Life Advocacy Briefing

Quoteworthy

19th century statesman Daniel Webster: “If we and our posterity reject religious instruction and authority, violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality and recklessly destroy the political constitution which holds us together, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us, that shall bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”

D.C. Late-Term Ban on Tap?

SPONSORS ARE PRESSING FOR A VOTE IN THE HOUSE THIS WEEK on HR-3803, which outlaws abortions in the District of Columbia on babies well enough developed to experience pain, estimated to be at 20 weeks’ gestation.

Readers are urged to contact their Representatives (1-202/224-3121) and ask them first to contact House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) to request consideration of the bill and then to vote “yes” for the measure, which is sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) along with 222 co-sponsors. (Since we published the list of co-sponsors last week, seven more Members have added their names: Representatives Scott Tipton (CO), Connie Mack & Daniel Webster (FL), Frank LoBiondo (NJ), Michael Fitzpatrick (PA), Morgan Griffith (VA), and Doc Hastings (WA). All are Republicans.

Choose, Mr. President: Life or Death?

A YOUNG WOMAN – JUST 24 YEARS OLD – DIED of a hemorrhage while aborting her baby at Planned Parenthood in Chicago July 20. She leaves a one-year-old son and grieving family.

The tragedy was first reported by Chicago’s CBS outlet and made national headlines. Since it happened in his own hometown, it stretches credulity that the Empathizer-in-Chief did not know about the scandalous maltreatment of young Tonya Reaves.

Yet just days later, reports Operation Rescue, in a campaign speech in Portland, Oregon, Pres. Obama said this: “‘Mr. Romney wants to get rid of funding for Planned Parenthood. I think that’s a bad idea. I’ve got two daughters,’” he said, reported by OR. “‘I want them to control their own healthcare choices.’”

To the contrary, Operation Rescue cited the death of Tonya Reaves in calling on the President to withdraw funding for the abortion behemoth, and OR’s Troy Newman, calling the President’s comments “insensitive,” said, “When Tonya Reaves walked into that Planned Parenthood abortion clinic … , she completely lost any control over her ‘healthcare choices’ as well as her life. She did not choose to die. Planned Parenthood took that choice from her.

“We have to wonder how Mr. Obama would have felt,” he said, “if that had been Malia or Sasha bleeding to death on that abortion table. By supporting Planned Parenthood and advocating continued tax-funding of this troubled organization,” said Mr. Newman, “Mr. Obama is intentionally condemning other young women – and perhaps even his own daughters – to the same tragically avoidable fate suffered by Tonya Reaves just a few days ago.

“Mr. Obama completely disrespected the life and family of Tonya Reaves,” said Mr. Newman, “by making this statement on the same day that pro-life organizations called for the President to investigate this incident in much the same way he called for a full investigation into the Trayvon Martin death.

“Apparently for Mr. Obama,” charged Mr. Newman, “a black man who is killed by a white man is worthy of justice, but a black woman killed by a campaign contributor is something that we should give no regard.”

Mr. Newman called Mr. Obama’s double standard “political cronyism at its worst, that places women in a second-class citizen category as a matter of public policy.” He called on the President to “retract his support for Planned Parenthood and seek justice for Tonya Reaves and her family for this completely avoidable death.”

Facing Reality

PUBLIC POLICY BATTLES OVER ABORTION seldom present a face or a story, in part because abortions are most often committed in secret – even after the Supreme Court supposedly brought the racket out of the back alley. (Truly, the Roe court brought the back alley to Main Street – and Michigan Avenue.)

But the story of Tonya Reaves is out there for all the world to see, because Tonya Reaves did not make it off the operating table.

Oh, she did leave Chicago’s flagship Planned Parenthood Michigan Avenue “clinic” – profusely bleeding on an ambulance stretcher – five-and-a-half hours after undergoing what turned out to be an incomplete second-trimester abortion. The skilled personnel at the nearby major teaching hospital battled for seven hours, first to find the problem and then to try to stop the bleeding; reportedly, no one at Planned Parenthood advised the hospital what to look for to start to save her; the delays wrought havoc.

WBBM Radio’s report on the failed battle to save her is heartbreaking and should be heard by every adult American and certainly by the President. Readers of Life Advocacy Briefing can listen to it here, thanks to Operation Rescue (OR).

“Planned Parenthood butchered Tonya Reaves,” said OR’s Troy Newman, “delayed her access to emergency care, then left the emergency room doctors to figure out what happened to her. By the time they discovered the true extent of her injuries,” he said, “it was too late to save her life. …

“That abortion clinic is dangerous,” he said, “and should be closed. The abortionist should not be allowed to continue to inflict harm on women and should have his medical license revoked” – assuming he or she has one.

Certainly the Illinois legislators who blocked Abortuary Regulation legislation from consideration during the past two years should listen to the WBBM report, read the press reports and search their own hearts.

“Planned Parenthood is never inspected,” explains veteran Chicago columnist Dennis Byrne in his Internet blog, “because Illinois law does not require it.”

Privacy? That’s a figleaf to cover the “private” activities of the abortionists themselves.

And the lives and choices of those Tonya Reaves touched – including her own one-year-old child – will never be the same, because killers practice “medicine” and politicians look the other way.

An Odd Way to Report on a Death

CHICAGO TRIBUNE REPORTER ERIN MEYER CHOSE to open her Sunday story reporting the Tonya Reaves tragedy with a nice little tip-of-the-hat to Planned Parenthood, indicating the outfit had “issued a statement Sunday following the death of a 24-year-old Chicago woman who recently underwent an abortion at one of its clinics in the South Loop.”   Ms. Reaves, in the la-la world of the Tribune writer, might as well have been struck by a car some months after visiting the outfit.

The story went on to misstate that Ms. Reaves “died Friday after she began to hemorrhage.” She had been hemorrhaging for 11 hours at the time of her death, five of those agonizing hours at the ill-equipped abortuary before the ambulance was called.

Then, rather than reporting actual events, as CBS had, Ms. Meyer quotes Planned Parenthood of Illinois President Carole Brite “offer[ing] condolences.” Planned Parenthood’s own style of “condolences,” that is.

“‘While legal abortion services in the United States have a very high safety record,’” she said, according to the Tribune, “‘a tragedy such as this is devastating to loved ones, and we offer our deepest sympathies,’ [Ms.] Brite said. ‘Planned Parenthood of Illinois cares deeply about the health and safety of each and every patient.’” Sure. Did it take from Friday night till Sunday for your lawyers to write your “condolences,” Ms. Brite?

And Then There’s Waste, Fraud & Abuse

THE FORMER MANAGER OF TWO PLANNED PARENTHOOD SHOPS in Storm Lake and LeMars, Iowa, has filed suit against Planned Parenthood of the Heartland alleging, writes blogger Shane VanderHart at CaffeinatedThoughts.com, “that Planned Parenthood knowingly committed Medicaid fraud from 2002 to 2009 by improperly seeking reimbursements from Iowa Medicaid Enterprise and the Iowa Family Planning Network for products and services that were not legally reimbursable under those programs.”

Sue Thayer’s lawsuit “alleges,” writes Mr. VanderHart, that the Planned Parenthood outfit “filed nearly 500,000 false claims with Medicaid from which Planned Parenthood received and retained nearly $28 million.”

In a statement released earlier this month, as soon as the court unsealed the suit, Ms. Thayer said, quoted on the blog, “‘During my last years working at Planned Parenthood, it became increasingly clear to me that not all of their policies and protocols were completely legal and ethical. … I believe (the lawsuit) is an important piece in the nationwide effort to shed light on the darkness and deception surrounding America’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood. It seems that God can use all those years I spent working at Planned Parenthood for His good.”

Late in June, furthermore, a former longtime president of NARAL Pro-Choice New York was ordered to “pay back $250,000 she improperly diverted for her private use,” reports Ben Johnson for LifeSiteNews.com, “according to the state’s attorney general’s office.”

Kelli Conlin “pleaded guilty” last summer, writes Mr. Johnson, “to the felony of falsifying business records.” Though her annual salary already amounted to “$309,000 of the state organization’s $4.5 million budget,” reports Mr. Johnson, an audit disclosed she “had falsely claimed hundreds of thousands of dollars in personal expenditures as business expenses. This,” reports LifeSiteNews, “included a $50,000 tab at retailers like Giorgio Armani, 120 non-deductible meals at a sushi restaurant near her home and $17,000 to rent a home in the Hamptons for one month.”

New York’s attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, had to recuse himself from the investigation and prosecution of the abortion advocate “after pro-life Democrat Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. exposed his close family ties to the abortion advocacy group,” notes Mr. Johnson. The attorney general’s father, Irving, reports Mr. Johnson, “served as treasurer for NARAL Pro-Choice New York,” which of course backed the attorney general in his election bid.

Tiller Abettor Out of Business

AT LONG LAST, THE KANSAS BOARD OF HEALING ARTS has revoked the license of Ann Kristin Neuhaus, a principal abettor to the late, notorious, late-term abortionist George Tiller.

“After [Ms.] Neuhaus closed her own abortion business in Lawrence [Kansas],” notes Operation Rescue in a news release announcing the revocation, “she began working with [Mr.] Tiller to provide referrals for abortions on viable babies past 22 weeks’ gestation.”

Kansas law, in post-viability abortions, required a “medical necessity” determination by a second, independent physician. Though Ms. Neuhaus supposedly operated independently, notes OR, “Testimony at a board disciplinary hearing showed that [Ms.] Neuhaus was regularly contacted by [Mr.] Tiller’s office and told to report to his Wichita abortion clinic, where she conducted screenings on potential late-term abortion patients for the purpose of [essentially qualifying them for abortion].” She was paid “$350,” reports Kathleen Gilbert for LifeSiteNews.com, “for each letter of consent she signed” for Mr. Tiller. “Official records,” writes Miss Gilbert, “indicated no evidence that [Ms.] Neuhaus … even met any of the patients she green-lighted for [late-term] abortions.”

“The board found that [Ms.] Neuhaus negligently conducted those screenings,” reports OR. “Her inadequate and poorly documented interviews led her to determine that normal life issues, such as frustration at not being able to buy a new computer, play sports or participate in rock concerts … were indications of mental illnesses that justified abortions.” In many such instances, notes OR, the prospective client was already well into the third trimester of pregnancy.

“Her phony diagnoses were rubber stamps,” charges OR, “meant to ensure lucrative late-term abortions took place. … Her mental health justifications for late-term abortions,” OR says, “were based on nothing short of medical quackery and blind radical abortion ideology,” not to mention a lust for lucre.

House Voting Record

HRes-724 – Rule for consideration of ObamaCare Repeal – Adopted – July 10, 2012 – 240-182 (Democrats in italics)

Voting “yes”/pro-life: Aderholt, Bachus, Brooks, Roby, Rogers (AL); Young (AK); Flake, Franks, Gosar, Quayle, Schweikert (AZ); Crawford, Griffin, Ross, Womack (AR); Bilbray, Bono-Mack, Calvert, Campbell, Denham, Dreier, Gallegly, Herger, Hunter, Issa, Lewis, Lungren, McCarthy, McClintock, McKeon, Gary Miller, Nunes, Rohrabacher, Royce (CA); Coffman, Gardner, Lamborn, Tipton (CO); Adams, Bilirakis, Buchanan, Crenshaw, Diaz-Balart, Mack, Mica, Miller, Nugent, Posey, Rivera, Rooney, Ros-Lehtinen, Ross, Southerland, Stearns, Webster, West, Young (FL); Broun, Gingrey, Graves, Kingston, Price, Austin Scott, Westmoreland (GA); Labrador, Simpson (ID); Biggert, Dold, Hultgren, Johnson, Kinzinger, Manzullo, Roskam, Schilling, Schock, Shimkus, Walsh (IL); Bucshon, Burton, Pence, Rokita, Stutzman, Young (IN); Latham (IA); Huelskamp, Jenkins, Pompeo, Yoder (KS); Davis, Guthrie, Rogers, Whitfield (KY); Alexander, Boustany, Cassidy, Fleming, Landry, Scalise (LA); Bartlett, Harris (MD); Amash, Benishek, Camp, Huizenga, Miller, Rogers, Upton, Walberg (MI); Bachmann, Cravaack, Kline, Paulsen (MN); Harper, Nunnelee, Palazzo (MS); Emerson, Graves, Hartzler, Long, Luetkemeyer (MO); Rehberg (MT); Fortenberry, Smith, Terry (NE); Amodei, Heck (NV); Bass, Guinta (NH); Frelinghuysen, Garrett, Lance, LoBiondo, Runyan, Smith (NJ); Pearce (NM); Buerkle, Gibson, Grimm, Hanna, Hayworth, King, Reed, Turner (NY); Coble, Ellmers, Foxx, Jones, Kissell, McHenry, McIntyre, Myrick (NC); Berg (ND); Austria, Chabot, Gibbs, Johnson, Jordan, LaTourette, Latta, Renacci, Schmidt, Stivers, Tiberi, Turner (OH); Boren, Cole, Lankford, Lucas, Sullivan (OK); Walden (OR); Barletta, Dent, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, Kelly, Marino, Meehan, Murphy, Pitts, Platts, Shuster, Thompson (PA); Duncan, Gowdy, Mulvaney, Scott, Wilson (SC); Noem (SD); Black, Blackburn, DesJarlais, Duncan, Fincher, Fleischmann, Roe (TN); Barton, Brady, Burgess, Canseco, Carter, Conaway, Culberson, Farenthold, Flores, Gohmert, Granger, Hall, Hensarling, Sam Johnson, Marchant, McCaul, Neugebauer, Olson, Paul, Poe, Sessions, Smith, Thornberry (TX); Bishop, Chaffetz (UT); Cantor, Forbes, Goodlatte, Griffith, Hurt, Rigell, Wittman, Wolf (VA); Hastings, Herrera-Beutler, McMorris-Rodgers, Reichert (WA); Capito, McKinley (WV); Duffy, Petri, Ribble, Ryan, Sensenbrenner (WI); Lummis (WY).

Voting “no”/anti-Life: Sewell (AL); Barber, Grijalva, Pastor (AZ); Baca, Bass, Becerra, Berman, Capps, Cardoza, Chu, Costa, Davis, Eshoo, Farr, Filner, Garamendi, Hahn, Honda, Lee, Lofgren, Matsui, McNerney, Napolitano, Pelosi, Richardson, Roybal-Allard, Linda Sanchez, Loretta Sanchez, Schiff, Sherman, Speier, Stark, Thompson, Waters, Waxman, Woolsey (CA); DeGette, Perlmutter, Polis (CO); Courtney, DeLauro, Himes, Larson, Murphy (CT); Carney (DE); Brown, Castor, Deutch, Hastings, Wasserman–Schultz, Wilson (FL); Barrow, Bishop, Johnson, Lewis, David Scott (GA); Hanabusa (HI); Costello, Davis, Lipinski, Quigley, Rush, Schakowsky (IL); Carson, Donnelly, Visclosky (IN); Boswell, Braley, Loebsack (IA); Yarmuth (KY); Richmond (LA); Michaud, Pingree (ME); Cummings, Edwards, Hoyer, Ruppersberger, Sarbanes, VanHollen (MD); Capuano, Frank, Keating, Lynch, Markey, McGovern, Neal, Olver, Tierney, Tsongas (MA); Clarke, Conyers, Dingell, Kildee, Levin, Peters (MI); Ellison, McCollum, Peterson, Walz (MN); Thompson (MS); Carnahan, Clay, Cleaver (MO); Berkley (NV); Andrews, Holt, Pallone, Pascrell, Rothman, Sires (NJ); Heinrich, Lujan (NM); Ackerman, Clarke, Crowley, Engel, Higgins, Hinchey, Hochul, Israel, Lowey, Maloney, McCarthy, Meeks, Nadler, Owens, Rangel, Serrano, Slaughter, Tonko, Towns, Velazquez (NY); Butterfield, Miller, Price, Shuler, Watt (NC); Fudge, Kaptur, Kucinich, Ryan, Sutton (OH); Blumenauer, Bonamici, DeFazio, Schrader (OR); Altmire, Brady, Critz, Doyle, Fattah, Holden, Schwartz (PA); Cicilline, Langevin (RI); Clyburn (SC); Cohen, Cooper (TN); Cuellar, Doggett, Gonzalez, Al Green, Gene Green, Hinojosa, Jackson-Lee, E.B. Johnson, Reyes (TX); Matheson (UT); Welch (VT); Connolly, Moran, Scott (VA); Dicks, Larsen, McDermott, Smith (WA); Chandler, Rahall (WV); Baldwin, Kind, Moore (WI).

Not Voting: Bonner (AL); George Miller (CA); Woodall (GA); Hirono (HI); Gutierrez, Jackson (IL); King (IA); Akin (MO); Bishop (NY); Boehner (OH).