Life Advocacy Briefing

This Shouldn’t Be Hard!

THE FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION (F.D.A.) IS EXPECTED, reports Zachary Mettler for the Daily Citizen, “to conclude a safety review of the abortion pill by September.”

We have a simple question: What is safe about a drug whose sole purpose is to starve to death a developing human baby?

Why should it take until September to figure out that the drug is deadly and has never been worthy of marketing approval in the United States of America? When it comes right down to it, FDA, what is the moral and ethical difference between mifepristone and fentanyl?

You Have Been Warned

PLANNED PARENTHOOD’s POLITICAL ACTION FUND announced in late June, according to The Hill’s healthcare newsletter, it is “pouring nearly $2 million into a campaign targeting vulnerable House Republicans, part of an effort to stop Republicans from permanently ‘defunding’ Planned Parenthood health centers” [sic].

The targeted incumbents are, reports The Hill newsletter, Representatives Juan Ciscomani & Dave Schweikert in Arizona, Gabe Evans in Colorado, Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa, Tom Barrett & Bill Huizenga in Michigan, Mike Lawler in New York, and Brian Fitzpatrick and Ryan MacKenzie in Pennsylvania.

“The $2 million investment will expand a $1.5 million campaign announced in April,” notes The Hill. “Planned Parenthood Action Fund said it will fund digital advertising and on-the-ground efforts urging constituents to contact their Members of Congress to oppose any legislation that attempts to  make the ‘defund’ permanent.”

A ‘Glimmer of Concern’

AT LAST, AN ARM OF CONGRESS IS SHOWING A GLIMMER OF CONCERN about the proliferation of drug-induced abortions across America, invading even states whose legislatures have outlawed the willful killing of gestating children.

The GOP Study Committee, said to be the largest and most influential caucus in the US House, “hosted a roundtable of Congressmen [on June 25],” reports Dan Hart for The Washington Stand, “to address the ongoing crisis … as dispensing of pills from unregulated websites continues to allow virtually any individual to obtain them without medical oversight.” This wild-west approach is dangerous for the ingesting mothers as well as for the developing children.

The Family Research Council’s Washington Stand commentary goes on to note that since the overturning of Roe v. Wade just four years ago, “abortions have … almost doubled in the US due to the abortion pill, which is being shipped from dozens of domestic and international vendors across state lines in violation of dozens of state pro-life laws. All of this is occurring under the nose of the Trump Administration, which has so far not taken any action to reinstate safety protocols surrounding mifepristone that were rescinded by the Biden Administration, including the requirement that the pills be dispensed in-person.”

Perhaps if mifepristone were renamed “fentanyl,” the Administration would take some notice?

“Dozens of vendors ship out mifepristone to any individual without verifying that they are, in fact, a pregnant woman or if their baby is past the point of the 10-week gestation limit set by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA),” writes Mr. Hart. “This has led to an alarming number of women being ‘blindsided’ by the severe effects of the pill on their bodies and being forced to witness the death of their children in a toilet. It has also led to a growing number of predatory men obtaining the drug and forcing women to take it without their consent.”

Starting off the Study Committee roundtable was Rep. Sheri Biggs (R-SC), a board-certified nurse practitioner and mental health practitioner in private life, notes Mr. Hart. She focused on the proliferation of minors “obtaining the drug without their parent’s knowledge,” he writes.

“‘Many of them take the pill alone without guidance, no in-person exam by a physician or healthcare provider,’” she declared, quoted by Mr. Hart. “‘Their parents don’t even know. And sometimes it has life-changing results’” even for the one who ingests the drug. “‘And I think that’s astonishing as a parent,’ she emphasized. ‘And we’ve made it far, far too easy. Aside from the point that we’re taking the life, we don’t realize the psychological impact. … I know the impact that it can have on individuals for a lifetime, [which] can be overwhelming, and we don’t even see that. We don’t even talk about that. And it’s really scary.’”

No Capitol Hill discussion on Life issues would be complete without the involvement of Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), long-time chairman of the House Pro-Life Caucus. At the Study Committee roundtable, Mr. Smith focused on “adverse health events related to mifepristone,” reports Mr. Hart, “which have been independently verified to occur for at least 11%” of its users.

“‘There’s a guy named Willard Cates,’” noted Cong. Smith, “‘who ran the abortion surveillance at CDC for five years [and] made a very powerful statement. He said, “You know what? Nobody will report adverse events, not Planned Parenthood, not [any]body else, because it’s like turning yourself in to the IRS. They’re just not going to do it.’ So women will die,’” declared Rep. Smith in the Hart report. “‘Women will be very, very seriously harmed. We’ll never hear about it, because it’s all one big fat cover-up. And that continues to this day.’”

Then spoke Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN), long a leader in the pro-life movement. She emphasized, reports Mr. Hart, “that the work of pregnancy resource centers is vital in combatting the scourge of abortion and mifepristone,” adding, “We’re trying to give [expectant mothers] hope and support, because so much of the time, they’re forced into these abortions, and the chemical abortions just add to that, with the coercion, with the sex trafficking, with potentially family or a boyfriend pushing them into this. And this [focus on mifepristone] just makes that worse, because they are able to do it through the mail in private.’”

Rep. Mark Messmer, a first-term GOP Representative from Indiana, noted, reports Mr. Hart, “there are currently no federal laws prohibiting an individual from giving abortion drugs to an expectant mother without her consent.” He noted he has filed HR-6466, the Forced Abortion Prevention & Accountability Act, which, reports Mr. Hart, “establishes a 25-year prison term for administering an abortion drug to a woman without her consent. It also has penalties for shipping by mail or otherwise an abortion drug without taking reasonable steps to verify that the person asking for it is a woman that’s pregnant” – better than nothing, which is what we have now.

An identical bill has been filed in the Senate as S-2955, introduced by Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN). Both bills have been referred to the respective house’s Judiciary Committees. We publish the list of co-sponsors below and encourage readers to thank the co-sponsors, especially those from the reader’s district and/or state. [Capitol switchboards: 202/225-3121 (House); 202/224-3121 (Senate)]

Co-Sponsors of Forced Abortion Prevention & Accountability Act

IN THE HOUSE, HR-6466, introduced by Rep. Mark Messmer (R-IN), along with GOP Representatives Robert Aderholt, Barry Moore, Gary Palmer, Mike Rogers, Dale Strong (AL); Elijah Crane & Paul Gosar (AZ); Vince Fong (CA); Aaron Bean, Kat Cammack, Jimmy Patronis & Greg Steube (FL); Andrew Clyde (GA); Russ Fulcher (ID); Mike Bost & Mary Miller (IL); Erin Houchin & Marlin Stutzman (IN); Randy Feenstra (IA); Clay Higgins & Julia Letlow (LA); Andy Harris (MD); Robert Onder & Jason Smith (MO); Troy Downing (MT); Adrian Smith (NE); Chris Smith (NJ); Nicholas Langworthy & Claudia Tenney (NY); Pat Harrigan & Mark Harris (NC); Julie Fedorchak (ND); Robert Latta (OH); Mike Kelly & Glenn Thompson (PA); Sheri Biggs, Ralph Norman, William Timmons & Joe Wilson (SC); Tim Burchett, John Rose & Matt VanEpps (TN); Michael Cloud, Tony Gonzales, August Pfluger, Keith Self & Randy Weber (TX); Mike Kennedy (UT); Ben Cline & John McGuire (VA); Riley Moore (WV); Harriet Hageman (WY).

In the Senate, S-2955, introduced by Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), along with GOP Senators Tommy Tuberville (AL), Rick Scott (FL), Mike Crapo & James Risch (ID), Bill Cassidy & John Kennedy (LA), Roger Wicker (MS), Steve Daines (MT), Deb Fischer (NE), Ted Budd (NC), James Lankford (OK), Lindsey Graham (SC), Bill Hagerty (TN), John Cornyn & Ted Cruz (TX). And Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD).

Abortion Pill Reversal Right Being Fought in Court

A MAJOR FIGHT IS BREWING IN CALIFORNIA over the need for mothers who regret ingesting the abortion pill to access abortion-pill reversal services.

The controversy stems from a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) in 2023 against Heartbeat International and RealOptions Obria Medical Clinics, accusing them, reports Calvin Freiburger of LifeSiteNews, “of violating the state’s False Advertising Law & Unfair Competition Law and seeking an injunction blocking them from promoting Abortion Pill Reversal.”

California’s attack on the rescuers continues to drag along in the slow process of the state’s courts. Stay tuned.

Warning to GOP Strategists & Candidates

June 29, 2026, commentary by Dan Hart for The Washington Stand, Family Research Council

             A new poll commissioned by Family Research Council has found that while there is a gulf in Republican voters’ awareness of the fact that abortions have increased since the Dobbs Supreme Court decision four years ago, pro-life voters appear to be less energized to pull the lever for the GOP as the midterm elections loom.

             In the four years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision, allowing states to once again enact laws protecting unborn life, the number of abortions in the US have almost doubled due to the deregulation of the abortion drug mifepristone under the Biden Administration and the Trump Administration’s subsequent failure to put the rescinded safeguards back in place. This has allowed unregulated abortion pills to flood all 50 states, in violation of state laws that protect the unborn. But do Republican voters know that this is currently taking place?

             [The] new poll …, conducted by Cygnal, found that only 20% of GOP voters are aware that abortions have increased since the Dobbs decision in 2022. As John Rogers, senior partner and pollster at Cygnal, recently shared, the poll also found that a small but significant amount of Republicans said that the Trump Administration’s inaction on abortion drug regulation may affect their midterm votes. …

             “We framed the FDA policy, which allows chemical abortion drugs to be mailed into states without in-person oversight. We asked, ‘Does that make you more or less likely to vote for a Republican in the midterm election?’ And we found that 6% of Republican voters said that they would be less likely to vote for a Republican candidate in the November midterm election after hearing that news,” he reported during This Week on Capitol Hill over the weekend. “It’s kind of a troubling sign for the GOP when they’re in … a midterm election where the generic ballot right now is D+5, favoring the Democratic Party.”

             … Rogers emphasized that more conservatives are becoming more aware of the issue and that there appears to be some disappointment over the Trump Administration’s inaction manifesting among Catholic voters. We found when you compare to the beginning of Pres. Trump’s second term, right after the inauguration last year, in February of 2025 – when you compare Catholics then until now, they have fallen off in the generic ballot for Republicans by eight points,” including a 15% drop in support for Pres. Trump, he noted. Rogers went on to share that while some of the drop in support may be due to the recent public spat that Trump had with Pope Leo and the rising cost of living, that doesn’t explain all of it. “Especially for weekly mass goers, they’re strongly pro-life, and [the lack of movement on regulating mifepristone] is something that they are probably a little frustrated and disappointed [by] the lack of progress. …

             “We asked how motivated people were to vote in the November election, and among base Democratic voters, 82% … said that they’re extremely motivated to vote …,” Rogers explained. “Among base Republican voters, it was only 69%. So that’s a 13-point gap. And when you’re facing a tough midterm election where the generic ballot already favors the Democrats D+5, you’ve got to make sure that all of your base is there and that they’re matching the enthusiasm on the Democratic side, and we’re not seeing that yet.” …

Senate Mulls Sanctioning Red China over Forced Organ Harvesting

June 26, 2026, The Washington Stand commentary by Family Research Council’s Zachary Patton

             … The [Senate] Committee on Foreign Relations voted favorably to report S-4009, formally known as the Falun Gong & Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act. Headed by Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), joined by co-sponsors Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Todd Young (R-IN), the legislation would levy economic and travel penalties on foreign nationals complicit in state-sanctioned, involuntary organ acquisition.

             Over the past decade, reports of authoritarian regimes systematically slaughtering prisoners of conscience to maintain a lucrative, state-run organ trade have begun to swell in global human rights outlets. Now, the US Senate is taking steps to position the country as the chief advocate for human dignity through its foreign policy.

             This recent shift in momentum follows the coattails of a dramatic statement made by the British Medical Assn., documenting the industrial-scale abuse of religious and ethnic minorities within the People’s Republic of China. The findings added institutional weight to an already towering mountain of evidence detailing how vulnerable populations, most prominent among them Falun Gong practitioners and Uyghur Muslims, are treated as livestock for the market.

             Accounted by human rights investigators, China’s state-backed transplant system maintains incredibly short wait queues for vital organs, a biological impossibility under standard, voluntary donation infrastructure. The reality, exposed by medical ethicists and international jurists, is an on-demand mechanism where citizens are tissue-typed, organized and murdered based upon the needs of the commercial market. To the defenders of traditional Western values, this practice is the epitome of authoritarian depravity, the monetization of the human body of those who are targeted solely because of their religious convictions.

             A robust, bicameral refusal to allow corporate and diplomatic convenience to conceal state-backed mass murder has been espoused with the passage of S-4009 [from committee]. Through targeting the assets of both the individuals and institutions involved in these practices, the bill wields the US’s financial architecture as a consequential instrument of justice.

             Lawmakers have not minced words as it relates to the nature of the adversary they are fighting nor the scale of the atrocity the legislation attempts to address. Before the [committee’s] adoption of this bill, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has repeatedly remarked on the Chinese Communist Party operating a brutal, state-backed organ harvesting practice that targets religious minorities. He further stressed that the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners portrays a basic violation of religious freedom and human dignity, demanding a firm and united response.

             A prominent feature of the legislation is the mandate that the executive branch compile an updated registry of foreign persons who participate in or act as facilitators of forced organ harvesting. Those on the list will be expeditiously blocked from property transactions in the US and will have their visas revoked. In addition, S-4009 bars formal cooperation between US medical institutions and Chinese entities in relation to the transplantation sector, isolating the PRC’s compromised framework from the US’s.

             “Other legislation protects religious freedom across the globe and champions the human rights of those who are oppressed in authoritarian China,” noted the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in its recent Committee Business Meeting Read Out. “We are very glad to see these bipartisan bills move forward and one step closer to better protecting American interests worldwide.”

             The need for this legislation has been accentuated by grassroots activists and human rights advocates, who exhort that global complacency will breed dire complicity. At a recent demonstration centered around the crisis, proponents underscored the bill’s advancement as confirmation of the unignorable horrors that have gained international prominence.

             Taken from public testimonies during the American Transplant Congress 2026 Demonstrators Rally Over Forced Organ Harvesting, organizers stated that the need for S-4009 would be virtually non-existent if it weren’t for these specific atrocities taking place in China. The legislation will act as a potent tool to curb crimes against humanity, activists attest, urging citizens to pressure their [Senators] to obtain full Senate co-sponsorship.

             The treatment of the sanctity of human life as an absolute by lawmakers from opposite ends of the political spectrum has demonstrated that some violations transcend even partisan division. The Falun Gong & Victims of Forced Organ Harvesting Protection Act now heads to the Senate floor, burdened with the weight of a nation choosing whether it will turn a blind eye to the ultimate expression of totalitarian cruelty or stand beside the oppressed.

Mr. Hyde Poses a Challenge

Join us in reading a paragraph-by-paragraph reprinting of the Sept. 19, 1996, speech by Rep. Henry J. Hyde to the House of Representatives, in which he called for the House to override Pres. Clinton’s veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, HR-1833. Rep. Hyde has long been seen as one of America’s all-time leading orators and a model communicator in the cause of Life.

             … This isn’t a debate about sectarian religious doctrine nor about policy options. This is a debate about our understanding of human dignity – what does it mean to be human? Our moment in history is marked by a mortal conflict between a culture of death and a culture of life. And today, here and now, we must choose sides.