Life Advocacy Briefing

God Bless You, Rep. Scalise

WE AWAIT WORD, at the time of this writing, of the expectation of recovery for House GOP Whip Steve Scalise (LA), but we are deeply concerned and prayerful about his condition, currently, at this writing, evaluated as “critical.” We ask our readers to join us in fervent prayer for Rep. Scalise, for the others wounded in last Wednesday’s vicious attack on the House GOP baseball team, and for our country, which so often these days seems beleaguered. We ask our readers to turn to the Holy Bible for guidance for our nation, and because we believe America was founded upon the beneficence and guidance of Divine Providence, we refer especially to II Chronicles 7:14.

Missouri Governor Takes on the Fight

MISSOURI’s NEW GOVERNOR, ERIC GREITENS (R), HAS SUMMONED lawmakers into a special session, opening last Monday, for the specific purpose, reports National Right to Life News Today (NRL News), of “protecting pregnancy resource centers and proposals for commonsense health-and-safety standards in abortion clinics.”

The governor announced his call in a lengthy, passionate video posted on Facebook, starting out, as quoted by NRL News, “‘I’m pro-life, and I believe that we need to defend life and promote a culture of life here in the state of Missouri.’”

Gov. Greitens is calling on the legislature to fight back against a new municipal ordinance “‘making St. Louis an abortion sanctuary city, where pregnancy care centers can’t work the way they’re supposed to. Politicians,’” he declared in the video, quoted by NRL News, “‘are trying to make it illegal, for example, for pro-life organizations to say that they just want to hire pro-life Missourians. The Senate had a bill to address this during the session, but they failed to act.,’” he said. “‘We’re calling a special session to support the people doing this vital work to help women and children.’”

Blood-Stained Welcome Mat

APPARENTLY THE POLITICIANS CONTROLLING DELAWARE are seeking to mark their state as a magnet for baby killers.

Gov. John Carney (D) has pledged to sign SB-5, passed now by both legislative houses, to effectively repeal every limit on abortion businesses which has been law in the state. Votes on the neon welcome sign were 22 to 16 in Delaware’s House of Representatives and 11 to seven in the state’s Senate. The change was pushed by Planned Parenthood, according to National Right to Life Committee’s Dave Andrusko.

Ohio Lawmakers to Debate ‘Heartbeat’ Bill

THE ‘HEARTBEAT BILL’ – legislation to outlaw abortion on babies with a detectable heartbeat – has been reintroduced in Ohio, where it passed in 2016, only to be vetoed by Gov. John Kasich (R).

This time, one of the principal sponsors of the pioneering abortion ban is a 28-year-old State Representative, Christina Hagan (R), who is reportedly the youngest lady ever elected to the Ohio House; she first entered the House by appointment in 2011 at the age of 22 and has been re-elected ever since.

In a LifeSiteNews.com report by Claire Chretien, Rep. Hagan was quoted from a report on the landmark measure in the Columbus Dispatch: “‘I believe that children with beating hearts deserve protection in the state of Ohio, and we should work toward that effort regardless of what the political climate ever looks like. … Every chance we have to debate this,’” she said, “‘we have an opportunity to change hearts and minds on the issue. … Every time we have the discussion about the validity of the child in the womb,’” she continued in the Columbus Dispatch report quoted by Ms. Chretien, “‘I believe we save lives. … I believe that these discussions encourage others to understand and extend that protection to the unborn, even if it’s those in the Senate or the executive branch that haven’t formerly supported the legislation.’”

At the federal level, six Congressmen have joined Rep. Steve King (R-IA) as additional co-sponsors of the Heartbeat Bill, HR-490, bringing to 93 the current total. Added to those we reported in the May 29 edition of Life Advocacy Briefing are co-sponsoring Representatives Jim Banks (IN), Andy Harris (MD), Brad Wenstrup (OH), Michael Conaway & John Ratcliffe (TX) and Sean Duffy (WI).

Serving Women’s Interests

KANSAS GOV. SAM BROWNBACK (R) HAS SIGNED a new pro-life law into effect. “The Disclose Act,” explains Kathy Ostrowski, policy and research director for Kansans for Life in a National Right to Life News story, “is an important update to the state’s 1997 Woman’s Right to Know Act that dictates basic professional information required on abortion informed consent documents.”

Gov. Brownback explained to citizens assembled for the bill’s signing ceremony, quoted by Ms. Ostrowski, “‘The dignity of life and the inherent right to life is shared by all people, both born and unborn. The complexities surrounding countless crisis pregnancies are many and varied. Too often women are led to believe,’” he said, “‘that abortion is their only option, when it clearly, clearly is not. Regardless of a woman’s ultimate decision regarding abortion, she has a right to know about the provider and their medical qualifications.’”

Opposed by the abortion industry and its fellow travelers in the Kansas legislature, the Disclose Act passed the Senate 25 to 15 and the House 84 to 38.

Facing Reality

June 6, 2017, Washington Update commentary by Family Research Council president Tony Perkins

            Americans need to understand that when organizations like Planned Parenthood insist that women have a “right” to abortion, they don’t mean a safe one. In clinics across the country, vulnerable women are shuttled in and out of clinics that look more like combat zones than surgical centers. Kermit Gosnell, who was convicted of 261 pages of horrors at his Philadelphia clinic, put a real face on the “choice” movement. For his patients – and so many others – “choice” means being subjected to rusty equipment, blood-stained blankets and untrained staff.

            Unfortunately, Gosnell is just one example of a nationwide nightmare. In Pennsylvania, Gosnell’s bloody legacy lives on in a shocking case of clinic neglect. While the infamous “doctor” may be behind bars, area clinics are showing how little they learned from the tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of two women and countless innocent children.

            Inspectors filed a blistering report this month against the Hillcrest Women’s Medical Center, which officials were shocked to find in complete disarray. Apart from using “expired medical supplies,” it had “no record of patients receiving anesthesia, didn’t run the legally required background checks on employees who work with minor patients, and didn’t have a registered nurse or doctor supervise patients” recovering from surgery. Staffers failed to do even the most basic tasks, like check women’s blood types, secure the office drug supply and use needles and syringes that aren’t old, yellow and “physically deteriorated.”

            Like Gosnell’s “house of horrors,” the clinic isn’t just unsafe for patients but staff, too. That’s part of the reason State Senators are so upset. “These health-and-safety violations are obviously deeply troubling,” they write in a letter to the agency. “However, even more problematic appears to be [the Dept. of Health’s] response, which was to allow the abortion clinic to continue operating while granting Hillcrest a six-month grace period to correct the cited ‘deficiencies.’” The trio goes on, “We would like an explanation as to why DOH did not immediately move to suspend or revoke Hillcrest Women’s Medical Center’s license upon finding such numerous egregious violations.”

            Six years ago, with the haunting images of Gosnell’s urine-stained walls still fresh on everyone’s minds, Pennsylvania passed a law that forced abortion clinics to undergo surprise inspections. With these revelations, people are rightly wondering whether state officials have done enough. Believe it or not, abortion continues to be one of the least regulated surgeries in the United States. A lot of states’ clinics have fewer regulations than beauty salons or public schools. That has started to change with a wave of laws that force abortion clinics to meet the same standards as ambulatory hospitals. That means more licensed staff, better sanitation, bigger rooms and safer equipment.

            To most of us, that only sounds logical. But to abortion clinics, the bulk of which cut corners to make a profit, it represents a huge hurdle in doing business. For them, the emphasis has always been on revenue, not patient safety. When they’re asked to comply with strict new health standards, most would rather shut down than protect women. And while groups like Planned Parenthood claim that safety is their number-one priority, the reality is that they are part of the coalition spending millions of dollars to fight these common-sense regulations. That, more than anything, should expose the pro-abortion movement for what it is: Cold, calculating opportunists who see women as profit, not patients.

Priority One: Defund Planned Parenthood!

June 13, 2017, commentary by Bradley Mattes, president, Life Issues Institute

            A battle is brewing in the US Senate over funding of Planned Parenthood. This is the opportunity for pro-life Republican leadership to deliver on past promises to protect unborn babies and women. Will they? We need all hands on deck, and there are a few specific things you can do to help.

            The Senate is considering whether or not to fund Planned Parenthood with your tax dollars in the reconciliation bill. This legislation requires only a majority vote because it’s not subject to a Senate filibuster, but a reconciliation bill limits the Senate’s actions to measures related to the budget.

            The legislation passed in the House of Representatives stops for one year Medicaid reimbursement to Planned Parenthood, which accounts for about 85% of their tax funding of $555 million.

            Withholding Medicaid reimbursement for 12 months will make a significant difference to the future of this abortion giant. Their infrastructure would immediately begin to deteriorate. Bills wouldn’t be paid, and payroll could not be met. Employees would quickly find other jobs, and clients would find alternate sources for non-abortion-related services. Planned Parenthood affiliates that have relied on mortgages to spend millions for mega abortion facilities or other improvements would be in a terrible financial bind.

            When an organization relies so heavily on tax funding and its source of income has been largely “terminated” (pun intended), the downward spiral would be steep.

            Dawn Laguens, Planned Parenthood executive vice president, is trying to frighten women with a Chicken Little impersonation: “People will lose access, and women will die.” What she isn’t telling the media is that women are already dying at the hands of Planned Parenthood abortion facilities:

o   Diana Lopez died on Feb. 28, 2002, in LosAngeles. She bled to death after her abortion.

o   Holly Patterson died on Sept. 17, 2003, in SanFrancisco. Cause of death was clostridium sordellii infection.

o   Hoa Thuy (Vivian) Tran died on Dec. 29, 2003, in a hospital emergency room after an abortion in Costa Mesa, California.

o   Edrica Goode died on Feb. 14, 2007, in Riverside, California. Cause of death was toxic shock after a late-term abortion.

o   Tonya Reaves died on July 20, 2012, in Chicago. She bled to death.

o   Cree Erwin-Sheppard died days after her abortion in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Cree suffered a perforated uterus. She was found dead in her mother’s home on July 4, 2016.

            Scores more women are being injured and maimed, some paying with their fertility because they had abortions or other surgical procedures at Planned Parenthood. Here’s a small sample:

o   Linda McCowan, in Overland Park, Kansas, was left in a coma after a botched tubal ligation, when the oxygen tube was inserted into her stomach instead of her lung. Her injuries were inflicted on Nov. 11, 2000.

o   “Jane Roe,” in Lincoln, Nebraska, lost 80% of her blood volume and required an emergency hysterectomy and repair [of] a perforated uterus to save her life. Her injuries were inflicted on Aug. 17, 2007.

o   Shantese Butler, in Washington, DC, was left infertile after experiencing severe bleeding after parts of the baby’s body were left inside her womb. This teenager also suffered a perforated uterus, torn small bowel and injuries to her vagina and cervix. Her injuries were inflicted on Sept. 7, 2008.

o   Shemika, in Birmingham, Alabama, was first the victim of a failed surgical abortion, after which they gave her the abortion pill. With the onset of complications, Shemika returned to the abortion facility but was refused help. A pro-life sidewalk counselor took her to the emergency room, where doctors discovered a dead baby in her womb. Her injuries were inflicted on June 21, 2010.

o   Roberta Clark, in Birmingham, was left infertile after an undiagnosed tubal pregnancy and unnecessary suction abortion. Her injuries were inflicted on Aug. 20, 2010.

o   Anathea Griego, in Albuquerque, was seriously injured during a botched tubal ligation. Emergency surgery was required to repair a perforated bowel. Her injuries were inflicted on Aug. 29, 2011.

o   Ayanna Byer, in Colorado Springs, required emergency surgery to remove body parts of the baby left behind. Her injuries were inflicted in October of 2012.

o   Melissa Cullen, in Boston, suffered an extreme loss of blood. Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital told her “the abortion had been done wrong.” Her injuries were inflicted in August of 2012.

            As of October, 2016, Planned Parenthood’s flagship abortion facility in St. Louis had made 61 calls for ambulances since 2009. In spite of this high rate of injuries to women, their CEO Mary Kogut stated that the facility has an “excellent safety record.” The Planned Parenthood in Ann Arbor, Michigan, requested two emergency ambulance calls within 60 days in 2015.

            These documented deaths and injuries are merely the tip of the iceberg. Undoubtedly there are many more that have gone unnoticed or unreported.

            A much, much higher number of women have paid a heavy price for their abortions, which have shattered their emotional peace and well-being. The Internet is teeming with women who deeply regret their abortions and are speaking out.

            Planned Parenthood claims that their non-abortion-related services are irreplaceable. Laguens declares, “There are not enough places for women to go to get this care.” She is lying, and she knows it.

            Women don’t need Planned Parenthood. There are over 13,000 women healthcare centers that provide low-cost services – the ratio is 20:1 – and they far exceed the services Planned Parenthood offers. This quality, affordable health care is only a click away. Life Issues Institute is a proud co-sponsor of www.GetYourCare.org, where women can easily find the center nearest them.

            You and I must do everything we can to get our senators to support the reconciliation bill. I am encouraged by what Sen. John Cornyn, the number-two Republican in the Senate, said: “We have a strong pro-life majority in the Senate, and so it’s (defunding of Planned Parenthood) going to be in there.”

            However, pro-life Sen. Marco Rubio’s comments greatly concern me: “My focus right now is on the broader healthcare marketplace, getting it fixed. Whether I condition my vote on it (Planned Parenthood funding) is not something I’m prepared to say.”

            We must persuade senators that defending the lives of millions of innocent preborn children is paramount to other issues. Dead babies don’t need insurance. If pro-life senators fail to act on our highest legislative priority, they will impose a self-inflicted wound on the prospects of their re-election and maintaining a majority in the House and Senate.

                Contact your Senators. [Capitol switchboard: 1-202/224-3121] Regardless of where they stand on funding Planned Parenthood, they need to hear from you. … During the election, pro-life politicians said, “Elect us, and we’ll be there for the babies!” We’ve elected them; now it’s their turn to act. Make sure they do.