Life Advocacy Briefing

See You in a Couple of Weeks

LIFE ADVOCACY BRIEFING’s WRITING TEAM will be traveling next week, and the following week brings Thanksgiving right at the time we would usually be tapping the keyboard. Consequently, we are suspending publication for an uncharacteristic two weeks. Expect to see us in early December.

‘Death Panel’ Repeal Bill Passes House

THE U.S. HOUSE ADVANCED HR-849 last week, effectively repealing the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) established under ObamaCare to ration care. The measure offered by Rep. Phil Roe (R-TN) on behalf of the National Right to Life Committee (NRL) is called the Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act but could have been called the “Death Panel Abolition Act.”

We salute the House for passing the measure to the Senate on a 307-to-111 roll call, and we publish the voting record at the close of this Life Advocacy Briefing. Records on two procedural roll calls will be published in future editions, as positive majorities on the procedural votes were necessary in order to bring HR-849 to a vote.

Said NRL’s director of federal legislation, Jennifer Popik JD, quoted in an NRL news release, “‘IPAB’s powers go well beyond some benign effort to control Medicare spending. IPAB would recommend drastic limits for the Dept. of Health & Human Services to impose even on what Americans are allowed to spend out of their own funds to save their own lives and the lives of their families.’ … IPAB,” notes the release, “is composed of 15 unelected bureaucrats who are answerable to no one.”

Not Letting It Drop

THE JUSTICE DEPT. HAS ASKED THE SUPREME COURT to “punish the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU),” writes Claire Chretien for LifeSiteNews.com, “for lying to the government about the timeline of an underage illegal immigrant’s abortion.”

The petition to the Court also requests the Supreme Court “to throw out the lower court ruling that allowed ‘Jane Doe,’ a 17-year-old [illegal alien] in the custody of the US government, to abort her baby,” reports Ms. Chretien.

In the brief filed with the Supreme Court, the Justice Dept. (DOJ) charges, reports LifeSiteNews, that “the ACLU moved Jane Doe’s appointment to a day earlier than was originally planned and ‘kept the government in the dark about when Ms. Doe was scheduled to have an abortion.’”

Clearly the Attorney General had intended to appeal the DC Circuit Court’s horrible decision to the higher court, but the question was mooted by the commission of the abortion less than 24 hours after the decision was handed down.

“The ACLU ‘misled the United States as to the timing of Jane Doe’s abortion,’ said DOJ spokesman Devin M. O’Malley,” quoted by Ms. Chretien. “‘After informing Justice Dept. attorneys that the procedure would occur on Oct. 26th, Jane Doe’s attorneys scheduled the abortion for the early morning hours of Oct. 25th, thereby thwarting Supreme Court review. In light of that,’” he said in the LifeSiteNews report, “‘the Justice Dept. believes the judgment under review should be vacated, and discipline may be warranted,’” he said, “‘against Jane Doe’s attorneys.’”

President Cites Forced Abortion in Speech on North Korea

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SCORNED NORTH KOREA’s FORCED ABORTION and infanticide practices in a speech to South Korea’s National Assembly during his Far East trip last week, reports Claire Chretien for LifeSiteNews.com.

“‘North Korean women are forced to abort babies that are considered ethnically inferior,’” said the President in his speech, declaring, reports Ms. Chretien, “‘And if these babies are born, the newborns are murdered. … One woman’s baby born to a Chinese father was taken away in a bucket,’ [Mr.] Trump recalled,” Ms. Chretien writes. “ ‘The guard said it did not deserve to live because it was impure. …

“‘The horror of life in North Korea is so complete,’” he continued, quoted by LifeSiteNews, “‘that citizens pay bribes to government officials to have themselves exported abroad as slaves,’ said [Pres.] Trump. ‘They would rather be slaves than live in North Korea.’”

The LifeSiteNews report quotes a publication called Liberty in North Korea (LINK): “North Koreans who successfully escape to [Red] China ‘face grave danger because the Chinese government arrests and forcibly repatriates North Korean refugees. … If sent back, they undergo interrogation and are at risk of extremely harsh punishments including torture, forced labor, forced abortions and internment in a political prison camp.’”

Straight Talk

KUDOS TO THE TEXAS AUTHORITIES who routinely included an unborn child in reporting the death toll in the horrific in-church massacre in Sutherland Springs last week.

Some consider this controversial, but as Dana Perino said last Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “The Five,” “In Texas, a fetus is considered a child; it is a life. … If that woman had survived but her baby had died, she would have believed that her baby was killed. … It’s not just the laws, but it’s about the mother and the father and what they think about and hope and dream for when their child is going to be born. … They celebrate the moment they find out that they’re pregnant.”

Alabama Dem Makes It Clear: He Supports Even Late-Term Abortion

THOUGH HE HAS SEEMED TO VACILLATE ON HIS ABORTION STAND at various times during his Alabama special election campaign for the US Senate, Democrat Doug Jones has now made clear his abortion position: “‘To be clear,’” he said when asked by AL.com, reports Paul Gattis for the Huntsville media outlet, “‘I fully support a woman’s freedom to choose what happens to her own body. That is an intensely, intensely personal decision that only she, in consultation with her god [sic], her doctor, her partner or family, that’s her choice.’”

In a Sept. 27 interview on the national cable network MSNBC, reports Mr. Gattis, Mr. Jones told interviewer Chuck Todd, “he’s a ‘firm believer that a woman should have the freedom to choose what happens to her own body’ and that he opposed a ban on abortions after the 20th week of gestation, which is a bill passed by the US House of Representatives and now under consideration in the Senate.”

Should Mr. Jones defeat former Alabama Supreme Court Judge Roy Moore, the GOP nominee, in the Dec. 12 special election, he would arrive in the Senate probably in time to cast a vote against the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, the bill to which he referred in the Todd interview.

Anti-Life Attack on Judicial Nominee Flops

Nov. 1, 2017, Washington Update commentary by Family Research Council president Tony Perkins

            The Senate never got a say in the President’s travel ban, his military transgender policy or the abortion of Jane Doe. But they’re confirming plenty of judges who may. After a string of activist court rulings last week, the American people are more anxious than ever to restore some semblance of restraint to the bench. And thanks to Pres. Trump, that restraint is coming – courtesy of four rock-solid judicial nominees.

            Yesterday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) kept up the President’s record-setting pace, sending Amy Coney Barrett to a lifetime post on the [Chicago-based] 7th Circuit Court of Appeals by a 55-43 vote. She was the eighth federal judge confirmed so far – and hardly the easiest. The Democrats’ mask of “tolerance,” which slipped earlier this year when a red-faced Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) condemned the faith of Budget pick Russell Vought, disappeared altogether with Barrett’s nomination.

            Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who could barely contain her disdain for the Notre Dame professor, launched a full-scale attack on the mom of seven – not because of her resume (which is impeccable) or her qualifications (which 73 law professors endorse) – but because of her Catholicism. Insisting her beliefs somehow disqualified her for the job (a violation of the Constitution and basic Americanism), Feinstein and Senate liberal Dick Durbin (D-IL) engaged in outright character assassination. In the end, they didn’t succeed – not in stopping Barrett’s confirmation and certainly not in persuading the American people, most of whom were horrified that the party would use the same religious litmus test attempted on JFK 60 years ago.

            “If I should lose on the real issues in the Presidential race,” Kennedy said at the time, “I shall return to my seat in the Senate satisfied that I tried my best and was fairly judged. But if this election is decided on the basis that 40 million Americans lost their chance of being President on the day they were baptized, then it is the whole of the nation that is the loser in the eyes of Catholics and non-Catholics around the world, in the eyes of history and in the eyes of our own people.”

            Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) harkened back to the 35th President, asking his radical colleagues, “What’s so dangerous, quite frankly, about her Catholic faith and Christian beliefs? Of her being a judge? Are people afraid that she will actually live out what the Book of Proverbs says: ‘To speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, speak for the rights for all who are destitute, speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor and the needy.’ Is that [what] everyone is afraid [of] – that she will live out that Biblical principle?”

            Fortunately, the Democrats’ hostility backfired, and Amy Barrett became a rallying cry for Americans tired of the Left’s hypocrisy. But for Senate Republicans, Barrett wasn’t the only winner in that debate. So was Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is doing his best to dig his party out of the hole that a summer of wasted healthcare opportunities put them in. Despite all of voters’ other disappointments, judicial confirmations are one area the GOP is delivering, and not a moment too soon.

            In a matter of days, we watched the courts’ activism literally destroy one life and endanger millions of others with rulings completely inconsistent with immigration and military statutes. Runaway judges aren’t even hiding their contempt for the law these days – or the people elected to pass them. Instead, they are racing to rewrite public policy, knowing there’s no one holding them accountable except the men and women filling the empty seats next to them.

            This week, Sen. McConnell hopes to send another three originalists their way: Joan Larsen (nominated for the [Cincinnati-based] 6th Circuit), Allison Eid (nominated for the [Denver-based] 10th Circuit) and Stephanos Bibas (nominated for the [Philadelphia-based] 3rd Circuit), each picked by Pres. Trump to help balance out the benches Obama tipped with radical activists. In a column for National Review, McConnell talked about the progress the Senate is making on the nominees (and the progress they could make if the Democrats did their jobs).

            “Pres. Trump has done a terrific job of nominating judges who are committed to ensuring that the courts perform their intended function in our system of government. I have stated many times the Senate’s determination to confirm the President’s judicial nominees, regardless of the often-mindless partisan obstruction we’ve been seeingfrom across the aisle. It did not stop us from advancing several nominees this past week. It will not stop us from confirming several more next week. …

            “Democratic obstruction will likely mean that we’ll have to take more of the Senate’s time to get the job done,” he warned. “But we will confirm these nominees. You can count on it.”

Senate Voting Record

Confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to 7th Circuit Judge – Oct. 31, 2017 – Confirmed – 55-43 (Democrats in italics; “Independent” marked “I”)

Voting “yes” / pro-Life: Shelby & Strange/AL, Murkowski & Sullivan/AK, Flake & McCain/AZ, Boozman & Cotton/AR, Gardner/CO, Rubio/FL, Isakson & Perdue/GA, Crapo & Risch/ID, Young & Donnelly/IN, Ernst & Grassley/IA, Moran & Roberts/KS, McConnell & Paul/KY, Cassidy & Kennedy/LA, Collins/ME, Cochran & Wicker/MS, Blunt/MO, Daines/MT, Fischer & Sasse/NE, Heller/NV, Burr & Tillis/NC, Hoeven/ND, Portman/OH, Inhofe & Lankford/OK, Toomey/PA, Graham & Scott/SC, Rounds & Thune/SD, Alexander & Corker/TN, Cornyn & Cruz/TX, Hatch & Lee/UT, Kaine/VA, Capito & Manchin/WV, Johnson/WI, Barrasso & Enzi/WY.

Voting “no” / anti-Life: Feinstein & Harris/CA, Bennet/CO, Blumenthal & Murphy/CT, Carper & Coons/DE, Nelson/FL, Hirono & Schatz/HI, Duckworth & Durbin/IL, King(I)/ME, Cardin & VanHollen/MD, Markey & Warren/MA, Peters & Stabenow/MI, Franken & Klobuchar/MN, Tester/MT, Cortez-Masto/NV, Hassan & Shaheen/NH, Booker/NJ, Heinrich & Udall/NM, Gillibrand & Schumer/NY, Heitkamp/ND, Brown/OH, Merkley & Wyden/OR, Casey/PA, Reed & Whitehouse/RI, Leahy & Sanders/VT, Warner/VA, Cantwell & Murray/WA, Baldwin/WI.

Not voting: McCaskill/MO, Menendez/NJ.

House Voting Record

HR-849 – Protecting Seniors Access to Medicare Act (to Abolish ObamaCare’s Independent Payment Advisory Board [‘Death Panel’]) – Nov. 2, 2017 – 307-111 (Democrats in italics)

Voting “yes” / pro-Life: Aderholt, Byrne, Palmer, Roby, Rogers, Sewell/AL; Young/AK; Biggs, Franks, Gallego, Gosar, McSally, O’Halleran, Schweikert/AZ; Crawford, Hill, Westerman, Womack/AR; Aguilar, Barragan, Bera, Brownley, Calvert, Carbajal, Cardenas, Cook, Correa, Davis, Denham, Gomez, Hunter, Issa, Knight, LaMalfa, Lieu, Lofgren, McCarthy, McClintock, McNerney, Panetta, Rohrabacher, Royce, Ruiz, Sanchez, Torres, Valadao, Vargas, Walters/CA; Buck, Coffman, DeGette, Lamborn, Tipton/CO; Courtney, Esty, Larson/CT; Blunt-Rochester/DE; Bilirakis, Buchanan, Crist, Curbelo, Demings, DeSantis, Diaz-Balart, Dunn, Frankel, Gaetz, Mast, Murphy, Posey, F.Rooney, T.Rooney, Ros-Lehtinen, Ross, Rutherford, Soto, Webster, Yoho/FL; Allen, Bishop,Carter, Collins, Ferguson, Graves, Handel, Hice, Johnson, Loudermilk, A.Scott, Woodall/GA; Gabbard/HI; Labrador/ID; Bost, Bustos, R.Davis, Hultgren, Kinzinger, Krishnamoorthi, LaHood, Roskam, Rush, Schneider, Shimkus/IL; Banks, Brooks, Bucshon, Hollingsworth, Messer, Rokita, Walorski/IN; Blum, King, Young/IA; Estes, Jenkins, Marshall, Yoder/KS; Barr, Comer, Guthrie, Massie, Rogers/KY; Abraham, Graves, Higgins, Johnson, Richmond/LA; Poliquin/ME; Harris, Ruppersberger/MD; Capuano, Keating, Lynch, Moulton/MA; Amash, Bergman, Bishop, Huizenga, Lawrence, Mitchell, Moolenaar, Trott, Walberg/MI; Emmer, Lewis, Nolan, Paulsen, Peterson/MN; Harper, Kelly, Palazzo/MS; Graves, Hartzler, Long, Luetkemeyer, Smith, Wagner/MO; Gianforte/MT; Bacon, Fortenberry, Smith/NE; Amodei, Kihuen, Rosen/NV; Kuster, Shea-Porter/NH;  Frelinghuysen, Gottheimer, Lance, LoBiondo, MacArthur, Norcross, Pascrell, Sires, Smith, Watson-Coleman/NJ; Lujan-Grisham, Pearce/NM; Clarke, Collins, Donovan, Engel, Faso, Higgins, Katko, King, S.Maloney, Meeks, Meng, Reed, Stefanik, Suozzi,Tenney, Zeldin/NY; Budd, Butterfield, Foxx, Holding, Hudson, Jones, McHenry, Meadows, Pittenger, Rouzer, Walker/NC; Cramer/ND; Beatty, Chabot, Davidson, Gibbs, Johnson, Jordan, Joyce, Latta, Renacci, Stivers, Tiberi, Turner, Wenstrup/OH; Cole, Lucas, Mullin, Russell/OK; DeFazio, Walden/OR; Barletta, Boyle, Costello, Dent, Fitzpatrick, Kelly, Marino, Meehan, Perry, Rothfus, Shuster, Smucker, Thompson/PA; Duncan, Gowdy, Norman, Rice, Sanford, Wilson/SC; Noem/SD; Blackburn, DesJarlais, Duncan, Fleischmann, Kustoff, Roe/TN; Arrington, Babin, Barton, Brady, Burgess, Carter, Castro, Conaway, Cuellar, Culberson, Farenthold, Flores, Gohmert, Gonzalez, Granger, G.Green, Hensarling, Hurd, S.Johnson, Marchant, McCaul, Olson, O’Rourke, Poe, Ratcliffe, Sessions, Smith, Thornberry, Veasey, Vela, Weber, Williams/TX; Bishop, Love, Stewart/UT; Brat, Comstock, Connolly, Goodlatte, Griffith, Taylor, Wittman/VA; Herrera-Beutler, Kilmer, McMorris-Rodgers, Newhouse, Reichert/WA; Jenkins, McKinley, Mooney/WV; Duffy, Gallagher, Grothman, Sensenbrenner/WI; Cheney/WY.

Voting “no” / anti-Life: Grijalva/AZ; Bass, Chu, Costa, DeSaulnier, Eshoo, Garamendi, Huffman, Khanna, Lee, Lowenthal, Matsui, Napolitano, Pelosi, Roybal-Allard, Schiff, Sherman, Swalwell, Takano, Thompson, Waters/CA; Perlmutter, Polis/CO; DeLauro, Himes/CT; Castor, Deutch, Hastings, Lawson, Wasserman-Schultz/FL; Lewis/GA; Hanabusa/HI; D.Davis, Foster, Gutierrez, Kelly, Lipinski, Quigley, Schakowsky/IL; Carson, Visclosky/IN; Loebsack/IA; Yarmuth/KY; Pingree/ME; Brown, Cummings, Delaney, Hoyer, Raskin, Sarbanes/MD; Clark, Kennedy, McGovern, Neal, Tsongas/MA; Conyers, Dingell, Kildee, Levin/MI; Ellison, McCollum, Walz/MN; Thompson/MS; Clay, Cleaver/MO; Titus/NV; Pallone, Payne/NJ; Lujan/NM; Crowley, Espaillat, Jeffries, Lowey, C.Maloney, Nadler, Rice, Serrano, Slaughter, Tonko, Velazquez/NY; Adams, Price/NC; Fudge, Kaptur, Ryan/OH; Blumenauer, Bonamici, Schrader/OR; Brady, Cartwright, Doyle, Evans/PA; Cicilline, Langevin/RI; Clyburn/SC; Cohen, Cooper/TN; Doggett, A.Green, Jackson-Lee/TX; Welch/VT; Beyer, McEachin, Scott/VA; DelBene, Heck, Jayapal, Larsen, Smith/WA; Kind, Moore/WI.

Not voting: Brooks/AL; Sinema/AZ; Nunes, Peters & Speier/CA; Wilson/FL; D.Scott/GA; Simpson/ID; Scalise/LA; Upton/MI; Bridenstine/OK; Black/TN; E.B.Johnson/TX; Pocan & Ryan/WI.