Life Advocacy Briefing

Military Abortions are Policy, Despite the Law

ABETTING ABORTION with travel reimbursements for military personnel does not appear to be enough for the Biden Regime. Spokesman John Kirby last Monday, reports Joshua Arnold for The Washington Stand (TWS), “called paying for abortions a ‘foundational, sacred obligation of military leaders.’ … Kirby’s speech … provide[s] insight into the worldview motivating the DoD to persist in illegally funding abortions against all common sense.” We publish an extensive quote from Mr. Kirby at the close of this Life Advocacy Briefing.

“In March, the DoD adopted a new policy,” writes Mr. Arnold, “providing abortions for all servicemembers in all cases (it was previously allowed only in cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s life was at risk). The agency changed this policy without Congressional authorization,” notes TWS, “and in spite of federal law that prohibits the use of DoD funds or facilities without Congressional authorization with limited exceptions.”

It is this flouting of the law which undergirds Alabama GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s principled one-man stand holding up confirmations of military promotions.

“The DoD claimed,” writes Mr. Arnold, “that this new abortion policy was critical to military readiness, but it has never offered a compelling rationale to support that claim.”

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) last Wednesday “offered” Sen. Tuberville the opportunity to put to a vote an amendment on the Defense Authorization bill “to repeal the Pentagon’s abortion policy,” reports Burgess Everett for Politico. “Democrats expect [such a vote] to fail,” Politico acknowledges.

Readers are urged to contact Sen. Tuberville to thank him and implore him to continue his firm stand against military abortions. [Direct line: 202/224-4124] He is under immense pressure from fellow Senators and from the media. Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis (R-FL) Thursday “threw his weight behind Sen. Tuberville’s hold on promotions for military officers over the Pentagon’s abortion policy,” reports Al Weaver for The Hill.

Thank You, Rep. Jackson

REP. RONNY JACKSON (R-TX) SUCCEEDED on July 13 in attaching an amendment to the Defense Authority Act that would bar the Dept. of Defense from abetting the abortion industry. By Biden Administration policy, despite long-standing laws and policy against the use of federal tax dollars for abortion, military personnel who seek abortions can tap into public DOD funds.

We publish the voting record near the close of this Life Advocacy Briefing, pleased to see a victory but concerned to see a handful of Republican Members voting against this reform despite the long-standing commitment to Life in the Republican National Platform.

Any reader who wishes to offer feedback to his or her own Member of Congress after consulting this voting record may contact the Representative via the Capitol switchboard at 202/224-3121.

Seeking to Intimidate

WE REPORTED IN A RECENT EDITION on a letter sent by some 50 House Democratic Members to the CEOs of leading pharmacy chains: Walmart, Safeway, Kroger, Costco & Health Mart. We did not at that time publish the names of the signers of the letter, which exhorted pharmaceutical marketers to “become certified to dispense mifepristone” – the baby-killing drug RU-486 – what the letter signers term “medication abortion care.”

Huffed the letter-signers: “Your pharmacies have been able to start the certification process since January but have not done so, despite letters from numerous governors and senators inquiring about your failure to do so” – as if these private corporations were under some supposed duty to participate in the killing of future customers in order to make some cadre of politicians happy. The Members of Congress thundered, “Your continued silence is unacceptable … .”

We publish midway through this Life Advocacy Briefing the names and contact information for the CEOs of these chains in the hope that some of our readers will want to send their own letters – or organize friends to do likewise – expressing hope that these companies will continue to withhold complicity with the mass killing being pursued by the abortion industry and their collaborators in Congress.

We publish also, just ahead of that listing, the names of those Members of Congress who chose to huff and puff at these five corporations.

The Ultimate Goal?

Excerpted from Right to Life of Michigan News, Summer 2023, by Chris Gast, Education Coordinator

             … Money always seems to be an object of great concern to Planned Parenthood. Even independent abortion businesses will sometimes compare Planned Parenthood to Walmart or other big-box stores. Lots of pro-lifers look at these numbers and believe Planned Parenthood is primarily influenced by the money.

             While that may be true to a great extent, in the end, Planned Parenthood has stayed true to the mission of their founder, Margaret Sanger. What is that mission? What is their real business model? Promoting population control. Fewer births; fewer people. If they can financially benefit while doing it, they think that’s great.

             Despite fewer and fewer women entering their doors, Planned Parenthood remains the most visible leader of the movement for less human life. If you find their apparent move towards transgender services puzzling – or a potential distraction from their abortion agenda – remember that sterilization means less human life, too.

             Judging them by their true business model, they have been remarkably successful. The US total fertility rate is at an all-time low, down to 1.6 children per woman in 2020, from 1.9 in 2010. Over the last decade, Planned Parenthood has taken the lives of 3,419,465 innocent babies, and collected $5.8 billion of your tax dollars to force you to be complicit in it.

So Did the Veep Mean It?

THE WHITE HOUSE was quick last week to mop up what the President’s staff later claimed was “a gaffe” by Vice Pres. Kamala Harris. In a speech at Coppin State University in Baltimore, reports Newsweek, the Veep declared, “‘When we invest in clean energy and electric vehicles and reduce population, more of our children can breathe clean air and drink clean water.’”

The White House later insisted she meant to say “reduce pollution.” But given Ms. Harris’s background of fierce activism on behalf of the abortion cartel, especially while she was California’s attorney general, and given the population control lobby’s use of “the environment” as one of the excuses for their abortion activism, perhaps this was one time when Ms. Harris spoke her mind.

Pharmacy CEOs for Your Correspondence

              THE LIST OF ADDRESSEES HERE IS COPIED from the letter sent by Congressional Democrats urging them to take steps to qualify as dispensaries for baby-killing mifepristone (RU-486). We thought this might be useful for our readers to take their own action in defense of Life in the womb – and of distressed mothers.

Doug McMillon, President & CEO, Walmart, 702 SW 8^th St., Bentonville, AR 72716

Craig Jelinek, CEO, Costco, 999 Lake Dr., Issaquah, WA 98027

Matthew Gutermuth, CEO, Safeway, 5918 Stoneridge Mall Rd., Pleasanton, CA 94588

Bryan Tyler, CEO, McKesson Corp. on behalf of Health Mart, 1 Post St., SanFrancisco, CA 94104

Rodney McMullen, Chairman & CEO, Kroger, 1014 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH 45202

The Congressional Intimidators

             THIS LIST IS OF HOUSE MEMBERS who signed a letter urging each of the CEO’s listed above to apply for a license to market the baby poison RU-486, a/k/a mifepristone. All are Democrats. The letter was circulated by Rep. Dan Goldman (NY) and Rep. Judy Chu (CA). They were joined by Representatives Ruben Gallego & Raul Grijalva/AZ; Nanette Barragan, Julia Brownley, Sara Jacobs, Barbara Lee, Kevin Mullin, Nancy Pelosi & Adam Schiff/CA; Jahana Hayes/CT; Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick & Frederica Wilson/FL; Nikema Williams/GA; Nikki Budzinski, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky & Bradley Schneider/IL; Andre Carson/IN; Troy Carter/LA; Jake Auchincloss, James McGovern & Seth Moulton/MA; Haley Stevens, Rashida Talib & Shri Thanedar/MI; Angie Craig & Dean Phillips/MN; Susie Lee & Dina Titus/NV; Josh Gottheimer & Robert Menendez/NJ; Adriano Espaillat, Jerrold Nadler & Richie Torres/NY; Kathy Manning/NC; Greg Landsman/OH; Christopher Deluzio & Dwight Evans/PA; Seth Magaziner/RI; Steve Cohen/TN; Colin Allred, Greg Casar, Veronica Escobar, Lizzie Fletcher, Al Green & Sheila Jackson-Lee/TX; Becca Balint/VT; Jennifer McClellan/VI; Suzan DelBene & Pramila Jayapal/WA.

Life Advocacy Briefing editor’s note: Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-WDC) was listed in signing as a “Member of Congress,” but that title is incorrect. She is a Delegate to Congress from the District of Columbia. The District does not elect any Representatives to the Congress.

House Voting Record

Jackson-of-Texas Amendment to HR-2670 – Barring Defense Department expenditures in support of abortion – July 13, 2023 (Adopted 221-213*) [Democrats in italics]

Voting Yes (pro-Life): Aderholt, Carl, Moore, Palmer, Rogers, Strong/AL; Biggs, Ciscomani, Crane, Gosar, Lesko, Schweikert/AZ; Crawford, Hill, Westerman, Womack/AR; Calvert, M.Garcia, Issa, Kiley, Kim, LaMalfa, Speaker McCarthy, McClintock, Obernolte, Steel, Valadao/CA; Boebert, Buck, Lamborn/CO; Bean, Bilirakis, Buchanan, Cammack, Diaz-Balart, Donalds, Dunn, Franklin, Gaetz, Gimenez, Lee, Luna, Mast, Mills, Posey, Rutherford, Salazar, Steube, Waltz, Webster/FL; Allen, Carter, Clyde, Collins, Ferguson, Greene, Loudermilk, McCormick, A.Scott/GA; Fulcher, Simpson/ID; Bost, LaHood, Miller/IL; Baird, Banks, Bucshon, Houchin, Pence, Spartz, Yakym/IN; Feenstra, Hinson, Miller-Meeks, Nunn/IA; Estes, LaTurner, Mann/KS; Barr, Comer, Guthrie, Massie, Rogers/KY; Graves, Higgins, Johnson, Letlow, Scalise/LA; Harris/MD; Bergman, Huizenga, James, McClain, Moolenaar, Walberg/MI; Emmer, Finstad, Fischbach, Stauber/MN; Ezell, Guest, Kelly/MS; Alford, Burlison, Graves, Luetkemeyer, Smith, Wagner/MO; Rosendale, Zinke/MT; Bacon, Flood, Smith/NE; Amodei/NV; Kean, Smith, VanDrew/NJ; D’Esposito, Garbarino, LaLota, Langworthy, Lawler, Malliotakis, Molinaro, Santos, Stefanik, Tenney/NY; Bishop, Edwards, Foxx, Hudson, McHenry, Murphy, Rouzer/NC; Armstrong/ND; Balderson, Carey, Davidson, Johnson, Jordan, Joyce, Latta, Miller, Turner, Wenstrup/OH; Bice, Brecheen, Cole, Hern, Lucas/OK; Bentz, Chavez-DeRemer/OR; Joyce, Meuser, Perry, Reschenthaler, Smucker, Thompson/PA; Duncan, Fry, Mace, Norman, Timmons, Wilson/SC; Johnson/SD; Burchett, DesJarlais, Fleischmann, Green, Harshbarger, Kustoff, Ogles, Rose/TN; Arrington, Babin, Burgess, Carter, Cloud, Crenshaw, Cuellar, DeLaCruz, Ellzey, Fallon, T.Gonzales, Gooden, Granger, Hunt, Jackson, Luttrell, McCaul, Moran, Nehls, Pfluger, Roy, Self, Sessions, VanDuyne, Weber, Williams/TX; Curtis, Moore, Owens, Stewart/UT; Cline, Good, Griffith, Kiggans, Wittman/VA; Newhouse, Rodgers/WA; Miller, Mooney/WV; Fitzgerald, Gallagher, Grothman, Steil, Tiffany, VanOrden/WI; Hageman/WY.

Voting No (anti-Life): Sewell/AL; Grijalva, Stanton/AZ; Aguilar, Barragan, Bera, Brownley, Carbajal, Cardenas, Chu, Correa, Costa, DeSaulnier, Duarte, Eshoo, Garamendi, R.Garcia, Gomez, Harder, Huffman, Jacobs, Kamlager-Dove, Khanna, Lee, Levin, Lieu, Lofgren, Matsui, Mullin, Napolitano, Panetta, Pelosi, Peters, Porter, Ruiz, Sanchez, Schiff, Sherman, Swalwell, Takano, Thompson, Torres, Vargas, Waters/CA; Caraveo, Crow, DeGette, Neguse, Pettersen/CO; Courtney, DeLauro, Hayes, Himes, Larson/CT; Blunt-Rochester/DE; Castor, Cherfilus-McCormick, Frankel, Frost, Moskowitz, Soto, Wasserman-Schultz, Wilson/FL; Bishop, Johnson, McBath, D.Scott, Williams/GA; Case, Tokuda/HI; Budzinski, Casten, Davis, Foster, Garcia, Jackson, Kelly, Krishnamoorthi, Quigley, Ramirez, Schakowsky, Schneider, Sorensen, Underwood/IL; Carson, Mrvan/IN; Davids/KS; McGarvey/KY; Carter/LA; Golden, Pingree/ME; Hoyer, Ivey, Mfume, Raskin, Ruppersberger, Sarbanes, Trone/MD; Auchincloss, Clark, Keating, Lynch, McGovern, Moulton, Neal, Pressley, Trahan/MA; Dingell, Kildee, Scholten, Slotkin, Stevens, Thanedar, Tlaib/MI; Craig, McCollum, Omar, Phillips/MN; Thompson/MS; Bush, Cleaver/MO; Horsford, Lee, Titus/NV; Kuster, Pappas/NH; Gottheimer, Kim, Menendez, Norcross, Pallone, Pascrell, Payne, Sherrill, Watson-Coleman/NJ; Leger-Fernandez, Stansbury, Vasquez/NM; Bowman, Clarke, Espaillat, Goldman, Higgins, Jeffries, Meeks, Meng, Morelle, Nadler, Ocasio-Cortez, Ryan, Tonko, Torres, Velazquez/NY; Adams, Davis, Foushee, Jackson, Manning, Nickel, Ross/NC; Beatty, Brown, Kaptur, Landsman, Sykes/OH; Blumenauer, Bonamici, Hoyle, Salinas/OR; Boyle, Cartwright, Dean, Deluzio, Fitzpatrick, Houlahan, Lee, Scanlon, Wild/PA; Magaziner/RI; Clyburn/SC; Cohen/TN; Allred, Casar, Castro, Crockett, Doggett, Escobar, Fletcher, Garcia, V.Gonzalez, Green, Jackson-Lee, Veasey/TX; Balint/VT; Beyer, Connolly, McClellan, Scott, Spanberger, Wexton/VA; DelBene, Jayapal, Kilmer, Larsen, Perez, Schrier, Smith, Strickland/WA; Moore, Pocan/WI.

Not Voting: Peltola/AK; Gallego/AZ; Williams/NY; Evans, Kelly/PA.

Life Advocacy Briefing editor’s note: Because this roll call came during a “Committee of the Whole” proceeding – rather than in a “Session” of the House – delegates from territories and the District of Columbia were permitted to vote. The total number of votes cast, together with those Members listed as “not voting,” therefore exceeds the total number of Representatives serving in the House. We have cited the voting totals as shown by the Congressional Record, but we will not list the votes of delegates who are not duly elected Members of the House of Representatives. This is the first time we have seen a voting record showing votes from non-Members, but this is reportedly the practice when a matter is voted in the “committee of the whole.” We are advised that if the votes of the delegates had changed the outcome, the amendment would have been voted on again with only elected Representatives being permitted to vote. This amendment, though voted on in a “committee of the whole,” is considered adopted.

The Pentagon’s Perfidy on Display

The excuse from White House military spokesman John Kirby, reported by The Washington Stand

             One in five members of the US military are women – 20%. We’re an all-volunteer force. No one’s forcing you to sign up and go. People volunteer to go. People raise their right hand and say, “I’m going to do this, for a few years or even for my life. And it might cost [me] my life to do this.” And when you sign up, you make that contract, you have every right to expect that the organization – in this case, the military – is going to take care of you, and they’re going to take care of your family, and they’re going to make sure that you can serve with dignity and respect, no matter who you are, who you love or how you worship or don’t.

             And our policies, whether they are diversity, inclusion and equity, or whether they’re about transgender individuals who qualify, physically and mentally, to service, to be able to do it with dignity, or whether it is about female servicemembers – one in five – or female family members being able to count on the kinds of health care, and reproductive care specifically, that they need to serve, that is a foundational, sacred obligation of military leaders across the river.

             And I’ve seen it myself. And it matters. Because it says, we’re invested in you, because you are being willing to invest in us. You’re investing your life, your family’s livelihood with us – we owe that back in return.

             … Not to mention, it’s just the right darn thing to do for people that raise their hand and agree to serve in the military.

Life Advocacy Briefing editor’s note: We cannot leave this without saying to the former Pentagon/now White House spokesman: Shame on you!