Life Advocacy Briefing

Be Ready

BY NOW OUR READERS ARE AWARE that the U.S. Senate appears to have fallen into a tie between the parties, tipping control to the pro-abortion Democratic Party. As our next Vice President, Kamala Harris will soon be empowered to cast tie-breaking votes.

At this writing, both Georgia GOP Senators, David Perdue and appointee Kelly Loeffler, have lost run-off elections to radical abortion advocates (both Democrats) Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.

Since the Senate no longer presents a protective wall, with Democratic Senators and the incoming vice president being uniformly backers of the abortion, we urge our readers to pay careful attention to votes coming up in the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-SanFrancisco) narrowly achieved re-election to her leadership post on Jan. 3.

Abortion reform proposals such as the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which enjoys wide public support, are likely to be pushed by pro-life Members in this 117^th Congress. And abortion lobby proposals – including exclusion of the Hyde Amendment – are likely to be promoted by the radicals who have won a narrow majority.

It is our hope that Democratic Members who won their seats narrowly will be sensitive to constituent outpourings, so we counsel our readers to stay informed and vocal during the perilous months ahead. Now more than ever, it is critical that pro-life citizens engage in public advocacy for the right to Life and for specific legislative proposals seeking to protect innocent pre-born boys and girls and their mothers. And it is critical that pro-life citizens get behind challengers to the radicals who will face voters in primary contests and then general elections throughout 2022.

We ask our readers also to be particularly watchful of pro-life – and abortion industry – initiatives in the state legislatures, where the pro-life agenda is more likely to be robust, leading to more limits on abortion and more court rulings pulling America back from the abortion abyss which is Roe v. Wade.

Weigh in whenever and wherever merited, and “buckle your seatbelt” for the battles ahead.

‘Hyde’ on the Chopping Block?

HOUSE DEMOCRATS IN D.C. HAVE THEIR EYES SET on eliminating the Hyde Amendment which, since the mid-1970s, has blocked taxpayer Medicaid funds from being spent to end the lives of developing unborn babies.

The next chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, radical Democrat Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT), declared last month, according to NBC News writer Sahil Kapur, “The House will eliminate the so-called Hyde Amendment. ‘This is the last year [Hyde will be included in Medicaid spending policy],’ [Rep.] DeLauro said at a Dec. 8 hearing about the adverse effects of the Hyde Amendment. “The time has come in this current moment to reckon with the norm, with the status quo.’”

Calling Hyde “‘a discriminatory policy,’” Rep. DeLauro claimed, writes Mr. Kapur, the taxpayer protection policy “is particularly harmful to rural and low-income women.”

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), who is the GOP leader on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said, according to NBC, the DeLauro vow “is guaranteed to face Republican opposition. … ‘The Republican caucus would resist it,’ [Mr.] Shelby told NBC News. ‘We’ve had the Hyde Amendment a long time. And I think it’s pretty clearly embedded in the fabric of our legislation,’” said Sen. Shelby, who added, “‘I support the Hyde Amendment.’”

So do the American people, as shown in one public opinion survey after another.

But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-SanFrancisco), according to NBC News, “endorsed [Ms.] DeLauro’s push to do away with the Hyde Amendment … . ‘I myself have been an opponent of the Hyde Amendment long before I came to Congress, so I would be receptive to that happening,’ she told reporters Dec. 10, calling the policy unfair to women. ‘It’s long overdue, getting rid of it, in my view.’”

One thing Congressional liberals may be missing in their zeal to force taxpayers to underwrite abortions: The American people will not stand for it. If the narrow Democratic majority does take on “Hyde” – it is likely to become a major electoral issue in the 2022 Congressional races, and pro-life candidates will do well to build protection for babies carried by “rural and low-income” moms into the centerpiece of their campaigns.

In the States

• State lawmakers in Massachusetts in late December overrode the veto of Gov. Charlie Baker (R) of a radical abortion law, which, according to the Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI), cited as source in a com report, “enshrines the decriminalization of abortion prior to 24 weeks for any reason, while, for all practical purposes, extending abortion access up to the moment of birth.” The state had previously permitted abortion after 24 weeks only if the mother’s life was at risk. The new provision effectively adopts the Doe v. Bolton “health” exception, which, notes LSN reporter Patrick Delaney, “can be broadly interpreted to make almost any abortion legal.” The new statute also opens the door to infanticide-by-neglect when an abortion target survives the abortionists’ assault, “‘simply requir[ing],’” reports MFI in the LSN report, “‘that there be life-saving equipment present, but doesn’t require that the physician actually use it.’” A further provision permits abortion by physician assistant, nurse practitioner or nurse midwife against babies in their first 24 weeks of gestation. And it lowers the age from 18 to 16 in the state’s parental consent protection. The LifeSiteNews report quotes Myrna Maloney Flynn, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life: “‘Pro-lifers know setbacks. What we don’t know how to do is give up, look the other way and allow injustice to stand. We know the truth is worth pursuing!’” Amen!

• Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed a new law in late December, reports Doug Mainwaring for com, titled “The Unborn Child Dignity Act.” The new law assigns the costs to the aborting mother for “‘final disposition of the fetal remains at the chosen location.’” A statement by Ohio Right to Life, quoted by LSN, endorses the legislation, declaring it will “‘promote the dignity of the unborn … .’” The LSN story also quotes Molly Smith of The Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio, “‘Although we work for a day when no unborn child in Ohio is killed by abortion, we recognize that, at the very least, accounting for those precious bodies and for their humane disposition is necessary.’” And Mark Harrington, president of Created Equal said, notes Mr. Mainwaring, “‘While both pro-life and pro-abortion groups are focused on state abortion bans, these humane disposal bills are getting signed into law and in some ways pose a bigger threat [to the abortion cartel] than these bans do, because they are now considered constitutional,’” having survived federal court challenges. He added, notes LSN, “‘Because abortionists are the dregs of medicine, they will be unable to comply with these new regulations.’”

Shifting Battleground

WHILE MANY AMERICANS ARE BRACING for the inauguration of a liberal President and the control of the Congress by liberal politicians in both chambers, NARAL Pro-Choice America, according to Pete Baklinski of LifeSiteNews.com, is bracing “for the overturn of Roe v. Wade … .”

Asked in a Jan. 3 Daily Beast podcast interview, notes Mr. Baklinski, “if the US could ‘really lose Roe,’” Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL replied “that her organization is preparing for it.

“‘We absolutely could [lose Roe], and we’re certainly preparing with our partners in the movement for that,’ [Ms.] Hogue said. ‘A lot of our work over the last few years has been about making sure that we have what we call islands of access – blue states that are codifying the right to abortion, making sure that we have like practice in place where women can go,’ she added,” reports LSN.

Replacement of less conservative Supreme Court justices by Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice Neil Gorsuch has led the abortion lobby to refocus their efforts at the state level, an arena where pro-life citizens must sharpen their attention and rebuild their participation and influence.

Proud of Their Crimes

THE LATEST PRESIDENT OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD, Alexis McGill Johnson, has let the cat out of the bag, big-time.

Though the goliath of the abortion cartel has for years been claiming that abortion is “only a very small part of what Planned Parenthood offers,” notes Pete Baklinski for LifeSiteNews.com, Ms. Johnson insisted in an interview published Dec. 29 by the Washington Post, “it’s not a problem if ‘abortion’ is the first word that come to mind when people hear the name Planned Parenthood.

“‘I think abortion is health care,’” she said, reports Mr. Baklinski. “‘And so, if the first thing they think about is health care when they think about Planned Parenthood, I think that’s fine. Planned Parenthood proudly serves all forms of sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion, and I think when we try to exclude it, we’re excluding a critical part of and a critical option for health care,’ she said.”

She went on to say that claiming abortion “is a very small part of all the things the organization does … is problematic.”

Abortion “‘is still a critically important part of what we do,’” she said, reports LSN. “‘So I think when we say, “It’s a small part of what we do,” what we’re doing is actually stigmatizing it. Like: It’s really not a big deal that Planned Parenthood does this,’ she said. ‘We are a proud abortion provider. … So I don’t like to marginalize it in that way.’”

The LSN reporter went on to quote a 2014 Christian Post interview with former Planned Parenthood clinic manager – now pro-life leader – Abby Johnson, who said “the organization’s ‘only way to make money and the only way to generate revenue’ is through abortion. She said,” notes Mr. Baklinski, “that abortion accounts for over 50% of Planned Parenthood’s revenue” and that the outfit “uses ‘creative accounting’ and ‘stealthy bundling’ to hide the truth that abortion generates the most revenue. …

“Planned Parenthood saw an increase of abortions in the 2018-2019 fiscal year for a total of 345,672,” reports LSN, “an increase of nearly 13,000 from the previous year. This translates to an abortion every 91 seconds. The Charlotte Lozier Institute,” writes Mr. Baklinski, “noted that the 2018-19 numbers reveal that abortions ‘made up 95% of Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy resolution services, while prenatal services, miscarriage care and adoption referrals accounted for only 2.7% (9,798), 0.6% (2,236) and 1.2% (4,279), respectively.’”

March for Life Is On!

THE 48^th ANNUAL MARCH FOR LIFE is expected to occupy the National Mall in Washington, DC, on Friday, Jan. 29, later than usual to avoid crowds associated with the Presidential inauguration. This year’s theme: “Together Strong: Life Unites!”

Some activities will be altered because of the continued pandemic of the Wuhan flu. There will be no “expo,” a popular usual feature of March for Life weekend. The annual “Rose” dinner “will be held virtually this year,” reports Piero Maresca for LifeSiteNews.com, who did not explain how participants can eat dinner “virtually;” we assume the program which normally accompanies a banquet is what is actually being offered, with tickets at $25 each.

Speakers at the pre-march rally are expected to include noted Christian athlete Tim Tebow, pro-life activist and former NFL player Benjamin Watson and Christendom College student body president Elizabeth Eller, according to the LSN writer, who also noted Christian musical artist Matthew West is scheduled to perform. Selected pro-life champions from the US House and Senate also take to the stage, but this year’s Congressional speakers have not yet been announced.

Senate Terms Expiring in 2022

UNLIKE THE U.S. HOUSE, where Representatives are elected every two years, the Senate faces elections next year of just 34 of its Members. To prepare for the battle of 2022, we list below the Senators whose current six-year terms expire two years from now, acknowledging it is too early to know which will seek re-election and which are considering retirement, opening a clearer path for the election of new Senators.

Alabama: Richard Shelby (R), Alaska: Lisa Murkowski (R), Arizona: Mark Kelly (D), Arkansas: John Boozman (R), California: the successor to Kamala Harris (D), Colorado: Michael Bennet (D), Connecticut: Richard Blumenthal (D), Florida: Marco Rubio (R), Georgia: Raphael Warnock (D), Hawaii: Brian Schatz (D), Idaho: Mike Crapo (R), Illinois: Tammy Duckworth (D), Indiana: Todd Young (R), Iowa: Chuck Grassley (R), Kansas: Jerry Moran (R), Kentucky: Rand Paul (R); Louisiana: John Kennedy (R), Maryland: Chris VanHollen (D), Missouri: Roy Blunt (R).

Also, Nevada: Catherine Cortez-Masto (D), New Hampshire: Margaret Hassan (D), New York: Charles Schumer (D), North Carolina: Richard Burr (R), North Dakota: John Hoeven (R), Ohio: Rob Portman (R), Oklahoma: James Lankford (R), Oregon: Ron Wyden (D), Pennsylvania: Patrick Toomey (R), South Carolina: Tim Scott (R), South Dakota: John Thune (R), Utah: Mike Lee (R), Vermont: Patrick Leahy (D), Washington: Patty Murray (D), Wisconsin: Ron Johnson (R).

The Shrinking Availability of Abortion

Jan. 5, 2021, Operation Rescue Report from the States 2020

            A total of 45 abortion facilities closed or halted abortions nationwide in 2020, leaving one state without an active abortion facility, according to a survey conducted by Operation Rescue, a national pro-life organization based in Wichita, Kansas.

            Missouri has become the first Abortion-Free State – at least in practice for now. The embattled Reproductive Health Services Planned Parenthood in St. Louis … was the last abortion facility in Missouri. It remains open, but Operation Rescue has confirmed that all abortion appointments are now being referred to the Fairview Heights Planned Parenthood facility across the Mississippi River in Illinois.

            Other noteworthy facts were revealed by Operation Rescue’s survey of every US abortion facility:

• There are currently 706 active abortion facilities in the US.
• Since Operation Rescue began tracking the number of abortion facilities in 2009, surgical abortion facilities have decreased in number by 255.
• Since 1991, there has been an incredible 79% drop in the number of surgical abortion facilities nationwide.
• There was a net loss of four US abortion clinics overall in 2020.
• The number of Planned Parenthood abortion facilities decreased in 2020.
• 2020 was the first year that Operation Rescue tracked the number of facilities that distributed abortion drugs via telemedicine; the survey found that 69 locations, representing 9.78% of all abortion facilities, now operate telemedicine abortion programs.

            The number of surgical abortion clinics continues to decline with six fewer today than last year at this time.

            In fact, the number of surgical abortion clinics has fallen each year for at least the past decade from 713 in 2009 to a record low of 458. That represents a decrease of 36% over the past 10 years.

            In contrast, abortion pill facility numbers have been steadily on the rise over the past decade, increasing 47.2% in the past 11 years.

            Today, there are 248 facilities that abort using only chemical means – an increase of only three clinics nationwide in 2020 compared to [an increase of] 15 in 2019.

Standing Up for Life – Model Communication

Excerpt from Jan. 5, 2021, Georgia election-eve rally speech by newly installed Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene

            … We have to save our Senate seats. We have to save America, stop socialism. This is the last line. We aren’t going to hand over our Senate seat to a pastor who preaches abortion from the pulpit! No! He’s preaching murder of God’s creation in the womb, holding a Bible in his hand. If anything, go out there and vote for the unborn tomorrow! We’ve had enough!