Life Advocacy Briefing

Call Now to Oppose Loretta Lynch

TEMPTING AS IT MAY BE to see Attorney General Eric Holder leave office at the earliest opportunity, his replacement by a former Planned Parenthood bedfellow appears to us a bit like tossing out the baby with the bathwater.

Readers are asked to contact their home-state Senators and request a “no” vote on the nomination of Loretta Lynch, who aided the abortion cartel in its legal-system resistance to the outlawing of partial-birth abortion; the Capitol switchboard is 1-202/224-3121.

Standing Up for Conscience Rights

REP. DIANE BLACK (R-TN) HAS FILED HR-940 to restore the conscience rights of health coverage providers and practitioners threatened by ObamaCare and the regulations implementing it. Called the HealthCare Conscience Rights Act, the bill bears 118 co-sponsors at this writing; we publish their names near the close of this Life Advocacy Briefing and encourage our readers to contact House Members via 1-202/224-3121 to thank them for co-sponsoring or to urge them to subscribe their own names to this urgently needed legislation. HR-940 has been assigned to the House Committee on Energy & Commerce and to the House Ways & Means Committee.

The bill presents “legislative findings” which offer a compelling argument for its necessity. Citing Thomas Jefferson’s 1809 comments to New London Methodists, the bill quotes the drafter of the Declaration of Independence: “‘[No] provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority.’ Jefferson’s conviction on respect for conscience is deeply embedded in the history and traditions of our nation,” HR-940 states, “and codified in numerous federal laws approved by Congressional majorities and Presidents of both parties … .” The bill then cites specific long-standing federal laws.

“Following enactment of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act [ObamaCare] …, the federal government has sought to impose specific requirements that infringe on the rights of conscience of those who offer or purchase health coverage,” the HR-940 findings include.

ObamaCare, the bill asserts, “fails to provide statutory protection for those seeking to offer and purchase health coverage for those who have a religious or moral objection only to specific items or services.” HR-940 seeks to fill that deficit and to protect the conscience rights of medical providers.  Rep. Black herself was a nurse before being elected to Congress in 2010.

She Is Emily?

LIKELY DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HILLARY CLINTON spent the evening last Tuesday with one of her most rabid fan clubs, the abortion lobby.

Mrs. Clinton was a major draw for a huge fundraising event, the 31st annual gala of EMILY’s List, the abortion industry chief funding arm for the campaigns of its favorite politicians in the Democratic Party.

The former Senator from New York, ex-First Lady and former Secretary of State received the massive PAC’s so-called “lifetime achievement” award, the “We Are Emily Award.” How sweet.

Gov. Hutchinson Signs Webcam Ban

ARKANSAS HAS JOINED a growing list of states which have outlawed webcam, remote-control abortions.

Legislation requiring abortionists to “be in the same room as the pregnant woman when she receives chemical abortifacients,” reports Dave Andrusko for National Right to Life (NRL) News Today. The measure was signed Feb. 25 by GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a former Member of the US House and, under Pres. George W. Bush, former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The legislation passed with strong votes in both legislative houses, 28 to 5 in the Senate and 85 to 3 in the House. In both chambers, the measure was sponsored by lady lawmakers.

The genesis of the legislation, according to Rose Mimms, executive director of Arkansas Right to Life, was the move of Planned Parenthood of the Heartland into Arkansas as well as Nebraska and part of Oklahoma from its original home in Iowa, where webcam abortions were first deployed.

The selling of chemical abortions at locations remote from doctors is a low-cost means of infesting rural areas with Planned Parenthood’s businesses. The scheme functions via a remote computer screen hook-up, permitting the abortionist to interview his customer from his own office, typically in a city, while she sits before a desk in a rural setting. At one point in the interview, the abortionist taps a computer mouse, remotely popping open a drawer in the desk where his customer is seated and exposing chemical abortion pills for her to ingest without his ever having physically examined her and leaving her no effective opportunity for follow-up.

Besides requiring the abortionist to encounter his “patient” in person, the new law, reports Mr. Andrusko, “also requires abortionists to make ‘all reasonable efforts’ to ensure that the woman returns between 12 and 18 days afterwards for follow-up examinations.”

Dismemberment Abortion Ban Moves in Kansas

THE CAMPAIGN TO OUTLAW DISMEMBERMENT ABORTION isbuilding in Kansas, where the state senate late last month approved 31-to-9 the Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act. The measure, according to Live Action News, affects “about 8% of abortions” in the state.

The bill explicitly defines dismemberment abortion, reports Live Action, as “‘with the purpose of causing the death of an unborn child, knowingly dismembering a living unborn child and extracting such unborn child one piece at a time from the uterus through the use of clamps, grasping forceps, tongs, scissors or similar instruments that, through the convergence of two rigid levers, slice, crush or grasp a portion of the unborn child’s body in order to cut or rip it off.’” It is an exact – if disturbing – description of what the medical texts call a D&E (Dilation & Evacuation) abortion, which, according to the National Abortion Federation trade group, is the method of choice in some 96% of second-and-late-term abortions.

The debate over this bill, aired in the Kansas media, is educating and no doubt stirring the public. Kansas is the first state taking up the pro-life movement’s major initiative. Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce (R) “told the Wichita Eagle,” reports Live Action: “‘It is unimaginable how such a procedure could be utilized by a medical practitioner.’” But an assertion from an abortion advocate, Sen. David Haley (D-Kansas City), is just as educational for the public. Quoted by Live Action, Sen. Haley said, “‘In my mind, it is the worst form of modern-day slavery to mandate to an adult woman what she can or cannot do with her own mind or her own body.’” It might be a good idea for Sen. Haley either to open his own mind or to shut his revealing mouth.

The Dismemberment Abortion Ban is slated to be considered next by the Kansas House, which is dominated by pro-life lawmakers, and is expected to be signed by pro-life GOP Gov. Sam Brownback, a former US Senator.

West Virginia Governor Issues His Veto

IT DID NOT TAKE LONG for West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin (D) to apply his veto pen to the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which outlaws the abortion killing of babies whose gestation has exceeded 20 weeks. And it took even less time for the House to override his action.

The House override vote early Wednesday morning, just hours after Gov. Tomblin acted Tuesday, was a convincing 77 to 16, slipping only a bit from the 88-to-12 House passage vote Feb. 11. The Senate had not yet acted on HB-2568 as of this writing; the original Senate passage came on a 29-to-5 vote on Feb. 25. Only a simple majority vote is required for override.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch Carmichael (R-Jackson) indicated the upper chamber would not hurry. “‘We have until the end of the session to deal with a veto message,’ [Sen.] Carmichael said,” quoted by Pamela Pruitt in the Bluefield (WV) Daily Telegraph. “‘It’s not a time-sensitive issue.’” Except for babies who might be facing abortions in the meantime. Still, the looming override vote and the public debate generated throughout the bill’s consideration are likely chilling to any West Virginia abortionist who may be approached by a five-month-or-later aborting mother. The number of West Virginia women “seeking late-term abortions,” reports Ms. Pruitt, “is fewer than ten per year.”

Gov. Tomblin, who cited his own “pro-life” legislative record, repeated an assertion he made when vetoing the Pain-Capable bill in the previous legislative session, insisting in his veto message, reported by Shauna Johnson for West Virginia’s MetroNews, “‘I believe there is no greater gift of love than the gift of life.’” Right.

He went on to claim his veto was necessitated by his duty as governor to “‘take into consideration a number of factors when reviewing legislation, including its constitutionality,’” reports Ms. Johnson. But the state’s House Majority Whip, John O’Neal IV (R-Raleigh), “said he’s confident the bill can withstand a court challenge,” Ms. Johnson writes.

“‘This bill, specifically with the language that we used, has not been declared unconstitutional anywhere,’” said Mr. O’Neal in the MetroNews report, “‘and is actually in effect in excess of ten states in our country right now and is being considered in courts in two others.’ … West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey [R] has pledged to defend the law in court,” reports Ms. Johnson.

“‘It is long past time that limits are placed on abortions in West Virginia,’” Mr. Morrisey said in a statement quoted by Ms. Johnson. “‘While no one can predict with certainty how a court will rule,’” he said, “‘I believe that there are strong, good-faith arguments that this legislation is constitutional and should be upheld by the courts.’”

This popular legislation is a state version of HR-36, pulled from consideration by House Leadership on Jan. 22 after Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) raised alarms about an obscure provision cited by the White House in the Obama veto threat. We are publishing below the names of co-sponsors who have joined the measure since Jan. 15; we published the list of co-sponsors as of that date in a previous edition; just two of those previous co-sponsors – Rep. Ellmers and Indiana GOP Rep. Jackie Walorski – removed their names as co-sponsors since Rep. Ellmers raised her fears. Co-sponsors, as of last Thursday, now total 184.

Added Co-Sponsors of HR-36, Pain-Capable Child Protection Act

The following GOP lawmakers added their names to the bill offered by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) after Jan. 15:

Representatives Tom McClintock & Devin Nunes/CA; John Mica/FL; Tom Price & Austin Scott/GA; Michael Simpson/ID; Mike Bost & Randy Hultgren/IL; Thomas Massie/KY; Ralph Abraham & Garret Graves/LA; John Moolenaar/MI; Cresent Hardy/NV; Chris Collins, Peter King & Lee Zeldin/NY; George Holding/NC; Michael Fitzpatrick, Scott Perry & Bill Shuster/PA; Trey Gowdy/SC; Joe Barton, John Carter, Jeb Hensarling & Randy Weber/TX; and Jason Chaffetz & Mia Love/UT.

Co-Sponsors of HR-940 – Conscience Rights Act

Joining Rep. Diane Black (R-TN) in sponsoring HR-940, as of March 5, 2015, are Democratic Representatives Dan Lipinski (IL) and Collin Peterson (MN), and GOP Representatives Aderholt, Byrne, Roby & Rogers/AL; Franks & Salmon/AZ; Crawford & Womack/AR; LaMalfa & Valadao/CA; Buck & Lamborn/CO; Buchanan, Clawson, Diaz-Balart, Jolly, Miller & Yoho/FL; Allen, Collins, Graves, Price, Scott & Westmoreland/CA; Davis, Hultgren, Roskam & Shimkus/IL; Messer & Walorski/IN; King & Young/IA; Huelskamp, Jenkins, Pompeo & Yoder/KS; Massie/KY; Boustany, Fleming & Scalise/LA; Harris/MD; Amash, Bishop, Huizenga, Miller, Moolenaar & Walberg/MI; Emmer & Kline/MN; Harper & Palazzo/MS; Graves, Hartzler, Long, Luetkemeyer & Wagner/MO;

Also, GOP Representatives Fortenberry & Smith/NE; Hardy/NV; Smith/NJ; Pearce/NM; Foxx, Hudson, Jones, Meadows, Pittenger & Rouzer/NC; Cramer/ND; Gibbs, Johnson, Jordan, Joyce, Latta & Tiberi/OH; Mullin & Russell/OK; Barletta, Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Marino, Murphy, Pitts, Rothfus & Shuster/PA; Duncan, Gowdy, Mulvaney & Wilson/SC; Blackburn, DesJarlais, Duncan, Fincher & Roe/TN; Babin, Brady, Carter, Flores, Johnson, Marchant, Neugebauer, Olson, Poe, Sessions, Smith & Weber/TX; Bishop & Stewart/UT; Forbes & Goodlatte/VA; McKinley & Mooney/WV; and Duffy, Grothman, Ribble, Ryan & Sensenbrenner/WI.

Loving Them Both

Feb. 20, 2015, BreakPoint commentary by Eric Metaxas

To get to the truth of a matter, you need to hear both sides of the story. And that’s especially true with abortion. [Previously] on BreakPoint, I told you about the convocation address I gave at the University of the South in Sewanee. The theme of my talk was the importance of civil discourse and freedom of speech and how without them, we cannot have a healthy and free society.

I told my audience that I do in fact see efforts, especially on college campuses but also in the media, to silence opposing voices on a whole host of issues. And nowhere is this more evident than with abortion.

And it’s not just that pro-life advocates are often shouted down or kept off campuses or the airwaves. No, what really concerns me – actually, what really pains me – is that we don’t hear about a whole class of people who suffer deeply from the wounds of abortion. And that is the women who deeply regret terminating the lives of their babies.

Instead, we are treated to accounts of just how wonderful abortion is. The daughter of a friend of mine attends a chic-chic school here in Manhattan and she was made to watch a video of women raving about what a great decision it was to have an abortion – with no opposing viewpoint. It is heartless propaganda.

And you may remember the story last year about an abortion counselor who filmed her own abortion, saying it was so “positive” and empowering. She posted a video on YouTube to the wild cheers of the pro-abortion lobby. Yet the truth is, many women who get an abortion do not feel heroic at all. They feel devastated. My wife Susanne, who directs a pregnancy center here in New York, sees these victims all the time.

In my book Miracles, I write about a friend of mine named April, who had an abortion and who was emotionally devastated by it. She found herself pregnant and thought, like many women facing the same predicament, that abortion was her only option. So she went to the abortion “clinic.” They gave her a paper gown and flimsy slippers but zero compassion or emotional warmth at all. No one encouraged her to keep the baby, by the way, and when the “procedure” was done, April wept.

Eventually, thank God, April found healing and forgiveness. But when was the last time you saw a sympathetic portrayal in the so-called “mainstream” media of one of these victims? Why won’t Oprah have a show on these women? Why can’t we hear both sides of this story?

Like April, many women face regret, guilt and depression over the child that died. Some women experience physical repercussions, such as sterility or disease. The fathers or siblings of the baby who died can feel a tremendous sense of loss over the child that they’ll never know. These are real heartaches we never hear about.

Happily, there are organizations trying to rectify the situation. Since 2002, for example, the Silent No More Awareness campaign has sought to make the public aware of the devastation of abortion for women and men. It has held 1,400 gatherings in 17 countries and 48 states, with nearly 6,000 women and men sharing their abortion testimonies. Silent No More has even gone into nearly a hundred high schools and universities – not enough, but a great start. Like Life Services, another great organization, it provides practical help to men and women suffering from post-abortion trauma. …

So until abortion is a sad memory in America, let’s speak up for these silent victims of abortion. If we don’t, who will?