January 6, 2023

FDA Rule Change Allows Pharmacies to Sell Abortion Pills

On Jan 3, the FDA officially changed its regulations to allow pharmacies to sell the abortion pill mifepristone to any patient with a prescription.

Mifepristone is the first pill in the two-pill chemical abortion regimen. Mifepristone blocks the pregnancy hormone progesterone, which helps facilitate the flow of oxygen and nutrients from the mother's body to the unborn child. This causes the child to starve and suffocate to death. 24-48 hours after the mother takes mifepristone, she will take misoprostol. This drug induces labor; removing the dead child from the mother's womb.

On January 4, CVS and Walgreens told Axios that they plan to start selling abortion pills. This will turn street corners across the country into abortion businesses. Pharmacies will still be subject to state laws regulating abortion pills.

This change builds on a separate one made by the Biden administration in December 2021. At that time, the FDA administration lifted its requirement that mifepristone only be provided to patients during in-person appointments with physicians. This regulation allowed physicians the opportunity to confirm pregnancy, gestational age, and conditions such as ectopic pregnancy. This helped limit potentially deadly complications such as hemorrhaging.

After the 2021 change, abortion pills could be prescribed over the phone or through the internet. Some companies already fill abortion pill prescriptions by mail.

January 5, 2023

Pro-Abortion IL Senate Pushes Law Targeting Crisis Pregnancy Centers

photo credit: Jim Bowen / Flickr
On the evening of January 4, pro-abortion legislators in the Illinois state senate added an amendment to HB4664 that would further deregulate the abortion industry and criminalize "misinformation" by pro-life activists. This amendment completely replaces the text of the original bill.

Pro-abortion legislators are using this tactic to push legislation during the short lame-duck session. The House of Representatives is employing a similar tactic with an amendment to SB3799. We are in the process of analyzing that bill now.

As amended, HB4664 would:
  • Allow non-physicians to perform surgical abortions that do not require general anesthesia. Further, physicians would no longer need to be present for such abortions.
  • Give abortionists from other states, even non-physicians, "temporary permits" to commit abortions in Illinois without Illinois medical licenses
  • Protect abortionists who flee to Illinois after losing their licenses in other states by breaking pro-life laws. These abortionists would be allowed to practice in Illinois, and Illinois would legally protect them from other states' efforts to extradite them for violations of pro-life laws.
  • Use taxpayer funds to cover the travel, food, lodging, childcare, translation, "doula support," and abortion expenses of women who travel from out of state to have abortions in Illinois.
  • Mandate that healthcare professionals with continuing education requirements take a two-hour course about "reproductive health care" including abortion.
  • Empower the Attorney General to investigate sidewalk counselors, pro-life protestors, and crisis pregnancy centers (defined as "limited services pregnancy facilities in the bill) for "deception" or "omission of any material fact" whenever he "believes it to be in the public interest that an investigation be made..." Those found guilty by a court of law following any investigation could be fined up to $50,000.
Pro-life Illinoisans should call on their legislators to vote no on HB4664.

Rockford Zoning Board Rejects Challenge to Abortionist's "Home Business" Clinic

Abortionist Dennis Christensen
screenshot from "Lake of Fire" documentary clip
Abortionist Dennis Christensen, who once owned an abortion clinic in Rockford, IL that was closed for health violations, is attempting to open a new clinic as a "home business" in a Rockford neighborhood. Local residents, assisted by the Thomas More Society, challenged Christensen's attempt before the Rockford Zoning Board of Appeals. On December 20, the board ultimately rejected their challenge, and the facility opened for business on December 27.

Until the Dobbs v. Jackson decision last year, Christensen operated an abortion clinic in Wisconsin. The Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states to create and enforce abortion laws through the democratic process. This allowed Wisconsin to enforce its 1849 law banning abortion, which prompted Christensen to return to Illinois.

Thomas More Society Vice President and Senior Counsel Peter Breen argued that the proposed business violates Rockford zoning ordinance and will do grave harm to the community.

“An abortion clinic in the middle of a residential neighborhood would be a problem under any circumstances,” explained Breen, “But it is especially egregious in this situation. This abortionist has already been run out of town previously, having had his facility shut down over ten years ago by the Illinois Department of Health, because of the risks he posed to the safety and health of area women. The residents of Rockford didn’t want him practicing in their town then and they down want him selling abortions in their neighborhood now.”

“Abortion clinics are known for bringing disturbances, loud protests and counterprotests, as well as decreases in nearby property values and significant traffic impacts,” Breen added. “Opening such a facility in a residential area not zoned for commercial use would significantly impede residents’ ability to live quiet, peaceful lives. The proposed use for this property should be independently reviewed because of its unique characteristics, traffic impacts, and effects on the surrounding community.”

Breen's prediction came true on Dec 27, the day that the clinic opened for business. Pro-life protestors stood on the sidewalk nearby holding signs when a pro-abortion woman exited her vehicle to approach the protestors and physically attack them. Authorities later arrested the woman at her home on charges of battery.


The Rockford Zoning Board of Appeals ruled that the Thomas More Society and the residents who filed complaints had no legal standing to challenge their zoning determination. The board unanimously came to this conclusion on the basis that they did not live close enough to the clinic to be affected by its presence.

The board also unanimously voted that the building could be used as an abortion business under a 40-year-old special permit allowing a home medical office there.

Christensen's "home business" at 611 Auburn St in Rockford offers abortion pills. He is working with pro-abortion activists to open a surgical abortion clinic at 4236 Maray Drive in Rockford.

January 4, 2023

US House Republicans to Introduce Pro-Life Legislation

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA)
House Majority Leader-elect Steve Scalise (R-LA) announced plans to bring pro-life legislation to the House floor at the beginning of this year. While they are unlikely to pass in the Senate, these pro-life bills will show the priorities of incoming legislators.

The pro-life bills include:

No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act- a bill sponsored by Rep Chris Smith (R-NJ) that would make the Hyde Amendment permanent. The bill would prohibit federal funding of abortion and prohibit the funding of any insurance plan that includes elective abortion.

Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act - a bill sponsored by Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) requiring that healthcare professionals provide the same level of care to a child born alive during an attempted abortion as they would to any other child born at the same gestational age. It further requires that these children be transferred to a hospital after receiving this care. Providers who violate these requirements could be fined and imprisoned for up to five years.

Expressing the sense of Congress condemning the recent attacks on pro-life facilities, groups, and churches - a resolution sponsored by Rep Mike Johnson (R-LA) that would express condemnation toward the wave of violence and vandalism by radical pro-abortion activists against pro-life facilities and local churches.

January 3, 2023

Biden HHS Proposes Rule to Strip Conscience Rights from Medical Professionals

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed new regulations that would limit medical professionals' abilities to object to immoral procedures (such as abortion or assisted suicide).

“Some doctors, nurses, and hospitals, for example, object for religious or moral reasons to providing or referring for abortions or assisted suicide, among other procedures. Respecting such objections honors liberty and human dignity. It also redounds to the benefit of the medical profession,” the proposed rule states, “[but] patients also have autonomy, rights, and moral and religious convictions. And they have health needs, sometime[s] urgent ones. Our health care systems must effectively deliver services to all who need them in order to protect patients’ health and dignity.”

Groups focused on pro-life and religious liberty issues express concerns that the new rule will require medical professionals to refer patients for controversial procedures even if they object to those procedures.

A federal district court in California recently sided with the Christian Medical Dental Association when it agreed that a law requiring medical providers to refer patients for assisted suicide likely violates the First Amendment.

December 30, 2022

FDA Changes Plan B Label to Remove Abortifacient Warning

The US Food and Drug Administration has changed the label for Plan B One-Step "emergency contraceptive" to remove a warning that the drug can function as an abortifacient.

Plan B is an over-the-counter drug that prevents pregnancy by preventing ovulation, blocking fertilization, or preventing a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. In the third of these scenarios, an abortion occurs. A fertilized egg is a unique and innocent human being with a right to life. When Plan B prevents fertilized eggs from implanting in the uterus, those humans die.

The new label reads "Plan B One-Step will not work if you are already pregnant and will not affect an existing pregnancy."

The FDA explained its reasoning for the change in a public decisional memorandum. The memorandum argues that the active drug in Plan B, levonorgestrel (LNG) “does not terminate an established pregnancy and does not affect a continuing pregnancy.” The FDA concluded, “In summary, LNG-EC is shown to act primarily by interfering with ovulation (delay or inhibition of follicle rupture and/or the midcycle LH and related hormonal changes) and not to act through direct effect on fertilization or on the endometrium to impede implantation.”

This claim is contradicted by other studies. In 2014, one year after Plan B became available over the counter, the Charlotte Lozier Institute analyzed a group of studies analyzing the abortifacient potential of emergency contraception. The institute wrote in its assessment, “All point to Plan B’s having a predominantly post-fertilization (abortifacient) MOA [mechanisms of action] when it is given during a woman’s fertile period.”

$1.7 Trillion Omnibus Earmarks $575 Million for "Family Planning/Reproductive Health"

Rep Dan Bishop (R-NC)
Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC), whose team has been combing details from the massive $1.7 trillion spending bill and sharing them on Twitter, sparked discussion when he highlighted that the bill earmarks $575 million for "family planning/reproductive health."

In a Twitter thread outlining the many earmarks crammed into the spending bill, Bishop wrote, "On a more sinister note, here's at least $575 million for 'family planning' in areas where population growth 'threatens biodiversity.' Malthusianism is a disturbing, anti-human ideology that should have ZERO place in any federal program."

The text Bishop referenced can be found on page 1,550 of the 4,155-page bill.

The Hyde Amendment applies to all spending in the omnibus. This prevents federal tax dollars from directly funding abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother's life is at risk. When this money goes to pro-abortion organizations, however, it allows them to more easily use other funds to increase abortions.

December 29, 2022

$1.7 Trillion Spending Bill includes $286 Million for Title X

The $1.7 trillion spending bill expected to be signed by President Joe Biden includes $286 million to fund "voluntary family planning projects" through Title X. Recipients of these funds will include pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood.

The bill does include the Hyde amendment, which limits how tax dollars can directly fund abortion. Specifically, the amendment prevents tax dollars from being used to fund abortions in the US except in cases of rape, incest, or when the woman's life is at risk. The funding will still help Planned Parenthood by freeing them to use other funds for pro-abortion goals.

The bill passed in the House by a vote of 225-201. It passed in the Senate by a vote of 68-29.

Pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood lamented the Hyde Amendment's inclusion and the fact that the Title X funding amount was not increased from previous years. Funding has remained at $286 million for nine years, but pro-abortion groups argued for an increase due to the Supreme Court's decision overruling Roe v. Wade.

“Congress had a clear directive and they failed to deliver,” Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson told Politico. “At a time when Roe v. Wade has been overturned and health care access is under increasing threat, this bill fails to meet the moment.”

December 28, 2022

6th Circuit Blocks Louisville, Kentucky Buffer Zone Ordinance

On Dec 21, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a Louisville, Kentucky ordinance banning sidewalk counseling outside EMW Women's Surgical Center (the only abortion clinic in the city) "likely violate[s] the first amendment" and placed an injunction blocking its enforcement.

The buffer zone ordinance has been in place for over a year.

In the court's opinion, Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton wrote,
“Sisters for Life, several individuals, and another pro-life organization wish to offer leaflets and compassionate, if sometimes unwelcome, speech to women entering abortion clinics in Louisville, Kentucky….But Louisville-Jefferson County limited their speaking and pamphleteering in buffer zones near the entrance of each clinic. Because these limits likely violate the First Amendment… we preliminarily enjoin them.”

Kentucky Right to Life Executive Director Addia Wuchner responded joyfully in a press release:

"Judge Jeffrey Sutton and the Court recognized the critical elements of the practice of ‘sidewalk counseling’— the quiet, compassionate, non-threatening, one-on-one conversations where dedicated sidewalk counselors reach out to convince EMW’s patients that there are life-saving alternatives to abortion. The practice of sidewalk counseling has always been to come alongside and accompany the woman in whatever way she may need."

The case now returns to the Western District of Kentucky, but the ordinance will be rendered unenforceable while the case proceeds.

Planned Parenthood Drops Challenges to Five NC Pro-Life Laws

On Dec 22, a coalition of pro-abortion groups led by Planned Parenthood South Atlanta dropped their legal challenges against five North Carolina pro-life laws.

The five laws that were challenged by pro-abortion groups include:
  • prohibition on telemedicine abortions
  • 72-hour informed-consent period
  • facility safety-code obligations
  • requirement that facilities provide patients with informed-consent information
  • regulation stating abortions must performed by licensed physician
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys represented North Carolina's Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate and defended the legislation in court.

“Every woman deserves to have all the information she needs to make the healthiest choice for everyone involved in an unexpected pregnancy,” said ADF Senior Counsel Denise Harle, director of the ADF Center for Life. “Tragically, many women turn to abortion as a last resort, unaware of the resources available to them or the harms of abortion. No one benefits more from this situation than abortionists and their facilities. We’re pleased to have favorably closed this case on behalf of the legislators we represent, and to see these life-saving state laws that empower women remain in effect.”

December 23, 2022

Illinois House Speaker Says Lawmakers will Likely Consider Abortion Rights Constitutional Amendment

Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-7)
Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-7) indicated to several news outlets that his party is likely to consider a constitutional amendment creating a right to abortion in Illinois.

When asked by the State Journal-Register about the possibility of a constitutional amendment, Welch responded, “That's certainly one of the questions that's out there, and it’s a strong possibility. But again, I don't want to get ahead of the working group or the recommendations they formally present. I'm certain that's one of the things that's on the table.”

Even though Illinois has maintained a staunchly pro-abortion supermajority for many election cycles, Welch told KSDK TV "Right now, we're a single Legislature or a single Supreme Court away from losing [abortion] rights."

Illinois is already one of the most pro-abortion states in the country, but a constitutional amendment could prevent future pro-life advocates from protecting the rights of the unborn. To protect the unborn, Illinoisans would need to amend the constitution again to remove the pro-abortion language. This is more difficult than simply passing a law.

A constitutional amendment would require a 3/5 vote from lawmakers in the Illinois General Assembly before going to the ballot for the general election. The amendment is considered adopted if it is approved by 3/5 of those voting on the amendment or a simple majority of all ballots cast.

Merry Christmas!

 

Canadian Government Funds Assisted Suicide Activity Book for Children

The Canadian health department (Health Canada) has funded an activity book for children aged 6-12 designed to normalize the practice of assisted suicide.

The booklet is titled "Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) Activity Book". The cover reads, “Welcome! These activities will help you think about Medical Assistance in Dying by someone in your life.” The book seeks to convince children that a loved one who has been killed by assisted suicide has not been wronged. The book describes MAiD as follows:
"The word ‘medical’ means the science of medicine, and ‘assistance’ means help. So MAiD means that medicine is used to help someone with their death. A doctor or nurse practitioner (a nurse with special training) uses medicines to stop the person’s body from working. When their body stops working, the person dies. This is done in a way that does not hurt the person. The medicines help them feel comfortable and peaceful. A person has to ask for MAiD and then go through a bunch of steps before it can happen. The steps are described below in this book."

The activity book can be viewed here.

Disturbingly, the book even justifies assisted suicide in cases where the person is not diagnosed with a terminal illness. Page five of the book linked above reads, "Other people might ask for MAiD if their illness or disability will not cause their body to die, but it causes too much pain or suffering for them to keep living with it, and there is no way to make the illness or disability get better or go away."

The book goes on to tell children that MAiD is a "personal choice" and that friends and family should not try and stop. In reality, it is an act by a medical professional to intentionally end the life of a vulnerable and suffering individual. Two recent stories exemplify this:

A Canadian veteran was offered assisted suicide by Canada's veterans department when she requested financial assistance for a stairlift.

A disabled Canadian man was approved for assisted suicide after he was no longer able to afford housing. He reconsidered his decision after the story went viral and generous individuals raised money for him.

December 22, 2022

66 Congress Members Demand Defense Secretary Rescind Policy Funding Abortion Travel

On Dec 15, 66 Members of Congress wrote a bicameral letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanding that he "immediately" revoke the new Defense Department policy funding travel for abortions.

Rep Chris Smith (R-NJ), Rep Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Sen Steve Daines(R-MT), and Sen James Lankford (R-OK) led the letter to Secretary Austin. They were responding to a recent memorandum announcing that the Pentagon would pay the travel costs of service members and their dependents should they travel out of state to have abortions.

This is one of the latest developments in the Biden administration's ongoing attempts to undermine the US Supreme Court's Dobbs decision returning the issue of abortion to state legislatures and the democratic process.

“We write in strong opposition to the memorandum,” the lawmakers wrote, which “violates decades-old federal law prohibiting the Department of Defense (DOD) from funding elective abortion (which includes facilitating such abortions), and we urge you to immediately rescind it.”

“Congress has clearly and consistently acted to prevent the U.S. military from funding elective abortion procedures and services necessitated by those procedures.

“While the memorandum claims that this policy will be implemented consistent with federal law, funding travel and transportation to obtain non-covered, elective abortions through the DOD would, in and of itself violate federal law. It also contradicts DOD’s past recognition, interpretation, and implementation of this law.”

December 21, 2022

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rules State Constitution Does Not Protect Assisted Suicide

On Dec 19, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the state's constitution does not protect physicians from prosecution; suggesting that laws about manslaughter could prohibit assisted suicide.

The prosecution, consisting of a doctor hoping to prescribe assisted suicide and a cancer patient, argued that the Massachusetts constitution gave patients with terminal illnesses a constitutional right to assisted suicide.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and Cape and Islands District Attorney General Daniel Higgins argued that the issue of assisted suicide is best left for the people to decide through their elected lawmakers. Supreme Judicial Court Associate Justice Frank Gaziano wrote the court's 89-page ruling in agreement with the state's position:
“Our decision today does not diminish the critical nature of [assisted suicide] interests, but rather recognizes the limits of our Constitution, and the proper role of the judiciary in a functioning democracy. The desirability and practicality of physician-assisted suicide raises not only weighty philosophical questions about the nature of life and death, but also difficult technical questions about the regulation of the medical field. These questions are best left to the democratic process, where their resolution can be informed by robust public debate and thoughtful research by experts in the field.”

Gaziano further wrote, “To this day, courts regard suicide as a serious social ill that the State has a strong interest in preventing. Perhaps, for this reason, assisting another to commit suicide largely has been, and continues to be, regarded as a serious crime.”

Click here to read more.

December 20, 2022

Vatican Dismisses Pro-Life Father Frank Pavone from Priesthood

Father Frank Pavone, the national director of Priests for Life, was dismissed from his clerical position in the Catholic Church for “blasphemous communications on social media” and “persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop.”

CNA confirmed the dismissal after obtaining a letter to US bishops by Archbishop Christophe Pierre. He wrote that the prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy issued the decision on Nov. 9 with "no possibility of appeal." While many details of the dismissal are unclear, canon lawyer Father Gerald E Murray told CNA "Only the Pope, who enjoys “full and supreme power in the Church” (canon 332, 1), can issue such a decision against which there is no possible appeal."

“Since Priests for Life, Inc. is not a Catholic organization, Mr. Pavone’s continuing role in it as a lay person would be entirely up to the leadership of that organization,” read a statement included with the letter to bishops.

Pavone told CNA that he was unaware of his dismissal until CNA contacted him for comment on Dec 17.

Pavone is now calling out Church authorities and accusing them of trying to prevent pro-life activism among clergy. “We all expect that the pro-abortion groups, like Planned Parenthood, will target, harass and try to intimidate us. And they do try,” he wrote.

“But when such treatment comes from bishops and other Church authorities — which it increasingly does — it’s particularly deplorable,” he added. “Instead of supporting and encouraging the pro-life work of the Church, some of these men try to obstruct and hinder it, and abuse their authority to try to intimidate priests and laity who make ending abortion the top priority of our lives.”

The specific incidents that sparked Pavone's removal do not appear to be public, but many prominent Catholics and pro-lifers criticized the decision and accuse Church authorities of hypocrisy for not removing other priests who openly oppose Catholic teachings.

December 19, 2022

Vermont Governor Signs Amendment Creating Constitutional Right to Abortion

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R)
On Dec 13, Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) signed an amendment to the state constitution creating a right to abortion.

The people of Vermont voted to approve the amendment during the 2022 midterm elections. With Scott's signature, the change is now official.

Vermont passed a law in 2019 creating a statutory right to abortion. Immediately after they passed that law, legislators began the process of amending the constitution to strengthen their legislation. It passed in two consecutive legislative sessions before going to voters in the 2022 midterms. Over 76% of voters approved the amendment.

Other states that created constitutional rights to abortion during the midterm election include California, Kansas, Kentucky, and Michigan.

December 16, 2022

VA Nurse Sues Biden Administration over Abortion Rule

A Texas nurse with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has sued the VA over a Biden rule requiring the agency to commit abortions regardless of state law. She accused the rule of lacking a process for religious exemptions and requiring employees to risk prosecution for violating Texas's Heartbeat Act.

Army Veteran and Nurse Practitioner Stephanie Carter filed the lawsuit seeking a preliminary injunction against the rule's enforcement in Texas. Carter says that she sought religious accommodation, but she was told that the Biden rule has "no process" to review such requests. Under the new rule, Carter could be asked to provide abortion counseling or prescribe abortion pills.

Carter is represented by First Liberty Institute, which also accuses the administration of disregarding the federal rulemaking process and the Veterans Health Care Act's express ban against committing abortions at VA facilities.

"They didn't care to take notice or comment before the rule was implemented to understand that there are many employees out there who have these concerns," First Liberty Senior Counsel Danielle Runyan told Fox News. "The rule doesn't account for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It doesn't take into account religious conscience. It says nothing about that. So it's just another instance where First Amendment and RFRA rights are being ignored and that just can't be," she said.

"The VA should be focused on caring for the men and women who bravely served to protect our country, not on performing illegal abortions," Runyan said in a press release. "The new VA Rule disregards longstanding federal law that prohibits VA clinics from performing abortions and fails to account for the sincerely held religious beliefs of medical providers who are impacted by the Rule."

VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes told Fox News that the VA "does provide accommodation for VA employees who wish to opt out of providing abortion counseling or services," but he did not elaborate on whether the rule requires this.

"We are currently honoring exemption requests that come through VA supervisors," Hayes continued. "We have provided all VA health care employees with this information – including information for how to exercise those protections through VA’s Office of Resolution Management Diversity and Inclusion – and we have encouraged employees to inform their supervisors of any requests for exemptions."

December 15, 2022

University of Washington Settles Public Records Lawsuit, Agrees to Release Fetal Body Part Experimentation Documents

Center for Medical Progress President David Daleiden
Documents concerning experimentation by the University of Washington (UW) on fetal body parts harvested from aborted children will be released to the public.

UW and Planned Parenthood have settled their lawsuit against the Center for Medical Progress President David Daleiden. The groups sued to stop Daleiden from procuring records concerning UW's taxpayer-funded experiments involving aborted babies and harvested body parts. Now, the groups have agreed to pay Daleiden's $30,000 in attorney fees and produce records detailing the harvesting, use, and distribution of aborted babies and their body parts from 2010 to the present day.

Daleiden initially filed the request for records through Washington's Public Records Act in February 2016.

“Public entities’ good faith compliance with public records laws is crucial to promoting public trust, holding bad actors accountable under the law, and safeguarding democratic values,” Daleiden said in a statement.
“State actors’ transparency and accountability under freedom of information laws is even more important in the realm of government-sponsored experiments on aborted human fetuses, where laws against infanticide and organ trafficking, the systemic exploitation of the vulnerable, and the irreversible life-or-death abortion decisions of new families are at stake. The Center for Medical Progress will continue to monitor and report on these issues to educate the public and advocate for more just and humane abortion and research policies.”

It is worth noting that UW's "Birth Defects Research Laboratory" at which these experiments occurred is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services through the National Institutes of Health.

Click here to read more.

December 14, 2022

Pro-abortion Activists to Focus on Ballot Initiatives in 2023 and 2024

Pro-abortion activists are proposing state ballot initiatives to counteract the repeal of Roe v. Wade.

Abortion-related ballot initiatives swung heavily in favor of pro-abortion groups during the 2022 elections. Pro-life initiatives failed, while pro-abortion ones were passed. Some pro-abortion initiatives endanger the lives of the preborn more than Roe v. Wade did. Any initiative that creates a legal right to abortion prevents the state from restricting abortion even after the child has reached the age of viability.

Anthony Romero, the executive director of the ACLU, told NPR that the group is considering several states for ballot initiatives, including Ohio and Florida. The ACLU also said that partners in at least a dozen states have reached out to discuss similar campaigns.

Activists are discussing initiatives in many states. Between reports from PewTrust.org, NPR, and CBS, LiveAction compiled a list of states that could see pro-abortion initiatives hit ballots by 2024. These include Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.

To pass pro-abortion measures and defeat pro-life ones during the 2022 election, pro-abortion groups often deceived voters by insinuating that pro-life measures negatively impact the care doctors could provide mothers in the event of pregnancy complications or miscarriages. Pro-life advocates will need to counteract this messaging if they wish to prevent the complete legalization of abortion through ballot measures.