Life Advocacy Briefing

Grand Re-Opening

CONGRESS HAS RETURNED TO CAPITOL HILL, starting 2016 last week with a bang, at least in the House, where lawmakers took up and passed the Senate version of the Reconciliation bill which disqualifies Planned Parenthood from some 80% of its federal funding and dismantles major segments of ObamaCare. The House vote was 240 to 181; three Republicans voted against the motion and a single Democrat voted for it.

“‘This historic vote recognizes the many issues of a scandal-plagued organization,’” said Alliance Defending Freedom legal counsel Casey Mattox, quoted by LifeSiteNews.com, “‘with a long track record of abusive and potentially fraudulent billing practices, caught in authenticated undercover videos trafficking aborted babies’ body parts, and that has repeatedly failed to report the sexual abuse of girls. … For the first time,’” he noted, “‘a bill will reach the President’s desk that will end taxpayer subsidies of an abortion business that has enjoyed nearly a billion dollars in profits over the last decade while taking more than $4 billion from American taxpayers.’”

To aid public awareness and participation in the defunding measure, the Center for Medical Progress, just days before the vote, released a brief video recapping some of their documented discoveries of Planned Parenthood’s involvement in baby body-parts trafficking. That video is posted on CMP’s Internet website; we encourage readers to view it and to forward it to others, who may not yet be aware of the scandal.

The House had initiated HR-3762, passing it on Oct. 23, but when the Senate passed it on Dec. 4, it had undergone significant changes, including a broadening of the ObamaCare repeal provisions. The House had to vote to agree with those changes before the measure could go to the White House, taking that vote last Wednesday. We publish the House voting record on the final passage motion at the close of this Life Advocacy Briefing; roll calls on two procedural motions paving the way for this vote will be published in subsequent editions.

The President has left no doubt that he will veto the major reform measure, and House leaders announced last week that the needed veto override motion will be taken up on or around Jan. 22, when thousands of pro-life citizens are expected to visit the Capitol during the annual March for Life observance of the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 edict decriminalizing abortion in America. An override will require a two-thirds vote in both houses. Based on the votes in House andSenate to pass this measure so far, an override is unlikely. Yet we do urge readers to contact their own Representatives – House and Senate – via the Capitol switchboard at 1-202/224-3121 and ask them to vote for the override of the expected veto of HR-3762 when that opportunity comes.

Protecting America’s citizens from Planned Parenthood and from ObamaCare should be top priorities for elected officials and for citizens who embrace human life at all stages.

Planned Parenthood Funding Issue Focus of G.O.P. Address

REP. VICKY HARTZLER, OFFERING THE G.O.P. WEEKLY RADIO ADDRESS on New Year weekend, announced, reports Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins in his Jan. 4 FRC Action bulletin, “the GOP’s eyes are on the prize. In one of its first acts of 2016,” reports Mr. Perkins, “conservatives hope their hard work pays off in a final vote striking down major portions of both ObamaCare and Planned Parenthood funding.

“‘The point of health care is to preserve and protect life,’” noted the Missouri Republican as quoted in the Perkins commentary. “‘That’s why this bill [HR-3762] stops taxpayer funding for abortion providers. The people have, for years, asked Congress to stop sending taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood, especially after we learned last year of the disturbing practices Planned Parenthood officials engage in such as harvesting and selling baby body parts.

“‘These actions – along with the hundreds of thousands of abortions they perform each year – show a blatant disregard for human life,’” Rep. Hartzler said. “‘That’s why this bill places a moratorium on taxpayer funding to abortion providers and redirects that money to community health centers. These health centers serve eight times more women patients than Planned Parenthood, and they provide much more comprehensive care.’”

Rep. Hartzler is serving her third term in Congress after careers in the Missouri state legislature and as a full-time homemaker. She participated in Life Advocacy’s Winning with Life communicator coaching seminar during her first state legislative campaign.

Will You Be There?

THE MARCH FOR LIFE IS A COMPELLING REASON for citizens to gather in Washington, DC, and plans have been laid by the March for Life organizing committee and by a variety of pro-life ministries for Jan. 22, seeking to draw participants from across America.

An ad hoc association of pro-life organizations has published a “21-day” prayer for the March and for the observance of the 43rd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade edict. Though the prayer was developed for use during the entire month of January, we are confident in the One who hears and answers prayers, that He will welcome prayers which begin a few days later than originally intended. So we invite readers to read and offer or adapt the prayer, which can be found on the Internet at www.colsoncenter.org/21days; the prayer guide, including identification of the organizations which aided in developing it, runs 35 pages.

Congressional Voting Record Index Available

AFTER FEATURING OUR ANNUAL CONGRESSIONAL VOTING RECORD INDEX across two editions of Life Advocacy Briefing last month, we have pulled the indices of 2015 House and Senate recorded Life-related roll calls together in one document which we have offered to Life Advocacy’s support team.

Briefing readers who would like to have the Index in a single document are invited to drop us a note at Life Advocacy Briefing, 2004 E. Sherwood Road, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004. We will send it out to you by postal mail or electronic mail; please be sure to furnish the address to which you wish it sent. If you would be so kind as to enclose a donation to support our continued publication, we will appreciate your sacrifice, but we will send the Index, regardless, upon request.

Planned Parenthood’s Financial Snapshot

Jan. 5, 2016, commentary by Family Research Council president Tony Perkins in his Washington Update

If anyone’s anxious to turn the page on 2015, it’s Planned Parenthood. Rocked by more scandals than any organization not named “the IRS,” it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for Cecile Richards’s group since David Daleiden pulled back the curtain on the organization’s trafficking in baby organs. With videos of her sinister side business in the double digits, it’s only by the Obama Administration’s crass indifference that the group has survived this long.

While the rest of the country shuddered with the allegations that the group was removing even beating hearts from tiny victims to sell, the President doggedly stood by his favorite “nonprofit” – which the latest reports show is profiting quite nicely … . Despite one of the worst years ever for the group’s brand, Planned Parenthood’s latest annual report shows that revenue hasn’t exactly been a problem for the baby harvesters. Although it saw 200,000 fewer patients in the 2014-15 fiscal year, government contributions were actually up! Which, considering the fallout from the footage, proved to be an important crutch for the organization while its biggest moneymaker – abortion – declined.

In a rare bit of good news – owed in large part to the dozens of new pro-life state laws – Planned Parenthood performed 3,600 fewer abortions last fiscal year than 2013-14. That’s not to say the organization didn’t do its share of damage. A staggering 323,999 innocent unborn babies lost their lives to abortion at Planned Parenthood centers last year – enough to fill Yankee Stadium six times. And, believe it or not, they did it with almost 40 fewer clinics (661, compared to the 700 it had in 2012).

But even though business slumped, government aid certainly didn’t. Although private contributions are down, it looks like forced taxpayer dollars more than made up for it. Instead of putting the financial hurt on the group for its possible criminal activities, the government rewarded it. For all of Planned Parenthood’s fraud, scandals and clinic violations, they actually raked in $25 million more from taxpayers in 2014-15 than the year before! In fact, the combined revenue stream from federal, state and local governments made up the biggest slice (43%) of the Planned Parenthood pie. No wonder Cecile Richards is so desperate to keep her government funding intact. After a lifetime’s worth of negative headlines in 2015, she’s probably relying on that money more heavily than ever before.

And while the group’s overall services dramatically dropped, there is one area that never slows down for Planned Parenthood political activism. Thanks to taxpayers’ reluctant contributions, Richards was able to free up another $39.3 million to influence public policy. (And that doesn’t include its PAC efforts!) “Our advocacy efforts never slow down,” she bragged. “We are constantly working hard to deepen our partnerships with allies, lobby in state legislatures and fight in the courts.” Unfortunately, that lobbying isn’t limited to abortion either. In a surprising twist, this year’s report went to great lengths to show its support for another cause: LGBT [Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender] “rights.” Raising more than a few eyebrows, Richards pointed out that, “Planned Parenthood believes that reproductive rights are deeply connected to LGBTQ [add: Queer] rights. … Its affiliates now provide hormone treatments for transgender people in 26 centers across ten states.”

As if its culture of death weren’t enough, the group’s tentacles are expanding to America’s sexual crisis. All the more reason for Congress to finish the job it started last fall and cut off Planned Parenthood’s funding at the source: the federal government. …

Wise Warning from Justice Scalia

Jan. 4, 2016, commentary by Campaign for Working Families CEO Gary Bauer in his End-of-Day Memo

Justice Antonin Scalia, speaking to a Catholic high school over the weekend, reminded conservatives about the high stakes in America’s culture war. He said God has blessed America because we have honored him.

“God has been very good to us,” [Justice] Scalia said. “That we won the Revolution was extraordinary. … I think one of the reasons God has been good to us is that we have done Him honor.” The Justice added that nothing in the Constitution requires the government to be indifferent or hostile to religious expression.

He said if the country wants an agnostic government, then the people should vote on it. But, [Mr.] Scalia warned, the Left is now trying to “cram” aggressive secularism “down the throats of the American people” through the courts.

“To tell you the truth, there is no place for that in our Constitutional tradition,” he said. My friends, Justice Scalia is exactly right!

He also happens to be the longest serving current justice on the Supreme Court, appointed 30 years ago this year by Pres. Ronald Reagan. He turns 80 in March, and while I wish Justice Scalia many, many more happy birthdays, I know that some day he will no longer be on the Supreme Court. The thought of a Pres. Hillary Clinton nominating a judge to replace Justice Scalia gives me nightmares!

These two issues alone – the fate of religious liberty in America and the composition of the Supreme Court – should cause every man and woman of faith to get off the sidelines and redouble their efforts to make sure our values prevail in 2016! The next President could fundamentally alter the ideological balance of the Supreme Court. And the ramifications for our values are almost impossible to overstate.

House Voting Record

HR-3762 – Final Passage – Concurring with the Senate Amendment on Reconciliation, including dismantling ObamaCare and Planned Parenthood funding disqualification – Jan. 6, 2016 – Passed – 240-181 (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, 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, 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, Hultgren, Kinzinger, LaHood, Roskam, Shimkus/IL; Brooks, Bucshon, Messer, Rokita, Stutzman, Walorski, Young/IN; Blum, 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, 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; Frelinghuysen, Garrett, Lance, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Smith/NJ; Pearce/NM; Collins, Donovan, Gibson, King, Reed, Stefanik, Zeldin/NY; Ellmers, Foxx, Holding, Hudson, 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, Reichert/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, Loretta Sanchez, Schiff, Sherman, Speier, Swalwell, Takano, Thompson, Torres, Vargas, Waters/CA; DeGette, Perlmutter, Polis/CO; Courtney, Esty, Himes, Larson/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, Dold, Duckworth, Foster, Gutierrez, Kelly, Lipinski, Quigley, Schakowsky/IL; Carson, Visclosky/IN; Loebsack/IA; Yarmuth/KY; Richmond/LA; Pingree/ME; Cummings, Delaney, Edwards, Hoyer, Ruppersberger, Sarbanes, VanHollen/MD; Capuano, Clark, Keating, Lynch, McGovern, Moulton, Neal, Tsongas/MA; Conyers, Dingell, Kildee, Lawrence, Levin/MI; Ellison, McCollum, Nolan, Walz/MN; Thompson/MS; Clay/MO; Ashford/NE; Kuster/NH; Norcross, Pallone, Pascrell, Sires, Watson-Coleman/NJ; Lujan, Lujan-Grisham/NM; Clarke, Crowley, Engel, Hanna, Higgins, Israel, Jeffries, Katko, 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, Jackson-Lee, O’Rourke, Veasey, Vela/TX; Welch/VT; Beyer, Connolly, Scott/VA; DelBene, Heck, Kilmer, Larsen, McDermott, Smith/WA; Moore, Pocan/WI.

Not voting: Issa/CA; DeLauro/CT; Nugent/FL; Rush/IL; King/IA; Kennedy/MA; Miller/MI; Cleaver/MO; Titus/NV; Payne/NJ; E.B. Johnson, Hinojosa/TX; Kind/WI.