Category Archives: Uncategorized

By Susan T. Muskett, J.D., Senior Legislative Counsel

Helen Alvare

Today, the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice received key testimony in support of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R. 7), legislation introduced by Congressmen Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Dan Lipinski (D-Il.). H.R. 7 would permanently prohibit subsidies for abortion and health insurance coverage of abortion in federal programs – both within longstanding federal programs and within the health care law signed by President Obama in 2010.

In her testimony, Professor Helen Alvare of George Mason University School of Law, asserted that it “serves the interests of American women for the federal government once and for all to remove itself from the business of abortion funding.” First, she explained that Americans in general, especially women, oppose government funding of abortion, and that abortion funding for the poor is favored more by the well-off than by the poor themselves (a reality she called a “particularly unpleasant fact”). Women don’t view abortion as a “public good” deserving of funding, according to Alvare. She then pointed to the federal government’s own statements and documents as evidence that abortion is not part of a genuine “women’s health” agenda.

Richard M. Doerflinger

Richard Doerflinger testified on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in favor of writing into permanent law “a policy on which there has been strong popular and congressional agreement for over 35 years” going back to the 1976 enactment of the Hyde Amendment. He submitted testimony that explained that abortion rates substantially increase when government funding is provided, citing a study by the Guttmacher Institute (the former research arm of Planned Parenthood) as evidence that “Medicaid-eligible women whose states provide Medicaid funding for abortion have more than twice the abortion rate of eligible women whose states do not provide such funding.”

Both Alvare and Doerflinger testified that the U.S. Supreme Court’s caselaw recognizes abortion as inherently different from other medical procedures, because as the Court put it, “no other procedure involves the purposeful termination of a potential human life.” Doerflinger cited Supreme Court decisions, going back to 1977, that viewed the funding of abortion as separate and distinct from the constitutional “right” to abortion. “Even courts insisting on a constitutional ‘right’ to abortion have said this alleged right ‘implies no limitation on the authority of a State to make a value judgment favoring childbirth over abortion, and to implement that judgment by the allocation of public funds,’” Doerflinger said.

Nevertheless, despite the longstanding support of the public, the Congress, and the courts, for restrictions on the use of government funds to support abortion, NARAL has issued an alert to its supporters in opposition to H.R. 7, asserting: “Our goal is to stop this bill from coming up for a vote – and we can do that if we show enough members of the House that this bill will have huge political ramifications. Tell your lawmaker that you demand the House not bring H.R. 7 up for a vote.”

A video of Professor Helen Alvare’s testimony can be viewed here; a video of Richard Doerflinger’s testimony can be viewed here.

H.R. 7 currently has 145 co-sponsors. To view an always-current list of co-sponsors of H.R. 7, click here. The Senate companion bill, introduced by Senator Roger Wicker (R-Ms.), is S. 946, which has 24 co-sponsors. To view an always-current list of co-sponsors of S. 946, click here.

Read More: 

http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2014/01/key-testimony-presented-on-need-for-abortion-funding-ban

By Dave Andrusko

Carolina Sepe

Carolina Sepe was 10 weeks pregnant when an angry neighbor burst into her family’s home in Lauro near Naples on August 25 and opened fire with a pistol. Sepe, along with other member of her family, were innocent bystanders when Domenico Aschettino turned his wrath on them after killing Sepe’s father, Vincenzo Sepe.

Shot in the head, Sepe was left in a coma. Last month, doctors safely delivered her baby, by that time 27 weeks gestational age, by caesarean section.

Tragically, however, Sepe died on Saturday, according to The Daily Telegraph, 16 days after the birth of her baby girl. Maria Liliana weighed 1.1 kg (approximately 2.5 pounds) at birth. She is on life support but said to be in stable condition.

Compounding the tragedy is that Sepe’s father and grandmother were killed and other family members wounded in the rampage. Carolina’s husband, Giampiero Siniscalchi who managed to escape with the couple’s two year old son, Eliseo, was convinced his wife’s condition was improving and that she would regain consciousness. (He’d left his job to visit Carolina daily.)

“I recorded a video of Eliseo on my phone and when I made (Carolina) listen to his voice, I cried,” he told Corriere della Sera. “I did it again and she cried. I am sure my wife can hear me and hear the voice of our son. I am sure she understands. She cannot communicate or move, but she can understand. She can heal and come home.”

But as The Daily Telegraph’s Tom Kington explained, by mid-December, Sepe’s vital signs had grown weaker. Kington quoted Franco Paradiso, the director of the Calderelli hospital, who said, “The patient’s condition had worsened and so we opted to intervene” before it was too late.

Aschettino had argued with Vincenzo Sepe with over a car accident. Arrested and deemed mentally sound, Aschettino has since tried to commit suicide in jail.

Read More:

http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2014/01/carolina-sepe-dies-16-days-after-giving-birth-while-in-a-coma

By Carol Tobias, President, National Right to Life

National Right to Life President Carol Tobias

I had the opportunity in recent months to speak on the campuses of both Princeton University, as a guest of the American Whig-Cliosophic Society, and the University of Dallas, as a guest of Crusaders for Life. These are two very different campuses, but both had wonderful, sincere students with similar questions.

Many of them wanted to know how they can impact their generation in favor of life. One young man wanted to know if he should even get involved in what is touted as “a woman’s issue.” Another wanted to know how he could influence people since he isn’t very outgoing and comfortable with bringing up the issue of abortion for discussion.

One young lady already has a plan to get involved in politics and hopes to end up in Congress. Others wanted to know about internship possibilities with NRLC or wanted more information on our summer Academy, or “pro-life boot camp” as I like to call it.

It is very encouraging to spend time with the “post-Roe” generations. They are caring and compassionate, wanting to protect the rights of the most vulnerable. They are bold and eager to make a difference.

But many of them also need guidance and education. They need to hear from, and maybe even be mentored by adult pro-lifers who will help them understand the issues and how to respond to pro-abortion challenges.

Those who have been in the pro-life movement for a while can help young people by showing them what opportunities are available to influence their local community and encouraging them to take a stand. In return, we need to be open to new ideas and new strengths brought to the Movement by young people with fresh energy. Because we have done something a particular way for several years doesn’t mean it can’t be done differently, or maybe even better.

If you don’t have active young people in your chapter or local group, find ways to reach out and get them involved. The post-Roe generations want to make a difference.

Read More:

http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2014/01/the-post-roe-generations-caring-and-compassionate-and-wanting-to-protect-the-rights-of-the-most-vulnerable/

By Paul Stark

Every human being matters, and we ought to act accordingly

The media often use the label “anti-abortion” to describe pro-life advocates. It’s true that we oppose abortion—and infanticide, euthanasia and embryo-destructive research. But we are only against those things because we are for something else.

What we are for

What are we for? We are for the proposition that human life is good, that it is worth living, that it deserves respect and protection. We are for the proposition that every human being has an equal worth and dignity—that every human being has a right to live.

The pro-life position rejects all attempts to divide humanity into those who have rights and those who don’t. Our society now recognizes that past discrimination on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity and social status was deeply unjust. We recognize that the worth of a human being does not depend on such characteristics.

Nor, however, does the worth of a human being depend on age, size, ability, dependency, stage of development or the desires and decisions of others. The big are not more valuable than the small. The strong do not have more rights than the weak. The independent do not matter more than the vulnerable and needy.

No, we have value and a right to life simply because we are human—not because of what we can do, but because of what (the kind of being) we are. That’s why everyone matters. Everyone counts.

What we are against

It is because we support equal human dignity that we oppose the intentional killing of innocent human beings. And that means we oppose abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and embryo-destructive research.

Pro-lifers oppose abortion because it takes the life of a human being before he or she is born. The scientific facts of embryology and developmental biology make clear that the unborn (the human embryo or fetus) is a distinct and living human organism, a full-fledged (though immature) member of the species Homo sapiens. Each of us was once an embryo and a fetus, just as we were once infants, toddlers and adolescents.

And all human beings, at all stages, have a right to life, whether or not they are “wanted” or “convenient.”

We oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide because killing is never the answer to the difficulties of life. All human beings should receive our compassion and care, irrespective of disease, disability or perceived “quality of life.”

We oppose embryonic stem cell research (but not adult or non-embryonic stem cell research) and human cloning because they require the destruction of human embryos. Human embryos are human beings in the embryonic phase of life. And all human beings, regardless of appearance or location (e.g., a petri dish), ought to be treated with respect and not as mere raw material to use for the hypothetical benefit of others.

Living our conviction

But being pro-life is about more than just holding an ethical position. To be truly pro-life means to live and act accordingly.

It means treating other people with dignity and respect—even those with whom we disagree. It means helping pregnant women in need and those who suffer from illness or disability.

Read More:

http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2014/01/what-does-it-mean-to-be-pro-life/

National Right to Life just received a shipment of the wonderful and educational pamphlet “A Baby’s First Months!” We are fully stocked and ready to take your orders.

“A Baby’s First Months” is a truly remarkable, full-color brochure which follows the development of the unborn child in utero from fertilization until birth. It documents the development milestones that occur during a baby’s first months of life, including the development of her fingers and toes, ears, and her capacity to feel pain. A must-have for every pro-lifer!

All pricing includes regular United States Postal Service (USPS) or ground shipping in the USA. There is a minimal order of 5 pamphlets.

To place your orders, please email us at stateod@nrlc.org. If you are ordering from outside the United States, call 202-378-8843 for shipping information. The prices of the pamphlets are:

5 – 99              $.50 each
100 – 499       $.40 each
500 plus        $.30 each

So stock up now and get your order in early for one of the best educational tools available in the pro-life movement!