Supreme Court Failed to Find Source of Leaked Dobbs Opinion

The US Supreme Court announced Thursday that it failed to find the source of the draft Dobbs v. Jackson opinion that was leaked in the late spring of 2022.

A joint statement released by the Supreme Court and the marshal of the court stated that investigators have been unable to identify the leaker. Investigators concluded that it was "unlikely" that the court was hacked by an outsider. This limited its investigation to 82 employees, all of whom denied leaking the opinion.

“In May 2022, this Court suffered one of the worst breaches of trust in its history: the leak of a draft opinion,” the Supreme Court statement said. “The leak was no mere misguided attempt at protest. It was a grave assault on the judicial process.”

“It is not possible to determine the identity of any individual who may have disclosed the document or how the draft opinion ended up with Politico,” the statement reads.

The backlash from the leaked draft led to protests and threats outside the homes of Supreme Court Justices. Many believe that the leak contributed to fewer successful outcomes for pro-life candidates in the 2022 midterm elections.

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Pritzker Promotes Abortion at World Economic Forum

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week. While answering questions as part of a panel of US politicians, Pritzker touted Illinois's abortion policies and argued that the federal government needs to follow suit. He went as far as to suggest that politicians should abandon any notion of bipartisanship to accomplish these goals.

"I want to disagree with Democrats and Republicans across this panel on something," Pritzker said. "There was a lot of talk about the desire for bipartisanship. I think that certainly if you ask the public, 'Do you think that Congress or that states should work in a bipartisan fashion?' the answer is yes. But what I think they really mean is they want to get things done... We have gotten things done for the United States at the federal level under this president, but the truth is it's not enough."

This comes as many suspect the pro-abortion governor is preparing to run for president.

"The people of our state want us to increase jobs, grow the economy, you know, make sure that in my state people want to ban assault weapons," Pritzker continued.

"We just did that. Protect a woman's right to choose. We just did that. Those are not happening at the federal level and should. But we're doing it at the state level. And it's true also about building our economy. We just passed $1,000,000,000,000 GDP for the state of Illinois. We're the fifth state in the country to do that. We're doing that with some help from the federal government, but frankly, we've had to chart a course and set an industrial policy essentially for our state.”

Pritzker's comments suggest that he believes more governmental policies, including abortion policy, should come from the federal level. States currently have the ability to democratically create their own abortion policies. A single-party rule operating under Pritzker's philosophy would send the United States backward and create an abortion policy even worse than what existed under Roe v. Wade, likely starting with pro-abortion federal legislation like the deceptively-named Women's Health Protection Act.

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Arsonist Throws Molotov Cocktail into Peoria Planned Parenthood

suspect vehicle fleeing after the arson attack
photo from Peoria Police Department Facebook page

On the evening of Sunday, Jan 15, police and firefighters responded to an arson attack at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Peoria, Illinois.

According to police spokesperson Semone Roth, police received a report of an "unknown person throwing a Molotov cocktail" into the abortion business at about 11:30 pm. Thankfully, there were no injuries. Fire officials estimated damages of over $150,000. Planned Parenthood later said that their costs could be upward of $1 million.

No suspects have been arrested or identified at the time of writing. Footage obtained by police identified a white pickup truck with a red driver's side door used by the arsonist. The police have been unable to locate it so far.

Peoria Fire Department Chief Shawn Sollberger told the New York Times Tuesday that investigators were working on an arrest warrant.

The attack is indicative of escalating political tensions on the abortion issue. This violent attack is wrong, just like attacks against pro-life pregnancy centers, political organizations, and churches are wrong.

In May of 2021, a full year before the Supreme Court's draft decision for Dobbs v. Jackson leaked, the pro-life Women's Care Center in Peoria was the target of an arson attack. In August 2022, with help from pro-life donations, the group opened a new "super center" down the street from the same Planned Parenthood clinic that was attacked this week.

We echo the sentiment of Mary Kate Zander, the executive director of Illinois Right to Life. She told the Associated Press, “We would never condone violence against any Planned Parenthood or any other abortion clinic. The primary reason that we stand against abortion is that it’s an act of violence. So it would be hypocritical of us to not say the same in the case of an act of violence against abortion workers.”

Judicial Watch Sues HHS for Fetal Organ Harvesting Records

On January 10, Judicial Watch announced that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the US Department of Health and Human Services. Judicial Watch is seeking communications records from the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Office of Extramural Research about the use of human fetal organs.

Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit after the HHS failed to respond to a July 15, 2022 FOIA request seeking all NIH "communications concerning human fetal tissue between the Office of Extramural Research and any of the following entities: (1) University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), (2) University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, (3) the National Abortion Federation and (4) any Planned Parenthood entity."

In 2021, the Biden administration shut down an Ethics Advisory Board that reviewed applications for NIH funding if their proposals involved the use of fetal tissue harvested from elective abortions. Judicial Watch sought information on exactly how taxpayer funds were being spent on these projects under the Biden administration.

 “We have already established collusion between the University of Pittsburgh and the NIH over the fetal organ ‘chop shop’ in the University of Pittsburgh paid for with federal tax dollars,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The Biden administration turned the spigot back on for taxpayer funding of this barbarism, and we want the details.” 

Click here to read more.

Gov. Pritzker Advocates for Abortion Rights Constitutional Amendment

During his inaugural address on Jan 9, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated his victory in the 2022 election by, among other things, announcing his plan to enshrine a right to abortion in the state constitution.

After being sworn in at the Bank of Springfield Center, Pritzker gave a prepared speech that included the following:

"One thing last year proved is that if given the chance, a bunch of right-wing judges and legislators will take away women’s rights. Well, Illinois spoke loudly and decisively in 2022 and declared that in the Land of Lincoln, we trust women! The right to privacy and bodily autonomy demand that we establish a constitutional protection for reproductive rights in Illinois. The extremists still want to take away a woman’s right to choose, and I don’t intend to let them. That’s why yet again, on women’s rights, Illinois will lead."

The governor, like many pro-abortion politicians, does not use the word "abortion." He instead leans on "women's rights" and "reproductive freedom," insinuating that the rights of women cannot coexist with the rights of the unborn (or even more troubling, that the unborn do not have any rights).

He also paints anyone who would protect the unborn from those who would intentionally kill them as "extremists." This language further divides Americans who might otherwise create solutions that simultaneously protect unborn children and assist mothers facing crisis pregnancies.

Pritzker's speech echoes a sentiment expressed by Illinois House Speaker Emmanuel "Chris" Welch last month. When asked by the State Journal-Register about a potential constitutional amendment codifying a right to abortion, he 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.”

Click here to read Gov. Pritzker's full inauguration speech.

Jan 13 Illinois General Assembly Legislation Update

During the lame-duck session of the 102nd General Assembly, legislators pushed pro-abortion legislation in the form of amendments completely replacing the contents of "shell bills." Unfortunately, HB4664 passed both houses and was signed into law by Gov. Pritzker.

The 103rd General Assembly also began this week, and that comes with the introduction of new legislation.

HB4664, originally written to amend the Wholesale Drug Distribution Licensing Act, was passed by the House of Representatives on March 3, 2022. This month, the Senate adopted amendments that replaced the contents of the bill with several pro-abortion measures. Today, Gov. Pritzker signed it into law. As amended, HB4664:

• Allows non-physicians to perform surgical and aspiration abortions that do not require general anesthesia. It also ends the requirement that a physician is present for such abortions.
• Creates "temporary permits" for physicians and non-physicians from other states to commit abortions in Illinois.
• Protects abortionists who flee to Illinois after losing their licenses in other states for breaking pro-life laws. These abortionists are allowed to practice in Illinois, and Illinois will legally protect them from other states' efforts to extradite them for violations of pro-life laws.
• Removes liability from healthcare professionals and medical institutions if a legal and consensual abortion causes a mother's death.
• Allows birthing centers to commit abortions
• Mandates that health insurance plans cover abortion and abortion drugs without deductibles or co-pays (regardless of whether the plans would provide coverage for prescription drugs otherwise).
• Allows for the disposal of human embryos created through "assisted reproduction" such as IVF.

One amendment that thankfully did not pass would have given the Attorney General the power to investigate and prosecute pro-life sidewalk counselors, protestors, and crisis pregnancy centers for "deception" or "omission of any material fact" regarding abortion.

Another notable amendment that did not pass would have used taxpayer funding to cover the travel, food, lodging, childcare, translation, "doula support," and abortion expenses of women who travel from other states to have abortions in Illinois.

The amended version of HB4664 passed the Senate by a party-line vote of 41-16 on January 10, 2023. Senators Jason Plummer (R) and Brian Steward (R) did not vote. On the same day, the House of Representatives voted 70-39 to approve the Senate's amendments. The representatives who were present also voted along party lines except for Rep. Sue Scherer (D), who opposed the bill. On January 13, Gov Pritzker signed HB4664 into law.

HB5188 was another "shell bill" that was amended by the Senate. This legislation would mandate that all public schools in Illinois adopt the "National Sex Education Standards" published by the Future of Sex Education (FoSE). These standards largely deal with sexual orientation and gender ideology, but they also include standards that promote abortion.

By 2nd grade, the standards teach students to accept cohabitation (non-marital sexual relationships) as a normal "type of family." By 8th grade, it would teach students to identify abortion as a "pregnancy option." To promote abortion, the standards teach "all pregnant young people to have decision-making power in their reproductive health decisions."

The amended version of HB5188 did not receive a vote in the Senate before the lame-duck session ended.

SB3799 was another "shell bill" that originally dealt with cannabis transporting licenses. It was amended by the House of Representatives to create a variety of pro-abortion policies. This bill did not progress to a third reading in the Senate before the lame-duck session ended, but it appears that many of its provisions were added to the final version of HB4664.

103rd General Assembly

The 103rd session of the Illinois General Assembly was inaugurated on Jan 11. With the start of the new session, any bills from the 102nd can no longer be considered. It is possible (and even likely) that legislators will reintroduce those policies in the form of new bills, however.

​​​​​​​On January 12, a slew of new bills was introduced. We will highlight a few of them here. All of these bills were referred to the House Rules Committee and await assignment to standing committees.

HB0003 and HB1046 were introduced by Rep. Mary Flowers (D). Either of these bills would expand the number of non-physicians allowed to perform abortions by including midwives. These bills would also expand Illinois's legal definition of "medical facility" to include "reproductive health centers."

HB1148, the Ultrasound Opportunity Act, was introduced by Rep. Charles Meier (R). This bill would require that pregnant women be given the opportunity to receive and view an ultrasound prior to the abortion of any unborn child after 8 weeks gestation.

HB1162, introduced by Rep. Paul Jacobs (R), would prohibit the use of mobile abortion clinics. Pro-abortion groups are using this tactic to more easily offer abortions to women traveling to Illinois from pro-life states.

118th US House Passes Pro-Life Legislation in First Week

The new Republican-led House of Representatives has passed two pro-life bills during its first week in session: The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act and a resolution condemning attacks against pro-life groups.

The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act was passed by a vote of 220-210. If passed into law, this would require healthcare providers to provide the same level of care to a child born during an attempted abortion as to any other child born at the same gestational age. After that, the bill would require the provider to transport the child to a hospital.

National Right to Life President Carol Tobias wrote applauded the House for passing this legislation, saying, “There is no such thing as a ‘post-birth abortion.’ This bill isn’t about interfering with a so-called right to abortion. It is about stopping infanticide.” 

The US House also passed the Resolution Condemning Violence Against Pro-life Pregnancy Care Centers, Pro-Life Groups, and Churches. As a resolution, this bill would not enact any policy. It simply condemns violent attacks by radical pro-abortion groups against pro-life facilities, groups, and churches. It calls on the Biden administration to use its power to investigate the attacks and protect these groups.

Violence and vandalism against these pro-life groups have been rampant since a draft version of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision leaked last summer, but the Biden administration has not made any arrests in connection with these violations of federal law.

Neither bill is expected to overcome the pro-abortion majority in the US Senate.

Click here to read more.

Biden DOJ Advises Postal Service that Abortion Drugs can be Mailed Lawfully in All 50 States

President Biden's Department of Justice (DOJ) wrote a slip opinion for the United States Postal Service (USPS) advising that mailing abortion drugs is not a violation of federal or state law.

Christopher Schroeder, Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ Office of Legal Counsel, wrote the slip opinion. He argues that the Comstock Act, which prohibits the mailing of "[e]very article, instrument, substance, drug, medicine, or thing which is advertised or described in a manner calculated to lead another to use or apply it for producing abortion," does not apply to the abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol "where the sender lacks the intent that the recipient of the drugs will use them unlawfully."

Schroeder writes, "there are manifold ways in which recipients in every state may use these drugs, including to produce an abortion, without violating state law. Therefore, the mere mailing of such drugs to a particular jurisdiction is an insufficient basis for concluding that the sender intends them to be used unlawfully." He later clarifies, "dosages of mifepristone and misoprostol that are used for medication abortion can be used to treat a miscarriage, and misoprostol is commonly prescribed for the prevention and treatment of gastric ulcers."

Further, Schroeder argues that it is lawful to send deliver doses explicitly provided for abortion even in states that ban abortion. He argues,

"even if a state prohibits a pregnant person from ingesting mifepristone or misoprostol for the purpose of inducing an abortion, such an individual has a constitutional right to travel to another state that has not prohibited that activity and to ingest the drugs there. Someone sending a woman these drugs is unlikely to know where she will use them, which might be in a state in which such use is lawful."

Sending abortion drugs for the purpose of causing abortion to a person who lives in a place where abortion is illegal is still fine, according to Schroeder, as long as the sender believes that the mother will travel out of state before ingesting the pills. Such an assumption seems unreasonable, and it is very possible that a sender could still face charges from a pro-life state that would argue otherwise.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Erik Baptist told Live Action News,

“These longstanding federal laws prohibit the distribution of chemical abortion drugs by mail, common carrier, or express company. That means only the chemical drug manufacturer may deliver and distribute these drugs to abortionists around the country. The manufacturer cannot use the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, UPS, or any third-party courier to distribute chemical abortion drugs to abortionists, pharmacies, or women in the United States.”

Click here to read more.

Arizona Court Upholds 15-Week Abortion Limit, Blocks 1864 Abortion Ban

An Arizona state Court of Appeals issued a ruling that Arizona's 1864 law banning all abortions is not enforceable due to exceptions carved out in more recent legislation.

“The question at the core of this appeal is whether a licensed physician who performs an elective abortion in conformity with more recent statutes in Title 36 is nevertheless subject to prosecution under §13 3603,” the Appeals Court panel wrote. “Because Title 36 permits physicians to perform elective abortions under certain circumstances, the answer is no.”

The three-judge panel unanimously ruled that although the 1864 law was never repealed, newer laws written to regulate abortion under Roe v. Wade created a set of rules that allow abortions. The court wrote that laws regarding waiting periods, parental notification, and the 15-week ban created a new legal framework allowing abortion. Essentially, they decided that these newer laws overrode the 1864 law except in cases when non-physicians might attempt to commit abortions.

Incoming pro-abortion Arizona attorney general Kris Mayes said that she will not appeal the decision, and incoming pro-abortion governor Katie Hobbs has declared her intent to get rid of the 15-week ban.

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IL HB 5188 would Mandate Sex-Ed Standards Promoting Abortion as a "pregnancy option"

Pro-abortion politicians are pushing HB5188 to mandate sex education standards for public schools that would, among other things, promote abortion as a "pregnancy option."

Much like SB3799 and HB4664, HB5188 is a "shell bill." The current content as a bill is being pushed through an amendment that replaces all of the bill's original language.

The new language of HB5188 would require all public schools to adopt the "National Sex Education Standards" published by the Future of Sex Education (FoSE). Currently, Illinois law allows schools to opt out of these standards. The standards push ideologies related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and pregnancy (including abortion). FoSE standards list specific sex-ed requirements to be met by public schools at each grade level.

The mandated standards would explicitly require students to identify abortion as a "pregnancy option" in eighth grade. It also teaches "all pregnant young people to have decision-making power in their reproductive health decisions." As early as 2nd grade, the curriculum normalizes nonmarital sexual relationships by teaching students to define cohabitation as a valid "type of family."

By first normalizing non-committed sexual relationships and then validating abortion as a morally acceptable choice, Illinois public school curriculums would teach children to accept casual sex and reject the humanity of the unborn.

Click here to read more.

South Carolina Supreme Court Rules State Constitution Implies Right to abortion

On January 5, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that a pro-life law banning the abortion of unborn children with detectable heartbeats is illegal. The court ruled that the state's right to privacy implies a right to abortion. The ruling came on the same day that Idaho's Supreme Court made the opposite ruling about its own constitution.

The South Carolina Supreme Court found that the heartbeat law "violates our state Constitution's prohibition against unreasonable invasions of privacy" because it did not allow a woman "sufficient time" to decide whether to have an abortion. 

“Our State Supreme Court has found a right in our Constitution which was never intended by the people of South Carolina. With this opinion, the Court has clearly exceeded its authority. The people have spoken through their elected representatives multiple times on this issue,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster tweeted. “I look forward to working with the General Assembly to correct this error.”

With the heartbeat law struck down, abortion is only banned in South Carolina after 20 weeks gestation.

Click here to read more.

Idaho Supreme Court Rules State Constitution Does Not Create Right to Abortion

On January 5th, the Idaho Supreme Court ruled 3-2 that the Idaho state constitution does not include a right to abortion.

Planned Parenthood issued a legal challenge in an attempt to block pro-life laws that were passed in 2020 and 2022. These included a "trigger" law that took effect immediately after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June. That trigger law bans all abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother's life.

Planned Parenthood argued that the right to abortion was implied by Idaho's constitution through "a fundamental right to privacy and to make familial decisions." The court disagreed in its final ruling.

“… We cannot read a fundamental right to abortion into the text of the Idaho Constitution,” she wrote. “Since Idaho attained statehood in 1890, this court has repeatedly and steadfastly interpreted the Idaho Constitution based on the plain and ordinary meaning of its text, as intended by those who framed and adopted the provision at issue.”

“That is our duty as the judicial branch: to sustain the rule of law — not to promote our personal policy preferences,” Justice Brody continued. “If we were to jettison that disciplined approach, even in the face of a uniquely emotional and politically divisive policy issue, the Idaho Constitution would no longer be the voice of the people of Idaho — it would be effectively replaced by the voice of a select few sitting on this Court.”

Click here to read more.

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.

Click here to read more.

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.

Click here to read more.

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.

Click here to read more.

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.

Click here to read more.

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.”

Click here to read more.

$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.

$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.”

Click here to read more.