Life Advocacy Briefing

Blessings at Christmas

WE TAKE THIS OCCASION TO WISH ALL OUR READERS a blessed Christmas of faith and fellowship, realizing that the Christ-child celebration takes place at the end of this week. Because of the timing of both the Christmas and New Year holidays over the next two weeks, we plan a hiatus in our publication schedule until the Jan. 11, 2021, edition. During this season of joy, as we approach the new year, we offer warmest wishes to our readers and deep appreciation to those who have supported our work financially and with prayer. As Life Advocacy Briefing closes out our twenty-seventh year of publication, we are well aware this is a team effort, and we are grateful.

Soon We’ll Know

AMONG THE MOST CRITICAL BATTLES being waged in the cause of Life is the Jan. 5 US Senate run-off election in Georgia. Neither of the incumbent senators topped the 50% mark in the November election, but in Georgia, a 50%-plus-one finish is required to avoid such a run-off.

So much is at stake, not only because of the voting records and issue positions of the four candidates but especially because of the partisan balance of power in the US Senate. Results from November’s election nationwide – with the exception of Georgia – shows the GOP holding 50 seats and the Democrats 48; in order for Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to continue as Majority Leader and for the more conservative party to continue to control Senate committees and the Senate agenda, at least one of the two run-off elections must be secured by the GOP candidate. If both run-offs are won by Republicans, the more conservative party will hold 52 seats; if one goes to a radical Democrat, the GOP will hold a razor-thin margin of 51 to 49, strengthening the power of abortion advocate Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). If Democrats win both run-off contests, neither party would hold a majority in the Senate, and the Vice President would be empowered to cast tie-breaking votes. 

In one of the two contests, three candidates appeared on the ballot: incumbent Republican David Perdue, Democratic nominee Jon Osoff and Libertarian party candidate Shane Hazel, whose 2.3% finish pushed Sen. Perdue down to 49.7%, needing 50; Mr. Osoff qualified for the run-off at 47.9.

The second contest, between appointed US Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) and radical preacher Raphael Warnock (D), also landed in a Jan. 5 run-off.  Sen. Loeffler is seeking election after having been appointed by her state’s governor to fill a vacancy caused by an illness-inspired resignation by GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson. Warnock at 32.9% edged Sen. Loeffler at 25.9% in the Nov. 3 contest, but, as in the case of Perdue v. Osoff, no candidate garnered 50% among 20 candidates who competed.  Sen. Loeffler shared the conservative vote with five other Republican candidates, notably including US Rep. Doug Collins, who garnered 20%. Only Sen. Loeffler and Rev. Warnock will compete in January.

Near the close of this Life Advocacy Briefing, we publish segments from the four Jan. 5 candidates’ campaign websites related to Life or Roe v. Wade.

D&E Ban Upheld Again

WE WANT TO BE SURE YOU DON’t MISS THIS NEWS – although it is incorporated into the “Ranked Number One” story below.

The 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals last Tuesday refused to revisit its previous ruling upholding Arkansas’ ban on D&E abortions, a brutal method which is by far the most common tactic used by abortionists attacking a child whose gestational development is beyond the first three months.

Dilation & Evacuation abortion bans are being pursued in several state legislatures and are believed to represent a significant curb on the abortion cartel. The 8^th Circuit’s insistence that it will not reconsider upholding the Arkansas law could prove a significant aid to passing such legislation in 2021, as pro-life state legislators will view it as a worthy step forward for protecting human life, and the appellate court’s confirmation of its legitimacy strips credibility from those abortion-backing lawmakers who would otherwise claim such a proposal is “unconstitutional” under the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade regimen.

Ranked Number One

ARKANSAS HAS BEEN DECLARED “most ‘pro-life’ state in the country for 2021,” reports Rachel Herzog in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, “based on laws that limit abortion and physician-assisted suicide.” The designation was declared with the unveiling by Americans United for Life of its annual ranking of states and moves Arkansas up from second place; in 2020, Louisiana topped the list.

AUL’s president Catherine Glenn Foster, writes Ms. Herzog, “said the conservative majority on the US Supreme Court will allow for the success of more restrictions on abortion,” elevating the importance of state legislative actions in curbing the abortion industry.

“Arkansas bans abortions after 20 weeks,” the reporter notes. “Four new restrictions on abortion in Arkansas could go into effect before Christmas,” she writes, “after the 8^th US Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling [last] Tuesday that it will not reconsider its decision to lift a US district judge’s ruling blocking them. Those restrictions are: banning a second-trimester abortion procedure, dilation and evacuation [D&E]; requiring doctors to notify law enforcement officials when anyone 16 or younger obtains an abortion; requiring doctors to review a woman’s medical records to see if she knows the sex of the fetus; and regulating the disposal of abortion remains, requiring patients to notify their partners or families.”

In 2019, the state also criminalized doctor-abetted suicide as a Class B felony.

But Arkansas is not stopping there in nudging America’s courts to discover the Constitution’s right to life of all persons. “A bill filed by State Sen. Jason Rapert (R-Conway) last month would ban all abortions,” notes Ms. Herzog, “except those to save the life of the mother or to remove an ectopic pregnancy,” a bill already described by the Arkansas Coalition for Reproductive Justice [sic] as “‘a heinous piece of legislation,’” reports Ms. Herzog.

As for the rest of the states, AUL’s top-five ranked states are Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Indiana. We were unable to find the 2021 list on AUL’s website or via a news search, but readers who wish to check for their states can find the first 39 ranked states on a poster displayed in a photo at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2020/dec/17/abortion-limits-put-state-atop-list. According to Ms. Herzog, Vermont ranks 50^th.

H.H.S. Cracks Down on California Conscience Trampling

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES (H.H.S.) IS ENFORCING federal conscience laws in an action withholding $200 million in federal Medicaid funds from California for the first quarter of 2021, reports Doug Mainwaring for LifeSiteNews.com.

H.H.S. Secretary Alex Azar announced the action last week, penalizing California, notes Mr. Mainwaring, “‘for imposing universal abortion coverage mandates on health insurance.’”

The department, according to Secretary Azar, has “‘informed California that this policy clearly violates federal conscience laws, but the state refuses to fix the issue and comply,’” reports LifeSiteNews. “‘Unless California amends its policies,’” Secretary Azar added, “‘we will seek to withhold an additional $200 million every quarter until it complies.’”

H.H.S. first notified California last January that the state “was in violation of the federal Weldon Amendment, which forbids federal assistance to states or localities that discriminate against ‘any institutional or individual healthcare entity’ on the basis ‘that the healthcare entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.’ California officials chose not to heed the Trump Administration’s warnings,” notes Mr. Mainwaring, “that the state is in defiance of federal religious liberty protections and said it would continue a policy of forcing private employers, even churches, to subsidize abortion.” The state has been pursuing this anti-conscience policy since 2014.

Comparing the Georgia Senate Candidates

In their own words, the candidates’ declarations related to “Life” on their campaign websites

Sen. Loeffler: “A devout Christian, Kelly Loeffler is unapologetically pro-life. During her short time in the U.S. Senate, she has co-sponsored four bills to protect the unborn. She is proud to be endorsed by Susan B Anthony List – a leading pro-life organization in America.”

Her opponent, Rev. Warnock: “… has been an advocate for women’s health and reproductive justice his entire life and is proud to have been endorsed by NARAL and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. Since his time as a teen peer counselor in high school and his work with the Georgia Dept. of Health during college, Warnock has fought to increase safe and affordable access to contraceptives and achieve reproductive justice for women and families. While working with the state, he also helped author a statewide curriculum for uniform training for Georgia’s teen peer counselors. As senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, he has carried that work forward by centering choice and justice in his ministry. With Washington politicians still working to overturn Roe v. Wade and repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would allow insurance companies to treat pregnancy as a pre-existing condition, Rev. Warnock recognizes that women’s health care is under attack like never before. As a Senator, he will stand up for reproductive justice and a woman’s right to choose. Warnock believes in a woman’s right to choose and that it is a decision between her and her doctor – not the government. He knows the importance of family planning and contraceptive access to achieving fair and equal economic outcomes. That’s why in the U.S. Senate, he will

• Fight to protect access to quality, affordable reproductive health care;
• Support the Affordable Care Act’s preventive care protections for access to birth control, cancer screenings, and other life saving care;
• Push to root out the biases in our healthcare system that result in deadly inequalities, such as higher maternal mortality rates among Black women;
• Support judicial nominees that support a woman’s right to choose and uphold Roe v. Wade; and
• Oppose all partisan attacks defunding health care providers like Planned Parenthood.”

Sen. Perdue: “Protecting Life: Being pro-life is a deeply held conviction for me. I believe we have a moral obligation to promote a culture that values life and protects the innocent, including the unborn.”

His opponent, Jon Osoff: “Roe v. Wade: I am pro-choice. I believe that women, not the government, should control the private, personal and complex decision whether to terminate a pregnancy. I run a business that investigates organized crime and corruption for news organizations worldwide. Our teams have gone undercover to expose how dangerous, unqualified and unregulated abortion providers kill thousands of women in places where safe abortion services are not available legally. In the Senate, I will only vote to confirm federal judges who pledge to uphold Roe v. Wade.

Standing for Life Every Day

Excerpts from Dec. 16, 2020, address by Vice President Mike Pence at White House Life Is Winning Event

            … Today is really about – really about celebrating the progress we’ve made in the cause for Life and also thanking the leaders that are gathered in this room, and all of you that’ll be looking on livestream around the country, for the way that you’ve stood.  You’ve stood for life for the last four years, and I promise you we will never stop fighting for the right to life.  . . .

            Even before our inauguration four years ago, Pres. Trump wrote to the Speaker of the House of Representatives in words that I believe are well to reflect on today. He said, “I believe it is the most basic duty of government to guard the innocent.” With that in mind, he made it clear and he said, “I will veto any legislation that weakens current pro-life federal policies or encourages the destruction of innocent human life at any stage.” And Pres. Donald Trump has kept his word every single day.

            But I wanted to thank all of you, on the President’s behalf and on my own behalf, for all that each one of you have done in the cause of Life over the last four years. You’ll hear from this podium today the milestones that we’ve marked together. It’s all been because of all of you and because of the literally tens of millions of Americans who have labored in the cause for Life since that dark day in 1973.

            … Like all of you gathered here today, I’ve long believed that a society can be judged by how it deals with its most vulnerable: the aged and the infirm, the disabled and the unborn.

            Pres. Trump said early in our Administration, and I quote, “Every person is worth protecting. Every human life, born and unborn, is made in the holy image of Almighty God.” In this Administration, it’s always been about Life. …

            When the President took office one of the very first things he did was reinstate the Mexico City Policy, ending government funding for promoting abortions around the world. And before long, we expanded it to more countries and more policies on the planet.

            And he gave me the great privilege, in our very first month in office, to be the first Vice President in history to ever address the March for Life on the National Mall. And this last January, he did it himself: Pres. Trump spoke to the March for Life.

            And before we took office, you all know that the largest abortion provider in America was also the largest recipient of federal funding under Title 10. The year before we took office, we actually witnessed, along with the American people, the undercover videos that showed horrific conversations about the sale and transfer of parts of aborted babies. It’s just unconscionable. But thanks to Pres. Trump’s leadership, in March of 2017, I had the honor of casting the tiebreaking vote in the United States Senate to allow every state in America to defund Planned Parenthood, and Pres. Trump signed it into law.

            And putting that priority on the unborn, just last summer, … Pres. Trump ended fetal tissue research at the National Institutes of Health. We will always stand for the right to life and the dignity of the unborn.

            So we’ve made great progress all along the way, but perhaps it’s … altogether fitting … to talk about the really extraordinary progress that we’ve made in the courts across this land. As a candidate, Pres. Trump promised the American people: He said, quote, “I will protect life. And the biggest way you can protect it is through the Supreme Court and putting people in the Court.” … And he promised, “I will appoint judges that will be pro-life.” And that’s just what he’s done. … Pres. Trump has appointed more than 220 conservatives to our federal courts at every level, including Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Amy Coney Barrett. … And I promise you, having had the opportunity to meet so many of these – not just the justices but the judges, every one of these men and women are principled conservatives who will uphold all the God-given liberties enshrined in our founding documents and in our Bill of Rights. It’s truly a legacy that will reach generations … .

            So today we really gather to reflect on the great progress we’ve made for Life under Pres. Donald Trump and with all of your collective support but also to thank all of you and to urge you, as we promise, to never stop fighting for the cause of Life. I believe what we have demonstrated over these past four years is that when men and women who cherish the sanctity of life come together, let their voices be heard – when we rally behind great leaders at every level who will stand without apology for Life – we can make extraordinary progress.

            And I truly do believe if all of us continue to do all that we can in the months and the years ahead, we will see the sanctity of life restored to the center of American law in our time. I truly believe it. So to all the champions for Life: Thank you for all you’ve done. On behalf of the President – on behalf of our entire Administration – we’re grateful to each and every one of you. And it’s been our great honor to serve alongside you, and we’ll continue to fight alongside with you.

            For all the time that we have and all of my days that remain on this Earth, I will always stand for Life, and I’ll always stand with each and every one of you. That’s my solemn promise.

            And it’s not just about – not just about each one of you. I know what all of you know as well: that He who said “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” is about Life. And we do well in this movement to always remind ourselves that when we make the cause for Life our cause, we make His work on this Earth our very own.

            So do not grow weary in doing well, because in the last four years, we’ve shown when men and women of faith and conviction come together to stand up for the unborn, to speak out for the voiceless, Life can win in America. And with your help and God’s help, Life will keep on winning n the United States of America.

            Thank you all very much. God bless you. …