Life Advocacy Briefing

Pompeo Confirmed

THOUGH THE GOING WAS TOUGH in the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Mike Pompeo was ultimately confirmed last week as Secretary of State, a position which holds significance to America’s role in promoting human rights, including the right to life. During discussions leading up to the committee vote, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) used her commitment to abortion as an explanation for her intended “no” vote.

The Senate vote was 57 to 42, needing 51; Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was not in Washington to vote, as he continues to face health challenges which keep him in Arizona. We publish the voting record on Secretary Pompeo’s confirmation – and also on the cloture motion ending debate to bring forth the final vote – at the close of this Life Advocacy Briefing.

Welcoming a New Pro-Life Member

WE WELCOME NEWLY-ELECTED G.O.P. REPRESENTATIVE DEBBIE LESKO to the US House, elected last Tuesday from the Arizona district formerly represented by pro-life champion Rep. Trent Franks, who resigned in December.

The former state lawmaker is a pro-life champion herself, having sponsored legislation offering employers religious exemptions from underwriting contraceptives in their health insurance plans and legislation authorizing unannounced inspections of abortion shops.

Her opponent advocated even partial-birth abortion during an interview on MSNBC. The interview came too late for Rep.-elect Lesko to highlight it during the campaign. But we do know this: A candidate who is being backed by the abortion lobby is inevitably a radical on abortion issues; no regulation or restriction on their gruesome trade is acceptable to the death lobby. Life is a winning issue when offered as the commonsense, merciful choice to voters whose judgment can, in the face of pro-life reticence, be clouded by euphemisms and lies from the abortion lobby and its mouthpieces in politics.

Ohio Going Back to Court to Defund Planned Parenthood

OHIO’s 2016 LAW DEFUNDING ABORTIONISTS has been struck down by a three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. Attorney General Mike DeWine “confirmed,” reports Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews.com, “that he will appeal” the ruling.

“The law stood to defund 28 Planned Parenthood facilities,” notes Mr. Freiburger, “and deprive Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio & Southwest Ohio of almost $1.5 million.”

But Judge Helene White “claimed” in the decision of the panel, writes Mr. Freiburger, “that Planned Parenthood has a ‘due process right’ to perform abortions and that making tax dollars contingent on not perform[ing] abortions violated its ‘right not to be penalized in the administration of government programs based on protected activity outside the programs.’”

“‘After reviewing the 6th Circuit panel decision, the Ohio Attorney General’s office will request en banc review [by the full court],’” Mr. DeWine’s office announced last Monday, quoted by Mr. Freiburger. “‘Nothing in the Constitution requires Ohio to use its funding discretion under these programs to support abortion providers.’”

Internal Combustion?

PLANNED PARENTHOOD APPEARS TO BE SPLITTING from its usual alliance with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), even though PP president Cecile Richards is married to “a top SEIU executive,” reports Campaign for Working Families president Gary Bauer in his April 24 End of Day Memo to CWF supporters.

The split is developing in Colorado, where SEIU is attempting to enlist Planned Parenthood staff into its labor union. PP is, reports Mr. Bauer, “fighting efforts by SEIU to organize its workers.”

Mr. Bauer questions “what the SEIU was fighting for in this case. Is it concerned that the abortionists are overworking their medical staff? Do they need more time off from destroying so many babies? It’s a shame,” he notes, “the babies can’t unionize to demand better rights.

“Or is the union concerned,” asks Mr. Bauer, “about workplace safety? Not surprisingly, Planned Parenthood is fighting efforts to require clinic inspections. The Left always wants to regulate businesses, except when it comes to the billion-dollar abortion industry.”

Tennessee’s Powerful Declaration

TENNESSEE’s HOUSE HAS VOTED 63 to 15 “for a monument to unborn children to be placed on the state capitol grounds,” reports the Associated Press (AP). “If passed by the Senate and signed into law,” notes AP, “private funds would be raised for a monument to victims of abortion.”

The Senate, which is controlled by the Republican Party by a margin of 28 to 5, is expected to pass the bill “easily,” according to Calvin Freiburger, writing for LifeSiteNews.com. The Senate is already considering legislation which would, notes Mr. Freiburger, “‘urge the State Capitol Commission to consider’” such a monument, but Tennessee Right to Life is urging constituents “to contact their state senators” to adopt the House-passed language.

During the House debate on the measure, Mr. Freiburger reports, “Republican Rep. Bill Dunn argued that the monument would serve a similar purpose to existing monuments recognizing victims of American slavery and the Nazi Holocaust. ‘Both of these monuments that are already here,’” said Mr. Dunn, quoted in the LifeSiteNews report, “‘recognized that atrocities occurred because human beings were treated as less than human. In both cases, the vulnerable and defenseless were subjected to the will of the powerful,’ he said. ‘The taking of the life of a baby in the womb is related to this brand of inhumanity.’”

Quoteworthy

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), quoted by Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins in his April 25 Washington Update, excerpting an April 24 speech to Georgetown University students: “We will have a pro-choice gavel when we win the Congress. We need to have at least 218 votes to achieve that. … [It’s a] very high priority to protect a woman’s right to choose. … I know this is touchy on this campus – on all Catholic campuses. … And it’s an issue in the diocese. But the fact is, God gave us all the free will [and] our sense of responsibility to answer for that. So, I am a rabid supporter of a woman’s right to choose and a similar issue of the LGBT community, because they are connected.”

Significant Change in State Dept. Human Rights Policy

April 23, 2018, End of Day Memo by Gary Bauer to his Campaign for Working Families

            While Rep. Nunes is investigating potential scandals of the Obama-era State Department, I am pleased to report that progress is being made by the Trump/Pence team when it comes to eliminating left-wing extremism from the State Department.     

            The Trump State Dept. recently issued its first report on human rights around the world, and there are two big changes. First, when referring to the Palestinian conflict with Israel, the words “occupied territories” have been dropped from references to Gaza and the West Bank.

            In addition, the section of the report on abortion as a “human right” is gone. It has been replaced with a section about “coercion in population control.”

            This is not a “small thing,” my friends. When the Obama Administration pushed abortion as a human right in official documents, that influenced America’s foreign policy.

            Under Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, the United States became a global advocate for the “right” of women to abort their babies. This was done with your tax dollars and in the name of your country.

            It seems to me that human rights must begin with the right to life.

Senate Action Looks to the Long Term

April 24, 2018, Washington Update commentary by Family Research Council president Tony Perkins

            There aren’t a lot of things the Senate does fast. But under President Trump, the “greatest deliberative body” has been deliberate about one thing: judges. It may not make flashy headlines, but Republicans are putting together a dream team on America’s benches, just as fast as the rules (and Senate Democrats) will let them.

            For Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, it’s been a grind. Earlier this month, the White House sent over its twelfth wave of judicial nominees, chocked-full of solid men and women who would do the Constitution proud. And while McConnell has been shattering records for confirmations, the GOP’s success hasn’t exactly been front-page news. As Politico points out, Republicans are quietly making history while most people aren’t looking. “When the Senate is confirming judges, it often looks like the chamber is doing nothing. Cable news ignores it, the floor is often empty in a ‘quorum call.’” But that’s just fine with Republicans, who know that the real payoff for their work will come soon enough. “More than 30 lifetime judicial nominations are ready for the floor, and the Senate Judiciary Committee is continuing to churn them out in preparation for a long, slow [slog] on the Senate floor.”

            To no one’s surprise, Senate liberals are pulling every procedural trick out of their sleeves to bog down the process. And while they have managed to stall the hires, Republicans aren’t losing steam. Trump has already nominated 69 judges, and even with the punishing 30 hours of obstruction on each one, he still managed to confirm 12 circuit court judges. “No president had 12 confirmed in the first year. So, we’re putting a priority on changing the courts. And the kinds of people the President is sending up and we’re confirming are relatively young and extremely bright,” McConnell said.

            One of those young and extremely bright judges is Kyle Duncan, a friend of Tony Perkins from Louisiana who’s been an excellent litigator on a range of issues, including marriage and religious liberty. Earlier today, the Senate rewarded his record by confirming him to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, where everyone is certain he’ll be a champion of the plain text of the law. Duncan’s nomination was even supported by his liberal opponents, like LSU professor Paul Baier, who argued on the other side the Louisiana same-sex marriage case. His glowing endorsement should have left no doubt as to his impartiality.

            “Both of us strove mightily as adversaries. Through it all, however, I always appreciated and respected Kyle’s advocacy for his client and his respect for the humanity of the same-sex couples who would be most affected by the case. While I disagreed with many of his arguments, often emphatically, I never found a trace of bias, bigotry or any disrespect towards the same-sex individuals in the case. … Kyle Duncan is a magnificent nominee for the Fifth Circuit who ought to be swiftly confirmed.”

            Fortunately for freedom-loving Americans, he was. By a three-vote margin, the Senate sent him to fill one of the 149 court vacancies. Of course, the President has been very clear about the type of judges that he would appoint: men and women who will interpret the Constitution and laws according to the plain meaning of the words written. There’s no better example of that kind of judicial temperament than Kyle. And we applaud the Senate for recognizing it.

            Meanwhile, for Republicans like John Cornyn (R-TX), who know their party is hanging on to its majority by a thread, re-stocking the courts is priority number one. It’s “one of the lasting legacies of any Administration and any Congress, because these people will serve 25 to 30 more years,” he explained. With the sand slipping through the hourglass on this Congressional session, party leaders know what they have to do. “In terms of prioritizing our time and effort, I think [judges] should be at the top.” That’s because they know, as we do, that the real work of protecting the conservative agenda won’t come down to Congress – but the courts.

                The urgency of confirming these judges, Arizona’s Jeff Flake (R) pointed out, is also one thing Republicans can agree on. “It takes a long time, it’s tough, but it’s something that we can stick together on,” he said. If Senator McConnell “has to use most of the week to do one nomination,” Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) told reporters, “he’s going to pick a circuit judge almost every time.” It’s a long-term investment – but one, hopefully, that voters will reward them for.

Senate Voting Records

Cloture motion to end debate on nomination of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State – April 26, 2018 – Adopted – 57-42 (New Members in ALL CAPS; Democrats in italics; “Independent” marked “I”)

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

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

Not Voting: McCain/AZ.

Confirmation of Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State – April 26, 2018 – Confirmed – 57-42 (Democrats in italics; “Independent” marked “I”)

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

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

Not Voting: McCain/AZ.