Life Advocacy Briefing

January 17, 2022

More at Stake / Dire Warning / Will You March for Life?
Some Christian Colleges Promoting Planned Parenthood?
New Jersey Competing for Worst Abortion Statute
Warning on Alarming Failure Rate in Prenatal Testing
D.C. March for Life & Associated Events

More at Stake

WHILE NEWS MEDIA REPORTS FOCUS on efforts by Senate Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) to break the Senate’s long-standing filibuster rule in pursuit of a scheme by his party to nationalize election laws and procedures, even more is at stake if the filibuster rule is circumvented. (The filibuster rule requires a vote of 60 Senators to call a legislative proposal to a vote.)

The next (and fast-following) demand – if the Schumer/Biden team prevail on their disastrous election-law agenda – could well be the Left’s pursuit of legislation which would effectively enact “abortion rights” in case the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade this year, as many observers expect.

This prospect elevates for Life advocates the need to preserve the filibuster rule. Though other Senators’ votes might also be in play on the question, media (and Schumer) pressure on Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) prompt us to urge readers to call both these Senators – regardless of the caller’s state of residence – and urge them to maintain their stand against circumventing the filibuster rule for any legislation. (Capitol switchboard: 1-202/224-3121) It is not necessary – and could be counterproductive – to state the underlying reason for your call; keeping it to praise and thanks for their filibuster stand is the best course, in this case.

 

Dire Warning

THE NATIONAL ABORTION FEDERATION HAS POSTED on a job advertising website an ad seeking an “intelligence analyst” to be paid up to $50,000 and to work remotely.

The job listing, according to Live Action reporter Carole Novielli, is for an “analyst” who will “create ‘dossiers’ that track pro-life activities, individuals and groups,” as well as “so-called acts of violence by ‘anti-choice extremists.’” The employee would, according to the job listing, notes Ms. Novielli, “‘work with clinic staff and local, state and federal law enforcement officials to prevent and respond to incidents of violence and disruption at abortion clinics throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America.’” [Bold-face emphasis added by Life Advocacy Briefing]

Reading this report prompted us to recall the 1946 confession by Lutheran pastor Martin Niemoller: “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew.

“Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.”

 

Will You March for Life?

THE NATIONAL MARCH FOR LIFE – which is centered on the National Mall, this year on Friday, Jan. 21 – is accompanied by a growing list of associated events offering pro-life citizens opportunities for worship and prayer together, for conferring together on matters of the law, for participating in uplifting music, for dining together, for learning together and for rallying not only for the right to life but also for the restoration of American freedoms in a separate march to “defeat the mandates.” We list various March-for-Life-associated events at the close of this week’s Life Advocacy Briefing.

With regret and concern for our nation, we caution those planning to participate in this year’s March for Life that Washington, DC, is, to a disturbing extent, in lockdown mode, so restrictions will apply and likely be enforced on those aged 12 and older. The March through Washington streets and the noon rally bringing marchers together at the Mall – as well as the 11 a.m. pre-rally concert at the rally site – are outdoors; the city’s mask requirement is seen as unenforceable. Most indoor activities in DC – such as eating in a restaurant while in the city – are limited to those under 12 or armed with proof of vaccination against the Chinese flu; the DC edict does allow for religious exemption, but we are unsure as to the means of accommodation.

Particularly this year, while the Supreme Court has before it a nearly unprecedented opportunity to overturn the Roe v. Wade abortion atrocity, strong participation is essential in public assemblies decrying Roe and embracing the right to Life, wherever they are convened. Those who are unwilling to subject themselves – and their Constitutional right to assemble – to mask and vaccine “mandates” are encouraged to find a March for Life in their own region and attend one in free America.

 

Some Christian Colleges Promoting Planned Parenthood?

A DISTURBING REPORT has come from the research arm of Students for Life of America (Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement), showing a disturbing relationship between Planned Parenthood and 103 of the 784 church-affiliated colleges and universities.

“Specifically, the schools in question offered academic credit for internships with Planned Parenthood,” reports Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews.com (LSN), “promoted the group as a student resource, volunteer opportunity or career opportunity; or advertised or collaborated with Planned Parenthood events within the last three years.

“Most major Christian denominations were represented among the offenders,” notes Mr. Freiburger, “but ‘Lutheran, Presbyterian and Methodist schools make up an outsized share of infracted schools,’ the group says.”

Students for Life responded to the findings, which were released in December, by privately contacting “all the institutions,” notes LSN, “which it says resulted in more than 30 of them cutting ties with the abortion giant.”

The news was not all bad, though. “The report also highlighted positive examples of institutions that … proactively live their faith’s pro-life convictions,” notes Mr. Freiburger. “‘Forty-nine schools earned an A-plus rating from Students for Life of America (SFLA) for maintaining no relationship with Planned Parenthood and promoting free, local and nonviolent abortion alternative resources on campus.’”

Commented SFLA president Kristan Hawkins, quoted by LSN, “‘We will abolish abortion in our lifetime, and we expect every Christian school to either stand with us in that battle for Life or disassociate themselves with the Christian faith. Either you follow Christ or you don’t,’” she said. “‘There’s no in-between.’”

 

New Jersey Competing for Worst Abortion Statute

NEW JERSEY’s LEGISLATURE HAS PASSED a bill to “‘codif[y] the constitutional right,”’ warns Emily Mangiaracina for LifeSiteNews.com (LSN), “‘recognized by the New Jersey Supreme Court, to freedom of reproductive choice, including the right to access contraception’ and ‘to terminate a pregnancy.’”

The bill, which is expected to be signed by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, “is designed to be a foundational [law] for the state, as it stipulates,” reports LSN, “that all present and future laws, rules and policies ‘conform’ to its ‘provisions and the express or implied purposes.’ Any other laws or policies that come into conflict with it are ‘subject to invalidation.’” Such a provision is preposterous under American jurisprudence, where only a constitutional provision – enacted by extraordinary processes in which voters directly participate – can hold such weight against future amendment.

The bill’s inception was clearly prompted by abortion-cartel fear that their license to kill will soon be invalidated by the US Supreme Court, which is believed to be considering overturning Roe v. Wade in a case currently before it.

Besides its unconstitutional claim of permanence and supremacy, the bill includes codification, reports Ms. Mangiaracina, “the recently enabled practice of allowing ‘all qualified healthcare professionals’ to perform abortions in New Jersey,” a change which took effect Dec. 6 upon decision of the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners, which “‘unanimously decided,’” reports LSN, citing the National Catholic Register as source, “‘to allow advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, certified nurse midwives and certified midwives to provide first-trimester aspiration abortions.’” Another provision in the let’s-jam-it-through-while-we-can law “provides an opening,” writes Ms. Mangiaracina, “for ‘regulations providing that health benefit plans delivered’ in New Jersey ‘require coverage for abortion.’

“Such regulations, however, would require that ‘carriers grant, upon request of a religious employer, an exclusion under the contract … if the coverage conflicts with the religious employer’s bona fide religious beliefs and practices.’” So, it looks to us as though New Jersey bureaucrats would be determining what constitutes a “religious employer” and, beyond that, what constitutes “bona fide religious beliefs and practices” – something which the typical government bureaucrat is incapable of defining.

“New Jersey currently,” notes Ms. Mangiaracina, “has one of the highest abortion rates in America, and not long ago held the distinction as the state with the highest abortion rate,” among those states which still report their abortion data to the Centers for Disease Control. “‘Why do we want to have more?’ Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, asked the New Jersey Assembly committee regarding the bill, which she called ‘really radical.’”

 

Warning on Alarming Failure Rate in Prenatal Testing

Jan. 5, 2022, Washington Update commentary by Family Research Council’s Center for Human Dignity director Mary Szoch

             Every year on my sister Marita’s birthday, my mom tells the story of her birth. After a night spent wondering if my mom and baby Marita were going to live, my dad placed my sister in my mom’s arms and said, “We’ve been blessed with a little angel.”

             Marita has a rare genetic disorder – a partial chromosomal deletion and partial trisomy – that caused multiple physical and intellectual disabilities. Because her condition is genetic, shortly after she was born, a doctor advised my parents to pursue prenatal testing for any future children. He said any “problems” would just be “taken care of.” My parents – who believe all life is sacred from the moment of conception and were completely in love with their new baby girl – found a new doctor.

             The New York Times kicked off the new year with an investigative piece revealing that 85% of prenatal screenings that warn of a rare disorder end up being wrong. Originally designed to screen for conditions like Down syndrome, genetic screening has expanded to encompass all sorts of rare disorders, allowing diagnostic companies to bring in millions of dollars from insurance companies. Many ob/gyns act as if these tests are routine and their results definitive, failing to mention to their patients that the US Food & Drug Administration [FDA] does not regulate this type of test at all and that the false positive rates are extraordinarily high.

             Relying on fear, a lack of familiarity with genetic conditions and the ableist mentality that undergirds the pro-abortion culture, the abortion industry manipulates parents into believing killing their unborn child who has tested positive for an increased risk of genetic abnormality is a merciful act. They argue that by ending the child’s life, parents are saving their child from a life of suffering.

             Although the root of this problem is a lack of respect for human life, the abortion industry – that always puts profits over people – would not be as capable of exploiting parents without the illusion that the findings of genetic testing companies are “highly accurate.”

             Abortion businesses see every positive result of genetic screening as a potential client, and the option to abort helps keep prenatal screening tests in demand. With market estimates in the billions, the demand is high despite the inconclusiveness of the tests. As the genetics testing industry is aware, many women abort without obtaining further testing. Those making genetic screening tests are likely motivated by money, not making the treatment of genetic disorders easier. They are a natural partner of abortion businesses and their eugenic money-making schemes.

             Still, it might come as a shock to parents receiving prenatal screenings based on the desire to treat their child in utero that genetic testing organizations are sponsors of Planned Parenthood events or that C-suite executives like Myriad Genetics chief operating officer Nicole Lambert were volunteers at Planned Parenthood. Perhaps the two industries are more intertwined than it appears.

             Across the country, disabilities advocates have fought for the passage of state-level prenatal non-discrimination acts (PRENDAs), which ban abortions obtained on the basis of a child’s inherent characteristic or disability. Thankfully, last year a record high 31 PRENDAs were introduced in different states around the country. As we kick off the 2022 state legislative sessions, 12 of these have already been carried over in eight different states. Yet sadly, as evidenced by the high abortion rates for babies with chromosomal anomalies, there is much more work to be done to hold back the tide of the abortion industry.

             Pro-abortion advocates and businesses actively oppose PRENDAs. Even when these laws are passed, the abortion industry sues to block them from going into effect. At times, they have been successful in thwarting state legislators’ efforts to protect unborn babies from discrimination. Hopefully, a life-affirming decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization will help change that.

             My parents knew that the addition or deletion of a chromosome did not determine the worth of a child. They refused to allow the eugenic mentality of the abortion industry to infiltrate their thinking. They rejected the idea that a test should determine which children joined their families and which children were killed. They saw each of their children as a beautiful gift from God and knew each child’s life would include joys and sorrows – regardless of genetic makeup. Simply put, I am blessed with parents who decided to love and accept their children unconditionally.

             For parents facing a prenatal diagnosis, you are not alone. Abortion is not the answer. Be Not Afraid is an organization that provides real assistance to families who have received a challenging prenatal diagnosis. There you will find hope, support and other families who – like mine – have been “blessed with a little angel.”

 

D.C. March for Life & Associated Events

Thurs., Jan. 20
       9-11 a.m. – Protest outside DC Planned Parenthood, 1225 Fourth St. NE
       1-3 p.m. – Law of Life Summit, Renaissance Hotel, 999 9th St. NW, reservation required via
             https://www.lawlife2022.org
       5:30 p.m. – National Prayer Vigil for Life Mass, Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400
             Michigan Ave. NE, reservation required for laymen
       6-9 p.m. – Anglicans for Life Summit, The Falls Church Anglican, 6565 Arlington Blvd., Falls
             Church, Virginia
       7 p.m. – Holy Hour for Life, Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Ave. NE

Friday, Jan. 21
       7:30 a.m. – Traditional Latin Mass of the Holy Innocents, Renaissance Hotel, 999 9th St. NW
       8 a.m. – Closing Prayer Vigil for Life Mass, Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan
             Ave. NE; facemask required
       8 a.m. – Novus Ordo Mass (Diocese of Brownsville), St. Mary Mother of God Church, 727 Fifth
             St. NW
       8:30 a.m. – National Pro-Life Prayer Service, DAR Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW; vaccine
             proof required
       9 a.m. – Novus Ordo Mass and breakfast for Marchers, St. Charles Borremeo Church, 3304
             Washington Blvd., Arlington, VA
       9:30 a.m. – Anglicans for Life Summit, The Falls Church Anglican, 6565 Arlington Blvd., Falls
             Church, VA
       9:30 a.m. – Novus Ordo Mass (Archdiocese of Minneapolis), St. Mary Mother of God Church,
             727 Fifth St. NW
       11 a.m. – March for Life Pre-Rally Concert, National Mall
       11:30 a.m. – Novus Ordo Mass, St. Mary Mother of God Church, 727 Fifth St. NW
       12 Noon to 1 p.m. – March for Life Rally, National Mall
       1 to 4 p.m. – March for Life
       2:30 p.m. – Silent No More Awareness Testimonies at the Supreme Court, on the sidewalk
       3:30 p.m. – Traditional Latin Mass in honor of March for Life founder Nellie Gray, St. Mary
             Mother of God Church, 727 Fifth St. NW
       6 p.m. – March for Life Rose Dinner, Renaissance Hotel, 999 9th St. NW; masks required when
             not eating; proof of vaccination or negative Covid test within 24 hours, required

Saturday, Jan. 22 (49th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade & Doe v. Bolton edicts legalizing abortion)
       8:30 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. – Anglicans for Life Summit, The Falls Church Anglican, 6565 Arlington
             Blvd., Falls Church, VA
       9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. – National Pro-Life Summit, 2500 Calvert St. NW; face masks and proof of
             vaccination or negative test required; free rapid tests available
       9 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Silent No More Awareness Testimonies at the Supreme Court, on the sidewalk

Sunday, Jan. 23
       11:30 a.m. – Defeat the Mandates march, Washington Monument, an event specifically opposing
             vaccine mandates