New March for Life Gets off to a Running Start

October 31, 2013 By Scott Zipperle

New March for Life Gets off to a Running Start

by: Jeanne Monahan

August 13, 2013, marked the one-year anniversary of the passing of Nellie Gray, founder of the March for Life (MfL). Nellie’s tireless pro-life work following the decision of Roe and continuing for the next forty years, (until the age of 88!), built the strong foundation upon which the March for Life now continues its work to promote the dignity of the human person.

Following the passing of Nellie the questions were asked by the Board for the March for Life: “What can we do to build on this incredible woman’s legacy? And how can the March for Life further promote a culture of life?” The answers included a strategic expansion of scope of the March for Life, and thus the board brought on new staff to help with digital media, legislative issues, and ecumenical outreach.

As we begin our first monthly newsletter, I’d like to take a few minutes now to share with you some of the work of the March for Life over the course of the past year. Many people often ask MfL staff: “What do you do after January”? In addition to coordinating the largest pro-life gathering in the world every year on the anniversary of the Supreme Court decisions in Roe and Doe, the March for Life staff also works on a day-to-day basis to build a culture of life. It is our ultimate goal to work to create a culture where no woman would ever choose abortion.

One of the ways we do this is through media; the MfL regularly represents the pro-life voice in mainstream news. Over the course of the past year, the MfL has been interviewed on such major outlets as the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, National Review, and Washington Post on a variety of issues related to a culture of life, including speaking out on Emergency Contraception (which can act as an abortifacient), the safety of abortion clinics, and adoption, among other themes. Please check out our website to view or read any of these interviews: marchforlife.org.

We also work to educate the public about the inherent dignity of the human person through new media: in 2013, our Facebook presence increased from under 1,000 to close to 14,000, with daily posts that are content-rich. We have over four thousand followers on Twitter, with daily tweets on pertinent issues. We also have a blog with regular posts with themes touching on a broad array of issues impacting a culture of life – from chastity to college pro-life involvement to stories about some of our favorite pro-life heroes.

In the way of more traditional education, this past year, the March for Life has offered presentations at a vast array of conferences and events, including a bioethics conference in Rome, Italy; events in Michigan, New Jersey, Connecticut, Indiana, and numerous schools and universities. We are also hosting briefings on Capitol Hill on related topics; on Sept. 10 we partnered in a briefing on adoption as a noble option.

Last but not least, we are very busy in January, too! Last January offered increased media coverage of the March from the Washington Post to MSNBC. We had the first annual 5K run on the day following the MfL. The Youth Rally and Law Summit had record breaking crowds. The March itself included hundreds of thousands of participants marching past the Supreme Court in densely packed crowds for well over two hours. This all requires a great deal of planning.

You can see that we are busy – not only in January, but year-round! In August, our staff expanded significantly to meet the increased work-load — you will have a chance to read about the wonderful MfL team in this newsletter. We also recently moved into historic staff offices in Washington, DC. It has been a year of transition, and an exciting year. We are now excited to continue the good work that has begun.

October 30, 2013 By Scott Zipperle

83 Days of Life: For pro-lifers concerned about transparency now is the time to trick and tweet (a primer)

As we speak Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee at a hearing titled “PPACA Implementation Failures: Answers from HHS” (Click here to watch the hearing). The hearing is to focus on the many issues that have become apparent since the “exchanges” or “marketplaces” established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) became available on October 1.

This hearing is a prime opportunity to draw attention to the taxpayer-funded abortion coverage in the ACA. More specifically, you may wish to highlight the lack of transparency regarding abortion coverage. As explained more fully in the information below, it has become evident that it is very difficult for consumers seeking exchange plans to identify which, if any plans, on their state exchange exclude abortion. This is vital information for pro-life consumers in the 27 states that have not passed laws to exclude abortion coverage in their state exchange. Since there is a mandatory monthly abortion surcharge included in the premiums for any plan that includes elective abortion, pro-life consumers will want to identify plans that exclude abortion. However, the exchange websites do not indicate whether abortion coverage is included in each plan and the pricing information does not specify when the price includes the abortion surcharge.

In response to this lack of transparency, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) has introduced the “Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act” (H.R. 3279). This legislation would require prominent, transparent disclosure of abortion coverage and the abortion surcharge (if applicable) for each plan on the exchanges. This legislation is a first step to addressing the serious problems with abortion funding in the ACA. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) has also introduced the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” (H.R. 7) which would eliminate the taxpayer subsidies for plans that include abortion on the exchanges.

A “tweetfest” using #BeTransparent has been organized by Americans United for Life, the Susan B Anthony List and Stand True Pro-life Outreach to correspond with the hearing

For your convenience here are the Twitter handles of the Republicans doing the questioning today – please Tweet to them directly

@RepFredUpton

@RalphHallPress

@RepJoeBarton

@RepEdWhitfield

@RepShimkus

@RepJoePitts

@repgregwalden

@LEETERRYNE

@RepMikeRogersAL

@RepTimMurphy

@michaelcburgess

@MarshaBlackburn and @VoteMarsha

@RepPhilGingrey and @PhilGingreyMD

@SteveScalise

@boblatta

@cathymcmorris

@GreggHarper

@RepLanceNJ7

@BillCassidy

@RepGuthrie and @GuthrieKY02

@OlsonPressShop

@repcorygardner and @CoryGardnerCO

@RepMikePompeo

@RepKinzinger

@RepMGriffith

@RepGusBilirakis

@RepBillJohnson

@USRepLong

@RepReneeEllmers

And lastly from a pro-life friend here are some sample tweets:

Sample Tweets (#BeTransparent)

Tell #Sebelius to #BeTransparent. Why won’t #Obamacare tell us which plans include abortion?

If u want to pick an #Obamacare plan without abortion, 2 bad b/c the exchanges won’t give you that information #BeTransparant

If u buy a plan with abortion, u have 2 pay a abortion surcharge, but #Obamacare won’t tell you which plans include abortion #BeTransparent

Tell Congress to #BeTransparent & pass #HR3279 so consumers can find out if they have to pay #Obamacare abortion surcharge

#Obamacare exchanges hide abortion surcharge. Why won’t #Sebelius #BeTransparent?

October 29, 2013 By Scott Zipperle

84 Days of Life: Everything is bigger in Texas, including Planned Parenthood’s lies

Who can forget the drama this past summer when Democratic Texas State Senator (and now gubernatorial candidate) Wendy Davis “filibustered” against legislation that she and her out-of-state friends argued would oppress women and throw us back into the dark ages. The nefarious legislation in question basically did three things:

Prohibited abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy
Required abortionists to have admitting privileges at a local hospital; and
Required abortionists administer abortion medications only as the original FDA label instructs.

During her 11-hour speech on the Texas Senate floor not once did Senator Davis explain to the masses, either the praying pro-lifers or her followers (some of whom carried jars of urine) how ensuring that women have not only the guidance of a doctor but also the benefits of a fully staff hospital, “endangers women”.

After a lengthy and publicized legislative fight, the law passed in July and was signed into law by Gov. Rick Perry (R). In September abortion giant Planned Parenthood and their ilk filed a lawsuit challenging the provisions mentioned above. For them, the judge’s ruling came in the nick of time – just a day before the new regulations would have taken effect.

Sen. Davis’ friends from out of state appreciated her defiance of this women-protecting legislation and both encouraged her to run for Governor as well as raised her millions of dollars to do so. Her opponent in that race, current Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot, opposes the judge’s decision and plans on fighting it in higher courts.

However the question remains, does Planned Parenthood’s actions in Texas make women safer?

On the question of abortion medications the answer seems to be a resounding NO. Americans United for Life has written about the off label use of abortion drugs, specifically RU-486. Their findings found at least eight women who have died after an abortionist prescribed them the drug RU-486, also known as Mifeprex. The drug Mifeprex is normally used to treat severe bacterial infections. Even more women needed to be further treated after taking the drug. The author of the AUL piece, Mailee Smith, goes on to decimate a study that Planned Parenthood had been touting as “full of flaws.”

On the facility regulations from a pro-life perspective they do seem to work around the nation as more and more abortion facilities would rather close then to actually have to monitor for any more butchers like Kermit Gosnell. Texas Alliance for Life (H/T LifeNews), on the same day as the judge’s ruling, released their findings from numerous state inspection reports of abortuaries. What they found should surprise no one:

“Whole Woman’s Health and Planned Parenthood want the public to believe that abortion facilities are safe for women. A rusty suction machine, faulty sterilizing fluid, a faulty sterilization machine, holes in the floor exposing the facility to rodents, expired and unlabeled medication, and absent or poorly trained nursing staff contradict the abortion industry’s rhetoric,” said Joe Pojman, Ph.D., executive director of Texas Alliance for Life. “No woman should be exposed to such horrendous conditions. Women deserve better.”

The evidence grows more and more that Kermit Gosnell seems less an aberration, as Planned Parenthood would like to claim, and more the norm. As long as organizations that profit from this misery fight against every regulation or legislation that might even remotely hurt their bottom line, it will not just be children being killed by the abortion industry, but mothers as well.

October 28, 2013 By Scott Zipperle

85 Days of Life: The Stark Truth About Adoption

As most people who know me know, I am a not so closeted geek. Being conservative in the geek world is not easy. Aside from the stray Orson Scott Card it seems that most writers, artists, etc. are generally very liberal – and many of those push their liberal views in their product. Some issues tend to cross liberal/conservative boundaries though and at the top of that list is the issue of adoption. And a recent reveal in the comic world will hopefully help that issue.

<SPOILER ALERT>

Whether this will help or have no effect on the issue of adoption recently the popular comic book character Tony Stark, whose alter ego is Iron Man and has been made famous in the cinematic universe by Robert Downey, Jr.), learned he was adopted.

Iron Man #17 … released October 23, 2013 …. revealed a shocking change in the status quo for Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. The second-generation tech-savvy billionaire just got back from a long adventure in space that revealed that his parents had allowed him to be experimented on as an infant by an alien robotic entity to save his life – and install for him a future destiny he couldn’t fight.

In Iron Man #17 we learned that all that wasn’t true, but the truth was even harder: Tony Stark isn’t the son of Howard and Maria Stark as he – and comics fans – always thought. Instead he was adopted by the Starks to use as a decoy to hide away their true son who had been subject to those alien experimentations. In Iron Man #17 Tony put all the pieces together, and actually went out and met the brother he never knew he had—the real son of Howard and Maria Stark – Arno Stark.

The best part was Tony Stark’s reaction finding out he was adopted – “it doesn’t feel any different.”

While hopefully future stories about Iron Man will be inspirational to those who are thinking of adopting or who have adopted we live in the real world and we don’t have to go to fictional venues to find stories of inspiration and love. The National Council for Adoption’s website not only has moving stories they are also a great resource for those who are thinking of adopting, who are adopted or for those who work in pregnancy care centers.

And going back to my earlier claim of bipartisanship on the issue of adoption you need look no further that the Children in Families First Act. In the Senate the bill is sponsored by pro-life Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and the not so pro-life Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.). The House bill has the same dynamic when it comes to sponsors. To learn more about the bill please visit here.

October 25, 2013 By Scott Zipperle

88 Days of Life: States of Life

For today’s posting I am cheating a little and instead pointing to all the activity happening around the nation on the life issue. It is on the more local level we are seeing some great gains for the unborn, or in a state like California some disappointing setbacks. On the national level Americans United for Life is the go to group for model legislation, however if you are one of the lucky ones to have a Family Policy Council in your state I’d suggest strongly contacting them to find out what your state is up to and what you can do to help. You can find a list of these state groups here.

If you have some good news from your state please leave a comment below to let us know! Thanks!

08/05/13 Alabama: Abortion doctor being sued by the health department gets referrals from health department

10/24/13 Pro-life activists seek tighter rules for Alabama doctors performing abortions in the state

10/04/13 Arizona Abortion Law Challenge Dismissed By Federal Judge

10/16/13 Abortions in Arkansas drop to lowest number since 1977

08/30/13 Pro-lifers blast California bill that would make access easier

10/14/13 New California laws mean big jump in number of abortions

09/18/13 Use of Abortion Rights in Colorado Recall Fails Miserably

08/04/13 Kansas: For critics, Kansas abortion law’s form also matters

08/30/13 A complaint filed against Mississippi’s only abortion clinic alleges the facility has not been in compliance with state law

09/17/13 New Mexico: 20 week bill on Albuquerque ballot

08/21/13 New York Gov. Cuomo Gives Pro-Abortion Group the Lone Lobbying Reporting Exemption