Life Advocacy Briefing

So Close

THE SENATE VOTE ENDED IN A 49-49 TIE last Wednesday when Sen. Marco Rubio sought to bring to a vote his SJR-41, which he filed on March 16 to nullify a rule issued by the Dept. of Health & Human Services last October that reinstates eligibility for Planned Parenthood and other abortionists to receive taxpayer-funded grants under the federal government’s Title X (Ten) “family planning” program. We publish the voting record at the close of this Life Advocacy Briefing.

Sen. Rubio was joined on the resolution by co-sponsoring GOP Senators Tommy Tuberville (AL), Dan Sullivan (AK), John Boozman & Tom Cotton (AR), Rick Scott (FL), Mike Crapo & James Risch (ID), Mike Braun & Todd Young (IN), Joni Ernst (IA), Roger Marshall & Jerry Moran (KS), Mitch McConnell (KY), Bill Cassidy & John Kennedy (LA), Cindy Hyde-Smith & Roger Wicker (MS), Josh Hawley (MO), Steve Daines (MT), Deb Fischer (NE), Thom Tillis (NC), Kevin Cramer & John Hoeven (ND), James Inhofe & James Lankford (OK), Lindsey Graham & Tim Scott (SC), Mike Rounds & John Thune (SD), Marsha Blackburn & Bill Hagerty (TN), John Cornyn & Ted Cruz (TX), Mike Lee (UT), and John Barrasso & Cynthia Lummis (WY). A note or call of thanks is in order. [Capitol switchboard: 1-202/224-3121]

Getting Serious

IN A SIGN OF WHAT COULD BE ON TAP if the November elections result in turning over control of both houses of Congress, as many are predicting, Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) has filed HR-7604, the Partial Birth Abortion Is Murder Act. The measure has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee, where action during this session is not expected.

Partial-birth abortion – whereby a developing baby is partially delivered and killed on the way out of the mother – is illegal under federal law and has been since 2003. That Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act was upheld by the US Supreme Court in 2007. But the penalties – “fines and/or imprisonment for up to two years,” as outlined by Ms. Sadler, – have proved insufficient to discourage the crime or even to encourage legal action by federal prosecutors.

Rep. Mullin is proposing, reports Ashley Sadler for LifeSiteNews, “to punish abortionists who commit brutal partial-birth abortions with five years to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to a report,” she writes, “by The Daily Wire.”

The sponsor, who is a father of six, told The Daily Wire, reports Ms. Sadler, “that ‘partial-birth abortion is a cruel and gruesome means to ending human life. … I believe wholeheartedly that every human life is precious and that life begins in the womb,’ [Rep.] Mullin said. ‘We have to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.’”

The LifeSiteNews reporter notes “the discovery of five ‘extremely late-term’ aborted babies outside a Washington, DC, abortion facility last month” as impetus behind Rep. Mullin’s action last week. Neither the local authorities in DC nor the federal law enforcers responsible for prosecutions under the 2003 Act have responded, notes Ms. Sadler, “to demands from pro-lifers and dozens of Republican lawmakers to conduct investigations into how the babies died.

“‘Those five defenseless lives inspired this bill,’ [Rep.] Mullin said” in the LifeSiteNews story, “urging a ‘complete investigation into the deaths of the five preborn babies found in our nation’s capital.’”

‘Dismiss All Challenges’

THE UNIQUELY DRAWN TEXAS HEARTBEAT ACT has survived another court challenge, this time in the 5^th Circuit Court of Appeals. The federal appeals court, reports Ashley Sadler for LifeSiteNews, sent the “primary lawsuit opposing the enforcement method of the Heartbeat Act back to District Court Judge Robert Pitman, with orders to … ‘dismiss all challenges to the private enforcement provisions of the statute and to consider whether plaintiffs have standing to challenge.’”

The order from the 5^th Circuit illustrates the cleverness of the Texas Heartbeat Act’s unique enforcement mechanism and the intense frustration of the litigation-driven abortion lobby. The decision last Tuesday “finalizes a March ruling by the Texas Supreme Court,” notes Ms. Sadler, “to uphold the pro-life law against a lawsuit which had suggested that state officials had a role in enforcing the measure.” To the contrary, the unique enforcement mechanism “relies on civil lawsuits,” Ms. Sadler explains, “rather than criminal prosecution for its enforcement. …

“Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott,” writes Ms. Sadler, “hailed the federal court’s decision to throw out the lawsuit as ‘another legal loss’ for abortion proponents and highlighted the fact that the state’s pro-life law ‘is saving babies every day.’ The Heartbeat Act,” the LifeSite reporter writes, “has been credited with reducing the abortion rate in Texas by 60% in the first month after it was enacted.” The abortion lobby and its clever legal team have yet to come up with a litigation strategy to block its effectiveness; some 22 lawsuits filed so far to overturn the law have yet to score a lasting victory. The Texas Supreme Court, notes Ms. Sadler, “has upheld the law three times so far.”

Sounding an Alarm

AT A TIME WHEN ELON MUSK HAS MADE HEADLINES almost every day for his aggressive takeover of one of the world’s top social media platforms, the multi-billionaire has stepped apart from most of the world’s vocal billionaires to warn not about overpopulation but “about the risk,” reports LifeSiteNews writer Ashley Sadler, “posed by low birthrates, rejecting the assessments of global ‘experts’ who continue to insist that there are too many people occupying the planet.”

The acknowledged genius “said last week,” writes Ms. Sadler, “that despite assessments from experts and climate activists, it’s low birth rates, not overpopulation, that pose a risk to the future of civilization.

‘Most people in the world are operating under the false impression that there are too many people,’ [Mr.] Musk told Mathias Dopfner, the CEO of German publishing company Axel Springer last week,” writes Ms. Sadler. ‘This is not true,’ the 50-year-old Tesla and SpaceX founder said. ‘Earth could maintain a population many times the current level. And the birth rate has been dropping like crazy.’

“Despite having maintained a stable birth rate throughout prior decades,” notes Ms. Sadler, “the USA birthrate has fallen a staggering 20% since 2007. China, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Bangladesh and Indonesia also report current birthrates well below the rate of replacement.

“In his comments last week,” writes Ms. Sadler, Musk blasted the ‘ridiculous population estimates’ made by the United Nations, which project the global population will reach over 10 billion by the end of the century. According to Musk, the estimates need to be ‘updated because, really, they don’t make any sense.’

“The prominent billionaire’s warnings about the declining birth rate aren’t new. Musk has been predicting the collapse of civilization due to shrinking population rates for years. Last year,” notes Ms. Sadler, “he called low birth rates ‘one of the biggest risks to civilization. … I can’t emphasize this enough: there are not enough people,’ he told the Wall Street Journal in December.”

Candidate Watch

• A CANDIDATE FOR CONGRESS in Philadelphia’s 3^rd district is loudly celebrating having undergone an abortion as part of her advocacy, notes Jonathan VanMaren for LifeSiteNews, “for social, radical, economic and environmental justice, … running for Congress,” he writes, “on a progressive platform because she believes our politicians should fight for systematic change, ensuring equal opportunity and justice for all’” (but loudly leaving out a significant other person!). “In her campaign video Shadows,” he writes, “she stands in front of a wall filled with pictures of women wearing t-shirts reading ‘Shout Your Abortion,’ as well as a framed picture reading ‘Shout Your Abortion’ and ‘This is Not a Debate.’” At least Alexandra Hunt is not trying – like so many of her fellow traveling politicians – to soft-sell or obfuscate her radicalism. Thankfully, Mr. VanMaren reports she is “still the underdog candidate.” Let us hope her prospects remain underwhelming.

Daleiden Back in Court

April 25, 2022, LifeSiteNews report by Emily Mangiaracina

             Attorneys for David Daleiden and his co-defendants have appealed the multimillion dollar judgment levied against them after they exposed Planned Parenthood’s illegal baby body parts trafficking. “Defendants did nothing that 20/20, Dateline or animal rights activists haven’t done, and nothing so different from what undercover journalists have been doing since the slavery debate,” Heather Hacker of Hacker Stephens, who represented Daleiden’s journalist group, Center for Medical Progress (CMP), told a panel of the 9^th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday.

             “If the district court’s conclusions are affirmed, there is no way to limit the inevitable fallout the ruling would have on free speech and journalism in this Circuit,” Hacker continued.

             In 2015, CMP released videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s apparently illegal trade in aborted baby body parts after a 30-month undercover operation. The groundbreaking videos showed top-level Planned Parenthood executives haggling over prices of aborted baby body parts and discussing how to change abortion procedures to obtain more intact organs.

             The videos sparked public outrage, Congressional and Senate hearings and an on-going Dept. of Justice criminal investigation into Planned Parenthood, provoking the abortion giant to sue CMP and its pro-life team.

             In November 2019, a SanFrancisco jury found CMP, David Daleiden, and pro-life associates Sandra Merritt, Albin Rhomberg and Operation Rescue president Troy Newman jointly liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to Planned Parenthood, tripled to $1.4 million under a Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charge. Combined with compensatory damages, the award totaled more than $2 million. In December 2020, an additional $13.6 million in attorney fees were awarded to Planned Parenthood.

             Last year, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Project Veritas, Live Action, Americans United for Life, Judicial Watch and the Attorneys General of 20 states filed amicus (friend-of-the-court) briefs in support of the appeal of the $16 million judgment.

             During Thursday’s hearing, Hacker pointed out that the District Court had found the pro-life defendants liable for “infiltration” and “security” damages. She argued that Planned Parenthood’s perceived need for security was due to the repercussions of constitutionally protected free speech and not the pro-lifers themselves, since they “never acted in a threatening manner. …

             “Rather, Planned Parenthood believed there was a threat from third parties who were reacting to the publication of the video,” Hacker contended.

             Katherine Short, who represented Albin Rhomberg, named in Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit as one of the CMP three founding board members, also pointed out during the hearing that “nothing was damaged by defendants’ infiltrations into three hotel-based conferences.”

             In addition, she argued, Planned Parenthood had not substantiated its claim that there was a resulting loss of trust of its attendees resulting in “dollars and cents ‘injury to business and property’ as required by RICO … .”

             Reuters noted that “Chief Judge Mary Murguia, Circuit Judge Ronald Gould and visiting District Judge Nancy Freudenthal of Wyoming did not clearly indicate how they would rule.

             Investigative footage documenting Planned Parenthood’s sale of baby body parts can be found on the Center for Medical Progress website, www.centerformedicalprogress.org.

Pulling Aside the Curtain

April 27, 2022, LifeSiteNews report by Matt Lamb

             A black pro-life Democrat gave a powerful speech recently in opposition to Connecticut legislation that would make it easier for non-doctors to commit abortions. The legislation would also expand the availability of chemical abortion drugs and protect abortionists from some lawsuits. The bill remains pending in the state senate.

             Democrat Rep. Trenee McGee said April 19 that at a young age, black girls are groomed to support abortion and use it as a “birth control method.”

             “In my journey and quest for racial justice, when it comes to reproductive rights it began in a classroom with black girls who knew about abortion when they were seven years old,” McGee said. “They were taught in their classrooms … about abortion as a birth control method. … They were taught that at any point in time, when they were 13 or 12 or 15, they could go to a Planned Parenthood and receive an abortion without their parents knowing. One of the most triggering words for me is ‘access.’ The second is ‘equity,’” she said.

             “… The number-one reason why a lot of my colleagues believe this bill should be passed is because they felt that black and Latin women – and this is national – black and Latin women lack access to reproductive health care,” McGee said.

             She shared with her colleagues the truth behind how the abortion industry has targeted black women. “Black women make up 14% of child-bearing population, yet obtain 36.2% of all reported abortions,” McGee noted. “Black women have the highest abortion ratio in the country, 474 abortions per 1,000 live births – percentage at these levels illustrates that 19 million black babies have been aborted since 1973.” …

             McGee said that words like “access” were used by people such as Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger to target minority women with birth control that ruins their fertility. “Not only does she go door-to-door in advocacy within the black community, but she tests; she did birth control testing on women in Puerto Rico and so women for generations were unable to give birth. So that’s why we’ve never lacked ‘access.’ Because we were the prime target for why abortion should be legalized,” McGee said.

             “There’s a lot of history that we don’t talk about when it comes to this topic, but for me, this is a part of my racial justice fight,” McGee said. She pointed out that the abortion industry deliberately locates facilities in black and Hispanic communities.

Senate Voting Record

Motion to Proceed to SJRes-41 – Rubio Resolution to disapprove Biden Regime rule change to include abortionists in eligibility for “family planning” funding – April 27, 2022 – Failed – 49-49 (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), Daines (MT), Fischer & Sasse (NE), Burr & Tillis (NC), Cramer & Hoeven (ND), Portman (OH), Inhofe & Lankford (OK), Toomey (PA), Graham & Scott (SC), Rounds & Thune (SD), Blackburn & Hagerty (TN), Cornyn & Cruz (TX), Lee & Romney (UT), Capito & Manchin (WV), Johnson (WI), and Barrasso & Lummis (WY).

Voting “no”/anti-Life: Murkowski (AK), Kelly & Sinema (AZ), Feinstein & Padilla (CA), Bennet & Hickenlooper (CO), Blumenthal (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 (OR), Casey (PA), Reed & Whitehouse (RI), Leahy & Sanders (VT), Kaine & Warner (VA), Cantwell & Murray (WA), and Baldwin (WI).

Not voting: Murphy (CT) and Wyden (D-OR).