Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Introduces House Bill to Protect Abortion Survivors

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard
photo credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) introduced two bills last Thursday, both of which are receiving heated criticism from her party. One of these bills is aimed at preventing biologically male athletes from competing in women's sports, while the other would protect babies who survive attempted abortions.

The latter of these is titled H.R. 8939. The legislation would “amend title 18, United States Code, to protect pain-capable unborn children.”

Gabbard's record shows that she consistently voted in favor of abortion, but she has also drawn ire from many pro-abortion activists for wanting to restrict abortion during the third trimester.

Democrats for Life of America praised the legislation and started a petition in support of Gabbard's bill.

“It is critical to give federal protection to fully developed, born babies who survive an abortion attempt,” the petition reads. “There are at least 300 documented instances of babies surviving abortion: a lot estimate, given reporting is not mandatory. Often, these babies are left by an abortionist to die, rather than being provided the necessary oxygen, fluids, and surgery they may need to survive.”

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Planned Parenthood Calls on Biden to "hit the ground running" with Pro-Abortion Actions

Joe Biden
photo credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

The nation's largest abortion business is calling on Joe Biden to make several policy changes that would allow tremendous amounts of taxpayer funding to be funneled towards it.

Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson told Newsweek that Planned Parenthood is pushing Biden to “hit the ground running day one” with pro-abortion actions. “The first thing we would like to see would be an executive order on day one, within the first 100 days, that demonstrates the administration’s commitment to sexual and reproductive health care,” she said.

She went on to say that Planned Parenthood wants to not only have Title X guidelines instated under President Trump to be lifted, but it also wants Title X funding increased from $280 million to nearly a billion dollars per year.

President Trump enacted rules for Title X which prevented funding recipients from providing abortion, referring patients to abortion, or cohabitating with businesses that provide abortion. Rather than comply with these rules, Planned Parenthood instead chose to leave the program and walk away from $60 million in federal taxpayer funding.

Johnson told Newsweek that Planned Parenthood is also keeping a close watch on who Biden is choosing to appoint for various federal positions. The abortion giant has reached out to the Biden team to recommend nearly 200 people for these positions. “We know that personnel is policy,” she said. “So we’re making sure that those positions are filled with sexual and reproductive health champions.”

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Ohio Legislature Passes Bill Requiring Burial or Cremation of Aborted Children

Ohio State Capitol
photo credit: Jim Bowen / Flickr

On Dec. 3, the Ohio legislature passed Senate Bill 27, which would require abortion businesses to bury or cremate the remains of unborn children killed in surgical abortions, rather than treat their bodies like medical waste.

Women who have their children aborted will have the ability to decide whether they would like the remains of their child to be buried or cremated, but the abortion facility must choose an option of the mother does not.

Abortion businesses will be required to pay for these expenses and must maintain documentation of the cremation and burial of the aborted children.

If an abortion business knowingly fails to comply with this bill, it would be guilty of a first-degree misdemeanor. The woman whose child is aborted would never be liable for this charge.

Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis gave a statement applauding the bill's passage:

“Whether pro-life or pro-choice, everyone should be able to agree that the bodies of babies should never be thrown into the trash. The unborn victims of abortion deserve the same basic decency that we afford to all humans: a dignified burial. The passing of Senate Bill 27 will make that simple request a reality. Although we look forward to the day when we no longer have to lay to rest the broken bodies of Ohio’s abortion victims, we are proud to say that our state has taken another step towards recognizing not only the humanity of the unborn, but of ourselves as well.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to sign the bill into law.

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CDC Abortion Surveillance Report and Late-Term Abortions

photo credit: Jim Rush / Flickr

Live Action recently did an analysis of the CDC's latest "Abortion Surveillance Report", this time focusing on the increased frequency of late-term abortions.

The report, which includes statistics for the year 2018, reveals that abortions killed 50,000 unborn children who had developed for 14 weeks or more. Almost 6,200 of those deaths were children who had reached 21 weeks gestation. Children who developed to that gestational age have survived birth and developed healthily with proper medical aid.

The CDC also noted a four percent increase in the number of late-term abortions between 2016 and 2018. Both the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute and the CDC agree that abortions completed on unborn children at 21 weeks gestation or later comprise 1-1.3% of all reported abortions.

Using this information, Live Action estimated that 6,196 late-term abortions occurred in states that choose to report abortion data to the CDC. This number would be lower than the actual total, since California, Washington D.C., Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Wyoming did not meet reporting standards for the 2018 report.

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Wisconsin Law Banning Non-Doctors from Performing Abortions Challenged in Court

A year after Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit against the state of Wisconsin to challenge a law requiring that only doctors perform abortions, the law is being heard in court. The trial in federal court started on Monday with opening statements and witness testimony.

Planned Parenthood wants to allow nurses and other employees to administer abortion pills to women, but the current law prevents them from legally doing so. According to Right to Life Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood only performs abortions at four of its 24 clinics in the state. If the law is struck down, abortion would be available at all 24 clinics and the abortion business says it will open at least two more clinics in the state.

“We cannot overstate how significant this case is,” shares Kristen Nupson, legislative director of Wisconsin Right to Life. “It has been heartbreaking and disappointing to watch today’s trial unfold. Thousands of human lives are at stake, and yet these Planned Parenthood executives shroud their intentions by making abortion seem like any other medical procedure. Abortion isn’t health care; it cannot be compared to a biopsy or a birth control procedure. Abortion, whether chemical or surgical, takes the life of a human being. The physician-only law exists to protect women. Why is Planned Parenthood fighting against the protection of women?”

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Biden Says Pro-Abortion California AG Xavier Becerra would be his HHS Secretary

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra
photo credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

Former vice-president Joe Biden announced this week that California Attorney General Xavier Becerra would serve as his Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The pick surprised many since Becerra's experience is in law rather than health care. He does have experience using his powers to oppress pro-life activists, however.

After Becerra became California Attorney General (when previous Attorney General Kamala Harris moved on to the U.S. Senate) he continued Harris's work of prosecuting pro-life investigators for exposing Planned Parenthood's harvesting of fetal body parts. He filed a barrage of charges against Center for Medical Progress investigators David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, many of which were overturned in court. He sought to muzzle their journalism with the force of California privacy law, something that had never been done before.

Becerra is also known for fighting legal battles against pro-life pregnancy centers. He was the defendant in NIFLA v. Becerra, a case in which California was attempting to force pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortions with government-mandated signage. The Supreme Court narrowly voted in favor of the pregnancy centers with a 5-4 decision.

In response to Biden's announcement regarding Becerra, National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said, “As California’s attorney general, Becerra repeatedly and aggressively attacked protective pro-life laws and organizations with rancor. While a congressman, he had a 100% pro-abortion voting record.”

National Right to Life also noted that Becerra was one of several pro-abortion state attorneys general that sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requesting that they lift restrictions on abortion pills, going as far as to file an amicus brief in support of a court challenge.

“Becerra has been especially aggressive in pushing for widespread access and use of chemical abortions without any FDA restrictions,” said Tobias. “Becerra and other pro-abortion attorneys general have repeatedly acted on behalf of the abortion industry and this is just another example of Becerra’s advocacy.”

“Xavier Becerra is an abortion activist plain and simple,” said Tobias. “Anyone doubting whether Joe Biden is a ‘moderate’ on abortion has the answer: he’s not. Nominating Becerra and picking Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate are clear indicators that he will give the abortion industry whatever it wants. Tragically, women and their unborn babies will be the ones to suffer.”

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Western Nations are Accused of "Neo-Colonialism" for Lumping COVID-19 Relief for Africa with Abortion Advocacy

Obianuju Ekeocha
screenshot from Ekeocha's video

As Western nations continue to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic by imposing the idea of legalized abortions on Africa, pro-life filmmaker, author, and activist Obianuju Ekeocha is speaking out. In a new video report from Culture of Life Africa, she accuses Western nations of "neo-colonialism" for tying COVID-19 relief aid to "sexual and reproductive health and rights."

“Strengthened by this new infusion of donor funds at a time when many communities find themselves weakened and vulnerable under the burden of a global pandemic, abortion advocacy groups… have made inroads into some African countries. In these countries we are now seeing fierce attempts to push for the legalization of abortion,” Ekeocha said.

Africa has been in dire need of ventilators since the pandemic reached the continent. Despite this, the United Nations and developed countries across the globe continue to earmark funding that could help fill this need to instead fund abortions there.

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Father Pleads Guilty in Death of Baby Born Alive after Using Abortion Pill

A New Jersey man pled guilty to child endangerment and abuse of a corpse regarding his born-alive child who died after he and his girlfriend attempted to abort the child with pills ordered from India.

Kalina V.E. Gillum and Braden C. Mull ordered the abortion drug misoprostol from India with the intent to end the life of their third-trimester unborn child, simply because they did not want him. There were several problems with their plan, however.

The first of these was that the abortion pill process is designed to be used earlier than the third trimester. At this late stage in pregnancy, an abortion via abortion pills was more likely to fail regardless of how it was administered. 

The second problem was that misoprostol is the second pill in the abortion pill regimen. This pill is only designed to cause contractions and allow the mother to give birth to a child starved and suffocated to death by the first pill, mifepristone.

Gillum gave birth to a born-alive child while she was alone in an apartment. She texted Mull, who came to put the child in a plastic bag and clean up the bathroom before taking his girlfriend (and not the child) to the emergency room. Medical professionals quickly noted that Gillum still had an umbilical cord attached and notified the police. When police found the child, they found the child dead. The coroner said there was "nothing medically wrong" with the baby.

If at-home abortions continue to increase with the increased availability of abortion pills, situations like this will be a more common occurrence.

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Supreme Court to Consider Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Buffer-Zone Case

photo credit: Ben Schumin / Flickr

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a city ordinance bans pro-life speech within 15-feet of the city's two abortion facilities. Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is now asking the Supreme Court to take up its appeal of Bruni v. City of Pittsburgh, hoping to restore 1st Amendment rights to pro-life activists.

The ordinance, as written, would have banned all forms of sidewalk counseling, prayer, and protest in painted zones outside all medical facility entrances. The city showed its true intentions, however, when it only painted these zones around the city's two abortion businesses.

After the Supreme Court struck down a similar Massachusetts law in 2014, the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals surprised many by upholding the Pittsburgh ordinance. The way they did this, however, is even more surprising. The court ruled in October 2019 that the ordinance does not apply to sidewalk counseling, but it does apply to prayer, standing with a pro-life sign, or wearing a pro-life button.

ADF is arguing that the court overstepped its authority by essentially rewriting the city's ordinance to comply with Supreme Court precedent. “[The Appeals court] upheld the modified ordinance’s prohibition against other types of pro-life expression,” the organization said in a press release. “ADF is arguing that the lower court lacked the authority to rewrite the ordinance and should have declared it unconstitutional in any event.”

The Supreme Court has not yet stated whether it will take this case.

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Pro-Life Research Group Clarifies which COVID Vaccines Use Cells from Aborted Children

The pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) has been tracking the development of COVID-19 vaccines since their research phases and has documented their use of aborted fetal cell lines. It recently clarified which vaccine-producers have not used abortion-derived cell lines in their research and production phases.

The institute said last Thursday that it is “encouraging” that “many leading vaccine candidates” funded by the U.S. “do not use abortion-derived cell lines in their production.”

Even those vaccines which are being ethically produced did use fetal cell lines from aborted children during their research phases, however. The two vaccines being considered by the FDA for emergency authorization include one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, and another developed by Moderna. While neither of these vaccines would use abortion-derived cells in production, tests on both vaccines did involve these ethically-questionable cells.

Three other vaccine candidates, all of which are still in Phase III trials, use aborted fetal cell lines in both production and testing. AstraZeneca with Oxford University, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax are the developers of these vaccines.

CLI asked developers to use ethical alternatives to human fetal cells when testing and producing their vaccines.

“Many developers already opt to use animal cell lines, non-fetal human cells, yeast, or chicken eggs instead,” the CLI stated. It argued that the ethical alternatives to these cell lines “will reduce vaccine hesitancy for those who oppose the use of fetal cell lines.”

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CDC Releases New Abortion Statistics

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) released its “Abortion Surveillance Report” on Wednesday, Nov. 25. This new report shows statistics for 2018. It continues the steady decline in abortions since 2009 but also shows an increase in abortions between 2017 and 2018.

“While it looks like, in the long-term, abortions are definitely down, there may be a small increase in the number, rate, and ratio of abortions since the CDC’s last full surveillance report in 2016,” said Randall K. O’Bannon, Ph.D., Director of Education and Research for National Right to Life.

These statistics, including the increase, are somewhat misleading. California, New Hampshire, and Maryland refuse to report abortion data to the federal government. DC began reporting abortion statistics to the CDC, but because the District had not reported abortion numbers for 2016 those numbers are not included in this year's report.

The CDC reported that “the total number and rate of reported abortions increased by 1%, and the abortion ratio increased by 2%.” compared to numbers reported in 2017. The CDC also wrote that in 2016, revised FDA guidelines allowed the use of the abortion drug mifepristone as late as 10 weeks in pregnancy. The CDC report noted a 9% increase in the use of mifepristone.

“The use of the chemical abortion method using mifepristone appears to be on the rise in many states, now accounting for about 40% of all abortions in states where the numbers were measured by the CDC,” said Dr. O’Bannon. “The number of chemical abortions might be lower if women were told the truth about the deaths and injuries associated with chemical abortion methods. Instead, the abortion industry peddles lies about the ease of the method and pushes for fewer protections for women undergoing a chemical abortion.”

Live Action News did an analysis of the CDC report which compared the abortion rates of women from different demographics. If you are interested in reading that article, click here. 

Click here to read National Right to Life's coverage.

"Unplanned" Scholarship Helps Single Mom Succeed with Career and Parenthood

Sarah with Ashley Bratcher
photo credit: Lisa Bourne, Pregnancy Help News

A single mom in Iowa recently became the second recipient of the "Unplanned" scholarship, benefitting women who faced unplanned pregnancies and chose life while still pursuing an education.

Sarah, the scholarship recipient, is a single mom of four children who recently finished school for massage therapy. She took out student loans for her education, which the Unplanned Movie Scholarship will help her pay back while still providing for her children.

The Unplanned scholarship was created through a partnership with actress Ashley Bratcher and Heartbeat International. Bratcher, who played the part of former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson in the movie "Unplanned," was motivated to create the scholarship after women told her stories of how they felt like they needed to choose between their educations and their child's lives when they became pregnant.

Bratcher presented the scholarship to Sarah in a surprise reveal on Monday.

Sarah had begun the chemical abortion process by taking an abortion pill, but she experienced regret. She received help through the Abortion Pill Rescue Network and successfully reversed the process through abortion pill reversal.

“As a single mom of four kids, no matter what you’re facing, there’s always someone out there who is willing to help,” Sarah said, “who’s willing to pray for you, and who wants to see both you and your baby thrive and survive.”

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Supreme Court Rejects Satanic Temple Case Challenging Missouri Abortion Law

photo credit: Bill Oxford / Unsplash

On Nov. 23, the Satanic Temple's lawsuit against the state of Missouri challenging its 72-hour waiting period law was rejected by the Supreme Court. There were too few Supreme Court Judges who believed that the lower courts' decisions needed to be reviewed, so Missouri's law will stay in place.

The Satanic Temple's 2019 lawsuit claimed that abortion is a key part of their religion's beliefs, and restricting it forced the plaintiff “to act and forgo acting in a manner that violates her belief in The Satanic Tenets as a condition for getting an abortion in Missouri.”

Earlier in the month, the Satanic Temple also attempted to have Justice Barrett forcibly recused from the case, due to her supposed incapability of making an impartial decision in a case related to abortion.

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Pro-Life Coach Lou Holtz to Receive Presidential Medal of Freedom

Lou Holtz
screenshot from Republican National Convention speech

The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that the pro-life former football coach Lou Holtz will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom today.

“America recognizes Lou Holtz as one of the greatest football coaches of all time for his unmatched accomplishments on the gridiron, but he is also a philanthropist, author, and true American patriot,” states a Dec. 2 White House press release.

Holtz is famous for holding a 100-30-2 record during his 11 seasons of coaching at the University of Notre Dame. His 1988 team had a perfect 12-0 season and were national champions.

The press release continued, 

“Since his retirement from coaching, Holtz has authored several books, contributed to ESPN and CBS as a sports analyst, and continues to give back to his community through two of his own charities, the Holtz Charitable Foundation and the Holtz’s Heroes Foundation. In commemoration of his outstanding accomplishments both on and off the football field, Holtz was awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Notre Dame, the University of South Carolina, Trine University, and the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He was also elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, and the Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame, among many other well-deserved accolades.”

Holtz gave a speech during the Republican National Convention praising the president's pro-life stance and lamenting the pro-abortion stance of Democratic nominee Joe Biden. “The Biden-Harris ticket is the most radically pro-abortion campaign in history,” Holtz said. “They and other politicians are ‘Catholics in Name Only’ and abandon innocent lives. President Trump protects those lives.” 

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Record-Breaking Baby Born from Embryo Frozen for over 27 Years

Molly Everette Gibson

On October 26, 2020, Molly Everette Gibson was born in Tennessee. Her birth is special not only because Molly is a unique human being with intrinsic value, but because it marks a new record for the longest frozen embryo ever to be born. Molly serves as an example of how life starts at conception and explains why pro-lifers oppose the all-too-common destruction of embryos created for the sake of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).

Molly's birth was facilitated by the National Embryo Donation Center (NEDC). After her embryo was frozen and preserved on Oct. 14, 1992, she was finally thawed after 27 years by NEDC Lab Director & Embryologist Carol Sommerfelt on Feb. 10, 2020. She was then successfully transferred to her mother Tina Gibson's uterus by NEDC President & Medical Director Dr. Jeffrey Keenan on Feb. 12, 2020.

Upon birth, Molly weighed 6lbs. 13 oz., and measured 19 inches long.

"I think this is proof positive that no embryo should ever be discarded, certainly not because it is 'old!'" said Dr. Keenan. "This is also a testament to the excellent embryology work of Carol Sommerfelt. She is perhaps the preeminent embryologist in the country when it comes to thawing frozen embryos. And of course it's a testament to how good God is, and to His infinite goodness and love."

Sommefelt seconded Dr. Keenan's sentiment and commented on the power of technology we have today. "When Molly Everette was born on October 26, she was already 28 years old from the standpoint of the time the embryos had been frozen. This definitely reflects on the technology used all those years ago and its ability to preserve the embryos for future use under an indefinite time frame.  It also shows the reason the NEDC mission is so important, giving all donated embryos the best chance for life."

Molly broke the record held by her sister, Emma Gibson, whose embryo had been frozen for 24 years.

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Illinois Teen Hospitalized at Springfield Planned Parenthood

screenshot from Springfield Right to Life video

Pro-life advocates with Springfield Right to Life recently reported that the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Springfield, IL called an ambulance to pick up a patient on November 19.

The pro-life group posted a video on its Facebook page showing the young woman being wheeled out of the building on a gurney and placed in an ambulance. 

After learning of the event, Operation Rescue requested 911 records. It obtained a redacted report verifying the medical emergency as well as a garbled radio dispatch clip indicating that an 18-year old woman fell, hit her head, and was "not alert" when the dispatch was made. The hospital she was transported to and her current medical condition were not released publicly.

Springfield Right to Life said that the incident occurred on a surgical abortion day. Women who undergo surgical abortions can experience dizziness and lightheadedness from sedation or blood loss. In some cases, it can be a sign of severe medical issues stemming from the abortion procedure. Too much blood loss can be fatal, and internal bleeding is not always easy to detect.

“A fainting spell and head strike can be serious enough in itself, but when it is abortion-related, it is even more cause for concern,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “Abortion is not safe and this is another incident that supports that claim. Anyone who says otherwise is just parroting agenda-driven fake news talking points from the Abortion Cartel.”

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Poll Shows How Abortion Issue Impacted 2020 Election

photo credit: Clay Banks / Unsplash

A post-election poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates asked 1,000 voters whether the issue of abortion affected their vote and if they voted for candidates who supported or opposed abortion. 23% of voters said that the abortion issue affected their vote and voted for candidates who oppose abortion, while only 18% said abortion affected their vote and voted for candidates who support abortion.

This poll would suggest a 5% advantage to pro-life candidates for voters who consider abortion an important issue.

In a press release, National Right to Life said that that this difference is even greater in states where its political committees were most actively involved. When only including those states, 27% of voters said that the abortion issue affected their vote and voted for candidates who oppose abortion. Only 16% of voters in those states said abortion affected their vote and voted for candidates who favor abortion. The pro-life advantage in that state was 11%, over twice the national advantage.

The National Right to Life press release reads,

"Despite being vastly outspent by pro-abortion organizations such as Planned Parenthood and EMILY’s List, pro-life candidates won last Tuesday by significant margins. There were 58 races in which a candidate supported by National Right to Life was running against a candidate supported by the pro-abortion PAC EMILY’s List. Forty (or 71%) of the National Right to Life-supported candidates won. Two races remain outstanding, with the pro-life candidate currently leading in both."

“The abortion issue has played a key role in every major election since Ronald Reagan won the presidency in 1980,” said Carol Tobias, National Right to Life president. “As we witnessed last Tuesday, in election after election, National Right to Life, with its network of 50 state affiliates and more than 3,000 local chapters, helped provide the margin of victory for pro-life candidates.”

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"Buffer Zone" Ordinance Lifted in Jackson, Mississippi

photo credit: Victor Panlilio / Flickr

After only a year in place, an ordinance prohibiting pro-life protests outside abortion businesses in Jackson, Mississippi has been lifted by the Jackson City Council. The council voted unanimously last week to overturn the speech-limiting rule.

The ordinance was put in place in October 2019; banning people from gathering outside "health care facilities" or using any kind of amplified noise. Violating the ordinance could mean facing up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. While it does not reference abortion businesses, it is clear that the ordinance was passed for their benefit.

The Mississippi Justice Institute filed a lawsuit on behalf of Sidewalk Advocates for Life quickly after the ordinance was originally passed last year. Aaron Rice, the institute's director, said in a press release, “We are pleased that the city of Jackson has decided to do the right thing and end this unconstitutional restriction on free expression. This is a major victory for free speech for Jackson and the state of Mississippi.”

Andy Taggart, a lawyer who worked pro-bono on behalf of Sidewalk Advocates for Life, said he was glad the freedom of speech is no longer being restricted by this ordinance. He told WLBT, “The city of Jackson has rescinded an ordinance that should have never been the law to begin with, and at least for now, things are set right.”

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Illinois Abortionist's License Suspended for Hiding Out-of-State Malpractice

The Illinois Medical Board (IMB) suspended the license of abortionist George Backardjiev due to a complaint filed by the Pro-Life Action League in October 2018. The pro-life group learned that Dr. Backardjiev was under discipline for gruesome acts in the state of Texas, and he had failed to disclose that fact when renewing his medical license in Illinois.

In 2013, when Backardjiev was still practicing in Texas, he used a pair of forceps to forcefully deliver baby Olivia Coats against the will of her mother, Rachel Melancon. Gripping the child with forceps caused Olivia's skull to fracture. Olivia experienced brain hemorrhaging, which in turn led to multiple organ failure. Four days after her delivery, Olivia died.

Dr. Backardjiev was found guilty of wrongful death, and the Texas Medical Board filed a formal complaint against him which banned him from ever practicing medicine again in Texas.

Backardjiev fled to Illinois, where he had another medical license. When he renewed it in 2017, however, he did not report the discipline he faced in Texas. Doctors are obligated to disclose this kind of information when they renew their licenses, and Backardjiev's omission was illegal.

The Pro-Life Action League learned in 2018 that Backardjiev was employed by Aanchor Health Center, an abortion clinic in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Knowing the abortionist's history, the group filed a complaint against Backardjiev with the IMB. Now, two years after that complaint, the IMB has suspended Backardjiev's medical license.

This would never have been exposed without the work of the Pro-Life Action League. Backardjiev, even after being found guilty of wrongful death in Texas, was allowed to continue working as an abortionist for years simply by moving to Illinois and choosing not to tell the IMB about what he had done in Texas. Abortionists are rarely regulated by state governments, and this is just another example of how this is especially true in the state of Illinois.

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March for Life Chicago Organizes Bus Tour for 2021 Event

Rather than holding one large in-person event this year, the organizers of March for Life Chicago are hosting a "Moving the Movement" bus tour this year because of the pandemic. While the annual March for Life Chicago event will still happen on Jan. 23, this bus tour will make several stops throughout the midwest to share the pro-life message.

The tour starts on Jan. 2 with a rally in  Madison, Wisconsin. At every stop, pro-life leaders will give speeches and tell stories to inspire the pro-life movement. Event organizers also plan to hold marches and car rallies at each stop. After Madison, Wisconsin; the tour plans to stop at Des Moines, Iowa; Indianapolis, Indiana; Omaha, Nebraska; Mundelein Illinois; and Fort Wayne, Indiana before ending in Chicago, Illinois.

Event organizers say that they will abide by local regulations to keep participants safe while still allowing pro-life voices to be heard.

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