Life Advocacy Briefing

Question of the Week

IF A CHILD IS A MEMBER OF THE SPECIES HOMO SAPIENS even before birth, how is that child not a person?

Pentagon Attack on Babies Ended

THE PENTAGON ANNOUNCED LAST WEEK reversal of the Biden-era policy of granting service members and their dependents paid leave and travel expenses to undergo abortion in another state for military personnel stationed in states where abortion is illegal, a policy which was one of the Biden Regime’s responses to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the 2022 Dobbs decision.

American taxpayers have been promoting abortion within the military since Oct. 20, 2022, compounded by a more explicit memorandum issued in February, 2023. “By March 2024, according to the Pentagon,” reports Zachary Mettler for Focus on the Family’s Daily Citizen, “the policy had been used to facilitate the killing of at least 12 preborn babies, costing the department [the taxpayers] $44,791. However,” he writes, “the number of times the policy was used – and the cost of the policy – is likely higher, since the Pentagon has not provided new data in recent months.

“The prompt move by the Pentagon to rescind the abortion travel guidance just nine days into the new Trump Administration comes after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated he would end the policy during his Senate confirmation hearing,” reports the Daily Citizen.

Though Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) tried to draw a commitment from Secretary Hegseth that he would maintain the deadly policy, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) posted on X on Jan. 31, quoted by Mr. Mettler: “‘Pres. Trump and Sec’y Hegseth affirmed today what I’ve been fighting for since I got to Washington: ZERO taxpayer dollars should go towards abortions.’”

Systemic Infection

IN THE MIDST OF HYSTERICS over the “Dept. of Government Efficiency’s” exposure of leftwing activism by the US Agency for International Development, a report by Elizabeth Mitchell in The Daily Signal suggests USAID may be the tip of a roiling volcano of American foreign-aid abortion imperialism.

“It is common knowledge among nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, in Sierra Leone,” reports Mrs. Mitchell, that a US foreign-aid agency called the Millennium Challenge Corporation is threatening to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars from a US agreement with Sierra Leone unless the West African country’s parliament passes [a] bill decriminalizing abortion, a former senior US government official who has worked in the West African region told The Daily Signal.

“The Millennium Challenge Corporation denies this,” notes Mrs. Mitchell. But it is certainly a report which bears close examination and possible action.

Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) raised the issue in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio “asking him to investigate” the reports, writes Mrs. Mitchell. “[Sen.] Banks also asked [Sec’y] Rubio if he will reaffirm the United States’ support for respecting foreign countries’ protections for the unborn.”

The “‘radical and unpopular bill’” in Sierra Leone, notes Sen. Banks, quoted by The Daily Signal, “‘would legalize abortion up to 14 weeks for any reason and up to birth to protect the ‘mental health of the woman.’”

The World Bank and UNICEF are also implicated, according to the Mitchell report, in pressuring the traditionally pro-life country into abandoning its population-protecting policy on abortion.

Christians Take Note: They’re Coming for Your Kids

FORMER SEN. RICK SANTORUM (R-PA) AUTHORED AN E-MAIL MESSAGE for Students for Life of America last week warning the Christian community that Planned Parenthood has developed a specific plan targeting Christians to excuse their despicable trade.

The outfit has launched a promotion of an autobiography by abortionist and “part-time ‘minister’ Dr. Willie Parker,” writes Sen. Santorum, “in which Mr. Parker states, “‘I believe, as an abortion provider, I’m doing God’s work.’” And Planned Parenthood has formed a “clergy advocacy board,” the esteemed sponsor of the Partial-birth Abortion Ban warns Students for Life backers.

But the most troubling part of his lengthy e-mail warns that Planned Parenthood is “cozying up to Christian college administrators and school presidents, so they can start preying on students” at institutions which parents and students consider safe.

“Students for Life’s recent study of 732 Christian/Catholic colleges in America showed,” warns Sen. Santorum, “that 11% [83] now have ties to Planned Parenthood. … Many times, those ties are the fault of administrators who list PP as a ‘trusted resource,’ encouraging young women to seek out the abortion goliath for ‘health matters’ (pregnancy). But in others,” he cautions, “Christian schools actually offer school credit for their students to intern at Planned Parenthood.”

V. P. Vance at March for Life

Jan. 24, 2025, address by Vice President J.D. Vance, transcribed by Life Advocacy Briefing

             Let me say, thank you, good afternoon, marchers. Thank you for having me. It is an honor to be standing with you here today for Life. We are proud to march with you, and yes, we will be back next year.

             The excitement, the passion, the unwavering conviction that every single person here on the National Mall clearly feels, it is deeply moving to me and means more to President Trump and I than I can possibly say. For over a half-century, this march has united tens of thousands of Americans from all walks of life to rally for the cause of Life in our nation. It is the single largest gathering in the world to celebrate our movement, the victories we’ve fought so hard for, and yes, the victories yet to come. I want to personally welcome all of you who traveled from far and wide to our nation’s capital. Thank you for your dedication, and it is an incredible crowd, and it’s great to see you today.

             You know on Monday we were forced to move all of the inauguration events indoors because of the bitter cold, and it was cold. But you guys – and it’s cold today – here you are, outside in an especially frigid January, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a joyful crowd out here particularly during this time of year. As you all know, the event theme this year is Life: Why We March, and there are obvious answers to the implicit question it poses. We march to protect the unborn; we march to proclaim and live out the sacred truth that every single child is a miracle and a gift from God.

             Now each time Usha and I welcomed our own children into the world, we saw first-hand the indescribable beauty of new life and yes, as you can see, sometimes the behavioral challenges that we had on Monday, but they were good, they were good – and watching all three of our kids grow, learn and become who they are today has been the single greatest blessing of our lives. Every parent here knows that feeling, that awe at a newborn child; it is our responsibility to cherish and to protect it. But thinking about the question of why we March, there are also some subtler but equally more important answers to that question that I want to reflect on today.

             Now the task of our movement is to protect innocent life. It’s to defend the unborn and it’s also to be pro-family and pro-life in the fullest sense of that word possible. Now across my own lifetime, I can’t tell you the number of friends and other acquaintances I’ve had who, facing a pregnancy or the prospect of one, react not with joy but with concern. They wonder, how can they afford it, what will it mean for their education, their career, their relationship or their family. Now I know how many of you in this crowd have devoted immeasurable time and resources to help answer those questions and to lend a hand to young people facing a moment of desperation. But by and large our society, our country has not yet stepped up in the way you have, and our government certainly has failed in that important responsibility. We failed a generation not only by permitting a culture of abortion-on-demand but also by neglecting to help young parents achieve the ingredients they need to live a happy and meaningful life. A culture of radical individualism took root, one where the responsibilities and joys of family life were seen as obstacles to overcome, not as personal fulfillment or personal blessing. Our society has failed to recognize the obligation that one generation has to another. It is a core part of living in a society to begin with.

             So let me say very simply: I want more babies in the United States of America. I want more happy children in our country, and I want, and I want beautiful young men and women who are eager to welcome them into the world and eager to raise them. And it is the task of our government to make it easier for young moms and dads to afford to have kids, to bring them into the world and to welcome them as the blessings that we know they are, here at the March for Life.

             Now it should be easier, easier to raise a family, easier to find a good job, easier to build a home to raise that family in, easier to save up and purchase a good stroller, a crib for a nursery. We need a culture that celebrates life at all stages, one that recognizes and truly believes that the benchmark of national success is not our GDP number or our stock market but whether people feel that they can raise thriving and healthy families in our country.

             That brings me back to where we stand today: Earlier this week President Donald J. Trump stood in the Capitol Rotunda and took the oath of office, becoming not just the 45^th but now the 47^th President of the United States, and I know all of you helped. With the inauguration on Monday, our country faces the return of the most pro-family, most pro-life American President of our lifetimes. Now, this is the man who delivered on his promise of ending Roe, giving us a monumental, earth-shattering decision in Dobbs. The man who appointed hundreds of pro-life judges, dedicated to defending the Constitutional liberties of all Americans, and the man who supported pro-family policies like doubling the child tax credit, which happened during his first administration and which we’re going to do so much more on in his second administration. Now he’s back, and we’re gonna do it again.

             Now yesterday, President Trump issued a strong endorsement of the Born-Alive Abortion Act, ensuring that those babies who survive botched abortions enjoy the equal protection of the law which is the obligation of every citizen in this country. With his return to office, no longer will the federal government direct FBI raids on the homes of people like Mark Houck and other Catholic and Christian activists who are fighting for the unborn every single day. And no longer will our government throw pro-life protesters and activists, elderly grandparents or anybody else in prison. It stopped on Monday, and we’re not gonna let it come back to this country. … and I know you all saw the news: The 47^th President has already issued pardons to those unjustly imprisoned. And I want to be clear that this administration stands by you, we stand with you and most importantly we stand with the most vulnerable on the basic principle that people exercising their right to protest on behalf of the most vulnerable should never have the government go after them ever again.

             Now the crowd assembled here in this incredible National Mall provides an extraordinary example for our nation. You donate to diaper banks, you help find housing for those in need, you help fund the crisis pregnancy centers to give help to young women and young men in a time of crisis. You guys are the beating heart of the pro-life movement, and you’ve saved many lives already and you’re going to save more again. You being here, this very March is a reminder of the incredible strength and unity of the pro-life movement and from the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you for being here and thank you for marching here today.

             And most importantly, in your works you remind us that the March for Life is not just a single event that happens on a frigid January day. The March for Life is the work of the pro-life movement every single day from this point forward. Now it is a life-long call to action, a moment in time, but every single day that you guys do what you do from supporting young moms and dads to fighting for the unborn to working with our legislatures at the state and federal level, you make it possible for us to stand here and say that America is fundamentally a pro-baby, a pro-life and pro-family country.

             Now I hesitate to give you all advice, because I can see there are young and old people who have been in the pro-life movement, some of you for longer than I’ve even been alive and I’m grateful to you, but if I could offer one piece of advice, it’s a piece of advice born out of my own experience. There was a point when I would get frustrated with people who didn’t see what we saw. I would get frustrated that people could look at a picture of a baby on an ultrasound and see not a human being but just a clump of cells. But one of the things that being a father has taught me and one of the things that being in politics has taught me over the last couple of years is that it is a blessing to know the truth, and the truth is that unborn life is worthy of protection.

             So please go forth not with frustration but with joy. We are joyful to march for Life. We are joyful to know that that picture on an ultrasound – that is a picture of a baby with hopes and dreams and potential to come. It is a joy and a blessing to fight for the unborn, to work for the unborn and to march for Life. God bless you all, and thank you for having me. It’s an honor to be with you.

Advice Worth Heeding

Excerpts from speech by LifeSiteNews chief editor John-Henry Westen, speaking to pro-life activists at Law of Life Summit, reported Feb. 5, 2025, by Antonino Cambria for LSN

             … The world is focusing on you, because they see a lot of hope in you. It’s only a start of hope, because they’re waiting for you, particularly you young people, to carry this forward. …

             All you’ve got right now is some openness; you don’t have the fullness of the truth. Because it’s not about protecting babies just after a certain point. It’s about protecting babies from [the moment of] conception. And it’s not about giving exceptions to allow to be killed the beautiful babies conceived because of the sins of their fathers. …

             And if [saving souls] is your motivation, so that you can love the “abortion providers,” as they’re called, and indeed, the moms that would consider [having an abortion], you love them. You love them enough to tell them what they’re doing is wrong so that you can save them, save their babies and save their souls. And that’s really tough stuff, but if you do it with love and you follow our Lord Jesus Christ, it is the way.

House Voting Record

Recommit to Committee (Procedural) – Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act – Failed 205-216 – Jan. 23, 2025 (Democrats in italics)

Voting “no” / pro-Life: Aderholt, Moore, Palmer, Rogers, Strong/AL; Begich/AK; Biggs, Ciscomani, Crane, Gosar, Hamadeh, Schweikert/AZ; Crawford, Hill, Westerman, Womack/AR; Calvert, Fong, Issa, Kiley, Kim, LaMalfa, McClintock, Obernolte, Valadao/CA; Boebert, Crank, Evans, Hurd/CO; Bean, Bilirakis, Buchanan, Cammack, Diaz-Balart, Donalds, Dunn, Franklin, Gimenez, Haridopolos, Lee, Luna, Mast, Mills, Rutherford, Salazar, Steube, Webster/FL; Allen, Carter, Clyde, Collins, Greene, Jack, Loudermilk, McCormick, Scott/GA; Fulcher, Simpson/ID; Bost, LaHood, Miller/IL; Baird, Houchin, Messmer, Shreve, Spartz, Stutzman, Yakym/IN; Feenstra, Hinson, Miller-Meeks, Nunn/IA; Estes, Mann, Schmid/KA; Barr, Comer, Guthrie, Massie, Rogers/KY; Higgins, Letlow, Scalise/LA; Harris/MD; Barrett, Bergman, Huizenga, James, McClain, Moolenaar, Walberg/MI; Emmer, Finstad, Fischbach, Stauber/MN; Ezell, Guest, Kelly/MS; Alford, Burlison, Graves, Onder, Smith, Wagner/MO; Downing, Zinke/MT; Bacon, Flood, Smith/NE; Amodei/NV; Kean, Smith, VanDrew/NJ; Garbarino, LaLota, Langworthy, Lawler, Malliotakis, Stefanik, Tenney/NY; Edwards, Foxx, Harrigan, Harris, Hudson, Knott, McDowell, Moore, Murphy, Rouzer/NC; Fedorchak/ND; Balderson, Carey, Davidson, Jordan, Joyce, Latta, Miller, Rulli, Taylor, Turner/OH; Bice, Brecheen, Cole, Hern, Lucas/OK; Bentz/OR; Bresnahan, Fitzpatrick, Joyce, Kelly, MacKenzie, Meuser, Perry, Reschenthaler, Smucker, Thompson/PA; Biggs, Fry, Mace, Norman, Timmons/SC; Johnson/SD; Burchett, DesJarlais, Fleischmann, Green, Harshbarger, Kustoff, Ogles, Rose/TN; Arrington, Babin, Carter, Cloud, Crenshaw, DeLaCruz, Ellzey, Fallon, Gill, Goldman, Gonzales, Gooden, Hunt, Jackson, Luttrell, McCaul, Moran, Nehls, Pfluger, Roy, Self, Sessions, VanDuyne, Weber/TX; Kennedy, Maloy, Moore, Owens/UT; Cline, Griffith, Kiggans, McGuire, Wittman/VA; Baumgartner, Newhouse/WA; Miller, Moore/WV; Fitzgerald, Grothman, Steil, Tiffany, VanOrden, Wied/WI; Hageman/WY. And House Speaker Mike Johnson/LA.

Voting “yes” / anti-Life: Figures, Sewell/AL; Ansari, Stanton/AZ; Aguilar, Barragan, Bera, Brownley, Carbajal, Chu, Cisneros, Costa, DeSaulnier, Friedman, Garcia, Gomez, Gray, Harder, Huffman, Jacobs, Kamlager-Dove, Khanna, Levin, Liccardo, Lieu, Lofgren, Matsui, Min, Mullin, Panetta, Peters, Rivas, Ruiz, Sanchez, Sherman, Simon, Swalwell, Takano, Thompson, Torres, Tran, Vargas, Waters/CA; Crow, DeGette, Neguse/CO; Courtney, DeLauro, Hayes, Himes, Larson/CT; McBride/DE; Castor, Cherfilus-McCormick, Frankel, Frost, Moskowitz, Soto, Wasserman-Schultz, Wilson/FL; Bishop, Johnson, McBath, Scott, Williams/GA; Case, Tokuda/HI; Budzinski, Casten, Davis, Foster, Garcia, Jackson, Kelly, Krishnamoorthi, Quigley, Ramirez, Schakowsky, Schneider, Sorensen, Underwood/IL; Carson/IN; Davids/KS; McGarvey/KY; Carter, Fields/LA; Golden, Pingree/ME; Elfreth, Hoyer, Ivey, McClain-Delaney, Mfume, Olszewski, Raskin/MD; Auchincloss, Clark, Keating, Lynch, McGovern, Moulton, Neal, Pressley, Trahan/MA; Dingell, McDonald-Rivet, Scholten, Stevens, Thanedar, Tlaib/MI; Craig, McCollum, Morrison, Omar/MN; Thompson/MS; Bell, Cleaver/MO; Horsford, Lee, Titus/NV; Goodlander, Pappas/NH; Conaway, Gottheimer, McIver, Menendez, Norcross, Pallone, Pou, Sherrill, Watson-Coleman/NJ; Leger-Fernandez, Stansbury, Vasquez/NM; Clarke, Espaillat, Gillen, Goldman, Jeffries, Kennedy, Latimer, Mannion, Meeks, Meng, Morelle, Nadler, Ocasio-Cortez, Ryan, Suozzi, Tonko, Torres, Velazquez/NY; Adams, Davis, Foushee, Ross/NC; Beatty, Brown, Kaptur, Landsman, Sykes/OH; Bonamici, Bynum, Dexter, Hoyle, Salinas/OR; Boyle, Dean, Deluzio, Evans, Hoolehan, Lee, Scanlon/PA; Amo, Magaziner/RI; Clyburn/SC; Cohen/TN; Casar, Castro, Crockett, Cuellar, Doggett, Escobar, Fletcher, Garcia, Gonzalez, Green, Johnson, Turner, Veasey/TX; Balint/VT; Beyer, Connolly, McClellan, Scott, Subramanyam, Vindman/VA; DelBene, Larsen, Randall, Schrier, Smith, Strickland/WA; Moore, Pocan/WI.

Not voting: Grijalva/AZ; Correa, Garamendi, Pelosi, Whitesides/CA; Pettersen/CO; Mrvan/IN; Riley/NY; Wilson/SC; Williams/TX; Jayapal & Perez/WA.