Tag: Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood Has a History of Removing Health Care-Focused Presidents

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 by Mary Margaret Olohan   Planned Parenthood has a history of removing its presidents over ideological differences surrounding the political role of the organization. Former Presidents Leana Wen and Pamela J. Maraldo were both removed from their positions for promoting healthcare over politics. The Planned Parenthood board fired Wen Tuesday after she had served less than a year as president. The organization temporarily replaced Wen, an acclaimed MD, with the co-founder of the progressive Perception Institute, Alexis McGill Johnson. Planned Parenthood removed Wen largely because of her issues managing Planned Parenthood, six sources told BuzzFeed. Requests for anonymity were granted so sources could speak openly, the publication noted. A source also revealed Wen’s removal was likely accelerated by the intense political climate surrounding abortion. Sources claim Wen did not care about “the long-term future of abortion access work that had already been going on, saying there was no budget for it,” shied away from “trans-inclusive” language and told staff transgender issues might deter Planned Parenthood supporters in the Midwest. But Wen is not the first Planned Parenthood president to be removed for prioritizing healthcare over politics. Maraldo became Planned Parenthood’s president in 1993, shortly after former President Bill Clinton took…

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Why Did Planned Parenthood Fire Leana Wen?

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by Mary Margaret Olohan   Former Planned Parenthood President Leana Wen was fired for her vision for the organization and for failing to comply with the organization’s political agenda, sources revealed to BuzzFeed News. Wen and Planned Parenthood engaged in closed-door meetings over the past week, a source close to the matter told BuzzFeed – meetings that resulted in the organization asking Wen to resign. Wen refused and was removed from office Tuesday. To all my colleagues at Planned Parenthood, the tens of thousands of dedicated people who are on the frontlines every day, providing life-saving, life-transforming care and fighting to protect access to that care: you are my heroes. Thank you for what you do. pic.twitter.com/6N4RMiTQAG — Leana Wen, M.D. (@DrLeanaWen) July 16, 2019 After the New York Times announced her departure, Wen tweeted that she was removed due to “philosophical differences.” She has not yet responded to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation. Planned Parenthood removed Wen largely because of her issues managing Planned Parenthood, six sources familiar with the matter allegedly told Buzzfeed. A source also revealed that Wen’s removal was probably accelerated by the intense political climate currently surrounding abortion. Planned Parenthood…

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Planned Parenthood Removes Leana Wen as President

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by Mary Margaret Olohan   Planned Parenthood removed Leana Wen from her position Tuesday after she had served less than a year as president. The Planned Parenthood board voted Wen out of her position Tuesday and temporarily replaced her with the co-founder of the progressive Perception Institute, Alexis McGill Johnson, according to the New York Times. McGill will temporarily serve as the acting president and chief executive of both Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “I’m proud to serve as Acting President to facilitate a smooth leadership transition in this critical moment for Planned Parenthood and the patients and communities we serve. I thank Dr. Wen for her service and her commitment to patients,’’ McGill Johnson said in a tweet. “I thank Dr. Wen for her service and her commitment to patients.” Wen became president of Planned Parenthood of America in September, the Times reports. Since then, she has advocated for unrestricted access to abortion and fought back against many states’ restrictive abortion legislation. “I just learned that the @PPFA Board ended my employment at a secret meeting,” Wen tweeted Tuesday. “We were engaged in good faith negotiations about my departure based on philosophical differences…

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Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg Donates $1 Million to Planned Parenthood

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by Chris White   Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg is donating $1 million to the political arm of Planned Parenthood as the company wrestles with claims of a conservative bias. “I think this is a very urgent moment where the rights and the choices and the basic health of the most vulnerable women—the women who have been marginalized, often women of color—are at stake,” Sandberg told HuffPost on Friday. “And so all of us have to do our part to fight these draconian laws.” She said her decision was motivated in part by recent laws restricting abortion in Alabama, Georgia, and Missouri. Celebrities are also protesting Georgia’s “heartbeat bill,” which outlaws abortion after a child’s heartbeat is detected. “Planned Parenthood is going to fight back in the courts, in Congress, in the state houses, in the streets for women’s health and rights,” Sandberg said. “We all have to do everything we can to protect women.” She previously donated $1 million to the organization in 2017 amid reports that Republicans were planning on defunding the group. The Facebook executive was also a major supporter of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016. Her decision comes after conservative…

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Blackburn Joins Other Pro-Life Senators in Introducing Bill to Halt Use of Taxpayer Dollars in Funding Abortion Services

Jason M. Reynolds

  U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) joined several colleagues to introduce the Protecting Life and Taxpayers Act to halt the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortion services. “Sixty percent of Americans oppose their tax dollars being used to fund abortions,” Blackburn said in a press release. “We should honor their wishes by ending the use of public funds. The pro-life community should not be forced to directly or indirectly fund this abhorrent practice.” Co-sponsors are U.S. Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS). The House version is H.R. 833, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO-04). The Protecting Life and Taxpayers Act is supported by the Susan B. Anthony List. In January, Blackburn introduced her first bill in the Senate, The Tennessee Star reported. That bill – S. 105, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act – would strips all abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, of federal funding under Title X of the Public Health Service Act. Of the Protecting Life and Taxpayers Act, Cramer said, “Abortion providers do not deserve taxpayer subsidies. While current law prohibits federal funds from being used for abortions, companies like Planned Parenthood still receive millions of…

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Judge Rules to Keep Last Abortion Clinic in Missouri Temporarily Open

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by Mary Margaret Olohan   A judge ruled Friday to keep the last abortion clinic in Missouri open temporarily despite the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services’ refusal to renew the clinic’s license earlier in the day. Hours before State Circuit Judge Michael Stelzer extended his preliminary injunction to keep the clinic open temporarily, DHSS refused to renew the St. Louis abortion clinic’s license, according to NBC News. “Today is a victory for women to be able to access the kind of medical care that they and their health professionals need and deserve,” said M’Evie Mead, who heads policy and organizing at Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri, according to NBC. “It is still very, very difficult to access abortion in Missouri because of medically unnecessary hoops and regulations, but you can still come to Planned Parenthood today for all of your reproductive health care,” Mead added. “And that is a good day for women.” Planned Parenthood President Leana Wen has said if the Missouri clinic closes down, Missouri could be the only state in the United States since 1974 without an abortion clinic. “BREAKING: Today, Missouri’s health department weaponized a regulatory process to deny an abortion license to the…

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Rep. Green Votes No on $1 Trillion Spending Bill Full of ‘Partisan Garbage’

Jason M. Reynolds

  U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) voted “no” Wednesday on a bill he said was full of “partisan garbage” that included funding for Planned Parenthood. The House passed the H.R. 2740, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Defense, State, Foreign Operations, and Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2020. Green tweeted, “Congressional Democrats jammed as much partisan garbage into this nearly $1 trillion spending package as possible. I voted NO.” Congressional Democrats jammed as much partisan garbage into this nearly $1 trillion spending package as possible. I voted NO. pic.twitter.com/h7odAZljWw — Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) June 19, 2019 Green explained his no vote in a press release. “Congressional Democrats jammed as much partisan garbage into this nearly $1 trillion spending package as possible. If passed into law, this minibus would force taxpayers to pay for abortions in the U.S. and even overseas, continue funding Planned Parenthood, pay for an earmark program, and send half a billion dollars in aid to foreign countries most responsible for illegal crossings and trafficking on our border. Democrats opted to include these programs at the expense of Department of Defense funding and border wall funding, falling short of President Trump’s budget request. “Moreover, I…

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Planned Parenthood Attacks Longtime Memphis Democratic Rep. DeBerry for Voting for Fetal Heartbeat Bill

Jason M. Reynolds

  Planned Parenthood doesn’t like that longtime State Rep. John DeBerry (D-TN-90) voted to support the heartbeat bill in the recent legislative session. Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood took advertising out for three billboards in Memphis to attack DeBerry on his vote, WBBJ said. The Memphis Democrat ran unopposed in 2018. His seat is up for reelection in 2020. According to WMC,  Francie Hunt, Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood executive director, said, “Today, we are kicking off a billboard campaign to help inform more people about his stance.” Norma Lester, Democratic Women of Shelby County president, told WMC, “There should never be a situation where Representative DeBerry has been allowed to be comfortable with what he has done.” DeBerry, the Democratic Leader Pro-Tempore, served as the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators Chaplain in the 111th General Assembly, according to his legislative biography. He has served in the Legislature from the 99th through the 111th General Assemblies. Although the heartbeat bill passed in the House, it stalled in the Senate and was sent to summer study. The Senate version of the Heartbeat Bill, SB1236 sponsored by Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) was sent to “summer study” by the Judiciary Committee on…

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Missouri Abortion Clinic to Stay Open for Now After Court Order

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Reuters   Missouri’s only abortion clinic will stay open at least a few more days after a judge on Friday granted a request by Planned Parenthood for a temporary restraining order, allowing the facility to keep operating until a hearing on Tuesday. Planned Parenthood sued Missouri this week after state health officials said the license for Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood in St. Louis was in jeopardy, meaning the clinic could have closed at midnight unless the judge granted the request for a temporary restraining order. “Today is a victory for women across Missouri, but this fight is far from over,” Planned Parenthood President Leana Wen said in a statement after Circuit Court Judge Michael Stelzer agreed to the organization’s request. Representatives for the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services could not immediately be reached for comment. Health officials had refused to renew the clinic’s license because they said, they were unable to interview seven of its physicians over “potential deficient practices,” according to documents filed in a St. Louis court. The legal battle in St. Louis comes a week after Missouri Governor Mike Parson, a Republican, signed a bill banning abortion beginning in the eighth week of…

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Planned Parenthood and ACLU File Federal Lawsuit Against Alabama Abortion Legislation

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by Mary Margaret Olohan   The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Alabama and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America filed a lawsuit Friday morning against restrictive Alabama abortion legislation signed in May. The ACLU groups and Planned Parenthood filed the lawsuit “on behalf of Alabama abortion providers” in the United States District Court of the Middle District of Alabama, according to a press release provided by the ACLU. Plaintiffs represented in the case include Alabama Women’s Center, Reproductive Health Services, West Alabama Women’s Center, and Planned Parenthood Southeast. The lawsuit references the abortion legislation passed in Alabama signed by Republican Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. The governor signed H.B. 314 into law May 15, a near-total ban on abortions that makes no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. The law, which will take effect in six months, will be the most restrictive abortion law in the United States. Doctors who violate H.B. 314 will face a Class C felony, which is punishable by a minimum of 10 years in jail and a maximum of 99 years. The ACLU claims in its press release that it has never lost in challenges to abortion restriction in Alabama. “The Alabama…

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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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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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Progressive Activists Join Forces to Launch ‘Supermajority’ Group

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by Mary Margaret Olohan   Progressive group leaders announced Monday they had launched the group Supermajority in order to train two million women as political activists. Supermajority is headed by activists from progressive groups, specifically former head of Planned Parenthood Cecile Richards, co-founder of Black Lives Matter Alicia Garza, and Ai-jen Poo, executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. [ RELATED: Cecile Richards Leaves Behind Brutal Legacy As She Steps Down From Planned Parenthood ] The trio created Supermajority with the intention of providing “women with the tools, resources, and knowledge they need to channel the energy and activism of this moment and change the direction of this country,” their website says. “For good.” Supermajority’s website adds that the group is “a new home for women’s activism, training and mobilizing a multiracial, inter-generational community that will fight for gender equity together.” The group reportedly will not endorse specific candidates but will seek to influence policy and to educate women on candidate’s platforms, according to TIME Magazine. “Women are mad as hell and we’ve been in resistance mode for two years,” Garza told TIME. “Now it’s time to equip people.” The new group released a video on twitter Monday morning accompanied by the caption,…

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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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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 Trump Rule Barring Abortion Organizations From Receiving Title X Funds

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by Grace Carr   A federal judge late Tuesday blocked enforcement of a Trump administration rule barring health care organizations that provide abortions or abortion referrals from receiving Title X funding. U.S. District Judge Michael J. McShane granted a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the Trump administration’s Feb. 22 rule prohibiting Title X funds from supporting programs and organizations that provide abortions or abortion referrals, The Oregonian reported. McShane called the rule a “ham-fisted approach to public health policy,” according to the Oregonian. The rule states that “none of the funds appropriated for Title X may be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning.” The move meant to force Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics to separate health services such as cancer screenings, pap smears and breast exams from their abortion services. Title X grant recipients were already banned from conducting abortions with these federal funds prior to the ruling. The rule also “requir[es] the physical and financial separation of Title X projects and facilities from programs and facilities where abortion is a method of family planning,” according to the text. The rule mandates clinics report cases of rape, incest and human trafficking, as federal law…

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State Senate Fails to Recall Heartbeat Bill

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A majority of Tennessee State Senate voted to table the motion to reconsider the Heartbeat Bill through a recall, putting an end to any further action on the measure during this legislative session. The Senate version of the Heartbeat Bill, SB1236 sponsored by Senator Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) was sent to “summer study” by the Judiciary Committee on April 9. Pro-life supporters fear that the Committee’s action will mean the end of the legislation, as summer study often does. The House version of the bill, HB0077 sponsored by Representative Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough), passed the full House on March 7 by a vote of 65 Ayes, 21 Noes and 7 Present Not Voting. As the sponsor of the bill, Senator Pody invoked Senate Rule 63 to recall the bill, and requested that action to be taken last week, as reported by The Tennessee Star. The recall would require a simple majority vote by the members of the Senate. An affirmative vote would put the bill on a future calendar of the Senate so that the whole body could vote on it. When the recall vote did not happen by last Thursday, Senator Pody vowed to request the vote…

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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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REVIEW: ‘Unplanned’ and the Effective Arsenal of Life

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by Adam Mill   One thing you can say about “Unplanned” is that it is ambitious. The film tops “Gosnell” in forcing the audience to confront the true nature of a legal abortion in a sanctioned clinic. Even given the advanced medical equipment and sterile conditions, the true nature of an abortion horrifies. But that isn’t the point of the movie. Although it’s hard to imagine anyone short of a hardcore zealot making it through the entire film with his pro-choice beliefs intact, the intended audience of “Unplanned” does not appear to be the pro-choice crowd. The movie seems more to be directed at turning existing pro-life opinion into effective action. The film’s critical scene depicts the contrast between two kinds of pro-life responses. On one side are grandstanding protesters screaming at women as they walk into a clinic. As the demonstrators bombard these pregnant women with accusations of promiscuity and murder, this moves moves the sympathy needle toward the volunteers protecting their patients as they scurry into the clinic. A contrasting group of protesters employ the tools Jesus taught: Love, forgiveness, understanding, and prayer. They calmly entreat the abortion-seeking women just to talk to them, tell them their story. They offer…

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Massachusetts Allocates Funds Supplementing Planned Parenthood Losses

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by Connor Maldo   The state of Massachusetts has approved funding to compensate abortion providers for the possible loss of federal contributions due to changes in federal policy. This legislation responds to a new rule under the Trump administration that prohibits federally funded family planning offices from sharing space with an abortion provider. The law approves $8 million in funding to prepare for the potential loss of federal support under Title X, the Associated Press reported. Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said the bill “ensures women’s health providers across Massachusetts will continue to have access to these critical funds.” Prior to reaching the governor’s desk, the measure received wide support from the Democratic-led state legislature. In 2017, Maryland passed a similar law, predicting the Trump administration rule, that allocated funding to protect Planned Parenthood, which became law when Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan refused to veto the bill. Dr. Jennifer Childs-Roshak, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, believes that a loss of federal funding could affect more than 75,000 women. “The Trump/Pence administration is obsessed with Planned Parenthood, and not in a good way,” Childs-Roshak said. “They are obsessed with abortion.” Pro-life advocates supported the new rule…

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‘Unplanned’ Hits Theaters, Recounts The Emotional Story of a Former Abortion Clinic Worker

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by Grace Carr   “Unplanned” hit theaters Friday and tells the story of a former Planned Parenthood director whose life changed after working at a clinic. The film was released in over 1,000 movie theaters nationwide. It tells the story of former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson, who worked at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Bryan, Texas, until 2009 when she left the organization after assisting in an ultrasound-guided abortion of a 13-week-old unborn baby. Johnson was Planned Parenthood’s youngest director of a clinic in the nation. She helped over 22,000 women have abortions during her time at the clinic. Planned Parenthood named Johnson employee of the year in 2008. She worked at the abortion provider for eight years before leaving the group. Johnson had two abortions before leaving Planned Parenthood. “The film is a kingdom project that has the potential to shift culture,” actress Robia Scott told The Daily Caller News Foundation. Scott plays Cheryl, the clinic’s director, in the film. The film does not condemn abortion outright, but aims to give the audience a clear picture of what occurs in clinics. On Sunset Blvd Unplanned continues to make bold moves and put the truth out there… right…

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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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Federal Court Strikes Down North Carolina 20 Week Abortion Ban

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by Grace Carr   A federal judge ruled Monday that a North Carolina abortion law is unconstitutional, determining that the state cannot enforce a law that restricts abortion access pre-fetal viability. U.S. District Judge William Osteen ruled Monday that a “week-or event-specific” ban barring abortions after 20 weeks is not constitutional, Reuters reported. “[A] state is never allowed to prohibit any swath of pre-viability abortions outright, no matter how strenuously it may believe that such a ban is in the best interests of its citizens or how minimal it may find the burden to women seeking an abortion,” Osteen wrote in his decision. Legal abortions may occur to the point of viability as determined by a presiding physician under Osteen’s ruling. Monday’s decision follows a 2016 lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union over the North Carolina law. The office of the attorney general is reviewing the ruling, according to spokeswoman Laura Brewer, Reuters reported. The Center for Reproductive Rights applauded Osteen’s decision in a Tuesday tweet. This ban "ignores the unique circumstances, challenges, & potential complications pregnant women face. Politicians taking medical options off the table for women at any…

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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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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 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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America’s Biggest Medical Association Sues Trump Administration Over Abortion Rule

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by Grace Carr   The American Medical Association and Planned Parenthood filed a Tuesday lawsuit against the Trump administration over its latest move to force abortion clinics to separate abortion from other health care services in order to qualify for Title X funding. The groups argue that the final rule is unconstitutional and violates a congressional mandate requiring health care providers receiving Title X funds to provide complete and unbiased information to patients. They filed their lawsuit in a U.S. District Court in Eugene, Oregon. Title X is a federal grant program that provides individuals with “comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services,” according to HHS. “Because of the administration’s overreach and interference … physicians will be prohibited from having open, frank conversations with their patients about all their health care options,”AMA President Barbara McAneny said, according to The Associated Press. “This blatant violation of patients’ rights under the Code of Medical Ethics is untenable.” The lawsuit follows the Trump administration’s Feb. 22 rule barring Title X funds from supporting programs and organizations that provide abortions or abortion referrals. The rule states that “none of the funds appropriated for Title X may be used in programs where abortion is…

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Mt Juliet Passes Ordinance Restricting Operation of Abortion Clinics Within Most of the City

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The opening of a controversial new women’s health clinic in Mt. Juliet, which offers abortion services, resulted in a special Sunday night meeting of the City Commission and a new zoning restriction that will block the clinic from operating at its current location. The Carafem clinic opened on Friday and community outrage was swift. Carafem is a nonprofit women’s health organization not affiliated with or connected to Planned Parenthood. It has other clinics located in Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, according to the company. The action to amend the existing Mt. Juliet zoning ordinance-land development code concerning “professional ambulatory surgical treatment centers” passed by unanimous vote after strong opposition from the public, local pastors, and other community leaders demanding immediate action by the City (see map, right). Global Vision Bible Church Pastor Greg Locke and Tennessee Pastors Network President Dale Walker were among Tennessee pastors leading the fight against the clinic being allowed to offer abortions in Mt. Juliet. Debate over the ordinance drew a capacity crowd inside with dozens outside the meeting who were unable to get inside the Commission meeting. “This is a tremendous victory for the local community and for those of us committed to protecting unborn life,”…

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Former Planned Parenthood Employee Describes Pregnancy ‘Plague’ at Clinic

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by Grace Carr   Women who worked at Planned Parenthood’s Baltimore, Maryland clinic couldn’t get pregnant or their babies died, a former clinic worker told The Daily Caller News Foundation in a February interview. “We used to say it’s a plague because whoever got pregnant either lost the baby or the baby died,” Myra Kincaid told TheDCNF. Kincaid worked as a surgical assistant at the clinic from February 2013 to February 2014, she said. Planned Parenthood called Kincaid shortly before she graduated college to recruit her, Kincaid told TheDCNF. “We used to say it was a plague there because the nurse that was pregnant, her baby died in utero at eight weeks,” Kincaid said, describing how multiple employees who wanted to get pregnant could not or suffered miscarriages. One of the doctors that Kincaid worked with and developed a close relationship with had a hard time conceiving, even though “there was nothing wrong with her or her husband,” Kincaid said. The doctor left Planned Parenthood and became pregnant shortly afterward, according to Kincaid. The nurse who lost her baby while working at Planned Parenthood also became pregnant after she left the abortion organization. “Everything changed after they left,” Kincaid said.…

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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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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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Heartbeat Bill Passes State House Committee Overwhelmingly With A 15-4 Vote Along Party Lines

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – In front of a standing room only committee room, the House Health Committee passed the Heartbeat Bill by an overwhelming majority of 15 for and 4 against, straight along party lines. The bill, sponsored in the Tennessee House by Representative Micah Van Huss (R-Van Huss) as HB 0077, establishes the viability of a pregnancy when a fetal heartbeat is detected and bans an abortion once the fetal heartbeat is detected. The bill passed through the House Health Subcommittee last week, moving on to the full House Health Committee Tuesday. The hearing of Van Huss’s HB 0077 in the House Health Committee coincided with a previously scheduled Planned Parenthood Day on the Hill, complete with a bus from Knoxville. Pro-life grassroots advocates showed up as well, so that the room appeared to be about equally split, based on outward displays, between those representing two sides of the issue. Despite 14 of the 19 House Health Committee members having signed on to the bill as co-sponsors prior to the meeting, making it fairly obvious the bill would pass, discussion on the bill lasted nearly three-quarters of an hour before a roll call vote was eventually taken. Discussions went back…

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‘Unplanned’ Abortion Movie Has Zero Nudity or Sex, Gets ‘R’ Rating for Violent and ‘Disturbing’ Images Of Aborted Babies

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by Grace Carr   The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) officially gave the upcoming abortion film Unplanned an “R” rating Friday for “some disturbing/bloody images” of aborted babies. Movies are rated R for profanity, nudity, sex or violence. Unplanned contains no profanity, nudity or sex. “Ironically, the MPAA seems to be indirectly endorsing the pro-life position: namely that abortion is an act of violence,” writers and directors Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman told Movieguide. The film tells the true story of former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson who worked at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Bryan, Texas, until 2009 when she left the organization after assisting in an ultrasound-guided abortion of a 13-week-old unborn baby. Johnson was Planned Parenthood’s youngest director of a clinic in the nation. She helped over 22,000 women have abortions during her time at the clinic. Planned Parenthood named Johnson as the employee of the year in 2008. She worked at the abortion provider for eight years before leaving the group. Johnson also had a medication abortion before she became pro-life. The R rating will mean that “many teenage women in this country who can legally obtain an actual abortion without parental permission will be prohibited from going to see our film…

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Tennessee Pro-Life Grassroots Activists Turn Out In Support Of Heartbeat Bill

Laura Baigert

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – A group of middle Tennessee pro-life grassroots activists rallying behind the bill that would ban abortions in the state after a fetal Heartbeat is detected spent a day on Capitol Hill talking with legislators. As reported by The Tennessee Star, a bill sponsored by Representative Micah Van Huss (R-Jonesborough) as HB 0077 is scheduled to be heard in the House Public Health Subcommittee on Wednesday. A less-than-conservative publication, The Atlantic, suggests that Democrats may have overplayed their hand on abortion, giving the pro-life movement an opportunity. Specifically, The Atlantic discusses two recent events. First, in New York the signing of a bill providing the legal right to abort fetuses that could survive outside the womb was cheered and celebrated by lighting up the city’s Freedom Tower. Then, in Virginia, the state’s Governor, Ralph Northam, defended a state lawmaker’s bill by explaining that after a baby was delivered it would be kept comfortable, resuscitated, “if that’s what the other and family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.” In stark contrast, pro-life advocates in Tennessee wanted to show their support of Van Huss’s Heartbeat Bill, so that legislators would hear a voice…

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