Life Advocacy Briefing

Twisting Congressional Intent

THE BIDEN REGIME HAS PROMULGATED A NEW REGULATION forcing employers, reports Louis Knuffke for LifeSiteNews, “to cover abortion under the Pregnant Workers Fairness act, trampling upon religious liberty and conscience rights and furthering the White House’s aggressive abortion agenda.”

The rule has been released by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), runs more than 400 pages in length and detail and was set to be published Friday, April 19.

As announced in the summary of the Act being implemented, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which took effect June 27, 2023, reported by Mr. Knuffke, “the government will require ‘a covered entity to provide reasonable accommodations to a qualified employee’s or applicant’s known limitations related to, affected by or arising out of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, unless the accommodation will cause an undue hardship on the operation of the business of the covered entity.’ The rule includes abortion and contraception expressly among the things it deems qualify for coverage by employers, mentioning the word ‘abortion’ 348 times.”

The LifeSiteNews report quotes Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Julie Marie Blake, “condemn[ing] the new rule for imposing ‘pro-abortion regulations on virtually every employer in the country, even those whose religious beliefs dictate that life begins at conception. … The Biden Administration and the EEOC don’t have the legal authority,’” she said, “‘to smuggle this illegitimate rule into a law that was created to protect and support women and that had nothing to do with abortion.’”

And the report quotes Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), chairman of the House Committee on Education & the Workforce, “denounc[ing] the rule for stretching the application” of the new law to include abortion. “In a statement, she declared,” reports Mr. Knuffke, “‘Adding this controversial provision into the PWFA is wrong. Period. Abortion is not a medical condition related to pregnancy; it is the opposite. Leave it to the Biden Administration to think terminating a pregnancy and ending the life of an unborn child addresses the needs of pregnant workers.’” She further noted that the rule “‘also goes well beyond EEOC’s authority.’

“The PWFA was intended,” writes Mr. Knuffke, “to ensure employers provide reasonable accommodations to pregnant employees. The PWFA does not apply to abortions. The term ‘abortion’ is not once mentioned in the law. Instead of following Congressional intent, the Biden Administration is using the regulatory process to advance radical policy goals. … Job creators who are already struggling under Bidenomics could be forced to provide years of federally mandated leave under this rule.”

Rep. Foxx and her colleague Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) sent a letter last October to the EEOC’s chairman, a letter, reports Mr. Knuffke, which was “obtained by the Daily Signal. … [They] warned that the then-proposed rule the Administration is implementing contains language defining ‘pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions’ as encompassing ‘having or choosing not to have an abortion.’ As laid out in the letter, notes Mr. Knuffke, “the PWFA does not include abortion in its text, and the lawmakers who enacted it said they did so with the express understanding that it did not confer any requirement to facilitate, assist or accommodate a decision to abort.”

Hang On!

THREE U.S. SENATORS HAVE SENT A LETTER to the president of Guatemala urging Bernardo Arevalo to “stand firm,” reports Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews, “in the face of the Biden Administration’s efforts to pressure him to withdraw support from a multinational declaration affirming there is no right to abortion.”

The “Geneva Consensus Declaration” has been signed by 36 nations, notes Mr. Freiburger, stating that “‘every human being has the inherent right to life,’ that ‘in no case should abortion be promoted as a method of family planning,’ that ‘any measures or changes related to abortion within the health system can only be determined at the national or local level according to the national legislative process,’ that ‘the child … needs special safeguards and care … before as well as after birth.’

“The signatories affirm,” reports Mr. Freiburger, “that ‘there is no international right to abortion nor any obligation on the part of the States to finance or facilitate abortion, consistent with the long-standing international consensus that each nation has the sovereign right to implement programs and activities consistent with their laws and policies.’”

With such clear, Life-affirming language one could have anticipated the Biden Regime would take offense, and sure enough, “Pres. Joe Biden,” reports Mr. Freiburger, “withdrew the United States from the declaration within days of taking office as part of [his] ongoing efforts to promote abortion-on-demand around the world.”

While the White House is “using the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review of countries’ human rights records,” writes Mr. Freiburger, “as an occasion to urge nations to withdraw from the [Geneva] declaration,” GOP Senators Steve Daines (MT), James Lankford (OK) and Lindsey Graham (SC) used the occasion to urge the Guatemalan president to maintain his nation’s endorsement of the pro-life declaration.

“‘The US government should not threaten, cajole or pressure countries to leave this historic coalition,’ commented Valerie Huber, former chief of staff for the Office of the Ass’t Secretary for Health in the Trump Administration and architect of the Geneva Consensus Declaration,” reports Mr. Freiburger. “‘To do so misuses the influence of the US, dramatically increases anti-American sentiment in countries which should be allies and disrespects the sovereign right of countries to hold different views on issues for which, even in the US, there is not consensus.’”

Planned Parenthood Opens the Books

PLANNED PARENTHOOD HAS RELEASED ITS ANNUAL REPORT, and business for the abortion cartel appears to be brisk as ever.

The 2022-2023 annual report, writes Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews, “confirm[s] that [Planned Parenthood] once again managed to commit a record number of abortions and increase its taxpayer funding, despite laws continuing to shut down abortion businesses in several states. …

“The nation’s largest abortion chain still operates almost 600 facilities nationwide, through which it committed 392,715 [baby killings] in the most recent reporting period. According to the Lozier Institute’s Prof. Michael New,” quoted by Mr. Freiburger, “that is a ‘record number of abortions for the organization and represents approximately 40% of the abortions performed in the United States.’

“At the same time,” notes Mr. Freiburger, “PP locations made 123,855 telehealth appointments, accounting for their ability to keep up their pace despite no longer being able to commit abortions in 14 states. Aided by the Biden Administration relaxing regulations,” writes the LifeSiteNews reporter, “the abortion industry has prioritized mail distribution of abortion pills to be taken without medical supervision.

“The report further boasts,” writes Mr. Freiburger, “that Planned Parenthood assisted more than 15,000 abortion seekers with travel costs and more than 50,000 with costs of the abortions themselves.”

And, predictably, “as has been the case for five years,” notes Mr. Freiburger, “PPFA once again reported declines in the non-abortion services it provides; ‘preventive-care visits fell by 31.0%, Pap tests fell by 13.5%, cancer screenings fell by 1.4% and adoption referrals fell by 4.5%,’ [Prof.] New summarizes.”

And, our readers should note, “the report boasts,” writes Mr. Freiburger, “that Planned Parenthood continues to attempt to force its way through the judiciary, via ‘approximately 30 open cases challenging restrictive policies in 16 states, as well as federal policies put in place by the previous administration.’ It celebrates that it is successfully blocking pro-life policies in ‘almost two-thirds of these cases,’” underscoring for pro-life citizens the need to elevate Life-respecting attorneys to federal – and state – judgeships.

Bottom line from Mr. Freiburger’s report: “Planned Parenthood received $699.3 million in government grants and reimbursements in 2023, a 4.2% rise over its funding the previous year.”

The report drew a sharp response from American Life League’s watchdog division STOPP, quoted by Mr. Freiburger. “‘This report should be the centerpiece of criminal investigations into misconduct by Planned Parenthood and its board. … You cannot mix, mingle and misuse nonprofit money for improper purposes, and Planned Parenthood continues to do so to the tune of nearly $1 billion in donations and another $700 million in taxpayer money,’” all while calling itself a nonprofit.

Quoteworthy

LIVE ACTION’s LILA ROSE, quoted by LifeSiteNews writer Matt Lamb in an April 15 report on reaction to the Trump position on abortion: “It is not right for democratic societies to vote on the fundamental rights of unpopular minorities. There is no more unpopular minority today than preborn Americans. … [Criminalizing] abortion is not about the ‘will of the people.’ It’s about respecting the human right that we are endowed with by our Creator. Our rights come from God, not the government.”

Stateside

• IDAHO is resisting the Biden Regime’s efforts, reports Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews, “to force emergency room doctors to participate in abortions, filing a legal brief responding to the federal government’s rationale in the case. “‘Idaho’s Defense of Life Act is perfectly consistent with the Emergency Medical Treatment & Active Labor Act, which provides explicit protections for “unborn children” in four separate places,’ [Idaho Attorney General and former Congressman Raul] Labrador said,” quoted by Mr. Freiburger. “‘But the Biden Administration is trying to use one life-affirming law to invalidate another. The administration’s radical interpretation of federal law is nothing more than a reckless disregard for Idaho’s right to protect life. We are asking the Supreme Court to end the administration’s unlawful overreach and to respect the people of Idaho’s decision to safeguard the lives of women and their unborn children.’” Idaho’s life-protective law is being considered by the US Supreme Court, which has said the state can continue to enforce the law while the case is under review.

• AN ILLINOIS ABORTIONIST whose Rockford shop’s state license was suspended in 2011 because of unsanitary conditions, has now said he will open a new surgical abortuary in Rockford after dispensing abortion pills out of a residential Rockford neighborhood since January of 2023, stirring a lawsuit from the neighbors. “Now he is planning on supplementing this facility,” reports Emily Mangiaracina for LifeSiteNews, “with surgical abortions at 4236 Maray Drive in Rockford. However, he is in need of staff before the location begins its killing operations. The abortion mills [operated by Dennis Christensen] especially target women from Wisconsin, who must cross state lines in order to legally abort their children.” The area’s principal pro-life organization has appealed to Rockford’s mayor to intervene, but Mayor Tom McNamara, reports Ms. Mangiaracina, has “voiced his support for Christensen’s abortion operations in Rockford,” saying in 2022, “‘We need more healthcare providers in our community. Right now, truthfully, women are under attack in our country. Women deserve the right to health care, they deserve the right to their choices in health care, and I am highly supportive of that.’” Mr. Christensen is notorious for having displayed “images and signs that mocked pro-lifers, even such as a rubber chicken affixed to a crucifix,” notes LifeSiteNews, “and an image portraying Jesus giving the middle finger that read, ‘Even Jesus hates you.’ The [previous Christensen abortion] facility also displayed rubber chickens hanging by nooses, which caused a few black women to decide against obtaining abortions there.”

Who Benefits?

Conclusion to an April 15 LifeSiteNews report on coerced abortion by Calvin Freiburger

            The pro-life group Live Action’s “Aiding Abusers” series draws on news reports, eyewitness testimony and undercover video to expose Planned Parenthood employees’ willingness to abort the babies of girls as young as 12 without reporting signs of statutory or forcible rape to law enforcement. This enables the men who brought the girls in for appointments to bring them home and continue abusing them.

            Last year, the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute released a study that interviewed 1,000 American women and found that 61% of women who undergo abortions do so due to pressure from “male partners, family members, other persons, financial concerns and other circumstances.”

            “Forcing a woman to have an abortion, including a minor, is illegal in all 50 states of the United States of America,” according to the Justice Foundation’s Center Against Forced Abortions, which offers a variety of information resources to help those who are being pressured into killing their babies.

Life Advocacy Briefing editor’s note: Why, we ask, should pro-life candidates and officials – and ordinary pro-life Americans – shy away from “the hard cases,” when logic and the reality of human relationships tell us that aborting a girl’s baby cannot be a solution to the suffering she is undergoing as a victim of incest or rape. Particularly in the case of incest, who do we think is pressuring her to abort, even paying for the abortion? Who benefits? The one whose DNA will not be recovered as evidence of his crime if a resulting baby is done away with. What is compassionate about abetting the girl’s bondage? We find this issue entirely manageable by pro-life candidates who think it through, and we find the facts presented in the report excerpt above as valuable tools to help open voters’ minds about the reality behind the twisted rhetoric of the abortion lobby and its fellow travelers in seeking to excuse the deliberate destruction of innocent human life.

Unmasked by One of Their Own

April 15, 2024, commentary by John Henry Westen, editor-in-chief, LifeSiteNews

            A video of Bill Maher’s recent comments on abortion has gone viral, and it’s fascinating, because Maher is honest and tells us what abortion advocates really feel and think.

            First, he recognizes that “abortion is murder.” Abortion is murder. It is the murder of an innocent human being made in the image and likeness of God.

            Second, he recognizes that the only credible position against abortion is to oppose all abortions. This is because every baby is equally loved by God and of equal value in the sight of God. It doesn’t matter whether the unborn baby is one minute, eight weeks or eight months old. It doesn’t matter how they were conceived. All human beings are of equal value. They all deserve to be protected.

            Third, he admits that the pro-abortion lobby are lying when they accuse pro-lifers of “hating women.” He frankly acknowledges that the left just “made it up.” He recognizes that pro-lifers “don’t hate women” and are just people who want to stop babies being murdered.

            Fourth, he admits that people who support abortion know that it’s murder and they are “okay with it.” They know perfectly well that they are killing babies, and they are fine with that. They think there are more important things than loving and protecting human life. They think that “sexual liberation” is more important than protecting babies, or that keeping mothers working to produce wealth for others is more important than love.

            Fifth, he acknowledges that the population control agenda is another major reason why they kill babies on an industrial scale. Maher justifies the murder of babies on the basis that “there are eight billion people in the world.” LifeSiteNews will never stop exposing the globalist depopulation agenda. Leading globalists want to reduce the world population down to one billion. To achieve this task, they will need to kill billions of babies – and adults, too – in every part of the world.

            Bill Maher’s comments show just how much influence advocacy for the fake population crisis has on increasing support for the abortion agenda. In fact, he reveals the coldheartedness, cruelty and callousness of those who support abortion. Speaking of the murdered babies, he says “We won’t miss you.”

            They don’t have any feelings for their victims because their hearts are hardened, and they are far from the love of God. But we will never forget the more than one billion babies who have already been killed by abortion. We miss them, we honor them, we fight for them.

            Maher’s truthful statements can help provide us with a framework for fighting back.

            First, we must always tell the truth that abortion is murder, and never be tempted to soften our language.

            Second, we must oppose all abortions and never exclude any group from our love and protection, whether based on age or the circumstances of their conception.

            Third, we must never change our behavior or speech based on abortion lobby lies. They know that we don’t “hate women.” We must treat their lies with the contempt that they deserve.

            Fourth, we must never stop exposing the globalist plot to depopulate the world by means of abortion and euthanasia. They want to kill us, and they want to kill our children and grandchildren. We mustn’t have any illusions about this, and we must fight them until we win.

            Fifth, we must love all our fellow human beings without exception. To do this we must draw close to God, Who is the source of all love. The evil in the world is overwhelming, but nothing is too powerful for God, Who has already overcome all suffering and death. May God bless you and grant us the victory!