Life Advocacy Briefing

Question of the Week

IF CHEMICAL KILLS A HUMAN BEING, should the distributor be required to declare it “hazardous” when shipping it?

Can You Hear Us Cheering?

THE ABUSE OF UNBORN CHILDREN AS SUBJECTS of scientific experimentation became an issue before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions early this month, during the confirmation hearing for Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, President Trump’s nominee to head the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a lead agency in the field of government-funded medical research.

“‘In public health, we need to make sure the products of science are ethically acceptable to everybody,’ [Dr.] Bhattacharya said during the hearing,” reports Matt Lamb for LifeSiteNews. “‘And so, having alternatives that are not ethically conflicted with fetal cell lines is not just an ethical issue, but it’s a public health issue.’” He was responding to a question from – can you guess? – Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO).

“Dr. Bhattacharya said it is important to have ethical testing guidelines,” notes Mr. Lamb, “sharing his experience answering questions on Catholic radio about the mRNA Covid shots. The jabs are tainted by their development using a fetal cell line derived from an aborted baby, which has caused moral concerns for faithful Catholics and also Protestants. …

“Dr. Bhattacharya is a well-respected medical doctor,” reports LifeSiteNews, “who gained further fame as a Covid contrarian, rejecting the establishment narrative that widespread lockdowns of the economy and schools were needed to slow the spread of the virus.”

The future NIH chief “is the latest high-ranking public health official to affirm the Trump Administration will not allow for the use of aborted fetal tissue in federally funded research,” writes Mr. Lamb. “Secretary of Health & Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. previously assured Sen. Hawley he would prohibit the practice when questioned prior to his confirmation. ‘Will you reinstate Pres. Trump’s policy that ensures that no federal research and no federal tax dollars is conducted on fetal tissue taken from elective abortions,’ [Sen.] Hawley asked RFK Jr. ‘Yes,’ the nominee said, as previously reported by LifeSiteNews.”

Our suggestion: Start by carefully probing federal funding for biomedical research at the University of Pittsburgh. And bring Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) into the conversation.

Whoops!

THE ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION that Biden-era Justice Dept. attorney Hilary Perkins would be appointed FDA chief legal counsel sent Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and his staff into the Justice Department’s files, discovering that Ms. Perkins, reports Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews, “had been the Justice Department attorney who defended the Biden Administration’s relaxation of rules governing the dispensation of abortion pills in court.”

Indeed, Sen. Hawley said his team, reports Mr. Freiburger, had “found that ‘this Biden lawyer has argued for Biden’s outrageous pro-abortion rules in many cases. She also argued for Biden’s draconian, discredited vaccine mandates,’ [Sen.] Hawley added.”

The appointment was announced on March 11. Two days later, notes Mr. Freiburger, “the FDA announced that [Ms.] Perkins had resigned from the position, effective immediately. It did not elaborate as to why.”

Could it have something to do with the fact that the confirmation of President Trump’s choice for FDA Commissioner, Marty Makary MD, just emerged from the Senate committee last Thursday? His naming of Ms. Perkins in the first place was a disappointment which we hope will prove anomalous. For his part, Dr. Makary himself told the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee, notes Mr. Freiburger, “he would spearhead objective reviews of abortion pill and vaccine policy, commitments conservatives had little reason to doubt, given his credentials as a critic of the Covid-19 establishment.”

‘Protecting Life on College Campus’

AT A TIME WHEN THE SPOTLIGHT IS BEING TURNED ON U.S. COLLEGES, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) has filed a bill to ban federal taxpayer funding to universities and colleges which abet the abortion trade. HR-632 is titled the “Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2025” and has been referred to the House Committee on Education & the Workforce.

Reports Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews, the Roy bill “states simply that ‘No federal funds may be awarded (directly or indirectly, including through a contract or subcontract) to any institution of higher education that hosts or is affiliated with any school-based service site that provides abortion drugs or abortions to students of the institution or to employees of the institution or site.’ It contains no exceptions for abortions sought for rape, incest or alleged medical emergencies.”

We suggest it be amended to encompass all schools, at all levels. School-based “clinics” are a Trojan horse for the abortion and sex-warp pushers even in grade schools. And be sure to cover a prohibition on referrals to off-campus facilities.

The bill has 27 co-sponsors, some of whom have subscribed quite recently. Readers may wish to contact their own Representative and request that he or she sign on to HR-632 (or thank the Member who is already listed). House Members may be reached via the capitol switchboard at 202/225-3121.

Co-sponsoring with Rep. Roy are GOP Representatives Robert Aderholt & Barry Moore (AL); Andy Biggs, Eli Crane & Paul Gosar (AZ); Gus Bilirakis & Daniel Webster (FL); Mike Bost & Mary Miller (IL); Randy Feenstra (IA); Tracey Mann (KS); Clay Higgins (LA); Andy Harris (MD); John Moolenaar (MI); Michael Guest (MS); Troy Downing (MT); Mark Harris & Richard Hudson (NC); Warren Davidson (OH); Sheri Biggs (SC); Chuck Fleischmann & Andrew Ogles (TN); Dan Crenshaw, Brandon Gill & Randy Weber (TX); Ben Cline (VA); and Glenn Grothman (WI).

Planned Parenthood Stymied in Missouri

MISSOURI’s ATTORNEY GENERAL IS TAKING ACTION AGAINST Planned Parenthood, reports Calvin Freiburger for LifeSiteNews, “for allegedly conducting chemical abortions without abiding by health and safety rules, issuing an immediate cease-and-desist [order] and warning of future action if it is not honored.”

Missouri law requires dispensers of such chemicals to submit a plan for responding to complications, but Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) has notified Planned Parenthood Great Rivers-Missouri that their facility “‘does not appear to have an approved complication plan,’” and thus, “‘it is unlawful for your organization to perform any chemically induced abortions in Missouri.’”

In a March 12 announcement, Atty. Gen. Bailey “not[ed] that the abortion affiliate has ‘admitted under oath to “refusing to file required complication reports” despite knowing they were required by law,’” reports Mr. Freiburger.

“‘Planned Parenthood has a documented history of subverting state law, including failure to file complication reports,’ [Mr.] Bailey said. ‘This cease-and-desist letter ensures that basic health and safety standards are met. Given Planned Parenthood’s history, I will continue to ensure their compliance with state law.’ … As a result,” notes Mr. Freiburger, “the organization cannot currently perform any chemical abortions in Missouri. …

“Bailey is no stranger to taking on Planned Parenthood,” writes Mr. Freiburger, “having previously sued the abortion giant for facilitating minors’ out-of-state travel for abortion and investigated it for its work in underage gender ‘transition’ treatments,” a/k/a genital mutilation.

Another Abortion Shop Closed

AN ABORTUARY IN SUBURBAN MINNEAPOLIS has closed its doors after some five decades of committing abortions, reports Pro-Life Action Ministries, based in Minnesota. The Robbinsdale Clinic leaves behind the deaths of more than 60,000 babies.

Reports the respected pro-life group: “An internet company has a purchase agreement with the owner/abortionist June Fahrmann and has plans to demolish the building for a new data center, contingent upon final approval from the City of Robbinsdale.

“We are very grateful to God that this blight in the city of Robbinsdale and, indeed, the whole of Minnesota is now closed,” declared Pro-Life Action Ministries. “So many lives have been lost at this location. So many women harmed. And yet, so many babies’ lives have been saved and so many families helped by our persistent presence, offering alternatives to abortion, throughout the decades.”

We thank God for His armies of volunteers who selflessly offer witness to the preciousness of Life for so many struggling families, and we offer our congratulations on this long-sought relief. And we join our brothers and sisters in Minnesota in asking for prayers for the abortionist herself, who, as PLAM notes, “desperately needs to know the love of God through repentance and turning to Christ.”

Going After the Graft

March 12, 2025, report by S.A. McCarthy for The Washington Stand

             A pair of Republican senators are asking the Trump Administration to investigate Planned Parenthood for potential financial fraud stemming from the Covid era, as Congress moves to allow continued prosecutions for Covid-related fraud. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Rand Paul (R-KY) recently sent a letter to Kelly Loeffler, head of the Small Business Administration (SBA), asking her to look into Planned Parenthood’s “unlawful” collection of over $100 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds and to provide Congress with related documents which the Biden Administration previously withheld.

             According to the senators, Planned Parenthood affiliates were alerted in the first half of 2020 that they were ineligible “under the applicable affiliation rules and size standards” for 38 PPP loans that they had applied for, totaling $80 million, and demanded that the money be returned. However, under the Biden Administration, the SBA issued more PPP loans to Planned Parenthood affiliates in 2021, totaling $40 million. Additionally, the Biden Administration’s SBA “forgave” 34 PPP loans to Planned Parenthood affiliates, not only not demanding the money be returned but not even requiring that the loans be paid back.

             The Senators wrote that they have “repeatedly sought” answers to why the Biden Administration’s SBA continued issuing loans to Planned Parenthood affiliates previously deemed ineligible for PPP participation. Ernst and Paul asked for answers in a hearing and three letters in 2021, another letter in 2022, and a “document retention and record preservation request” in 2024. “We continue to seek this information. Borrowers who made incorrect or false eligibility certifications on their PPP application are subject to severe penalties,” the Senators wrote.

             Therefore, they requested in their letter that Loeffler and the SBA investigate whether or not Planned Parenthood affiliates “made a knowingly false certification on their applications for PPP loans, and upon findings of false certification, pursue all appropriate penalties for any unlawful participation in the program.” The Senators also requested that Loeffler provide them with any and all PPP applications submitted to the SBA by any Planned Parenthood affiliate, any communications the SBA has had with Planned Parenthood affiliates, all records of “any internal deliberation regarding the eligibility of Planned Parenthood affiliates for the PPP program,” and a host of other records and documents, including the “names and titles of each SBA employee and/or contractor that conducted a formal or informal review of any Planned Parenthood affiliate’s eligibility for the PPP program.” The Senators gave Loeffler a deadline of March 21 to deliver the requested records and documents.

             Ernst declared in a statement, “PPP was designed to help Americans struggling during the pandemic, not to fuel abortion-on-demand.” She added that she is “confident” that Loeffler will collaborate with her and Paul “to uncover why $40 million in Covid cash was sent to the nation’s largest abortion provider,” Paul added. “Biden obstructed our investigation, but we’re confident [the Trump Administration] will provide the transparency the American people deserve.”

             In comments to The Washington Stand, Mary Szoch, director of the Center for Human Dignity at Family Research Council, said, “Planned Parenthood’s main source of income is killing innocent and defenseless unborn children. But apparently, if the occasion presents itself, the titan of death also likes to dabble in stealing millions of dollars from American taxpayers and small businesses who need it.” She added, “Planned Parenthood should be held accountable to the fullest extent possible.”

             This week, the House of Representatives approved legislation expanding the statute of limitations for prosecuting Covid-related unemployment insurance fraud, allowing another five years for fraudsters to be brought to justice.

Congressman Smith at March for Life

Jan. 24, 2025, address by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), transcribed by Life Advocacy Briefing

             Jeanie, thank you so very much, and Jenny, thank you. The March for Life Committee – what an amazing March, and you do it with such, with such, just power. And all of you here today, thank you so much.

             You know I met my dear wife Marie 52 years ago in the pro-life movement. So, to you young people, it can become a dating service. And we’ve been working the pro-life issue ever since. But from that perspective, both Marie and I have never been more hope-filled than we are today.

             Thank you, all of you for being here. Today’s March for Life, in our opinion, is an engraved invitation to each and every one of us to seriously recommit and rededicate ourselves to the defense of the weakest and the most vulnerable, to recommit with love and compassion even for our opponents (who don’t wish us well), to tangibly assist women especially through the extraordinary work of pregnancy care centers in order to protect their precious babies but also to protect their lives.

             Thank you, Knights of Columbus, for getting so many ultrasounds into those pregnancy care centers. And their Marist poll just found that 83% of Americans – and I hope the media will take note – support pregnancy care centers. Pregnancy care centers, as all of you know, are under siege by some politicians but especially by Planned Parenthood – or should I call, Child Abuse Incorporated, an organization that has killed over 10 million babies in their clinics. We must end all taxpayer subsidies to Planned Parenthood.

             Today we recommit to exposing abortion methods, which the other side never wants to talk about, to a society that has chosen to be blind to the realities of brutally dismembering helpless babies with sharp curettes – knives – and the kids, as we know, feel pain from at least the 12^th week on, being dismembered, and also the poisoning of babies by literally starving them to death with the abortion pill.

             I asked the Secretary General of the United Nations in a meeting – Guterrez – in my office, Do you know how the pill works? Because the UN and the WHO, they’re all handing it out all over the world. I said it starves the baby to death. I’m all into world hunger, mitigating it. I have offered two bills that passed the House on global food security. He says he’s for that too, and yet they’re starving little children, and many of those killed kids are literally flushed down the toilet.

             We thank President Trump for defeating not one but two extremist pro-abortion candidates, Clinton and Harris, and for his amazing, amazing defense of unborn children.

             We give thanks to God that abortion President Joe Biden is gone, but his morbid – he is gone – but his morbid legacy of packing the judiciary with abortionists, using executive orders to kill more children and then integrating one great program like the VA Healthcare or Global Health with abortion – he has hijacked so many programs. Trump – President Trump’s going to reverse that, and J.D. Vance.

             Let me just conclude by saying that President Trump has done more to protect innocent children than any other President in history. I’ve been here since 1980 as a Member of Congress. We had great Presidents – Ronald Reagan, he was great. Trump has done even more. And then, thank God he’s back. Since the reversal of Roe versus Wade, achieved by three Supreme Court justices that he appointed and Justice Alito, who’s from our old hometown in Hamilton, New Jersey, half the states have adopted laws to protect the unborn child, saving about 200,000 or more children. We are winning, kids are surviving because of that reversal.

             The bottom line, ladies and gentlemen: Pro-lifers are people of persevering faith in God. Through prayer and fasting, we will bear any burden, we will endure any attack. We know that the cruel injustice of abortion need not be forever but at each stage, despite setbacks, that many unborn children and their mothers have been protected, and they’re thriving. We have hope and we have just begun. Thank you.