States Take Lead on Pro-Life Legislation
The Biden administration may be intent on reversing the Trump administration’s pro-life agenda on the federal level, but Republican-led legislatures have not been wasting any time introducing and passing pro-life legislation.
Below are some of the pro-life measures Republican state lawmakers are either introducing, or have already passed, to protect the unborn and their mothers:
In Alabama, HB 237 would require life-saving care for infants who survive abortion. The bill states physicians would be required “to exercise reasonable care to preserve the life of a child born alive after an abortion or attempted abortion in an abortion or reproductive health center.”
Additionally, the measure would “establish criminal penalties for violations.”
An Arizona Senate panel has approved a bill (SB 1457) that would ban abortions when there is a prenatal diagnosis of a genetic condition, such as Down syndrome.
Abortion providers who end a pregnancy due to the baby’s genetic condition could face a Class 3 felony and prison time.
The same bill would grant civil rights to the unborn, allow a father to bring a civil action on behalf of the unborn baby, and require the remains of aborted babies be either buried or cremated.
In Arkansas, SB6, the Unborn Child Protection Act, was approved by a Senate committee this week. The measure would ban abortions in the state except in the case when the mother’s life is in danger.
Two Florida lawmakers have introduced a bill, based on fetal pain evidence, that would ban abortions past the 20th week of pregnancy. If the measure becomes law, abortionists who perform the procedure past the 20th week of pregnancy could be charged with a felony.
In Iowa, a joint resolution has been introduced that proposes an amendment to the state Constitution that Iowa “does not recognize, grant, or secure a right to abortion or require the public funding of abortion.”
Voters in Iowa would decide whether the state Constitution should be amended.
Additionally, House File 53 would require abortion providers to give women information about the risks associated with drug-induced abortion and about the possibility of “reversal” should the mother change her mind.
The Kansas Senate voted 28-11 in favor of a bill that would have voters decide on the 2022 state ballot whether they agree to an amendment that asserts there is no constitutional right to abortion. The state House has already passed the measure.
In January, the Kentucky House, by a vote of 76-18, and Senate, 32-4, passed SB9, the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act, a bill that requires abortion providers to provide medical care to babies if they survive an abortion. Gov. Andy Beshear (D) is not pro-life, but had he vetoed the bill, the legislature would have had enough votes to override his veto. As a result, Beshear allowed the bill’s deadline to pass, and it became law without his signature.
In Mississippi, House Bill 338 would provide “that any person who willfully causes an abortion shall be guilty of a felony.” The measure would clarify “that it shall be unlawful for any physician to perform an abortion or to perform an abortion that results in the delivery of a living child and to intentionally allow or cause the child to die.”
Montana has four pro-life bills making their way through the state legislature.
HB 171 seeks to protect women by regulating access to drugs that induce abortion and ban their use on school property. The bill would ensure “a medical practitioner examines a woman prior to dispensing an abortion-inducing drug in order to confirm the gestational age of the unborn child, the intrauterine location of the unborn child, and that the unborn child is alive.”
HB 136 would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy; HB 167 would require life-saving care for babies who survive an abortion; and HB 140 would require that women seeking an abortion be provided with information about the risks of the procedure 24 hours in advance.
In New Hampshire, lawmakers are considering three pieces of legislation: HB 625 would ban abortions past a gestational age of at least 24 weeks; HB 434 would prohibit the use of taxpayer funds for abortion; and HB 430, the Sidewalk Free Speech Act, would repeal the current ban on gathering in a public area near an abortion facility.
In January, the South Carolina House and Senate passed S.1, a bill that would ban abortions past the time when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually between six and eight weeks of pregnancy. Gov. Henry McMaster (R) is expected to sign the bill into law.
In Wyoming, HB0070 involves informed consent prior to abortion, and would require physicians to provide women with a description of the abortion, in writing, and also to verbally describe the unborn baby.
Planned Parenthood and its allies in the abortion industry oppose these bills, claiming they impede a woman’s right to abortion. However, many states would welcome their challenges to newly passed legislation, hoping that, ultimately, their cases would reach the U.S. Supreme Court, where the 1973 landmark decision in Roe v. Wade could then, perhaps, be reconsidered.
"Joe Biden marks the anniversary of Roe v. Wade by saying he is ‘deeply committed' to the intentional destruction of innocent life through the heinous practice of abortion," CatholicVote said. "This represents a major rupture with the Church, only days after his press secretary described Joe Biden as ‘devout.'"
Dems Include Money for Abortion Providers in $1.9 Trillion COVID Aid Package
Massive stimulus bill stacked with progressive priorities
Tucked inside the Biden administration's $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus package is a provision to restore millions in government funding to Planned Parenthood.
The $1.9 trillion stimulus package Democrats say aims to reboot the economy provides a $50 million boost to the Title X family planning program, which under the Biden administration will supply abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood with government funds. The Trump administration had amended Title X to make abortion providers ineligible for the funds, which are intended for health services and family planning, but the change is in the process of being reversed, restoring a giant revenue stream for Planned Parenthood.
While the stimulus is intended to reboot an economy suffering the after-effects of COVID-19 and government restrictions on economic activity, it also features major progressive policy goals. In addition to expanding taxpayer funding for abortion services, the aid package also includes a provision to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Senate Democrats are planning on using the budget reconciliation process to pass the package, meaning it can pass with just 50 votes in favor and Vice President Kamala Harris breaking the tie.
The boost to the Title X program comes after lengthy battles over Planned Parenthood's role in government funding and stimulus packages. Some states declared abortion to be an essential service and allowed abortion clinics to remain open while others ordered the clinics to close as part of coronavirus-related shutdowns. In Pennsylvania, for example, Gov. Tom Wolf (D.) ordered all elective surgeries suspended during the crisis while exempting abortion clinics. States like Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas all moved to suspend abortion services, prompting legal battles.
Additionally, some blue states also moved to expand access to abortions through telemedicine in the early days of the pandemic. A group of Democratic state attorneys general called on the Food and Drug Administration to loosen restrictions on abortion drugs. In January, however, the Supreme Court ruled against allowing abortion medication to be prescribed remotely.
With Biden in power, Planned Parenthood has a far friendlier administration after four years of repeated clashes with the Trump administration.
Planned Parenthood left the Title X family planning program during the Trump administration after the administration changed its requirements to forbid abortion referrals.
The administration also required that health care providers enrolled in the funding program maintain a physical separation between abortion facilities and other facilities. The withdrawal cost the organization $60 million in annual funding.
Planned Parenthood also accessed $80 million in coronavirus relief loans under the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program during the initial wave of stimulus. Republicans and the Trump administration called for the organization to return the funding and pushed for the Department of Justice to investigate how the group obtained the funding. The Biden administration did not respond to a request for comment on whether the organizer will have access to further funding.
Pro-life groups decried the increase in taxpayer funding. "House Democrats are shamefully pushing a massive expansion of abortion on demand, paid for with tax dollars, in the guise of COVID-19 relief—including payouts to abortion giant Planned Parenthood," Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement.
Planned Parenthood did not respond to a request for comment concerning its stance on the legislation and whether it plans to pursue further financial aid.
Planned Parenthood Prepares for Payday Under Biden
Abortion provider lost $60 million in taxpayer funding in 2019
Planned Parenthood stands to recover tens of millions of dollars in federal funding as the Biden administration moves to reverse Trump policies that cut off its access to taxpayer dollars.
The organization lost $60 million in 2019 alone after withdrawing from the Title X Family Planning Program, which uses taxpayer funds for contraceptive services to low-income individuals. When the Trump administration changed the policy to exclude any organization that participates in abortion, Planned Parenthood withdrew from the program.
Despite the revenue drop and the subsequent financial struggles of local affiliates, Planned Parenthood spent more than $27.4 million through a main super PAC during the 2020 election cycle. Alexis McGill Johnson, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said the nation's top abortion provider is eager for its "partnership" with the new administration.
"In partnership with the Biden-Harris administration and the pro-reproductive health care majority in Congress, Planned Parenthood Action Fund will work to not only reverse the attacks of the past four years, but boldly expand sexual and reproductive health care and rights for all people in the U.S. and across the globe," Johnson said.
The organization lists the administration's priorities as moving to institute taxpayer funding for abortions in the United States and abroad and reversing the funding restrictions the Trump administration instituted on the Family Planning Program. It also said that it recommended almost 200 staffers for key positions in the administration.
Planned Parenthood is likely to find a receptive audience in the Biden administration. President Biden has not only pledged to restore taxpayer funding to the organization and repeal restrictions on taxpayer funding of abortion but has also stocked his administration with Planned Parenthood allies and politicians who have cashed its checks.
Andrea Palm, deputy secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, came under fire during her time in the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for hiring a former Planned Parenthood lobbyist to help shape state health policy. Soon-to-be-confirmed treasury secretary Janet Yellen was also a member of both NARAL and Planned Parenthood. Jen O'Malley Dillon, Biden's deputy chief of staff, cofounded a marketing company that worked with Planned Parenthood as one of its clients.
Former elected officials also enjoyed the organization's financial support. Incoming secretary of the interior Deb Haaland received $5,000 during her first and only run for Congress, and Department of Health and Human Services pick Xavier Becerra received more than $5,500 over the course of his time in Congress and as California attorney general. Becerra's track record in Congress suggests that he will roll back the Trump administration's protections for religious conscience.
After receiving around $300,000 from Planned Parenthood during his time in the Senate and repeatedly defending federal funding for the group, John Kerry has taken a top position as climate-change adviser to Biden. Marty Walsh, Biden's pick for labor secretary, was a major ally for the organization while mayor of Boston and received hundreds of dollars in donations for his second mayoral run. He led a rally in 2017 in Boston to protest Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, calling those attempts "reckless." He also said that Boston should lead a movement to continue to provide abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
Newly confirmed transportation secretary and former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg also received more than $11,000 in financial support from the organization during his 2020 run and did a "fireside chat" to address the organization's priorities. Incoming energy secretary Jennifer Granholm criticized Republicans for being obsessed with Planned Parenthood and defended federal funding for the organization.
The Biden administration did not respond to a request for comment. The White House put out a statement Friday commemorating the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and pledged the administration's commitment to codifying abortion rights into law.
Pro-life activists lamented the White House's commitment to pushing for expanded access to abortion. "Abortion isn't health care. It is heartbreaking but not surprising that on the day we commemorate the loss of 60+ million Americans to abortion the new administration is already aggressively leaning into abortion extremism," said March for Life president Jeanne Mancini. "Doing so brings more divisiveness at a time when our country needs unity and healing."
"Joe Biden marks the anniversary of Roe v. Wade by saying he is ‘deeply committed' to the intentional destruction of innocent life through the heinous practice of abortion," CatholicVote said. "This represents a major rupture with the Church, only days after his press secretary described Joe Biden as ‘devout.'"
Biden Repeals Ban on Taxpayer Funding for International Abortion Providers
Move has wide-ranging foreign policy implications
The Biden administration rescinded a policy Thursday that prohibits taxpayer funding for abortion providers overseas.
The move fulfills a campaign promise from President Joe Biden, who pledged to make repealing the Mexico City policy, referred to by its critics as the "Global Gag Rule," one of his first moves in office. Under the Obama administration, the abortion industry received millions of dollars thanks to the repeal of the policy, which was then reinstated under President Donald Trump. The United States Agency for International Development guided tens of millions of dollars in funding to Planned Parenthood and its international affiliates during Barack Obama's time in office.
Republican officials and pro-life groups condemned the move. Sen. Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) praised the Mexico City policy for combating abortion around the world and criticized Biden's disregard for "oppressed and marginalized" people.
"The Mexico City policy protects babies, and it's shameful that reversing it is one of the Biden administration's first priorities," Sasse told the Washington Free Beacon. "America is a shining city on a hill because we take the side of the oppressed and marginalized, not because we export abortion."
March for Life president Jeanne Mancini criticized Biden for defying public opinion. In a January poll from the Knights of Columbus and Marist, more than three-fourths of overall respondents said they oppose using taxpayer money to fund abortions overseas. Notably, 64 percent of respondents who identified as "pro-choice" said they opposed the practice.
"Joe Biden's promise to repeal the Mexico City policy is deeply disappointing, especially when the president-elect says he wants national unity," Mancini said.
As part of its reinstatement of the policy, the Trump administration cut off funding to the United Nations Population Fund, an international organization that provides support for reproductive health programs. The Trump administration found that the UNFPA directly partners with a Chinese entity involved in carrying out birth and population control methods. These methods potentially extend to the population control of Uighur Muslims, which former secretary of state Mike Pompeo declared a genocide shortly before leaving office.
"We expect that the new administration will restore federal funding for UNFPA—another international promoter of abortion that has even backed China's brutal child limit policies, which include forced abortion," said Mallory Quigley, vice president of communications for the Susan B. Anthony List.
Rep. Jim Banks (R., Ind.) blasted Biden's decision as undermining the United States' human rights agenda in China.
"It's safe to say Joe Biden will become the most pro-abortion president of my lifetime," Banks told the Free Beacon. "Part of his pro-abortion agenda will be forcing U.S. taxpayers to once again fund abortions in foreign countries—a decision that inadvertently helps fund the Chinese Communist Party's genocide against the Uighur population in China. Reversing this important pro-life policy is irresponsible and wrong."
Michael Sobolik, a research fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, said that the move could cause problems for Biden's approach to confronting Beijing.
"If there's a genocide happening in China, we should all be able to agree that we should not be contributing directly or indirectly to it," Sobolik said. "With an official finding of genocide, my goodness, has there been a better reason than now to second guess funding these types of entities inside China?"
The policy is part of a tug-of-war between Democratic and Republican presidential administrations. Instituted under the Reagan administration, the policy has been enacted by Republican presidential administrations and repealed by Democratic presidential administrations. In 2019, Vice President Kamala Harris also joined a Senate push to pass legislation permanently repealing the policy.
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