Planned Parenthood Sues to Block Indiana Abortion Ban

Planned Parenthood and other abortion businesses sued the state of Indiana in an attempt to block a new law that would ban most elective abortions. The law will go into effect on Sept 15 unless it is blocked by a judge.

Indiana Senate Bill 1 was the first pro-life law passed by a state legislature after the repeal of Roe v. Wade. The law bans abortion except in cases of rape, incest, when the mother's life is at risk, or fatal fetal anomalies. Furthermore, the law states that abortions can only be performed in hospitals or outpatient facilities owned by hospitals.

The abortion industry lawsuit argues that the new law “strips away the fundamental rights of people seeking abortion care in violation of the Indiana Constitution.” The abortion businesses say that the law violates Hoosiers' right to privacy, violate's their right to equal protection, and uses unconstitutionally vague language.

Indiana Right to Life CEO Mike Fichter responded, “Not only is there no right to an abortion in the Indiana Constitution, it actually states life is one of our inalienable rights. We are confident the state will prevail and pray the new law is not blocked from going into effect on September 15, knowing that any delay will mean the indiscriminate killing of unborn children will continue at abortion clinics across Indiana.”

Click here to read more.

Planned Parenthood Lawsuit Challenging Indiana Abortion Complications Law Dismissed

Indiana Attorney General
Todd Rokita

On August 29, a 2018 Indiana law requiring abortion businesses to report abortion complications to the Indiana Department of Health was upheld by a US District Court, and Planned Parenthood's challenge was dismissed.

“The legislature had a legitimate concern that researchers have insufficient data available to study the safety of abortion,” Attorney General Rokita said. “This law advances the causes of compassion, common sense, medical science and public health.”

Potential complications from first-trimester abortions include infection, excessive vaginal bleeding, uterine perforation, and more.

Notably, the dismissal of this case represents Indiana's fifth legal victory on behalf of pro-life laws since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Click here to read more.

Fifth Circuit Rules Government Cannot Force Christian Hospitals to Commit Abortions

On October 26, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the federal government could not use the Affordable Care Act to force Christian medical groups to commit abortions or perform gender transition surgeries.

In Franciscan Alliance v Becerra the Fifth Circuit unanimously affirmed a lower court's permanent injunction against an Obama-era HHS rule. The rule would abuse the Affordable Care Act to force health care providers to offer abortion and gender reassignment surgery if the provider receives federal funding or participates in ACA exchanges. The HHS appealed this injunction, which led to the fifth circuit's ruling last Friday.

"In its brief on appeal, HHS simply says it ‘has not to date evaluated’ whether it will enforce Section 1557 against Franciscan Alliance – in other words, it concedes that it may," Circuit Judge Don Willett wrote in the Fifth Circuit's decision. The Trump administration had rescinded the rule, but there was concern that the Biden administration would consider enforcing the rule again. "We have repeatedly held that plaintiffs have standing in the face of similar prosecutorial indecision." 

Joseph Davis, who worked with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty as counsel for the Christian medical groups, said, “This ruling is a major victory for conscience rights and compassionate medical care in America. Doctors cannot do their jobs and comply with the Hippocratic Oath if the government requires them to perform harmful, irreversible procedures against their conscience and medical expertise.”

Click here to read more.

Oklahoma's Abortion Trigger Law Takes Effect

On Friday, August 26, Oklahoma's trigger law banning abortion went into effect. The law bans all abortions except to save the life of the mother.

Abortionists found guilty of violating the abortion ban could face up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. The mother cannot be found guilty of a crime.

Oklahoma State Sen. Nathan Dahm, who authored the trigger law, celebrated that it finally took effect. “Today (Friday), after almost two years of work, Senate Bill 612 is in effect,” Dahm said. “I am proud that our state did not wait for the Supreme Court but led the way and passed this law to successfully eliminate abortion in Oklahoma before Roe v. Wade was overturned.”

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre released a statement criticizing Oklahoma along with several other states that passed pro-life laws.

“Today marks the latest attack against the fundamental rights of Americans as new abortion bans go into effect in Idaho, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. These extreme bans will criminalize abortion, in some cases without exceptions for rape or incest. These near-total abortion bans are part of a growing effort by Republican legislators to roll back the freedoms Americans have relied on for nearly half a century. Today’s radical steps take away women’s reproductive rights and put personal health care decisions in the hands of politicians instead of women and their doctors, threatening women’s health and lives.”

Abortion threatens and ends millions of lives every year. Oklahoma's citizens elected pro-life legislators with the intent to save lives from the deadly practice of abortion. The trigger law is not a tyrannical piece of legislation drafted by misogynistic politicians without their consituents' consent. It is a manifestation of democracy taking effect after being stifled by 50 years of Roe v. Wade.

Click here to read more.

Idaho Trigger Law Partially Blocked by Federal Judge

US District Judge B. Lunn Winmill issued a ruling on August 24 to block Idaho from enforcing part of its trigger law banning most abortions.

The ruling blocks Idaho from using the trigger law to prosecute anyone who performs what the law defines as "abortion" if the mother was experiencing an emergency medical situation. Enforcement will be paused until the lawsuit from the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is resolved.

Idaho's trigger law makes it a felony for a physician to commit an abortion. This would be punishable by up to five years in prison. The law includes exceptions for rape, incest, and saving the mother's life. To defend themselves from prosecution in cases of rape and incest, physicians can use a police report provided by the mother or a guardian.

The DOJ filed a lawsuit challenging Idaho's law under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). That law requires physicians to provide life-saving care in emergency circumstances, and the Biden administration argues that this can include abortion. Pro-life advocates and physicians often argue that pre-term delivery is safer and faster than abortion in emergency circumstances, even if it still results in the child's death. The issue in this lawsuit stems from the trigger law's definition of abortion, which might include that method of ending a pregnancy.

Idaho defines abortion as “the use of any means to intentionally terminate the clinically diagnosable pregnancy of a woman with knowledge that the termination by those means will, with reasonable likelihood, cause the death of the unborn child.” Some treatments that other states don't consider to be abortions, such as emergency preterm delivery and the removal of ectopic pregnancies, could be defined as abortion under this definition. While physicians could still defend themselves if they argue that the action was required to save the mother's life, the DOJ could argue that the law's unclear definition of abortion conflicts with that defense.

Click here to read more.

Judge Issues Injunction Blocking Biden Abortion Rule in Texas

On August 22, US District Judge James Wesley Hendrix sided with Texas and issued a preliminary injunction to block the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) from enforcing a requirement that federally-funded hospitals offer abortions in the state.

The Texas lawsuit was sparked by new DHS guidance advising medical facilities that receive Medicare funds that they must commit abortions in certain situations, regardless of state laws. The Biden DHS claims to have the authority to mandate hospitals commit abortion through the 1986 Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). That law requires hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment for any conditions that would jeopardize "the health of the individual."

The DHS press release states:

"The EMTALA statute requires that Medicare hospitals provide all patients an appropriate medical screening, examination, stabilizing treatment, and transfer, if necessary, irrespective of any state laws or mandates that apply to specific procedures. Stabilizing treatment could include medical and/or surgical interventions, including abortion. If a state law prohibits abortion and does not include an exception for the health or life of the pregnant person — or draws the exception more narrowly than EMTALA’s emergency medical condition definition — that state law is preempted."

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took the Biden administration's guidance as a threat to defund hospitals in pro-life states, and he responded by filing a lawsuit against the administration. When filing the lawsuit, Paxton's office stated,

"This Biden Administration’s Abortion Mandate has the effect of requiring doctors and hospitals to choose between performing abortions in violation of State law or caring for women as they always have while incurring fines and the loss of federal funding.  

Texas law has long permitted doctors to perform abortions when the life of the mother is at risk. That is still the law. EMTALA does not empower the federal government to change that. EMTALA requires hospitals to treat patients the same regardless of their ability to pay; it does not authorize the federal government to commandeer the practice of medicine."

In his ruling to place a preliminary injunction against the Biden administration's EMTALA guidance, Judge Hendrix took a hard stance against the DHS:

"That Guidance goes well beyond EMTALA’s text, which protects both mothers and unborn children, is silent as to abortion, and preempts state law only when the two directly conflict. Since the statute is silent on the question, the Guidance cannot answer how doctors should weigh risks to both a mother and her unborn child. Nor can it, in doing so, create a conflict with state law  where one does not exist. The Guidance was thus unauthorized. In any event, HHS issued it without the required opportunity for public comment. As a result, the Court will preliminarily enjoin the Guidance’s enforcement against the plaintiffs."

Click here to read more.

Join the Carbondale Crisis Special Webcast

With abortionists looking to open the first abortion businesses in Carbondale, Illinois, pro-life and religious leaders are hosting an online event to discuss what pro-life activists can do to stand up for life.

Coalition Life is hosting the event with the help of various pro-life and religious leaders. The webcast will be held on Tuesday, August 30 at 3:00PM CST. To register, visit CarbondaleCrisis.com.

Learn the impact Carbondale will have on abortion throughout the country, and discover opportunities you will have to save lives.

Visit CarbondaleCrisis.com and register.

Judge Temporarily Blocks Biden's Attempt to Remove Coverage for Natural Family Planning

On August 12, US District Judge Jeremy Kernodle placed a temporary injunction against new rules by the HHS that removed health coverage for fertility awareness-based methods (FABM) of family planning.

FABM methods of family planning involve tracking a woman's reproductive cycle to achieve or avoid pregnancy without the use of contraception. After a 2016 revision to the Affordable Care Act, medical professionals could bill patients' insurance for FABM counseling visits. The change submitted by the Biden administration would remove this coverage, however.

Dr. Cami Jo Tice-Harouff, a family nurse practitioner who provided counseling for FABM, filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom when she noticed her clients no longer had coverage for her services through the Affordable Care Act. As it turns out, HHS did not follow proper procedures when revising regulations.

HHS published draft changes in November 2021 and implemented them in December 2021. Alliance Defending Freedom wrote in a press release that, despite objections by FABM organizations, there was “no notice-and-comment process nor any rationale, which are mandated by the Administrative Procedure Act.”

The removal of coverage is blocked until he makes a full decision or the HHS follows proper procedures for making the change.

Click here to read more.

Walmart Announces Plan to Pay Abortion Costs and Travel Expenses

Walmart, the largest private employer in the nation, announced on August 19 that will expand its abortion coverage for employees.

Walmart's previous benefits plan covered abortion if the mother's health was in danger or the child was unlikely to survive birth. The new benefits plan will extend coverage to pay for abortions in cases of rape, incest, or if the abortion would take place at any point before fetal viability. General medical consensus places viability at 23-24 weeks gestation. With medical assistance, however, preemies have survived after only 21 weeks.

Additionally, Walmart will pay the travel expenses of any employee who does not live within 100 miles of an abortion business. This will be used to abort children who would otherwise be protected by pro-life laws.

A memo by Walmart's Chief People Officer Donna Morris also said that the retail giant is launching a "center for fertility services," and increasing its financial support for adoptions from $5,000 to $20,000.

Click here to read more.

Michigan County Judge Blocks 1931 Abortion Ban

Oakland County Judge Jacob Cunningham issued a ruling on Aug. 19 blocking the enforcement of Michigan's 1931 abortion ban.

Planned Parenthood, anticipating a decision to overrule Roe v. Wade, filed a lawsuit in April to have the law blocked. A temporary injunction was placed in May. Pro-life prosecutors have asked a Court of Appeals to rule on the issue, while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has filed her own lawsuit in hopes of overturning the law.

Cunningham wrote in his ruling “A person carrying a child has the right to bodily autonomy and integrity as well as a safe doctor-patient relationship free from government interference, as they have been able to do so for nearly 50 years.”

“As currently applied, the court finds (the abortion law) is chilling and dangerous to our state’s population of childbearing people and the medical professionals who care for them,” Cunningham continued. “The harm to the body of women and people capable of pregnancy in not issuing the injunction could not be more real, clear, present and dangerous to the court.”

Click here to read more.

Planned Parenthood to Spend $50 Million on Midterms

Breaking its previous spending record of $45 million during the 2020 election cycle, Planned Parenthood has announced plans to spend $50 million to promote pro-abortion candidates and policies before the 2022 midterms.

According to the Associated Press, Planned Parenthood will be focusing its efforts on voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Pro-abortion organizations outspent pro-life ones by over $1 million in Kansas before voters rejected Kansas's "Value Them Both" amendment. With this spending, these organizations tried to convince voters that the amendment would ban abortion outright rather than clarify that the state constitution did not contain a right to abortion. If Kansas legislators wanted to pass an outright abortion ban, they would need to push additional legislation. Increased spending from Planned Parenthood will likely be used to mislead voters again.

Click here to read more.

City of Nashville, Tennessee Now Requires Businesses Seeking Grants and Tax Breaks to Report Whether they Pay for Abortion Travel

The joint government from Nashville, Tennessee and Davidson County signed an ordinance Wednesday creating a new hurdle for businesses seeking grants or tax relief. This comes as Tennessee's trigger law banning abortion is set to take effect on August 25.

A business seeking grants or tax relief from Nashville or Davidson County will now be required to “report whether it provides its employees with benefits that include covering the cost of transportation, accommodations, and other related costs when necessary to obtain medical treatment not otherwise available in the employee’s home state…[which] would include reproductive healthcare treatment such as abortion.”

The resolution includes a declaration by members of the council. It states,

"The Metropolitan Council supports the right to abortion access previously established under Roe v. Wade and finds that restrictions upon reproductive rights and private healthcare decisions threaten the safety and wellbeing of the residents of Nashville and Davidson County, particularly for women unable to travel to neighboring jurisdictions where abortion care is safe and legal..."

Actions such as this by local governments and businesses circumvent the laws of pro-life states and further enable abortion businesses in states where abortion is legal to exploit disadvantaged women across state borders. Once Tennessee's trigger law takes effect, Illinois will be a primary location for abortion-seeking women from places like Nashville.

Click here to read more.

Federal Judge Reinstates North Carolina 20-Week Abortion Ban

On August 17, Federal District Judge William Osteen reinstated a North Carolina law banning abortion after 20 weeks gestation.

Osteen ruled that the law was unconstitutional based on Supreme Court precedent in 2019. That decision was later upheld by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. After the US Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, however, that precedent no longer stands.

“Under Dobbs, there is now no constitutional right to a pre-viability abortion, thus depriving the injunction of any constitutional basis from which to enjoin the challenged North Carolina laws regulating abortion,” Osteen wrote. 

Osteen disagreed with parties who argued lifting the injunction would create confusion.

“...leaving the injunction in place wrongfully heightens confusion because to do so is misleading as to the effect of Dobbs. If, as Plaintiffs argue, [abortion] providers are providing services in accordance with the terms of the injunction…, then those providers are acting contrary to North Carolina law. Neither this court, nor the public, nor counsel, nor providers have the right to ignore the rule of law as determined by the Supreme Court.”

Click here to read more.

Abortionists to Open New Locations in Carbondale

Following the reversal of Roe v. Wade, abortionists in states with pro-life laws have been moving their businesses to locations where governments are willing to condone their deadly practices. Illinois is one such state. While we have recently highlighted a Wisconsin abortionist opening an abortion business in Rockford, it is also true that at least two abortionists are planning to open abortion facilities in Carbondale.

Jennifer Pepper, the CEO of CHOICES abortion clinic in Memphis, Tennessee, spoke about her plans in an interview with St. Louis Public Radio: “When they announced the Dobbs case, we knew that meant that we were likely going to lose access to abortion in Tennessee within the next 12 months,” she said. “I stared at a map and it just kind of all came to me and (I) said to my team — ‘I think it’s this town, in Carbondale. Carbondale had this opportunity to be a critical access point for the entire southeastern United States.”

Abortionist Alan Braid, who openly defied Texas's Heartbeat law after it took effect earlier this year, also announced he plans to relocate to Carbondale.

Carbondale has an Amtrack station connecting it to various pro-life states south of Illinois. It's also a college town. Southern Illinois University has a campus in Carbondale that might draw abortion businesses to the location.

Click here to read more.

New Indiana Law Creates $45 Million Fund to Support Pregnant and Postpartum Women

On the same day that Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the first post-Roe abortion ban in the nation, he signed Senate Enrolled Act 2. This law establishes the $45 million Hoosier Families First Fund, which will be used to provide support to pregnant and postpartum women and their children.

The funds will be allocated to the state's Department of Child Services, the Family and Social Services Administration, the Indiana Department of Health, and the Department of Homeland Security to provide this support.

Foster homes, adoptive families, low-income families, and non-abortive pregnancy centers will benefit from the funding. The law also exempts diapers from the state's gross retail tax and creates a $3,000 tax credit for each adoptive child below the age of 19 (24 if the child is a full-time student).

“Today, I proudly signed Senate Enrolled Act 2 to return $1 billion back to Hoosier taxpayers,” said Holcomb in a statement. “This fulfills what I set out to accomplish when calling the General Assembly into special session in order to help Hoosiers hurting from historically high inflation. I am also especially grateful for the nearly $100 million in long overdue increased funding to support the health of our Hoosier mothers and babies. While there is still more to do, better access and awareness of all our programs will be critical to improving our infant and maternal mortality rates – a long-standing priority of my administration.”

Click here to read more.

Idaho Supreme Court Rules Abortion Ban Can Take Effect August 25

On August 12, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled that a state law banning abortion can take effect on August 25 while challenges to the law are considered by the judicial system.

The Idaho Supreme Court determined that “the plaintiffs also didn’t have enough evidence that they had a ‘clear right’ to a remedy, or that they were likely to win on the merits of the case.”

Justice Robyn Brody wrote for the majority in the court's decision to allow the law to take effect. “What petitioners are asking this Court to ultimately do is to declare a right to abortion under the Idaho Constitution when — on its face — there is none.” She added, “In fact, before Roe announced a federal constitutional right to abortion in 1973, abortion had been a longstanding criminal offense in Idaho.

She later writes, “In short, given the legal history of Idaho, we cannot simply infer such a right exists absent Roe without breaking new legal ground, which should only occur after the matter is finally submitted on the merits.”

Oral arguments for the three lawsuits—which have been consolidated into one— are scheduled for September 29.

In a separate lawsuit, the Biden administration sued Idaho and requested that the law be put on hold for supposed violation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act.

Click here to read more.

Planned Parenthood Drops Lawsuit Against Iowa Waiting Period Law

Planned Parenthood announced on August 5 that it is dropping its lawsuit challenging Iowa's law requiring women to wait 24 hours after an initial appointment before having an abortion.

“It was an extremely difficult decision to dismiss this case, knowing the harms that a mandatory delay law imposes on Iowans who need abortion care,” she said. “Iowa politicians should never have passed this law, which has no medical basis and only makes accessing abortion more difficult.”

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled on June 17 that the state constitution does not include a "fundamental right to abortion." This sent Planned Parenthood's challenge to the waiting period law back to a lower court. Now, however, the abortion giant has decided that its legal budget is better spent elsewhere.

“The motion filed today does not mean we are giving up in our fight to keep abortion safe and legal in Iowa — quite the opposite,” Planned Parenthood public affairs director Mazie Stilwell in a statement. “We are instead intentionally shifting our time and resources away from this case to other looming battles, including the constitutional amendment stripping Iowans of their right to abortion and the Governor’s announced attempt to revive a six-week ban.”

The six-week ban Stilwell referenced is a 2018 law that was blocked by courts after it was signed into law. Given Iowa Supreme Court's ruling and the repeal of Roe v. Wade, Gov. Kim Reynolds is pushing for this law to be reinstated. Further, Iowa legislators are in the process of drafting an amendment that would prevent judges from ruling in the future that Iowa's constitution includes a right to abortion.

Click here to read more.

DOJ Sues Idaho to Block Abortion Trigger Law

US Attorney General Merrick Garland (D)

On August 2, the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Idaho in an attempt to stop the state from enforcing a "trigger" law that would ban abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.

The Justice Department argues that the law violates the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, which requires medical facilities to provide treatment for patients experiencing medical emergencies. It argues that the Idaho abortion law's exception to save the life of the mother is too vague.

“Instead of complying with the requirements of this provision [the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act],” Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden (R) said, “or even attempting to engage Idaho in a meaningful dialogue on the issue, the federal government has chosen to waste taxpayer dollars on an unnecessary lawsuit.”

Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) said that he will work with Wasden to defend the law from the Biden administration's "politically motivated" lawsuit.

Unless blocked by a judge, Idaho's abortion ban would take effect on August 25.

Click here to read more.

Georgia Now Allows Residents to Claim Preborn Children as Dependents on State Tax Returns

Georgia residents will now be able to claim preborn children with detectable heartbeats as dependents on their tax returns. As a result, Georgia taxpayers will be able to claim $3,000 tax exemptions for each preborn child they include on their tax returns.

The Georgia Department of Revenue issued a statement on August 1 detailing its plans to offer the tax deduction.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decided Sistersong Reproductive Justice Collective v. Brian Kemp on July 20. The ruling allows Georgia to enforce HB 481, which bans the abortion of preborn children with detectable heartbeats. The law includes exceptions for rape, incest, and when the mother's life is at risk.

Interestingly, the decision also redefined "natural person" in Georgia to include preborn children. This allowed the Georgia Department of Revenue to offer a tax break for the parents of preborn children.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said he is "overjoyed" with the ruling. “Since taking office in 2019, our family has committed to serving Georgia in a way that cherishes and values each and every human being, and today’s decision by the 11th Circuit affirms our promise to protect life at all stages,” Kemp said after the court issued its decision.

Click here to read more.

Illinois Hospital System Pays $10 Million Settlement Over COVID Vaccine Mandate

500 former and current health care workers who sued NorthShore University Health Care System settled for a payment of $10,337,500. The workers were denied religious exemptions from the Illinois hospital system's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Some were fired as a result.

Because all currently available COVID-19 vaccines used a line fetal cells harvested from aborted children during their research and/or production, pro-life health care workers often object to taking them.

Liberty Counsel, which represented the workers, released a statement announcing the settlement terms:

As a result of the settlement, NorthShore will pay $10,337,500 to compensate these health care employees who were victims of religious discrimination, and who were punished for their religious beliefs against taking an injection associated with aborted fetal cells. 

This is a historic, first-of-its-kind class action settlement against a private employer who unlawfully denied hundreds of religious exemption requests to COVID-19 shots.

The statement continues,

As part of the settlement agreement, NorthShore will also change its unlawful “no religious accommodations” policy to make it consistent with the law, and to provide religious accommodations in every position across its numerous facilities. No position in any NorthShore facility will be considered off limits to unvaccinated employees with approved religious exemptions. 

In addition, employees who were terminated because of their religious refusal of the COVID shots will be eligible for rehire if they apply within 90 days of final settlement approval by the court, and they will retain their previous seniority level.

Click here to read more.