In a move that drew criticism from Tennessee’s governor, the federal government plans to bypass the state’s health department and directly fund Planned Parenthood.
After the Human Life Protection Act took effect in August of 2022, ending the practice of abortion in Tennessee, Tennessee was denied Title X funding from the federal government.
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Aaron Gulbransen, executive director for the Faith and Freedom Coalition Tennessee and long time pro life activist shared his insights with listeners on Tuesday’s episode of The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy on the strategy behind the messaging Donald Trump is using to effectively define and box-in the radical Left on the issue of abortion.
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If Wednesday’s second GOP presidential primary debate proves to be anything like the first, we’re in for a night of political punches and maybe a rhetorical gang fight or two as the candidates look to score points in another Trump-less bout.
With former President Donald Trump skipping the debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA, top tier candidates like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Ohio entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley will try to tell those watching why they’re a better option than the race’s far and away frontrunner — and the rest of the crowded field of Republican candidates.
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Democratic state Rep. Karen Whitsett of Michigan said that she will not be voting in favor of Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s abortion bill package, which would significantly ease abortion restrictions, according to The Detroit News.
Whitmer announced her support of several bills on Aug. 29 aimed at lowering restrictions on abortion, such as eliminating the mandatory 24-hour waiting period for women to make an informed decision before having the procedure and allowing for Medicaid funding of abortion. Whitsett explained Wednesday that she could not support taxpayer funding for abortions, and that women should have time to make a choice and understand the decision they are making, according to The Detroit News.
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A bill seeking to prevent Florida women from being prosecuted for seeking abortions out of state was filed last week as the state Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of the state’s six-week abortion ban.
In a news release, Florida Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, D-Davie, said she had filed legislation to prevent pregnant women and girls from being criminally charged and imprisoned for obtaining an abortion, stating that the new bill — Senate Bill 34 — was in response to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ claim that only abortion providers would be prosecuted.
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It remains to be seen just how quickly the return of abortion in Wisconsin will end up before a judge after Planned Parenthood on Monday started offering abortion services at its clinics in Milwaukee and Madison.
“Thank you so much for your enthusiasm that PPWI has restarted abortion services! We are as thrilled as you are! We haven’t been able to respond to all our DMs, comment on every thread about abortion, or talk to you individually about how you can help (but we’re trying),” Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said on social media Monday.
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The latest cattle call of GOP presidential contestants — sans former President Donald Trump — mainly maintained Iowa nice, a departure from last month’s first fiery primary debate and a similar Christian conservative event in July hosted by conservative talk show host lightning rod Tucker Carlson.
The 10 presidential candidates who appeared at Saturday’s Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Annual Fall Banquet and Presidential Town Hall took relatively few direct shots at their rivals.
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When I saw that Pope Francis would participate as a speaker at the Clinton Global Initiative this month, my heart sank.
Frankly, and I say this as a Catholic, former President Bill Clinton is one of the last people I would like Francis to prominently engage with.
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During Democrat Whitmer’s recent “What’s Next” speech, she outlined an agenda for Michigan that included what Barbara Listing, Right to Life (RTL) of Michigan president, called “anti-life fall policy priorities.”
In her speech on August 30th, Gov. Whitmer talked about wanting to pass the RHA or “Reproductive Health Act.” Just seven days later, the RHA 11-bill package was introduced by Democratic lawmakers, spearheaded by Michigan House Rep. Lauri Pohutsky (D-Livonia) and Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing). Pohutsky said in a statement about the legislation, “The implementation of these bills is urgent to ensure medical avenues are open to access safe, legal abortion across Michigan.”
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The Mexican Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a sweeping ruling that decriminalized abortion nationwide, determining that to attach penalties to the procedure “violate[d] the human rights of women.”
Wednesday’s decision follows a 2021 ruling from the court that permitted state officials to regulate the procedure, according to the New York Times.
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Meta’s Oversight Board ruled Wednesday that Facebook and Instagram showed “patterns of censorship” by removing posts about abortion that the social media platforms claimed constituted death threats.
The board had been weighing a series of posts that were initially taken down by Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, for potential death threats against both pro-abortion and pro-life advocates before being reinstated after appeals from the users. The board took up the case in June and announced this week that Facebook had erred by removing the posts, according to the ruling.
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The Ohio Republican Party notified voters where Ohio Democrats stand on abortion before a November ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion into the state Constitution.
The Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom proposed “The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety,” which would add Section 22 to Article 1 of the state Constitution.
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Three swing states will hold elections to their supreme courts over the next 18 months, potentially altering court compositions amid key cultural and political flashpoints such as abortion, guns and redistricting.
Between 2023 and 2024, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan will hold elections for several seats on their supreme courts, which have the final word on matters of state law regarding abortion and gerrymandering, among others. These seats are likely to be highly contested as partisan groups seek to bring litigation to change the law on these issues, political strategists and academics told the DCNF.
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As the 2023 general election nears, Virginia Democrats hope to draw voters to the polls by featuring abortion and reproductive rights prominently in their campaign messaging.
“Democrats have been over performing since the Dobbs ruling was handed down,” J. Miles Coleman of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics told The Center Square.
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Fresh from unveiling his new Empower Parents Plan, U.S. Senator Tim Scott is back on the presidential campaign trail this week in the kickoff caucus state.
The South Carolina Republican plans multiple stops in Iowa following what many pundits saw as an unmemorable performance in last week’s first Republican presidential primary debate.
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The Arizona Supreme Court will review the state’s abortion laws, which puts both the currently enforced 15-week ban and a more restrictive 1864 territorial ban back in play.
A state appeals court previously ruled in December in the case of Planned Parenthood v. Mayes that the 15-week ban that was signed into law by Gov. Doug Ducey would take over state law, and Mayes said it’s preferable to the alternative.
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hasn’t declared a winner in this week’s GOP presidential debate, but he does know who the loser is: The American people.
The Kennedy family scion and Democrat challenger to President Joe Biden for the Democratic Party presidential nomination blasted the eight Republican candidates who took the stage in Milwaukee as out of touch with the average American.
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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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The late founder of national pro-life organization Life Dynamics created his group’s new animated videos to serve as a tool for every pro-lifer, regardless of age, to help them engage with common pro-abortion talking points.
Pro-life leader Marcus “Mark” Crutcher, who died in March, wanted to address the issue of how to help pro-lifers engage in responding to common pro-abortion talking points, said a press statement Thursday announcing the release of Crutcher’s “Abortion Distortion” videos.
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The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) ordered a clinic Monday to pay nearly $200,000 in fees for violating a rule preventing women from receiving an abortion within 24 hours of requesting the procedure, according to a final order.
The rule, which lawmakers passed in 2015 and instated in April 2022, mandates that women must receive an ultrasound as well as a full explanation of the risks posed by abortion at least 24 hours before the procedure takes place, the Orlando Weekly reported. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the rule in June 2015, and the legal move prevented the bill from taking effect until Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey dismissed the suit in 2022, according to The Associated Press.
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Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he would support a ban on abortion after three months of pregnancy if elected president, but his spokesperson later said Kennedy “misunderstood” the question.
“I believe a decision to abort a child should be up to the women during the first three months of life,” Kennedy told NBC News on Sunday morning at the Iowa State Fair. When questioned further as to whether that meant implementing a federal ban at 15 or 21 weeks, he said yes.
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Abortion-on-demand proponents insist most Americans believe in the unfettered right to abortion.
A new poll finds a majority of Americans believe there is a limit.
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Three months before the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade in June 2022, I wrote an article saying pro-life leaders were not ready to win.
Unfortunately, I was right then, and since then it’s got nothing but worse.
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Anti-life groups promoting abortion-on-demand in Arizona announced Tuesday they will seek to amend the state’s constitution to enshrine a right to abortion in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade.
A new political action committee (PAC) that calls itself Arizona for Abortion Access filed to collect signatures with the goal of getting the Arizona Abortion Access Act on the ballot in 2024, KTARNews reported.
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Idaho professors and teachers unions are alleging that a state law violates their First Amendment rights by preventing them from teaching pro-abortion viewpoints, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the ACLU.
Idaho passed the No Public Funds for Abortion Act in 2021, which prohibits state contracts with abortion providers and bans public employees from promoting abortion, according to Idaho’s legislative website. Public employees who violate the law can be charged with a felony and fired, and professors argue the law has forced them to alter their course modules by taking out entire sections related to abortion due to fear of repercussions, according to the lawsuit.
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National pro-life leader and former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson spelled out Sunday what could await pregnant teens in Ohio should a proposed constitutional amendment allow them to obtain abortions without parental consent.
Johnson spoke to a large crowd at a Rosary Rally, organized by Catholics for Catholics, to encourage Ohioans to vote “yes” on Issue 1 on Tuesday.
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Washington state’s attorney general is among 20 attorneys general to have filed legal arguments in a federal lawsuit challenging Idaho’s law that makes it illegal to either obtain abortion pills for a minor or to help them leave the state for an abortion without their parents’ knowledge and consent.
In a Tuesday news release, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the collective states’ amicus brief is in support of a lawsuit filed last month in U.S. District Court against Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador. The plaintiffs allege that Labrador’s interpretation of the law threatens to punish medical providers and residents outside Idaho’s borders for giving information and assistance to minors about legal abortion access in their states.
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Gilbert Cisneros, a Navy veteran and former Democratic California representative, announced Monday plans to retire as the Department of Defense (DOD) head for personnel policy, leaving a legacy of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies.
The Pentagon touted Cisneros’ record in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation on Monday, fueling the implementation of new policies developed under his watch to address sexual assault and suicide. Cisneros also presided over numerous social policies that became the subject of conservative ire, such as the DOD pandemic response, ensuringacceptance of the once-mandated COVID-19 vaccine and policies making it easier for female servicemembers to accesscontraceptives and abortion.
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Federalist Society Co-Chairman Leonard Leo, who served as an advisor in the selection process of former President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointees, has been targeted in his home town in Maine by what a prominent Catholic leader calls “anti-Catholic bigots” in the wake of recent rulings by the High Court.
Activists have been protesting at Leo’s home in Northeast Harbor, tying him to Supreme Court rulings with which they disagree.
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An abortion doctor allegedly ran over a pro-life protester with his car in Saginaw Township, Michigan, and now has a felony warrant out for his arrest, according to Michigan Live News.
The doctor, an 87-year-old abortion provider, allegedly ran over Mark Zimmerman, who was protesting the abortion clinic, and broke Zimmerman’s leg, which resulted in Zimmerman needing to be hospitalized, according to MLive News. The doctor also reportedly assaulted another pro-life protestor in 2012, Lynn Mills, director of Pro-Life Michigan, an incident for which he was charged with assault and received probation.
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A Nebraska teenager was recently sentenced to 90 days in jail after she burned and buried the remains of her aborted baby, a case U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar called a “frightening violation of privacy and autonomy.”
Omar published a screenshot of a New York Times article about the case of 19-year-old Celeste Burgess, who was not charged “under Nebraska’s abortion law,” the article notes. At the time, Nebraska prohibited abortions after 20 weeks; that has now been moved up to 12 weeks.
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The National Institute for Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), in conjunction with two Vermont pregnancy centers and their attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), have filed a complaint against the state of Vermont “for the unconstitutional attack launched against pregnancy centers in the state” resulting from a law that “suppresses the free-speech rights of faith-based pregnancy centers,” ADF said in a press release.
ADF attorneys filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday that describes the case as “a challenge by pro-life pregnancy services centers and their membership organization to a state law that unconstitutionally restricts the centers’ speech and provision of services.”
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Dr. Scott Jensen, former GOP candidate for governor, wrote in an op-ed that following his 2022 election loss, he is re-examining his position on abortion.
“Because millions of Americans believed that the Supreme Court’s ruling had had a decisive impact on elections across the nation, I decided to re-examine the abortion issue from both a historical and present-day perspective,” Jensen wrote.
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A radical Massachusetts bill that would end nearly all restrictions on abortion in the state would also allow girls of any age to “consent” to an abortion without informing parents or requiring their consent.
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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has released a statement regarding a recent comment letter he and 18 other state attorneys general signed opposing a new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rule regarding abortions.
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A national pro-life group is shaming Democrats for encouraging abortionists to mail dangerous abortion-inducing drugs into pro-life states after the Washington Post touted such actions are legal.
“Mailing abortion pills into pro-life states is not legal, no matter how the Democrats and their media cheerleaders want it to be,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony (SBA) Pro-Life America, in a statement sent to The Star News Network. “And the strong majority of Americans agree it is not safe.”
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Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (D) signed into law a series of bills Wednesday that seeks to protect abortion rights and access to both contraception and college students’ transgender drugs and surgeries.
In an official statement, Lamont also noted the new Connecticut laws counter those in Republican-led states that have sought to protect unborn life from abortion, and teens from life-altering transgender drugs and surgeries.
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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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Political analyst, One America News journalist, and historian Neil W. McCabe joins The Tennessee Star Report Wednesday to expose the stunning misalignment between the nation’s elites and the people, and illustrates recent examples of the failures of “engineered” societies over that last century. TRANSCRIPT Michael Patrick Leahy: 7:18 a.m. broadcasting live from our studios on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. In-studio, the original all-star panelist, Crom Carmichael; on our newsmaker line, our very good friend, the great Neil W. McCabe – top political strategist and reporter for One America News Network. Good morning, Neil W. McCabe. Neil W. McCabe: Good morning, Michael. Good morning, Crom. Good to be with you. Michael Patrick Leahy: I forgot to mention, Bronze Star winner for your service in Iraq. Congratulations on that, First Sergeant. Neil W. McCabe: Thank you. Michael Patrick Leahy: Neil W. McCabe, still in the reserve, still serving our country. Can I ask you a big question, Neil? Neil W. McCabe: Absolutely. Sure. Michael Patrick Leahy: I’ve been thinking about this – I’m beginning to think that perhaps one of the most important issues in the 2024 general election is how the Democrats are trying to ruin our children and is…
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GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy took his campaign to the steps of the Iowa State Capitol Tuesday, throwing his support behind a swiftly moving “heartbeat bill” that would limit most abortions in the Hawkeye State after six weeks of pregnancy.
The Ohio biotech entrepreneur met with Republican state legislators and Governor Kim Reynolds, as a special legislative session to take up the bill got underway amid loud opposition from hundreds of pro-abortion activists.
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Abortion and transgender hormone giant Planned Parenthood is drawing teens to its “Sex Ed Summer Camp” in late July with the promise of a $150 gift card to those who complete the program.
“Sex Ed Summer Camp is a sexual health peer education certification program,” Planned Parenthood states about its camp for 15-18 year-olds to be held July 24-28 in Mankato, Minnesota. “Participants will use knowledge they learn to educate friends and peers. Topics covered include sexual anatomy, birth control methods, sexually transmitted infections, healthy relationships and consent, and more!”
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A leading national pro-life law firm has filed an amicus brief with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing the Biden administration’s “guidance” to hospitals that “reminds” them of their “obligation” to provide abortions in states where the procedure is illegal is an incorrect interpretation of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
In a press statement Friday, Life Legal explained that after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, “Democrats were determined to find ways to prevent pro-life states from protecting babies in the womb.”
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Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley returns to the Granite State on Thursday for another packed schedule of campaigning, this time a three-day swing through New Hampshire’s North Country.
Haley will host three town halls, a meet-and-greet and be a special guest at a summer house party.
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An illegal immigrant is due to appear in an Ohio court Wednesday for his trial after he allegedly raped a minor who was nine years old at the time.
In July 2022, Gerson Fuentes, who the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency announced in 2022 was in the country illegally, was charged with two counts of felony rape after he was accused of sexually assaulting a nine-year-old in Ohio twice between January and May 12, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The minor obtained an abortion in Indiana at the age of 10, leading police to arrest Fuentes, who is set to stand trial this week for the charges in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, in Ohio.
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A group of pro-life groups have called on House Republicans to stop the Department of Defense policy allowing military servicemembers time off and reimbursement for travel to obtain abortions.
The Pentagon adopted the plan in the wake of the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned the constitutional right to an abortion and led to numerous states banning the procedure entirely or at least imposing restrictions.
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An abortion ban in the state of Texas has led to nearly 10,000 additional live births in the state, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health estimate.
Between April and December of 2022, the researchers conclude that the state witnessed 9,799 additional births that would not have been occurred but for the existence of the state’s abortion ban, the researchers concluded. The state’s previous law allowed abortion up to 22 weeks of gestation, while the current legislation prohibits abortion on detection of embryonic cardiac activity, i.e. the detection of a fetal heartbeat. This can occur as early as 5-6 weeks into pregnancy.
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The Indiana Supreme Court issued a decision Friday that said the state’s abortion ban was constitutional in a 4-1 ruling, according to the text.
Senate Bill 1 was signed into law in 2022 and prohibited abortion with limited exceptions in the case of preventing “serious health risk of the pregnant woman or to save the pregnant woman’s life,” if the child is diagnosed with a “lethal fetal anomaly” or rape or incest, according to the bill’s text. The law was quickly halted by a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood Great Northwest before being vacated by the state Supreme Court, which ruled that the law did not violate the Indiana Constitution.
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Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) has fueled the ire of many Catholics for asserting the teachings of the Catholic faith justify her claim that Catholics may support and promote ending the lives of unborn babies.
“I am a Catholic—baptized, raised, and confirmed,” DeLauro tweeted. “The fundamental tenets of my faith compel me to defend a women’s right to access abortion. I am proudly part of the faithful large majority of US Catholics who support legal protections for abortion access.”
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While a common abortion industry narrative claims restrictions on abortion cause mental health harms to women, a new study has found that abortion during a first pregnancy is associated with a greater incidence of mental health problems after the procedure than giving birth.
The study, conducted by Dr. James Studnicki, vice president and director of data analytics at the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI), and his colleagues, was published at the International Journal of Women’s Health.
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Broad, sweeping language can easily mislead those caught up in its charm, especially in discussions about abortion “rights.” A deceptively worded constitutional amendment that pretends to protect the “right” to abortion in the Buckeye State would, in fact, abolish the need for parental consent laws for abortion, should it be placed on the ballot this fall and approved by voters.
Abortion activists are proposing an extreme amendment to the Ohio constitution that would go as far as denying loving parents the ability to consult with their own daughters about their abortion decision. Such a dangerous change to the 172-year-old constitution would do nothing but threaten young women for years to come.
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