Life Advocacy Briefing

A Winning Issue

TO THOSE (CHIEFLY G.O.P.) OFFICIALS & CANDIDATES WHO FEAR to challenge Planned Parenthood and the abortion lobby in their public communications, we point to last Tuesday’s stunning results in Kentucky’s gubernatorial election, and we urge: take heart and speak truth. Life is a winning issue.

Though Kentucky’s state government has traditionally been led by Democrats, pro-life conservative Matt Bevin (R) was elected governor last Tuesday by a 53-to-44 margin, becoming just the second GOP governor in his state in more than 40 years. Among his prominent campaign promises: Defund Planned Parenthood. And his self-label, taken from his campaign website: “Pro-life, Pro-family, Pro-Second Amendment.” His opponent’s Life stand: favoring “safe and legal” abortion.

It seems Kentucky voters have chosen to reject both the liberal views of the latter-day Democratic Party and the wishy-washy hesitancy of country-club Republicans. And that Kentucky voters have warmly endorsed the building wave of protest over Planned Parenthood’s butchery-for-profit.

Welcome, Gov.-elect Bevin. We wish you well as you seek to reform state government in the state which has sent Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell to the US Senate. Portent of things to come?

Planned Parenthood C.E.O. Appeals to New Speaker

WITH NO REASON TO BELIEVE HER APPEAL would fall on sympathetic ears, Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards last week sent a letter – an open letter, that is – to newly installed House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), beseeching him to stop investigating Planned Parenthood.

Right, Ms. Richards. This whole probe thing was simply a personal crusade of former Speaker John Boehner. Sure, Ms. Richards, the horrendous video documentation of your outfit’s radical rejection of human life itself is just a political plot; nothing to see here; move on.

But, oh, dear, Ms. Richards. Did you get the message in the new Speaker’s reply?

“‘The special committee on Planned Parenthood, I think, should be in the driver’s seat overseeing this process,’” said Speaker Ryan, as quoted by Dustin Siggins in a report for LifeSiteNews.com. That does not appear to us to be a retreat from the probe.

And while casting justifiable doubt on the Senate GOP Majority’s ability to deliver on the urgent need to defund the abortion goliath, Speaker Ryan said, as for himself: “‘I don’t think Planned Parenthood should get a red cent from the taxpayer,’” adding, in the LifeSiteNews report: “‘I’ve always believed that, even before these disgusting videos came out.’”

Detangling Government from Planned Parenthood

ARIZONA’s PRO-LIFE GOVERNOR HAS COME UP WITH A NEW APPROACH to disengaging the state from Planned Parenthood, one that the Obama Regime is unlikely to be able to challenge.

Gov. Doug Ducey (R) declared through a spokesman last week, reports Ben Johnson for LifeSiteNews.com, “that Arizona should not be funding such ‘a controversial organization.’”

He made the statement in endorsing a move by the State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) to exclude Planned Parenthood from the list of “charitable” organizations to which the state
remits donations designated by state employees for withholding from their compensation. And it appears the decision will stand, not only because of the governor’s endorsement but also because Planned Parenthood of Arizona (PPAZ) failed to appeal the decision in time for it to be reconsidered.

Based on 2014 employee contributions remitted by the state, that’s $7,250 which PPAZ will not be getting any more. Even such a small amount, though, adds to the growing movement to get government out of the business of killing America’s future. And it is $7,250 which Planned Parenthood will have to replace from an increasingly embarrassed cadre of corporate and individual donors.

Abortion Empire Crumbling?

EVEN AS PLANNED PARENTHOOD’s TRAVAILS ARE MAKING HEADLINES, its abortion-industry competitors do not appear to be able to take advantage and increase their own market share. (Could it be that Planned Parenthood’s travails are contributing to a weakening of the abortion market in general?)

Of five abortion facilities which have shut down in the past five weeks across America, just one was a Planned Parenthood outfit, Planned Parenthood’s Appleton, Wisconsin, “Health Center,” according to a report by Cheryl Sullenger for Operation Rescue.

The others which have “ceased operations,” Ms. Sullenger reports, between Sept. 28 and Oct. 29, were: Chicago’s Albany Park Medical-Surgical Center (Family Planning Associates); Amethyst Health Center in Manassas, Virginia; Ocala, Florida, Women’s Center; and Summit Women’s Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The Ocala shop was owned by notorious abortionist James Pendergraft, reports Ms. Sullenger, “who was arrested in South Carolina on Oct. 5 on drug violations and for [committing] illegal abortions out of his vehicle. Sheriff’s deputies discovered him in possession,” she writes, “of filthy abortion instruments caked in blood and tissue during a routine traffic stop.” The Ocala shop was put up for sale “soon after.”

Mr. Pendergraft has long been notorious even among abortion purveyors. Notes Ms. Sullenger, he “has been desperate for money since he was hit with a nearly $37 million malpractice judgment in 2011 and over $120,000 in fines and costs related to disciplinary action against his medical license.” He currently, she reports, ‘holds no active license in any state;” his Florida license is suspended currently, for the fifth time. We can only hope the Florida authorities will get up the gumption to yank it.

The Appleton Planned Parenthood shop’s woes center about its loss of its abortionist. Though it may some day resume its child-killing “services,” it is not expected, reports Ms. Sullenger, “to resume abortions for at least six months.” Whether that happens at all could depend on the outcome of a Wisconsin state appeal pending in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals of a lower court ruling barring enforcement of the state’s requirement that abortionists maintain hospital admitting privileges, for the sake of customer safety, within 30 miles of their shops.

As for the Connecticut outfit, “After killing an estimated 150,000 babies through abortion over their 40 years of operation, Summit thankfully closed for good on Oct. 5,” reports Ms. Sullenger. The Connecticut business opened in 1975 and, writes Ms. Sullenger, “has experienced a plethora of troubles over the years, including botched abortions, malpractice suits and abortionist discipline.” The latest blip on the Summit screen – before the shutdown, that is – was a reprimand by the Connecticut Medical Examiners Board of its abortionist Jonathan Foster for botching an abortion in 2011; Mr. Foster was fined $5,000 in August.

The Virginia-based Amethyst abortuary announced cessation of business on Sept. 28, without stating a reason for its closing. But history shows the efforts of Virginia state inspectors – before abortion-fanatic Terry McAuliffe (D) became governor – could well have contributed to the shop’s demise. “When inspected in June and December of 2012,” writes Ms. Sullenger, “inspectors discovered 48 pages of violations including multiple violations of infection prevention protocols including dirty facility conditions, soiled linens and recovery recliners, and the failure of staff to change gloves between patients.” Ugh! “The second inspection report,” Ms. Sullenger notes, “revealed that infection control issues discovered during the June inspection still had not been corrected six months later.” A shame the state did not then shutter the toxic shop on the spot.

As for the Albany Park facility in Chicago, which has killed thousands of developing babies over the past decades, a pro-life news release which reached us, celebrating its closure, mentioned that the notorious shop’s demise came while a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil was in session across the street. Praise the Lord!

House Voting Records

HRes-444 – Procedural motion to close debate on Rule for consideration of HR-3495 – Defunding Planned Parenthood – Sept. 29, 2015 – Adopted – 243-182 (Democrats in italics)

Voting “yes” / pro-Life: Aderholt, Brooks, Byrne, Palmer, Roby, Rogers/AL; Young/AK; Franks, Gosar, McSally, Salmon, Schweikert/AZ; Crawford, Hill, Westerman, Womack/AR; Calvert, Cook, Denham, Hunter, Issa, Knight, LaMalfa, McCarthy, McClintock, Nunes, Rohrabacher, Royce, Valadao, Walters/CA; Buck, Coffman, Lamborn, Tipton/CO; Bilirakis, Buchanan, Clawson, Crenshaw, Curbelo, DeSantis, Diaz-Balart, Jolly, Mica, Miller, Nugent, Posey, Rooney, Ros-Lehtinen, Ross, Webster, Yoho/FL; Allen, Carter, Collins, Graves, Hice, Loudermilk, T. Price, A. Scott, Woodall/GA; Labrador, Simpson/ID; Bost, R. Davis, Dold, Hultgren, Kinzinger, LaHood, Roskam, Shimkus/IL; Brooks, Bucshon, Messer, Rokita, Stutzman, Walorski, Young/IN; Blum, King, Young/IA; Huelskamp, Jenkins, Pompeo, Yoder/KS; Barr, Guthrie, Massie, Rogers, Whitfield/KY; Abraham, Boustany, Fleming, Graves, Scalise/LA; Poliquin/ME; Harris/MD; Amash, Benishek, Bishop, Huizenga, Miller, Moolenaar, Trott, Upton, Walberg/MI; Emmer, Kline, Paulsen/MN; Harper, Kelly, Palazzo/MS; Graves, Hartzler, Long, Luetkemeyer, Smith, Wagner/MO; Zinke/MT; Fortenberry, Smith/NE; Amodei, Hardy, Heck/NV; Guinta/NH; Frelinghuysen, Garrett, Lance, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Smith/NJ; Pearce/NM; Collins, Donovan, Gibson, Hanna, Katko, King, Reed, Stefanik, Zeldin/NY; Ellmers, Foxx, Holding, Jones, McHenry, Meadows, Pittenger, Rouzer, Walker/NC; Cramer/ND; Chabot, Gibbs, Johnson, Jordan, Joyce, Latta, Renacci, Stivers, Tiberi, Turner, Wenstrup/OH; Bridenstine, Cole, Lucas, Mullin, Russell/OK; Walden/OR; Barletta, Costello, Dent, Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Marino, Meehan, Murphy, Perry, Pitts, Rothfus, Shuster, Thompson/PA; Duncan, Gowdy, Mulvaney, Rice, Sanford, Wilson/SC; Noem/SD; Black, Blackburn, DesJarlais, Duncan, Fincher, Fleischmann, Roe/TN; Babin, Barton, Brady, Burgess, Carter, Conaway, Culberson, Farenthold, Flores, Gohmert, Granger, Hensarling, Hurd, S. Johnson, Marchant, McCaul, Neugebauer, Olson, Poe, Ratcliffe, Sessions, Smith, Thornberry, Weber, Williams/TX; Bishop, Chaffetz, Love, Stewart/UT; Brat, Comstock, Forbes, Goodlatte, Griffith, Hurt, Rigell, Wittman/VA; Herrera-Beutler, McMorris-Rodgers, Newhouse/WA; Jenkins, McKinley, Mooney/WV; Duffy, Grothman, Ribble, Ryan, Sensenbrenner/WI; Lummis/WY.

Voting “no” / anti-Life: Sewell/AL; Gallego, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Sinema/AZ; Aguilar, Bass, Becerra, Bera, Brownley, Capps, Cardenas, Chu, Costa, Davis, DeSaulnier, Eshoo, Farr, Garamendi, Hahn, Honda, Huffman, Lee, Lieu, Lofgren, Lowenthal, Matsui, McNerney, Napolitano, Pelosi, Peters, Roybal-Allard, Ruiz, Linda Sanchez, Schiff, Sherman, Speier, Swalwell, Takano, Thompson, Torres, Vargas, Waters/CA; DeGette, Perlmutter, Polis/CO; Courtney, DeLauro, Esty, Himes/CT; Carney/DE; Brown, Castor, Deutch, Frankel, Graham, Grayson, Hastings, Murphy, Wasserman-Schultz, Wilson/FL; Bishop, Johnson, Lewis, D. Scott/GA; Gabbard, Takai/HI; Bustos, D. Davis, Duckworth, Foster, Gutierrez, Lipinski, Quigley, Rush, Schakowsky/IL; Carson, Visclosky/IN; Loebsack/IA; Yarmuth/KY; Richmond/LA; Pingree/ME; Cummings, Delaney, Edwards, Hoyer, Ruppersberger, Sarbanes, VanHollen/MD; Capuano, Clark, Keating, Kennedy, Lynch, McGovern, Moulton, Neal, Tsongas/MA; Conyers, Dingell, Kildee, Lawrence, Levin/MI; McCollum, Nolan, Peterson, Walz/MN; Thompson/MS; Clay, Cleaver/MO; Ashford/NE; Titus/NV; Kuster/NH; Norcross, Pallone, Pascrell, Sires, Watson-Coleman/NJ; Lujan, Lujan-Grisham/NM; Clarke, Crowley, Engel, Higgins, Israel, Jeffries, Lowey, C. Maloney, S. Maloney, Meeks, Meng, Nadler, Rangel, Rice, Serrano, Slaughter, Tonko, Velazquez/NY; Adams, Butterfield, Price/NC; Beatty, Fudge, Kaptur, Ryan/OH; Blumenauer, Bonamici, DeFazio, Schrader/OR; Boyle, Brady, Cartwright, Doyle, Fattah/PA; Cicilline, Langevin/RI; Clyburn/SC; Cohen, Cooper/TN; Castro, Cuellar, Doggett, A. Green, G. Green, Hinojosa, Jackson-Lee, E.B. Johnson, O’Rourke, Veasey, Vela/TX; Welch/VT; Beyer, Connolly, Scott/VA; DelBene, Heck, Kilmer, Larsen, Smith/WA; Kind, Moore, Pocan/WI.

Not voting: Loretta Sanchez/CA; Larson/CT; Westmoreland/GA; Kelly/IL; Ellison/MN; Payne/NJ; Hudson/NC; Boehner/OH; McDermott, Reichert/WA.

HRes-444 – Rule for consideration of HR-3495 – Defunding Planned Parenthood – Sept. 29, 2015 – Adopted – 242-183 (Democrats in italics)

Voting “yes” / pro-Life: Aderholt, Brooks, Byrne, Palmer, Roby, Rogers/AL; Young/AK; Franks, Gosar, McSally, Salmon, Schweikert/AZ; Crawford, Hill, Westerman, Womack/AR; Calvert, Cook, Denham, Hunter, Issa, Knight, LaMalfa, McCarthy, McClintock, Nunes, Rohrabacher, Royce, Valadao, Walters/CA; Buck, Coffman, Lamborn, Tipton/CO; Bilirakis, Buchanan, Clawson, Crenshaw, Curbelo, DeSantis, Diaz-Balart, Jolly, Mica, Miller, Nugent, Posey, Rooney, Ros-Lehtinen, Ross, Webster, Yoho/FL; Allen, Carter, Collins, Graves, Hice, Loudermilk, T. Price, A. Scott, Westmoreland, Woodall/GA; Labrador, Simpson/ID; Bost, R. Davis, Dold, Hultgren, Kinzinger, LaHood, Lipinski, Roskam, Shimkus/IL; Brooks, Bucshon, Messer, Rokita, Stutzman, Walorski, Young/IN; Blum, King, Young/IA; Huelskamp, Jenkins, Pompeo, Yoder/KS; Barr, Guthrie, Rogers, Whitfield/KY; Abraham, Boustany, Fleming, Graves, Scalise/LA; Poliquin/ME; Harris/MD; Benishek, Bishop, Huizenga, Miller, Moolenaar, Trott, Upton, Walberg/MI; Emmer, Kline, Paulsen, Peterson/MN; Harper, Kelly, Palazzo/MS; Graves, Hartzler, Long, Luetkemeyer, Smith, Wagner/MO; Zinke/MT; Fortenberry, Smith/NE; Amodei, Hardy, Heck/NV; Guinta/NH; Garrett, Lance, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Smith/NJ; Pearce/NM; Collins, Donovan, Gibson, Hanna, Katko, King, Reed, Stefanik, Zeldin/NY; Ellmers, Foxx, Holding, Jones, McHenry, Meadows, Pittenger, Rouzer, Walker/NC; Cramer/ND; Chabot, Gibbs, Johnson, Jordan, Joyce, Latta, Renacci, Stivers, Tiberi, Turner, Wenstrup/OH; Bridenstine, Cole, Lucas, Mullin, Russell/OK; Walden/OR; Barletta, Costello, Dent, Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Marino, Meehan, Murphy, Perry, Pitts, Rothfus, Shuster, Thompson/PA; Duncan, Gowdy, Mulvaney, Rice, Sanford, Wilson/SC; Noem/SD; Black, Blackburn, DesJarlais, Duncan, Fincher, Fleischmann, Roe/TN; Babin, Barton, Brady, Burgess, Carter, Conaway, Culberson, Farenthold, Flores, Gohmert, Granger, Hensarling, Hurd, S. Johnson, Marchant, McCaul, Neugebauer, Olson, Poe, Ratcliffe, Sessions, Thornberry, Weber, Williams/TX; Bishop, Chaffetz, Love, Stewart/UT; Brat, Comstock, Forbes, Goodlatte, Griffith, Hurt, Rigell, Wittman/VA; Herrera-Beutler, McMorris-Rodgers, Newhouse/WA; Jenkins, McKinley, Mooney/WV; Duffy, Grothman, Ribble, Ryan, Sensenbrenner/WI; Lummis/WY.

Voting “no” / anti-Life: Sewell/AL; Gallego, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Sinema/AZ; Aguilar, Bass, Becerra, Bera, Brownley, Capps, Cardenas, Chu, Costa, Davis, DeSaulnier, Eshoo, Farr, Garamendi, Hahn, Honda, Huffman, Lee, Lieu, Lofgren, Lowenthal, Matsui, McNerney, Napolitano, Pelosi, Peters, Roybal-Allard, Ruiz, Linda Sanchez, Schiff, Sherman, Speier, Swalwell, Takano, Thompson, Torres, Vargas, Waters/CA; DeGette, Perlmutter, Polis/CO; Courtney, DeLauro, Esty, Himes/CT; Carney/DE; Brown, Castor, Deutch, Frankel, Graham, Grayson, Hastings, Murphy, Wasserman-Schultz, Wilson/FL; Bishop, Johnson, Lewis, D. Scott/GA; Gabbard, Takai/HI; Bustos, D. Davis, Duckworth, Foster, Gutierrez, Quigley, Rush, Schakowsky/IL; Carson, Visclosky/IN; Loebsack/IA; Massie, Yarmuth/KY; Richmond/LA; Pingree/ME; Cummings, Delaney, Edwards, Hoyer, Ruppersberger, Sarbanes, VanHollen/MD; Capuano, Clark, Keating, Kennedy, Lynch, McGovern, Moulton, Neal, Tsongas/MA; Amash, Conyers, Dingell, Kildee, Lawrence, Levin/MI; Ellison, McCollum, Nolan, Walz/MN; Thompson/MS; Clay, Cleaver/MO; Ashford/NE; Titus/NV; Kuster/NH; Norcross, Pallone, Pascrell, Sires, Watson-Coleman/NJ; Lujan, Lujan-Grisham/NM; Clarke, Crowley, Engel, Higgins, Israel, Jeffries, Lowey, C. Maloney, S. Maloney, Meeks, Meng, Nadler, Rangel, Rice, Serrano, Slaughter, Tonko, Velazquez/NY; Adams, Butterfield, Price/NC; Beatty, Fudge, Kaptur, Ryan/OH; Blumenauer, Bonamici, DeFazio, Schrader/OR; Boyle, Brady, Cartwright, Doyle, Fattah/PA; Cicilline, Langevin/RI; Clyburn/SC; Cohen, Cooper/TN; Castro, Cuellar, Doggett, A. Green, G. Green, Hinojosa, Jackson-Lee, E.B. Johnson, O’Rourke, Veasey, Vela/TX; Welch/VT; Beyer, Connolly, Scott/VA; DelBene, Heck, Kilmer, Larsen, Smith/WA; Kind, Moore, Pocan/WI.

Not voting: Loretta Sanchez/CA; Larson/CT; Kelly/IL; Frelinghuysen, Payne/NJ; Hudson/NC; Boehner/OH; Smith/TX; McDermott, Reichert/WA.