Pro-Life News

On a party-line vote with Republican support, the Senate gave initial approval to a bill that would create the "Born-Alive Infant Protection Act." The bill would require health care providers to take "all medically appropriate and reasonable actions to preserve the life and health" of any child born as the result of natural, induced or cesarean labor or an abortion. Thirty-one Republicans voted for the bill on a second reading, while 19 Democrats opposed. The bill faces a third reading before moving to the House. Read more......

The Idaho House of Representatives passed a bill to bar public funding for abortion providers for any purposes, along with entities affiliated with them. Sponsored by Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, HB 220 would halt all public funding, from all levels of government, to Planned Parenthood or any other entity that provides abortions or abortion counseling, or any person or entity affiliated with them. The bill has 15 co-sponsors, all Republicans. The bill passed 55-14 after some debate, primarily centered on whether the bill goes far enough to address the issue by not outlawing abortion outright. Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, objected to exemptions provided by the bill. Exemptions would be...

Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus vaccine will start going into people's arms this week. Experts say it'll ramp up vaccination efforts, but the vaccine is getting some pushback from pro-life groups and the Catholic Church. The controversy all comes down to the development and testing of all the coronavirus vaccines. The cell lines that were used for these purposes came from an aborted fetus, which has some weighing whether or not it's moral to get the shot. Human embryonic kidney cells were taken from aborted fetuses in the 1970s and grown in labs. They've been used in vaccine development and testing for decades. Read more......

Planned Parenthood of Northern California opens its doors  to a new, $22 million clinic in San Francisco. The two-story, 12,000-square-foot facility at 1522 Bush St. was built with the support of over 800 people and organizations. It replaces a decades-old clinic on Valencia St. "It was smaller, basically three times smaller the size," said Planned Parenthood of Northern California CEO Gilda Gonzales. "We outgrew that space pretty quickly. Patients had to wait sometimes up to six to eight days to get appointments. We are reducing that now down to three days." Read more...  ...

Abortion providers in Ohio sued to block a state law requiring that fetal remains from surgical abortions be cremated or buried, arguing a lack of rules makes complying "impossible." Clinics and their lawyers at ACLU of Ohio filed suit against the Ohio Department of Health and others in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. They asked the court to block the law as an unconstitutional hurdle to women's legal right to an abortion. "We file this complaint to ensure that we are not vulnerable to severe sanctions, fines and penalties, including potential license revocation, during this interim period," the plaintiffs said in a statement. "Given the history of aggressive...

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed into law legislation banning nearly all abortions in the state, a sweeping measure that supporters hope will force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its landmark Roe v. Wade decision but opponents vow to block before it takes effect later this year. The Republican governor had expressed reservations about the bill, which only allows the procedure to save the life of the mother and does not provide exceptions for those impregnated in an act of rape or incest. Arkansas is one of at least 14 states where legislators have proposed outright abortion bans this year. Hutchinson said he was signing the bill because of its "overwhelming legislative support and...

A bill that would outlaw medication abortions in Wyoming passed a committee hearing after doctors who testified said the legislation would effectively eliminate the procedure in the state. Physicians, as well as pro-choice advocates, testified against the bill in the Wyoming Senate on varying grounds including that it would make it harder for doctors to treat other patients, like pregnant women not seeking abortions. Those in favor included pro-life advocates and a representative for the Catholic Church. The bill advanced in a 4-1 vote. Read more......

Illinois abortion clinics could soon be required to offer ultrasounds to patients after eight weeks of pregnancy. A new bill, proposed by pro-life State Rep. Paul Jacobs, R-Carbondale, would not require patients to accept and get an ultrasound, but doctors would be required to ask their patients if they would like one. Jacobs said it would be a mechanism to help patients be sure of the actions they are taking. Read more......

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noen signed four pro-life bills into law, including HB 1110, which bans abortion based on a diagnosis of Down Syndrome. "The Declaration of Independence summarizes what we all know in our hearts to be true: God created each of us and endowed all of us with the right to life. This is true for everyone, including those with an extra chromosome," said Governor Noem. "I look forward to the day when the Supreme Court recognizes that all preborn children inherently possess this right to life, too. Until that time comes, I am pleased to sign a ban on the abortion of a preborn child, just because that child is diagnosed with Down syndrome, as well as several...

The Texas Senate approved six anti-abortion bills, including a proposal that would outlaw the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically before a woman is aware she is pregnant, and another that effectively bans the procedure all together. The second measure would become law if the Supreme Court reverses earlier decisions legalizing abortion. Abortion opponents have pledged to push an aggressive agenda to severely limit availability of the procedure, with an eye to the changing power dynamics at the U.S. Supreme Court, where conservatives now hold a 6-3 majority. The chamber approved five of the bills 19-12, with all Republicans voting in favor, along with one Democrat, Sen....