Life Advocacy Briefing

Rule Upheld Barring Abortionists from Title Ten Grants

THE 9^th CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS HAS UPHELD the Trump Administration’s revised regulation barring Title X (Ten) “family planning” grants to outfits which commit abortions, share office space and other assets with abortionists or refer their clients to abortuaries, likely costing Planned Parenthood about $60 million in tax dollars annually.

The unanimous ruling was handed down by a three-judge panel and overturned an earlier ruling by US District Judge Michael McShane, an Obama appointee who serves in Oregon and who had blocked the rule with a nationwide injunction.

The appellate panel opined, writes Jack Crowe for National Review, that the US Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS) was “‘likely to prevail’” in any further appeals of the McShane injunction.

In a 25-page opinion, the panel wrote, reports Mr. Crowe, “‘To find that the Final Rule’s enactment was arbitrary and capricious, the district courts generally ignored HHS’s explanations, reasoning and predictions whenever they disagreed with the policy conclusions that flowed therefrom.’” (Translation: Judge McShane acted out of his own prejudice!) “‘Title X is a limited grant program,’” the appellate panel wrote, “ ‘focused on providing pre-pregnancy family planning services – it does not fund medical care for pregnant women,’ the opinion adds. ‘The Final Rule can reasonably be viewed as a choice to subsidize certain medical services and not others.’”

The lawsuit challenging the rule is expected to continue to move through the judicial system, but the 9^th Circuit ruling permits the rule to be implemented while the judicial process continues.

Why the Silence?

TWO U.S. SENATORS ARE SEEKING AN UPDATE from the Dept. of Justice and the FBI on the baby-body-parts trafficking investigation which has so thuddingly dropped from public awareness.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2016 when he referred eight organizations to the Justice Dept. for investigation and potential prosecution, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who chairs the Judiciary Committee now, sent a letter June 18 to Atty. Gen. William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray, reports Carole Noveilli for Live Action, following up on the referrals, which named Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Stem Express LLC, Advanced Bioscience Resources Inc., Novogenix Laboratories LLC, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte (California), Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, P:lanned Parenthood Northern California and Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest.

“‘These eight criminal referrals,’” the letter states, reported by Ms. Novielli, “‘were based on an investigation by the [Judiciary] Committee’s majority staff, which resulted in a report titled “Human Fetal Tissue Research: Context and Controversy.” … The investigation found evidence suggesting that the buying or selling of human fetal tissue may have occurred, as demonstrated in billing records and procurement logs provided by the named organizations to the Committee. Additionally,’” the letter notes, “‘the investigation uncovered facts that raise a reasonable suspicion that the Planned Parenthood Federation of America may have conspired with its affiliates to violate the fetal tissue law.’”

‘Stop Funding Our Staff’s Abortions!’

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS BEING ASKED by 77 House Members and 17 Senators to the acting director of the White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM), reports LifeSiteNews.com, “to stop subsidizing Congressional health insurance plans that cover abortion,” a practice which was launched by the Obama Regime under its healthcare scheme. The insurance plans cover not only Members of Congress but also their staff and dependents.

“‘Taxpayers, who pay 72-75% of these health benefit premiums, do not want their hard-earned tax dollars to pay for abortions,’” notes the letter quoted by LifeSiteNews. Furthermore, states the letter, “‘The Smith Amendment does not allow Members of Congress and Congressional staff to operate under a different set of rules than other federal employees when it comes to taxpayer funding of abortion.’”

Signers of the letter, notes LifeSiteNews, “include Representatives Chris Smith, Liz Cheney and Mo Brooks and Senators Steve Daines, Marsha Blackburn and Tom Cotton. They call on OPM to take ‘swift action’ to disqualify ‘any DC SHOP [District of Columbia’s Small Business Health Options Program] plan which covers elective abortion’ by the start of plan year 2020.”

In the States

• RHODE ISLAND GOV. GINA RAIMONDO (D) HAS SIGNED a radical abortion law to make sure baby-killing would still be allowed in the state in the event the Supreme Court vacates its repugnant Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton edicts in a way which opens the issue to state governments. The new law, which passed the state’s House by 45 to 29 and the Senate 21 to 17, uses a “health” exception to legalize even late-term abortions to the moment of birth; under Doe v. Bolton, the “health” loophole permits such “factors” as “physical, emotional, psychological, familial and the woman’s age” to excuse a so-called doctor using his so-called “medical judgment” to excuse the deadly act. In Senate debate, quoted by Live Action, Sen. Jessica de la Cruz (R) “called abortion ‘the great injustice of our time. … History will look back at us,’” she said, “ ‘and say: Where were you? …. You allowed for children to be ripped from limb to limb with no care, no concern for their literal feeling.’” And, according to Live Action, Rep. de la Cruz “accurately described” D&E (dilation and evacuation) abortions, a brutal technique ensuring the death of a baby who has gestated past the first three months. Readers who wish to learn about D&E abortions may check into the Live Action-hosted Internet website https://www.abortionprocedures.com.

Be Careful What You Communicate

June 17, 2019, BreakPoint commentary by John Stonestreet & G. Shane Morris

            If it weren’t so jarring and tragic, the contradictory laws and language tolerated in our country about abortion would be laughable.

            On the one hand, we prosecute anyone who harms a pregnant woman and causes her to lose her baby, sometimes even charging them with murder. Meanwhile, that same woman could legally have her unborn child killed with no consequences, just down the street. We have baby announcements – not fetus announcements – and yet, most people who call themselves “pro-choice” insist on referring to the victim of abortion as something other than a baby. According to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a pregnant woman who is “abortion-minded” is not a mother, but apparently any other pregnant woman is.

            And then there’s miscarriage – a tragedy familiar to millions of women in this country, as well as their families. In her memoir, former First Lady Michelle Obama tells about a miscarriage she suffered and how she’d grieved as if she’d lost a child. Because, of course, she had.

            Recently, NPR highlighted Mrs. Obama’s story and others like it in a segment on “demystifying miscarriage.” It’s a powerful hour of radio, filled with women describing the heart-wrenching grief of losing a baby. One described it as a “loss of a secret companion,” and others talked of their longing to protect their tiny children, even after they were gone.

            Tragically, our culture and our laws delegitimize the grief of miscarriage, communicating to mothers, indirectly and sometimes directly, that it’s no big deal. Nearly all of the mothers interviewed by NPR described how few people seemed to fully appreciate what they had gone through, even shrugging off their tragedies as if they hadn’t really lost something or someone precious.

            Incredibly, NPR even tried to make the case that restrictions on abortion have harmed women who’ve suffered miscarriages! This government-funded outlet ignored the government-funded industry that dehumanizes the unborn and treats their deaths as no big deal.

            In fact, a recent documentary on another government-funded media outlet, PBS, goes to even greater lengths to normalize abortion, even comparing it to miscarriage as a way of convicing viewers that it’s no big deal. Who’s minimizing miscarriage, again? In the documentary, a mother at a Philadelphia “women’s center” is filmed taking the abortion pill RU-486 while a doctor describes the twins she is carrying as “pregnancy tissue.” Medical abortions are an increasingly common early-term form of abortion that are carried out entirely with medication. “A medical abortion is very similar to inducing a miscarriage,” explains the doctor, later describing the “miscarriage symptoms” her patient will experience when she takes the second drug to expel her baby.

            What an insult to the millions of women who know what a miscarriage means. Disturbingly, this mother made it clear she knew what abortion means: “What I hope I feel,” she said, “is a sense of peace … with these two beings that I’ve chosen not to bring into the world. Thank you for choosing me,” she tells them. “I’m honored to be given this gift of life. And also, I can’t do it right now.”

            The attempt to sentimentalize abortion isn’t just misguided and wrong. It’s an insult to every woman who has suffered the unchosen loss of miscarriage. More than that, it demonstrates a culpable knowledge – on the part of this woman, PBS, NPR and everyone else involved in this industry of death – of what really happens when a doctor ends a pregnancy by abortion.

            That muffling gauze of medical euphemisms cannot change what is true. Even abortive women themselves, some who are stricken with grief, can’t suppress it either.

            Our prayers to end this casual destruction of life should include, on behalf of our whole nation, an acknowledgement: “Father, forgive us, for we know what we’re doing.”

House Voting Records

Lesko Amendment to HR-2740 – Removing Mandate for $750 Million to ‘Family Planning & Reproductive Health Services’ in Global Health Programs – June 18, 2019 –– Failed – 188-225 (Democrats in Italics)

Voting “yes” / pro-Life: Aderholt, Brooks, Byrne, Palmer, Rogers/AL; Young/AK; Biggs, Gosar, Lesko, Schweikert/AZ; Crawford, Hill, Westerman, Womack/AR; Calvert, Cook, Hunter, LaMalfa, McCarthy, McClintock, Nunes/CA; Buck, Lamborn, Tipton/CO; Bilirakis, Buchanan, Diaz-Balart, Dunn, Mast, Rooney, Rutherford, Spano, Steube/FL; Allen, Carter, Collins, Ferguson, Graves, Hice, Loudermilk, A.Scott, Woodall/GA; Fulcher, Simpson/ID; Bost, R.Davis, Kinzinger, LaHood, Lipinski, Shimkus/IL; Baird, Banks, Brooks, Bucshon, Hollingsworth, Pence, Walorski/IN; King/IA; Estes, Marshall, Watkins/KS; Barr, Comer, Guthrie, Massie, Rogers/KY; Graves, Higgins, Johnson, Scalise/LA; Harris/MD; Amash, Bergman, Huizenga, Mitchell, Moolenaar, Upton, Walberg/MI; Emmer, Hagedorn, Peterson, Stauber/MN; Guest, Kelly, Palazzo/MS; Graves, Hartzler, Long, Luetkemeyer, Smith, Wagner/MO; Gianforte/MT; Bacon, Fortenberry, Smith/NE; Amodei/NV; Smith/NJ; Collins, Katko, King, Stefanik, Zeldin/NY; Budd, Foxx, Hudson, McHenry, Meadows, Rouzer, Walker/NC; Armstrong/ND; Balderson, Chabot, Davidson, Gibbs, Gonzalez, Johnson, Jordan, Joyce, Latta, Stivers, Turner, Wenstrup/OH; Cole, Hern, Lucas, Mullin/OK; Walden/OR; Fitzpatrick, Joyce, Keller, Kelly, Meuser, Perry, Reschenthaler, Smucker, Thompson/PA; Duncan, Norman, Rice, Timmons, Wilson/SC; Johnson/SD; Burchett, Fleischmann, Green, Kustoff, Roe, Rose/TN; Arrington, Babin, Brady, Burgess, Carter, Cloud, Conaway, Crenshaw, Flores, Gohmert, Gooden, Granger, Hurd, Marchant, McCaul, Olson, Ratcliffe, Roy, Taylor, Thornberry, Weber, Williams, Wright/TX; Bishop/UT; Cline, Griffith, Riggleman, Wittman/VA; McMorris-Rodgers, Newhouse/WA; McKinley, Miller, Mooney/WV; Duffy, Gallagher, Grothman, Sensenbrenner, Steil/WI; Cheney/WY.

Voting “no”/anti-Life: Sewell/AL; Gallego, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, O’Halleran, Stanton/AZ; Aguilar, Barragan, Bass, Bera, Brownley, Carbajal, Cardenas, Chu, Cisneros, Correa, Costa, Cox, Davis, DeSaulnier, Eshoo, Garamendi, Gomez, Harder, Hill, Huffman, Khanna, Lee, Levin, Lieu, Lofgren, Lowenthal, Matsui, McNerney, Napolitano, Panetta, Peters, Porter, Rouda, Roybal-Allard, Ruiz, Sanchez, Schiff, Sherman, Speier, Swalwell, Takano, Thompson, Torres, Vargas, Waters/CA; Crow, DeGette, Neguse, Perlmutter/CO; Courtney, Hayes, Himes, Larson/CT; Blunt-Rochester/DE; Castor, Crist, Demings, Deutch, Frankel, Lawson, Mucarsel-Powell, Murphy, Shalala, Soto, Wasserman-Schultz, Wilson/FL; Bishop, Johnson, Lewis, McBath, D.Scott/GA; Case, Gabbard/HI; Bustos, Casten, D.Davis, Foster, Garcia, Kelly, Krishnamoorthi, Quigley, Rush, Schakowsky, Schneider, Underwood/IL; Carson, Visclosky/IN; Finkenauer, Loebsack/IA; Davids/KS; Yarmuth/KY; Richmond/LA; Golden, Pingree/ME; Brown, Cummings, Hoyer, Raskin, Ruppersberger, Sarbanes, Trone/MD; Clark, Keating, Kennedy, Lynch, McGovern, Neal, Trahan/MA; Dingell, Kildee, Lawrence, Levin, Slotkin, Stevens, Tlaib/MI; Craig, McCollum, Phillips/MN; Thompson/MS; Clay, Cleaver/MO; Horsford, Lee, Titus/NV; Kuster, Pappas/NH; Gottheimer, Kim, Malinowski, Pallone, Pascrell, Payne, Sherrill, Sires, VanDrew, Watson-Coleman/NJ; Haaland, Lujan, Torres-Small/NM; Brindisi, Clarke, Delgado, Engel, Espaillat, Higgins, Jeffries, Lowey, C.Maloney, S.Maloney, Meeks, Meng, Morelle, Nadler, Ocasio-Cortez, Rice, Rose, Serrano, Suozzi, Tonko, Velazquez/NY; Adams, Butterfield, Price/NC; Beatty, Fudge, Kaptur/OH; Horn/OK; Blumenauer, Bonamici, DeFazio, Schrader/OR; Boyle, Cartwright, Dean, Doyle, Evans, Houlahan, Lamb, Scanlon, Wild/PA; Cicilline, Langevin/RI; Clyburn, Cunningham/SC; Cohen, Cooper/TN; Allred, Castro, Cuellar, Escobar, Fletcher, Garcia, Green, Jackson-Lee, Johnson, Veasey, Vela/TX; McAdams/UT; Welch/VT; Beyer, Connolly, Luria, McEachin, Scott, Spanberger, Wexton/VA; DelBene, Heck, Jayapal, Kilmer, Larsen, Schrier, Smith/WA; Kind, Moore, Pocan/WI.

Not voting: Roby/AL; Pelosi/CA; DeLauro/CT; Gaetz, Hastings, Posey, Waltz, Webster, Yoho/FL; Axne/IA; Abraham/LA; Moulton, Pressley/MA; Omar/MN; Norcross/NJ; Reed/NY; Holding/NC; Ryan/OH; DesJarlais/TN; Doggett, Gonzalez/TX; Curtis, Stewart/UT; Herrera-Beutler/WA.

Votes by US Territory Delegates – YES: Gonzalez-Colon (Puerto Rico); NO: Norton (DC), Sablan (N. Mariana), Plaskett (Virgin Isl.); NOT VOTING: Radewagen (Amer. Samoa), SanNicolas (Guam).

Pocan Amendment to HR-2740 – Blocking Implementation of HHS Policy Restricting Funding of Fetal Tissue Research – June 13, 2019 – Adopted – 225-193 (Democrats in Italics)

Voting “no” / pro-Life: Aderholt, Brooks, Byrne, Palmer, Roby, Rogers/AL; Young/AK; Biggs, Gosar, Lesko, Schweikert/AZ; Crawford, Hill, Westerman, Womack/AR; Calvert, Hunter, LaMalfa, McCarthy, McClintock, Nunes/CA; Lamborn, Tipton/CO; Bilirakis, Buchanan, Diaz-Balart, Dunn, Gaetz, Mast, Posey, Rooney, Rutherford, Spano, Steube, Waltz, Webster, Yoho/FL; Allen, Carter, Collins, Ferguson, Graves, Hice, Loudermilk, A.Scott, Woodall/GA; Fulcher, Simpson/ID; R.Davis, Kinzinger, LaHood, Lipinski, Shimkus/IL; Baird, Banks, Brooks, Bucshon, Hollingsworth, Pence, Walorski/IN; King/IA; Estes, Marshall, Watkins/KS; Barr, Comer, Guthrie, Massie, Rogers/KY; Graves, Higgins, Johnson, Scalise/LA; Harris/MD; Amash, Bergman, Huizenga, Mitchell, Moolenaar, Upton, Walberg/MI; Emmer, Hagedorn, Peterson, Stauber/MN; Guest, Kelly, Palazzo/MS; Graves, Hartzler, Long, Luetkemeyer, Smith, Wagner/MO; Bacon, Fortenberry, Smith/NE; Amodei/NV; Collins, Katko, King, Reed, Stefanik, Zeldin/NY; Budd, Foxx, Holding, Hudson, McHenry, Meadows, Rouzer, Walker/NC; Armstrong/ND; Balderson, Chabot, Davidson, Gibbs, Gonzalez, Johnson, Jordan, Joyce, Latta, Stivers, Turner, Wenstrup/OH; Cole, Hern, Lucas, Mullin/OK; Walden/OR; Fitzpatrick, Joyce, Keller, Kelly, Meuser, Perry, Reschenthaler, Smucker, Thompson/PA; Duncan, Norman, Rice, Timmons, Wilson/SC; Johnson/SD; Burchett, DesJarlais, Fleischmann, Kustoff, Roe, Rose/TN; Arrington, Babin, Brady, Burgess, Carter, Cloud, Conaway, Crenshaw, Flores, Gohmert, Gooden, Granger, Hurd, Marchant, McCaul, Olson, Ratcliffe, Roy, Taylor, Thornberry, Weber, Williams/TX; Bishop, Curtis, McAdams, Stewart/UT; Cline, Griffith, Riggleman, Wittman/VA; McMorris-Rodgers, Newhouse/WA; McKinley, Miller, Mooney/WV; Duffy, Gallagher, Grothman, Sensenbrenner, Steil/WI; Cheney/WY.

Voting “yes”/anti-Life: Sewell/AL; Gallego, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, O’Halleran, Stanton/AZ; Aguilar, Barragan, Bass, Bera, Brownley, Carbajal, Cardenas, Chu, Cisneros, Correa, Costa, Cox, Davis, DeSaulnier, Eshoo, Garamendi, Gomez, Harder, Hill, Huffman, Khanna, Lee, Levin, Lieu, Lofgren, Lowenthal, Matsui, McNerney, Napolitano, Panetta, Peters, Porter, Rouda, Roybal-Allard, Ruiz, Sanchez, Schiff, Sherman, Speier, Takano, Thompson, Torres, Vargas, Waters/CA; Crow, DeGette, Neguse, Perlmutter/CO; Courtney, DeLauro, Himes, Larson/CT; Blunt-Rochester/DE; Castor, Crist, Demings, Deutch, Frankel, Lawson, Mucarsel-Powell, Murphy, Shalala, Soto, Wasserman-Schultz, Wilson/FL; Bishop, Johnson, Lewis, McBath, D.Scott/GA; Case, Gabbard/HI; Bustos, Casten, D.Davis, Foster, Garcia, Kelly, Krishnamoorthi, Quigley, Rush, Schakowsky, Schneider, Underwood/IL; Carson, Visclosky/IN; Axne, Finkenauer, Loebsack/IA; Davids/KS; Yarmuth/KY; Richmond/LA; Golden, Pingree/ME; Brown, Cummings, Hoyer, Raskin, Ruppersberger, Sarbanes, Trone/MD; Clark, Keating, Kennedy, Lynch, McGovern, Moulton, Neal, Pressley, Trahan/MA; Dingell, Kildee, Lawrence, Levin, Slotkin, Stevens, Tlaib/MI; Craig, McCollum, Omar, Phillips/MN; Thompson/MS; Clay, Cleaver/MO; Horsford, Lee, Titus/NV; Kuster, Pappas/NH; Gottheimer, Kim, Malinowski, Norcross, Pallone, Pascrell, Payne, Sherrill, Sires, VanDrew, Watson-Coleman/NJ; Haaland, Lujan, Torres-Small/NM; Brindisi, Clarke, Delgado, Engel, Espaillat, Higgins, Jeffries, Lowey, C.Maloney, S.Maloney, Meeks, Meng, Morelle, Nadler, Ocasio-Cortez, Rice, Rose, Serrano, Tonko/NY; Adams, Butterfield, Price/NC; Beatty, Fudge, Kaptur, Ryan/OH; Horn/OK; Blumenauer, Bonamici, DeFazio, Schrader/OR; Boyle, Cartwright, Dean, Evans, Houlahan, Lamb, Scanlon, Wild/PA; Cicilline, Langevin/RI; Cunningham/SC; Cohen, Cooper/TN; Allred, Castro, Cuellar, Doggett, Escobar, Fletcher, Garcia, Gonzalez, Green, Jackson-Lee, Johnson, Veasey, Vela/TX; Welch/VT; Beyer, Connolly, Luria, McEachin, Scott, Spanberger, Wexton/VA; DelBene, Heck, Jayapal, Kilmer, Larsen, Schrier, Smith/WA; Kind, Moore, Pocan/WI.

Not voting: Cook, Pelosi, Swalwell/CA; Buck/CO; Hayes/CT; Hastings/FL; Bost/IL; Abraham/LA; Gianforte/MT; Smith/NJ; Suozzi, Velazquez/NY; Doyle/PA; Clyburn/SC; Green/TN; Wright/TX; Herrera-Beutler/WA.

Votes by US Territory Delegates – NO: Gonzalez-Colon (Puerto Rico); YES: Norton (DC); NOT VOTING: Radewagen (Amer. Samoa), SanNicolas (Guam), Sablan (N. Mariana), Plaskett (Virgin Isl.).