April 19, 2021
Federal Government Ends Rules Limiting Experiments Using Body Parts from Aborted Babies
April 16, 2021
House Democrats Announce Bill to Add Four Justices to the Supreme Court
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jarrod Nadler (D-NY) photo credit: Brookings Institution / Flickr |
Nadler said that his bill would “restore balance to the nation’s highest court after four years of norm-breaking actions by Republicans led to its current composition.”
Democratic legislators have argued that it was unfair for Senate Republicans to block the nomination of an Obama-appointed Supreme Court Justice after Justice Antonin Scalia died months before the 2016 election. When Trump took office, he filled that seat with Justice Neil Gorsuch.
Democrats also took issue with the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the court in 2020.
“Republicans stole the Court’s majority, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation completing their crime spree,” said Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA).
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is suggesting that she does not support bringing the issue of court-packing before the floor of the House at the moment, however.
“I don't know if [court packing is] a good idea or a bad idea,” she said. “I think it's an idea that should be considered and I think the president's taking the right approach to have a commission to study such a thing.”
President Biden refused to say whether he supported court-packing during his 2020 presidential campaign. His commission studying court reform includes former NARAL legal director Caroline Fredrickson.
Pro-Life Representatives Vote for Discharge Petition to Call Abortion Survivor Protection to a Vote
If a total of 218 representatives sign the petition, then H.R. 619 will be brought before the full House of Representatives for a vote. This would bypass the normal requirement that the bill is approved by the committee to which it was assigned.
H.R. 619 is important because it would provide an enforcement mechanism to punish abortionists if they refuse to provide care for a baby that survived an attempted abortion. Furthermore, it would require that every child who survives an attempted abortion be transported to a hospital to receive the same care that any other baby would receive.
The CDC estimates that at least 143 babies died after being born alive during attempted abortions between the years 2003 and 2014. This number is likely lower than reality; since some of the most pro-abortion states do not provide abortion data to the federal government. If H.R. 619 becomes law, then many of these deaths could be mitigated.
“There is no such thing as a ‘post-birth abortion.’ This bill isn’t about interfering with a so-called right to abortion. It is about stopping infanticide,” said National Right to Life President Carol Tobias. “Appallingly, pro-abortion extremists in the House and Senate are willing to let die babies who are born alive following an abortion.”
April 15, 2021
California Judge Blocks Release of Pro-Life Undercover Videos
David Daleiden photo credit: American Life League / Flickr |
District Court Judge William Orrick issued a preliminary injunction against the videos in 2015 after Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation sued the CMP for alleged violation of California privacy law, and now that injunction is permanent.
Early in the case's legal proceedings, the CMP filed to disqualify Orrick as the judge for the case, due to his close ties to the abortion industry. The motion failed, however, and Orrick refused to recuse himself.
Judge Orrick wrote that the videos "disclosed no criminal activity," but David Daleiden (who led the CMP investigation) responded last Thursday by arguing the opposite:
"What is on the footage of public conversations at abortion industry trade shows that Planned Parenthood leadership is so desperate to cover up? Our expert Dr. Forrest Smith, the country’s longest-practicing abortion provider, says it shows the quid pro quo sale of fetal body parts, abuse of patients, and infanticide–but Judge Orrick insists he sees nothing wrong with it, yet won’t let the public decide for themselves.
This decision hides the most incriminating and damning footage under the fig leaf of trade show exhibit agreements which explicitly permitted exhibitor recording. This transparent attempt to skew the law and suppress free speech to protect the worst wrongdoing must stop, and the truth must be revealed."
20 state attorneys and several activist groups filed friend-of-the-court briefs in March asking the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to take up the CMP case. They argued that the lower court decision will harm the First Amendment and future investigative journalism.
Arkansas Attorney General Petitions Supreme Court to Review Decision Blocking Law to Protect Babies with Down Syndrome
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge |
April 14, 2021
Biden FDA Suspends Regulations Requiring Women to Receive Abortion Pills In-Person
photo credit: Volodymyr Hryshchenko / Unsplash |
Pro-abortion organizations have been advocating for this change for nearly a year, now. They argue that REMS regulations endanger women by requiring them to visit abortion clinics in person; potentially exposing them to COVID-19. Instead, they argue that women should be able to receive abortion pills through the mail after consulting a doctor over the phone or in a video call.
REMS safety precautions were put in place for a reason, however.
If a pregnant mother receives abortion pills without ever visiting a doctor, they will not be able to diagnose pregnancy conditions or determine the gestational age of the baby. If a mother attempts to take the abortion pill regimen while she has an ectopic pregnancy, or if the baby has developed past the point that the abortion pill regimen is effective, then the abortion pill regimen could cause substantial harm to the mother.
National Right to Life President Carol Tobias responded to the announcement:
“These changes place women at greater risk because they may not be able to distinguish the signs of an incomplete abortion, a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, or a deadly infection from the ordinary pain and bleeding of completed chemical abortion. None of these changes make this process safer for the woman. What these changes do is make the process easier and cheaper for the abortion industry.”
In the announcement, Woodcock wrote that the “small number of adverse events reported to FDA during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) provided no indication that any program deviation or noncompliance with the Mifepristone REMS contributed to the reported adverse events.” She failed to realize, however, that REMS changes made under the Obama administration in 2016 no longer require the manufacturer of the abortion pill, Danco Laboratories or its generic GenBioPro to report non-fatal adverse effects.
While these changes are being advertised as temporary reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic, many pro-life advocates fear that they will soon become permanent.
Sixth Circuit Reverses Injunction Against Ohio Non-Discrimination Law
photo credit: Bill Oxford / Unsplash |
The law prohibits a doctor from aborting a child if the doctor knows that the child's diagnosis with Down syndrome is her reason for seeking the abortion.
The bill was signed into law in 2017 by then-Governor John Kasich, but it has faced a long legal battle against Planned Parenthood and other abortion businesses.
In a statement, Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis said,
“This court ruling brings us one step closer to ensuring that vulnerable babies with special needs are not marked for death because of who they are. Every life is worth living and every precious and unique human being is worthy of complete protection under law.”
Judge Alice M. Batchelder wrote in her majority opinion that the restrictions created by the Down Syndrome Non-Discrimination Abortion Act "do not create a substantial obstacle to a woman’s ability to choose or obtain an abortion" and reasonably further Ohio's interests, which she listed in her opinion:
“Ohio asserts that H.B. 214 furthers three valid and legitimate interests by protecting: (1) the Down syndrome community from the practice of Down-syndrome-selective abortions and the stigma associated with it; (2) pregnant women and their families from coercion by doctors who advocate the abortion of Down-syndrome-afflicted fetuses; and (3) the integrity and ethics of the medical profession by preventing doctors from becoming witting participants in Down-syndrome-selective abortions. These are legitimate interests.”
By ruling in favor of this law, the sixth circuit is validating Ohio's right to protect unborn children with Down syndrome from unjust discrimination and death.
April 13, 2021
Kansas Judge Strikes Down Dismemberment Abortion Ban
Because Kansans value both women and children, the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion. To the extent permitted by the constitution of the United States, the people, through their elected state representatives and state senators, may pass laws regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, laws that account for circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, or circumstances of necessity to save the life of the mother.
Texas House to Consider Bill Giving Preborn Children Legal Representation in Court
photo credit: Jonathan Cutrer / Flickr |
Texas law requires that parents not only be notified of a minor's intent to have an abortion; but also that they give consent. Similar to Illinois's parental notification law, however, there is still a process for a judicial bypass. If the minor convinces a judge that it is in her best interest to have an abortion without her parents' knowledge, then she can bypass both the notification and consent requirements.
The existence of judicial bypasses increases the likelihood that a girl will return to an abusive living situation rather than seek help if she lives in an abusive household. Furthermore, it leaves the potential issues such as rape and sex trafficking that may have caused the pregnancy unsolved. All of that comes on top of the fact that an innocent unborn child is killed in the process.
Texas House Bill 1171 is unique in that it would give unborn children a voice during judicial bypass hearings. Texas Right to Life legislative associate Rebecca Parma told Spectrum News, “They don’t have a voice yet, and so their interest needs to be represented by someone who has a voice. If the pregnant minor is going to have an attorney ad litem, which should help represent her best interests, the unborn child needs to have that voice, as well, representing his or her best interests.”
April 12, 2021
New Mexico Gov. Signs Assisted Suicide Bill
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham |
The new law is set to take effect on June 18.
“New Mexico’s assisted suicide law puts vulnerable citizens at risk,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Depression related to a serious illness often drives requests for assisted suicide, and in other states that have legalized assisted suicide, referrals for psychological evaluation are almost nonexistent.”
“In New Mexico, vulnerable patients who need support can be offered lethal drugs to end their lives instead of the help they genuinely need,” Tobias continued.
People who seek assisted suicide often do so because they are experiencing depression or lack the financial resources needed to pay for treatment. Because of this, doctors and family members can push patients toward assisted suicide when financial, medical, or emotional assistance could still have a positive impact on a patient.
“This legislation endangers vulnerable populations and opens the door to abuse,” said Jennifer Popik, J.D., director of Medical Ethics for National Right to Life. “This puts a human being in danger of becoming a notation in a cost/benefit analysis.”
April 9, 2021
National Right to Life Convention Scheduled for June
The National Right to Life Convention has been scheduled for June 25-26 and will be held in-person Herndon, Virginia.
The National Right to Life Convention is a two-day educational and training event during which experts will help to equip pro-life grassroots advocates with the knowledge and skills needed to advance the pro-life cause.
The event will include 40 workshop events, an opening prayer breakfast, a showing of the pro-life play Viable: The Truth in One Act, a Teens for Life Convention, and a closing banquet.
To register for the convention and receive special hotel rates, visit nrlconvention.com.
Wyoming Gov. Signs Bill Protecting Abortion Survivors
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon photo credit: Mike Groover |
The law reads:
“The commonly accepted means of care that would be rendered to any other infant born alive shall be employed in the treatment of any viable infant aborted alive. Any physician performing an abortion shall take medically appropriate and reasonable steps to preserve the life and health of an infant born alive.”
The bill passed with overwhelming margins in the House [48-11] and Senate [26-4]. Gov. Gordon vetoed a slightly different version of the bill last year, but he chose to sign this year's iteration of the bill into law.
The law is scheduled to take effect on July 1.
Ohio Judge Grants Temporary Restraining Order Against Telemedicine Abortion Ban
photo credit: Joe Gratz / Flickr |
The telemedicine abortion ban was originally signed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in January and set to go into effect on April 12. Judge Hatheway's temporary restraining order blocks Ohio from enforcing the law for two weeks, however.
April 8, 2021
New Utah Law Requires Fathers to Pay Half of Pregnancy Costs
photo credit: Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash |
According to CNA, fathers in Utah can be required to pay half of the mother's insurance premiums and pregnancy-related medical costs (including hospital birth).
If a mother in Utah has the biological father's paternity confirmed, she can legally require him to financially support her pregnancy. This allows women to choose life after being raped or their partner leaves them without worrying as much about financial burdens.
The new law also states that a mother who obtains an abortion without the father's consent cannot require him to pay for the abortion. This does include exceptions to save the life of the mother or if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest.
In addition to fighting against pro-abortion laws and court decisions, pro-life advocates can help save the lives of the unborn by advocating for laws and policies that help disadvantaged women. This law is a good example of one that empowers women to overcome an obstacle that might otherwise cause them to have an abortion.
Nebraska Village Becomes First Outside Texas to be a "Sanctuary City" for the Unborn
photo credit: Jill Sauve / Unsplash |
April 7, 2021
Ohio Humane Disposal Law Halted by Planned Parenthood Lawsuit
Charges Against New Mexico Patient Arrested after Botched Abortion Dismissed
Last September, Women's Reproductive Clinic in New Mexico had one of its patients and her husband arrested for disturbing the peace after she complained that the clinic had wrongfully taken the remains of her aborted child from her. Now, seven months later, that woman has won in court against the abortion business.
The client, who is known publicly as "Jane Doe," had suffered two botched abortions on the same pregnancy by Women's Reproductive Clinic. She had attempted abortion via the abortion pill regimen, but she later had a surgical abortion after that failed. After she returned home from the surgical abortion, she unexpectedly delivered remains of her deceased baby there. Doe and her husband called the abortion business, which told them to return.
When they arrived, however, clinic workers wrongfully took custody of the child's remains. This upset Doe, who wanted to have her child cremated. When she complained, the clinic called the police and had them arrest the couple.
Lawyers from the pro-life organization Abortion on Trial came to the defense of the couple. Last Friday, the organization announced in a press release that the charges against Doe and her husband had finally been dropped. Furthermore, Women's Reproductive Clinic was unsuccessful in its attempt to make Doe liable for the abortion business's legal fees.
“We hope Jane’s story will continue to spread as a beacon of awareness and precaution to those considering abortion.” Says AOT Executive Director, Jamie Jeffries. “We hope those who oppose abortion see this case and realize just how much women need compassionate care after abortion.”
April 6, 2021
Don't Forget: Legislative Training Sessions this Week
Pro-Abortion Vivek Murthy Confirmed as Surgeon General
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy |
At the Washington Ideas Forum in 2015, Murthy voiced his support of giving taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood:
“There are many people around the country, many women, that I have cared for when I was practicing medicine up in Boston, who rely on Planned Parenthood for important services. I think what’s important, whenever we’re making any policy decisions, is to try to take it out of the realm of ideology, and put it back in the realm of science and public health. And the truth is, a lot of women around the country looked at Planned Parenthood as an important source of primary care services. The debate is focused a lot on a narrow spectrum of services, but the truth is, many women get their — they get basic health care and preventative care from Planned Parenthood.”
Planned Parenthood sometimes tries to lean on the argument that because it provides some services other than abortion, it is not simply an abortion business. While this might be true in a sense, it is disingenuous at most. Planned Parenthood often markets itself as an abortion business, and the number of non-abortion services it provides has declined year after year.
Statistics from Planned Parenthood's own annual reports show that the business has provided 294,493 prenatal services between 2000 and 2021. In that same time period, it also aborted six million unborn children.
The Hill further reported that Planned Parenthood gave Vivek thousands of dollars in recent years for speaking engagements. There is no indication that his pro-abortion views will have changed since the Obama administration.
April 5, 2021
Planned Parenthood Sues to Block Ohio Telemedicine Abortion Ban
Planned Parenthood argues that the law violates the Ohio Constitution and doesn't improve patient safety. In a press release, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America wrote, “Medication abortion [chemical abortion] is safe, effective, and a vital part of reproductive health care. Requiring that a patient see a physician in person to obtain the medication for a medication abortion does not improve patient safety, no matter what might be said by legislators who ignore science.”
Physically visiting a doctor is not simply a formality, however. It is important for a pregnant mother's safety that she sees a doctor in-person before she receives a prescription for abortion pills. When visiting a doctor, the doctor can administer an ultrasound to determine the gestational age of the unborn child and ensure that there are no pregnancy conditions that would make the abortion pill regimen unsafe. This is important because the abortion pill regimen poses serious health risks to a woman if it is used too late in the child's development. The same is true if she has a pregnancy condition, such as an ectopic pregnancy.
After the law was passed, Ohio Right to Life president Mike Gonidakis said in a press release,
“The signing of the Telemedicine Abortion Ban into law is a victory for life and for women’s safety. No woman should be subjected to a dangerous telemedicine abortion in order to pad Planned Parenthood’s pockets. Pro-Life Ohio will not let the abortion industry continue to treat vulnerable women and children as money-making opportunities. Women and children deserve to be put first. This law is a crucial step towards that end.”