Life Advocacy Briefing

Praying

WE CONTINUE TO PRAY TO OUR CREATOR that the viral “pandemic” will soon lift not only from America but from this world and specifically that He will protect our readers, our support team and all their families from the dangers inherent in this unexpected crisis.

We pray, too, for our leaders, that they will function in good will, seeking only the best interests of the American people and finding blessing in their work.

We are thankful for the support from our donors that enables us to persist in our work in this cause, for our friends at FedEx who faithfully print our postal edition each week even now, and for our webmaster at Catch Digital, who pulls together and distributes our e-edition each week. We ask for their safety.

We rejoice in the knowledge that nothing takes the Lord God by surprise and that He’s “got this,” wherever it leads and however long it suppresses our way of life. Amen.

Breaking?

WE ASK OUR READERS to be patient with us in the event we take a break from publishing at any time during this national crisis.

Please be assured we are taking all appropriate precautions for the health and safety of ourselves and family members, as well as those around us.

With the normal activities of American society being, in some respects (including legislatures and courts), shut down for this time, we anticipate a paucity of Life-issues news in coming days, though certain politicians have supplied enough assuredly for this edition! As we do publish Life Advocacy Briefing, expect to find more timeless items than timely news for a while. But there may be a week or two when sources even for those items dry up.

We will appreciate your prayers and your patience, and we ask you please not to worry. Take care of yourself!

Shamelessly Persistent

WE FOUND STUNNING the news that came last Tuesday that one of the outrageous provisions House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-SanFrancisco) was seeking to stuff into the already massive economic stabilization bill – a week after she had had to retreat from her previous effort – was a provision of tax dollars for Planned Parenthood and the rest of the abortion cartel.

Though we have not had an opportunity to read the final bill ourselves, we are hopeful – and for now satisfied – that the sneaks were dropped before the Senate passed the emergency measure on Wednesday.

Still, persistent efforts to sneak abortion subsidies into this urgent legislation sicken us as a vivid illustration of the irrational captivity of one of America’s two major political parties by the abortion lobby and convinces us all the more that pro-life candidates must boldly take the truth to the voters in their communities. Life, after all, is a winning issue – when it is advocated clearly and with conviction.

Safety First – or Profit?

STATE GOVERNMENTS ARE BEING FACED with the choice, in crafting their temporary business shutdown policies, of whether to consider abortion a “non-essential procedure,” given that the cartel has for nearly 50 years been masquerading as a deliverer of “healthcare services.”

The list of states declaring elective abortion “non-essential” – and thus subject to coronavirus pandemic shutdown orders – is growing. As of last Wednesday, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas had officially ordered a suspension of elective abortions, contrasting with Massachusetts’s tragic policy of including “abortion” within its list of “essential surgeries.”

But “enforcement of these bans is another matter,” notes Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews.com. In Mississippi, he reports, “the so-called Women’s Health Organization abortion center in Jackson was still open as of [last] Tuesday. Pro-Life Mississippi president Laura Duran says her group has filed complaints on the matter,” Mr. Freiburger writes. But, he reports, “Mississippi state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs told reporters he ‘was not familiar with’ the [non-essential services] ban’s application to abortion and would ‘have to review the situation a bit more’ before commenting further.” The answer, Dr. Dobbs, should be obvious!

Last Wednesday, the LifeSiteNews writer reports, “the Ohio-based Created Equal uploaded footage of a Columbus Planned Parenthood location continuing to welcome customers as usual. ‘The abortion industry claims they perform health care. However, we have evidence that abortion centers across the nation are staying open in the midst of this national health crisis, risking public health and safety,’ Created Equal president Mark Harrington said. ‘These centers must close their doors to help stop the spread of Covid-19. If they believe in the health of Americans, they have no other choice.’

“Operation Rescue reports cases of abortion facilities remaining open in Michigan, Florida and Ohio, where police refused to take action to enforce Atty. Gen. David Yost’s order,” notes Mr. Freiburger. “Sources have also relayed to LifeSiteNews reports from pro-life volunteers who have witnessed customers continuing to enter abortion facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi.

“Live Action has a detailed rundown of state actions on medical activity,” reports LifeSiteNews, “which notes that New Jersey and Massachusetts have taken the opposite approach to the above states and are expressly allowing abortions to continue.”

The report quotes sage caution from Operation Rescue president Troy Newman: “‘Abortion facilities frequently fail to maintain basic infection control protocols and should have been among the first to shut down.’” (We would phrase that: should have been among the first to be shut down.)

Reckless Conduct

OFFERING ONE ALARMING REASON abortuaries should be excluded from “essential services” exceptions to business-closing orders during the current viral pandemic, a California abortionist “worked for several days doing surgical abortions” in Kansas after reportedly being exposed to the COVID-19 virus, according to an Operation Rescue report by Cheryl Sullenger, citing Kansas Coalition for Life (KCL) as source.

KCL issued the disturbing report after “learn[ing] on March 20 … indirectly from a disgruntled Trust Women employee … that the California abortionist had been in contact with coronavirus patients in California immediately prior to traveling to Kansas” on March 20.

The abortionist arrived at the facility in a California-plated auto, and KCL notes, “If the California abortionist had attempted to fly to Kansas to do her deadly surgical abortion work, it is possible that she would have been denied a boarding pass, as the airlines are working diligently to prevent people who are infected with the coronavirus from boarding an aircraft. This is one plausible reason,” opines KCL, “why the California abortionist may have chosen to drive the long distance from California to Kansas.”

Truth to Power

March 25, 2020, Wall Street Journal op-ed by Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL)

            The morning after I narrowly lost my Congressional seat in last week’s Illinois Democratic Primary, I decided to make a public statement and answer questions from the press. With the current wretched state of political discourse, I felt it important to be gracious in defeat.

            One adviser said that I should focus on what our team accomplished for my constituents on transportation, the environment, jobs and quality of life. That was tempting; I am proud of our legacy. But a friend told me to be prepared for one question: “Looking back, would you have done anything different?” Abortion advocacy groups poured millions into my opponent’s campaign. If I had simply changed my position on abortion, there probably wouldn’t have been a contest. Abortion proponents wanted to hear me express regret about sticking with my pro-life beliefs.

            So rather than wait for the question, I faced it head-on in my statement. I defended my pro-life position, which is rooted in both my Catholic faith and science. “I could never give up protecting the most vulnerable human beings in the world, simply to win an election,” I said. “My faith teaches, and the Democratic Party preaches, that we should serve everyone, especially the most vulnerable. To stand in solidarity with the vulnerable is to become vulnerable. But there is no higher calling for anyone.”

            Politico’s Shia Kapos posed this question: “There are some pro-life Democrats, like Tim Kaine, who have found a way to come to terms with the fact that they do not believe in abortion but they also support a woman’s right to choose, so they have been able to kind of maneuver – there isn’t just black and white, there is some flexibility. Did Tim Kaine ever talk to you about that?”

            I replied that if you believe life exists in the womb, you have to support policies that protect that life.

            The Democratic Party prides itself on being the party of inclusion. Even with a pro-choice plank in the platform, we could concede that there’s a diversity of opinion on the issue, as we once did. That would make sense, since one-third of Democratic voters describe themselves as pro-life, and almost six in 10 support some abortion restrictions. But rather than acknowledging these voters’ viewpoint, party leaders and Presidential candidates refuse to tolerate anyone who doesn’t support abortion on demand at any time, paid for by taxpayers.

            The Democratic Party asserts that its highest priority right now is to defeat President Trump. The party’s treatment of pro-life voters belies that claim.

Essential?

March 23, 2020, Washington Update commentary by Family Research Council president Tony Perkins

            As hard as it is to find things to be positive about right now, there is one thing Americans can celebrate: fewer abortions. In states like Texas, where all “non-essential medical procedures” have been postponed, unborn babies may be the safest population in the country. At least for now.

            Of course, not everyone in the abortion business is giving up those profits willingly. In Ohio, two Planned Parenthood clinics – one in Cincinnati and another in Dayton – have outright defied the state’s order to put elective abortions on hold. “It’s an essential health service,” the National Abortion Federation argued on the two locations’ behalf. But Ohio Atty. Gen. Dave Yost couldn’t disagree more.

            In a stern letter to the Women’s Medical Center in Dayton and the Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio, Yost left little doubt where he and Gov. Mike DeWine (R) stand on the matter, ordering them to halt their procedures now. “You and your facility are ordered to immediately stop performing non-essential and elective surgical abortions. Non-essential surgical abortions are those that can be delayed without undue risk to the current or future health of a patient.” If they do not comply, he warned, “the Dept. of Health will take all appropriate measures.”

            Of the six clinics in Ohio that perform abortions, five – according to Breitbart – have pushed back, arguing that they are “essential businesses” who should be allowed to stay open. But it’s not “staying open” that Yost has a problem with. Groups like Planned Parenthood are welcome to provide other services, like health screenings, the attorney general pointed out. But, as most of us know from looking at the organization’s annual report, Planned Parenthood isn’t interested in real health care. They’re only interested in making money – which they do, almost exclusively, through abortion.

            Bethany McCorkle, a spokesperson for Yost, said the order applied to every clinic – not just abortion providers. Just this weekend, the attorney general wrote a similar letter to a urology practice in Cincinnati, asking them to stop violating the order and jeopardizing the health of Ohioans by potentially diverting critical resources.

            Unfortunately, this is just one of the many examples of hardcore liberals trying to exploit the coronavirus to advance abortion. Americans watched House Democrats do it when they tried to slip taxpayer-funded abortion into the relief bill. They saw extremists lobby the FDA to lift the requirements for chemical abortion – and researchers argue for fetal tissue to develop a vaccine. Now, they want the country to keep their killing centers open as “essential businesses” so their bottom line doesn’t suffer.

            At this point, Americans should be focused on saving lives – not taking them. We applaud Gov. DeWine, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and other leaders fighting to keep the coronavirus from claiming more victims – born and unborn.

Is It Really So Subjective?

March 25, 2020, The Point commentary by John Stonestreet & Roberto Rivera

            All crises reveal what’s truly important to us.

            For example, in Massachusetts, hospitals and postponing all “non-essential surgeries” in order to prepare for the potential onslaught of coronavirus cases.

            But how do you define nonessential? A person in constant, excruciating pain could consider hip replacement essential to their well-being, or a colonoscopy could be essential to prevent or detect colon cancer before it spreads [within a body].

            In Massachusetts, those procedures didn’t fit the definition of “essential.” But guess what did? Abortion.

            So a colonoscopy, which could literally save a life if timely, is non-essential, but an abortion, which literally takes a life, is essential? Postpone an abortion and, in the worst case, a child is still alive but given up for adoption a few months later.

            Gloria Steinem once said that “if men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament.” Apparently, in Massachusetts at least, the coronavirus has revealed it already is.

Clear Thinking

March 23, 2020, Memo for the Movement from the Conservative Action Project

            As the country grapples with the coronavirus crisis, it is critical that the Trump Administration maintain its commitment to protecting life at all stages. This is especially true when it comes to attempts by the Left to take advantage of this vulnerable moment for Americans, to push abortion policies.

            The Trump Administration’s Dept. of Health & Human Services took the bold step of banning research using aborted fetal tissue last June, announcing that “promoting the dignity of human life from conception to natural death is one of the very top priorities of Pres. Trump’s Administration.”

            We applaud that effort and urge the Administration to sustain its commitment to life in this key area.

            Research into a coronavirus vaccine is of the utmost importance but must be scientifically focused. There is simply no need to expand into fetal tissue research when numerous, ethical alternatives exist, including the use of adult stem cells. In at least one small clinical trial, adult stem cells helped improve conditions of patients with serious coronavirus complications. Several more are ongoing.

            Moreover, it is reprehensible that researchers would use this crisis as a means to expand their access to taxpayer funding. This is not the time to pursue ethically dubious research when morally sound alternatives are already in progress.

            Efforts are also underway to remove the Hyde Amendment, to exempt abortion from surgery limitations during containment and to encompass chemical abortions into telehealth. It is vital that the Trump Administration make clear these are not acceptable efforts to address the coronavirus pandemic.

            Vaccine research and efficient response in a pandemic of this nature is paramount. But so is the commitment to human life at every stage. Treatment should not be at any cost, certainly not when it comes to a disregard for human life. We urge the Administration to remain committed to its bold policies to protect life at all stages.

[Life Advocacy Briefing editor’s note: A crippling pandemic is no time to shake America’s fist at God!]