March for Life

Are You Subsidizing Abortion Coverage?

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Are You Subsidizing Abortion Coverage?

WATCH the video from our online conversation with Pro-Life Caucus Chairman Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ)

As you likely know, under Obamacare many Americans are being forced to purchase health insurance through their state exchanges.

What you may not know is that many of the plans being offered include elective abortion coverage!

23 states have exercised their right under Obamacare to exclude abortion coverage, but for the remaining 27, that decision has been left to insurance companies.

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to find out which plans are pro-life and which are not. That is because of a secrecy clause in Obamacare that only allows providers to disclose elective abortion coverage “as a part of the summary of benefits and coverage explanation, at the time of enrollment.”

Without this information, many pro-lifers may be unwittingly enrolling in healthcare coverage that subsidizes abortion coverage.  Watch the video to find out what states we have found problems in, and how you can find out if your state is one of them!

For  more detailed background information, click HERE.

For information on how you can take action, click HERE.

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The End of the Reign of Queen Kathleen the First

The most powerful person in Washington.

 

That sentence is not usually a description for a Health and Human Services Secretary, however thanks to President Obama’s health care law, commonly known as Obamacare, the HHS Secretary has virtually unchecked power.    And now Kathleen Sebelius is leaving the post in such a mess that she proves such an expansion of power was unwarranted and dangerous.  On top of the disaster that is Obamacare she also oversaw her department turn into one that prioritized a liberal agenda over the department’s supposed mission.  In one notorious example HHS for years gave grants to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which is one of the largest anti-trafficking relief organizations in the world. A few years ago, the Obama Administration cut off funding for the USCCB because of the Catholic Church’s pro-life views.  Friends within the program at HHS confirmed that the outside relief organizations who took over the grants from HHS have done a horrible job in keeping up with the demand of those suffering from trafficking.

However nothing gave the Secretary more power than the health care law.  When the bill passed the National Center for Policy Analysis found 1,697 instances in the bill “where the secretary of health and humans services is given the authority to create, determine or define things in the bill.”

These new powers include setting monthly costs per person, establishing an agency that will determine cuts without Congressional approval and determining if abortion is included in the government run plan.

This is an awful lot of power for a Secretary who has proven largely ineffective during the health care debate and oversaw the disastrous government roll out of what is the President’s legacy legislation.  She has always had and has maintained close ties to an abortion industry that has helped finance most of her political career and who is being well rewarded now with government funds.  Soon after Secretary Sebelius was confirmed she received a thank you letter from the head of the abortion giant Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, thanking her for speaking to a gathering of various leaders in the abortion industry and how Ms. Richards was “grateful for your (Kathleen Sebelius’) friendship and support.”

Reviewing the record of Gov. Sebelius when she served in the Kansas Legislature, Representative Sebelius voted to weaken or eliminate even such modest measures as unborn victims, parental notification, waiting periods and informed consent.  During her time as Governor, Kathleen Sebelius has cut state funding for abortion alternatives, vetoed a bill imposing minimal sanitary standards on abortion clinics, and vetoed a bill that would have strengthened late term abortion law. These actions provide a far better indication of her views on sanctity of life issues than an incidental abortion decline that occurred under her watch. Her position is further questioned when her close ties to notorious abortionist George Tiller, known for performing late-term abortions in Kansas, are revealed. Donations from Mr. Tiller of hundreds of thousands of dollars to PACs and organizations controlled by the Kansas Governor were revealed, not by the governor during the hearing process as they should have been, but by outside sources. She has also repeatedly interfered in cases brought against Mr. Tiller, including recruiting a candidate to replace the state attorney general who was originally prosecuting the abortion doctor.

Many Republican Senators opposed the nomination however one stands out, in that he is also retiring this year as well:

Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.)

“I think there’s a flaw there, a critical defect in this nominee. That’s a nonstarter with me, not because I dislike her. I think she’s a wonderful lady, but I think she lacks part of the moral clarity that is required to lead this nation into the future. Her ability from the start will be compromised by her position on this issue. I have no doubt that she will be approved today, so I mark it as another sign on our way to oblivion as a nation.”

Considering how many tax dollars are being funneled to her well-heeled friends in the abortion industry I have little doubt that she will land on her feet.  The same cannot be said for her predecessor who will likely have to face the failures of 6 years of Sebelius rule.

On the positive side apparently the HHS Secretary can do PSA’s with Vice President Joe Biden whenever they feel like it.

 

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Teachable Moment from the Bumpies

The language used in a recent blog post by the First Lady Michelle Obama on “The Bump,” a pregnancy resource website for expecting moms reveals the hypocrisy of abortion proponents – they acknowledge that an unborn baby is just that – a developing human!  (Well, except for Cecile Richards who has no understanding of science and when life begins.)  Even more frustrating, the blog post on the very “pro-baby” website touts a system that funds the destruction of developing babies through abortion.*  

Some of the phrases that the First Lady uses in talking about her pregnancy experience:

“expecting our first daughter”

“panic at the prospect of bringing this little person into the world”

“our little girl”

“when your baby is born”

The First Lady’s comments are very sweet, and while we may disagree about her husband’s politics and policy, it seems that the First Lady is a wonderful mom.  Even a recent article from the conservative website, The Federalist, talks about “5 Ways Michelle Obama is a Great First Lady.”  The fact that she prioritizes family over her First Lady duties is commendable.

However, her aforementioned phrases – and so many other references to pregnancy in the popular culture – prove the point that technically, everyone is pro-life – when it comes to expected or wanted pregnancies.

Be on the look-out for these references – in the news, on TV, in the movies, in celebrity gossip.  They can offer a “teachable moment” to share the truth with a friend and graciously point out how it’s not only wrong, but it’s discriminatory to support abortion just because a pregnancy is “unexpected or unwanted.”  Those babies develop exactly the same as those whose parents desire children!

In fact, the Bump blog has some fantastic resources on fetal development.  Prospective moms can enter their due date and track the growth of their baby.  Another great resource that you can share with a friend who needs to be convinced of the humanity of unborn babies is the Endowment for Human Development – take a few minutes on this site to familiarize yourself with the amazing stages of human development in the womb.  One by one we can change the culture until every baby – whether expected or not – is welcomed into this world. 

*HHS Secretary Sebelius has repeatedly avoided providing a list of health care plans that do not provide abortion funding under the “Affordable Care Act,” or Obamacare, presumably because she cannot.  

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Gosnell: Not An Isolated Incident

You probably missed this story on the national news.  That’s no surprise though, given that the national news barely covered the main story behind the sentencing of Sherry West – the crimes and brutality of abortionist, Kermit Gosnell.  Ms. West pled guilty to third-degree murder and other charges for her role as Gosnell’s accomplice, and a few weeks ago, she was sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison.

It’s been almost a year since the conviction and sentencing of notorious abortionist Kermit Gosnell.  Of course, every abortionist should be viewed as notorious – for taking human life, going against the Hippocratic oath and undisputable science, and being complicit in an action that irreparably harms a woman.  However, Gosnell was even more of a monster. 

Gosnell operated out of a building that’s been called a “House of Horrors.”  That’s even a nice way of putting it, as the documentation from the 300-page grand jury report is absolutely gruesome and horrifying.   

The March for Life’s Jeanne Monahan was interviewed on ETWN News Nightly to discuss the sentencing of Ms. West.  She reminds us that abortion clinics are often regulated at the same level of beauty parlors and that “Gosnell was not an isolated incident.”  Watch this clip of Jeanne and The Federalist’s Mollie Hemmingway discussing West’s sentencing, Gosnell’s clinic, and the media malfeasance that accompanied every aspect of this story.

In an effort to raise awareness about Gosnell the baby murderer and serial killer, filmmakers Ann McElhinney and Phelim McAleera have launched a crowd-funding campaign to raise the capital for their made-for-TV movie, Gosnell.  And don’t forget about the hard-to-watch ongoing documentary, 3801 Lancaster, which seeks to bring awareness to the Gosnell case, give an outlet to the victims, and help to bring down similarly operating “clinics.”

Whether you have a platform to conduct media interviews, produce a documentary, or just share the truth with your friends on Facebook, join us in continuing to shine a light on darkness.

NOTE: If you’re interested in contributing to this project, visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gosnell-movie.  

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Religious Freedom and Abortion

It has been rightly said that Obamacare is the largest expansion of abortion in the United States since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. One aspect of that abortion expansion is what is now infamously called the “HHS Mandate,” forcing all companies to carry the full range of FDA-approved contraceptives, including a number of drugs and devices that can destroy life in its early stages.  
 
On Tuesday, March 25, the U.S. Supreme Court heard historic arguments on this unjust mandate forcing business owners to defy their deeply held conscience and religious convictions. Conestoga Wood and Hobby Lobby will fight for the religious and conscience freedoms which until now have always been protected in our country.  
 

These court decisions will be a defining moment in our culture! The March for Life had the opportunity to speak on behalf of pro-life America during a press conference at the Supreme Court. For a recap of the press conference, see below.  For more pictures, visit the March for Life Facebook page.