Life Advocacy Briefing

What Not to Say about Abortion!

CONGRESSMAN PETER ROSKAM’s EYEBROWS SHOT UP during a recent debate with his opponent when the left-wing Democrat in Illinois’s 6th District made clear that to him, the contract killing of an unborn child is no big deal.

In responding to a moderator’s question about abortion, Rep. Roskam confirmed his own pro-life stand, but Sean Casten, reports Illinois Review, “said abortion is like ‘gall bladder surgery’ and should be a woman’s choice.”

In news coverage of Mr. Casten’s eyebrow-raising flippancy, Chicago Now contributor Dennis Byrne – a veteran Chicago columnist who many years ago opened his own eyes to the reality of abortion – comments in response to the breathtaking debate moment: “Sean Casten … gets a nomination for the most heartless and cruel statement of the mid-term election campaign. Also dangerous. ‘I view abortion as a medical procedure like a gall bladder surgery,’ said Mr. Casten,” quoted by Mr. Byrne. “Americans find,” writes Mr. Byrne, “that many of the things that the never-compromise abortion industry (e.g. Planned Parenthood) [claim] are annoying or offensive, but Casten’s comparison of a fetus – a living human being – with an organ should top them.

“A gall bladder doesn’t have its own DNA separate from his or her mother’s. Gall bladder surgery doesn’t end a human being’s life,” notes Mr. Byrne. “A mother can live without a gall bladder; ‘terminating a pregnancy’ ends a human life. A gall bladder doesn’t continue living as a person after the mother dies. … Well,” writes Mr. Byrne, “at least Casten compared abortion to something human – a gall bladder. But there are those who would compare a fetus to a tumor or a ‘clump of cells’ that might as well be a cabbage. Human life has become so worthless that human beings have become expendable” to extremists like Sean Casten.

Rep. Roskam’s opponent has been endorsed, notes Illinois Review, “by National Abortion Rights Action League and taxpayer-funded Planned Parenthood, who protested outside the debate venue.”

Arizona Taking Lead on Life

CATCHING UP ON A DELUGE OF NEWS, National Right to Life News Today writer Dave Andrusko highlighted on July 31 two new Arizona laws which were signed this spring by Gov. Doug Ducey (R). Mr. Andrusko cites as his sources reports by Howard Fischer of Capitol Media Services on laws about to take effect in mid-summer and LifeSiteNews.com reporter Calvin Freiburger.

One of the new laws, notes Mr. Andrusko, is “‘designed to prevent women from being coerced into abortions by imposing stricter standards on abortionists,’ according to Calvin Freiburger. ‘It also requires more detailed reporting on women’s reasons for – and complications from – abortion.’ A key provision,” notes Mr. Andrusko, “requires abortionists to ask women if they have been coerced into having the abortion or if they are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking or incest.”

The other new law pertains to the fate of human beings in embryonic state which were conceived through in vitro fertilization and whose parents are seeking divorce or pursuing “subsequent disputes over frozen embryos,” writes Mr. Andrusko. The measure, according to Mr. Fischer, “‘spells out for the first time in Arizona law what a judge hearing a divorce case must consider when there are fertilized embryos. … Current law gives judges no particular guidance if there is a dispute, with courts often deciding based on any contract the couple signed while still married.’ Under the new law,” writes Mr. Andrusko, “in cases of divorce and subsequent disputes over frozen embryos, courts will give custody to the parent who would ‘allow the in vitro embryos to develop to birth.’

“According to reporter Kaila White of the Arizona Republic,” quoted by Mr. Andrusko, “‘The bill … would override any agreements or contracts that the couple previously had on the matter and would ignore either person’s current objections or concerns. It also outlines that the spouse who does not receive the embryos would not have parental rights or responsibilities to any resulting children unless they agree to them.’

“The law is a first-of-its-kind,” notes Mr. Andrusko, “and would reverse the usual outcomes in disputes where the mother wants one or more of the frozen embryos implanted and the father does not.”

Oregon to Vote on State-Level Hyde Amendment

PRO-LIFE CITIZENS IN OREGON HAVE SUCCEEDED in collecting and filing enough valid petition signatures to post a citizen initiative on the November ballot to adopt a state constitutional amendment “declaring,” writes Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews.com, “that the ‘state shall not spend public funds for any abortion, except when medically necessary or as may be required by federal law.’

“‘Medically necessary’ is defined,” notes Mr. Freiburger, “as any physical condition that ‘would place [the mother] in danger of death unless an abortion is performed,’ while ‘required by federal law’ refers to federal rules requiring that exceptions be made for rape or incest.

“The amendment would also,” Mr. Freiburger reports, “allow the ‘termination of a clinically diagnosed ectopic pregnancy’ to receive public funds.”

Said Oregon Life United (OLU) director Jeff Jimerson, quoted by Mr. Freiburger, “‘We did something many people didn’t think was possible. … Oregonians can finally vote to stop the funding of elective abortions with our state tax dollars.’”

As of now, LifeSiteNews reports, Oregon “has no pro-life laws on the books, is one of 17 states that allow Medicaid funds to be used directly for abortions, and it requires health insurance plans to cover virtually all abortions for any reason, without any co-pay, under a law signed last year by Democratic Gov. Kate Brown,” whom Mr. Freiburger identifies as a “former abortion lobbyist.”

“Oregon’s permissive abortion regime has spent almost $24 million on 52,438 abortions in the past 14 fiscal years, OLU says,” reports Mr. Freiburger. “Christian News Northwest adds that the Oregon Health Plan funds an estimated 10 abortions per day, with more than $1.7 million going to kill 3,557 babies in the last fiscal year alone.” Oregon’s population, according to the Census Bureau, was 4.143 million in 2017.

Out of Step

COMING FROM AN ADMINISTRATION that up to now has seemed to be doing everything “right” on the right-to-life front, news of a US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) new contract with a SanFrancisco “research” firm is offering quite a shock.

The news comes from a June 13 FDA notice, reported on Aug. 7 by Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews.com, of the award of a contract to Advanced Bioscience Resources Inc. (ABR) “for the purpose of acquiring ‘tissue for humanized mice.’ The contract runs,” Mr. Freiburger adds, “from July 15, 2018, to July 14, 2019.”

The contract follows seven similar deals signed by FDA with ABR since 2012, a track record, notes Mr. Freiburger, which is “particularly concerning in light of ABR’s work with Planned Parenthood in the abortion giant’s 2015 [and continuing] scandal over selling aborted baby parts.

“‘Fresh human tissues are required for implantation into severely immune-compromised mice to create chimeric animals that have a human immune system,’ the latest notice explains,” writes Mr. Freiburger. ‘This human immune system allows us to test biological drug products for safety and efficacy. This is necessary because these drug products do not find non-human species drug targets.’”

Yes, that is the language by which “scientists” in the federal bureaucracy seek to justify their use of body parts from aborted human babies.

Notes Terence Jeffrey of CNS News, quoted by LifeSiteNews, “‘By issuing a contract to acquire human fetal tissue to use in making mice with human immune systems, the FDA is using federal tax dollars to create a demand for human body parts that must be taken from babies who are aborted. … Because it would not be able to create its “humanized mice” without fresh tissue taken from aborted babies, the FDA also has an interest in the continuation of legalized abortions at a stage in fetal development when the tissue […] can be retrieved.’ …

“Numerous pro-life leaders,” writes Mr. Freiburger, “say the Trump Administration should revoke the contract.” Amen. And it could well be in order for the White House to begin house-cleaning of the FDA scientists who have perpetrated this experimentation on the taxpayers’ dime.

One Small Step

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HAS ANNOUNCED suspension of its human fetal tissue experimentation program following a determination, reports Operation Rescue’s (OR’s) Cheryl Sullenger, “that researcher Robin Ohls violated UNM Health Sciences Center policy regarding aborted baby remains it obtained from Southwestern Women’s Options (SWO).”

The notorious New Mexico-based abortuary, according to Mrs. Sullenger, is “one of the few facilities in America that openly conducts abortions throughout all nine months of pregnancy,” making it ripe for lucrative fetal tissue harvesting contracts.

Apparently, the UNM action did not arise from moral concerns about the production of the tissues via contract killing of preborn boys and girls but about her failure to file “required paperwork concerning her relationship with a Michigan company, Zietchick,” reports OR, “which procured aborted baby parts from [Ms.] Ohls for use in its own experiments. [Ms.] Ohls also failed to seek an internal review of her research,” writes Mrs. Sullenger, citing the Albuquerque Journal as source.  Ms. Ohls was UNM’s sole fetal tissue researcher, according to a report by Live Action.

Both UNM and SWO are “under investigation by the US Dept. of Justice,” notes Mrs. Sullenger, “for the illegal sale of aborted baby remains for ‘valuable consideration,’ which is a federal crime.”

Clinging to the ‘Right’ to Kill

SIGNALING THE LEFT’s FEAR-&-TREMBLING CAMPAIGN to head off the destruction of the abortion cartel in the wake of what many have already predetermined as “the end of Roe,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed a law in late July, reports Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews.com, “repealing the state’s unenforced bans on abortion and contraception that predate the 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision.

“‘Today, we formally repeal a number of antiquated laws,’” announced the liberal GOP governor, quoted by Mr. Freiburger, “‘some of which could lead to denying young women reproductive health care.’”

The new law is oh-so-cleverly named the “Negating Archaic Statutes Targeting Young (NASTY) Women Act” and is indeed nasty, to our society and particularly to those future young people whose lives are even today cut off by the abortion cartel’s bloody stain on America.

Tragically, the new law passed the Massachusetts Senate by a unanimous vote last January and the House of Representatives by a vote of 136 to 9 in July, reports Mr. Freiburger.

Cuomo Fighting Back

IN ANOTHER SIGN OF THE PANIC driving America’s abortion advocates in the wake of the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) “has announced a new ‘public awareness’ campaign,” reports Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews.com, “to promote abortion centers and counter what he calls pro-life ‘misinformation.’

“The campaign is called ‘Know Your Options,’ according to a press release from the governor’s office,” writes Mr. Freiburger, who notes the campaign “consists of subway ads encouraging women to visit a state website that purports to help them ‘get the facts’ and connect to ‘comprehensive family planning services.’”

The governor’s announcement admits that the campaign is in “‘direct response to widespread reports of organizations known as Crisis Pregnancy Centers,’” reports LifeSiteNews.

“‘While the federal government wages war on women’s reproductive rights,’” the governor declared, quoted by Mr. Freiburger, “‘New York will fight back to protect women’s access to comprehensive, safe and affordable health care,’” the Left’s current code phrase for the contract killing of unborn children.

Gov. Cuomo’s “latest move to promote abortion,” writes Mr. Freiburger, “is part of a long record of pro-abortion advocacy, which includes permitting abortion effectively until birth, forcing taxpayers and insurance companies to pay for abortion, a largely symbolic push to codify Roe v. Wade in state law, and declaring that ‘right to life’ supporters ‘have no place in the state of New York.’”

Take That!

OREGON GOV. KATE BROWN (D) HAS ANNOUNCED HER INTENTION, reports Kelli for Live Action, “to reject all Title X [Ten] family planning funding for her state if Pres. Trump’s Protect Life Rule – which bars abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from receiving Title X funding unless they meet certain conditions – is adopted.

“According to Oregon Right to Life,” writes Kelli, “[Gov.] Brown made the announcement on … July 30 … . The group notes that the Protect Life Rule ‘would cut $50 to $60 million of the more than $500 million in taxpayer funding that Planned Parenthood receives annually’ – unless, of course, Planned Parenthood changes its business plan, providing separate facilities for its lucrative abortion business altogether,” which it will not do.

Public comment on the Protect Life Rule, proposed by the Dept. of Health & Human Services, closed just after the governor made her announcement demonstrating her commitment to abortionists as among her top priorities for Oregon taxpayers.

Joy? Pleasure? Relief? Ha!

Aug. 8, 2018, End of Day Memo by Gary Bauer to supporters of his Campaign for Working Families

            Over the years, I’ve served as Under-Secretary of Education in the Reagan Administration and worked closely with Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson. Defending the values of faith, family and freedom have been the cornerstone of my 40 years of work in Washington, DC.

            Parents often ask me what their children should read and watch. I typically advise that their children read more American history to help offset the anti-American history they’re getting in our public schools and from the popular culture.

            But today I want to tell you something to avoid, especially if you have teenage daughters. You may think Teen Vogue is just a magazine about fashion and dating. But it’s filled with obscene material. And it has a bizarre obsession with promoting abortion.

            The latest example is an article about what Teen Vogue finds amusing. It’s not Stephen Colbert or Saturday Night Live. No, they think, “abortion can be funny.” The article argues that what’s been missing from the abortion debate is the “joy, pleasure and relief” of abortion. Is this what you want your 13-year-old daughter reading? I suspect joy and laughter were not part of any abortion experienced by a teenage girl.

            How dare this magazine tell our daughters that destroying an innocent human life is funny, akin to getting a manicure or getting their ears pierced.

                Abortion is a tragedy. It’s a life-altering event that produces a dead baby and can result in decades of anguish for the mother. Sadly, any girl reading Teen Vogue may not discover this reality until it’s too late.