Pro-Life Update: Planned Parenthood Targets Pro-Life Laws & Congress Makes Criminal Referrals

During this election year, pro-life debates and news items have often been pushed to the side, not garnering as many headlines and as much attention.  But behind the scenes, those who champion life have continued the fight to protect unborn children and their vulnerable mothers from the lies of the abortion industry.

In recent days, there have been several significant developments in these fights. For those of us who believe that abortion should not just be illegal, but also be made unthinkable, these developments warrant our attention, action, and prayer.

Last week, Planned Parenthood and its allies filed lawsuits in three states to challenge common-sense pro-life laws intended to protect the dignity and safety of every woman and child.

The Associated Press has more details:

• In Missouri, they are challenging laws requiring “abortion clinics to meet physical standards for surgical centers and mandate that their doctors have admitting privileges in nearby hospitals.”
• In Alaska, they’re targeting laws that have been on the books for over four decades that restrict abortions from being performed in outpatient centers after the first trimester.
• In North Carolina, they’re targeting a late-term abortion ban prohibiting abortions after the 20th week when science shows us babies can feel pain.

The ACLJ’s senior pro-life legal team is analyzing each of these lawsuits and preparing to file briefs to defend these laws and every human life,

In addition to these developments, last week the House Select Panel on Infant Lives released a list of nine criminal and regulatory referrals against abortion providers and fetal tissue procurement companies. I’ve previously written about this congressional committee’s important work.

The Select Panel’s nine referrals include:

• The University of New Mexico was referred to the New Mexico Attorney General for violations of their state’s Anatomical Gift Act for receiving tissue from a late-term abortion facility.
• StemExpress was referred to the El Dorado, CA DA and the U.S. DOJ for violations of federal law barring profiting from the sale of aborted baby body parts.
• Found violations by certain abortion clinics and StemExpress of patient privacy rights under HIPAA for financial gain.
• An Arkansas abortion provider was referred to the Arkansas DA for selling aborted baby body parts to StemExpress.
• Planned Parenthood of Gulf Coast was referred to the Texas AG for selling aborted baby body parts to the University of Texas for profit.

This work by Congress is invaluable. Someone has to be spending the time to follow the evidence and discover what is happening behind closed doors at these abortion clinics. This vital work not only saves lives, but it also protects real women from predatory abortion practices that lie about what is taking place in order to turn a profit and pad their pockets.

Our office on Capitol Hill and our senior pro-life attorneys will continue to monitor these developments and fight for the sacred rights of vulnerable women and children.