Tag: Pro-life legislation

State Rep. Jason Zachary Challenges Newsom to Debate After California Governor Targets Tennessee with Super PAC

Tom Pappert
California Gov. Gavin Newsom

State Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) challenged California Governor Gavin Newsom to a debate after the Democrat targeted Tennessee for its pro-life legislation to protect unborn children using funds from a Super PAC that some speculate could lay the foundations of a campaign to oust President Joe Biden.

In a Sunday post to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the California governor falsely claimed Tennessee’s pro-life legislation offers no exceptions, including for rape or incest, and asserted that “Republicans in Tennessee are trying to punish young women” who travel to abort their children. 

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South Carolina Supreme Court Upholds State’s Pro-Life Heartbeat Bill

Susan Berry, PhD

The South Carolina Supreme Court ruled Wednesday the state’s pro-life law that prohibits most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected is constitutional and may be enforced.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling marks a historic moment in our state’s history and is the culmination of years of hard work and determination by so many in our state to ensure that the sanctity of life is protected,” said Governor Henry McMaster (R) in a statement. “With this victory, we protect the lives of countless unborn children and reaffirm South Carolina’s place as one of the most pro-life states in America.”

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Iowans See ‘Humanity of Unborn Children with Beating Hearts’ as Legislature Passes Heartbeat Bill

Susan Berry, PhD

Iowa lawmakers passed the Heartbeat Protection Act in a special session Tuesday night, leading one pro-life representative to say, “Iowans recognize the humanity of unborn children with beating hearts and won’t rest until they are protected.”

“Today, the Iowa legislature once again voted to protect life and end abortion at a heartbeat, with exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother,” Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) announced Tuesday following the legislature’s approval of the measure.

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South Carolina Becomes 23rd State to Protect Babies with Heartbeat

Susan Berry, PhD

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) signed the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act Thursday morning, legislation that protects babies in the state from abortion from the time a heartbeat is detected.

McMaster’s signature on the bill now makes South Carolina the 23rd state to protect babies with a heartbeat, and marks that half of the United States is now protecting babies from abortion at or before 12 weeks.

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South Carolina Lawmakers Send Heartbeat Bill to Governor’s Desk

Susan Berry, PhD

The South Carolina Legislature gave final approval to its heartbeat bill Tuesday, one that would ban abortions from the time a fetal heartbeat is detected and a move that will continue the trend in the southern states to restrict abortion.

The state senate passed the Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act (S. 474) Tuesday by a vote of 27-19 and sent the measure to the desk of Governor Henry McMaster (R), who said he “look[s] forward to signing this bill into law as soon as possible.”

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North Carolina’s Veto-Proof Republican-Led Senate Passes 12-Week Abortion Bill

Susan Berry, PhD

The Democrat governor of North Carolina has vowed to veto a 12-week bill that would ban some abortions after the veto-proof Republican-controlled Senate approved the measure Thursday night.

On CNN Thursday, Gov. Roy Cooper (D) begged one Republican from each chamber of the North Carolina legislature to uphold his veto of Senate Bill 20, known as the “Care for Women, Children, and Families Act,” a measure he called a “disastrous abortion ban.”

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Report: Trump Would Reject Federal Abortion Restrictions

Susan Berry, PhD

The Washington Post reported Thursday that a Trump campaign spokesman said the former president believes abortion issues should be decided solely at the state level.

“President Donald J. Trump believes that the Supreme Court, led by the three Justices which he supported, got it right when they ruled this is an issue that should be decided at the State level,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said, according to the Post.

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Mississippi Governor Signs Series of ‘Pro-Mom, Pro-Life’ Bills to Strengthen Adoption, Pregnancy Care Centers, and Foster Care

Susan Berry, PhD

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) signed multiple pieces of legislation Wednesday that provide support for mothers and babies, particularly in the areas of adoption, foster care, pregnancy care centers, and parental rights.

“The legislation strengthens Mississippi’s adoption system, increases support for pregnancy resource centers, establishes a foster parents bill of rights, creates a task force focused on improving adoption and foster care systems, improves the Department of Child Protection Services, and gives the agency the largest budget in its history,” a summary of the measures provided by Reeve’s office states.

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Oklahoma Supreme Court Allows ‘Life of Mother’ Exception to State Law Prohibiting Most Abortions

Susan Berry, PhD

The Oklahoma Supreme Court has upheld part of the state’s ban on most abortions from the time of fertilization, ruling the state Constitution protects only a “limited right to terminate a pregnancy” in the case of saving the life of the mother.

The state Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, held on Tuesday “the Oklahoma Constitution creates an inherent right of a pregnant woman to terminate a pregnancy when necessary to preserve her life.”

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Florida Heartbeat Bill Approved by House Subcommittee and Advances

Susan Berry, PhD

A Florida House subcommittee approved a bill Thursday that would prohibit abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, a move that advances the legislation to the state House Health and Human Services Committee for a hearing.

The House Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee voted 13-5 in support of HB7, a measure that would protect most unborn babies from abortion at generally six weeks after a heartbeat is detected.

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Florida Republican Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Limit After Six Weeks

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Republican lawmakers in Florida filed bills Tuesday that would ban abortion after six weeks pregnancy.

On the first day of the legislative session, GOP legislators introduced such bills to the House and Senate – with a Republican supermajority – that would cut down the abortion window from the previously approved 15-week mark. The bills also allow for exceptions in the case that a mother was raped or fell victim to incest so long as they could prove such a crime.

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Anti-Life Groups Propose Amendment to Enshrine Abortion in Ohio Constitution

Susan Berry, PhD

Two anti-life organizations submitted language for a new ballot initiative Tuesday that would enshrine abortion in the Ohio Constitution despite existing pro-life laws. 

Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights (OPRR) filed the language for their ballot initiative titled The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety amendment with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R), according to a press release.

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Virginia Senate Democrats Move Against Babies Who Survive Abortion and Women’s Need for Informed Consent

Susan Berry, PhD

Senate Democrats in Virginia joined to block two bills Thursday, one that would protect babies who survive botched abortions, and another that would require abortion facilities to provide women in the state with informed consent in writing prior to undergoing an abortion.

Democrats voted against HB 1795, a bill that would require medical care to be provided infants who survive an abortion – in the same way it would be rendered “to any other child born alive at the same gestational age,” and that abortion providers would “take all reasonable steps to ensure the immediate transfer of the infant who has been born alive to a hospital for further medical care.”

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Hillary Clinton Compares America to Taliban in Afghanistan After Overturning Roe v. Wade

Susan Berry, PhD

Failed 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Friday America is now comparable to the Taliban in Afghanistan and Sudan after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, returning abortion decisions to the states.

“It’s so shocking to think that in any way we’re related to poor Afghanistan and Sudan,” Clinton said, according to Fox News, regarding abortion rights during the Women’s Voices Summit at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. “But as an advanced economy as we allegedly are, on this measure, we unfortunately are rightly put with them.”

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Pro-Life Policies a Big Winner for Re-Elected State Lawmakers

Susan Berry, PhD

A focus on the legislative campaigns that are more local to American voters served the cause of protecting unborn life, says Students for Life Action (SFLAction), which reports that while radical anti-life Democrats ran on demonizing the Supreme Court’s ruling that returned abortion issues to the states, still “every state legislator who championed SFLAction-inspired pro-life bills was reelected.”

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Sen. Lindsey Graham Introduces Federal Pain-Capable 15-Week Abortion Ban

Susan Berry, PhD

South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham introduced a bill Tuesday that would ban, at the federal level, most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a point when many experts say unborn babies can experience pain during abortion.

“I think we should have a law at the federal level that would say after 15 weeks, no abortion on demand — except in cases of rape, incest, to save the life of the mother,” Graham said at a press conference in which he introduced the Protecting Pain-Capable Unborn Children from Late-Term Abortions Act with pro-life leaders.

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Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron Asks State Court of Appeals to Reinstate Pro-Life Laws

Susan Berry, PhD

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron quickly asked the state’s Court of Appeals to stay a circuit court’s ruling that temporarily blocked the enforcement of two state pro-life laws. Cameron filed a Writ of Mandamus and Prohibition Thursday, requesting the Kentucky Court of Appeals lift a temporary restraining order against both the Human Life Protection Act, which bans nearly all abortions, and the Heartbeat Law, which prohibits the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected, generally at six weeks’ gestation. We've asked the Court of Appeals to Reinstate Kentucky's Human Life Protection Act and Heartbeat Law. Read more: https://t.co/lUqoQOj4pS pic.twitter.com/iFY4R3vSCE — Attorney General Daniel Cameron (@kyoag) June 30, 2022 The restraining order allows abortions to resume while the constitutionality of the law is litigated. “Every day that goes by that the Human Life Protection Act and Heartbeat Law are prevented from taking effect, more unborn lives will be lost,” Cameron said in a statement. “These laws represent Kentucky’s values and its support for life. We’re moving quickly to defend this important law and to have it restored.” In his request for emergency relief, Cameron emphasized to the Court of Appeals the urgency of reinstating the pro-life laws: Once an abortion has been performed,…

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Ohio Supreme Court Allows Heartbeat Law to Remain in Effect, Denies Abortion Providers’ Request to Allow Procedure to Continue

Susan Berry, PhD

The Ohio law that bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, generally at six weeks’ gestation, will remain in effect while a lawsuit filed by abortion providers continues against it.

The law took effect after the state Supreme Court denied a request by abortion providers for an emergency stay on the legislation to allow abortions to continue while the lawsuit proceeds.

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Arizona ACLU Sues to Block ‘Personhood’ Abortion Law After Roe Is Overturned

Susan Berry, PhD

The Arizona affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed a motion Saturday that seeks to block the state’s “personhood” law which, they argue, could make all abortions illegal in the state.

The abortion rights groups filed an emergency motion one day after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, returning decisions about abortion to the states.

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Abortion Activists Take Over Wisconsin Capitol Building as Republicans Uphold 173-Year-Old Pro-Life Law Criminalizing Abortion

Susan Berry, PhD

Abortion activists, including many supporters of Planned Parenthood, took over the Wisconsin Capitol building Wednesday as Republicans rejected Gov. Tony Evers’ (D) call to repeal the state’s 173-year-old criminal abortion ban during a special session, a move that ensures the procedure will be illegal in the state if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

“Wisconsin law has not changed and our pro-life position has not changed,” said state Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg), in a statement. “Killing innocent babies is not health care.”

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Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt Signs Bill Banning Nearly All Abortions

Susan Berry, PhD

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) signed a bill into law Wednesday that bans nearly all abortions in the state and allows private citizens to sue anyone who “aids or abets” a woman seeking an abortion.

According to HB4327, abortions are prohibited in Oklahoma unless it is “necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency,” or the pregnancy “is the result of rape, sexual assault, or incest that has been reported to law enforcement.”

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Tennessee General Assembly Overwhelmingly Approves Legislation Banning Local Education Associations or Public Charter Schools from Doing Business with Entities That Perform Abortions

Aaron Gulbransen

The Tennessee General Assembly overwhelmingly approved legislation banning local education associations or public charter schools from doing business with entities that perform abortions.

The state Senate passed the bill, 27-5, on April 11. The state House approved the legislation on March 7, 70-21. In total, 97 members of the Tennessee General Assembly voted in favor and 26 voted against.

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States Take a Stand on Value of Human Life: Oklahoma Protects Unborn Babies from Abortion, Colorado Dismisses Their Humanity

Susan Berry, PhD

In just the span of about a week, legislation concerning ending the lives of unborn babies in two states starkly reveals that while many state lawmakers are standing up to protect human life, some appear to be underscoring the extremity with which they are prepared to go to dismiss it.

The states continue to take their respective stands in advance of the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, now awaiting a decision at the U.S. Supreme Court. The case is considered to present the most significant challenge to the Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973.

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Texas Supreme Court Strikes Major Blow to Abortion Providers’ Lawsuit Against Heartbeat Abortion Ban

Susan Berry, PhD
Infant with stuffed animal

The Supreme Court of Texas recommended Friday a lawsuit challenging the state’s “heartbeat” abortion ban should be dismissed since it is enforced by “private civil action,” and not state officials.

Justice Jeffrey S. Boyd concluded in the decision regarding the case of Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson, that state officials, such as medical licensing boards, cannot enforce the law that bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected

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Pro-Life Legislation Prohibiting LEAs or Public Charter Schools from Doing Business with Abortion Providers on House Committee Agenda

Aaron Gulbransen

Pro-life legislation pending before Tennessee’s General Assembly that would prohibit Local Education Associations (LEA) or public charter schools from doing business with abortion providers continues through the legislative process in the state House, where it has been referred to the Senate Education Committee after passing on second consideration.

State Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) originally filed SB2158 in state Senate. State Representative Debra Moody (R-Covington) has sponsored the state House companion version, HB2557 and it is continuing to make headway in the House.

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Florida State House Approves 15-Week Abortion Ban

Susan Berry, PhD

The Florida State House approved a ban on abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy Thursday morning, adding to the list of Republican-led states that have modeled legislation after the Mississippi law that has been challenged and is now awaiting a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

HB 5, titled “Reducing Fetal and Infant Mortality,” which prohibits physicians from performing abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, passed the Florida House by a vote of 78-39 following hours of debate.

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Pro-Life Legislation Prohibiting Local Education Associations or Public Charter Schools from Doing Business with Abortion Providers Receives House Sponsor

Aaron Gulbransen
Joey Hensley

Pro-life legislation pending before Tennessee’s General Assembly has received a sponsor in the State House.

State Senator Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald-SD28) originally filed SB2158, a bill prohibiting LEAs or public charter schools from doing business with abortion providers. Representative Debra Moody (R-Covington-HD81) filed HB2557, the state House companion version on February, 3, 2022.

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Court Allows Tennessee Law Banning Down Syndrome Abortions to Take Effect

Susan Berry, PhD

A federal appeals court has allowed a Tennessee law that prohibits abortions sought due to sex, race, or prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, to go into effect until the U.S. Supreme Court rules in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit allowed the Tennessee law to be enforced while litigation against it continues. The court also postponed hearing the case until after the Supreme Court issues a decision in Dobbs, a case involving a Mississippi law that prohibits abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

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DeSantis Likely to Support Texas-Style Abortion Legislation

Grant Holcomb

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said last week he could see himself supporting Texas-style abortion legislation. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a “heartbeat bill” banning abortions as early as six weeks, which is considered the time when a fetus develops a heartbeat and can be heard through an ultrasound.

The Texas bill, SB 8, officially came into effect on September 1 after the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) denied an appeal from abortion providers.

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Federal Judge Blocks Arkansas Pro-Life Law, Calls It ‘Imminent Threat’ to Women

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A federal judge blocked a pro-life law Tuesday that would have banned almost all abortions in Arkansas, calling the law an “imminent threat” to women seeking abortions.

Judge Kristine Baker issued a preliminary injunction blocking authorities from enforcing the Arkansas Unborn Child Protection Act until she issues a final ruling, according to the Washington Post. The law was set to go into effect July 28.

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Tennessee State Senate Hurriedly Approves Major Abortion Bill Just Before Legislature Adjourns, Gov. Lee Says He Will Sign into Law

Jason M. Reynolds

Major pro-life legislation was approved by the Tennessee Legislature in Friday’s early morning hours just before legislators wrapped up their year.

Passage — and the end of the session — came as a surprise because Senate leaders had said they would not take the abortion measure up in this condensed year, according to a story by The Tennessee Journal: On the Hill. The publication also reported the Senate did this to persuade the House to back off of making changes to the budget proposal the Senate had approved.

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Commentary: Establishment Republicans Want the Pro-Life Movement Dead

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by Deion A. Kathawa   Just a few days before Christmas, departing Ohio Governor John Kasich decided to play a disappointing Santa and put a massive lump of coal in the pro-life movement’s stocking. He vetoed a bill that would have made it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Mercifully, he did at least sign a second bill which bans the most common second-trimester abortion procedure, the dilation and evacuation—“D&E”—also called a “dismemberment” abortion, during which a fetus is ripped apart and extracted piece by piece. Is any political constituency as regularly swindled and abused as are pro-lifers? From their promises to defund Planned Parenthood to their assurances that Roe v. Wade is very soon to be on the chopping block, establishment Republicans are masters at talking a big game but doing nothing at all to advance the right to life of the unborn. Too many Republican politicians either are cynical grifters or outright liars who don’t care a whit about the 14th Amendment’s promise of “equal protection of the laws” to all persons or the Declaration’s teaching that “all men are created equal” and “are endowed by their Creator with…

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U.S. Rep. Diane Black’s Pro-Life Legislation Signed Into Law By President Trump

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  U.S. Rep. Diane Black was at President Trump’s side last week as he signed pro-life legislation that she introduced in the House. The measure signed into law Thursday overturned an Obama administration rule that forced states to provide Title X family planning grants to abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. The Tennessee Republican said in a statement that while she is “unapologetically pro-life, this bill is simply about states’ rights.” “For over 45 years, states like Tennessee have had the authority to direct federal family planning funds to the health care providers that best suit the needs of their unique communities, but sadly, in a parting gift to the abortion industry, President Obama stole this freedom and flexibility and forced his own political agenda on states across the country,” Black said. A registered nurse, Black is a member of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus. The measure was co-authored by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). On March 30, Vice President Mike Pence cast a tie-breaking vote to push the bill through in the Senate, where Republicans have a slim majority. Pence was needed because two Republican women, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, opposed the bill. The measure had…

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