Life Advocacy Briefing

Standing on Principle

A MAJOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD BUILDING PROJECT HAS HIT SOME SNAGS in New Orleans.

First was the groundbreaking ceremony last May for a $4.2-million facility which would be Planned Parenthood’s only abortuary in the major Louisiana tourist mecca. But that same month, the Louisiana House and Senate adopted resolutions calling for investigation of the abortion behemoth’s “practices and finances,” reports Johanna Dasteel for LifeSiteNews.com, “with respect to state law.”

Not a brick was laid, and then came July, when Planned Parenthood of the Gulf Coast, which occupies Texas and Louisiana, “was charged,” writes Ms. Dasteel, “with fraudulently overbilling the government $30 million in Medicaid reimbursements. The abortion giant settled with state and federal officials,” she reports, “for $4.3 million.” (Wusses.)

Still no progress on construction. And now, with the ground sitting there broken, Planned Parenthood’s construction project has come under another dark cloud. The Roman Catholic Archbishop of New Orleans, Gregory Aymond, announced a boycott in a Jan. 27 letter quoted by the archdiocesan newspaper, The Clarion Herald.

He explained, reports Ms. Dasteel, “that the archdiocese and affiliated organizations, including schools, nursing homes and churches, ‘will strive in [their] privately funded work not to enter into business relationships with any person or organization that participates in actions that are essential to making this abortion facility a reality. …

“‘This policy applies to all businesses, regardless of religious affiliation or non-affiliation,’ he wrote,” quoted by LifeSiteNews. “‘Our fidelity to Church teaching and our conscience necessitates this stance.’” Indeed, he counseled, “‘Every person and organization involved in the acquisition, preparation and construction of this or any abortion facility … are cooperating with the evil that will take place there.’”

Beware H.H.S. ‘Education’

A SEX-PUSHING POSTER HAS SURFACED in a Kansas City (Kansas)-area school district, which has parents boiling and administrators retreating. The salacious poster is part, reports Dustin Siggins for LifeSiteNews.com, of a sex education course called “Making a Difference,” (MAD),  published by SelectMedia.org as a project of the US Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS).

The publisher claims its MAD curriculum “teaches ‘positive attitudes and beliefs,’” quotes Mr. Siggins, “‘regarding abstinence, abstinence negotiation skills and [gives young people] confidence in their ability to abstain from sex.’” The curriculum, writes Mr. Siggins, quoting the publisher, “‘is an adaptation of the original Be Proud! Be Responsible!” curriculum,’” which, notes LifeSiteNews, “‘is not abstinence-centric’” and “includes ‘Wrap It Up & Condom Use Animation.’”

The objectionable poster, authorized by the Shawnee Mission School District’s curriculum committee, according to the district superintendent, was taken down by Supt. Dr. Jim Hinson after the father of a 13-year-old girl went public with his objections. The poster presented pictures, reports Mr. Siggins, which “ran the gamut from ‘holding hands’ to ‘anal sex’ and ‘touching each other’s genitals.’”

Fitting Award

HOUSE MINORITY LEADER NANCY PELOSI (D-SanFrancisco) HAS BEEN CHOSEN to receive the Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood Federation of America at the abortion outfit’s annual gala March 27 in Washington, DC.

In a news release quoted by Dr. Susan Berry for Breitbart.com, Planned Parenthood’s president Cecile Richards declares, “‘No one is more deserving of this honor than Leader Pelosi, who has fought tirelessly throughout her career to protect and expand women’s access to health care [read: abortion].’”  She went on to cite Mrs. Pelosi’s “‘leadership in passing the Affordable Care Act [ObamaCare] and her ongoing commitment ensur[ing] that the promise of the law is realized … as the greatest advancement for women’s health in a generation.’”

Well, it is the biggest opening of the taxpayers’ pockets to Planned Parenthood, as the abortion behemoth lands contracts both for promoting ObamaCare sign-ups and for delivering “services” at government expense as a result of the massive federal take-over of medicine.

But as proud as Ms. Richards is of abetting ObamaCare’s grip on Americans, she appears prouder still of her enterprise’s chief “service. “Reacting to a Guttmacher Institute report saying that US abortion [tolls] had fallen [in 2011] to their lowest level since Roe v. Wade,” writes Ben Johnson for LifeSiteNews.com, Ms. Richards declared last Monday, “‘Planned Parenthood is proud to provide abortion services for women who make the deeply personal decision to end a pregnancy. … We are proud to fight for a woman’s right to make that decision without interference from politicians, and we are proud to provide birth control that prevents [sic] that need for abortion in the first place.’

“‘Cutting through the propaganda,’” retorted Adam Cassandra, communication manager at Human Life International, quoted by Mr. Johnson, “‘what Ms. Richards actually says here is that she and her organization are proud to take part in the murder of millions of innocent human beings and in pushing dangerous drugs with fatal side effects on women.’”

Reaction to the award announcement came also via a news release from Dr. Alveda King, director of African-American Outreach for Priests for Life and niece of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who declared, “It’s true that Congresswoman Pelosi deserves Planned Parenthood’s Margaret Sanger Award. Almost no one has done more to promote the killing of innocent babies in the womb than she has. … If Mrs. Pelosi wants finally to take her role as a public servant seriously, though,” Dr. King continued, “she will reject the award named after a racist woman who had no problem speaking to a Ku Klux Klan meeting.” Indeed, Margaret Sanger was a notorious racist who was known to be a heartfelt fan of Adolf Hitler during his reign of oppression in Germany.

Judge Rescues Haskell Business

AN OHIO JUDGE HAS RE-OPENED MARTIN HASKELL’s ABORTUARY, suspending an order by the Ohio Dept. of Health closing the late-term mill in the Cincinnati suburb of Sharonville.  Mr. Haskell is notorious not just as a late-term abortionist but as the man who unveiled the partial-birth abortion technique to the medical community.

State law requires abortionists to hold admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, something Mr. Haskell has been unable to achieve. The Health Dept. in 2011 granted him a variance, reports Cheryl Sullenger of Operation Rescue, “allowing him to substitute an agreement with various other physicians to provide hospital care” to any Haskell customer who required hospitalization for complications. But the doctors Mr. Haskell engaged to cover any customers who needed such care are abortionists themselves, and two of them recently lost their admitting privileges. The state recently revoked both the variance and his operating license, sending Mr. Haskell to court.

“While [Mr.] Haskell maintains his clinic is safe,” writes Ms. Sullenger, “Operation Rescue has recently documented four medical emergencies at [his] two Ohio abortion clinics, raising serious concerns for patient safety. The troubled backgrounds of his back-up doctors,” she writes, “compound concerns that injured patients will receive adequate treatment.

“‘The assertion that Haskell has been operating safely is a complete falsehood,’ said Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue,” quoted by Ms. Sullenger. “‘We have documented one botched abortion after another at his clinics and have the proof that he is hurting women.’”

The appeal process by which Mr. Haskell hopes permanently to overturn the ordered closure “could take months,” notes Ms. Sullenger. “‘With the [Health Department’s] determination that Haskell is operating unsafely, we can only expect more injuries to women that could be avoided if Haskell was forced to close as ordered,’” said Mr. Newman in the Sullenger report. “‘The [court] order …  makes a mockery of health and safety laws and only serves to continue to place the lives of women at risk.’”

March for Life Speeches: Rep. Vicky Hartzler

Congressional speeches from the Jan. 22, 2014, rally on the National Mall, transcribed by Life Advocacy Briefing from C-Span coverage

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-MO): Thank you, thank you so much. It is an honor to be here today with so many pro-life heroes from across this country. It’s so great to see Missouri Right to Life right over here. So proud to represent Missouri’s 4th Congressional District.

You know, we are here today to remember the millions of lives devastated with abortion and to pledge ourselves anew to upholding the most fundamental important right in our nation, and that is the right to life.

You know, abortion hurts everyone. It ends a beating heart, it leaves emotional wounds with women that they carry for life, and it robs men of the privilege of fatherhood. There are no winners with this procedure, and that’s why we must do everything in our power to end this devastating practice.

Unfortunately, since 1973 over fifty-six-million babies have died at the hands of abortionists, totaling 1.2 million a year. There are more babies who perish each year through abortion than people who live in an entire congressional district. These numbers translate into real lives: Millions of babies who would have grown up to be our neighbors, our friends, our teammates, co-workers and community leaders. Who knows, if lives had not been taken, perhaps we would have had a cure for cancer now or some other medical breakthrough. Think about it. In 2008 more children died from abortion than Americans died in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Gulf War combined. This must stop.

Every life [unintelligible]… and has a God-ordained purpose. All babies are wanted; some pregnancies are unexpected, but no baby is unwanted. Right now one out of eight couples are having trouble getting pregnant and hundreds of thousands are waiting in line for adoption, caring men and women who long to be called by the precious word Mommy and Daddy.

In 2007 there were only 18,087 infant adoptions in the United States. If there were 1.2 million babies who never had the chance to live, to grow, to be part of a loving family who was waiting for them to welcome them home, this must change. Our society and our leaders must stop upholding abortion and start encouraging adoption.

Women who choose life for their baby and make an adoption plan for their child should be championed and supported. Not only do these courageous birth-mothers enable an innocent baby to live, they turn an empty house into a home and a household into a family. I should know. That’s what happened to my husband and me over fourteen years ago, when a brave birth mother chose us to be parents to her baby. It’s a gift we will always be eternally grateful for and one of which we can never repay. But I’m thankful that there’s a wonderful God Who knows and sees and rewards, and I know He will.

I wish all couples who long to be parents have that chance. I wish the children whose lives were snuffed out through abortion had a chance to live, to run, to play and to be part of a family. They are wanted.

That’s why I am unashamedly – I stand for Life as a United States Representative. And I know that’s why you work tirelessly assisting women who face an unplanned pregnancy and relaying the truth about abortion: That it stops a beating heart. Your advocacy matters. Thank you for all that you’re doing to support women.

As Paul said, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Rest assured, I and my pro-life colleagues here, and ones who could not be today in Congress, we will not give up. We will continue to do all that we can here on Capitol Hill to ensure Americans born and yet to be born enjoy the most basic right to life. Thank you.

House Voting Record

HR-7 – No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act – Motion to Recommit [Block Consideration] – Jan. 28, 2014 – Rejected – 192-221 (Democrats in italics)

Voting “no” / pro-Life: Aderholt, Bachus, Brooks, Byrne, Roby, Rogers/AL; Young/AK; Franks, Gosar, Salmon, Schweikert/AZ; Cotton, Crawford, Griffin, Womack/AR; Calvert, Cook, Denham, Hunter, Issa, McCarthy, McClintock, McKeon, Gary Miller, Nunes, Rohrabacher, Royce, Valadao/CA; Coffman, Gardner, Lamborn/CO; Bilirakis, Buchanan, Crenshaw, DeSantis, Diaz-Balart, Mica, Nugent, Posey, Rooney, Ros-Lehtinen, Ross, Southerland, Webster, Yoho/FL; Broun, Collins, Gingrey, Graves, Kingston, Price, A.Scott, Woodall/GA; Labrador, Simpson/ID; R.Davis, Hultgren, Kinzinger, Roskam, Schock, Shimkus/IL; Brooks, Bucshon, Messer, Rokita, Stutzman, Walorski, Young/IN; King, Latham/IA; Huelskamp, Jenkins, Pompeo, Yoder/KS; Barr, Guthrie, Massie, Rogers, Whitfield/KY; Boustany, Cassidy, Fleming, McAllister, Scalise/LA; Harris/MD; Amash, Benishek, Bentivolio, Camp, Huizenga, Miller, Rogers, Upton, Walberg/MI; Bachmann, Kline, Paulsen/MN; Harper, Nunnelee, Palazzo/MS; Graves, Hartzler, Long, Luetkemeyer, Smith, Wagner/MO; Daines/MT; Fortenberry, Smith, Terry/NE; Heck/NV; Garrett, Lance, LoBiondo, Smith/NJ; Pearce/NM; Collins, Gibson, Grimm, Hanna, King, Reed/NY; Coble, Ellmers, Foxx, Holding, Hudson, McHenry, Meadows, Pittenger/NC; Cramer/ND; Chabot, Gibbs, Johnson, Jordan, Joyce, Latta, Renacci, Stivers, Tiberi, Turner, Wenstrup/OH; Bridenstine, Cole, Lankford, Lucas, Mullin/OK; Walden/OR; Barletta, Dent, Fitzpatrick, Gerlach, Kelly, Marino, Meehan, Murphy, Perry, Pitts, Rothfus, Shuster, Thompson/PA; Duncan, Gowdy, Mulvaney, Rice, Sanford, Wilson/SC; Noem/SD; Black, Blackburn, DesJarlais, Duncan, Fincher, Fleischmann, Roe/TN; Barton, Brady, Burgess, Carter, Conaway, Culberson, Farenthold, Flores, Gohmert, Granger, Hall, Hensarling, S.Johnson, Marchant, McCaul, Neugebauer, Olson, Poe, Sessions, Smith, Stockman, Thornberry, Weber, Williams/TX; Bishop, Stewart/UT; Cantor, Forbes, Goodlatte, Griffith, Hurt, Rigell, Wittman, Wolf/VA; Hastings, Herrera-Beutler, McMorris-Rodgers, Reichert/WA; Duffy, Petri, Ribble, Ryan, Sensenbrenner/WI; Capito, McKinley/WV; Lummis/WY.

Voting “yes” / anti-Life: Sewell/AL; Barber, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, Pastor, Sinema/AZ; Bass, Becerra, Bera, Brownley, Capps, Cardenas, Chu, Costa, Davis, Eshoo, Farr, Garamendi, Hahn, Honda, Huffman, Lee, Lofgren, Lowenthal, Matsui, McNerney, Geo.Miller, Napolitano, Negrete-McLeod, Pelosi, Peters, Roybal-Allard, Ruiz, Linda Sanchez, Schiff, Sherman, Speier, Swalwell, Takano, Thompson, Vargas, Waters, Waxman/CA; DeGette, Perlmutter, Polis/CO; Courtney, DeLauro, Esty, Himes, Larson/CT; Carney/DE; Brown, Castor, Deutch, Frankel, Garcia, Grayson, Hastings, Murphy, Wasserman-Schultz, Wilson/FL; Barrow, Bishop, Johnson, Lewis, D.Scott/GA; Gabbard, Hanabusa/HI; Bustos, D.Davis, Duckworth, Enyart, Foster, Gutierrez, Kelly, Quigley, Schakowsky, Schneider/IL; Carson, Visclosky/IN; Braley, Loebsack/IA; Yarmuth/KY; Richmond/LA; Michaud, Pingree/ME; Cummings, Delaney, Edwards, Hoyer, Sarbanes, VanHollen/MD; Capuano, Clark, Keating, Kennedy, Lynch, McGovern, Neal, Tierney, Tsongas/MA; Conyers, Dingell, Kildee, Levin, Peters/MI; Ellison, McCollum, Nolan, Peterson, Walz/MN; Thompson/MS; Cleaver/MO; Horsford, Titus/NV; Kuster, Shea-Porter/NH; Andrews, Holt, Pallone, Pascrell, Payne, Sires/NJ; Lujan, Lujan-Grisham/NM; Bishop, Clarke, Crowley, Engel, Higgins, Israel, Jeffries, Lowey, Maffei, C.Maloney, S.Maloney, Meeks, Meng, Nadler, Owens, Rangel, Serrano, Slaughter, Tonko, Velazquez/NY; Butterfield, McIntyre, Price/NC; Beatty, Fudge, Kaptur, Ryan/OH; Bonamici, DeFazio, Schrader/OR; Brady, Cartwright, Doyle, Fattah, Schwartz/PA; Cicilline, Langevin/RI; Clyburn/SC; Cohen, Cooper/TN; Castro, Cuellar, Doggett, Gallego, A.Green, G.Green, Jackson-Lee, E.B.Johnson, O’Rourke, Veasey, Vela/TX; Matheson/UT; Welch/VT; Connolly, Moran, Scott/VA; DelBene, Heck, Kilmer, Larsen, McDermott, Smith/WA; Rahall/WV; Kind, Moore, Pocan/WI.

Voting “present”: Lipinski/IL.

Not voting: Campbell, LaMalfa, Loretta Sanchez/CA; Tipton/CO; Miller/FL; Westmoreland/GA; Rush/IL; Ruppersberger/MD; Clay/MO; Amodei/NV; Frelinghuysen, Runyan/NJ; McCarthy/NY; Jones/NC; Boehner/OH; Blumenauer/OR; Hinojosa/TX; Chaffetz/UT.