Life Advocacy Briefing

Observance

HAPPY CONSTITUTION DAY. Sept. 17 is the beginning of Constitution Week each year, as this is the date on which the Constitution was submitted to the Congress of the United States by the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

Off for a Week?

OUR EDITORIAL STAFF WILL BE TRAVELING, so do not be surprised if you do not see Life Advocacy Briefing next week.

Call Your Senators, Please!

PRIME OBJECTIVE FOR THE CAUSE OF LIFE – at least on the DC front – is confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to succeed recently retired Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.

Calls to home-state Senators are much in order. Capitol switchboard: 1-202/224-3121.

We ask our readers to recognize that this confirmation is not by any means a guarantee that Roe v. Wade is about to be overturned, as the abortion cartel is hysterically insisting (while at the same time declaring it to be “settled law”).

But Judge Kavanaugh has given no cause to believe he is anything other than an adherent to the meaning of the Constitution and a respecter of traditional American values. To us, he offers hope, and we are confident that he will address every issue with honest consideration.

We pray that he will be the last nominee – to any office – to have had to put up with disgraceful behavior in his confirmation hearings, not only from the activists who were sent into the hearing room to disrupt and undermine but especially from certain Senate panelists and staffers who did all they could to undermine the truth about the nominee and to deceive the American people. Thank God these were back-bencher Senators and not in charge of what they sought to convert to a circus – and that their Leader is not in charge of the Senate.

F.D.A. Is Doing What?!

SOME 48 PRO-LIFE LEADERS SENT A LETTER last Tuesday to Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar urging him, reports Operation Rescue’s (OR) Cheryl Sullenger, “to halt the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) policy of purchasing ‘fresh’ aborted human baby remains from Advanced Bioscience Resources (ABR) for the purpose of creating humanized mice used in research.”

The letter was spearheaded, notes Mrs. Sullenger, by the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List (SBA) and asks “that ethical substitutes be found immediately to replace the unethical use of aborted baby tissues and organs that are procured by ABR from Planned Parenthood abortion facilities.” The letter’s full text is reprinted at the close of this Life Advocacy Briefing.

ABR is one of the “middle-man procurement companies,” notes Mrs. Sullenger, “that purchased tissue and organs from Planned Parenthood, then resold them for huge profit to laboratories around the nation for experimentation,” as revealed by the undercover videos produced by the Center for Medical Progress (CMP). “ABR and five California Planned Parenthood organizations have since been referred by the House Select Panel on Infant Lives for investigation and criminal prosecution,” reports OR.

Commented OR president Troy Newman, “It is as if researchers have taken a page out of The Island of Doctor Moreau, the classic sci-fi story by H.G. Wells, where a mad scientist crossed the bounds of ethics and morality to create human-animal hybrids. It is unconscionable,” he said, “that our tax money is actually paying to purchase human baby remains from abortions for these dubious experimental purposes. Other ethical means of finding new cures must be found.”

New C.E.O. Unveiled at Planned Parenthood

PLANNED PARENTHOOD FEDERATION OF AMERICA HAS AT LAST designated a new president, several months after Cecile Richards announced her sudden resignation.

The new c.e.o. of the nation’s chief abortion syndicate is Leana Wen, who will be leaving her post as Baltimore’s health commissioner to represent the baby-killers and other workers who make up the enterprise.

In their campaign to deceive Americans into believing that killing developing babies is somehow an element in “health care,” Planned Parenthood’s p.r. machine was quick to note that Ms. Wen is a “doctor,” the first such medical professional to head the outfit in nearly 50 years, according to the news release quoted by Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews.com.

“Under [Ms.] Wen’s leadership,” writes Mr. Freiburger, “the city of Baltimore sued the Trump Administration over its reduction of federal funds to controversial teen pregnancy prevention programs and resisted the President’s elimination of family planning grants to facilities involved in abortion.” So she qualified, evidently.

Students for Life of America president Kristan Hawkins had a pointed reaction to the appointment, also quoted by Mr. Freiburger. “‘Putting a doctor in [as president] of Planned Parenthood won’t change the fact that the overall mission of that organization is ensuring that many lives are ended at a huge profit to the nation’s number-one abortion vendor. Abortion is not health care,’” Mrs. Hawkins insisted, “‘and women deserve better than what Planned Parenthood wants to sell them.’”

Taking to the Precincts

PLANNED PARENTHOOD MADE ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT EARLY THIS MONTH: That the abortion monster’s political grassroots arm, Planned Parenthood Votes, plans to devote $20 million to its “ground game initiative,” reports Eric Garcia for Roll Call, “for the midterm elections” to be held in early November.

Targeted are Congressional districts “in states including Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, Florida, Minnesota, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin,” reports Mr. Garcia. “The organization,” he writes, “announced it would team up with Color of Change PAC, the Service Employees International Union and Center for Community Change Action,” all left-wing outfits.

“Kelly Robinson, national organizing director, also said,” writes Mr. Garcia, “the group expected to contact 4.5 million voters and said in Pennsylvania, for example, 80 volunteers will be knocking on doors in 10 counties in the state.” Pennsylvania is one state where the incumbent governor, Tom Wolf (D), is being challenged for re-election by a pro-life State Senator, Scott Wagner (R). The state is also undergoing a heated US Senate race, with pro-life US Rep. Lou Barletta (R) challenging Sen. Bob Casey (D), whose abortion advocacy is particularly offensive to his state’s pro-life community because of his late father’s renowned pro-life stand within the Democratic Party of the past.

Court Gets It Right, This Time

AN APPEALS COURT IN NEW JERSEY HAS REBUFFED the latest attempt by notorious abortionist Steven Brigham to reinstate his revoked medical license.

“Citing ‘gross negligence’ in the late-term abortions of 250 women,” notes Operation Rescue’s (OR) Cheryl Sullenger, “the three-member court upheld the 2014 order that revoked [Mr.] Brigham’s medical license.

“At issue,” she reports, “was [Mr.] Brigham’s bi-state abortion scheme that was considered highly dangerous and likely illegal. [Mr.] Brigham would begin the late-term abortions in New Jersey, allegedly with a lethal injection into the baby, and then would induce labor with misoprostol, a drug that causes strong and unpredictable uterine contractions. The laboring women,” Mrs. Sullenger explains, “would then caravan to an unlicensed ‘secret’ late-term abortion facility in Elkton, Maryland, where the abortions would be completed. [Mr.] Brigham was never licensed to practice in Maryland, and the court found,” she reports, “it was clear that Brigham practiced medicine without a license in that state.”

Citing the South Jersey Courier Post as source, Mrs. Sullenger writes “the court found that Brigham’s lack of licensure endangered women. The ruling also said,” she reports, “evidence supported the view that ‘Brigham’s patients were exposed to harm by his lack of hospital or (licensed ambulatory care facility) privileges to deal with unforeseen complications,” a requirement which state governments are increasingly imposing on abortuaries and their owners.

But Mr. Brigham is, beyond any claim to medical credentials, a businessman, and though he no longer has a valid medical license in any state, “Brigham continues to operate his chain of abortion facilities,” notes Mrs. Sullenger, “in New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and Florida. His Maryland abortion facilities remain unlicensed.”

OR president Troy Newman commented in Mrs. Sullenger’s report: “‘Based on what we have learned about Brigham from the record over the years, he is such a deceptive and dishonest person that it is unbelievable that he is allowed to have anything to do with any business related to abortion or the field of medicine. We are glad he cannot get his medical license back [in New Jersey],’” said Mr. Newman, “‘but regulators in each state where he operates really need to focus on shutting down his dangerous abortion facilities for good.’” Amen.

Appellate Court Upholds Missouri Regs

A 3-JUDGE PANEL of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a lower court’s injunction against Missouri’s enforcement of “rules mandating basic health and safety standards for abortion facilities,” reports Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews.com, citing the Kansas City Star as source.

The laws in question require abortuaries to “adhere to the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers,” writes Mr. Freiburger, “and require abortionists to obtain admitting privileges at nearby hospitals for potential medical complications,” two requirements which are increasingly popular among state legislators nationally, as they represent nothing more than common sense but appear to be deeply concerning to the abortion industry. Is there any wonder why?

The appellate panel ordered the lower court, which had enjoined these reasonable laws, “to reconsider the case and, ‘at the very least, weigh the state’s asserted benefits against the burdens associated with the requirement,’” something which the lower court had failed to consider.

Said Missouri pro-life lobbyist Samuel Lee, quoted by Mr. Freiburger, “‘We’re very happy that the Court of Appeals reversed the lower court decision, and we think when the District Court looks at it again, they will uphold the law, because it protects the health and safety of women who are seeking abortions in Missouri without imposing an undue burden’” on such customers.

“Planned Parenthood Great Plains general counsel Emily Wales,” writes Mr. Freiburger, citing the Associated Press (AP) as source, “said her clients are currently deciding whether to seek a review by the full 8th Circuit.

“The abortion organization fears,” reports LifeSiteNews, “that the rules will force its Columbia facility to stop committing abortions and interfere with efforts to start abortions in Kansas City, Joplin and Springfield. All of this would leave one St. Louis location as the state’s only abortion performer.”

The state’s Dept. of Health & Senior Services responded to the 8th Circuit’s ruling by announcing plans to “‘immediately begin enforcing the hospital privileges and physical plant requirements for abortion facilities,’” reports Mr. Freiburger.

The Fetal Tissue Experimentation Inquiry

Sept. 11, 2018, letter from pro-life leaders to HHS Secretary Alex Azar

            We were shocked and dismayed at the news report that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has signed a contract to purchase “fresh” aborted fetal organs from Advanced Bioscience Resources, for the purpose of creating humanized mice with human immune systems. We expect far better of our federal agencies – especially under the leadership of a courageous pro-life President – entrusted with the health of American citizens. It is completely unacceptable to discover that the FDA is using federal tax dollars and fomenting demand for human body parts taken from babies who are aborted. The FDA’s statement to the news reporter who uncovered this government-sponsored trafficking in baby body parts said that the FDA is “committed to ensuring that its research is conducted responsibly, conforms with all legal requirements and meets the highest ethical standards.”

            These experiments using aborted fetal organs are neither responsible nor do they meet even modest ethical standards, and there are serious questions about the legality of methods used to procure the aborted baby organs and tissue.

            In 2015, disturbing undercover videos obtained by the Center for Medical Progress showed abortion industry staff discussing the sale of fetal brains, hearts, livers and other organs obtained from elective abortions. Subsequent investigations by the House Select Panel on Infant Lives and the Senate Judiciary Committee found evidence of violations of federal laws regarding the buying and selling of fetal organs. Advanced Bioscience Resources, the company with which the FDA has its contract for procurement of aborted fetal organs, is among the entities referred for criminal investigation by both houses of Congress for potential collusion with abortion facilities as well as possibly profiting from the sale of fetal organs from aborted babies.

            The details regarding this FDA contract are still unknown, and full transparency is needed, so that an ethical path forward can be found. For example, how many organs have been ordered, what types and how many of each? How many aborted babies are required for each shipment to FDA, and what gestational ages are ordered for procurement? Since this is a year-long contract to procure aborted baby organs, how many shipments are requested?

            It’s likely that there must be some coordination in timing to obtain “fresh” aborted organs for the experiments, so is there a schedule for shipment and delivery of the aborted organs? Or is this custom order of baby organs on-demand, as needed by FDA? Because there is a requirement for “fresh” tissue, what does this mean in terms of hours elapsed since the harvest of aborted fetal organs for delivery to FDA?

            There is a larger question of openness and transparency at HHS regarding this issue. Not only it this shocking FDA contract of concern, but the National Institutes of Health (NIH) continues to fund fetal tissue experimentation. NIH’s own data indicate that during FY 2017, the NIH spent $98 million for fetal tissue research and expects to spend $103 million in FY 2018. The data for FY 2017 also indicate that while the bulk of this spending comprises grants to university researchers, a number of projects (approx. $21 million) involved experiments with fetal tissue on the NIH campus. We would ask the same questions as above for the taxpayer dollars spent for aborted fetal organs for NIH experiments.

            Besides FDA and NIH, are there other federal agencies, such as CDC, doing experiments with aborted fetal organs? We would appreciate a full accounting and full transparency for any federal agency participating in this type of research.

            Fetal organ procurement is highly unethical and potentially illegal. The undercover investigation by the Center for Medical Progress found that many women solicited to donate aborted baby organs were given misleading consent forms to sign with statements that aborted tissue “has been used to treat and find a cure for such diseases as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and AIDS.” These blatantly false statements violate ethical standards by grossly misleading the patient.

            Moreover, this research is irresponsible. Contrary to claims, there is no scientific requirement of aborted fetal tissue to construct humanized mice. Historically, humanized mice were constructed using aborted fetal organs such as fetal liver, fetal bone marrow and fetal thymus, on the theory that young fetal tissue would be more robust in growth. But good scientific alternatives exist to this grisly sourcing, including use of human umbilical cord blood stem cells and adult peripheral blood stem cells. There are abundant modern scientific alternatives, making aborted fetal tissue unnecessary.

            What steps, if any, did the FDA take to identify ethical alternatives prior to contracting with ABR for organs and tissue from unborn children? Going forward, what agency-wide steps will the Dept. of Health & Human Services take to identify and pursue ethical alternatives with the full engagement of its leadership role in scientific inquiry and enforcement of current law?

            The federal government must find ethical alternatives as soon as possible and should end all association with those who participate in any trafficking or procurement of aborted baby organs. No taxpayer dollars should continue to go to this gruesome practice. It is our hope that these reforms would start with you and HHS – and start today. Sincerely … [Signatures of 48 pro-life leaders, led by Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony List, and Tony Perkins, president of Family Research Council.]