Parliamentary Network E-News

Volume 16
No. 7
September, 2022
 
Defending Life

Legislation Introduced to Protect Pregnancy Care Centers

Leading pro-life Members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation to address violent attacks on pregnancy care centers and to hold President Biden accountable for his failure to respond to the threats. The legislation states the Biden Administration has failed “to identify the threats, violence and calls to violence against pregnancy centers as the work of domestic violent extremists” and that the Justice Department “has abdicated its duty and failed to provide justice for victims of violence.”
 
Rep. Chris Smith, Pro-life Caucus co-chair, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers introduced the Protect Pregnancy Care Centers Act of 2022 which if enacted would require the Biden Administration to publicly disclose how it is handling the investigation and prosecution of violent extremists who attack pregnancy resource centers. 

“These crimes against innocent victims are unconscionable and stand in clear violation of 18 U.S. Code § 248—current law that requires the Biden Administration to investigate and prosecute the individuals threatening, vandalizing, and damaging pregnancy centers,” Rep. Smith said.
 
“Now more than ever, we need to ensure the safety and security of the estimated 3,000 pregnancy care centers that provide life-affirming alternatives to abortion—offering critical, quality care for pregnant women facing challenging circumstances and helping to save so many unborn, innocent lives,” continued Smith. He also noted that the lives of more than 828,130 unborn babies have been saved in during the years 2016-2020 through the work of pregnancy care centers.
 
The bill directs the Justice and Homeland Security inspectors general to provide information on the federal investigations to Congress, as well as report on funding available to pregnancy centers seeking to increase security.
 
“Our new bill takes President Biden to task for his dereliction of duty to protect these centers from domestic violent extremists and will help hold the Biden Administration accountable for its obligation to prosecute those who are inflicting terror and destroying these vital resource centers,” Smith said.
 
Rep. McMorris Rodgers explained that her goal in introducing the legislation “is to foster an environment where no woman feels like their only option is abortion, and I am committed to supporting women and children at every stage of life”. She called the violent attacks on pregnancy centers “reprehensible” which “endanger and intimidate the women who depend on them for critical medical care, education, and other resources.”
 
It is estimated that at least 70 pro-life pregnancy centers have been victimized by destruction of property, graffiti and even firebombing since the May 1 leak of the Supreme Court opinion which overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, all with no arrests. A CompassCare pregnancy center that was firebombed back in June by the extremist pro-abortion group Jane’s Revenge, one of at least 18 attacks by the group, is now having to sue the local police for return of video-surveillance footage of the attack and other evidence it gave law enforcement following the firebombing.
 
The president and CEO of CompassCare Pregnancy Services, James Harden, explained that they are frustrated that no arrests have been made in the case after more than three months and they want the footage back. “It’s Day 106. There have been no arrests. There have been over 50 attacks on pro-life pregnancy centers. And our patience is at an end,” Harden said. He has previously asked both the FBI and local police for access to the footage so he can make a copy of it, but they refused.

 


Italy Preparing for Female Pro-Life Prime Minister

Giorgia Meloni is expected to be nominated as the first female prime minister of Italy by President Sergio Mattarella who must choose someone from the winning coalition as prime minister. Meloni is a member of the Brothers of Italy which received the most support in the recent election and is the leading party in a new center-right coalition tasked with forming a governing alliance.
 
Meloni is pro-life and opposed to abortion. She has described herself as a mother, as a Christian and has publicly expressed her admiration for St. John Paul II and believes in “yes to the culture of life, no to the abyss of death.” Despite her opposition to abortion, it has been reported that she will not attempt to change Italy’s abortion laws but instead will propose pro-life and family policies to encourage motherhood.
 
In another election result, long serving Italian senator and former Foreign Minister Emma Bonino lost her election in one of the north-central neighborhoods of Rome despite the area being considered safe politically with the center-right never having won there. Bonino is a recognized pro-abortion leader and credited with having helped legalize abortion in 1978.
 
Following the election results, 1,000 pro-abortion activists marched voicing opposition to any changes to the abortion law. It was reported that protestors cited abortion restrictions being enacted in many U.S. states after the Dobbs decision as a concern that it is “an indication of trends internationally”. One protestor said, “Meloni ‘continues to say that she doesn’t want to touch Law 194, but that she wants to guarantee a woman’s right not to abort’. I don’t believe what she says about choice.”

Pro-Life Scholars Offer Insights to Legislators

Pro-life scholars in the US issued a statement following the reversal of Roe v. Wade which includes insights for legislators. Overall, the statement expresses their belief that “a truly just society would meet the myriad needs of pregnant women while legally protecting their unborn children at every stage” and addresses two propositions. The first is of pro-life principle: “just as justice requires us to protect all unborn children, so too does it require us to protect access to life-affirming medical treatment for pregnant women facing grave medical complications. This is part of the pro-life ideal, not an exception to it. Ensuring access to such treatments is morally right and consistent with giving both mothers and unborn children the same protections accorded to others."
 
The second is of political prudence and is especially relevant for lawmakers seeking to protect unborn children in the midst of challenging political environments. The scholars explain that “while children at all stages of development ought to enjoy the law’s protections, political realities may make it impossible to achieve this fully and immediately in many jurisdictions.” They declare that when this is the case, “enacting the most pro-life law realistically possible is justified. We should not allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good where the perfect is not currently feasible, but a law better than the legal status quo is achievable. Even as citizens and lawmakers may accept less-than-ideal laws on abortion, we must always make clear that the ultimate goal toward which we steadily work is to protect every human being in law and life.”
 
After reviewing four possible legislative scenarios, the scholars conclude: "In short, it is reasonable for pro-life lawmakers faced with imperfect options to choose the one that promises the most protection of unborn children over time, rather than to do nothing. Far from violating unborn children’s right to life, such choices honor and promote it. Lawmakers must also remain committed, and make clear that they remain committed, to continually advancing a culture in which every human being is protected in law and welcomed in life.”
 

Marches for Life in Warsaw, London, Berlin and Dublin

A March for Life and Family was held in Poland with the theme "I Promise You". Polish President Andrzej Duda greeted the participants saying in a video message: "I am very happy that you are again marching through the streets of Warsaw. Grandparents, parents, children and parents-to-be form a great joyful community here today. Together you are giving public testimony of your commitment to the noblest ideals. You express the conviction that a strong family means a successful future for our Country. I thank you from the heart for this.”
 
It was reported that an estimated 10,000 people walked through the streets of Poland's capital. Pawel Ozdoba, President of the Center for Life and Family which organized the March, said, "Similar marches are organized throughout the year in 150 towns and cities in Poland, and gather several hundred thousand people.”
 
A record number participated in the UK March for Life with the slogan ‘10 Million Too Many’, referring to the number of abortions in England and Wales since it was made legal in 1967. Speakers addressed the marchers in Parliament Square. According to Right to Life UK, one of the organizers, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, spoke against the current abortion legislation in the UK that permits abortion up to 24 weeks and up until birth for disabilities including Down syndrome, cleft lip or club foot. She said: “Inside the womb of every pregnant woman is a human being. That’s not politics, that’s not religion, that’s science”.
 
The recent overturning of Roe v. Wade and U.S. state enactments of pro-life protections was mentioned by Madeline Page, CEO of The Alliance of Pro-life Students, who said
“We’ve seen a steady increase in the amount of young people wanting to take part in pro-life events since the news from America, many of these are stepping out for the first time and feel that since this issue is being talked about more, it’s now acceptable to disclose their beliefs”. 
 
A March for Life was held in Berlin to show support of the right to life for all people from conception to natural death. “Like every year, the event was peaceful and joyful on the part of the participants,” the organizer, the Federal Association for the Right to Life, said, according to a report by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. 
 
Parliamentarian Hubert Hüppe of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) spoke about the different threats to people before and after birth, including selective forms of prenatal diagnostics and the legalization of assisted suicide. He said, “The right to life is the most important fundamental right. If you don’t have that, you are left with nothing.” 
 
Three years since abortion was legalized in Ireland for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, a March was held in Dublin as a review of The Termination of Pregnancy Act is taking place. “Today, we are uniting with pro-life Oireachtas members to demand that the Government address Ireland’s spiraling abortion rate and make way for positive alternatives to abortion to be promoted,” said Eilís Mulroy of the Pro Life Campaign.
 
She continued, “In the first three years since the new abortion law was introduced, 20,718 Irish abortions have taken place. This is a national tragedy that demands urgent action to ensure that women contemplating abortion are fully informed about positive alternatives prior to any abortion happening.” 
International Pressure for Abortion

Pro-Abortion Activists Want Media to Silence Pro-Life Voices

Pro-abortion activists have stooped to a new low and seek to further silence pro-life views about the reality of abortion, views considered to be “rooted in white supremacy, hatred and misinformation” according to a tweet by FòsFeminista.
 
A group of 600 abortionists, post abortive women, and abortion activists under the direction of Physicians for Reproductive Health sent a letter to reporters, journalists, editorial teams and producers calling on them to “Stop Giving Airtime to Anti-Abortion Extremists” declaring that when “anti-abortionists” are given opportunity to present their views in the media, they share and encourage “misinformation, disinformation, and inflammatory threats”. The activists even claim that when pro-abortion leaders appear on broadcasts with or are quoted in the media alongside pro-life leaders their safety becomes a concern.
 
The pro-aborts oppose reporting that seeks to cover “both sides” of the abortion debate claiming that “medicine and science are not up for debate and health care is not debate.” They write, “And the fact is, abortion is not in the realm of theory or belief. Abortion belongs in health care, social services, and public health reporting.”
 
Of course, no mention is given to the scientific facts regarding the development of the unborn child, including when the heart begins to beat and that at 15 weeks gestation, he or she can feel pain. There is no mention to the pro-abortion “theory or belief” that denies the humanity of the child in the womb, a scientific and medical fact.
 
Physicians for Reproductive Health charge that when media interview “anti-abortion extremists”, they are “giving the opportunity for dangerous lies to spread and “by way of asking them questions, legitimizing their answers. You are allowing hateful, dangerous harassers to build a base that encourages protesting at clinics, stalking and harming clinic staff and abortion providers, and online and in-person abuse of people who have abortions and those who support them in getting that care.”
 
The group only wants media to interview who they call “the real experts of this area of medicine” –-those “who have and provide abortions.” They seek private meetings to instruct decision makers in media on “how to better your editorial and coverage strategies in service of communities.”

Europe: Pro-Abortion Presented as Pro-Democracy

Leading pro-abortion activists and supporters has increasingly presented the false notion that Standing up for abortion rights is standing up for democracy. In fact, this is the title of an opinion piece by Petra Bayr, member of the Austrian National Council and President of the European Parliamentary Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Rights. She refers to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs and writes, “American women woke up in late June of this year to discover that their Supreme Court had taken away what had been a constitutionally guaranteed right to abortion since 1973.” She fails to recognize that the current Supreme Court was within its authority to review and rule on a past controversial decision when confronted with present day challenges and concerns. She is also critical
of Poland’s pro-life laws and efforts to provide women seeking abortion with informed consent in Hungary.
 
Bayr writes that these events “reveal two disturbing truths”. The first is that “the gains we thought we had achieved in many countries regarding women’s rights back in the 1960s, 70s and 80s are not safe and may be reversed”. Second, she writes “… the ones who wish to roll back human rights are not just the same social and religious conservatives who have personal convictions on some ethical issues, but ambitious and savvy political actors who don’t always share our common values of liberal democracy and the rule of law.”
 
Political leaders who voice and act on the core conviction that unborn children are entitled to the right to life are attacked by Bayr and others like her who are frustrated that national laws on abortion in Europe do not guarantee a ‘right to abortion’.
 
She writes how she, and the organization of which she serves as president, the European Parliamentarian Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF), “released the European Abortion Policy Atlas, which analyses the legislation regulating abortion in over 40 countries across geographic Europe and the results are startling. Far from having solid laws which guarantee a ‘right to abortion’, 14 countries and territories still regulate abortion via their respective penal or criminal codes. In 19 countries, women face medically unnecessary barriers to access, and 31 countries don’t include abortion in the national health system’s financial coverage. In short, the vast majority of European countries, including many that would consider themselves progressive and where the public believes that ‘abortion is a woman’s right’, have outdated laws which do not reflect this.”
 
National laws on abortion have been recognized since ICPD at Cairo as the duty of lawmakers but Bayr and others want to deny countries in Europe the right to determine their own abortion laws by advancing a strategy to use the EU elections of 2024 to “build a broad political consensus on the idea of including the right to abortion in the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights. Bayr claims that such an action "which would serve as a guarantee for a whole series of related human rights as well as democracy.”
 
PNCI notes that denying legislators their duty to determine laws on abortion is the true attack on democracy.

Democrat Members of U.S. Congress Seek to Fund Abortion Globally

Pro-abortion Democrat Members of Congress, led by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Senator Richard Blumenthal, petitioned the Biden administration to change the way the long-standing Helms Amendment is implemented. The Helms Amendment was enacted in 1973 and bars U.S. Foreign Assistance for abortion as a “method of family planning” but pro-abortion Democrats in Congress and abortion activists believe there can be exceptions to the Helms Amendment to permit the use of U.S. funds for abortion in cases of rape, incest, and life endangerment.
 
In the bicameral letter to HHS Secretary Becerra, Secretary of State Blinken, and USAID Administrator Power— Request for urgent action to communicate and implement Helms Amendment exceptions to countries and organizations that receive U.S. Foreign Assistance— they use the context of the war in Ukraine as a rational for the request. The Members of Congress state, “Unfortunately, for over 50 years, the Helms Amendment has been incorrectly applied as a total ban on U.S. Foreign Assistance being used for abortion care. Indeed, the overapplication of Helms has had devastating effects internationally, the latest example being Russia’s attack on Ukraine.”
 
In addition, they address the global situation calling on the Biden officials to clarify that exceptions to the Helms Amendment are necessary “to ensure U.S. foreign assistance does not obstruct access to safe abortion care in countries where it is legally permissible under local law.”

The global impact of the Dobbs decision is addressed, “In the wake of the devastating Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, abortion access in the United States will be decimated nationwide. The impact of the Dobbs decision far exceeds our borders. We know that many countries that have long used the Roe v. Wade decision to support legalizing their abortion laws will now face challenges. Issuing guidance on the exceptions to the Helms Amendment will ensure that the United States is not impeding access to health care that is protected under local law in other countries.” 
Focus on the United Nations

President Biden Voice Abortion Support at United Nations

President Biden made it clear in his remarks before the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly that the United States under his administration has abandoned the most defenseless members of the human family, unborn children.
 
The following are excerpts from an op-ed by Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life.
 
“President Biden told global leaders at the United Nations that he knows that the future will be won by the countries ‘that unleash the full potential of their populations’ and where women and girls exercise their ‘basic reproductive rights’ which in Bidenspeak means allows abortion on demand until the moment of birth.
 
“Biden recalled the beginnings of the United Nations during which countries strove, among other goals, for the ‘equal rights for every member of the human family’. But Biden’s extreme abortion policies exclude the most vulnerable members of the human family, children in the womb, and seeks to deny them their most basic human right—the right to life.
 
“He calls on world leaders to ‘stand together’ to ‘bend the arc of history toward a freer and more just world for all our children’ but wants to ensure that not all children experience freedom and justice. Under Biden’s policies, millions of lives will continue to be lost in the U.S. and around the world, and if he gets his way—all at U.S. taxpayer expense.
 
“Unborn baby girls will continue to be killed because they are not boys; babies with a disability will continue to lose their lives because they are considered to be ‘imperfect’; and many more will continue to destroyed for a host of reasons which deny their human dignity.
 
“The U.S. needs to lead the way in cherishing all lives and working for solutions that address the reasons women resort to abortion. Pope Francis has clearly stated that abortion is not a lawful way to solve problems and that women facing a difficult pregnancy need to be helped.
 
“Biden in his final word talks about the future saying that ‘we are the authors of history’ and we must take action for ‘our future’ and ‘for humankind’.
 
“The question we face is clear: “Will we welcome and cherish all members of the human family or seek the destruction of some? Our future and the future of humankind does indeed depend on what we do and how we treat the weakest and most defenseless members of the human family.
 
“The world is facing tremendous pro-abortion pressure from the U.S and the U.N. May global leaders not give in and continue to work toward life-affirming health care for all.
 
“May they be encouraged and renewed by the words of St. Pope John Paul II who said:
‘Never tire of firmly speaking out in defense of life from its conception and do not be deterred from the commitment to defend the dignity of every human person with courageous determination’.”

Ugandan Officials Affirm Uganda’s Defense of the Unborn at the UN

Uganda took the lead in standing up for the right to life of unborn children during negotiations on a resolution at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly challenging the U.S. and the E.U. During debate, the Nigerian delegate warned against making abortion an official UN response to pregnancies in emergency situations, saying that it “creates the danger that women will be pressured to abort their babies.” Uganda was joined by 33 other countries, including numerous other African countries.
 
When asked about it, Dr Jesca Nsungwa, Uganda’s Commissioner for Maternal and Child Health at the Ministry of Health, told a reporter that abortion in Uganda is illegal and that the country does not support the UN definition of the act as a human right. She said, “We don’t promote or support abortion in Uganda. We are pro-life and, therefore, we oppose that definition.”

It was reported that the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Thomas Tayebwa, had said in April that he would promote and protect human rights, including fighting abortion. “I promise the Parliament and the people of Uganda that I will do things that will give respect to God. Personally, I have values that I believe in. We must respect the lives of every individual including the unborn. I’m pro-life,” Mr Tayebwa emphasized.
Legislative News

Switzerland: Members Propose Pro-Life Initiatives for Public Vote

Two Swiss members of parliament, Andrea Geissbühler and Yvette Estermann, have introduced pro-life initiatives that could go to a national referendum for approval. MP Geissbühler’s proposal, known as the “Sleep on it” initiative, would require a day of reflection before undergoing an abortion. MP Estermann introduced a bill prohibiting abortions when “the fetus can breathe outside of the uterus, if necessary through intensive care.” Under Swiss law, if the proposals get 100,000 signatures, the public will vote on them by next June. “If some lives can be saved through these initiatives, then they are worthwhile”, said Geissbühler. Similar policies have been implemented successfully across Europe. “We are seeing the advent of more pro-life policies in Europe that value the life of the mother and the unborn child. It would be good to see some of our MPs advance similar initiatives,” said Right To Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson.

Hungary: New Law Requires Women Hear Baby’s Heartbeat Before Abortion

new policy in Hungary has gone into effect requiring a woman seeking an abortion to first listen to the unborn baby’s heartbeat. The national law permits abortion on demand up until 12 weeks of pregnancy. The new decree says doctors must give the mother “the factor indicating the functioning vital functions in a clearly identifiable manner.” Member of parliament Dora Duro celebrated the new legislation, saying it was a “chance for life” and a step to “protecting all fetuses from conception.”

Uruguay: Lower House to Consider Legalizing Assisted Suicide

Uruguay’s Lower House will debate legislation to legalize euthanasia after its Health Committee approved it. The proposed policy would permit that “Any person of legal age, psychically fit, who suffers from one or more chronic, incurable and irreversible pathologies or health conditions that seriously undermine their quality of life, causing them unbearable suffering, has the right to be euthanized at their request and through the procedure established in the present law, so that their death takes place in a painless, peaceful and respectful way to their dignity.” The bill includes 12 amendments in addition to the original bill laying out specific guidelines for one seeking to end his/her life.    
Executive News

UK: New Health Secretary Criticized for Being Pro-Life

The UK’s new Health Secretary, Therese Coffey, is receiving backlash for being a practicing pro-life Catholic. The chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service criticized the appointment citing Coffey’s pro-life voting record: “To have a health secretary who would place their personal beliefs above expert clinical guidance is deeply concerning.” However, Secretary Coffey said she does not intend to change the abortion law since it has already been voted on and decided by parliament. She said she would “prefer that people didn't have abortions but I am not going to condemn people that do.” 
 
As a Member of Parliament, Coffey previously voted against making the DIY home abortion policy permanent, same-sex marriage, and assisted suicide, which she called one of her proudest moments. “I have very different views to some of my friends say on assisted suicide. That day, 11th September 2015, is one of the proudest days in my time as an MP to stop that Second Reading [of the Assisted Dying Bill]. And I’ve got friends who completely disagree with me, and that’s OK," explained Coffey.  

UK: Ministry Makes DIY Abortion Policy Permanent

Last month, the UK’s Ministry for Public Health announced that the policy to allow abortion drugs to be taken at home was now permanent. The policy was initially created during the Covid-19 pandemic and was supposed to be temporary. UK Minister for Public Health Maggie Throup said this policy will give women “more choice in how and where they access abortion services, while ensuring robust data is collected to ensure their continued safety." The decision follows a period of public consultation on the policy.
 

 
 
Parliamentary Network for Critical Issues
Advancing global respect and dignity for life through law and policy.

In this issue

 
Defending Life 
Legislation Introduced to Protect Pregnancy Care Centers
Italy Preparing for Female Pro-Life Prime Minister
Pro-Life Scholars Offer Insights to Legislators
Marches for Life in Warsaw, London, Berlin and Dublin
 
International Pressure for Abortion
Pro-Abortion Activists Want Media to Silence Pro-Life Voices
Europe: Pro-Abortion Presented as Pro-Democracy
Democrat Members of U.S. Congress Seek to Fund Abortion Globally
 
Focus on the United Nations
President Biden Voices Abortion Support at United Nations
Ugandan Officials Affirm Uganda’s Defense of the Unborn at the UN
 
Legislative News
Switzerland: Members Propose Pro-Life Initiatives for Public Vote
Hungary: New Law Requires Women Hear Baby’s Heartbeat Before Abortion
Uruguay: Lower House to Consider Legalizing Assisted Suicide
 
Executive News
UK: New Health Secretary Criticized for Being Pro-Life
UK: Ministry Makes DIY Abortion Policy Permanent

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