That’s a rhetorical question, right?  Unfortunately, no.  Many would debate whether newborns have a right to life – and just such a debate will ensue in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday when the body votes on the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (S. 311).  Make your voice heard today by asking your senators to vote for life!

When it comes to infants born during attempted abortions, some actually believe it’s okay to kill a newborn.  You may recall Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s infamous words last year when speaking about late-term abortions: “The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”

To be blunt, those comments – and the arguments made by other pro-abortion extremists – are not about abortion at all, but rather about infanticide.

The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act would require that babies born alive after a failed abortion receive medical care.  It seems simple enough.  After all, babies are routinely and consistently provided medical care upon birth.  There is no litmus test for how wanted the baby is or for any other qualification; medical care is given because newborns require it.  Sen. Ben Sasse’s bill would affirm that truth and make clear in federal law that babies born during attempted abortions are no less human or worthy of life than other infants.

Sen. Sasse (R-NE) has said, “Everyone in the Senate ought to be able to say unequivocally that killing [a] little baby is wrong. This doesn’t take any political courage.… There should be no politics here that are right versus left, or Republican versus Democrat.”  We couldn’t agree more!

The Senate is also poised to vote on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (S. 3275) on Tuesday.  This bill, authored by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), would prohibit abortion after 20 weeks post-fertilization, when scientific evidence tells us an unborn child can feel pain.  It is noteworthy that the United States is one of just seven countries worldwide which permit abortions after 20 weeks; the others are China, North Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Canada and the Netherlands.

More than 20 states have so far enacted laws to protect babies older than 20 weeks.  We applaud Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin for passing such laws.  Yet we must work to protect unborn babies in EVERY state of the union.

Please take a few moments today to call and email your two U.S. Senators to urge them to vote in favor of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (S. 3275) and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act (S. 311).

Thank you for standing with us to protect life!

For the babies,

The Family Policy Alliance Team

By Paul Weber, President & CEO

 Did we all watch the same State of the Union Speech?

To watch the news pundits parse each line and put their spin on the President’s remarks—you would be hard pressed to think that we did. To watch a large swath of Congress sit on their hands and at times visibly scowl, is yet another indication that it’s not America first for many, but power first.

Despite the evidence of lower taxes, lower unemployment, more and more businesses providing bonuses, Isis on the run, a budget that increases spending for our neglected men & women in uniform, infrastructure and national security; many left-leaning members of Congress and the media would have us think that we are living in a different and failing world.

Perhaps the victories that went unstated in the State of the Union speech are what really have the Left in a tailspin. Victories for our families such as:

• The U.S. House passed the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act by 241-183! This bill requires proper medical care be given to infants who survive an abortion–now the Senate needs to follow suit and send the bill onto President Trump.
• The Department of Health and Human Services issued a letter ending the Obama Administration’s attempt to force states to include abortion providers in taxpayer funded Medicaid programs.
• Health and Human Services also issued a new proposed rule to protect doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals from being forced to participate in abortions or assisted suicide.
• President Trump called on the Senate to send him the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act—banning abortions after 20 weeks, the point by which preborn babies can feel horrific pain. While the Senate failed to pass this essential legislation, many vulnerable Senators up for election in 2018 are now on record as being out of step with their constituents and the nation!

These victories are made possible through your support and engagement, as well as through the many allies working together with Family Policy Alliance across the nation.

Let’s face the facts… America is a divided nation.

It’s why Family Policy Alliance exists and why we will continue to:

• Work within the church to help pastors and believers understand our essential role as salt and light within our communities; to “know our God, stand firm and take action” (Dan. 11:32).
• Mobilize Pro-family voters to elect candidates that reflect our values—not those of special interest groups.
• Advance legislation that protects life, defends religious liberty and strengthens the family.
• Train the next generation of Statesmen—men and women called to serve in elected office and bring about transformation from within—through our sister organization, Family Policy Foundation.
• Speak on behalf of the family of believers nationwide and rally the church to engage in our communities for the “welfare of the city (Jer. 29:7).”

Friends, if we are growing tired of the divisiveness in our nation… then we have to act.

Together, we can amplify our voices in the public square. Together, we have the ability to elect leaders locally in 2018 that best reflect our values at the state and national level. Together, we can silence activist courts by requiring that our legislatures reign them in.

Together, through the humility and prayers of the faithful to our Lord and by loving our neighbor as ourselves, our nation can be restored.

Are you in?

Yesterday, the U.S. Senate defeated a bill that would have outlawed abortions after 20 weeks, the point by which preborn children can feel horrific pain.  A majority of senators (51) supported the bill, but 60 votes were required to overcome a Democrat filibuster.

As a result, the United States remains one of just seven countries, including North Korea and China, to allow abortions after 20 weeks.

While the bill is now defeated, it’s ramifications will continue to be felt throughout the 2018 elections, as was evidenced by the partisan divide in the vote.  Only two Republicans (Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska) voted against the bill, while only three Democrats voted in favor.

What is noteworthy about those three Democrats is that all of them – Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Joe Manchin of West Virginia – are in competitive re-election races in 2018.  They all claim to be pro-life but have spotty records on life-related votes.  Since 2012, Sen. Manchin has just a 50 percent voting record on life issues, while Senators Casey and Donnelly have voted pro-life a meager 23 percent, according to the National Right to Life Committee.

But while those three senators at least voted pro-life yesterday, other Democrats in pivotal races this year voted to in favor of late-term abortions.  These include Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, and Jon Tester of Montana.  Two other pro-abortion Democrats who are in potentially competitive races in 2018 – Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Bill Nelson of Florida – did not vote.

Please click here to find out how your state’s 2 senators voted.   Then call one or both of your senators and respectfully share your appreciation or disappointment.  You can reach them at the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121.  Feedback and accountability are critical to making continued progress on life, so make your voice heard today!

Many hot issues are still being debated in Washington D.C., but one thing that’s clear is that President Trump’s administration is keeping his commitment to protect life!

On January 20^th, President Trump will have been in office for one year. It’s stunning how much difference that year has made in the fight to protect life and end abortion. In just one year, our country’s leadership has shifted from President Obama who asked God to “bless Planned Parenthood”—an organization responsible for the deaths of 321,384 preborn children according to their latest report—to President Trump who today became the first sitting president to address the annual March for Life live via satellite.

Here’s a snapshot of the important actions protecting life & religious freedom that have been taken at the federal level in one year:

• TODAY: President Trump became the first sitting president to address the annual March for Life live via satellite.
• TODAY: The U.S. House passed the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act by 241-183! This bill requires proper medical care be given to infants who survive an abortion–rather than abandoning them die excruciating deaths alone and then be thrown out as medical waste. Now the Senate needs to follow suit and send the bill onto President Trump.
• TODAY: President Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services issued a letter ending the Obama Administration’s attempt to force states to include abortion providers in taxpayer funded Medicaid programs.
• TODAY: The Department of Health and Human Services also issued a new proposed rule to protect doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals from being forced to participate in abortions.
• TODAY: President Trump called on the Senate to send him the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act—banning abortions after 20 weeks, the point at which preborn children can feel pain—and promised to sign the bill when it reaches his desk. The U.S. is one of only 7 countries that allow elective abortions after 20 weeks—including North Korea and China.
• YESTERDAY: President Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services created a brand-new division on “Conscience and Religious Freedom,” charged with protecting doctors, nurses, and other medical professional from being forced to participate in abortions or assisted suicide.
• The Trump Administration issued guidance to enforce the requirement that taxpayer dollars not support abortions in Obamacare exchange plans.
• Attorney General Jeff Sessions distributed strong legal guidelines across the entire government, designed to protect people of faith.
• The Departments of Health and Human Services, Treasury, and Labor issued rules rules to protect Americans, like the Little Sisters of the Poor, from being forced to pay for health insurance that covers drugs that can cause early abortions.
• On the National Day of Prayer 2017, President Trump issued an Executive Order, directing his administration to make protecting religious freedom and conscience rights a priority—signaling that the hostility toward people of faith and ministries by the previous administration had ended.
• On President Trump’s first week in office, he reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy, which protects $9 billion in taxpayer-funded foreign aid from being used to fund the global abortion industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a difference 1 year makes!

“We are grateful that President Trump is serious about protecting life in America. Family Policy Alliance cares about electing prolife leaders and helping pass strong prolife laws in D.C. and in every state of the country because we care about the lives saved—and because each of those lives is an individual loved by and made in the image of our God,” said Paul Weber, President & CEO for Family Policy Alliance on today’s 45^th annual March for Life.

“Roe v. Wade isn’t the final say on the life issue. Men and women of faith around our country who are committed to taking action will be the final say in protecting life and ending abortion,” Weber concluded.

Will you help keep the momentum going in the fight to protect life & freedom? Please share this email with friends who would like to know the good news about the protections for life and religious freedom happening NOW. Or, you can share this on your Facebook page by using the buttons below.

Part 2 in a 4-part series called “Protecting Life & Ending Abortion”

In the bleak of winter, on January 22, 1973, it looked like the issue of abortion had been decided. The Supreme Court had ruled in Roe v. Wade, so what more was there to say?

And, what’s worse, Christians remained largely silent—at first.

But then, state legislatures slowly started to do what seemed impossible—they started chipping away at the infamous “right to abortion” ruling, proving that courts don’t get the final say. The people, families like yours across our country, get the final say through their elected leaders. As pressure mounted from the grassroots when believers of all denominations started calling on their government leaders to protect the sanctity of human life, laws in states began to change more quickly and more significantly.

Now, in 2018 as we approach the 45^th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, our nation looks dramatically different than it did in 1973, with the youngest generation now the most prolife generation yet. And, the variety of laws states have passed to protect life demonstrates more than anything else that all hope was not lost with that Court ruling 45 years ago.

We put together a snapshot of the primary types of laws states passed to save lives and chip away at the Roe v. Wade ruling. In this second part of our 4-part series on “Protecting Life & Ending Abortion,” we focus on laws clearly aimed toward recognizing the humanity of an unborn child and regulating abortion procedures, and those that directly impact abortionists and abortion facilities.

In Part 3 of our series, we’ll look at laws that protect mothers’ and parents’ right to know, as well as those that protect the religious freedom of healthcare providers who don’t want to be forced to provide an abortion.

Do you know whether your state has enacted any of these important laws?

Laws Recognizing the Humanity of the Unborn

In 2010, Nebraska became the first state to pass a law banning abortions after 20 weeks, following the legalization of abortion. Today, 21 states have passed late-term abortion laws and Senator Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) and Representative Trent Franks (Arizona, ) have introduced similar legislation on the federal level with a promise from President Trump to sign the bills if passed. These laws recognize the truth  that at 20 weeks in utero,  a baby is capable of feeling pain.

States and Congress have also considered banning abortions based on the sex or disability of the baby—recognizing that aborting a child for reasons based on genetics is a wrong and dangerous practice. In fact, Ohio just passed a new law that bans abortions if the decision is based on a test result that indicates the pre-born child has down syndrome.

Recently, states have also started working to end the brutal practice of dismemberment abortion, where an unborn child is torn apart and then removed from the uterus. So far, eight states ban this practice.

Most states also have laws criminalizing the acts of others that result in killing an unborn child—further recognizing that both mothers and their unborn children can be victims of violent crimes.

Though it’s hard to believe laws like this are needed, about 30 states also have laws that require proper medical treatment and care be given to any infant who survives a botched abortion. Legislators worked to enact these laws after horrific stories surfaced of babies born alive after a failed abortion were left to suffer and die alone or even thrown out as medical waste.

Laws Regulating Abortion Facilities and Abortionists

The most well-known and best law regulating abortion clinics in order to protect both unborn babies and their mothers was passed in Texas in 2013. The law simply required that abortion facilities be required to operate under the same standards as other out-patient medical facilities, including a requirement that abortionists have admitting privileges at a nearby facility in case of complications during an abortion. Of course, the Left strongly opposed this law because they want abortion-on-demand readily available and challenged the law in Court.

Sadly, the Supreme Court struck down Texas’ law in Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt in 2016, but fifteen other states have laws similar to Texas, protecting women in their states. And, the Court’s ruling doesn’t mean that states can’t continue to regulate abortion facilities.

Many abortion clinics throughout the nation have closed as a result of failing to meet basic health standards such as cleanliness.  The most infamous example was the “house of horrors” – a Philadelphia clinic operated by abortionist Kermit Gosnell – where two female patients died.

All of these efforts are working to gradually limit the lethal effects of abortions. Indeed, studies show that pro-life legislation has significantly reduced the incidence of abortion, particularly among minors.

Each child in the womb has intrinsic value that ought to be recognized not only by the government but by every individual. Putting basic health restrictions on abortionists and their facilities protects not only the baby, should there be a failed abortion, but the regulations also protect the life of the woman as well.

As we head into the 2018 legislative session and Sanctity of Human Life month this January, we invite you to stand with us in support of legislation that will value the humanity of all those involved in this horrific industry. And, please be sure to sign up with us if you’d like to learn more about what prolife laws or pending bills your state has!

READ PART 1 – 45 Years Since Roe v. Wade

READ PART 3 – Roe v. Wade Wasn’t the End…But So What?

READ PART 4 – After 45 Years, It’s Time to End Roe v. Wade!

After eight years of mostly bad news for pro-family values coming out of Washington, we’ve been hearing a lot of surprisingly good news in just the past week.

Autumn Leva, Director of Policy for Family Policy Alliance, highlights recent positive advances on the life issue, religious freedom and the rule of law.

You can send a message to your U.S. Senators quickly and easily through our Action Center.

That’s also where you can send a thank you note to President Trump.

 

Pro-life members of the House offered clear, medically sound insights into why elective abortions should be ended after a pre-born baby reaches 20 weeks.

Jim Banks is a U.S. Representative and an alumnus of Family Policy Foundation’s Statesmen Academy. He has advocated for such protections his entire career, voting for it as a state lawmaker in Indiana and now as a Congressman.

In a speech on the House floor on Oct. 2, he said the legislation is projected to save between 12,000 and 18,000 lives each year.

“Ten years ago, studies began to emerge proving that an unborn child is able to feel pain as early as 20 weeks post-fertilization,” Banks explained to his House colleagues. “Let’s ensure that all 50 states have protections for vulnerable pain-capable children.”

The bill easily passed the House, but now a more difficult fight begins. Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in the Senate on Oct. 5. The bill failed to garner enough support in that chamber twice before in the face of a veto threat by then-President Obama.

But if it passes this time, President Trump has pledged to sign it into law.

Your Senators need to hear from you right away. Urge them to vote for this vital bill to protect innocent lives.

TAKE ACTION
Urge your U.S. Senators to support and vote for the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin recently signed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. It effectively bans abortions after five months.

Kent Ostrander, president of our ally, The Family Foundation of Kentucky, said the General Assembly accomplished more for the pro-life cause in five days than it had in the past decade.

Marjorie Dennenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, said Kentucky becomes the 19th state to pass the measure. She says it’s time for the U.S. Congress to make it law.

“As Governor Bevin rightly pointed out, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is popular on both sides of the aisle,” she explained. “Americans are eager to see the U.S. removed from the list of only seven countries to allow abortion on-demand more than halfway through pregnancy.”

South Dakota passed its Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to take a stand on this important life issue.

South Dakota passed its Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, becoming the 16^th state in the nation to take a stand on this important life issue.

South Dakota joins 15 other states including Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Arizona in limiting abortions after 5 months. Family Heritage Alliance, one of CitizenLink’s nearly 40 state-based family policy councils worked hard to get the bill passed.

“We believe that all abortions deny a human his or her right to life,” said Dale Bartscher with Family Heritage Alliance. “The Legislature and Governor Daugaard’s enactment of the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is clearly a step in the direction of advancing the culture of life in our state and our country.”