Tag: abortion

Tim Ryan, Who Was Once Pro-Life, Says He Would Have Pro-Choice ‘Litmus Test’ for SCOTUS Nominees

Anthony Gockowski

  Ohio Democrat and 2020 presidential candidate Tim Ryan said on Thursday that he would “most definitely” have a Roe v. Wade “litmus test” for Supreme Court nominees, were he to become president. “If you’re president, would you essentially have a Roe litmus test for judges?” host Chuck Todd asked on MSBNC’s “Meet the Press” Thursday night. “Yeah. Yeah, I would. Most definitely. Pure and simple. At this moment in history, people can try to dance around it. I will have someone who will protect Roe v. Wade. No question about it,” Ryan responded. WATCH: Presidential candidate @TimRyan says he would “most definitely” have a Roe v. Wade litmus test for Supreme Court judges as president. #MTPDaily pic.twitter.com/FKUuUOLfPT — Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) May 16, 2019 Ryan has been particularly vocal about his pro-choice positions as of late, especially after Alabama passed what Democrats are calling “the most extreme anti-choice measure in the country.” “Absolutely appalling move from lawmakers in Alabama,” Ryan said in response to the news. “This would effectively ban all abortions—including cases of rape and incest, punish women, and threaten doctors. Government has no place in this conversation.” Absolutely appalling move from lawmakers in Alabama. This would…

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Missouri Is Latest US State to Approve Anti-Abortion Bill

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  Missouri is the latest U.S. state to act in favor of a restrictive abortion ban bill, bolstering a national movement Republicans hope could lead to the revocation of the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion. The Republican-led Senate in the midwestern U.S. state voted 24-10 early Thursday to ban abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy. The legislation includes exceptions for medical emergencies but not for pregnancies caused by incest or rape. The state’s Republican-led House must approve the measure before it goes to Republican Governor Mike Parson for him to sign into law. Parson voiced support for the bill on Wednesday. The Missouri senate’s passage of the bill came only hours after Republican Alabama Governor signed into law a near-total ban on abortion. I fully support my husband, @GovParsonMO, on his pro-life stand! All human life is sacred at every stage! #MissouriProud #ProLife pic.twitter.com/Yr2Chcp1Sp — First Lady Teresa Parson (@FirstLadyTeresa) May 15, 2019 “To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God,” Ivey said in a statement. Lawmakers in the southeastern U.S. state had passed the…

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Cory Booker Pledges to Legalize Abortion Nationwide Despite Supreme Court Decisions

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by Molly Prince   Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker pledged on Wednesday to override any possible Supreme Court decision and pass a law legalizing abortion nationwide if he wins the presidency in 2020. “The injustices we’re seeing in Alabama right now with this legislation — it’s important that all of us understand that this is a threat to women’s freedoms and women’s rights all over our country, not just there,” Booker told BuzzFeed News shortly after Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed H.B. 314 into law, virtually banning abortions in the Yellowhammer state. Following in the footsteps of fellow presidential hopeful and Democratic New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Booker vowed that if he is elected president, he will not nominate any judge to the Supreme Court that would not uphold Roe v. Wade. However, Booker further stated that he would also sign legislation that would make Roe v. Wade national law regardless of how the Supreme Court rules on it. “Right now I am calling for [codifying Roe v. Wade],” Booker said. “Even though obviously with [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell and a [majority Republican] Senate, we would not see a vote.” Booker also maintained that as president he…

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ACLU Sues State of Ohio Over Heartbeat Bill

Jason M. Reynolds

  The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the State of Ohio over the recently signed “Heartbeat Bill” (SB 23), which is set to take effect on July 10. [pdf-embedder url=”http://battlegroundstatenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/OhioHeartbeatBillComplaint.pdf”]   The lawsuit seeking declaratory and injunctive relief was filed in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio Western Division. The lawsuit, filed in support of a handful of abortion clinics in the state, says abortion is a constitutional right under the Roe v. Wade ruling. According to the lawsuit: The Ban has only two very limited exceptions. The Ban permits abortion after cardiac activity is detected only if the abortion is necessary (1) to prevent the patient’s death, or (2) to prevent a “serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.” Citizens for Community Values (CCV) issued a statement in support of the Heartbeat Bill. This life-saving law will prohibit abortion once a heartbeat is detected in an unborn child. Preterm-Cleveland, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio, Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio and the Capital Care Network of Toledo will all be plaintiffs in the suit filed in the US District Court, Southern District of Ohio. “Ohio’s abortion industry is seeking nothing more…

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Arizona’s Rep. Andy Biggs Drops Bill to End Tax Deduction for Abortions

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by Rachel del Guidice   An Arizona congressman plans to introduce a bill Wednesday that would end a tax deduction for abortions. “For years, the pro-abortion movement has marketed abortion as a form of reproductive health care,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said in a statement provided to The Daily Signal. “But it’s time for us to be honest with ourselves – health care is primarily a restorative function, one that helps our bodies heal from a disease or ailment. Under no circumstances should health care include the intentional taking of a life. The ‘Abortion Is Not Health Care Act’ is a small step towards ending the federal government’s treatment of abortion as a ‘healing medical practice,’” he added. The legislation, according to Biggs’ office, would not allow taxpayers to count abortion costs toward tax-deductible medical expenses under the federal tax code. According to IRS.gov, taxpayers may deduct medical expenses if they exceed 7.5% of their adjusted gross income. [ The liberal Left continue to push their radical agenda against American values. The good news is there is a solution. Find out more ] “One of the fundamental duties of the federal government is to protect the life of all citizens, beginning at conception. Despite…

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Alabama Senate Delays Vote on Abortion Bill After Lawmakers Start Screaming on Senate Floor

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by Mary Margaret Olohan   The Alabama Senate postponed a debate on a near-total abortion ban after lawmakers began screaming at each other on the Senate floor Thursday. The Republican-majority Senate adjourned without an official vote on House Bill 314, which criminalizes abortion as a Class A felony except in cases where an abortion is “necessary in order to prevent a serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother,” according to the legislation. Doctors who violate the bill, also called the Alabama Human Life Protection Act, face a Class C felony which is punishable by a maximum of 99 years and a minimum of 10 years in jail. “There was no motion! He did not make a motion!” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton repeatedly screamed on the Senate floor after the chamber’s chairman sought to strip from the bill an amendment providing exceptions for rape and incest without a roll call vote. “No, no, no!” Singleton yelled. In a quick moment the Senate got rid of the amendment allowing abortions in cases of rape and incest. The motion received loud backlash and yelling from Democrats in the chamber who wanted to talk about the amendment. — Alabama Politics (@AlabamaPolitics)…

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Klobuchar Joins Fox News for Town Hall Event in Wisconsin

Anthony Gockowski

  Sen. Amy Klobuchar joined Fox News Wednesday night for a town hall in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a state Hillary Clinton famously skipped during the 2016 election. According to Fox News, the network allows candidates to select the location for their town halls and Klobuchar picked Milwaukee, which will also host the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was the first to join Fox News for one of its town halls, and it was later reported that candidates were “flocking” to the network, even after the DNC announced in March that Fox News would not “serve as a media partner for the 2020 Democratic primary debates.” Moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum covered a number of topics, but began by asking Klobuchar if she agrees with the House Democrats’ vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt. “Yes, the Attorney General is the people’s lawyer,” Klobuchar responded, saying “he should be showing up and answering questions.” Klobuchar said that although the economy is doing well, when “you go out there and talk to real people, they feel like they’re not sharing in this prosperity.” “There are jobs out there, we know that,” she said. “But it’s become harder…

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Georgia Gov Brian Kemp Signs ‘Fetal Heartbeat’ Bill Banning Abortion After Heartbeat Detected

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by Henry Rodgers   Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a “fetal heartbeat bill” Tuesday that will make abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected illegal in the state, with certain exceptions. “Georgia is a state that values life,” Kemp said before signing the bill into law. “We stand up for those who are unable to speak for themselves.” “But our job is to do what is right, not what is easy,” he continued. “We will not back down. We will always continue to fight for life.” Georgia Gov. @BrianKempGA has signed the LIFE Act, banning abortions after six weeks, or when a fetal heartbeat is detected. pic.twitter.com/v6eYZkdqLW — Nicquel Terry Ellis (@NTerryEllis) May 7, 2019 The bill makes exceptions in cases of “rape, incest, and situations when the mother’s health is at risk,” reported CBS News. This comes as Republican Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant signed a similar bill in late March, which will make it so women will no longer be able to have an abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy when the law takes effect July 1. Pro-choice group Center for Reproductive Rights called it “blatantly unconstitutional” and threatened to sue the state. Several other state legislatures,…

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Tennessee Star/Triton Poll: Is Nashville More Pro-Life Than Politicians Think?

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  While Nashville/Davidson County is a blue island amidst a sea of red counties in Middle Tennessee, having been one of only three counties in the state to vote for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016, some voters may not be as lockstep liberal as many think — at least when it comes to the issue of late-term abortion. A new Tennessee Star/Triton poll reveals that a majority of likely Nashville voters are actually LESS likely to vote for a candidate who supports late term abortion and would deny help to keep a child alive after birth. 550 likely Davidson County voters were asked: Would you be more or less likely to vote for a candidate who supports late term abortions in the few weeks before birth and permitting doctors to deny help to keep a child alive in the hours after birth? 23.3% said that they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports abortion at any time; 54.9% were less likely; and 11.1% said it would make no difference to them. Another 10.6% were undecided. These poll numbers reflect national numbers on the issue of late term abortions. A Rasmussen Reports national survey in…

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Alabama Rep Argues for Abortion Access: ‘Kill Them Now’ Or ‘Kill Them Later’

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by Grace Carr   Democratic Alabama state Rep. John Rogers is facing criticism after he advocated for abortion access and said that unwanted babies should be killed now or they’ll end up in the electric chair. “Some kids are unwanted, so you kill them now or you kill them later,” Rogers said Tuesday in a debate on a state abortion bill, arguing the decision to continue a pregnancy or have an abortion should be left to women. “You bring them in the world unwanted, unloved, you send them to the electric chair. So, you kill them now or you kill them later,” Rogers said. Alabama State Rep. John Rogers (D) on abortion: “Some kids are unwanted, so you kill them now or you kill them later. You bring them in the world unwanted, unloved, you send them to the electric chair. So, you kill them now or you kill them later” pic.twitter.com/dxPg6X759h — Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) May 1, 2019 “It ought to be a woman’s choice,” Rogers said. “I’m not about to be the male telling a woman what to do with her body,” he said, adding that “she has a right to make a decision herself.” “This is stomach…

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Trump Defends Clinicians’ Right to Refuse to Do Abortions

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  The Trump administration on Thursday moved to protect the rights of clinicians who object to participating in abortions with a regulation intended to safeguard those with religious and moral objections. President Donald Trump made the announcement during a speech in the White House Rose Garden to mark the National Day of Prayer. “Just today we finalized new protections of conscience rights for physicians, pharmacists, nurses, teachers, students and faith-based charities,” Trump said. “They’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.” The conscience rule was a priority for religious conservatives who are a key part of Trump’s political base, but some critics fear it will become a pretext for denying medical care to LGBT people. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the rule requires hospitals, universities, clinics and other institutions that receive funding from federal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid to certify that they comply with some 25 federal laws protecting conscience and religious rights. Most of these laws and provisions address medical procedures such as abortion, sterilization and assisted suicide. Clinicians and institutions would not have to provide, participate in, pay for, cover or make referrals for procedures they object to on moral…

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Ohio Bill Would Allow Schools to Teach the ‘Humanity of the Unborn Child’

Anthony Gockowski

  A Republican-backed bill making its way through the Ohio House would require the Ohio Department of Health and the state’s board of education to develop an instructional program that teaches “the humanity of the unborn child.” Each school district would then have the option of teaching the program or crafting its own instructional materials, which must “describe the unborn child in two-week gestational periods,” according to State Rep. Niraj Antani (R-Montgomery County), lead sponsor of the bill. House Bill 90 explicitly states that its goal is to provide “information about the humanity of an unborn child” and achieve “an abortion-free society.” The bill would also require the Department of Health to create materials with “the most readily available, accurate, scientifically verifiable, up-to-date information” that “clearly and consistently state that abortion kills a living human being.” The bill was referred to the House Health Committee, where it received its fourth hearing Tuesday. “Schools have the ability to directly influence the lives of students. Unfortunately, schools do not have the ability to teach about the importance of human life, as the rights of the unborn have been constantly under attack,” Antani said in his sponsor testimony. “My legislation would help school…

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Cleveland Heights City Council Calls Heartbeat Bill ‘Intrusion’ on ‘Liberty’ in Letter to DeWine

Anthony Gockowski

  Cleveland Heights Mayor Carol Roe and members of the city council have issued a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine to warn that “all options” are on the table in response to the controversial heartbeat bill. The letter begins by expressing “concern and disappointment” with DeWine for signing the heartbeat bill, which bans abortions in the state after a fetal heartbeat is detectable in unborn children. “This law, known as the ‘heartbeat bill,’ amounts to a virtual ban on abortion. As you know, this bill would go into effect prior to when most women realize they are pregnant,” the letter states. The letter was signed by Roe, Vice Mayor Melissa Yasinow, and Council Members Craig Cobb, Michael Ungar, and Kahlil Seren. They argue that the restrictions imposed by the heartbeat bill wouldn’t allow “anywhere near a sufficient amount of time” to overcome the state’s current barriers to abortion, such as its “24 hour, two-visit requirement.” “That is why this law is an effective ban on any safe and legal abortion in Ohio. This law’s intrusion into a person’s right to liberty, bodily autonomy, and privacy is unacceptable,” they write. The letter takes issue with the heartbeat bill for not providing…

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Minnesota Rep Delivers Passionate Speech on Planned Parenthood’s Efforts to Infiltrate Public Schools

Anthony Gockowski

  State Rep. Eric Lucero (R-Dayton) delivered a passionate speech on the floor of the Minnesota House last week on Planned Parenthood’s efforts to brainwash young children. Lucero’s remarks were made in the context of a House debate on House File 2400, an omnibus education finance bill that would make changes to the way sexual health education is taught in the state’s public schools. As Lucero sees it, the bill could support Planned Parenthood’s “goal of curriculum for elementary schools,” which includes a book called “It’s Perfectly Normal.” Planned Parenthood endorses the book as part of what it would like to see for comprehensive sexual education in elementary and middle schools. “I previously referenced the language in the bill that talks about this content is going to be targeted at elementary students,” Lucero began. “When I look at the cover of this book, it’s for age ten and up.” He proceeded to read portions of the book to his fellow members, noting that if the “decorum exists to expose fourth graders to this content, then this content can be exposed here on the House floor.” “I see a picture here for a fourth grader of a woman being taught to…

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Kansas Supreme Court Rules Bill of Rights Protects Access to Abortion for Women

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by Grace Carr   The Kansas Supreme Court ruled Friday that the state constitution affords women “fundamental” access to abortion. “[T]he Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights affords protection of the right of personal autonomy, which includes the ability to control one’s own body, to assert bodily integrity, and to exercise self-determination,” reads the court’s decision. “This right allows a woman to make her own decisions regarding her body, health, family formation, and family life — decisions that can include whether to continue a pregnancy.” The decision prevents the blocking of the most commonly used method for second-trimester abortions. “Although not absolute, this right is fundamental,” the ruling said. “Accordingly, the State is prohibited from restricting this right unless it is doing so to further a compelling government interest and in a way that is narrowly tailored to that interest.” A 2015 challenge to a ban on “dilation and evacuation” abortions spurred the Kansas Supreme Court to its Friday decision. Dilation and evacuation is a procedure used for second-trimester abortions when women are around 13-24 weeks pregnant. The method involves pulling apart the limbs of the fetus so they can be extracted from the womb. Only one of the state’s seven…

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Ambulances Called Twice This Month Alone for Hemorrhaging Abortion Patients at Cleveland’s Preterm Clinic

Anthony Gockowski

Cleveland’s Preterm abortion clinic has had to place two 911 calls in the month of April alone after patients were bleeding “heavy” in response to abortion procedures. The incidents were exposed by Operation Rescue, who obtained the 911 recordings from both events. The first medical emergency occurred on April 5, when an ambulance, a fire unit, and five police cars responded to a 911 call from the clinic. Inside, a 31-year-old woman was hemorrhaging after her procedure and was brought out on a gurney with a sheet covering her head. One onlooker told Operation Rescue that an elevator repair service was at Preterm during the incident. Operation Rescue says that the clinic has had “chronic reliability” issues with its one elevator—the only way a gurney can access the surgical floor. Emergency records show that 37 minutes elapsed between the time of the ambulance’s arrival at Preterm and when the patient arrived at University Hospital. “We have warned of the dangers posed by this abortion facility and its unreliable elevator until we are blue in the face,” Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said in a press release. “We have urged the Ohio Department of Health to close preterm due to its…

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Wisconsin Gov Will Veto ‘Born Alive’ Bill Because It’s ‘Not A Productive Use Of Time’

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Tony Evers

by Grace Carr   Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vowed Monday to veto the state’s born-alive bill mandating doctors provide care to infants who survive abortion procedures, calling the legislation redundant. “We have all sorts of issues to deal with in the state of Wisconsin and to pass a bill that is redundant seems to be not a productive use of time,” Evers said in a Monday interview, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “And clearly I ran on the belief — and I still believe — that women should be able to make choices about their health care. But this deals with a specific issue that’s already been resolved,” Evers added. The proposed bill requires doctors to “exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care provider would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age,” according to the legislation. A doctor must ensure that a child born alive is immediately taken and admitted to the hospital, under the proposal. Physicians who violate the law face fines up to $10,000 and a maximum of six years in…

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Watchdog Says Bank of America Has Hosted Consecutive Fundraising Galas For Planned Parenthood

Jason M. Reynolds

  Archived webpages show Bank of America sponsored consecutive annual fundraising galas for Planned Parenthood of New York City, according to a press release by 2ndVote. The archives are available here. Conservative watchdog organization 2ndVote published an online announcement for Planned Parenthood of New York City’s May 2, 2017, centennial gala. That form listed Bank of America as a “corporate sponsor.” The event was billed as a “once-in-a-lifetime gala to benefit Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood of New York City.” Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was presented with the Champion of the Century Award at the gala. One year later, a similar announcement for Planned Parenthood of New York City’s “Spring Into Action Gala” on May 1, 2018, listed Bank of America as a “bronze sponsor.” 2ndVote also posted IRS Form 990 filings by Bank of America Charitable Foundation that show donations to multiple Planned Parenthood affiliates. In 2017, the foundation distributed over $50,000 to these organizations. The Form 990 filings are available here. In addition, 2ndVote released a copy of a letter from Bank of America Charitable Foundation President Kerry Sullivan from Feb. 5, 2019. The letter reads, “Bank of America does not make any direct…

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Federal Judge Blocks Part of Ohio Law Banning Second Trimester Abortion Procedure

Andrew Shirley

A Federal Judge has ruled that portions of an abortion-limiting bill, signed into law late last year, cannot be enforced as the law is written. As previously reported: On December 13, 2018, then-Governor John Kasich signed Senate Bill 145 (SB 145), commonly referred to as a Dismemberment Abortion Ban into law. It is, as reported at the time, “an act that restricts one of the most common methods in which second-trimester abortions are performed.  The Dismemberment Abortion Ban, as the bill is known, restricts doctors from performing procedures in which dismemberment of the fetus occurs. The law also made it a “fourth-degree felony” for a doctor to perform the procedure. Should a doctor do so, they could face up to 18 months in prison and the loss of their license to practice medicine. The procedure can only be performed if the mother’s life is at serious risk or if the doctor causes “fetal demise” before the procedure. In late March, Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Barrett in Cincinnati placed a temporary hold on the bill. This was placed as the result of a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood against the bill on the grounds that the law was unconstitutional. “They…

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North Carolina Governor Vetoes Born-Alive Bill

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by Grace Carr   Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a born-alive bill Thursday that sought to explicitly direct physicians to provide care for infants who survive abortion procedures. Cooper vetoed SB359, also known as the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act,” which passed the state legislature Tuesday. The state Senate first passed the bill Monday and the House passed the bill in a 65-46 vote Tuesday, according to The News & Observer. “Any infant born alive after an abortion or within a hospital, clinic, or other facility has the same claim to the protection of the law that would arise for any newborn, or for any person who comes to a hospital, clinic, or other facility for screening and treatment or otherwise becomes a patient within its care,” according to the legislation. Physicians who violate the bill would be charged with a Class D felony and fined up to $250,000. Cooper’s spokesman, Ford Porter, criticized the bill ahead of the governor’s Thursday veto. “This unnecessary legislation would criminalize doctors for a practice that simply does not exist,” Porter said, according to the Observer. “Laws already exist to protect newborn babies and legislators should instead be focused on other issues…

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Trump GOP Challenger Bill Weld Supports Abortion on Demand, Endorsed Obama

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by Peter Hasson   Former Republican Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who on Monday announced plans to challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 Republican primary, has a track record of siding against his party on key social issues. Weld supports allowing abortions up until birth, including partial-birth abortions, and in the past called for a ban on “assault weapons.” Weld in 2016 ran for vice president on the Libertarian Party ticket with former New Mexico Libertarian Gov. Gary Johnson. The pair won zero electoral votes and received just over three percent of the vote nationwide. In a June 2016 interview with Bloomberg Politics, Weld was asked if it would be accurate to compare his positions on social issues to those of former Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards. “Yeah, that’s right,” he answered, adding that he favored allowing abortion-on-demand, including partial-birth abortions, which have been illegal since 1995. Weld in 1992 described allowing abortions up until birth as “a price I would pay in order to have government stay out of the thicket.” His positions on abortion aren’t just outside the mainstream in the Republican Party, they’re outside the national mainstream as well. Just 13 percent of Americans think abortion should…

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Founder of The American Evangelicals Association, Kelly Kullberg Urges Tennessee to ‘Come Along With Us’ and Pass the Heartbeat Bill

Julie Carr

On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy talked to Kelly Kullberg who founded the American Evangelicals Association with a first hand account of what occurred in Ohio during the passage of the heartbeat bill in that state. Towards the end of the segment, the group spoke about the protesters and the responses from particular people who have spent several years trying to see this bill pass.  Kullberg urged Tennessee to “Come along with us!” and pass the Heartbeat Bill in the Tennessee Senate. Leahy: We are joined now on the line by our good friend, Kelly Kullberg the founder of the American Evangelicals Association. She lives in Columbus, Ohio. She was there yesterday when the Ohio state legislature did something that the Tennessee General Assembly at least in Tennessee State Senate doesn’t have the courage to do. They passed a fetal heartbeat bill. Welcome Kelly. Kullberg: Hi Mike. Hi Steve. Thanks for having me. Gill: The Ohio legislature showed a lot more courage than the Tennessee legislature. The House moved the heartbeat bill here…

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DeWine Officially Signs Heartbeat Bill as National Groups Prepare for Legal Battle

Andrew Shirley
FETUS ON Health

Gov. Mike DeWine signed Ohio’s heartbeat bill into law Thursday afternoon, and advocacy groups and legal teams nationwide are all preparing for what is sure to be a major political and legal battle. For the third time in the last decade, a bill that would ban all abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected officially made its way to the Ohio governor’s desk. Senate Bill 23 (SB 23) would ban any abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Though this varies based on available medical technology,  it is generally agreed to be around the six to the nine-week mark. Hence, many consider it a six-week abortion limit. “The essential function of government is to protect the most vulnerable among us, those who don’t have a voice,” DeWine said while signing the bill. “Government’s role should be to protect life from beginning to end.” Past versions of the bill were both vetoed by former Gov. John Kasich, who stated that he agreed with it in principle but felt that “the state of Ohio will be the losing party in that lawsuit and…will be forced to pay hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to cover the legal fees for the pro-choice activists’ lawyers.” This time,…

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Heartbeat Bill Set to Become Law in Ohio After Emotional Day at the Statehouse

Anthony Gockowski

One of the most divisive and talked-about bills in Ohio’s history is officially on its way to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk and is expected to be signed into law at any moment. After months of debate and numerous committee hearings, the heartbeat bill passed the Ohio House Wednesday afternoon in a 56-40 vote along party lines. It then went back to the Senate where changes made to the bill in the House were approved in an 18-13 vote. According to Cleveland-based reporter Laura Hancock, four Republicans voted against the bill in the Senate, since it doesn’t include exceptions for rape or incest. Here is the roll call in the #senate Which quickly voted to go with changes made in the Ohio house to #heartbeat #abortion bill. pic.twitter.com/PscVpnLE9P — Laura Hancock (@laurahancock) April 10, 2019 The House Health Committee was still hearing witness testimony on the bill as early as Tuesday, when several pro-choice religious organizations testified against it, as The Ohio Star reported. Protesters and activists from both sides of the debate gathered in the House chambers during Wednesday’s vote. While representatives were casting their votes, pro-abortion activists held a banner over the upper railings of the chambers, which read:…

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Ohio Democratic Catholic Reps Tout Faith in Opposing Heartbeat Bill Before it Clears Committee

Anthony Gockowski

The House version of Ohio’s heartbeat bill passed out of committee Tuesday, but not before a final round of impassioned debate. The House Health Committee heard from four final witnesses, some of whom represented religious organizations opposed to the bill. Gaby Garcia-Vera with Catholics for Choice, for instance, claimed during his testimony that the “majority of Catholics” support abortion. “Catholic teaching reveres individual conscience as the final arbiter in moral decision-making. As Catholics, we are called by our faith to follow our consciences when we make moral decisions about our lives. We also deeply respect the right of others to do the same,” he said. “Catholics support each woman’s ability to make personal choices that are right for herself and her family, including whether to become or remain pregnant, according to her own beliefs and based on her own conscience. Rather than respecting women’s consciences, as our Catholic faith compels us to do, SB 23 would allow politicians to decide whether and when a woman can access abortion care.” Elaina Ramsey, executive director of the Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, said during her testimony that the heartbeat bill “does not reflect the values of the majority of Ohioans and…

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Keith Ellison Joins Another Multi-State Effort to Protect Abortion Access

Anthony Gockowski

Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined 20 fellow attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of a Kentucky abortion provider. EMW Women’s Surgical Center is Kentucky’s only licensed abortion facility, but in 2017 the state’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services informed the clinic that it had violated state law and its license was incorrectly renewed. The abortion provider was later informed that its transfer agreements with a hospital and ambulance company were “deficient,” but the District Court for the Western District of Kentucky found that these agreements imposed an undue burden on women seeking abortions. Last month, Kentucky’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services appealed the lower court’s decision in federal court. Since EMW Women’s Surgical Center is currently the state’s only abortion provider, women seeking abortions would have to travel to a neighboring state. Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford filed an amicus brief in support of the Kentucky abortion clinic, and was later joined by 20 fellow attorneys general, including Ellison. According to a press release from Ellison’s office, the brief argues that “the availability of abortion services in neighboring states does not excuse a state from the Constitution’s prohibition on unduly burdening a woman’s ability…

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Radical Abortionist Martin Haskell’s Dayton Clinic One Step Closer to Shutting Down

Anthony Gockowski

An Ohio court of appeals recently ruled in support of a decision to revoke the license of Martin Haskell’s Dayton-area Women’s Med Center abortion clinic, meaning either the clinic will close or the case will head to the Ohio Supreme Court. Haskell owns and operates three abortion facilities across the country, one in the Dayton suburb of Kettering, another in Cincinnati, and a third in Indianapolis. According to the pro-life organization Operation Rescue, the Women’s Med Center is one of six abortion providers that openly performs abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy. In 2016, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) revoked the Kettering clinic’s ambulatory surgical facility license. In order to maintain such a license, abortion clinics are required by state law to have written transfer agreements with a hospital within a 30-minute radius in the event that a patient needs emergency medical care. Abortion clinics can also apply for a “variance” of the written transfer agreement that includes the names of physicians with admitting privileges who have agreed to treat women with abortion complications. Haskell’s Women’s Med Center clinic in Dayton has been unable to ever obtain a written transfer agreement with a local hospital, and its variance…

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Arkansas Senate Passes Bill Mandating 72 Hour Waiting Period Before Abortions

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by Grace Carr   The Arkansas Senate passed a bill Thursday expanding the restrictions it places on women seeking to end their pregnancies by mandating they wait 72 hours post-counseling before they can have an abortion. The state senate voted Thursday 29-5 to pass SB 278. Under the legislation, women must wait 72 hours after they are counseled by a physician before they can undergo an abortion. If the law is passed, Arkansas will be the sixth state to enact a 72-hour waiting period, according to The AP. Previously, women seeking abortions were required to wait 48 hours following state-directed counseling before they could undergo a procedure. State law also requires minors to provide a letter of consent from a parent or guardian prior to the scheduled abortion with the exception of a court order or medical emergency. Arkansas has three abortion clinics, only one of which offers surgical abortions. Planned Parenthood operates two clinics, one in Little Rock and one in Fayetteville, that both offer medication abortions but not surgical abortions. Arkansas also passed a law, SB149, in mid-February banning all abortions except those that are necessary to save the mother’s life if the high court overturns Roe v.…

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Possible 2020 Candidate Howard Schultz Says He Doesn’t Believe in Third-Trimester Abortion

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by Evie Fordham   Possible 2020 candidate Howard Schultz, who has teased a run as an independent for months, said Thursday he does not believe abortion should occur in the third trimester. “I recognize that every woman has — this is such a personal issue, and it’s between her and her god as to what that decision should be, and in my view there should be no abortion that is in the last trimester,” Schultz said during a town hall that aired on Fox News. He said the Supreme Court has already decided the abortion question “in many ways” and seemed reluctant to call himself pro-choice, saying, “I have been a person that is pro-choice.” “President Clinton said something a long time ago that I think does apply, and he said abortion should be safe, legal and rare. And that’s where I am. Thank you very much,” Schultz continued. Moderator Martha MacCallum followed up by asking the former Starbucks CEO if he was afraid he would lose support on the right by describing himself as pro-choice. “Do you worry at all that, you know, when you want to court Republicans, that even just being pro-choice is going to cross you…

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Ohio Lawmakers Look to Institute $10,000 Fines for Violations of Heartbeat Bill, Use Money Collected for Adoption Efforts

Anthony Gockowski

Ohio House Republicans added substantial new provisions to their version of the “heartbeat bill” that have the potential to make one of the state’s most controversial pieces of legislation even more divisive. While the Senate already passed its version of the bill last month, it is still making its way through the committee process in the House. During its third hearing for the bill Tuesday, the Ohio House Health Committee adopted several changes to the text of the bill. One of those changes would allow the Ohio State Medical Board to fine up to $10,000 for “each separate violation or failure of a person to comply” with the provisions of the bill. Money collected through these fines would then be deposited into a new “Foster Care and Adoption Initiatives Fund,” which would be established upon the bill’s passage. Another change would require the Ohio Director of Health to adopt rules “specifying the appropriate methods of performing an examination for the purpose of determining the presence of a fetal heartbeat of an unborn human individual.” Along those lines, the new changes prevent the exclusion of transvaginal ultrasounds “as a method of detection.” Transvaginal ultrasounds, as opposed to abdominal ultrasounds, can detect…

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HHS Makes $5.1 Million Grant to Pro-Life Community Clinics

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by Rachel del Guidice   The founder of an organization of community care clinics that cater to women praises the Trump administration for deciding to give her group $5.1 million over three years for use in California, a grant that once might have gone to Planned Parenthood. “With this grant, the administration has opened up a new avenue of health care choices for low-income and underserved women and their families in California,” Kathleen Eaton Bravo, CEO and founder of The Obria Group Inc. and Obria Medical Clinics, said in a prepared statement provided to The Daily Signal. Obria, which operates 21 health clinics and 11 mobile clinics in five states, does not perform abortions. “Many women want the opportunity to visit a professional, comprehensive health care facility—not an abortion clinic—for their health care needs; today, HHS gave women that choice,” Bravo said. The founder of an organization of community care clinics that cater to women praises the Trump administration for deciding to give her group $5.1 million over three years for use in California, a grant that once might have gone to Planned Parenthood. “With this grant, the administration has opened up a new avenue of health care choices for…

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Ohio Senate Passes Bill to Outlaw Practice of Dumping Aborted Fetal Remains in Public Landfills

Anthony Gockowski

The Ohio Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would require abortion providers in the state to either cremate or bury the fetal remains from an abortion rather than sending them to public landfills, which is the current practice. Senate Bill 27 was sponsored by State Sen. Joe Uecker (R-Miami Township) and passed in a 24-7 vote. “Final disposition of fetal remains from a surgical abortion at an abortion facility shall be by cremation or interment,” the bill states. Additionally, it would give women who have abortions the right to decide “whether the final disposition will be by cremation or interment,” as well as the “location for the final disposition.” “An abortion facility shall develop and maintain a written list of locations at which it provides or arranges for the final disposition of fetal remains from surgical abortions,” the bill adds. After its passage, Uecker said the bill “takes steps to help protect the dignity of babies whose lives ended too soon as a result of abortion.” “Sending dead babies to be cold-heartedly discarded into landfills further demonstrates the total lack of respect for the sanctity of human life that is shown,” he continued. “I also hope to see the recently…

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US Expands Ban on Foreign Aid to Overseas Abortion Providers

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday expanded the Trump administration’s ban on U.S. aid to groups that promote or provide abortions to include organizations that comply with the rules but give money to others that don’t. Pompeo also said the U.S. would cut some assistance to the Organization of America States because at least two of its agencies are allegedly lobbying for abortion availability in the Western Hemisphere. Pompeo said the administration was committed to protecting “the sanctity of life” in the United States and abroad and would enforce the policy “to the broadest extent possible” by not allowing foreign non-governmental organizations to skirt the ban. “We will refuse to provide assistance to foreign NGOs that give financial support to other foreign groups in the global abortion industry,” Pompeo told reporters at the State Department. “We will enforce a strict prohibition on backdoor funding schemes and end runs around our policy. American taxpayer dollars will not be used to underwrite abortions.” The move is an expansion of the so-called “Mexico City policy” first established under President Ronald Reagan but rescinded by subsequent Democratic administrations. Just days after taking office in 2017, President Donald Trump reinstated the policy and then…

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REVIEW: Hulu’s New Comedy ‘Shrill’ Normalizes the Unthinkable

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by Helen Lamm   A few weeks ago, a new television series called “Shrill” premiered on Hulu. Based on a memoir of the same title by avowed feminist and “fat activist” Lindy West, the show stars Aidy Bryant of “Saturday Night Live” and is produced by Elizabeth Banks. I wasn’t going to watch the show. Since coming to understand the way pop culture is designed mainly to destroy actual culture, my tolerance for all of it—music, TV, movies—has seriously declined. I find it difficult to be entertained by things that I know are designed to hurt me. Some things cannot be unseen. But when Justin Caruso at Breitbart wrote last week about how the show’s pilot episode (which is supposed to be a comedy) features the main character getting an abortion, I decided to grit my teeth and witness what appeared to be a watershed moment in television history. If we are to understand how degeneracy is memed into reality by Hollywood, we must understand the narrative devices that writers and directors employ to get the audience on the side of he or she who will eventually do evil. Building a Bond of Pathos To the tune of some very…

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Federal Judge Temporarily Halts Ohio Abortion Limit Passed Last Year

Andrew Shirley

A Senior District Judge is placing a two-week hold on a key provision of an Ohio abortion limit passed in December of last year. On December 13, 2018, then-Governor John Kasich signed Senate Bill 145 (SB 145), commonly referred to as a Dismemberment Abortion Ban into law. It is, as reported at the time, “an act that restricts one of the most common methods in which second-trimester abortions are performed.  The Dismemberment Abortion Ban, as the bill is known, restricts doctors from performing procedures in which dismemberment of the fetus occurs.” Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, hailed the decision, stating: “Ohioans can sleep easier tonight, knowing that the horrendous practice of dismemberment abortions is behind us…Pro-Life Ohio will not stop until the Abortion Report reads: Zero. Nothing to report” That same day, Kasich vetoed an abortion bill that would have banned all abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Shortly after being signed, Planned Parenthood filed suit against the state on the grounds that the law was unconstitutional. They argued that this law places an “undue burden” on women, one that is explicitly outlawed by Roe v. Wade, stating: Should the Act be allowed to take effect, Plaintiffs’ patients’ health…

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Beto Defends Late-Term Abortions, Slams Trump Over Lordstown Comments During Cleveland Campaign Stop

Anthony Gockowski

2020 Democratic hopeful Beto O’Rourke slammed President Donald Trump for his criticisms of Lordstown union leaders and defended late-term abortions during a campaign stop in Cleveland Monday. During one stop, O’Rourke was asked how he was “going to protect the lives of third-trimester babies.” “There’s really not a medical necessity for abortion. It’s not a medical emergency procedure because typically third-trimester abortions take up to three days to have. So, in that sense, if there was an emergency, the doctors would just do a c-section and you don’t have to kill the baby. So are you for or against third-trimester abortions?” an audience member asked. O’Rourke, however, framed the question to the audience as being about “abortion and reproductive rights.” “My answer to you is: that should be a decision that the woman makes. I trust her,” O’Rourke responded. Here’s Beto O’Rourke at a campaign event in Cleveland responding to a question about third-trimester abortions: “That should be a decision that the woman makes. I trust her.” pic.twitter.com/nBrlazlMob — Alexandra DeSanctis Marr (@xan_desanctis) March 18, 2019 O’Rourke also responded to Trump’s latest criticism of the leaders behind the closure of the General Motors factory in Lordstown. “Democrat UAW Local 1112…

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The Abortion Battle of a Generation Could Be Starting In Ohio

Andrew Shirley

The Ohio Senate’s decision to pass Senate Bill 23 (SB 23) on Wednesday has set the stage for a major political battle. While the bill still needs to clear both the Ohio House of Representatives and the Governor’s desk, advocacy groups from both sides are already preparing for a legal battle that could determine the fate of Roe v. Wade itself. After clearing the Senate, SB 23 was formally introduced into the Ohio House of Representatives on Thursday. There are two very distinct aspects of the legislation: the law as it is written and the law as it will affect current legislation. The law, as written, seeks to limit abortions to before a heartbeat can be detected. While this is largely dependent on available technology, the range in which a fetal heartbeat can be detected is, generally, six to nine weeks. This would essentially limit all abortions in Ohio to before six weeks. In an interview with The Ohio Star, Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Advocacy Lauren Blauvelt-Copelin stated that: SB 23 is absolutely crafted to end access to safe legal abortion in Ohio. It’s a six week ban…It bans abortion before most people know they…

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Abortion Fanatics Rally Against Minnesota’s ‘Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act’

Anthony Gockowski

Minnesota State Sen. Michelle Benson’s (R-Ham Lake) bill to protect unborn children capable of feeling pain from abortions received its first hearing Thursday, but Planned Parenthood and its allied activists in the state are doing everything they can to kill the bill. Senate File (SF) 1609 was introduced February 21 and currently has four Republican cosponsors, including Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-Nisswa) and Sen. Karin Housley (R-St. Mary’s Point). The bill would prohibit abortions in the state at or after 20 weeks of pregnancy, which is generally considered to be when an unborn child can feel pain. “By eight weeks after fertilization, an unborn child reacts to touch. After 20 weeks, an unborn child reacts to stimuli that would be recognized as painful if applied to an adult human, for example by recoiling,” SF 1609 states. It then challenges the view of some medical experts that an “unborn child is incapable of experiencing pain until a point later in pregnancy than 20 weeks.” This view, according to the bill, “rests on the assumption that the ability to experience pain depends on the cerebral cortex and requires nerve connections between the thalamus and the cortex.” “However, recent medical research and…

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Ohio Senate Passes Bill to Restrict Abortions After the Detection of a Heartbeat

Andrew Shirley

The Ohio Senate passed one of the most comprehensive and impactful abortion limitations in the country Wednesday. Senate Bill 23 (SB 23), commonly referred to as the “Heartbeat Bill” would ban all abortions once a heartbeat can be detected by a doctor. In many cases, this can be as early as six weeks. This is the third time in the last decade that the bill, or a version of it, has been considered by the state. The first two bills  were advanced by, both, the Ohio House and Senate. They were subsequently vetoed by then-Governor John Kasich. Following his 2018 veto, Kasich defended his decision, stating: I have a deep respect for my fellow members of the pro-life community and their ongoing efforts in defense of unborn life. However, the central provision of Sub. H.B. 258, that an abortion cannot be performed if a heartbeat has been detected in the unborn child, is contrary to the Supreme Court of the United States’ current rulings on abortion. Because the lower federal courts are bound to follow the U.S. Supreme Court’s precedents on abortion, Sub. H.B. 258 will likely be struck down as unconstitutional. The State of Ohio will be the losing…

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Ohio 6th Circuit Court of Appeals Affirms State Can ‘Defund’ Planned Parenthood

Andrew Shirley

The Ohio 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 11-6 Tuesday that Ohio has the right to withhold public funds from abortion providers, most notably Planned Parenthood. On Feb. 21st, 2016, then-Republican Governor John Kasich signed House Bill 294. The bill’s intent is to prevent the use of public funds for elective (a.k.a. “nontherapeutic”) abortions. Before the law, roughly $1 million a year in state health funding went, primarily, to organizations like Planned Parenthood. This law denied that funding. Three months later,  Judge Michael R. Barrett of U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio issued a restriction, preventing the law from being implemented in Ohio. He argued that if the law went into effect, it could cause “irreparable harm” to citizens who rely on non-abortion services provided by Planned Parenthood. Later, he outright declared the law unconstitutional, setting off a series of appeals. The latest of these appeals decided on Tuesday, affirmed that Ohio has a constitutional right to cut funding for Abortions. The majority opinion, written by Judge Jeffrey Sutton, noted that a state: …may choose not to fund a private organization’s health and education initiatives. Private organizations do not have a constitutional right to obtain governmental funding to support their activities. The State also…

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Third Time’s a Charm: Ohio House Begins Heartbeat Bill Debate Again Tuesday

Anthony Gockowski

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio House version of the infamous heartbeat bill will get its first hearing Tuesday morning in the House Health Committee. The bill was introduced by State Reps. Ron Hood (R-78) and Candice Keller (R-53), and has 48 cosponsors. Two previous iterations of the bill cleared the Ohio House and Senate, but both were vetoed by former Gov. John Kasich. Gov. Mike DeWine, however, said in January that he would “absolutely” sign the heartbeat bill into law if it makes it to his desk. Hood, who will testify before the House Health Committee Tuesday morning, was also a lead sponsor of 2018’s heartbeat bill. After it passed the House, he called it “the vehicle that is needed to revisit Roe v. Wade.” “The House passage of the bill is a critical step in that long-awaited process. I am confident that this bill will protect tens of thousands of innocent lives with detectable heartbeats it if becomes law,” he added. The current version of the bill, HB 68, would take things one step further by establishing a Joint Legislative Committee on Adoption Promotion and Support. According to the bill, this committee would be authorized to “review or study…

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Georgia Moves to Ban Abortions in Presence of Fetal Heartbeat

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by Grace Carr   A Georgia House committee approved a bill Wednesday that seeks to ban abortions after an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detected, marking a significant push to expand abortion restrictions in the state. The House Health and Human Services Committee approved the measure by a 17 to 14 vote along party lines, The Associated Press reported. The bill makes exceptions in cases where the mother’s life is in danger. It also allows for abortions in cases of rape and incest, but only if a woman files a police report. A heartbeat typically becomes detectable between six and nine weeks of gestation. Many women do not know they are pregnant at six weeks. The bill’s approval comes after Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp promised to pass the “toughest abortion laws in the country,” during a campaign stop, according to the AP. “We know life begins at conception. I think that’s worthy of full legal protection,” said state GOP Rep. Ed Setzler who authored the bill. “Certainly we can come together and recognize if there’s a human heartbeat, that child’s worthy of protection.” Those opposed to the bill argue it will contribute to more unsafe and self-induced abortions and put…

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The Tennessee Star Report: State Rep. Robin Smith Discusses Her Position on the Fetal Heartbeat Bill and the Escalation of Violent Protesters at the Capitol

Julie Carr

In a discussion on Thursday morning’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – host Steve Gill talked exclusively with Robin Smith who is a former cardiac nurse and current State Representative.  Smith chatted with long time friend and host Gill about her view on the Heartbeat Bill. Towards the end of the segment, Gill and Smith touched upon the recent the odd disposition of some Bishops in regards to the Heartbeat Bill and the Tennessee Right for Life group.  Smith ended the show by giving Gill a visual version of what happened to Glen Casada last week at the Tennessee Capitol when the Speaker was assaulted by now two time offender, Justin Jones. Gill: State Representative Robin Smith former Republican party chairman in Tennessee and legislator from down in the Chattanooga area. She’s on our news makers line with us right now. Robin good to have you with us. Smith: Good morning, how are you this morning? Gill: Good and you guys are going to go into session here in about an hour and a half. And this is one of the first bills…

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BREAKING: Fetal Heartbeat Bill Passes in Tennessee State House with 65 Ayes, 21 Nays and 7 ‘Present Not Voting’

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The Tennessee State House has passed a bill (HB0077) on Thursday intending to provide protection of unborn children after a heartbeat is detected. The bill, introduced by primary sponsor State Rep. Micah Van Huss (R-Gray) at the beginning of this session of the Tennessee General Assembly, passed by an overwhelming margin of 65 ayes, 21 nays and 7 Republicans voting “present.” Governor Bill Lee and Lt. Governor Randy McNally have each expressed their support for the legislation. Tennessee Attorney General Herb Slatery has expressed reservations about the Constitutionality of the bill. Two Democrats, Rep. John DeBerry of Memphis and Rep. John Mark Windle of Livingston, voted in favor of the legislation. The seven Republicans who were present but took a pass on the vote were Representatives: Dale Carr (Sevierville), Jim Coley (Bartlett), Bill Dunn (Knoxville), Patsy Hazelwood (Signal Mountain), Justin Lafferty (Knoxville), and Pat Marsh (Shelbyville). State Representative Robin Smith, (R-Hixson), a former nurse and co-sponsor of the bill, said: “Just as the presence of a heartbeat indicates life with a child, teenager, adult or senior, the presence of a heartbeat is indicative of life of a baby in the womb of his or her mother. Tennesseans are pro-life in…

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Tennessee Catholic Bishops Oppose Fetal Heartbeat Bill, Saying It Can Be Overturned in Court and Strengthen Abortion Providers

Jason M. Reynolds

Three Tennessee Catholic bishops have come out together in opposition to the fetal heartbeat bill pending in the Tennessee General Assembly, saying that its failure would strengthen the pro-abortion industry. Bishop Richard F. Stika of the Diocese of Knoxville, Bishop J. Mark Spalding of the Diocese of Nashville and Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Memphis issued a joint statement on Feb. 26. The fetal heartbeat bill would ban abortions once a heartbeat has been detected. It passed in the State House Health Committee last week. The bishops’ letter, which is also available here, reads: We believe that the sanctity of human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception to natural death.  So while we wholeheartedly support the intention of the “Heartbeat Bill” being considered by the Tennessee Legislature, we must also be prudent in how we combat the pro-abortion evil that dwells in our society. The “Heartbeat Bill” has been passed in various forms across the country and has been consistently struck down by state and federal courts alike for being unconstitutional.  In these legal cases, a victory is handed to the pro-abortion plaintiffs and we must remember that every pro-abortion…

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Sen. Blackburn Says President Trump’s Defunding of Planned Parenthood Mirrors, Supports Her Bill to Block Tax Funds From Going to Abortion Providers

Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) announced Friday that President Donald Trump is essentially backing her bill to protect unborn babies by defunding Planned Parenthood. Blackburn on Jan. 10 introduced her first bill in the U.S. Senate, S. 105, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, to strip all abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, of federal funding under Title X of the Public Health Service Act. Now, Trump has announced he would issue a rule to block the use of federal funds from going to abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, under Title X of the Public Health Service Act, Blackburn said in a press release. The Department of Health and Human Services rule accomplishes the same goal as her act, she said. The bill’s tracking information is here. “President Trump is to be commended for taking action to ensure that federal funding for women’s health is used for its intended purpose, not the ending of innocent human life,” Blackburn said. “This new rule works to accomplish the same goal as the bill I introduced in January, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, so taxpayers can be sure their dollars only go toward funding women’s health programs, not big abortion providers.…

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Democratic Senators Refuse to Say If Abortion Is Ever Immoral

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by Henry Rodgers   Democratic senators on Capitol Hill had mixed responses — from saying it’s a woman’s choice to dodging the question altogether — about whether they were comfortable with calling abortion immoral in any circumstance. The Daily Caller News Foundation asked nearly 10 Democratic senators about abortion and if there was a point at which it would be considered immoral Tuesday and Wednesday after the Republican-led Senate failed to pass a bill, which would mandate medical care and legal protections to infants born alive after an attempted abortion. Doctors who don’t comply would be punished. Republicans were only able to get three Democrats to vote in favor, crossing party lines to vote for the bill, while three Republican lawmakers did not vote. Republicans were seven votes short of passing the bill, in what President Donald Trump called “one of the most shocking votes in the history of Congress.” Democratic California Sen. Kamala Harris, a 2020 hopeful who voted against Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse’s bill, would not say if abortion was ever immoral. “I think it’s up to a woman to make that decision, and I will always stand by that,” she told TheDCNF. “I think she needs…

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Protecting Babies Born Alive from Botched Abortions Should Not Be Controversial, Sen. Blackburn Says

Jason M. Reynolds

There should have been nothing controversial about protecting babies born after botched abortions, U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) wrote. Blackburn’s comments about the failed Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act appeared in an op-ed Tuesday on Fox News. The op-ed is available here. Blackburn said, in part: On Monday night I proudly voted for the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. There should be nothing controversial about voting to give babies born as a result of a failed abortion the same degree of medical care given to those born at the same stage of a pregnancy. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act is legislation that makes certain every child who is born has the same opportunity to live and survive. … It should have been an easy vote for every member of the Senate, but on Monday night, many Democrats demonstrated that their pro-choice stance also requires them to support infanticide. Sadly, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s recent comments advocating infanticide clearly framed the Democrats’ radical agenda. Their push to abort children reveals a hardened inner core that shocks the conscience. On Monday, the U.S. Senate voted 53-44 to bring the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act to the floor for a vote on…

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Tina Smith Calls Protections for Newborn Babies ‘Inappropriate Medical Treatment’

Anthony Gockowski

Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), a former Planned Parenthood executive, is proudly defending her vote against a bill that would protect babies who survive botched abortions. “Colleagues, that’s what this bill does. It would give the politicians in this room the power to make medical decisions for women and their families. This bill intimidates providers and forces physicians to provide inappropriate medical treatment, even when it’s not in the best interest of the patient or her family,” Smith said during a Senate floor debate Monday. Lawmakers shouldn't dictate what doctors can or cannot do to deliver the best medical care for women. We need to continue to trust women & their doctors. I took to the Senate floor today to talk about this, & I will continue to make my voice heard for women in MN and our nation. pic.twitter.com/9bwJYRBoyT — Senator Tina Smith (@SenTinaSmith) February 25, 2019 She went on to argue that the bill, if passed, would “put doctors in an untenable position” of being forced to decide between following “the law” or their “code of professional ethics.” “Colleagues, let’s get out of the business of dictating medical care for women. Let’s continue to trust women and their doctors,”…

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Democrat Presidential Hopefuls Vote Against ‘Born Alive Bill’ in the Senate

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by Grace Carr   The Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act, which would have ensured that babies who survive abortions are given medical attention, failed to pass the U.S. Senate Monday evening. The bill failed by a vote of 53 to 44. The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would have mandated that babies born alive after an abortion would receive the “same protection of law as any newborn.” The bill required 60 votes to pass. Democratic presidential hopefuls Harris, Klobuchar, Booker, Brown, Gillibrand and Warren voted against the bill. Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders also voted against the measure. Democratic Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth described the bill as an obvious effort “to bully doctors out of giving reproductive care,” and voted against it. Democratic senators Joe Manchin, Bob Casey, and Doug Jones voted in favor of the bill. Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski didn’t vote. “Those senators who voted against this bill that obviously protects human beings will have a lot to answer for when they face the voters,” Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins said, according to a press release. “Senators who could not bring themselves to vote to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act should reconsider whether or not they have what it takes to…

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