by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 7/16/14 

Senate Democrats today lost their bid to approve legislation to “overturn” the Supreme Court’s decision protecting Hobby Lobby and other companies from being forced to comply with the HHS mandate that compels them to pay for abortion-causing drugs for their employees.

Republicans were able to sustain their filibuster against the bill and prevailed on a 56-43 vote, with Democrats voting to move to a vote on the pro-abortion bill and almost all Republicans uniting to vote against it.

The Supreme Court ruled that the Christian-run Hobby Lobby doesn’t have to obey the HHS mandate that is a part of Obamacare. The high court issued a favorable ruling in Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a landmark case addressing the Constitutionally guaranteed rights of business owners to operate their family companies without violating their deeply held religious convictions.

The court ruled that the contraception mandate violated the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act, a 1993 law and it held that the mandate “substantially burdens the exercise of religion” and that HHS didn’t use the “least restrictive means” to promote this government interest, tests required byRFRA.

“HHS’s contraception mandate substantially burdens the exercise of religion,” the decision reads, adding that the “decision concerns only the contraceptive mandate and should not be understood to mean that all insurance mandates.” The opinion said the “plain terms of Religious Freedom Restoration Act” are “perfectly clear.”

The legislation Democrats wanted approved would change the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act in a way that would force companies to pay for birth control, contraception and those abortion-causing drugs.

Senators Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), both abortion advocates, are behind the new legislation and they said, “The Protect Women’s Health from Corporate Interference Act would ban employers from refusing to provide health coverage — including contraceptive coverage — guaranteed to their employees and dependents under federal law.”

Sen. Orrin Hatch said during a press conference that the bill is “not going anywhere.”

“This is the first time in American history that Congress will consider a bill intended to diminish the protection for the religious liberty of all Americans,” Hatch said. “It is part of a broader campaign to demonize religious freedom as the enemy, as an obstacle to certain political goals.”

Hatch said the ACA’s contraceptive mandate is “exactly the kind of situation that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act was enacted to address, the kind of situation that should require government to justify why and how it wants to interfere with the exercise of religion.”

During the debate, Senator Roy Blunt, a pro-life Missouri Republican, debunked claims made by Senate Democrats.

Not one Senate Republican has signed on to the legislation, which pro-life groups strenuously oppose. House Republicans will not take up the bill, making it so the legislation will not reach President Barack Obama, an abortion advocate who would sign it into law.

In their ruling, the Supreme Court indicated Congress could change the law to require businesses t pay for the birth control and abortion drugs.

“There are other ways in which Congress or HHS could equally ensure that every woman has cost-free access to the particular contraceptives at issue here and, indeed, to all FDA-approved contraceptives,” the opinion concluded.

“The plain terms of RFRA make it perfectly clear that Congress did not discriminate in this way against men and women who wish to run their businesses as for-profit corporations in the manner required by their religious beliefs,” read the opinion.

Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Anthony Kennedy joined in the majority decision. Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and SoniaSotomayor dissented.

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote a concurring opinion saying that government itself could provide the coverage for contraception and the abortion-causing drugs if a company declines to do so.

But, Americans oppose the HHS mandate and its pro-abortion requirements.

A new Rasmussen Reports poll shows Americans agree with the Supreme Court’s decision this weekthat the Christian-run Hobby Lobby doesn’t have to obey the HHS mandate that is a part ofObamacare that requires businesses to pay for abortion causing drugs in their employee health care plans.

“Half of voters agree with the U.S. Supreme Court that a business owner should be able to opt out of Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate if it violates his or her religious beliefs,” the poling firm reports about its new national survey.

A December 2013 Rasmussen Reports poll shows Americans disagree with forcing companies like Hobby Lobby to obey the mandate.

“Half of voters now oppose a government requirement that employers provide health insurance with free contraceptives for their female employees,” Rasmussen reports.

The poll found: “The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 38% of Likely U.S. Voters still believe businesses should be required by law to provide health insurance that covers all government-approved contraceptives for women without co-payments or other charges to the patient.

Fifty-one percent (51%) disagree and say employers should not be required to provide health insurance with this type of coverage. Eleven percent (11%) are not sure.”

Another recent poll found 59 percent of Americans disagree with the mandate.

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 7/15/14 

Senate Democrats held a hearing today on a bill that wipes out virtually every pro-life law across the country, including state laws that came into play in Pennsylvania that held late-term abortion practitioner Kermit Gosnell accountable for killing babies who were born alive and killed during a gruesome late-term abortion procedure.

S.1696 is deceptively titled the “Women’s Health Protection Act” even though it revokes protections for women and their unborn children. Instead, the bill would be far-reaching in how it would topple virtually every pro-life law passed in states across the country.

During the hearing, Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, told lawmakers that the bill is a radical departure from laws that have helped stopped late-term abortions and helped hold abortion practitioners like Gosnell accountable.

“Dr. Kermit Gosnell of Philadelphia is only the most notorious recent example of a certain type of abortion provider who flourishes under the aura of political immunity generated by pro-abortion advocacy groups in some jurisdictions. There are many others who have demonstrated repeatedly that they should not be allowed anywhere near pregnant women or their unborn children, some of whom have been operating in multiple states for many years, shielded from real accountability by the timidity of state officials who are weary of offending the abortion industry and the political activist groups that fly cover for that industry,” she said.

During questioning, pro-life Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican, asked Tobias if the bill in question would allow Gosnell to continue doing these grisly abortions.

“This particular piece of legislation would make it easier for these kinds of individual to operate without impunity,” he said.

“If the measure would single out abortion, it would be invalid,” Tobias responded about the kinds of pro-life laws the Democrats’ bill would overturn. “Abortionists like Kermit Gosnell would be able to continue and set up shop.”

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins says his group opposes the bill for similar reasons.

“Senator Blumenthal’s bill is extreme and out of touch with the views of millions of Americans on both sides of the abortion debate,” he said.

“It is deeply troubling that the Senate Judiciary Committee would consider a measure that puts vulnerable women in greater danger by undermining clinic health standards that are grounded in common sense. The measure even revokes laws requiring abortionists to be licensed physicians and any restrictions on late-term abortions. These laws are vital to avoid a future Kermit Gosnell house of horror.” he continued.

Perkins said, “It is my hope that the Senate reject this bill and instead work to protect unborn children that can feel excruciating pain from abortion, and pass the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, S. 1670, sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC),” concluded Perkins.”

by Cortney O'Brien | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 7/14/14 

After months of studying and cramming, most college students spend their summers going to the beach, taking road trips, or catching up on naps. But, for the young adults who take part in Crossroads Walk, vacations are dedicated to marching for unborn babies. James Nolan is the current president of Crossroads and he is ecstatic that the pro-life organization is entering its 20th year. He shared their backstory with Townhall Magazine.

“We started in 1995. Some students from Franciscan University in Steuben- ville, Ohio got together after St. John Paul II challenged the world to spread the gospel of life. They decided to take that call, literally. For some of them, that was their primary goal.”

Fifteen of those inspired young people started a walk from San Francisco to the nation’s capital. Now, 15 has become several hundred thousand, and one walk has expanded to three. Every May through August, participants lead pro-life pilgrimages from Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, passing through 36 states before all ending in Washington, D.C. Dozens of colleges throughout the country take part in these lifesaving events and Nolan estimates that each group covers about 10,000-15,000 miles. But, they don’t just do it for the exercise. On weekends, the groups pray and counsel in front of abortion clinics and speak at churches.

Nolan deems it important to combat the culture of death, which he says is becoming prevalent in Western society. But, he is still hopeful based on some promising statistics.

“One thing we like to say, is there’s a big increase in support for pro-life issues. Polls over the last few years are indicating that the majority of Americans are pro-life, over 50 per- cent. We’ve been seeing that trend. Now, we run into very little resistance. We have an overwhelming amount of support.”

Nolan insists this is significant, for his groups are “not shy” about where they stand on the abortion issue.

“If you see the t-shirts, they say in huge letters that cover your entire chest: ‘Pro-Life.’ People can see it from like a quarter of a mile away. It’s hard to miss.”

He then stressed what he considers Crossroads’ ultimate identity.

“We’re not an anti-abortion organization, we’re a pro-life organization. There’s a big distinction. Because if you’re pro- life, you’re for the culture of life, standing up for the value and dignity of each person without exceptions, from the beginning all the way until their actual death. We’re seeing the culture of death beginning to wane, but breathing its last heavy breath coming out more in the open as the desperation sets in.”

That’s where Crossroads comes in. Nolan explained how the organization is helping to bring more people into the pro-life movement.

“We’ve seen amazing conversions on the issue of life, some almost instantaneous. Especially because it’s young people, it’s very attractive. Even pro-choice people are intrigued, drawn in by it. After that, you see a change of mind, they’re able to look at the issue differently.”

He then shared a couple of moving examples to prove how these walks are working in action.

“We were walking in the middle of a desert and a vehicle drove out of nowhere in Nevada. No gas station in 50 miles either direction. The mother was taking her daughter to Los Angeles for an abortion. They saw us walking with the pro-life t-shirts. They pulled over and asked what we were doing. After a half hour discussion, they changed their mind.”

The Crossroads president revealed another encouraging testimony from someone who approached the pro-life walkers after a church service.

“He said the day before he had been driving a relative to get an abortion and saw us praying in front of [the] clinic. He said they couldn’t go in. They changed their mind and decided to go to the hospital and get an ultrasound. They found out she was pregnant with twins.”

Nolan assured Townhall that the pro-life efforts of Crossroads participants don’t end when the walks do.

“We have a lot of people we know, one of our former staff members adopted two or three Down syndrome babies, just to bring awareness to that and to protect these children, let people know that they’re wanted. A lot of former walkers move on to other pro-life efforts, such as in politics.”

The organization also conducts walks in Ireland, Australia, and Canada. So, you could say they are literally walking across the globe to save precious children from the horrors of abortion. Crossroads offers young people the opportunity to make much more of an impact than just spending their summers on the couch. Who needs to save energy when you can save lives?

LifeNews Note: Cortney O’Brien is a Townhall web editor, where this was originally published.

by Deborah Myers | Denver, CO | LifeNews.com | 7/11/14 

Planned Parenthood faces a legal challenge in Colorado after Cary Smith, of Federal Heights, discovered that clinic staff failed to inquire or report about suspected sexual abuse of her thirteen-year-old daughter after giving her an abortion.

It was any mother’s nightmare.

According to the lawsuit filed on June 20, 2014, Cary’s daughter, R.Z., was only about six when it all began. Her new step-father, Timothy David Smith, began to do things that no one had ever done before. At this age, she was too young to realize that her step-father’s inordinate attention was actually a crime—a felony: sexual abuse of a minor.

Little R.Z. turned seven, then eight. The years went by, and the abuse continued. But Cary Smith never knew.

During R.Z.’s growing up years, the abuse became both verbal and physical as well. Her step-father even threatened to take her life. Timothy’s verbal and physical abuse extended to Cary, even when R.Z. was present.

Then it happened.

R.Z. got pregnant. Timothy told her to take a test and the results were positive.

On May 3, 2012, Timothy transported his thirteen-year-old step-daughter to Planned Parenthood in Denver, Colorado, for an abortion appointment that Timothy had forced R.Z. to schedule.

Planned Parenthood staff met R.Z. and her step-father and gave them the necessary paperwork. R.Z. filled out her date of birth and signed a few forms, but Timothy completed all the rest. R.Z. never read these documents.

Throughout the visit, four staff members spoke with and observed R.Z. and her step-father. All of them had opportunity to see that R.Z.’s birth date indicated she was only thirteen—well below the age of consent. Yet, none of them asked R.Z. about their relationship. None of them asked why their last names were different. None of them asked about potential sex abuse. And none of them reported anything to the state.

After the abortion, R.Z. walked back out to the parking lot, got into her step-father’s car, and went back home. And the abuse continued.

Two months later, on July 18, 2012, Timothy was outside of the home, and Cary was left alone with her daughter. Young R.Z. took the opportunity to tell her mom the news—her own step-father was sexually abusing her, and had been doing so for years.

Cary spun into action. She took the thirteen-year-old to the hospital and immediately reported the abuse. She contacted Planned Parenthood for her daughter’s medical records, and discovered that her husband had arranged for a secret abortion for R.Z. earlier that year.

Timothy Smith was arrested and charged with multiple counts of felony sex abuse, and pled guilty to two counts in late 2012.

But Cary was not content. Although R.Z.’s abuser was now behind bars, the system hadn’t worked.

The first medical professionals who had seen R.Z.—the four Planned Parenthood staff members—must have known that her daughter was a potential victim of sexual abuse. These were professionals who had the information to do something. They had opportunity to ask R.Z. before her mother even knew.

And they had the responsibility to act—to report suspected child sex abuse—under Colorado law.

But these professionals did nothing. Worse, they performed a dangerous, legally-restricted procedure on a minor child, without informing her mother, and turned R.Z. back over to her rapist following the abortion.

The inaction of Planned Parenthood staff, as well as their direct violation of Colorado statutes, enabled a sexual predator to continue his felonious abuse of a child for months afterwards.

Cary maintains that defendants’ negligence “created an unreasonable risk of physical harm” to her daughter. Cary is now suing Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains for five claims for relief, including negligence, negligent affliction of emotional distress, and extreme and outrageous conduct.

“We applaud Cary Smith for her brave stand to hold Planned Parenthood accountable for their crime against her daughter,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue. “This lawsuit is another indication that Planned Parenthood is dedicated to one thing—selling abortion; and they do not care how many young girls are raped or abused in the process.”

by Steven Ertelt | Cincinnati, OH | LifeNews.com | 7/10/14 

A local judge in southwest Ohio has issued a ruling closing the abortion clinic run by infamous abortion practitioner Martin Haskell, credited with popularizing the partial-birth abortion procedure. A federal ban on the abortion procedure eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, which initially overturned a Nebraska ban and later upheld the Congressional ban as constitutional.

Today, a Hamilton County magistrate issued a ruling to uphold the Ohio Health Department’s decision to close the Lebanon Road Surgery Center, Martin Haskell’s Sharonville abortion clinic, for failure to meet Ohio medical standards.

Specifically, Haskell’s clinic continues to operate without a transfer agreement with any area hospital. The magistrate promised to reverse a previous ruling that allowed the clinic to remain open, in a ruling he plans to file on July 10.

Today, Right to Life of Cincinnati informed LifeNews that Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Magistrate Michael Bachman has formally filed his decision onLebanon Road Surgery Center vs. State of Ohio Department of Health, for which he heard oral arguments last month.

“As decided June 30th, Magistrate Bachman has upheld the ODH’s order that Martin Haskell’s Women’s Med Center (aka Lebanon Road Surgery Center) abortion facility in Sharonville, Ohio be denied a license and closed for operating outside the law,” the group said. “During this court appeal, the Women’s Med Center abortion business has remained open under a stay of execution granted by Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Jerry Metz – the judge to whom the case was originally assigned.”

The ruling closes the abortion clinic down by the end of business today.

“We want to thank the Health Department as well as Attorney General Mike DeWine for enforcing Ohio law and refusing to allow the abortion industry to dodge compliance with health and safety standards,” said Mike Gonidakis, President of Ohio Right to Life.  “With the closure of this facility, Ohio will have witnessed a total of six abortion mills close during Governor Kasich’s administration. We are endlessly grateful to see pro-life Ohio’s collective efforts to save lives come to fruition.”

According to Ohio law, Lebanon Road Surgery Center exists as an Ambulatory Surgical Facility and because of this legal status, the clinic is not a full-service medical facility. To operate legally, Lebanon Road Surgery Center must have a transfer agreement with a full-service private hospital to handle all cases of abortion complications against the mother. In the case that an abortion facility is unable to acquire a transfer agreement, it can apply for a variance (exception). Lebanon Road Surgery Center failed to obtain either. After the Ohio Department of Health ordered the facility to close in January, the facility appealed that ruling in court.

Late-term abortionist, Martin Haskell, who owns Lebanon Road Surgery Center, has performed abortions for more than 30 years. He is notorious for his advocacy of partial-birth abortion and is credited for popularizing the now banned and illegal procedure invented by a California abortionist. With the closing of Haskell’s clinic, only one abortion facility remains open inside the county with the third highest rate for abortion deaths in Ohio.

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 7/7/14 

Michelle Hui had been pregnant with twins and miscarried, but Megan, now 18 weeks old, miraculously survived.

31-year-old Michelle Hui suffered a miscarriage in July 2013 and she was eventually given an abortion drug to “clear her uterus” and ensure that nothing was left of the baby inside of her. Although multiple ultrasound scans indicated the baby had died, when she later returned to the hospital, staff found another baby still alive.

Michelle had been carrying twins, and one had survived and now little Megan Hui, who was born in February at 6 pounds, is now 18 weeks old.

Here’s the rest of the story:

Expectant mum Michelle Hui was devastated when she had a miscarriage six weeks into her pregnancy.

Five scans confirmed her loss,then she had the trauma of taking an abortion pill to make sure nothing was left behind to cause infection.

But days later Michelle, 31, was being prepared for a final treatment to clear her uterus when incredibly a ­preparatory scan revealed a tiny heartbeat.

Amazed doctors discovered that she had been pregnant with twins – and one had miraculously survived both the miscarriage and the abortion.

Already a mum of two, Michelle went on to give birth to a beautiful baby girl, Megan, now 18 weeks old.

She and her salesman husband Ross, 33, could not be more proud.

“The miscarriage and abortion were absolutely horrific,” she said.

“The 10 days between the miscarriage and going back to the hospital were just a blur.

“To find out I had to go in for another procedure, I was devastated.

“But then I saw this little heartbeat, but I thought it couldn’t be right. After all we had been through, I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

“The doctor went out and came back in with a more senior doctor and he did the scan again and he said, ‘you are not going to believe it, we’ve got a heartbeat’. It was the best feeling ever.

“Now Megan is fine, she’s healthy and she is just a big healthy pudding of a baby. The doctors said it was a blessing. They have never heard of anything like it. Someone had been looking over us.”

by Steven Ertelt | Washington, DC | LifeNews.com | 7/4/14 

In another important victory against the HHS Mandate, Wheaton College received last minute relief from the Supreme Court, protecting the College’s right to carry out its religious mission free from crippling IRS fines.

The Court’s order states that Wheaton “need not use the form prescribed by the Government” under the HHS Mandate, and it prohibits the government “from enforcing against [Wheaton] the challenged provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and related regulations pending final disposition of appellate review.”

The order gives Wheaton the same relief that the Supreme Court gave to the Little Sisters of the Poor in January. It comes just days after Hobby Lobby and Eternal Word Television Network won similar victories at the Supreme Court and Eleventh Circuit (see video).

“The Court rightly recognized that Wheaton’s religious community should be allowed to practice its faith free from crushing government fines,”said Mark Rienzi, Senior Counsel for the Becket Fund, which represents Wheaton College.

Wheaton College is a pervasively Christian academic institution, whose motto is “For Christ and His Kingdom.” Its students, faculty, and staff commit to a Community Covenant that affirms “the God-given worth of human beings, from conception to death.”

“On the eve of Independence Day, we are grateful to God that the Supreme Court has made a wise decision in protecting our religious liberty–at least until we have an opportunity to make our full case in court. We continue to believe that a college community that affirms the sanctity of human life from conception to the grave should not be coerced by the government into facilitating the provision of abortion-inducing drugs,” said Dr. Philip Ryken, President of Wheaton College.

Today, thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision, Wheaton College joins Hobby Lobby, Eternal Word Television Network (see video) and many other organizations that that have received favorable rulings against the HHS Mandate. Non-profit religious organizations have now received 30 injunctions against the mandate; only three injunctions have been denied.