Life Advocacy Briefing

Pence the Real Deal

THE NOMINATION OF INDIANA GOV. MIKE PENCE as the Republican Vice Presidential candidate has cheered pro-life leaders reflecting on his record.

Said Susan B. Anthony List (SBA) president Marjorie Dannenfelser, quoted by Ben Johnson for LifeSiteNews.com, declared, “‘Gov. Pence has proven to be a pro-life champion both during his time in Congress and as governor of Indiana. It was Mike Pence,’” she recalled, “‘who led the effort to defund Planned Parenthood in Congress, and it was Gov. Pence who signed into law a historic bill protecting unborn children from lethal discrimination in the womb.’”

Indeed, the first major initiative to disqualify Planned Parenthood from federal Title X (Ten) grants – launched before the Center for Medical Progress expose videos made defunding a popular cause – was called the Pence Amendment, as it was then-Rep. Pence who filed and fought for it. And his gubernatorial signature on the Indiana law barring abortions undertaken to eliminate children thought to be facing disability or on the basis of their race or sex was a groundbreaking initiative for justice and mercy in the abortion arena.

Students for Life of America president Kristan Hawkins, also quoted by Mr. Johnson, “called [Mr.] Pence ‘a tested pro-life conservative’ who fought ‘in the trenches with us on several important fights. The pro-life movement,’” she said, “‘should be thrilled with this pick.’” Mrs. Hawkins went on to call Gov. Pence “‘a pro-life trailblazer.’”

The Indiana governor won praise as well from within his state. Indiana Right to Life president Mike Fichter told Ben Johnson, “‘Gov. Pence is devoted to protecting the unborn and their mothers. … [His] pro-life stance is more than a talking point; Gov. Pence has put his pro-life position into action time and time again.’”

In addition to the anti-discrimination protections, Indiana’s new law also, according to James Barrett, writing for The Daily Wire, “also addresses the controversial ‘fetal tissue’ (baby body parts) industry that Planned Parenthood has been heavily involved in and came under fire for after the release of a series of undercover videos” just one year ago. “The bill,” he writes, “prohibits ‘an individual from acquiring, receiving, selling or transferring fetal tissue’ and makes it ‘a Level 5 felony to unlawfully: (1) transfer; and (2) collect fetal tissue.’”

That legislation and the governor’s backing of it drew the ire of Democratic Presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton even before Mr. Pence was named to the opposing ticket. On May 1,
reports Mr. Barrett, “the Democratic frontrunner told hundreds of her supporters in Indianapolis … that the anti-discrimination [law] was an ‘attack’ on women and on Planned Parenthood, which leads the nation in conducting abortions.

“‘I will defend a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions,’ said [former Sen.] Clinton, according to the Washington Post,” quoted by Mr. Barrett. “‘I’ll tell ya, I’ll defend Planned Parenthood against these attacks,’” she said. “‘And I commend the women of this state, young and old, for standing up against this governor and this legislature.’

“As the Post points out,” writes Mr. Barrett, “in her full-throated condemnation of the bill, ‘[s]he did not mention the details of the legislation.’” Details which would be embraced by the vast majority of Americans.

Dismemberment Ban on the Move in Pennsylvania

LEGISLATION BANNING DISMEMBERMENT ABORTION has cleared the Judiciary Committee in the Pennsylvania State Senate by a nearly two-to-one margin, according to a report from Maria Gallagher, legislative director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation.

The bill has already passed the Pennsylvania House, reports Ms. Gallagher, “by an overwhelming, bipartisan 132-to-65 margin” and further provides for “updat[ing] state law to reflect the ever-changing landscape of fetal viability. Pennsylvania,” notes Ms. Gallagher, “banned late-term abortions long ago, barring abortion after 24 weeks’ gestation. House Bill 1948 would move the ban to 20 weeks, based on the advancements medical science has made in saving premature babies.” Twenty weeks is also the point at which many medical experts say gestating babies experience pain if such is inflicted, as in abortion or in fetal surgery (for which fetal anesthesia is administered).

Senate passage of the measure could set up quite a fireworks display in coming weeks, as Pennsylvania’s current governor, Democrat Tom Wolf, is a former Planned Parenthood abortuary “escort” and an open opponent to the right to life of preborn boys and girls. He has already threatened to veto the bill, according to Ms. Gallagher, but “a Communications Concepts poll last year,” she reports, “found 61% of Pennsylvanians support a ban on dreadful dismemberment abortions. The survey,” she notes, “indicated that support was actually higher among women – 64% – as opposed to men – 58%. In fact,” she writes, “a majority of Republicans, Democrats and Independents all agreed with the ban.”

Helping to enlighten and energize the public, Ms. Gallagher quotes from late-term abortionist Warren Hern of Colorado, describing a D&E (Dilation & Evacuation, a/k/a Dismemberment) abortion in a textbook on abortion practices: “‘[T]here is no possibility of denial of an act of destruction by the operator [of a D&E abortion]. It is before one’s eyes. The sensation of dismemberment flows through the forceps like an electric current.’” What seemingly turns on Mr. Hern horrifies the average American and ought to trouble even the likes of Gov. Wolf; we shall see.

Predictable Injustice

U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE MYRON THOMPSON IS SHOWING AGAIN how critical is the voters’ decision in choosing who will have the power to appoint federal judges. And how unfortunate is the law which allows judges to continue to make rulings after their retirement to “senior” status. His continued service (to the abortion industry) also shows the folly of rushing judicial nominees to confirmation by the United States Senate, which all too often devolves into a bowing club of genteel accommodation.

The senior judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, appointed by President Jimmy Carter on Sept. 17, 1980, and confirmed just nine days later on Sept. 26, “retiring” on Aug. 22, 2013, has made a practice of invalidating duly enacted pro-life laws in Alabama, and he has now issued a stay until an October hearing of two laws set to take effect Aug. 1.

One of the laws which Judge Thompson is forestalling at the request of the ACLU is a Dismemberment Abortion Ban; the other would bar the issuance or renewal of a license, reports Dave Andrusko for National Right to Life’s NRL News Today, “to facilities where abortions are performed within 2,000 feet of K-8 public schools.” The Dismemberment Ban, notes Mr. Andrusko, “passed the state House of Representatives 74 to 26 and the State Senate 30-to-2, and was signed into law by Gov. Robert Bentley (R) [on] May 12.”

The Thompson name “is familiar to NRL News Today readers,” writes Mr. Andrusko. “Last March, in a 53-page decision, he permanently struck down a part of Alabama’s Women’s Health & Safety Act that required abortionists to have admitting privileges at a local hospital.” So much for caring for “women’s health.”

Taxpayers’ Friend?

PLANNED PARENTHOOD HAS A NEW ‘CAUSE’ TO PUSH in Illinois: tax relief. And just to show how ludicrously beholden to the abortion behemoth is the Illinois General Assembly, Planned Parenthood of Illinois has managed to plop their dream on the governor’s desk by votes of 52-to-1, with one voting “present” in the State Senate and 112-to-0 in the State House.

To be more specific, SB-2746 adds feminine hygiene products to the list of necessities exempted from sales tax beginning in 2017. Planned Parenthood, according to IllinoisReview.com, claims that “‘taxing these essential products is unfair and expensive.’”

Neither Planned Parenthood nor, seemingly the consciences of 164 legislators who voted for the measure have engaged in explaining how a new sales tax exemption squares with Illinois’s notoriously out-of-balance budget. But because of Planned Parenthood’s advocacy for this scheme, we join Illinois Review in asking: “When demands are being made for more budget cuts and vendors go months and months in arrears waiting for their compensation, why do these items get special exemption?”

Disturbing Reality

July 12, 2016, The Point commentary by John Stonestreet for the Colson Center for Christian Worldview

When it comes to abortion, America is extreme. …

A recent poll conducted by Barna found that just 17% of millennials agree with Hillary Clinton’s stance on abortion. Clinton, in case you’re not familiar, takes the extreme position that abortion should be legal throughout pregnancy, for any reason. Her view represents many pro-choice politicians, but it’s out of sync with the next generation and much of the world.

In a terrific video for Prager University, Elisha Krauss compares America’s abortion laws to those in western Europe, often considered a model society by progressives.

Well, it turns out Europe is much more restrictive of abortion. In Germany, Denmark, Belgium and France, abortions after 12 weeks are either illegal or heavily regulated. Waiting periods and parental consent laws are common. Some countries even require counseling for abortion-minded mothers.

Abortion should be illegal, period. But the disparity with other countries shows how extreme American law is and how reasonable pro-life policy proposals really are.

Contrasting the Platforms

Excerpts from July 19, 2016, memo from FRC Action (the lobbying arm of Family Research Council)

Talk about night and day! It’s difficult to overstate just how fundamentally different the Republican and Democratic Party platforms are from each other. For starters, there’s the fact that the GOP openly televises their platform drafting process on C-Span for all to see, while the Democrats do their drafting behind closed doors… .

On issue after issue, the Republican platform is the one that possesses a moral ethic guided by an acknowledgment of a Higher Power and Authority, which undergirds the framework of the document as a whole. This is clearly stated in the platform’s Preamble, which quotes the Declaration of Independence: “All are created equal, endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Yesterday at the Republican National Convention, the party ratified the 2016 Republican Platform that included numerous victories for social conservatives to stand strong on life, marriage and religious liberty. The Democrat Platform, which is pending final approval, has swung even farther to the extreme left on numerous issues. Here are some of the differences…

On Abortion, Taxpayer Funding and Religious Freedom
For the first time in history, the Democrats and their presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton have called for overturning the Hyde and Helms Amendments and call for federal taxpayers to fund abortion on demand at home and even abroad. The Republicans “call for codification of the Hyde amendment and its application across the government, including ObamaCare.” In addition, the Democrats’ radical push for abortion coverage makes no exception even for religious organizations or conscience protections for doctors or nurses who object to abortion, and they insist on the repeal of the Mexico City Policy to fund abortions in other nations. The Republicans insist on protecting “the rights of conscience of healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and organizations, especially the faith-based groups” and restoring the Mexico City Policy.

On Planned Parenthood and the Selling of Baby Body Parts
The Democrats support Planned Parenthood by name. The Republicans, for the first time, call for the defunding of Planned Parenthood for committing abortions, selling baby parts and deceiving women with faulty consent forms. They call on Congress to enact a ban on any sale of fetal body parts.

House Voting Record

S-304 – Final Passage – Conscience Protection Act – July 13, 2016 – Passed – 245-182 (Democrats in italics; new Member in ALL CAPS)

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, 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, 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, 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; Collins, Donovan, Gibson, Katko, King, Reed, Stefanik, Zeldin/NY; Ellmers, Foxx, Holding, Hudson, Jones, McHenry, Meadows, Pittenger, Rouzer, Walker/NC; Cramer/ND; Chabot, DAVIDSON, Gibbs, Johnson, Jordan, Joyce, Latta, Renacci, Stivers, Tiberi, Turner, Wenstrup/OH; Bridenstine, Cole, Lucas, Mullin/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, Cuellar, Culberson, Farenthold, Flores, Gohmert, Granger, Hensarling, Hurd, S. Johnson, Marchant, McCaul, Neugebauer, Olson, 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, 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, DeLauro, Esty, Himes, Larson/CT; Carney/DE; Brown, Castor, Deutch, Frankel, Graham, Grayson, Murphy, Wasserman-Schultz, Wilson/FL; Bishop, Johnson, Lewis, D. Scott/GA; Gabbard/HI; Bustos, D. Davis, Duckworth, Foster, Gutierrez, Kelly, Quigley, Rush, Schakowsky/IL; Carson, Visclosky/IN; Loebsack/IA; 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; Ellison, McCollum, Nolan, Walz/MN; Thompson/MS; Clay, Cleaver/MO; Ashford/NE; Titus/NV; Kuster/NH; Norcross, Pallone, Pascrell, Payne, Sires, Watson-Coleman/NJ; Lujan, Lujan-Grisham/NM; Clarke, Crowley, Engel, Hanna, 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/PA; Cicilline, Langevin/RI; Clyburn/SC; Cohen, Cooper/TN; Castro, 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, McDermott, Smith/WA; Kind, Moore, Pocan/WI.

Not voting: Hastings/FL, Takai/HI, Yarmuth/KY; Pearce/NM, Russell/OK, Poe/TX, Ryan/WI.