Life Advocacy Briefing

Question of the Week

WITH DEMOGRAPHERS WARNING that declining birth rates – dipping below replacement level – are jeopardizing America’s future, how can legalized abortion be considered beneficial?

Confirmed

JUDGE MARIA LANAHAN WAS CONFIRMED BY THE U.S. SENATE last Tuesday by a vote of 52 to 45, needing 50. We had asked our readers to call the Senate urging her approval, so we congratulate those who followed through.

Judge Lanahan was opposed for appointment to the federal court for the Eastern District of Missouri by abortion advocates such as the leftish Alliance for Justice, which specifically opposed her record of opposition to access to the baby poison, mifepristone, a/k/a RU-486.

R.F.K. on the Case?

IN ADDITION TO THE JOUSTING reported by major media characterizing the Sept. 4 appearance of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. before the Senate Finance Committee, the Secretary offered bombshell testimony about the relaxation of regulatory standards governing sales of mifepristone a/k/a RU-486.

After GOP committee members asked the Secretary “for an update,” writes LifeSiteNews reporter Calvin Freiburger, citing Bloomberg Law as source, “on the ‘complete review’ of the safety data for chemical abortions that he promised in May, the Secretary declined to give a time frame for final conclusions,” adding that “information gathering was ongoing. ‘We’re getting data in all the time, new data on that,’” the Secretary said.

But he added, reports Mr. Freiburger, “‘We know that during the Biden Administration, they actually twisted the data to bury one of the safety signals, a very high safety signal, around 11%, so we’re going to make sure that that [data manipulation] doesn’t happen anymore.’”

Catholic University research associate Michael New cited a November 2021 study from the Charlotte Lozier Institute, notes Mr. Freiburger, which “appeared in the peer-reviewed journal Health Services Research & Managerial Epidemiology.  Mr. New wrote, quoted in the LifeSiteNews story, “‘They analyzed state Medicaid data of over 400,000 abortions from 17 states that fund elective abortions through their Medicaid programs. They found that the rate of abortion-pill-related emergency-room visits increased over 500% from 2002 through 2015. The rate of emergency-room visits for surgical abortions also increased during the same period, but by a much smaller margin.’”

We can hope – and it appears – that the HHS Secretary is taking abortion-pill risks into account. (And the risk would be 100% if it were not for the abortion pill reversal protocol!) As noted by Mr. Freiburger, “Twelve states currently ban all or most abortions. But the unregulated, no-oversight distribution of abortion pills across state lines has become arguably the abortion lobby’s most effective tactic for preserving abortion ‘access,’ and [is] particularly problematic in pro-life states, to which they can be sent and taken in complete privacy, without any sign law enforcement can act on.”

Pro-life states have been unsuccessful so far in finding the power to stop interstate trafficking of baby-killing chemicals which undermines their protective laws. With the Trump Administration’s reluctance to undo the Biden Regime’s policy of refusing to enforce the Logan Act which bars shipment of abortifacients in the US mail, we can hope the HHS Department and the Food & Drug Administration will soon officially acknowledge the dangers to women which the politically driven Clinton Regime RU-486 marketing approval has precipitated and will stop the killing by withdrawing that approval. This is a federal issue, Mr. President, not a matter for the states alone.

Give This a Look!

ILLINOIS FAMILY INSTITUTE HAS POSTED ON THE INTERNET a brief video informing distressed mothers who have ingested an abortion chemical about the abortion pill reversal protocol, a usually effective way to save a baby whose mom’s womb is being attacked by RU-486. We encourage our readers not only to watch it but also to circulate to others – perhaps by posting on social media – the “address” to gain access to it: https://youtube.com/shorts/sdwTeNrtHZU?si=ozR00QxVefROPTig

A Good Start

Excerpt from Sept. 8, 2025, The Washington Stand commentary by S.A. McCarthy

             … Judge David Joseph of the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana issued a court order last week barring the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) from applying a rule interpretation in the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and other Catholic* organizations.

             Joseph, who was appointed by Pres. Donald Trump, wrote that the PWFA rule interpretation “would require [the bishops] to make accommodations for abortions, contraception, sterilization, artificial reproductive technologies or surrogacy in violation of their sincerely held religious beliefs.” He also blocked the EEOC from investigating the USCCB “regarding allegations that the bishops have failed to make accommodations for abortions, contraception, sterilization, artificial reproductive technologies or surrogacy as required by the laws, regulations or guidance” referenced previously.

             The EEOC rule interpretation was issued last year, under then-President Joe Biden, and would have required organizations such as the USCCB to “provide reasonable accommodations” for employees to get abortions, contraception, sterilization, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other “reproductive technologies” forbidden by the Catholic Church, or surrogacy. The rule interpretation would have also barred employers or employees from speaking against abortion in the workplace. Joseph had previously issued an injunction shielding the bishops only in cases where an abortion was determined to be “elective,” allowing the EEOC to enforce its rule interpretation in all other respects. Last week’s court order replaces that injunction and offers the USCCB broader protection.

*Life Advocacy Briefing editor’s note: We appreciate the judge’s action in lifting this burden from the Catholic church, whose official representatives were the plaintiffs in this suit, which sought relief specifically for their institution. We note, however, that many other employers have personal, principled objections to being required by their government to be complicit in violence against unborn babies. The judge’s ruling needs to be extended beyond exempting the Catholic church. The federal government must repeal this unjust rule altogether.

Charlie Kirk, RIP

Sept. 10, 2025, commentary by Students for Life of America president Kristan Hawkins, who titled her tribute “Remembering Charlie Kirk, a Loving Father, Husband & Fierce Defender of Life”

             I’m hearing right now that my dear friend and fellow defender of Life, Charlie Kirk, was killed today by a gunman who shot him on a college campus as he was speaking at Utah Valley University. We are praying for Charlie, his wife (Erika), and his family, and ask you all to join us in doing the same.

             We all know the work we do to protect Life comes at a cost. I was reminded of this when I got the news about Charlie, as I was on campus at the University of Montana, and the pro-choice students who all laughed when I told them the horrifying news that Charlie had been shot.

             You all know the cost, too, as you work every day to fight against this evil in our world. You face the scorn of your professors and peers. You face the vandalism and threats in your DMs [Direct Messages].

             But this cost should never be your life or anyone’s life.

             We are living through a new civil war, and one that we can only fight with love and fortitude.

             We must show our nation that to be pro-life is to love life, all lives, as that is why we educate and advocate against the violence of abortion.

             We stand out against the violence of abortion, for not only does it kill innocent, precious lives. Abortion also kills our culture and creates one where some people think killing someone they disagree with is justified.

             This is the lowest point our nation has ever been in.

             So, through my tears, I want you to know that I see you and am with you as you fight this battle. You are never alone! Student for Life is committed to walking with you as you stand beside preborn babies in the womb and as we all gather together to pray for Charlie and his family.

            Violence of any kind is abhorrent. And we will always remain committed to our mission of ending the violence of abortion. But also committed to protecting you and the work you do on college campuses and in your communities. We are committed to the safety of all working with us and are evaluating all of our upcoming campus tours in light of these concerns. … We continue to pray for God’s grace in this tragic situation.

            Thank you for your courage and for standing for LIFE. We stand with you.

Sen. Kaine Should Make Us Very, Very Nervous

Sept. 4, 2025, The Washington Stand commentary by Joshua Arnold

             “The notion that our rights do not come from our laws or our government should make people very, very nervous,” warned US Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) during a recent confirmation hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for five Trump nominees. “The notion that rights don’t come from laws and don’t come from the government but come from the Creator – that’s what the Iranian government believes.”

             Kaine pounced on the opening remarks of Riley Barnes, who was nominated to become Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor. In his opening remarks, Barnes endeavored to present a coherent account of human rights, citing Secretary of State Mario Rubio’s first speech to State Dept. employees, “We are a nation founded on a powerful principle, and that powerful principle is that all men are created equal, because our rights come from God our Creator – not from our laws, not from our governments.”

             “We are a nation of individuals, each made in the image of God and possessing inherent dignity,” Barnes added, following through on the theological underpinning of America’s founding philosophy. “This is a truth that our founders understood as essential to American self-government. …

             “Our enduring values … aren’t an endless list of ‘rights’ that people create and change and form to meet their own needs or desires,” he continued. “These values aren’t identity politics. They are the historic, natural rights that we have as individuals, pursuing life, liberty and happiness in this world. For rights to be untethered from this core principle is to make them mere sentiments, easily manipulated by authoritarians and bad actors.”

             Kaine responded that he found Rubio’s doctrine of natural rights “very, very troubling. … That’s what the Iranian government believes,” Kaine continued. “It’s a theocratic regime that bases its rule on Sharia law and targets Sunnis, Baha’i’s, Jews, Christians and other religious minorities. And they do it because they believe that they understand what natural rights are from their creator.”

             Against this theory of God-given rights, Kaine argued for rights based in law, presenting the United States as an example. “The motto above the Supreme Court is ‘equal justice under law.’ The oath that you and I take [is a] pledge to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, not arbitrarily defined natural rights,” he said. “People of any religious tradition, or none, are entitled to the equal protection under the laws of the 14^th Amendment. … And now, if we – now, after 250 years – suddenly start to demean that or diminish that and suggest, ‘No it’s natural rights, as defined by a leader’ – the leader of Iran or the leader of any nation – that does not create a place of safety or comfort for folks. …

             “I’m a strong believer in natural rights … and I try to live in accord with them,” said Kaine. “But I would never demean the law.” According to Kaine, the theory of God-given rights, which he claims to believe in, demeans law, demeans rights and denies equal rights to people who identify as LGBT. Kaine rambled on repetitively in this manner for four of his allotted five minutes of questioning, before turning his attention to another nominee. He declined to ask Barnes any question regarding his testimony, ostensibly, “because I believe you offered that in a very sincere way, and I don’t want to try to change your opinion on something you sincerely believe.” However, as he spoke in circles into the third minute, then the fourth minute, a listener might receive the impression that Kaine feared giving Barnes an opportunity for a successful and able rebuttal.

             But Sen. Kaine made two key errors in his four-minute philippic. Firstly, he never granted – or seemed to be aware of – the fact that the philosophy he attacked is found in the Declaration of Independence, the cornerstone of the 250-year-long history of America, to which he appealed. Rubio’s remark, with which Kaine took issue unmistakably paraphrases the famous preamble to the Declaration …: “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.” It is this doctrine, in other words, that Kaine disputed. …

             Logical consistency would require Kaine to admit that citizens would have no right to equal protection under the law, if their countries had no law equivalent to the 14^th Amendment. Yet his whole system of basing rights in law presupposes that the laws apply equally to all people. If America had no 14^th Amendment to guarantee equal protection, Kaine would likely demand such a guarantee, simply because it was “right.” If this is true, it would mean that Kaine holds that such rights are pre-political. If the law did not protect them, they would still be rights. Such rights are natural rights. Notwithstanding Kaine’s prediction that different religious traditions would identify “some significant differences in the definitions of those natural rights,” most traditions agree on the basics: justice, loyalty and generosity are good; murder, stealing and rape are bad. 

             Far from demeaning the law, natural rights provide a deeper and stronger foundation for the law by arguing that laws should be (and are) based on timeless principles. Instead of investing law merely with the authority of a government or a plebiscite, a correspondence to natural rights invests law with sacred authority, based in a creation order established by God. This gives citizens more reasons, not less, to follow the law. …

Wisdom from the Great Communicator

EXCERPT #19 from Abortion & the Conscience of the Nation, 1983 treatise by then-President Ronald Reagan, published in Human Life Review, then as a hardcover book from Thomas Nelson Publishers

             When Congressman John A. Bingham of Ohio drafted the Fourteenth Amendment to guarantee the rights of life, liberty, and property to all human beings, he explained that all are “entitled to the protection of American law, because its divine spirit of equality declares that all men are created equal.” He said the rights guaranteed by the amendment would therefore apply to “any human being.” Justice William Brennan, in another case decided only the year before Roe v. Wade, referred to our society as one that “strongly affirms the sanctity of life.”

Senate Voting Records

Cloture on nomination of Maria Lanahan as District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri – Adopted 53-45 – Sept. 4, 2025 (Democrats in italics; “Independents” marked “I”)

Voting “yes” / pro-Life: Britt & Tuberville/AL, Murkowski & Sullivan/AK, Boozman & Cotton/AR, Moody & Scott/FL, Crapo & Risch/ID, Banks & Young/IN, Ernst & Grassley/IA, Marshall & Moran/KS, McConnell & Paul/KY, Cassidy & Kennedy/LA, Collins/ME, Hyde-Smith & Wicker/MS, Hawley & Schmitt/MO, Daines & Sheehy/MT, Fischer & Ricketts/NE, Budd & Tillis/NC, Cramer & Hoeven/ND, Husted & Moreno/OH, Lankford & Mullin/OK, McCormick/PA, Graham & Scott/SC, Rounds & Thune/SD, Blackburn & Hagerty/TN, Cornyn & Cruz/TX, Curtis & Lee/UT, Capito & Justice/WV, Johnson/WI, Barrasso & Lummis/WY.

Voting “no” / anti-Life: Gallego & Kelly/AZ, Padilla & Schiff/CA, Bennet & Hickenlooper/CO, Blumenthal & Murphy/CT, Blunt–Rochester & Coons/DE, Ossoff & Warnock/GA, Hirono & Schatz/HI, Duckworth & Durbin/IL, King(I)/ME, Alsobrooks & VanHollen/MD, Markey & Warren/MA, Peters & Slotkin/MI, Klobuchar & Smith/MN, Cortez–Masto & Rosen/NV, Hassan & Shaheen/NH, Kim/NJ, Heinrich & Lujan/NM, Gillibrand & Schumer/NY, Merkley & Wyden/OR, Fetterman/PA, Reed & Whitehouse/RI, Welch/VT, Kaine & Warner/VA, Cantwell & Murray/WA, Baldwin/WI.

Not voting: Booker/NJ & Sanders(I)/VT.

Confirmation of Maria Lanahan as District Judge for the Eastern District of Missouri – Confirmed 52-45 – Sept. 9, 2025 (Democrats in italics; “Independents” marked “I”)

Voting “yes” / pro-Life: Britt & Tuberville/AL, Murkowski & Sullivan/AK, Boozman & Cotton/AR, Moody & Scott/FL, Crapo & Risch/ID, Banks & Young/IN, Grassley/IA, Marshall & Moran/KS, McConnell & Paul/KY, Cassidy & Kennedy/LA, Collins/ME, Hyde-Smith & Wicker/MS, Hawley & Schmitt/MO, Daines & Sheehy/MT, Fischer & Ricketts/NE, Budd & Tillis/NC, Cramer & Hoeven/ND, Husted & Moreno/OH, Lankford & Mullin/OK, McCormick/PA, Graham & Scott/SC, Rounds & Thune/SD, Blackburn & Hagerty/TN, Cornyn & Cruz/TX, Curtis & Lee/UT, Capito & Justice/WV, Johnson/WI, Barrasso & Lummis/WY.

Voting “no” / anti-Life: Gallego & Kelly/AZ, Padilla & Schiff/CA, Bennet & Hickenlooper/CO, Blumenthal & Murphy/CT, Blunt–Rochester & Coons/DE, Ossoff & Warnock/GA, Hirono & Schatz/HI, Duckworth & Durbin/IL, King(I)/ME, Alsobrooks/MD, Markey & Warren/MA, Peters & Slotkin/MI, Klobuchar & Smith/MN, Cortez–Masto & Rosen/NV, Hassan & Shaheen/NH, Booker & Kim/NJ, Heinrich & Lujan/NM, Gillibrand & Schumer/NY, Merkley/OR, Fetterman/PA, Reed & Whitehouse/RI, Sanders & Welch/VT, Kaine & Warner/VA, Cantwell & Murray/WA, Baldwin/WI.

Not voting: Ernst/IA, VanHollen/MD & Wyden/OR.