Life Advocacy Briefing

Not So Fast!

THOUGH WE TOLD OUR READERS last week not to expect us to publish till around Labor Day – while Congress is in recess and most legislatures are not meeting either – it turns out the work break from writing gave us a chance to go through some of the source material that has been stacking up for our attention. We have been sorting and winnowing, and we are finding some of these “left-overs” are too valuable to forego. So, for the balance of August – at least this week – we are presenting some aging news and commentary pieces whose value is relatively timeless, chosen for relevance to our readers. We have also uncovered some Senate roll calls which have abortion implications, and we’ll be publishing those. Let’s see how this works out! Maybe for one week, maybe even for more.

Praying

LIFE IS PRECIOUS – here in America and in far-away places where Americans and others are in harm’s way. We cannot open this bulletin without acknowledging the news of the day from places and challenges as disparate as the Haitian earthquake and the disastrous Biden Regime retreat from Afghanistan and all its implications. Let us pray, fervently.

Senate Advances Another Radical Nominee

June 28, 2021, excerpts from report by Operation Rescue’s Cheryl Sullenger (full story can be found at https://operationrescue.org/archives/biden-nominee-supports-china-like-population-control)

             Joe Biden has nominated Tracy Stone-Manning to serve as the head of the US Bureau of Land Management. It is not often that the BLM nominee would capture the attention of pro-life supporters, but this one certainly is raising eyebrows for her radical leftist views on overpopulation.

             Manning, a radical environmentalist, has been a proponent of population control policies that mirror those of the Communist China’s one- and two-child limits and advocated for them in a 1992 graduate thesis prepared while attending the University of Montana.

             As first reported on by the Daily Caller, in Stone-Manning’s thesis, she crafted eight commercials to “tug at the root of many of our environmental horrors, overpopulation.” One of the ads she proposed depicted an American baby as an “environmental hazard.”

[Life Advocacy Briefing editor’s note: Ms. Manning’s nomination has cleared the “cloture” stage in the US Senate. We publish the voting record here and urge our readers to contact your home-state Senators to ask them to vote “no” on the motion to confirm Tracy Stone-Manning when the Senate resumes session. Capitol switchboard: 1-202/224-3121]

Senate Voting Record

Cloture Motion to Advance Nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning – July 27, 2021 – Adopted 50-49 (Democrats in italics; “Independent” marked “I”)

Voting “no”/pro-Life: Shelby & Tuberville/AL; Murkowski & Sullivan/AK; Boozman & Cotton/AR; Rubio & Scott/FL; Crapo & Risch/ID; Braun & Young/IN; Ernst & Grassley/IA; Marshall & Moran/KS; McConnell & Paul/KY; Cassidy & Kennedy/LA; Collins/ME; Hyde-Smith & Wicker/MS; Blunt & Hawley/MO; Fischer & Sasse/NE; Burr & Tillis/NC; Cramer & Hoeven/ND; Portman/OH; Inhofe & Lankford/OK; Toomey/PA; Graham & Scott/SC; Thune/SD; Blackburn & Hagerty/TN; Cornyn & Cruz/TX; Lee & Romney/UT; Capito/WV; Johnson/WI; Barrasso & Lummis/WY.

Voting “yes”/anti-Life: Kelly & Sinema/AZ; Feinstein & Padilla/CA; Bennet & Hickenlooper/CO; Blumenthal & Murphy/CT; Carper & Coons/DE; Ossoff & Warnock/GA; Hirono & Schatz/HI; Duckworth & Durbin/IL; King(I)/ME; Cardin & VanHollen/MD; Markey & Warren/MA; Peters & Stabenow/MI; Klobuchar & Smith/MN; Tester/MT; Cortez-Masto & Rosen/NV; Hassan & Shaheen/NH; Booker & Menendez/NJ; Heinrich & Lujan/NM; Gillibrand & Schumer/NY; Brown/OH; Merkley & Wyden/OR; Casey/PA; Reed & Whitehouse/RI; Leahy & Sanders/VT; Kaine & Warner/VA; Cantwell & Murray/WA; Manchin/WV; Baldwin/WI.

Not voting: Rounds/SD.

Senate Votes on Abortion Spending in 1st “Infrastructure” Bill

WE HAVE FOUND THREE AMENDMENTS RELATED TO ABORTION which were attempted during the Senate’s deliberation of the multi-trillion-dollar boondoggle taken up just before recess – the so-called “infrastructure” bill which was shamefully supported on final passage by a collection of Republicans joining the entire Democratic caucus. We publish the voting records on those four amendments below, with the confession that the wording identifying the amendments in the Congressional Record is beyond our grasp. One thing we can understand is, they were about attempting to exclude abortion spending from the package. One amendment – offered by pro-life Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) – was narrowly adopted, for which we are grateful, if surprised. We do not, however, pretend to understand the implications as it relates to the overall bill. Because this amendment was adopted, we do not plan to publish the voting record on final passage of SConRes-14, as we are uncertain of its implications for the cause of Life.

Senate Voting Records

SAmendment-3792 (Lankford) to SConRes-14 (“Infrastructure” Bill#1) – “To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to abortion funding” – Aug. 10, 2021 – Adopted 50-49 (Democrats in italics; “Independent” marked “I”)

Voting “yes”/pro-Life: Shelby & Tuberville/AL; Murkowski & Sullivan/AK; Boozman & Cotton/AR; Rubio & Scott/FL; Crapo & Risch/ID; Braun & Young/IN; Ernst & Grassley/IA; Marshall & Moran/KS; McConnell & Paul/KY; Cassidy & Kennedy/LA; Collins/ME; Hyde-Smith & Wicker/MS; Blunt & Hawley/MO; Fischer & Sasse/NE; Burr & Tillis/NC; Cramer & Hoeven/ND; Portman/OH; Inhofe & Lankford/OK; Toomey/PA; Graham & Scott/SC; Thune/SD; Blackburn & Hagerty/TN; Cornyn & Cruz/TX; Lee & Romney/UT; Capito & Manchin/WV; Johnson/WI; Barrasso & Lummis/WY.

Voting “no”/anti-Life: Kelly & Sinema/AZ; Feinstein & Padilla/CA; Bennet & Hickenlooper/CO; Blumenthal & Murphy/CT; Carper & Coons/DE; Ossoff & Warnock/GA; Hirono & Schatz/HI; Duckworth & Durbin/IL; King(I)/ME; Cardin & VanHollen/MD; Markey & Warren/MA; Peters & Stabenow/MI; Klobuchar & Smith/MN; Tester/MT; Cortez-Masto & Rosen/NV; Hassan & Shaheen/NH; Booker & Menendez/NJ; Heinrich & Lujan/NM; Gillibrand & Schumer/NY; Brown/OH; Merkley & Wyden/OR; Casey/PA; Reed & Whitehouse/RI; Leahy & Sanders/VT; Kaine & Warner/VA; Cantwell & Murray/WA; Baldwin/WI.

Not voting: Rounds/SD.

SAmendment-3331 (Inhofe) to SConRes-14 (“Infrastructure” Bill#1) – “To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to improving health programs, which may include prohibiting funding for abortions of unborn children with Down syndrome or other chromosomal conditions” – Aug. 11, 2021 – Failed 49-50 (Democrats in italics; “Independent” marked “I”)

Voting “yes”/pro-Life: Shelby & Tuberville/AL; Murkowski & Sullivan/AK; Boozman & Cotton/AR; Rubio & Scott/FL; Crapo & Risch/ID; Braun & Young/IN; Ernst & Grassley/IA; Marshall & Moran/KS; McConnell & Paul/KY; Cassidy & Kennedy/LA; Hyde-Smith & Wicker/MS; Blunt & Hawley/MO; Fischer & Sasse/NE; Burr & Tillis/NC; Cramer & Hoeven/ND; Portman/OH; Inhofe & Lankford/OK; Toomey/PA; Graham & Scott/SC; Thune/SD; Blackburn & Hagerty/TN; Cornyn & Cruz/TX; Lee & Romney/UT; Capito & Manchin/WV; Johnson/WI; Barrasso & Lummis/WY.

Voting “no”/anti-Life: Kelly & Sinema/AZ; Feinstein & Padilla/CA; Bennet & Hickenlooper/CO; Blumenthal & Murphy/CT; Carper & Coons/DE; Ossoff & Warnock/GA; Hirono & Schatz/HI; Duckworth & Durbin/IL; Collins & King(I)/ME; Cardin & VanHollen/MD; Markey & Warren/MA; Peters & Stabenow/MI; Klobuchar & Smith/MN; Tester/MT; Cortez-Masto & Rosen/NV; Hassan & Shaheen/NH; Booker & Menendez/NJ; Heinrich & Lujan/NM; Gillibrand & Schumer/NY; Brown/OH; Merkley & Wyden/OR; Casey/PA; Reed & Whitehouse/RI; Leahy & Sanders/VT; Kaine & Warner/VA; Cantwell & Murray/WA; Baldwin/WI.

Not voting: Rounds/SD.

SAmendment-3758 (Kennedy) to SConRes-14 (“Infrastructure” Bill#1) – “To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund relating to improving health care by establishing penalties for providers performing elective abortions when the post-fertilization age of the unborn child is 20 weeks or greater” – Aug. 11, 2021 – Failed 49-50 (Democrats in italics; “Independent” marked “I”)

Voting “yes”/pro-Life: Shelby & Tuberville/AL; Sullivan/AK; Boozman & Cotton/AR; Rubio & Scott/FL; Crapo & Risch/ID; Braun & Young/IN; Ernst & Grassley/IA; Marshall & Moran/KS; McConnell & Paul/KY; Cassidy & Kennedy/LA; Hyde-Smith & Wicker/MS; Blunt & Hawley/MO; Fischer & Sasse/NE; Burr & Tillis/NC; Cramer & Hoeven/ND; Portman/OH; Inhofe & Lankford/OK; Toomey/PA; Graham & Scott/SC; Thune/SD; Blackburn & Hagerty/TN; Cornyn & Cruz/TX; Lee & Romney/UT; Capito & Manchin/WV; Johnson/WI; Barrasso & Lummis/WY.

Voting “no”/anti-Life: Murkowski/AK; Kelly & Sinema/AZ; Feinstein & Padilla/CA; Bennet & Hickenlooper/CO; Blumenthal & Murphy/CT; Carper & Coons/DE; Ossoff & Warnock/GA; Hirono & Schatz/HI; Duckworth & Durbin/IL; Collins & King(I)/ME; Cardin & VanHollen/MD; Markey & Warren/MA; Peters & Stabenow/MI; Klobuchar & Smith/MN; Tester/MT; Cortez-Masto & Rosen/NV; Hassan & Shaheen/NH; Booker & Menendez/NJ; Heinrich & Lujan/NM; Gillibrand & Schumer/NY; Brown/OH; Merkley & Wyden/OR; Casey/PA; Reed & Whitehouse/RI; Leahy & Sanders/VT; Kaine & Warner/VA; Cantwell & Murray/WA; Baldwin/WI.

Not voting: Rounds/SD.

Sickening Report Card

April 26, 2021, excerpts from Washington Update commentary by Family Research Council president Tony Perkins (full text can be found at https://www.frc.org/updatearticle/20210426/biden-100)

             Joe Biden hasn’t even been President for 100 days, and it already feels like an eternity. In just three months, the man absurdly dubbed a “moderate” has emerged from his campaign basement and dispelled that notion – to the delight of the party’s radicals. Shell-shocked, Americans have watched this White House spend us into insolvency, inflame our divides and lead a charge to radically make over the Supreme Court, our states’ election laws, the US Senate, immigration policy, religious freedom and human biology. …

             Of course, some of Biden’s most devastating decisions in these early days have been rolling back – or completely annihilating – Donald Trump’s progress on key issues. FRC just released a new document called “Tracking the Biden Administration” that catalogues all of the President’s devastating actions so far. Stacked side-by-side with the Trump Accomplishments, it’s a sobering night-and-day contrast. Of the 62 executive actions Biden has taken so far, a record-setting number – 32 – were a direct attack on Life, family and religious freedom. Add that to his cabinet, stocked full of pro-abortion, anti-faith extremists, and this Administration is on track to make Barack Obama’s administration look centrist!

             Obviously, Biden’s promise to unify was just another convenient throw-away line. “After campaigning on [it],” Gary Abernathy wrote in the Washington Post, “Biden so far recognizes Republicans only as one would acknowledge shoulder lint.” The same goes for more than half of the country, who[m] this President has trampled in his payoffs to groups like Planned Parenthood. He’s overturned the hugely popular ban on overseas abortion funding, opened the doors to fetal tissue research, relaxed the restrictions on dangerous chemical abortion pills, agreed to let abortion groups take Title X [Ten] “family planning” dollars again, and picked a team of anti-Hyde-amendment, pro-abortion radicals to run his government. …

F.D.A. Spending Our $ on Fetal Tissue

April 13, 2021, excerpts from Live Action’s report: ‘E-mails between FDA and tissue procurer reveal callousness toward aborted children,’ by Carole Novielli (full story can be found at https://www.liveaction.org/news/fresh-tissue-emails-fda-callousness-aborted-children)

             E-mail communications recently obtained from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) reveal that the agency has spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to purchase human fetal tissue for the creation of “humanized mice.” The disturbing e-mail exchanges between FDA research veterinary medical official Dr. Kristina Howard and Pierre Larton, a procurement manager at the California-based Advanced Bioscience Resources (ABR), took place from January 2011 to April 2018. The e-mails were obtained by Judicial Watch as a result of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit.

             Perhaps most striking about the conversations is the manner in which once living human babies – violently killed by abortion at various abortion businesses across the country – were dehumanized and reduced to mere “tissue” or body parts. … While the lives of the babies were never discussed in the e-mails, organs obtained from once live children were described as “tissue” and included such descriptors as “beautiful.” Grief was only expressed in the e-mails when such “tissue” had been rendered unusable. …

Shedding Light on Taxpayer Involvement

April 20, 2021, excerpts from Fox News report by Sam Dorman (full story available at https://www.foxnews.com/politics/stanford-research-fetal-tissue-mice-funding-disclosure-complaint)

             A non-profit group has filed a federal complaint alleging that Stanford University failed to disclose funding for research involving human fetal tissue and animals – a pervasive problem, the group says, that’s leaving taxpayers in the dark about controversial experiments. …

             In a statement to Fox News, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) derided these types of experiments as “unethical” and demanded additional transparency. “Taxpayers in Iowa and across the nation have a right to know exactly how their hard-earned dollars are being spent, and that’s exactly why I’ve asked the HHS Inspector General to investigate these transparency violations by Stanford and many others and why I’ve put forward the COST Act to guarantee that hard-working Americans have easy access to see how the federal government is spending their money,” she said. “Right now, US federal agencies are hiding the fact that they are spending your tax dollars on unethical human fetal tissue research,” [Sen.] Ernst continued. Both Ernst and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) have introduced the COST Act, which would impose penalties for failing to disclose the amount of taxpayer money used in federally funded experiments. [S-760 (Ernst & four co-sponsors); HR-1937 (Norman & 12 co-sponsors)]

Planned Parenthood in the Schools

June 30, 2021, excerpt from LifeSiteNews report by Isabella Childs (full report can be found at https://www.lifesitenews.come/news/planned-parenthood-tells-middle-schoolers-about-avoiding-parental-consent-for-abortion)

An eighth-grade teacher in a Tacoma public school distributed a flyer detailing Washington State laws allowing minors to get abortions and contraceptives without parental consent. The flyer, produced by abortion giant Planned Parenthood, was given to Stewart Middle School students as part of their science curriculum. The flyer said:

• Abortion: You do not need to get permission from your parents or guardians at any age.

• Birth control: You are allowed to get a prescription for birth control without your parent or guardian’s permission.

• Condoms: You can buy condoms at any age.

• Emergency contraception: You can buy Plan B emergency contraception at a local pharmacy without a prescription at any age.

             The flyer also mentions that there are exceptions to state law that says the age of consent is 16, assuring children they can lawfully have sexual intercourse “with somebody two years older or less” at the age of 11.

             The flyer caused controversy after a concerned parent posted a picture of it on social media and confronted the school about it. … 

             Planned Parenthood, in addition to providing hundreds of thousands of abortions each year, is a big player in the field of sex education in schools. The organization and its allies have taught things like BDSM, including using whips, chains and gagging; have informed 11-year-olds about anal and oral sex; and introduced a chatbot that allows kids to go behind their parents’ back to ask about sex and abortion.

Critical Warning

July 22, 2021, excerpts from Family Research Council’s Washington Update by policy vice president Travis Weber (full text available at https://www.frc.org/updatearticle/20210722/protecting-life)

             The physical and psychological traumas associated with the chemical abortion regimen evince the unique horrors of the procedures – even beyond what we are used to in the abortion context. Tammi, one victim of the abortion industry’s embrace of this practice, reflected on her chemical abortion as “savage” and “horrific.” She recalled extreme physical pain and fear throughout the process, ending in the ultimate delivery of her developing child, possessing undeniably human features, into a toilet bowl at her home.

             Tammi’s traumatizing experience with chemical abortion could easily be that of many college freshmen, suffering physical and emotional torture in an unsanitary communal dorm bathroom. Abortion advocates nevertheless have begun pushing for access to the dangerous mifepristone and misoprostol cocktail to be available for students in their campus health centers. …