Life Advocacy Briefing

Foundation

“WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS TO BE SELF-EVIDENT, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed … . Action of Second Continental Congress, July 4, 1776, The Unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.”

Breaking

WE HOPE OUR READERS WILL GIVE US GRACE to take off a week during the observance of the 248^th anniversary of American Independence and affirmation of the unalienable right to Life. No Life Advocacy Briefing next week!

Not Ripe to Be Hyped

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN TWO YEARS, a document draft has leaked from the Supreme Court related to the right to Life. This one pertains to a challenge to Idaho’s ban on abortion.

According to Fox News, reporting last Wednesday, a draft was posted “mistakenly” on the Court’s website and then taken down, disclosing that the high court is poised to “side in the federal government’s favor. If accurate, hospitals in states with abortion bans will be required to administer [!] abortions in emergency situations while the cases [Moyle v. U.S. and Idaho v. U.S.] continue to be litigated.

“The version of the case that was posted said it was premature to decide the case on the merits since lower courts had yet to do so, and that the matter should go back to a federal Court of Appeals. Based on oral arguments in April, it was unclear from the public session how the Court might eventually decide.”

Therefore, though the news media have been covering this news as though the Court sided with the Biden Regime and the abortion lobby, it appears more accurate to conclude that the Court has not signaled how it would eventually rule, should the case achieve Supreme Court deliberation.

Setting Matters Aright

THOUGH THE RIGHT TO LIFE IS PRESUMED TO BE A POLITICAL HOT POTATO since the momentous overturning of Roe v. Wade two years ago, it may yet be the favoring of abortion “rights” that is the higher risk, at least in GOP primary elections, as has been the case for many years.

That appears to be the case at least in South Carolina, where three incumbent Republican State Senators went down, two in the early-June primary and one in a late-June runoff.

Students for Life Action was involved in all three contests, according to Calvin Freiburger of LifeSiteNews, having “targeted” the three “for ouster.” All three challengers – now GOP nominees – had scored 100% on SFLA’s candidate surveys. The three defeated incumbents, on the other hand, “helped filibuster a vote on a Human Life Protection Act to ban most” abortions last year. That bill was South Carolina’s version of the popular Heartbeat Act.

The campaign for defeat of Sen. Katrina Shealy “complet[ed] the group’s victory over those who helped kill the heartbeat law,” notes Mr. Freiburger, citing SFLA as source. “The results followed a SFLA grassroots campaign that it says produced 37,407 pieces of mail, 129,241 text messages, 51,371 phone calls, 2,572 doors knocked and 91,923 digital ad impressions.

“‘When I think back to where this began and where it has gone since, I cannot help but think that State Sen. Shealy should’ve just voted to do what her constituents wanted,’ Students for Life Action president Kristan Hawkins said,” quoted by LifeSiteNews. “‘But in the end, the constituents did get the final say – which is why State Sen. Shealy is looking for a job, and [nominee] Carlisle Kennedy will soon have hers. … If anyone doubts the impact of grassroots door-knocking campaigns or an effective digital push via text, Facebook ad or flyer, they only need to look at the results from [June 25] and the primary races two weeks ago,’ she added.”

Another lesson: A legislative loss can – with proper, robust response – turn into an electoral victory, likely with legislative victories to follow.

Brace Yourself

GET READY TO BE BOMBARDED. “The abortion industry,” reports Focus on the Family’s Daily Citizen, citing The Washington Stand as source, “has committed more than $100 million to put an abortion-expansion agenda at the center of the 2024 elections, a strategy an expert commentator called ‘offensive’ and ‘scandalous.’ Yet pro-life groups have set aside tens of millions of dollars to mount an underdog, David-&-Goliath campaign to protect Life from Joe Biden and the Democrats this November.”

The report cites announcement of two “separate initiatives” – “Planned Parenthood plans to spend $40 million on phone banks, door-to-door canvassing, online and television advertising and direct mail” to secure voter turnout focused on Arizona, Georgia, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The second “initiative” is a plan for a $100 million campaign across the next 10 years led by Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) and “at least six other pro-abortion groups,” reports the Daily Citizen.

E.R.A. on the Way to New York Ballots?

REVERSING A LOWER COURT’s OPINION, a New York Appellate Court panel has ruled that a pro-abortion constitutional amendment proposal, called by its backers an “Equal Rights Amendment,” can appear on ballots in the state this November.

Judge Daniel Doyle, reports S.A McCarthy for The Washington Stand, “ruled early last month that the state legislature had ‘violated’ the New York constitution in approving the proposed amendment … due to its appearing too early on ballots. According to New York constitutional procedure,” writes Mr. McCarthy, “the state’s attorney general must issue a memo on the proposals prior to their approval by the legislature. Since the legislature voted to approve the measures before any memo was delivered, [Judge] Doyle determined that the proposed amendment would be struck from the ballot.”

But oh, hey, when you’re trying to seal abortion into the constitution of a state, why should constitutional amendment procedures be invoked? Where are your priorities?!

“The Fourth Judicial Dept. of the New York Appellate Court unanimously decided on Tuesday [June 17] to reverse that decision. … Republicans intend to appeal the court’s decision, according to an Associated Press report,” notes Mr. McCarthy, “potentially taking the matter all the way to the state’s highest court.

“‘We continue to believe the legislature violated the constitution when it adopted the proposal,’ said GOP spokesman David Laska,” quoted by The Washington Stand. “‘We will fight this proposal in the courts and, if necessary, at the ballot box.’”

Pro-abortion state constitutional amendment propositions are expected to appear on ballots in Colorado, Florida, Maryland and South Dakota, as well, perhaps, as New York.

Seeking Justice & Mercy

A MISSOURI JUDGE HAS DENIED AN ATTEMPT by Planned Parenthood Great Plains to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Missouri Attorney General, Andrew Bailey, reports Anugrah Kumar for the Christian Post, “which accuses Planned Parenthood of unlawfully transporting girls out of state for abortions.” CP cites the Missouri Independent as source.

“The suit claims,” writes Mr. Kumar, “that Planned Parenthood Great Plains staff, located in the Kansas City area, were covertly recorded by a Project Veritas affiliate discussing ways to get an abortion for a fabricated 13-year-old without parental knowledge.

“Despite arguments from Planned Parenthood’s attorney, John Andrew Hirth, asserting the absence of any illegal activities or completed abortions, Boone County Judge Brouck Jacobs deemed the allegations substantial enough to warrant further examination,” writes Mr. Kumar.

The enforcement action by the attorney general stems from a video released in December, showing, writes Mr. Kumar, “a man, posing as an uncle, seeking an abortion for his niece and interacting with Planned Parenthood staff who suggest bypassing parental consent by going to their Kansas clinics” to evade Missouri law. “When the man inquired about the frequency with which minors are taken out of state for abortions, a Planned Parenthood employee responded that it occurs ‘every day.’ …

“During the lawsuit’s hearing earlier this month,” notes Mr. Kumar, “the Attorney General’s office underscored Missouri’s laws against aiding minors in obtaining abortions without parental consent. Kathryn Monroe, representing the state, argued that the staff’s reactions to the hypothetical scenarios posed by the undercover operative indicated a readiness to act unlawfully.” Where there’s smoke … .

“‘This is the beginning of the end for Planned Parenthood in the state of Missouri,’ [Atty. Gen.] Bailey said in a statement last week,” quoted by Mr. Kumar. “In March, [Mr.] Bailey announced a legal action against Planned Parenthood Great Plains as part of a multi-year campaign to drive Planned Parenthood from the state. The suit he filed was to prevent the nation’s largest abortion provider from transporting minors out of state for abortions without parental consent.

“In an interview with the Christian Post at the time,” Mr. Kumar writes, “[Atty. Gen.] Bailey claimed the organization had a history of refusing to comply with Missouri state statues. ‘We are not going to let this go,’ he said. ‘This is a lawless cult of death that is committed to their willful refusal to comply with state statutes.’”

And Another Win in Missouri

A SAINT LOUIS JUDGE HAS DISMISSED A LAWSUIT, reports Bridget Sielicki for Live Action, “from a group of clergy members who contended that the state’s pro-life protections violate the separation of church and state. The 14 clergy members, among them Christian, Jewish and Unitarian Universalist leaders who support abortion,” she writes, “filed their lawsuit last year against the state’s law that protects nearly all preborn children from abortion.

“In their complaint,” writes the Live Action reporter, “the plaintiffs took issue with the portion of the state law that says ‘life begins at conception,’ arguing that through this claim, lawmakers had ‘weaponized their religious beliefs,’” claiming the Missouri legislature had dictated “‘a narrowly Christian perspective onto all of Missouri’s diverse faith communities,’” though the assertion is actually a scientific fact. 

“In his ruling,” writes Ms. Sielicki, “St. Louis Circuit Judge Jason Sengheiser said that protecting the state’s preborn does not violate any separation of church and state, as it is not based on religion. ‘While the determination that life begins at conception may run counter to some religious beliefs,’ he wrote, ‘it is not itself necessarily a religious belief.’”

The state’s attorney general, Andrew Bailey, commended the judge’s ruling in a statement issued shortly thereafter, quoted by Live Action: “‘Today is a major win for women and their unborn children, as a Missouri court sided with our office yet again in our efforts to defend the sanctity of life,’ said [Mr.] Bailey. ‘My office will continue to use every tool at its disposal to protect the unborn. Our children are worth the fight.’”

Turning Point?

June 26, 2024, The Washington Stand commentary by Suzanne Bowdey

             With just two weeks left until the GOP platform committee meets in Milwaukee, conservatives are preparing for what many believe will be an all-out war for the party’s soul. Rumors have been swirling for months that a quiet army of moderates is assembling to overthrow key Republican pillars on life and marriage. And while delegates are used to having to defend core principles, insiders say this time is different. They’re coming for the GOP’s most basic beliefs. Family Research Council president Tony Perkins said somberly, “I hate to tell you this, but it’s true. … The Republican Party Platform is under assault.”

             While most of the attention is on the bright lights of the convention itself, the majority of conservatives realize that the lead-up to the big television bonanza is what makes or breaks the party. “If you change the platform,” Perkins warned, “you change the party.” July 8 and 9, when the document is hashed out for the first time in eight years, are “critical to keep at least one party aligned with Biblical truth,” he insisted.

             Fortunately, a few stories are bubbling up that should cast some serious doubt on the wisdom of diluting the life and marriage planks. For one, Republican support for same-sex marriage is cratering. After creeping upward for the last decade or so, the bottom fell out of the issue for the GOP, dropping almost 10 points in the last two years. Only 46% of Republicans favor the idea now, down from 55% in 2022, according to Gallup.

             Some of that pushback was obvious in the aftermath of the House and Senate votes on the far-left Respect for Marriage Act, when 51 Republicans abandoned their base and sided with Democrats. Together, they helped bulldoze natural marriage and gutted religious freedom – a decision that resulted in a stunning amount of backlash at home. The grassroots outrage was so intense after the first vote in July that eight fewer House Republicans supported it on final passage in December.

             Over in the Senate, the 12 Republicans who betrayed natural marriage faced blistering criticism in their states. Across Iowa, Wyoming, Alaska, Indiana and North Carolina, the urgency to “do something” about the Republicans’ vote intensified in the following months, as counties moved to censure and publicly excoriate Members who set fire to the party’s principles. Sen. Thom Tillis (NC) even lost the party’s financial backing. A year-and-a-half later, Gallup’s numbers show that the fury over these traitorous moves is still very much alive.

             As for the suggestion that watering down the GOP’s Life position would win over more voters, the primaries in South Carolina are one in a long line of stories that should put that logic to rest. Three Republican State Senators who tried to filibuster the chamber’s pro-life protections lost their re-election bids this month – including the longest-serving female in the Senate GOP. The women, who became known as “Sister Senators,” refused to back the Palmetto State’s lower abortion threshold, eventually costing Sandy Senn, Penry Gustafson and Katrina Shealy their jobs.

             PBS points out, “Billboards saying Shealy was not ‘pro-life’ were all over her district in Lexington County, which led the charge to flip the state from Democratic to Republican control over the past five decades.”

             FRC Action director Matt Carpenter, who watched the state’s primary with interest, told The Washington Stand, “Ultimately, the takeaway from the defeat of these three South Carolina senators who defected from the rest of the conference on the issue of protecting the unborn is that Republican primary voters are paying attention to who is truly pro-life and who will side with the pro-abortion Left. Protecting the unborn is just as salient an issue for Republican primary voters today as it has ever been; they won’t allow the Overton Window to move left on the protection of Life, and they’re willing to throw out incumbents to make that point.”

             Let’s hope national leaders are paying attention to these signs. As Perkins pointed out on “Washington Watch” Tuesday, a lot of things were pivotal to Donald Trump’s 2016 support among evangelicals: releasing a list of pro-life nominees he would pick for the Supreme Court, choosing a known conservative as his running mate, and the embrace of the most conservative Republican Party Platform in history. “Those three things galvanized his support.”

             Ralph Reed, founder of the Faith & Freedom Coalition, agreed. “I think we absolutely need a repeat” in 2024, he said. “We’re at an inflection point in this campaign, and in many ways, the foundation for the fall is going to be laid in the next three weeks. We have a debate taking place here in Atlanta [on June 27]. … And how well the President does – meaning former President Trump – and how well Biden does is going to determine a lot. It’ll be a key moment.”

             The second, Reed explained, “is the selection of his Vice Presidential running mate. And the third will be the gathering in Milwaukee and the adoption of the platform. And I’ve said repeatedly … and I know that you’ve said similar things – that if the Republican Party and the Trump campaign send a message of equivocation or retreat on the historic defense of innocent human life by the Republican Party – [which] I believe [is] the most important position of this party other than its opposition to slavery – it will make it harder to turn these voters out in the fall.”