a poor prognosis for long-term survival even though people with disabilities regularly outlive the prognoses that doctors ascribe to them, often by years,” Disability Rights Pennsylvania legal director Kelly Darr wrote in a letter to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The letter goes on to suggest the document in its current form could allow physicians to take ventilators away from disabled persons who already use them regularly, “People who are dependent on ventilators should not be at risk of losing their life-preserving equipment if they must go to the hospital. Failure to include such protections in the [guidelines] will discourage such individuals from seeking necessary health care – for COVID-19 or any other issues that may require hospitalization.”

A Pennsylvania Health Department spokesperson gave this response to the criticism: “The interim guidance that was sent to hospitals was a draft that was not meant for further distribution. We will be working with these and additional stakeholders on a final document.”

The fact that the Health Department's response only says that the public wasn't supposed to know about the point system and doesn't suggest that it will be changed doesn't bode well for groups that could be marginalized. The public needs to keep a close eye on the medical system during this time to watch out for discriminatory health care rationing.

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Idaho Joins List of States with "Trigger Laws" Outlawing Abortion if Roe v. Wade is Overturned

Idaho politicians passed a bill last month designed to immediately ban abortions if the Supreme Court overturns the controversial Roe v. Wade decision.

The bill's statement of purpose says the following:

This bill becomes effective when the United States Supreme Court restores to the states their authority to prohibit abortion, or the United States Constitution is amended to restore to the states their authority to prohibit abortion. Upon the occurrence of these prerequisites, this statute makes the performance of an abortion a crime.

The bill has exceptions for cases of rape and incest and will charge abortionists rather than women for the potential crime of abortion. Doctors who commit abortions can potentially lose their licenses if the law does come into effect.

April 9, 2020

Appeals Court Upholds Texas's Temporary Elective Abortion Ban

A three-judge panel from the 5th circuit court of appeals voted 2-1 Tuesday to overturn a lower-court judge's ruling which would have blocked the Texas governor's temporary ban on elective abortions during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The executive order prohibits non-essential medical and surgical procedures to conserve resources for the ongoing pandemic. Last week, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals put a temporary stay on federal judge Lee Yeakel’s order blocking Gov. Greg Abbott's ban. On Tuesday, they announced a decision overturning Yeakel's ruling entirely.

From the majority opinion:
"The bottom line is this: when faced with a society-threatening epidemic, a state may implement emergency measures that curtail constitutional rights so long as the measures have at least some “real or substantial relation” to the public health crisis and are not “beyond all question, a plain, palpable invasion of rights secured by the fundamental law.” Courts may ask whether the state’s emergency measures lack basic exceptions for “extreme cases,” and whether the measures are pretextual—that is, arbitrary or oppressive. At the same time, however, courts may not second-guess the wisdom or efficacy of the measures."
A "telephonic preliminary injunction hearing" is scheduled for April 13, when both sides will present additional evidence for the court to consider.

Click here to read more.

April 8, 2020

Illinois Reproductive Health Act Fact 3: Abortion Facilities No Longer Need State “Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center" Licenses

Abortion clinics are no longer required to be licensed by the state as “Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Centers.” One perk of this is that they will no longer be inspected by the state. Read more about the change by clicking the link below:


GET THE FACTS - Click here to view or download this week's fact sheet.


Federal Judge Rules Certain Elective Abortions Can Continue During Oklahoma's Temporary Ban

Oklahoma Attorney General
Mike Hunter
Continuing the trend of federal judges canceling states' temporary elective abortion bans created to fight COVID-19, Judge Charles B. Goodwin ruled that certain elective abortions could continue in Oklahoma despite an executive order temporarily prohibiting elective surgeries.

Goodwin ordered April 8 that the temporary ban on elective surgical abortions “may not be enforced with respect to any patient who will lose her right to lawfully obtain an abortion in Oklahoma.” Additionally, he wrote that the prohibition “on medication abortions may not be enforced.” The court clarified its decision by saying, “while the current public health emergency allows the State of Oklahoma to impose some of the cited measures delaying abortion procedures, it has acted in an ‘unreasonable,’ ‘arbitrary,’ and ‘oppressive’ way – and imposed an ‘undue burden’ on abortion access – in imposing requirements that effectively deny a right of access to abortion.”

Women whose pregnancies will go past the 20-week gestation abortion limit during the temporary ban will be allowed to have abortions through the duration of the ban, which ends April 30.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said his office plans to appeal the decision to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Click here to read more.

World Health Organization Says Abortion is Essential Even During Pandemic

World Health Organization
Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
The World Health Organization is taking the incorrect but predictable position that abortion services are "essential," even during a pandemic.

The World Health Organization, a pro-abortion United Nations entity designed to "direct and coordinate international health within the United Nations system," said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation that “services related to reproductive health are considered to be part of essential services during the COVID-19 outbreak.”

“Women’s choices and rights to sexual and reproductive health care should be respected, irrespective of whether or not she has a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection,” WHO said in their statement. This is a misrepresentation of the arguments government officials have been making against providing abortions during this time. The temporary closure mandates in states like Texas were created not to discriminate against those who might have the virus, but to preserve medical equipment and slow the spread of the disease by keeping people from sitting in crowded waiting rooms during this time.

The further said that “sexual and reproductive health care is integral to universal health coverage and achieving the right to health... This includes contraception, quality health care during and after pregnancy and childbirth, and safe abortion to the full extent of the law.” The WHO noted that it provides both global technology and policy guidance to WHO members “on the use of contraception to prevent unintended pregnancy, safe abortion, and treatment of complications from unsafe abortion.”

In the White House's April 7 coronavirus briefing, Donald Trump said that he was open to ending United States funding of the WHO.

“They seem to err always on the side of China and we fund it, so I want to look into it,” the president said.

A reporter challenged Trump's statement, saying, “Is it time to freeze [U.S.] funding to the WHO during a pandemic?”

“No, maybe not,” Trump responded. “I am not saying that I am going to do it, but we are going to look at it. We are going to investigate it, we are going to look into it... but we will look at ending funding because you know what, they called it wrong and if you look back over the years even, they’re very much – everything seems to be very biased towards China – that's not right.”

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April 7, 2020

Team of State Attorneys General Announce They will Assist in Fight Against Texas's Temporary Abortion Restrictions

New York Attorney General Letitia James
A team of pro-abortion state Attorneys General will be teaming up to fight a Texas order temporarily banning elective abortion during the pandemic.

Texas is one of several states which enacted an emergency ban on non-essential medical procedures to slow the spread of COVID-19 and preserve important medical equipment such as masks and gloves for doctors fighting the novel disease. Because the state correctly considers elective abortions to be non-essential services that drain resources risk spreading the disease, a team of 19 pro-abortion attorneys general from across the country announced that they will be fighting the Texas ban. New York Attorney General Letitia James said on Twitter April 3 that she would be leading the team.

“I’m leading 19 AGs in legal action to stop Texas from blocking nearly all abortion services & using the #coronavirus as an excuse. In our nation, a woman has a constitutional right to access an abortion & I won't stand for assaults on women's choices, freedoms & bodies," she wrote.
States expending resources to fight each others' coronavirus response policies is hardly an efficient use of government time and money during this unprecedented time. Hopefully, these government officials will realize that they need to prioritize the health and safety of their respective citizens, at least for the time being if not always.

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Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Denies Ohio Appeal to Reverse Federal Judge's Restraining Order Against Temporary Abortion Ban

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost
State governments continue to hit judicial roadblocks as they attempt to temporarily ban abortions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Judge Michael Barrett issued a temporary restraining order last week against Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's attempt to temporarily ban elective abortions. The goal of that order was to slow the spread of COVID-19 and prevent abortionists from using desperately needed medical equipment such as masks and gloves used by physicians on the front lines fighting the pandemic. Yost attempted to appeal the restraining order, but his request was denied on April 6.

“We are grateful to Attorney General Dave Yost for his continued leadership in holding the abortion industry accountable and we are hopeful that he will continue to do so in light of this ruling,” said Ohio Right to Life vice president Stephanie Ranade Krider. “While all Ohioans are being asked to make sacrifices in order to preserve innocent lives, the larger medical community is sacrificing the most: not only their time, but their equipment, their private practices, and potentially their own lives. The abortion industry ought not interpret this as a loophole to continue ending innocent lives, push abortion on demand, and proceed with business as usual.”

Other states have had mixed results with their bans so far. Some explicitly exempt abortionists from their rules, while others have been fighting similar legal battles.

April 6, 2020

Wisconsin Governor Allows All “Healthcare and Public Health Operations” to Remain Open to Justify Abortion During Pandemic

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D)
In a move seemingly designed to justify elective abortions, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers declared in his March 24 “Safer at Home” order that "non-essential" businesses will temporarily be required to remain closed to slow the spread of COVID-19, but all “Healthcare and Public Health Operations” will be exempted from this mandate.

Many states have introduced mandates banning all "elective" or "non-essential" medical procedures until further notice. These bans were introduced both to prevent COVID-19 from spreading in these environments and to reduce demand for protective equipment used by physicians helping to fight the pandemic. State governments have conflicting opinions on whether elective abortion should is considered an "essential service," and several pro-abortion organizations have challenged orders temporarily banning elective abortions. These cases will likely continue being debated in federal courts over the next several weeks. 

Wisconsin's ban is unique because it specifically exempts all "Healthcare and Public Health Operations" which the order says “shall be broadly construed.” Because of this, it seems as though abortionists, dentists, and even chiropractors in Wisconsin may not have to close their doors despite most businesses being required to do so. By taking this stance, Gov. Evers doesn't have to argue against claims that abortion providers are being given special treatment over healthcare businesses. However, all of these businesses are still being given special treatment over other businesses in general whenever they are allowed to continue doing business by providing non-essential services. 

Why should abortion clinics be allowed to stay open when a florist is required to close? Neither provides an essential service. Abortion doesn't treat any disease. In edge cases when a mother's life is at risk, emergency delivery via induced labor or c-section is less risky because it is faster than preparing a woman for surgical abortion. By providing these exceptions, governors are simply picking which businesses will be winners and losers.

April 3, 2020

21 State Attorneys General, Including Illinois AG Kwame Raoul, Ask Federal Officials to Lift Restrictions on Abortion Pills

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul
Credit: Illinois Public Radio / Flickr
Attorneys general from 21 states (including Illinois's Kwame Raoul) co-signed a letter sent on March 30th to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn asking them to lift safety restrictions on abortion pills for use during DIY abortions.

"...due to the REMS, patients have to travel to a designated clinic, medical office, or hospital, as opposed to getting a prescription from their doctor using telehealth, and then obtaining Mifepristone at a local pharmacy or delivered by mail," the letter reads. "The FDA should not mandate this medically unnecessary travel, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis where not only are women being advised to stay home, but families are faced with additional childcare and financial constraints."

If REMS restrictions were lifted, abortionists providing women with prescriptions for abortion pills will not perform ultrasounds on the women to whom they are recommending Mifepristone. This means that women who have pregnancies later than 10 weeks or who have ectopic pregnancies could receive prescriptions when they should not for their own safety. In these situations, the abortion pill regiment has an increased risk of complications such as hemorrhaging. The fact that travel to meet a physician and undergo an ultrasound to ensure a woman's safety is considered "medically unnecessary" by these attorneys general shows that they don't care about the safety of women who have abortions. They only care that abortions continue to happen.

"In light of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis," the letter later states, "We request you remove the FDA’s restrictive REMS designation for Mifepristone thereby removing these unnecessary, undue burdens in accessing safe and time-sensitive, essential medical care. Alternatively, at a minimum, we request that you use your enforcement discretion to allow certified prescribers to use telehealth for mifepristone.

The attorneys general who sent this letter were further willing to ask that federal officials look the other way if abortionists provide pills over the mail during this pandemic, thereby neglecting their duties to protect the health and safety of Americans. The requests made by these state officials show a disregard for the safety of the citizens they serve.

Click here to read more.

April 2, 2020

Illinois Reproductive Health Act Fact 2: Illinois Will No Longer Assure the Safety of Abortions

Here's another fact exposing the dangers of the Illinois Reproductive Health Act which was signed into law last summer: 


GET THE FACTS - Click here to view or download this week's fact sheet.






Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Illinois Attracts Cars from 6 States, Sends Patient to Hospital in Missouri.

Credit: Operation Rescue
On March 28, the parking lot for Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, Illinois was packed full of 40 cars; including license plates from 6 different states. In a time when social distancing is encouraged by federal and state governments, Illinois is becoming more of an abortion hub than ever.

To top everything off, pro-life onlookers watched as a Granite City ambulance came to pick up a woman on a gurney and transport her across the Mississippi River to Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. A large hospital exists directly across the street from Hope Clinic, but the nearest hospital with which abortionist Erin King presumably holds hospital admitting privileges is not even in the same state.

“With women coming from six different states for abortions and being forced together into an over-crowded waiting room, the threat exists that when the women go home, they could take the virus with them and spreading it in their home communities,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “The Hope Clinic is not only placing the lives of women at risk with botched abortions, as they did over the weekend, but are also endangering Americans over a vast geographical region, and could be prolonging the current health crisis. This is a public health emergency that must be addressed by the State of Illinois. For the good of the public, Illinois must shut down their abortion mills.”

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Indiana Governor Issues Order For Physicians to Cancel or Postpone 'Elective and Non-Urgent' Procedures- Including Abortion

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb
Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed an executive order Monday requiring that 'elective and non-urgent' medical procedures be postponed or canceled to slow the spread of COVID-19 and preserve personal protective equipment for doctors treating patients with COVID-19. This order includes elective abortions.

The executive order applies to all kinds of non-essential procedures, but it does provide a list of examples in writing: "health care facilities, whether hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, dental facilities, plastic surgery centers, dermatology offices and abortion clinics" will all be affected.

"We're living in and through an 'all hands on deck' moment if I've ever seen one and it is unifying our state in ways that I could not imagine," Holcomb said regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He also specifically called out abortion clinics again in a statement; making it clear that he was not going to allow clinics to define their own services as "essential": "I directed all healthcare facilities — hospitals, surgical centers, veterinarians, dermatologists, yes, abortion clinics — to cancel all elective or non-urgent procedures."

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April 1, 2020

West Virginia Likely to Join States with Executive Orders Temporarily Banning Elective Abortion

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice
On March 31, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice Announced that his state would be joining the growing list of states temporarily banning non-essential medical procedures to preserve medical resources for the fight against COVID-19.

“As of 11:59 p.m. tonight all elective surgeries are suspended so we can continue to do whatever we can to protect our healthcare providers and conserve medical supplies,” Gov. Justice said.

The order states "that all elective medical procedures are hereby prohibited; provided that patients will still have access to urgent, medically necessary procedures like those needed to preserve the patient's life or long-term health; and provided that this prohibition applies equally to all types of elective medical procedures performed in hospitals, offices, and clinics throughout the state. The term "elective" includes medical procedures that are not immediately medically necessary to preserve the patient's life or long-term health, except that procedures that cannot be postponed without compromising the patient's long term health, procedures that cannot be performed consistent with other law at a later date, or procedures that are religiously mandated shall not be considered "elective" under this Order."

"Medically necessary" abortions are defined in part by West Virginia law as “a condition that…so complicates the medical condition of a pregnant female that it necessitates the immediate abortion of her pregnancy …to avert her death or…will create serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function, not including psychological or emotional conditions.”

Under this definition, elective abortion procedures will likely be included in the pro-life Governor's ban.

Federal Judge Rules Texas Can't Temporarily Ban Abortions During Pandemic. An Appeals Court Stayed that Injunction for Now.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
After Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order temporarily banning all non-essential surgical procedures, Federal Judge Lee Yeakel ruled that abortions must be allowed to continue, overruling the order. The Fifth Court of Appeals responded to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's request for appellate review by granting a temporary stay against Yeakel's ruling.

“The benefits of a limited potential reduction in the use of some personal protective equipment by abortion providers is outweighed by the harm of eliminating abortion access in the midst of a pandemic that increases the risks of continuing an unwanted pregnancy, as well as the risks of traveling to other states in search of time-sensitive medical care,” Yeakel said about his decision.

Unless the Fifth Court of Appeals makes the decision to side with Judge Yeakel, Gov. Abbott's order will continue to stand until further notice. It will conserve medical resources for hospitals treating patients with COVID-19, and treat all non-essential procedures, including abortion, equally.

“Abortion providers who refuse to follow state law are demonstrating a clear disregard for Texans suffering from this medical crisis,” said Attorney General Paxton. “For years, abortion has been touted as a ‘choice’ by the same groups now attempting to claim that it is an essential procedure. All Texans must work together to stop the spread of COVID-19. My office will continue to defend Governor Abbott’s Order to ensure that supplies and personal protective gear reach the hardworking medical professionals who need it the most during this health crisis.”

Alabama and Ohio have also had federal judges block their temporary bans, but none of those decisions have been stayed by an appeals court.

Click here to read more.

March 31, 2020

Planned Parenthood and ACLU Sue States for Temporarily Banning Elective Abortions

Credit: Joe Gratz / Flickr
Planned Parenthood has filed lawsuits against Oklahoma, Iowa, Ohio, Alabama, and Texas in response to executive orders temporarily banning non-essential surgical procedures.

The Hill reported Monday that Planned Parenthood is fighting legal battles against five states which have issued temporary bans against non-essential surgical procedures- including elective abortions. Many states have issued similar bans, but specifically exempted surgical abortions by claiming that it is "essential healthcare."

“A global pandemic is not an excuse to attack essential, time-sensitive medical procedures like abortion,” said Planned Parenthood's acting president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson.

The Center for Reproductive Rights filed suit with Planned Parenthood in the Oklahoma and Texas Cases, while the American Civil Liberties Union did likewise in Iowa, Ohio, and Alabama.

Click here to read more.

Planned Parenthood Keystone Stops Providing All Services Except Abortion

In response to COVID19, Planned Parenthood Keystone (the branch that operates in Pennsylvania) has closed its doors to all patients seeking services other than abortion.

"To ensure the health and safety of our patients, staff, and community, Planned Parenthood Keystone has temporarily closed all of its health centers for family planning visits effective March 23, 2020," the website reads. "At this time, Planned Parenthood Keystone is serving patients in Allentown, Wilkes-Barre, Warminster, Reading, York, and Harrisburg for abortion services only."

In a move designed to stay consistent with the pro-abortion narrative that abortion is "essential health care," Planned Parenthood branches are fighting any order by state governments to temporarily close their doors to slow the spread of disease and preserve important equipment for use by hospitals.

Pro-life advocates are calling on Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf to equally enforce his executive order banning all elective surgical procedures. There is no reason for surgical abortion to be an exception to this rule.

Click here to read more.

March 30, 2020

Oklahoma Executive Order Equally Applies Suspension of Surgical Procedures to Abortions

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt
On March 27, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt left no question that his executive order to suspend all non-essential surgical procedures included surgical abortions, except those "necessary to prevent serious health risks to the unborn child's mother."
"This also includes routine dermatological, ophthalmological, and dental procedures, as well as most scheduled healthcare procedures such as orthopedic surgeries. 
The rapid spread of COVID-19 has increased demands for hospital beds and has created a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to protect health care professionals and stop transmission of the virus."
“We must ensure that our health care professionals, first responders and medical facilities have all of the resources they need to combat COVID-19,” said Gov. Stitt. “I am committed to doing whatever necessary to protect those who are on the front lines fighting against this virus.”

More states need to take a cue from this equal enforcement and stop giving abortion clinics special permission to continue using important medical equipment during a time of unprecedented need.

Click here to read more.

March 27, 2020

Planned Parenthood Asks Public to Donate Protective Equipment for Abortions During Pandemic

As many states are prohibiting non-essential medical procedures to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) like surgical masks to protect doctors treating COVID19, several Planned Parenthood branches have reached out to the public to ask for PPE donations.

"In uncertain times like this, Planned Parenthood is as committed to patients as always," reads the Planned Parenthood Keystone of Pennsylvania donations page. "We will provide as many people as possible with the critical sexual health care they need to stay safe and healthy. In order to help us do this, please consider donating hand sanitizer, home-sewn masks, shoe covers, and surgical hats to protect our medical staff as they continue to provide care in our communities."

The Pennsylvania branch also called for donations on social media, making sure that its desire to drain important medical resources during this time was visible.

Live Action News also reported that Sue Dunlap, President/CEO Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, sent out an email asking for PPE donations. “In order to continue to meet the needs of the women, men, families, and communities who rely on Planned Parenthood… In order to keep our patients, staff, and sites moving through this emergency, we need all of the same supplies you are hearing about on the news. As gloves, masks, and medications run low, we are doing all that we can to procure supplies for the essential care our community is depending on us to provide.”

Abortion is an elective procedure that is not essential healthcare, no matter how many times Planned Parenthood says it is. Asking the public to donate PPE that could be used by doctors dealing with the current pandemic is incredibly egotistical and irresponsible.

Click here to read more.