Pro-Life Page

by Steven Ertelt | LifeNews.com | 11/5/14 12:12 AM

Tennessee voters have given the Volunteer State a chance t enact the kind of pro-life laws that have dropped abortions to historic lows in state after state across the nation.

They approved Amendment 1 to help ensure nothing int he state constitution could be used to secure an unlimited right to abortion. With 86%of the vote counter, Amendment 1 won with a 54-46 percent margin.

The amendment is necessary because the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled 4-1 in 2000 that the state constitution allows unlimited abortions. It is necessary, pro-life advocates say, to be able to pass laws to limit and reduce abortions. The ruling claimed the Tennessee Constitution contains a fundamental abortion right even broader than Roe v. Wade or the federal constitution and it resulted in the striking down of numerous pro-life Tennessee laws that were helping women and limiting abortions.

Subsequently the 2000 ruling was also used as precedent to strike state law requiring the inspection, regulation and licensure of abortion facilities in Tennessee, he explained. All of those pro-life protections — which have reduced abortions in some states by as much as 50 percent — could be restored now that the amendment has been approved

Brain Harris, the Tennessee Right to Life president, told LifeNews previously that the 2000 ruling in Planned Parenthood of Middle Tennessee v. Sundquist made it so “common sense protections were immediately stripped from state law books including informed consent for women considering abortion, a 48 hour waiting period and a requirement that second and third trimester abortions be performed in regulated hospitals rather than out-patient abortion facilities.”

“We are grateful to God and to the good people of Tennessee for this victory,” Harris said.  “Despite millions of abortion dollars flooding our airwaves with deceptive ads, the people of Tennessee saw through the falsehoods and made their voices heard.”

Harris told LifeNews that Yes on 1 coordinated a statewide grassroots campaign heavy on volunteers and smaller financial contributions from individuals, churches and pro-life organizations.

“We recognized that we would never have the financial resources of the abortion industry so began planning long ago to build a team of advocates who could educate and organize their local communities,” Harris said. “That effort paid off, especially in rural regions of the state where volunteers raised funds and awareness of both the amendment and the 2000 court ruling in Planned Parenthood of Middle Tennessee v Sundquist, a decision which claimed a fundamental right to abortion.”

Harris also gave special credit to clergy and religious leaders throughout the state who made support for the Amendment a priority.

“In the end this could be characterized as pastors and pulpits in opposition to Planned Parenthood’s abortion-profiteering.  We owe a debt of gratitude to men and women of faith who refused to accept Tennessee’s designation as an abortion destination and who actively used their influence to promote the protection of innocent human life.”

The text of the amendment returns authority for abortion regulation to the people of Tennessee and their state legislators and reads as follows: “Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion. The people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest or when necessary to save the life of the mother.”.

by Shawn Carney | LifeNews.com | 11/3/14 10:26 AM

As this 40 Days for Life campaign comes to an end, we have reports of 546 babies saved from abortion – that we know of!

And keep in mind that these aren’t just numbers. That’s 546 individual human beings … and their moms … and their dads … and grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins. Each time a mother says “yes” to life, the impact is profound.

God worked through so many faithful people during this campaign and that work goes on far beyond Day 40. We close with a beautiful witness to what God can do, which should inspire us to consider one question: Could this happen in your town?

VACAVILLE, CALIFORNIA

“God has heard our prayers,” said Noelle in Vacaville. “He has seen our faithfulness and He has plans for our community that we never dreamed of.”

As the Vacaville team was planning this 40 Days for Life campaign, they spotted a sign in front of the office building at 600 Nut Tree Road – that’s where Planned Parenthood is located.

It was a simple real estate sign: “Space for lease.”

So on a whim, they made two calls. One was to the leasing agent. The other was to the director of a pregnancy help center. It would be a blessing, they thought, if assistance could be much closer to Planned Parenthood – and in fact, under the very same roof!

“Never did we think anything would materialize,” recalled Noelle. “It would simply be too good to be true. But, as we know, we must never underestimate the power of God.”

To make a long story short, the pregnancy center’s board of directors signed a lease, and will move into 600 Nut Tree Road – yes, the same building that Planned Parenthood is in.

And not just the same building. They will be right across the hall from Planned Parenthood!

“This means that abortion-minded women – women who feel as if they have no other choice than to end their child’s life – will be presented with real choices and life-affirming options as they walk down the hall to their abortion appointments,” she said.

“Can you imagine the lives that will be saved? The women that will be empowered, loved and supported?”

Volunteers have prayed through 100-degree heat … high winds … heavy rains. At times, they became discouraged, and wondered, “Is this really working?” And, being human, they wondered if God was listening.

“God most certainly has been listening and He had plans greater than anything we could have ever imagined,” Noelle said. “Some might say it’s just a case of good timing, just a coincidence. But we call it divine intervention. It is with awe and gratitude that we give thanks to God for His mercy, His glory and His power.”

Amen!

by Josh Shepherd | LifeNews.com | 10/31/14 4:38 PM

Dr. Brent Boles, an OB-GYN who volunteers as a spokesman for the Yes on Amendment 1 effort in Tennessee, wants to keep the issue of life at the forefront as citizens go to the polls on November 4. 

The pro-life amendment to the state constitution, called a “modest” proposal by some observers, would allow the Tennessee State Legislature to consider laws regulating abortion within the state — legislative action currently barred by a decision of the Tennessee Supreme Court.

In a phone interview he rattles off medical terms and statistics rapid-fire, as one might expect after more than two decades practicing medicine.

Bound4LIFE: It sounds like you are in a vehicle. Where are you traveling from?

Brent Boles, MD: I just participated in a press conference, where we stood in front of an unlicensed, unregulated abortion clinic in Nashville.

They recently had to call an ambulance because a woman had a respiratory arrest during an abortion, and they were totally unequipped to deal with it. Unfortunately, the clinic threw us off the property while we were still speaking to the media.

Right now, abortion clinics in Tennessee are exempt from any kind of licensure or inspection requirements. Women who are walking into an abortion clinic in Tennessee have no guarantee, no protection from the state, that the place they are entering is safe, clean, staffed by qualified individuals, and ready to handle an emergency. And they’re not.

Even nail salons have to be inspected to meet health standards. A woman who goes and gets a manicure in Tennessee is going to a facility that does more to answer to the state Department of Health than abortion clinics do.

This is not just about reducing the number of abortions, to save unborn children from losing their lives. This is about protecting the women of Tennessee, protecting their health and safety. It’s why the Yes on 1 team just released an ad featuring a 911 call from that very abortion clinic.

Bound4LIFE: How do you respond to critics who call this an extreme amendment?

Dr. Boles: My view is that the Tennessee Supreme Court’s decision 14 years ago was radical and extreme. In 2000, Planned Parenthood sued the State of Tennessee and ultimately won.

The court’s decision overturned three laws: one regarding informed consent, one requiring a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion, and one requiring advanced-stage abortions to be performed in a hospital where complications could be handled more safely.

These are all patient safety issues, about providing truthful, accurate information to women. Amendment 1 is designed to correct the mistakes that court decision made. When those who oppose it call us “radical” and “extreme,” saying that this takes away women’s rights, they are not telling the truth.

In fact, one video produced by the other side was just named “the most dishonest TV ad of the 2014 election season.” The script itself is misleading, but worse than that it conceals that the woman featured, named Tracey George, is Chairman of the Board for Planned Parenthood of Middle & East Tennessee.

Bound4LIFE: As a medical doctor, why are you involved in the Amendment 1 effort?

Dr. Boles: The longer I practice medicine, the more often I meet women whose lives have really been broken by the realization of what they’ve done once they’ve had an abortion.

It has always troubled me that abortion has been institutionalized as a legitimate industry in this country. The abortion industry does not tell women certain established medical statistics:

• A woman who’s had an abortion is 2.7 times more likely to later commit suicide.
• A teenage girl who’s had an abortion is 10 times more likely to attempt suicide.
• Of those who have late-term abortions, 60% of those women will later have PTSD.

Most places do not have complete, accurate informed consent. If the ideal situation, according to the talking heads of this country, is for women to make informed choices — then give them the information.

Let them decide instead of hiding the truth from them. There’s a reason why Tennessee has twice the number of abortions per capita that Kentucky does: it’s easier and more profitable to be an abortionist here.

Bound4LIFE: How has prayer played a role in the effort for Amendment 1?

Dr. Boles: Some months ago, I recruited a group of six friends for a focused prayer effort. For the seven of us, each took one day of the week to fast and pray specifically about this amendment.

Many local churches are hungry for information and they want their people to know about Amendment 1. Whether non-denominational, Southern Baptist, Church of Christ or Catholic, the response has been very positive among churches.

They don’t see this only as an issue of what the State Legislature should or should not do: they see it as a Kingdom issue.

I’ve seen the power of prayer in my medical practice. Not long ago, a clinic refused to provide an abortion to a woman who later became my patient. She soon learned her stepfather was praying for exactly that to happen. Today, she has a healthy baby boy.

Bound4LIFE: You’ve mentioned personal encounters with patients as a reason for your pro-life views. What of the medical science on the question of when life begins?

Boles: The science on this issue is crystal clear. From the moment of conception, that pre-born person is a unique individual with unique DNA, that never existed before and will never exist again. Barring accidents of nature or illness or the intervention of man, a baby will be born.

Humanity is there from the beginning. A person’s size, level of development or abilities are not what gives them worth. It’s not like you’re another species until the moment you’re born, take your first breath and cry for the first time. You are human from the moment of conception.

Bound4LIFE: What would you encourage pro-life advocates in other states to do?

Boles: If they’re watching this play out, they should be praying. Some folks involved are considering last-minute radio and television ads, so people could support that which is important — but prayer is more important.

Read the text of Tennessee’s proposed Amendment 1

by Steven Ertelt | LifeNews.com | 10/28/14 1:02 PM

In another legal victory against the HHS mandate, a court has ruled a Catholic college doesn’t have to obey the mandate, which compels it to pay for abortion-causing drugs for its employees.

A federal court issued a decision Tuesday in Ave Maria School of Law v. Sebelius that stops enforcement of the  Obama administration’s abortion pill mandate against Ave Maria School of Law, a Catholic law school.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Legal Counsel Matt Bowmantold LifeNews: “Faith-based educational institutions should be free to live and operate according to the faith they teach and espouse. The court was right to uphold the religious freedom of institutions that value the sanctity of life. If the government can force Ave Maria School of Law to violate its faith in order to exist, then the government can do the same or worse to others.”

The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the administration’s mandate that religious employers provide insurance coverage for abortifacients, sterilization, and contraception to employees regardless of religious or moral objections.

Facing millions of dollars of fines that would have taken effect this weekend, Ave Maria University stood up against the government and won an injunction this morning protecting its right to stay true to its beliefs. This is the first order enjoining the government’s latest attempt to coerce religious organizations via an “augmented rule” that it issued last August.

“After dozens of court rulings, the government still doesn’t seem to get that it can’t force faith institutions to violate their beliefs,” said Eric Baxter, Senior Counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. “Fortunately, the courts continue to see through the government’s attempts to disguise the Mandate’s religious coercion. We congratulate Ave Maria for its courage, even under the threat of crippling fines.”

Ave Maria’s renewed lawsuit was filed last August in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. To date, approximately 90% of the courts addressing the contraception mandate—including the Supreme Court in three separate lawsuits—have protected religious ministries.

“Our school believes in living out our religious convictions,” said Ave Maria School of Law President and Dean Eugene R. Milhizer, who writes and speaks nationally on the issue of religious freedom, the abortion pill mandate, and the Catholic Church. “The First Amendment protects Americans from mandates that require us to act against our deeply held religious convictions. But the mandate leaves us with no real choice: we must either comply and abandon our religious freedom and conscience, or resist and be fined for our faith.”

Ave Maria School of Law was founded in 1999 to provide a legal education that is publicly faithful to the authoritative teachings of the Catholic Church. The school’s sincere religious beliefs forbid it from facilitating the provision of abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, or sterilization through health insurance coverage it offers to its employees.

“The question is whether the government can pick and choose what faith is, who the faithful are, and when and where they can exercise that faith,” added Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot. “The cost of religious freedom for Americans and organizations across the country that face this mandate is severe. The potential for massive fines and lawsuits could shut down religious educational institutions as well as private employers with similar religious convictions.”

The lawsuit,  Ave Maria School of Law v. Sebelius, filed with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, argues that the mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as well as the First and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Roger Gannam, one of nearly 2,300 attorneys allied with Alliance Defending Freedom, is local counsel in the case.