C-Section Saves Five-Month Pregnant Woman and Child After Stabbing Attack

A five-month pregnant Georgia mother was walking on a nature trail with her three-year-old son when she was stabbed in the back by a stranger. Luckily, doctors were able to administer an emergency C-Section to save the lives of both the mother and her baby.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote that the 34-year-old mother and her baby boy are both stable and expected to survive. The three-year-old was not injured. A suspect with a history of mental illness was arrested last Thursday.

"From everything we can tell, this is a completely unprovoked attack," Brookhaven Lt. David Snively told the Journal-Constitution. "I recognize that's probably the scariest of the possible explanations... We're very troubled by what led up to this because this is one of those cases where it appears the victim did everything right."

This horrifying attack clearly threatened the lives of both the mother and her child, but doctors were able to save both. This is because emergency C-sections are faster and more efficient at saving lives than abortions are. Doctors can attempt to save preterm children by bringing them to the NICU, and the mother can receive the treatment she needs immediately. Surgical abortions, on the other hand, require appointments over at least two days to complete. Emergency C-sections are also not done with the intent to kill an unborn child.

Click here to read more.

TV Networks Reject Pro-Life Ad

Three major television networks recently rejected a 30-second pro-life ad created by the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List). The networks argued that the advertisement, which argues that unborn babies are valuable human lives, is "controversial" and "unacceptable."

CBS, CMT, and the Hallmark channel all rejected the spot.

SBA List created the ad as part of a $2 million ad campaign "highlighting the humanity of unborn children as the Supreme Court prepares to review a landmark abortion case," (referring to the Mississippi law banning abortion at 15 weeks).

Click here to view the advertisement if it does not appear below.

After the ad was rejected, the SBA list responded that the ad, “doesn’t issue any calls to action to Congress or attack any candidate or politician.”

“It simply praises the modern miracles of medicine and health care tech which have increased opportunities for every generation in the last 50 years, except for the unborn because the U.S. allows abortion on-demand through birth.”

Click here to read more.

Appeals Court Upholds Injunction Against “Missouri Stands For the Unborn Act”

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt

On Wednesday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district judge's injunction against the "Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act." Among other things, this law bans discriminatory abortions, requires Missouri doctors who refer patients out-of-state for abortions to still fulfill the state's informed consent requirements, and has tiered abortion bans at 8, 14, and 18 weeks. It is written this way so that a ban might still exist if a court blocks one or two of them.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt responded to the 8th Circuit's decision by vowing to challenge it before the Supreme Court. Schmitt said in a statement, “While we’re disappointed in the Eighth Circuit’s decision, their decision does provide an avenue for this case to be heard by the Supreme Court, and we plan to seek review in the Supreme Court. I have never and will never stop fighting to ensure that all life is protected.”

The three-judge panel from the 8th Circuit voted 2-1 to maintain District Judge Howard F. Sachs’s injunction.

Click here to read more.

Congress Introduces Bill to Allow Abortion through Birth and Get Rid of Pro-Life Protections

photo credit: John Brighenti / Flickr

On Tuesday, pro-abortion Congress members re-introduced legislation that would allow abortion up to birth for any reason, require taxpayers to pay for abortions, and wipe out nearly all pro-life protections throughout the country.

The Women's Health Protection Act (WHPA) would ensure that women can have an abortion at all points in pregnancy for any reason, and it has the potential to destroy conscience protections, parental notification laws, and informed consent laws.

If pro-abortion politicians pass the WHPA into law, states will no longer be able to enforce even simple protections such as mandatory waiting periods, abortion counseling, or ultrasounds. Mandatory ultrasounds mainly exist to protect women by ensuring that pregnancies are correctly dated and diagnosed for conditions such as ectopic pregnancy. By doing this, abortionists can pick abortion methods that correspond with these conditions. If these things are assumed incorrectly, then the mother can be at risk of severe complications.

Illinois pro-lifers should make sure to follow this law closely, as it could easily accomplish the same goal as legislation in the General Assembly that would repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act. If federal legislation renders parental notification unenforceable, then abortion businesses will no longer be required to tell a minor's guardian(s) when she has scheduled an abortion. This one pro-life protection in Illinois not only allows parents to talk to their daughters about a life-changing decision, but it also helps protect young girls from sexual abuse and trafficking.

Click here to read more.

New IDPH Stats Show 10% Abortion Increase from 2018 to 2019

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) recently released data showing that abortions increased by 10% from 2018 to 2019.

According to the Chicago Tribune, About 42,400 babies were aborted in 2018, while over 46,500 were aborted in 2019. The number of women coming to Illinois from other states to have abortions also increased. 13% of women who had abortions in 2018 (about 5,500) came from out of state. This increased to 16% (about 7,500) in 2019.

The passage of the 2019 Reproductive Health Act cemented Illinois's image as an "abortion haven" in the midst of other midwestern states that take action to regulate abortion. The law ended a variety of abortion restrictions and made abortion a right under state law. As other nearby states continually work to save lives, Illinois lawmakers and abortion businesses are undercutting their efforts.

Two major Planned Parenthood clinics have opened since then as well. In late 2019, Planned Parenthood opened its "mega-clinic" that it had secretly constructed in Fairview Heights by using a shell company. A major purpose for this clinic was to offer abortion to Missouri women, since Planned Parenthood's St. Louis clinic faced the threat of closure due to health violations. Planned Parenthood also opened a major clinic in Waukegan just last year.

If Illinois continues to pass pro-abortion legislation and repeal pro-life protections, the number of children killed by abortion only stands to increase even more.

Click here to read more.

New Online Pharmacies Sell Abortion Pills for Mail Delivery

When the Biden administration announced that it would stop enforcing FDA rules requiring abortion pills to be distributed in person by certified physicians, online abortion pill pharmacies started popping up across the nation.

A service called "Hey Jane" offers abortion pills to women in New York and Washington for $199, which is roughly $300 less than what clinics normally charge to initiate a chemical abortion in person. Hey Jane delivers abortion pills are delivered within three days in an unmarked box, but it does so at significantly increased risk to the pregnant mother.

Women who purchase abortion pills online will rarely have an ultrasound beforehand. If they date their pregnancy inaccurately or have an undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy, taking the abortion pill regimen could pose significant health risks and even lead to death through severe hemorrhaging. Hey Jane even notes this on its website, but mainly argues that its service offers savings and convenience compared to in-person abortion businesses.

Some states are enacting laws that prevent abortion pill distributors from sending abortion pills to customers through the mail, but these are very recent (and certainly don't apply to Illinois).

Click here to read more.

National Right to Life Convention Extends Early Registration Through June 21

National Right to Life announced Tuesday that early registration for the 2021 National Right to Life Convention in Herndon, Virginia has been extended to June 21! Registration prices will increase after that point, so register early if you plan to attend!

The June 25-26 event will feature a variety of workshops to teach pro-lifers how they can help advance the pro-life cause, 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 learn more and register for this year's convention, visit nrlconvention.com.

General Assembly Passes Pro-Abortion Sex Education Bill

On Friday, May 28, Illinois lawmakers passed legislation mandating comprehensive sex education aligning with "National Sex Education Standards." That legislation has been sent to Gov. Pritzker's desk for signature.

SB 818 passed the House by a vote of 60-48, and it passed the Senate by a vote of 37-18. The bill mandates that schools teach "comprehensive personal health and safety education" in grades K-5 and "comprehensive sexual health education" in grades 6-12. That description misrepresents the scope of what this legislation can do to public school sex education, however.

SB 818 requires the new curriculum to align with the National Sex Education Standards set forth by the Future of Sex Education (FoSE) and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS).

The National Sex Education Standards require 2nd graders to list "medically accurate names for body parts, including the genitals." The standards describe abortion as a "pregnancy option," and tells students that "sexual intercourse may mean different things to different people, but could include behaviors such as vaginal sex, oral sex, or anal sex."

Jennifer Welch, the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Illinois Action, issued a press release praising pro-abortion legislators for passing this legislation.

“Because of their hard work and dedication, public and charter schools will have clear guidelines and standards for providing medically accurate and age-appropriate personal health and safety education in grades K through five and comprehensive sexual health education in grades six through 12,” Welch said.

Opponents to the bill argue that age-inappropriate information will be taught to children, and that the curriculum will paint abortion and pre-marital sex in a favorable light.

The Illinois Family Institute harshly criticized the bill on its website, writing that the National Sex Education Standards "indoctrinate children with leftist sexuality dogma."

The bill does allow parents, guardians, or entire school districts to opt their children out of the state's sex education curriculum. If a school district does this, however, they would not be allowed to teach anything about personal health and sexuality at all.

US Senate Votes Down Legislation Banning Creation of Experimental Human/Animal Hybrid Embryos

On May 27, the US Senate voted down pro-life legislation that would have banned experiments designed to create human-animal hybrid embryos.

Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) introduced the legislation as an amendment to the Endless Frontier Act. It was co-sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Sen. James Lankford (R-OK). The amendment failed after a 49-48 vote.

This amendment to the Endless Frontier Act would have banned the creation of human-animal chimeras (organisms that contain both human cells and cells from an animal). If the amendment was written into law, researchers attempting to make human-animal chimeras, transfer a nonhuman embryo into a human womb, or transfer a human embryo into a non-human womb could have faced up to 10 years in jail and/or a fine of at least one million dollars.

“Human life is distinct and sacred, and research that creates an animal-human hybrid or transfers a human embryo into an animal womb or vice versa should be completely prohibited, and engaging in such unethical experiments should be a crime,” said Senator Braun in a statement.

National Right to Life and many other pro-life organizations endorsed the proposed amendment.

This issue has become more important recently, as scientists recently created the first-ever human/monkey embryos. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health is considering whether it will dissolve a rule which bans scientists from keeping human embryos alive for lab testing for more than 14 days.

Click here to read more.

Parental Notification is Safe for the Moment...

photo credit: John Kannenberg / Flickr

Illinois pro-lifers can breathe a brief sigh of relief, as bills repealing the Parental Notice of Abortion Act were not called to a vote before the end of the spring legislative session. Despite this, pro-life advocates still need to pay attention and be ready to fight against pro-abortion legislation. It could come back sooner than you might think.

Leaders in the General Assembly have suggested that they might call a special session in the coming weeks to consider bills that did not come to a vote before the end of the spring legislative session. If this happens, it is still possible that the General Assembly could vote on HB 1797 and SB 2091 to repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act.

The Illinois Federation for Right to Life will do its best to let you know if anything is happening with pro-abortion legislation. If you have subscribed to our newsletter, please add "mail@ifrl.org" to your contacts or make sure to check your spam box to find our updates. Subscribers have told us that much of our communication has ended up in spam recently, and we are currently researching solutions to this problem.

Appeals Court Reverses Decision Blocking New Yorkers from Gathering Outside Abortion Facility

On June 3, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals vacated its own ruling which prevented pro-lifers from gathering outside an abortion business to counsel women.

13 pro-life advocates were targeted by former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman in 2017 when he filed a legal case claiming that the pro-lifers were threatening and violent. Schneiderman hoped to establish a buffer zone, end a weekly pro-life vigil, and force the pro-lifers to pay financial penalties. Because Schneiderman had no evidence to support this accusation, the district court ruled in favor of the pro-lifers.

On March 10, 2021, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the district court's decision. In its opinion, it ruled that simple actions such as handing pamphlets to people outside a clinic could be viewed as a "use of force" and violate New York law.

The pro-life Thomas More Society, which represented the accused pro-lifers, responded to this ruling by calling on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to have an en banc hearing, but the court surprised many by reversing its own ruling.

“The petitions for rehearing are GRANTED,” the ruling reads. “The panel hereby VACATES its previous opinion. Accordingly, the decision of the district court remains in place.”

“It appears that even the judges in the majority on the panel found their original opinion indefensible,” said Thoms More Society Senior Counsel Stephen Crampton. “We are pleased that the fundamental First Amendment rights of our clients have been restored, and look forward to returning to the district court and finishing the case once and for all.”

Click here to read more.

World Medical Association Proposal Would Require Conscientious Objectors to Refer Patients

The World Medical Association has proposed changes to the International Code of Medical Ethics (ICoME) which would undermine the conscientious objections of doctors who refuse to commit abortion or euthanasia. If doctors object, they would be required to refer their patients to doctors willing to complete the controversial procedures.

The current ICoME language reads:

"Physicians have an ethical obligation to minimise disruption to patient care. Conscientious objection must only be considered if the individual patient is not discriminated against or disadvantaged, the patient’s health is not endangered, and undelayed continuity of care is ensured."

But the proposal would significantly alter the code by adding the following phrase to the end of what is written above:

"[… is ensured] through effective and timely referral to another qualified physician."

UK Professor David Albert Jones of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre at Oxford decried the proposed changes in a press release. He argued that doctors have the duty to object to procedures that are "harmful, discriminatory, unjust or unethical," and the new language would completely undercut this duty. He also argued that conscientious objection does not conflict with patient care.

Jones wrote,

if a doctor objects in conscience to participation in torture or capital punishment or to force feeding of a prisoner who is on hunger strike, it would be unprincipled for them to find someone with fewer scruples to do the deed for them. To require a conscientious objector to facilitate delivery of the procedure to which they object is a direct attack on person’s conscience and moral integrity, and thus a serious harm to them. It would be much better to say nothing about conscientious objection than to undermine it by imposing a requirement for “effective and timely referral”. 

Click here to read more.

Judge Tosses Planned Parenthood Lawsuit Against Texas Sanctuary City

photo credit: Joe Gratz / Flickr

On June 1, an ordinance took effect in Lubbock, Texas, making the city a sanctuary city for the unborn. The enforceable ordinance bans all abortion within city limits. Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit in an attempt to block the ordinance, but a federal judge has now dismissed it.

District Judge James Wesley Hendrix made the decision, arguing that he does not have the jurisdiction to block the ordinance. “The U.S. Constitution and binding precedent make clear that federal courts do not exist to render advisory opinions on a law’s validity,” he said in his ruling. “Rather, this Court is limited to resolving actual cases and controversies.”

The city of Lubbock applauded Hendrix's decision in a statement.

"Judge Hendrix issued a thorough and well-reasoned opinion in dismissing the case for lack of jurisdiction, which is a threshold consideration for any court to make respecting a lawsuit before it. The City is presently unaware of the plaintiffs’ intentions as to whether an appeal will be filed or whether additional lawsuits will be filed against the City. Nevertheless, the City will continue to vigorously defend the ordinance in any litigation that may be filed."

Planned Parenthood and the ACLU continue to argue that the Lubbock ordinance is unconstitutional, but had not announced an appeal at the time of writing.

Click here to read more.

China Announces Continued Population Control Under 3-Child Policy

At the end of May, the Chinese Communist Party announced that it is updating its population-controlling policy by allowing families to have three children, rather than just two. While the policy might be slightly different now, it still violates the human rights of unborn children and their mothers.

In 1979, China instituted its infamous one-child policy with the intent to control the nation's population growth. Under this policy, women were forced into abortion and sterilization if they had more than one child. Additionally, Chinese culture often values male children over female children. Because of this, families often chose to abort girls until they conceived a boy.

When China moved from a one-child policy to a two-child policy, none of these things changed. Women and unborn children continued to receive the same inhumane treatment from the Chinese Communist Party. The government has even gone as far as to send Uyghur Muslims to concentration camps if they violate population-control policies.

Forced and discriminatory abortion has become ingrained in China's culture through propaganda and these tyrannical policies. Many unborn children have already lost their lives to abortion because of this, and the slight change in China's family limit will not make a significant difference.

Click here to read more.

Texas Woman Sues Hospital to Save Husband from "10 Day Rule"

A Texas hospital has invoked the state's "10-day rule" against a man who is responsive and doesn't report any pain. The rule allows the hospital to withdraw all care unless a patient's family can find another facility to take the patient within 10 days.

On Tuesday, May 25, Baylor Scott & White Hospital told Eugenia Costea that she had ten days to find a new facility to take her husband, Bill Costea. Bill is on a ventilator, but he is awake and can communicate with others. The hospital argues that he only has weeks to live, and is threatening to remove Bill's ventilator, blood pressure medication, nutrition, and water.

Bill was hospitalized in April 2021 due to heart complications. Now, the hospital has decided that his life is not worth any attempts at care.

“I love my husband,” said Eugenia. “Together we have endured so much. I will fight for his life; I know he would do the same for me.” She has hired an attorney to help defend her husband from the hospital.

Click here to read more.

Illinois Passes Bill Requiring Insurance Companies to Cover IVF for LGBT and Single People

On May 27, Illinois legislators passed HB 3709, which redefines infertility in a way that requires insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization (IVF) costs for single people and those who identify as LGBT.

The state insurance code currently defines infertility as "the inability to conceive after one year of unprotected sexual intercourse or the inability to sustain a successful pregnancy." If signed into law by Gov. Pritzker, the code would force insurance companies to treat LGBT couples and single people as "infertile."

The new definition of infertility describes it as “a person’s inability to reproduce either as a single individual or with a partner without medical intervention,” or “otherwise based on a physician’s opinion.”

IVF creates excess human embryos which are often either destroyed or frozen indefinitely. Just as humans conceived naturally should not be discarded or destroyed by abortion, these human beings do not deserve the treatment they often receive from fertility clinics. Human beings are not products to be bought and sold, with or without insurance coverage. The law should not treat them as such.

The House voted 68-43 in favor of HB 3709, and the Senate voted 49-6.

Click here to read more.

Biden Budget Request Removes Hyde Amendment Protections

photo credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

On Friday, May 28, President Joe Biden submitted his final budget request to Congress for the 2022 fiscal year. His proposal removes 45-year-old Hyde Amendment language from the federal budget, allowing even more federal tax dollars to fund abortions.

The Hyde Amendment is language that has been attached to all budget bills since 1976. The language bans federal funds from being used to pay for elective abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at risk.

“By eliminating the Hyde Amendment from his proposed budget, President Biden has once again shown his allegiance to the extremism of pro-abortion groups and their allies,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life.

“The Hyde Amendment has proven to be the greatest domestic abortion-reduction measure ever enacted by Congress,” said Jennifer Popik, J.D., legislative director of National Right to Life. “The Hyde Amendment is widely recognized as having saved over two million American lives since it was first adopted in 1976.”

Click here to read more.

Chicago OB/GYN Writes Column In Support of Parental Notification

In an opinion piece for the Chicago Sun-Times, obstetrician and gynecologist Robert Lawler voiced his support for Illinois's Parental Notice of Abortion Act.

The Chicago doctor wrote about a time when he cared for a 14-year old patient who had a botched abortion. The girl developed a severe infection since the abortion clinic had left some body parts of the aborted child inside of her. Lawler performed surgery and removed the remaining body parts, and onlooking doctors cried upon seeing Lawler remove body parts belonging to the deceased baby.

The abortion clinic never returned Lawler's calls asking for information about the botched abortion.

Lawler pointed out that the 14-year old patient he helped might have died if her mother was not made aware of the abortion.

"The Illinois Parental Notification Act is a necessary protection for minor girls," he wrote.

"Keeping the Parental Notice requirement intact in no way affects the ability of a woman in Illinois — of any age — to obtain an abortion, at any point in her pregnancy. To repeal the current law would be reckless and irresponsible. Illinois lawmakers need to understand they will be putting young girls at risk and driving a wedge between parents and children at a time when they may need them the most."

Click here to read Dr. Lawler's article.

URGENT! Call Your Legislators to Protect Parental Notification!

As the spring legislative session comes to a close, pro-abortion legislators are working to push through a bill repealing Illinois's Parental Notice of Abortion Act. Pro-abortion legislators will have until the end of Memorial Day—the final day of this session—to call bills to a vote.

Pro-life advocates need to call their legislators and tell them to VOTE NO and save parental notification!

The Parental Notice of Abortion Act requires abortion businesses to contact a minor girl's parents if she schedules an abortion. The legislation does not require girls to obtain their parents' consent to have an abortion — it merely requires abortion businesses to notify parents or guardians. The law even allows young girls to get a judicial bypass to avoid notifying their parents altogether. Somehow, even this one pro-life protection in Illinois is too much for the abortion lobby.

Parental Notification is important because it allows parents to be involved in the life-changing decision of abortion. Additionally, it protects girls by serving as a warning sign for sex trafficking. Young girls who are trafficked and forced into abortion can be saved by parental notification laws. If parents aren't made aware of the situation, they can't help.

Please call your legislators and tell them not to repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act!

To find your legislators and their phone numbers, visit the Illinois State Board of Elections website here and type your address. Please call your state senator and representative to protect parental notification!

Iowa Legislature Approves Amendment Declaring its Constitution Contains No Right to Abortion

Iowa State Capitol
photo credit: Dan Brekke / Flickr

On May 19, the Iowa Senate followed the Iowa House in approving a constitutional amendment declaring that the Iowa constitution does not contain a right to abortion.

The House voted 54-38 and the Senate voted 30-18 to pass the "Protect Life Amendment". The amendment, if approved again by the 2023-2024 legislature, Iowa voters will have the opportunity to vote on the constitutional amendment.

This amendment is a response to a 2018 decision by the Iowa Supreme Court, which (similarly to the infamous Roe v. Wade decision of 1973) declared that the state constitution included an implied right to abortion.

“I’m proud that the Protect Life Amendment is one step closer to being on the ballot,” Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said. “This is an important step forward in defending the unborn and upholding the dignity of all human life.”

Click here to read more.