Tennessee Abortion Pill Reversal Law Temporarily Blocked by Federal Court

On Tuesday, Federal Judge William Campbell temporarily blocked a Tennessee law that required physicians to inform patients about abortion pill reversal (APR) before administering abortion pills.

Gov. Bill Lee signed this legislation into law this July, thereby requiring abortion providers to inform patients that abortions attempted via the abortion pill regimen can be reversed. Pro-life doctors can reverse the effects of mifepristone (the first drug in the abortion pill regimen) by prescribing progesterone. It is most effective if done within 24 hours of the mother taking mifepristone.

According to CNN, the Tennessee law required abortionists to notify women about APR 48 hours before they begin the regimen, again in writing after the first pill is administered, and on "conspicuous" signage in clinics that have provided more than 50 abortions during the previous calendar year.

Five Tennessee abortion clinics, Planned Parenthood, and the ACLU filed suit against the APR notification law in August.

In his decision to temporarily block the law's enforcement, Campbell wrote that he was “unable to assess fully the competing expert opinions as to whether the mandated message is 'truthful and not misleading,' in the absence of the experts' testimony.” He also wrote that he believed the pro-abortion plaintiffs had demonstrated, “a strong or substantial likelihood” that the mandate violates the First Amendment.

The judge's temporary block on the law will last until Oct. 13.

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How the Presidential Debate Addressed Abortion

Screenshot: C-SPAN

In the Presidential debate hosted by Chris Wallace on Sept. 29, nominees Donald Trump and Joe Biden battled on many issues. Surprisingly, perhaps even to the candidates, abortion was not discussed as much as many expected.

The topic of abortion nearly became a central part of the debate when the candidates discussed the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. Biden suggested that her confirmation could lead to "women's rights" being "fundamentally changed." This likely was a reference to Roe v. Wade. He further elaborated that Roe v. Wade was "on the ballot" due to the president's ability to nominate Supreme Court justices.

Trump responded to Biden by saying Biden did not know Barrett's position on Roe v. Wade.

Chris Wallace interrupted this discussion and told the candidates that they would come back to the idea of Roe v. Wade later in the debate, but this never actually happened. Cross-talk between the candidates during the debate may have eliminated time he had originally set aside to discuss the topic of abortion.

Another relevant question posed at Biden was whether he would "pack the court" if he was elected as president after Barrett's confirmation. By adding additional justices to the Supreme Court past the nine our country has had in recent history, he could eliminate the conservative justices' potential to overturn things like Roe v. Wade or The Affordable Care Act. Unfortunately, Biden refused to answer this question. "Whatever position I take on that, that’ll become the issue," he said.

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New Senate Bill would Let States Opt out of Medicaid Payments for Abortion

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.)

A new Senate Bill would allow states to exclude abortion businesses from receiving Medicaid payments. States are currently required to allow all qualified medical providers to participate in the state's Medicaid program and receive payments.

On Sept. 23, Oklahoma Senators James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) proposed S. 4658, dubbed the Women’s Public Health and Safety Act. If passed, this would give states the power to use their discretion regarding whether to allow abortion businesses to take Medicaid payments.

“Abortion isn’t about healthcare and taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to support the largest abortion providers in the country under the guise of women’s healthcare,” Lankford said in a press release. “This bill allows states to ensure that tax dollars support the thousands of health care providers without the worry that tax dollars will also contribute to abortion services at organizations like Planned Parenthood. We can simultaneously stand for the unborn while also supporting fundamental, quality health services for women everywhere.”

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Ohio Hospital Under HHS Investigation for Denying Medical Care to Premature Twins

Emery Finnefrock

In response to President Trump's executive order last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it will be investigating an Ohio hospital for refusing medical care to two newborns simply because they had only reached a gestational age of 22 weeks.

The incident being investigated occurred back in 2017. Amanda Finnefrock went to Riverside Methodist Hospital because she was experiencing bleeding, and was afraid for her unborn twins. She was told by doctors there that unless her sons were born after 22 weeks and five days gestation, they would refuse to provide medical treatment. The boys were born three days later at exactly 22 weeks and five days gestation, but hospital workers still refused to provide any form of medical treatment for them. Because of this, Emery Finnefrock died 45 minutes after birth and Elliot Finnefrock died after crying in his mother's arms for over two hours.

In a press release about Trump's executive order, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said that his agency had found the hospital guilty of violating the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) when it refused to send the children to the hospital's neonatal care unit. He further said that the incident will be investigated further to determine whether any other human rights violations occurred.

“Though I repeatedly asked staff to help or assess my babies, I was told they were born too young. But there is no documentation to prove they were born too young,” Finnefrock said in a statement. “In fact, I had been told previously they would not help if the babies were born before 22 weeks and [five] days. Documentation shows I was admitted at 22 weeks [two] days and the babies born at 22 weeks [five] days. Nevertheless, when I begged for help, they refused. I was discharged with instructions for care after stillbirth. But Emery and Elliot were not stillborn. They were born alive and died as Riverside Methodist Hospital staff denied my pleas for help.”

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New Birth Control Study Targets Girls Ages 11-15

Screenshot from "The Pill Study" website

CNS News wrote last week that the pro-abortion organization Advocates for Youth recently sent out a mass e-mail with the subject line "Know anyone ages 11-15 to join this study?" The advertised study would provide birth control pills to women as young as 11 while providing them monetary compensation and hiding their involvement from parents who might object.

Advocates for Youth, which works with Planned Parenthood, was promoting The Pill Study, which researchers are using to try and make birth control available from pharmacies without prescriptions. The study will provide participants who qualify with birth control pills, and will not require girls to inform their parents or to be supervised by a doctor. It also tempts young girls with a promise of $75 for participating.

11-year olds cannot legally consent to sex in any state in the US, nor can these researchers depend upon them to provide pharmacists with thorough and accurate medical histories. Birth control medication has risks that can be amplified by medical problems and even lead to death in some circumstances.

This study is incredibly inappropriate on multiple levels, and further shows that many pro-abortion organizations are encouraging youth to be sexually active. This does not benefit youth, but it does benefit the bottom line of the abortion industry.

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49 Congress Members Call on A.G. Barr to Find Whether Planned Parenthood Abortionists Violated Partial-Birth Abortion Ban

Rep. Roger Marshall (R-KS)

49 members of Congress led by US Representative Roger Marshall (R-KS) sent a letter to US Attorney General William Barr, calling on him to investigate abortionists who may have violated the Partial Birth Abortion Ban passed in 2003. The letter referenced a video published by the Center for Medical Progress on August 24, which included unsealed sworn testimony from an April 2019 court hearing.

In a press release regarding the letter, Congressman Marshall said, “As a pro-life American and OB/GYN who worked for over 25 years to save the lives of both mothers and babies, it is beyond sickening to see and hear confessions of such heinous acts being committed in our country. I am committed to standing up for the life of all babies, born and unborn. We must hold these physicians and the organizations backing and supporting them accountable for their actions.”

The letter to AG Barr concludes, "This information is deeply troubling and necessitates further inquiry. We respectfully ask that in light of the recently unsealed testimony, the Department investigate whether Planned Parenthood has violated the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act."

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Colorado Voters to Decide Whether to Allow Abortion at 22 Weeks

photo credit: Gerardo Villalobos / Flickr

A pro-life campaign in the state of Colorado secured enough signatures to put the issue of late-term abortion on the ballot this November.

The "Due Date Too Late" campaign made a push in March to put Proposition 115 on the 2020 ballot, and it was successful. Voters in the state will be able to decide if they would like to ban all abortions past 22 weeks, with an exception to save the mother's life. If passed, abortionists who violate this law could be fined up to $5,000 and possibly lose their medical licenses for three years.

"Due Date Too Late" claims that Prop. 115 would prevent roughly 400 late-term abortions each year.

"Due Date Too Late" organizer Giuliana Day told the Associated Press he believed that abortion was, "the human rights issue of our lifetime.”

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Tennessee Prosecutor Says He Will Not Prosecute Abortionists Who Fail to Inform Women of Abortion Pill Reversal

Tennessee State Flag
Photo credit: Phillip Dodds / Flickr

Tennessee passed a law in January requiring abortionists to inform women about abortion pill reversal before they begin the abortion pill regimen. In defiance, one Tennessee prosecutor has declared that he will not prosecute abortionists who refuse to inform their patients about abortion pill reversal.

The pro-life law is currently the subject of a lawsuit by pro-abortion groups, but it currently has the force of law. District Attorney Glenn Funk outwardly announced that he does not care. "I will not prosecute or sanction an abortion provider who states, verbally and/or in writing, disagreement with the disclosures required by the Legislature which are subject to this lawsuit," Funk said.

In a statement, Tennessee Right to Life responded,

“We are disappointed that General Funk is failing to uphold his elected duty to prosecute violations of the laws of Tennessee. Women deserve to know every option available to them and, if abortionists are violating the law by not informing their patients of the abortion pill reversal method, then district attorneys across the state should be ready and willing to enforce this law and prosecute those providers. After all, pro-choice should mean getting a choice in the first place.”

Abortion pill reversal is a proven method that can save unborn children after their mothers have taken the first pill in the abortion pill regimen (mifepristone). Especially if taken within 24 hours, progesterone can reverse the effects of mifepristone by restoring the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the child.

The pro-life Tennessee law also bans abortion if an unborn child's heartbeat can be detected or if parents only want to abort the child for discriminatory reasons (such as the child's race, sex, or diagnosis with Down syndrome). Gov. Bill Lee has said that he will do "whatever it takes" to defend the law in court.

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Trump Signs Executive Order to Protect Preemies and Abortion Survivors

Last week, President Trump announced that he would sign an executive order protecting children born alive during attempted abortions. On Friday, he did just that. The executive order requires doctors to provide medical care to all children born alive, regardless of their gestational age or if they are born during an attempted abortion.

“Every infant born alive, no matter the circumstances of his or her birth, has the same dignity and the same rights as every other individual and is entitled to the same protections under Federal law,” reads the executive order.

Parents have told stories of their first-hand experience with hospitals that refuse to provide medical treatment to children born prematurely. Because their child didn't meet a specific gestational age required by a hospital, doctors would call these children "non-viable" and let them die rather than attempt to provide them with potentially life-saving medical care. Similarly, some abortion workers have spoken out against the practice of killing children after they are delivered in an unsuccessful abortion. This executive order is designed to prevent these situations.

Arguing on behalf of prematurely born Americans who are being denied healthcare, the executive order argues, "Active treatment of extremely premature infants has, however, been shown to improve their survival rates. And the denial of such treatment, or discouragement of parents from seeking such treatment for their children, devalues the lives of these children and may violate Federal law."

“Such infants are entitled to meaningful and non-discriminatory access to medical examination and services, with the consent of a parent or guardian, when they present at hospitals receiving Federal funds.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar commented in a press release, "HHS’s mission is to protect the health and well-being of all Americans, and that means all Americans—including infants born prematurely and infants with disabilities."

While it may not be legislation, this executive order directs the HHS Secretary to investigate reported violations of current federal laws and enforce them when necessary. This may include withdrawing federal funding from institutions that refuse treatment for prematurely-born children.

Click here to read the executive order.

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President Trump Nominates Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court

Supreme Court Nominee
Judge Amy Coney Barrett

On Saturday, President Trump announced that 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett would be his nominee to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

"Today, it is my honor to nominate one of our nation's most brilliant and gifted legal minds to the Supreme Court," Trump said in his announcement on the White House lawn. "She is a woman of unparalleled achievement, towering intellect, sterling credentials, and unyielding loyalty to the Constitution. Judge Amy Coney Barrett."

Trump first nominated Barrett to the 7th Circuit in 2017 and reportedly had her on his shortlist of potential nominees when he was considering nominees for the seat he eventually filled with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

"Judge Barrett is a graduate of Rhodes College and the University of Notre Dame Law School," said President Trump when describing her achievements. "At Notre Dame, she earned a full academic scholarship, served as the executive editor of the Law Review, graduated first in her class, and received the law school's award for the best record of scholarship and achievement. Upon graduation, she became a clerk for Judge Lawrence Silberman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Amy then received one of the highest honors a young lawyer could have serving as a clerk on the Supreme Court for Justice Antonin Scalia."

The president went on to describe a few elements of Barrett's personal life:

"Amy is more than a stellar scholar and judge. She's also a profoundly devoted mother. Her family is a core part of who Amy is. She opened her home and her heart and adopted two beautiful children from Haiti. Her incredible bond with her youngest child, a son with Down syndrome, is a true inspiration. If confirmed, Justice Barrett will make history as the first mother of school-aged children ever to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court."

Near the end of his speech, Trump joked, "I'm sure it'll be extremely non-controversial. We said that the last time, didn't we?"

Barrett would be the first pro-life woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court. If her nomination is approved by the Senate, she could be a crucial vote to potentially overturn Roe v. Wade.

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Released Emails Show University of New Mexico Repeatedly Requested Fetal Body Parts from Abortion Clinics

photo credit: Drew Geraets / Flickr

Emails released by the pro-life organization, Abortion on Trial, show that the University of New Mexico (UNM) repeatedly requested body parts from aborted children.

The uncovered documents show that UNM was in regular contact with abortion clinics and asked for specific organs to use in research and dissections.

“Please let me know if you end up getting more fetal tissue next week and can still spare the heart…” reads one email in part.

“I just spoke to the clinic about getting >22wk fetuses for our dissections,” reads another email. “They have patients scheduled for surgery tomorrow that fit that range. I’ll go pick them up tomorrow afternoon when they’re ready.” 

Disturbingly, a third email complained that a fetal brain too large for the researcher's purposes: “[Redacted] just came and took some brain tissue I had in the freezer in both TriZol and TPer, and one of the fixed brains,” the e-mail reads. “He doesn’t think he’ll be able to use such a large brain, and will bring it back if he cannot.”

A retired UNM administrator recently revealed on video that some fetal brains obtained by the school were dissected with high school students, possibly as part of UNM's summer camp program.

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8th Circuit Hears Challenges to Arkansas and Missouri Pro-Life Laws

photo credit: Bill Oxford / Unsplash

The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in cases about pro-life laws in both Arkansas and Missouri this week.

On Wednesday, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge argued to a three-judge panel from the 8th circuit that it should lift an injunction blocking the enforcement of three pro-life laws in her state. One law prohibits abortions on unborn children who have reached a gestational age of 18 weeks. The second bans abortions in cases when the decision to abort is made solely because the unborn child was diagnosed with Down syndrome. The third law requires doctors who perform abortions to be board-certified or board-eligible OB-GYNs.

A different three-judge panel from the 8th Circuit heard arguments for and against a Missouri pro-life law on Thursday. Known as the "Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act," HB 126 takes several actions to save the lives of the unborn. Unfortunately, it also had an injunction placed against its enforcement. The protections provided by the Missouri law include a ban against aborting children after 20 weeks gestation; a parental notification requirement for minors seeking abortions; bans against discriminatory abortions based on an unborn child's race, sex, or Down syndrome diagnosis; and a trigger clause which would cause abortion to be immediately banned in the state of Missouri if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

It is still unknown when the judges will give a ruling on the arguments for either of these cases.

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President Trump Announces Executive Order to Protect Abortion Survivors

President Donald Trump speaking for the
virtual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast

On Wednesday, President Trump announced that he will sign a Born Alive Executive Order requiring doctors to provide medical care to all infants born alive after failed abortions.

At the virtual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Sept. 23, Trump said, “Today I am announcing that I will be signing the Born-Alive Executive Order to ensure that all precious babies born alive, no matter their circumstances, receive the medical care that they deserve. This is our sacrosanct moral duty.”

A bill known as the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act has been introduced to congress multiple times, but it has failed to garner the support needed to be brought to a vote.

The proposed law would have required physicians to provide infants born alive after attempted abortions with appropriate medical care; the same care that would be given to any child of the same gestational age. Some states have passed similar legislation, but nothing has succeeded at the federal level.

The executive order is expected to take heavy inspiration from the proposed Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, but the text has not yet been released.

President Trump also announced that his administration would be increasing federal funding for neonatal research “to ensure that every child has the very best chance to thrive and to grow.”

“We believe in the joy of family, the blessing of freedom and the dignity of work and the eternal truth that every child born and unborn is made in the holy image of God,” the President said. “I will always protect the vital role of religion and prayer in American society, and I will always defend the sacred right to life.”

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40 Days for Life Kicks Off Record-Breaking Campaign

On Sept. 23, 40 Days for Life kicked off its fall campaign with a record-breaking number of applications, participating cities, and approved campaigns.

40 Days for Life is a global pro-life prayer movement that “aims to end abortion locally through prayer and fasting, community outreach, and a peaceful all-day vigil in front of abortion businesses.” 

In a letter to supporters, 40 Days for Life President and CEO Shawn Carney said that this fall's campaign will be the largest one ever, with a total of 588 cities worldwide participating.

In an August episode of the 40 Days for Life podcast, campaign director Steve Karlen said that the incredible size of this year's fall campaign should be attributed to pro-lifers taking a back-to-basics approach to the issue. “When you’re out on the sidewalk, on the street in front of an abortion facility, and you watch a woman walk into the facility pregnant and walk out later in the day not pregnant, with a broken heart, maybe crying, often limping, wounded physically, emotionally, and spiritually, you’re not thinking so much about debating or about Congress or about the Courts. All of those things are critical; they are certainly important, but I think we realize that this is something that has to come through the Lord.”

According to the 40 Days for Life website, the over 7,000 previous campaigns combined have saved 17,226 lives, caused 206 abortion workers to quit, and caused 107 abortion clinics to close. In the 13 years since 40 Days for Life was founded, it has carried out campaigns in more than 1,000 cities across 63 countries.

The fall 2020 campaign runs from September 23 through November 1. Click here to see if there is a campaign being run near you.

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Georgia Tech Settles Lawsuit with Students for Life; Revises Policy Discriminating Against Pro-Life Speaker

photo credit: Ryan Schreiber / Flickr

Students for Life of America (SFLA) has won its court battle with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) for discriminating against the appearance of a pro-life speaker due to her religious beliefs. As a result, the school will need to pay $50,000 + attorney's fees to SFLA, and it will revise its policy to treat future speakers fairly.

In the fall of 2019, the SFLA chapter at Georgia Tech wanted to invite Alveda King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s niece, to speak on campus. When the chapter requested funding from the student government to cover the cost of an event, student government leaders rejected the request. Their reasoning? The student government claimed Alveda King was “inherently religious.”

The policy change brought about by the successful SFLA lawsuit means that speakers can no longer be discriminated against by the school on the basis of their religious beliefs.

“The Constitution is clear that public universities can’t discriminate against students for their political or religious beliefs,” said SFLA president Kristan Hawkins. “[We] are hopeful that Georgia Tech’s decisive policy changes will set an example for universities around the country to uphold all students’ constitutional rights.”

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UN Passes COVID-19 Resolution Promoting Abortion Despite US Objections

Despite the protests by the US and several other countries, the UN passed a COVID-19 resolution which includes provisions promoting abortion.

US diplomat Jason Mack said, “We do not accept references to sexual and reproductive health.” The vague phrase is used in UN legislation to include abortion alongside actual medical care. “There is no international right to abortion, nor is there any duty on the part of States to finance or facilitate abortion.”

The US attempted to bring the section on "reproductive health" to a vote while the resolution was being formed, but the vote to change it failed by a wide margin. Only three countries sided with the US, while 122 countries voted for the pro-abortion wording. Only the US and Israel voted against the final resolution.

Several of those countries agreed with the US but wanted to ensure the resolution passed anyway. They presumably believed the potential benefits of the resolution outweigh the death toll that comes with increased abortion.

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David Daleiden and CMP Sue Planned Parenthood for Defamation

David Daleiden
photo credit: American Life League / Flickr

The Center for Medical Progress (CMP) and its president David Daleiden announced last week that they filed a defamation lawsuit against Planned Parenthood for repeatedly and publicly calling CMP reports of Planned Parenthood fetal harvesting practices fake.

 “Planned Parenthood has tremendous power and influence in our society. But even it must adhere to legal norms,” said CMP and Daleiden legal counsel Harmeet Dhillon. “We filed this lawsuit to hold PPFA accountable for damaging falsehoods it uttered concerning our clients’ groundbreaking journalism that exposed shocking practices it would rather keep hidden — for good reason. Planned Parenthood is not above the law. We look forward to the merits litigation of this lawsuit.”

After CMP released undercover videos in 2015 which exposed Planned Parenthood for harvesting fetal body parts from unborn children so they can be sold to researchers, Planned Parenthood repeatedly told the public that the videos were faked, and simply made “to manufacture a fake smear campaign against Planned Parenthood.”

In a statement about this lawsuit, Daleiden wrote, “Planned Parenthood admits my videos are true when under oath in federal court, but when speaking to the public, Planned Parenthood lies and calls the videos fake. I have put my life on hold for five years to report, with video evidence, the trafficking of aborted infants that I and others witnessed at the highest levels of Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry. It is time for Planned Parenthood to face the truth.”

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Planned Parenthood Clinic Refuses to Give Information and Hangs up on 911 Dispatcher

photo credit: Operation Rescue

During a conversation with a 911 dispatcher, a Planned Parenthood employee refused to give information about the nature of a medical emergency one of their patients were experiencing. The employee went as far as to hang up on the dispatcher rather than answer her questions.

911 call records obtained by Operation Rescue show that the incident occurred on July 23, 2020, at a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Cincinnati, Ohio. The clinic first placed an emergency call using an internet phone line that routed it through an intermediary call center. This delayed the emergency response. Even after this, the Planned Parenthood caller refused to answer questions and hung up on the 911 dispatcher.

Here is a short excerpt from the call records:

911: About how old is she?

PP: [Cross talk] . . . I can’t give you that right now.  Again —

911: Is it a female?  We need to get this information to the paramedics, ma’am.  They need to have the equipment ready.

PP:  Again, I’m calling from Planned Parenthood. We’re currently experiencing a medical emergency. We have physicians that are with the patient and they’ll be waiting for the paramedics’ arrival. Thank you.

After that, the caller hangs up. This kind of behavior is irresponsible and inexcusable when someone is experiencing an emergency and needs medical attention quickly. Women who feel they need abortions are not just profit opportunities for abortion clinics. They are real people whose lives matter. Planned Parenthood is showing that it does not believe the same, and it is willing to risk a woman's life so that it can hide abortion complications from 911 records.

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President Trump Says He'll Announce Supreme Court Nominee By Saturday

President Trump said that he will announce a Supreme Court nominee to potentially fill the seat left vacant by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the end of the week.

Upon learning about the death of Ginsburg on Sept. 18, President Trump released a statement mourning her death and paying respects to her family and her accomplishments in life. It read in part,

"Today, our Nation mourns the loss of a trailblazer, not only in the field of law, but in the history of our country. Ruth Bader Ginsburg served more than 27 years as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was a loving wife to her late husband Martin, and a caring mother to her two children Jane and James."

On Monday, President Trump said on Fox News that he would announce a Supreme Court nominee by Saturday. “We won the election and elections have consequences,” he said.

President Trump told Fox News that he had narrowed his selection down to “five, probably four” choices. Trump would be announcing his nominee after the funeral services for Justice Ginsburg and not long before the first presidential election debate on September 29.

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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dead at 87. Republicans Determined to Appoint New Justice Before Election.

Late Supreme Court Justice
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020)

After a long bout with cancer, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on September 18 at the age of 87. She served as a member of the Supreme Court for 27 years after being appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993. Many politicians on capitol hill have expressed their condolences and are mourning over the loss, but it is hard to ignore the increased pressure this puts on the current Senate as well as the presidential election just weeks before November.

President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have already announced plans to vote on a new Supreme Court nominee before election day.

In a statement which mourned Ginsburg's passing and celebrated her accomplishments, Sen. McConnell wrote,

"In the last midterm election before Justice Scalia's death in 2016, Americans elected a Republican Senate majority because we pledged to check and balance the last days of a lame-duck president's second term. We kept our promise. Since the 1880s, no Senate has confirmed an opposite-party president's Supreme Court nominee in a presidential election year.

By contrast, Americans reelected our majority in 2016 and expanded it in 2018 because we pledged to work with President Trump and support his agenda, particularly his outstanding appointments to the federal judiciary. Once again, we will keep our promise.

President Trump's nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate."

Ginsburg was one of several pro-abortion judges on the Supreme Court. A pro-life appointment by President Trump would present an unprecedented opportunity to overturn pro-abortion Supreme Court decisions such as Roe v. Wade. If this happens, the ability to prohibit abortion will be passed to the states.

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