Mississippi AG Files Brief in Defense of Gestational Age Act

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch

As the Dec. 1 date for oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization comes closer, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch filed a reply brief in the Supreme Court to refute arguments made by the pro-abortion Center for Reproductive Rights.

The upcoming case debates the constitutionality of Mississippi's Gestational Age Act, which bans abortion after 15 weeks gestation with few exceptions. The Supreme Court will decide whether or not all pre-viability abortion bans are unconstitutional.

AG Fitch once again directly asked the court to reconsider the constitutionality of  Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The brief begins,

"For 30 years, no party has had to defend Roe v. Wade. No party has ever had to defend Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey. Finally forced to defend those cases, respondents drive home the stark reality: Roe and Casey are indefensible. At each turn, respondents’ 'effort to defend' Roe and Casey 'underscores' the overwhelming case for rejecting those decisions."

Fitch's brief goes on to argue several points as to why the Supreme Court should not continue to force a judicially managed right to abortion against the states:

“Not treating abortion as a fundamental right treats it as the Constitution does most important issues: for the people to decide. …When this Court returns this issue to the people, the people can debate, adapt, and find workable solutions. It will be hard for the people too, but under the Constitution the task is theirs—and the Court should return it to them now.”

Click here to read more. 

New Jersey Gov. Approves Rules Allowing Non-Doctors to do Abortions

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D)

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) approved new rules this week allowing less qualified individuals to do abortion procedures. This not only lifts one of the few regulations facing abortion businesses in the pro-abortion state of New Jersey, but it also makes abortions less safe for the women who have them.

North Jersey News reported that Gov. Murphy “approved lifting regulations on abortions that barred [abortions] from happening in a doctor’s office beyond 14 weeks of pregnancy and allowing as many as 15,000 nurses, physician assistants and midwives to perform the procedure.”

New Jersey currently has the second-highest abortion rate in the country next to the District of Columbia. The state is also considering a "Reproductive Freedom Act" that would codify a right to abortion without limitations. It would require health insurance companies to cover abortions without deductibles, co-insurance, or co-payments.

Click here to read more.

Over One Million Participate in Mexico March for Women and Life

Pro-life activists in Mexico came out in droves to protest abortion less than a month after the Mexico Supreme Court decriminalized abortion. On Oct. 3, over 300,000 people gathered in Mexico City to support the right to life, and others participated throughout the country in the March for Women and for Life. The Catholic News Agency reported that the total number of marchers throughout the country surpassed one million.

Speakers at the Mexico City event included Mayra Rodríguez, a pro-life advocate who used to work at a Planned Parenthood abortion business in Arizona. "I was the director of the largest abortion facility in the state of Arizona,” Rodríguez told the crowd. “What I saw there is what has me standing here with you today.”

Rodríguez said that she reported several botched abortions, including one in which the abortionist "left the head of a 14-week-old baby, which he referred to as garbage, inside the mother's womb, without caring if that woman would die the next day from an infection.”

“Mexico marched, Mexico stood up, Mexico did not give up, Mexico showed it is in favor of life, in favor of women, in favor of the family, in favor of fundamental freedoms,” said Rodrigo Iván Cortés, president of the National Front for the Family. “Let the three powers of the union listen to us: executive, legislative and judicial. Let them listen loud and clear: we do not want more deaths, we want more life, we do not want them to legalize the crime of abortion, we want them to protect the pregnant woman and the baby that she carries within her.”

Click here to read more.

Flawed Marist Poll Misleadingly Shows Low Support for Abortion Restrictions

Results from a new Marist poll would suggest that only a minority of Americans support pro-life legislation that would limit abortion to the first six weeks of pregnancy. Upon closer examination of the poll's wording, it's clear why some pro-life respondents would have disapproved of such legislation.

Marist surveyed over 1200 people in late September in a poll conducted with NPR and PBS. The poll asked respondents, "Do you support or oppose a law that allows abortions, but only up to the time cardiac activity is detected about 6 to 8 weeks into pregnancy?" 

Pro-life Catholic Professor Michael New explained the problem on Twitter earlier this month. He wrote,

"A significant number of pro-lifers said that they would oppose a (hypothetical) law that would explicitly allow abortions up to 6-8 weeks gestation. 

This is because they want legal protection for *all* unborn children.

That likely explains why the results are skewed."

The poll initially surprised many, because the results suggested Republicans were only three percent more likely than Democrats to support legislation that limited abortion to the first six months of pregnancy. However, the results could realistically come from pro-life respondents who believe life should be protected from the moment of conception. A law that "allows abortions, but only up to the time cardiac activity is detected" specifically excludes unborn children from any right to life before they reach a certain gestational age.

Click here to read more.

Liberty Counsel Sends Demand Letter to NorthShore University HealthSystem to Protect Conscience Rights

Some healthcare workers at NorthShore University HealthSystem have attempted to request religious exemption requests from the COVID shot mandate. When these exemptions are requested due to the association with aborted fetal cell lines that all available shots have, however, NorthShore has rejected them. Liberty Counsel sent a letter of demands to the NorthShore on behalf of 14 workers whom Liberty Counsel says "have been unlawfully discriminated against and denied religious exemptions from the COVID shot mandate."

According to Illinois Review, NorthShore had previously granted exemptions for some employees but then denied them in mid-September. The company then gave those employees three days to file an appeal, but it did not tell the employees what information was missing in the original application. The appeal required employees to provide vaccine history information that was not required in the initial application.

Illinois Review also reported that NorthShore changed the exemption form to include a warning that all exemptions based on “aborted fetal cell lines, stem cells, tissue or derivative materials will result in denials.” The form falsely claims that COVID shots have no connection to aborted fetal cell lines.

Liberty Counsel cited the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act that protects Illinoisans against discrimination based on health care choices. The law states:

“It shall be unlawful for any person, public or private institution, or public official to discriminate against any person in any manner, including but not limited to, licensing, hiring, promotion, or any other privileges, because of such person's conscientious refusal to receive, obtain, accept or participate in any way in any particular form of health care services contrary to his or her conscience”

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said in a statement, “NorthShore University Health System must obey state and federal law and grant reasonable accommodations to its employees whose sincere religious beliefs prohibit them from receiving these COVID shots. NorthShore must also revise its deceptive and unlawful religious exemption form.”

Click here to read more.

Montana District Judge Extends Injunctions Against Three Pro-Life Laws

Late last Thursday, Montana District Judge Michael Moses issued a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of three pro-life laws. This injunction extends his original order which blocked the laws the day before their Oct. 1 effective date.

The Montana Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act bans the abortion of unborn children after 20 weeks of development.

House Bill 140 requires abortionists to give abortion-minded women the ability to view an ultrasound of their children.

HB171 regulates the use of abortion drugs by requiring women to give informed consent to their use, requiring these women to visit an abortion business in person, and prohibiting the distribution of abortion drugs through the mail.

Judge Moses said he blocked the laws because they would cause "irreparable harm" to Planned Parenthood and women by taking away a constitutionally protected right.

Click here to read more.

Oklahoma Judge Blocks Two Abortion Laws but Allows Three Others

Oklahoma District Judge Cindy Truong placed injunctions against two state laws that would have restricted abortion, but she also upheld three others, two of which restrict the use of abortion pills.

One of the temporarily blocked laws prohibits abortion after the detection of a child's heartbeat, while the other would allow the state to revoke the medical licenses of doctors who commit abortions that are not necessary to save the life of the mother.

The three laws that are still set to go into effect on Nov. 1 include a law that requires abortionists to be board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and two laws that enact safety regulations on the use of abortion pills. These regulations are an effort by Oklahoma to reinstate longstanding FDA regulations no longer enforced under the Biden administration.

Click here to read more.

Chicago Planned Parenthood Hospitalized Woman After Perforating Her Uterus

Records obtained by the Pro-Life Action League recently revealed that the Neart North Planned Parenthood in Chicago hospitalized a woman after causing a critical life-threatening injury.

A 911 recording and event printout provided by the Pro-Life Action League revealed that an ambulance was called to the Planned Parenthood location on July 15, 2021. It was dispatched under priority code 1A, meaning that the emergency was considered critical.

The Planned Parenthood employee who spoke with the 911 dispatcher said that the patient might have a perforation. This can occur when the metal instruments used during a dilation and evacuation abortion tear through the lining of a woman's uterus. This is a life-threatening injury that can cause severe bleeding and damage to internal organs.

Operation Rescue has documented a total of 24 medical emergencies at the Neart North Planned Parenthood in the past five years. Most of these involved uncontrolled hemorrhaging, which can be caused by uterine perforations and cervical lacerations.

Click here to read more.

Appeals Court Reinstates Texas Heartbeat Act

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R)

Last Wednesday, a district judge placed a temporary injunction against the enforcement of the Texas Heartbeat Act. On Friday night, however, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an administrative stay against that order. As a result, the Heartbeat Act can once again be enforced.

The Texas Heartbeat Act requires abortion businesses to first perform an ultrasound to confirm whether an unborn child has a detectable heartbeat. If a heartbeat is found (which is generally true for babies by the time they reach the sixth week of development), then aborting that child is prohibited. The law includes an exception for medical emergencies.

Except for two days following last week's temporary injunction, the Heartbeat Act has remained an enforceable law since it came into effect on Sept. 1. This is due to the law's unique method of enforcement. Rather than being enforced directly by the state, the Heartbeat Act gives individuals the ability to file civil lawsuits against those who violate the law.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed the district court's injunction last Friday, after which the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals quickly granted the administrative stay.

“Great news tonight,” Paxton tweeted in response to the decision. “The Fifth Circuit has granted an administrative stay on #SB8. I will fight federal overreach at every turn.”

Click here to read more.

Pro-Life Worshippers Ordered to Stay Away from Spokane Planned Parenthood

Last month, a county judge ruled that members of a pro-life church could no longer gather outside a Planned Parenthood abortion business in Spokane, Washington.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Timothy B. Fennessy issued a permanent injunction prohibiting the church from demonstrating outside the Planned Parenthood facility. In his decision, Fennessy said that “reasonable minds can only reach one conclusion, that Covenant Church intends to interfere with access to or safe and effective delivery of health care services provided by Planned Parenthood.”

Covenant Church is known for running a group called "The Church at Planned Parenthood." It held worship services and protested abortion on a stretch of grass near the Spokane, Washington Planned Parenthood facility. Judge Fennessy's ruling prohibits the group from gathering on that grass, the sidewalk, or anywhere within 35 feet of the building. The group is further prohibited from making noise between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Ken Peters, the director of the Church at Planned Parenthood, told The Spokesman-Review that he will comply with the injunction for the time being. “Even though we feel like the judge is unconstitutional, do we want to pick this battle right now? And I think that, at this moment, no, until I get some more legal advice and pray about it, I don’t want to defy this order.”

Click here to read more.

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Texas Heartbeat Act

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman issued a preliminary injunction blocking the enforcement of the Texas Heartbeat Act.

The Texas law protects unborn babies with detectable heartbeats from abortion. This meant that after the law came into effect on Sept. 1, it was illegal in Texas to abort a baby once it reached roughly six weeks gestation. The Heartbeat Act was initially able to survive legal challenges due to its unique enforcement mechanism. Individuals could file civil lawsuits against those who violated the law. This is different from most other pro-life laws that have been struck down because those are enforced directly by a state government.

Judge Pitman's decision came as a response to a lawsuit filed by the Biden administration. In his ruling, Pitman called the pro-life law an “unprecedented and aggressive scheme to deprive its citizens of a significant and well-established constitutional right.”

The Supreme Court decided in September that it would not block the Heartbeat Act, but it did so for procedural reasons. Because of this, the Supreme Court could very well make a ruling on the constitutionality of laws like the Heartbeat Act in the future.

The Texas Attorney General's office has already expressed its intent to appeal Judge Pitman's decision.

Click here to read more.

Biden Admin Reverses "Protect Life Rule," Sending Millions in Tax Dollars to Planned Parenthood

This Monday, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it would finally undo former President Donald Trump's "Protect Life Rule" that excluded abortion businesses from receiving Title X family planning funds.

The "Protect Life Rule" required “clear financial and physical separation between Title X-funded projects and programs or facilities where abortion is a method of family planning,” and banned “referral for abortion as a method of family planning.” Planned Parenthood and other abortion businesses refused to adhere to the rule. As a result, Planned Parenthood received $60 million less in taxpayer funding annually.

President Joe Biden made it a priority to direct the HHS to "consider" ending the pro-life rule. The HHS formally (but unsurprisingly) announced this Monday that it will undo the rule.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said, “Our nation’s family planning clinics play a critical role in delivering health care, and today more than ever, we are making clear that access to quality family planning care includes accurate information and referrals — based on a patient’s needs and direction.”

Planned Parenthood Federation of America CEO Alexis McGill Johnson was quick to thank the Biden administration for returning the flow of federal taxpayer dollars to the abortion corporation. “We thank the Biden-Harris administration for swiftly ending the harmful policy and prioritizing access to sexual and reproductive health care,” Johnson said.

New regulations which remove the "Protect Life Rule" are set to go into effect on November 8, 2021.

Click here to read more.

Downers Grove Abortion Business Hospitalizes Woman

An ambulance at the Access Health Center arriving to
take a woman to the hospital after she had an abortion on
Sept. 18, 2021.
photo credit: Operation Rescue

The Access Health Center abortion business in Downer's Grove, Illinois called an ambulance on Sept. 18, 2021, after an abortion caused a medical emergency. Abortionists initially tried to convince the patient to make her way to a hospital on her own, but she insisted that they call 911.

Emergency records obtained by Operation Rescue, a pro-life organization that documents medical emergencies at abortion businesses, include a transcript and recording of the 911 call. The nurse who spoke with the 911 dispatcher said that the patient was drifting in and out of consciousness and was unable to get up. She also said that the patient was weak, pale, and clammy.

Several of her statements directly contradicted one another, however. She told the dispatcher that the woman had low blood sugar levels, but later she said that they were high. She said that the patient's breathing was normal, but she also said that her breathing was shallow.

“Asking a patient that cannot stand up to go to the hospital on her own is a huge red flag.  Add to that the contradictory information about the woman’s condition, and it makes me wonder what these people may have been hiding,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.

Access Health Center was sued for causing the wrongful death of another patient, Melissa L. Helm, on January 22, 2001. Additionally, the business was found to have committed several health violations during its most recent inspection on June 18-19, 2019.

Click here to read more.

ALERT: CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS TO PROTECT PARENTAL NOTICE

Please call your State Representative and State Senator and tell them to vote against legislation repealing the Parental Notice of Abortion Act. Bills repealing the act could be pushed through during the fall session, which runs from Oct. 19-21 and Oct. 26-28

The Parental Notice of Abortion Act helps parents be involved in the life-and-death decision of abortion, and it helps protect young girls from sex trafficking and abuse.

If you are not sure who your state legislators are, you can find out by entering your address on the website below:

Click here to find your elected officials.

Congress to Consider Several Abortion-Related Spending Bills this Fall

In addition to the Women's Health Protection Act, which threatens to codify Roe v. Wade and undo federal and state regulations protecting unborn children, Congress plans to tackle several other abortion-related pieces of legislation this fall.

2022 Appropriations Bills

Congress is discussing appropriations bills to fund the federal government for Fiscal Year 2022. With these debates comes a fight to preserve the Hyde Amendment to stop tax dollars from funding abortion. The House of Representatives passed H.R. 4502 at the end of July, which includes spending for the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services. That bill does not include the Hyde amendment.

House appropriations bills are also missing the Weldon Amendment, which protects the conscience rights of medical providers. This protects medical professionals from being forced to participate in abortion.

$3.5 Trillion Dollar Reconciliation Social Spending Bill

A $3.5 trillion dollar social spending plan is being worked on by Congress. Notably, this process only has to reach a threshold of 51 votes in the Senate, because it is not subject to the filibuster. To start this process, the House and Senate must agree on a resolution that includes "reconciliation directives" for specific committees. While the Senate did pass a budget resolution to apply Hyde and Weldon Amendment language, that agreement is non-binding.

Click here to read more.

California Gov. Signs Bill Allowing Minors to Hide Abortions from Parents

CA. Gov. Gavin Newsom
photo credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

On Sept. 22, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two pro-abortion bills. One makes it easier for minors to hide abortions and transgender procedures from their parents, while the other places restrictions on pro-life activists and protestors.

“California has been a leader in protecting access to sexual and reproductive rights, but as we’ve seen recently with unprecedented attacks on these rights, we can and must do more,” Newsom said in a statement, alluding to the recent Texas Heartbeat Act.

California A.B. 1184 allows minors and adults up to age 26 who are still on their parents' health insurance plans to conceal "sensitive" procedures from the policyholder. These include abortions, puberty blockers, and transgender hormones. Furthermore, the law forbids healthcare providers from requiring policy-holders to approve procedures. Healthcare workers who provide "sensitive" information to policyholders or enrollees against the will of the "protected individual" would be guilty of a crime.

California A.B. 1356 can make pro-life activists guilty of a crime if they film within 100 feet of an abortion business. The only stipulation is that a judge must find the purpose of filming to be "intimidation." Additionally, posting personal information or images of abortion-seeking women, clinic volunteers, or clinic employees can be punished by a fine of $10,000 and up to a year in jail.

Click here to read more.

Women Sue Abortionist Whose Abortions Left them Sterile

screenshot by LifeSiteNews

Infamous late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart now faces two malpractice lawsuits after leaving two women sterile during abortions at his Maryland facility last year. The two women—whose abortions occurred only nine days apart—were left sterile from the severe physical trauma to their bodies.

The first of the two incidents involved Ashley Norris, whose abortion occurred on May 12, 2020. The facility attempted a "dilation and evacuation" abortion procedure. Laminaria was inserted into Norris's cervix on May 11, but this did not cause as much dilation as expected. The facility attempted to complete the abortion anyway.

Norris temporarily awoke during the procedure and screamed in pain before being sedated once again. The abortionist perforated her uterus and colon, which caused severe bleeding. To save her life, a hospital gave her multiple blood transfusions, removed her uterus, and removed part of her colon.

The second incident happened on May 21, 2020, only nine days later. Haimanot Aragaw and her husband traveled to the Maryland late-term abortion facility after learning that their child had Down syndrome. The baby had developed to the 23rd week of gestation. Aragaw similarly had laminaria inserted into her cervix to dilate her cervix, as is common practice before "dilation and evacuation" abortions.

Instead, however, the facility attempted a suction abortion. Those generally occur long before the 23 weeks gestation, as the unborn child must be small enough to fit through a suction catheter. Because of this, Aragaw began bleeding severely and was transferred to a hospital. Surgeons found a large hole in her uterus and fetal body parts shoved into her abdominal cavity. Her appendix received a "traumatic injury," and the hospital gave her four units of blood to save her life. Aragaw's uterus was completely removed when the hospital saved her life.

Click here to read more.

New Report Shows Abortion Pill Reversal to be Safe and Effective

The Charlotte Lozier Institute recently published a new report titled, “Abortion Pill Reversal: A Record of Safety and Efficacy.” The report cites several studies countering the claims by pro-abortion activists that abortion pill reversal (APR) is unsafe.

The abortion pill regimen relies on two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone is a drug designed to block the pregnancy hormone progesterone, which helps facilitate the flow of nutrients from a mother's body to her unborn child. By blocking this hormone, mifepristone kills an unborn baby through starvation. After the baby has died, the mother will take misoprostol to induce labor and expel the dead child from her body.

APR protocol takes a simple approach to counteract the effects of mifepristone: introducing more progesterone. If a woman changes her mind about continuing her abortion within 72 hours of taking mifepristone, the baby can still be saved. According to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, a doctor can

"prescribe bioidentical progesterone to outnumber and outcompete the mifepristone in order to reverse the effects of the mifepristone. An ultrasound is performed as soon as possible to confirm heart rate, placement, and dating of the pregnancy. The progesterone treatment will usually continue through the first trimester of pregnancy in an attempt to reverse the effects of the mifepristone."

The Lozier report points out that progesterone has been used since the 1950s to reduce the risk of miscarriage and premature birth. It cites two studies (PROMISE and PRISM) demonstrating that progesterone therapy increases the live birth rate and doesn't create safety issues.

Click here to read more.

Pro-Life Representatives Slam "Women's Health Protection Act"

The Women's Health Protection Act, which passed the House of Representatives on Sept. 24, would remove all state and federal laws protecting the lives of unborn children at any point during pregnancy. While it might seem unlikely that pro-abortion senators would still need to garner the 60 votes required to bypass a pro-life filibuster, pro-life advocates should still watch this bill closely and be ready to make their voices heard. If passed into law, it would go much farther than simply codifying Roe v. Wade.

Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) is one of many pro-life Representatives who spoke out against the bill. In an address before Congress, she said, “It’s a fact: when it’s legal and ‘free’, it’s an inducement to women who find themselves in a hard spot to have an abortion.”

She continued, arguing that pro-abortion legislators are depriving women of important information by passing a bill that prohibits states from requiring women to have ultrasounds before scheduling abortions. “Women change their mind when they see the baby in the womb.”

Miller concluded, “The American people from all faiths and walks of life have to choose what kind of society they want to live in: one that defends and protects a nine-month baby in the womb or one that is going to sell its body for parts.”

Click here to read more.

40 Days for Life Campaign Saves Over 50 Babies in First Five Days

photo credit: 40 Days for Life blog

This year's fall 40 Days for Life campaign only started on Sept. 22, but the organization has recorded 52 lives saved in the first five days.

40 Days for Life is a global pro-life movement that runs campaigns during the fall and spring every year. During these campaigns, pro-life advocates counsel and pray outside abortion businesses with the goal of changing the minds of women seeking abortions. The organization says that this year's fall effort will cover 612 cities across the globe.

On Sept. 27, 40 Days for Life released an update stating that organizers reported 52 babies who were saved from abortion during the first five days of the campaign. This included one Cleveland mother who changed her mind about aborting triplets. The mother asked a sidewalk counselor named Fred, “Don’t you think that is too many at once?” Fred responded, “Not at all,” adding that triplets are a “wonderful… beautiful gift from God” and a blessing. The mother decided to keep her children, she and told Fred that she would name one of them after him.

40 Days for Life says that over 19,000 lives have been saved since the organization launched its first campaign in 2007.

This year's fall campaign will continue through Oct. 31. Click here to find a participating location near you.