Please call your state Senator now and urge him or her to vote Yes on House Bill 2050, the Down Syndrome Protection Act. The bill would outlaw abortion for the sole reason of a Down syndrome diagnosis. If you don’t know who your state Senator is, or you need contact information, please visit http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/findyourlegislator/#address .
Thank you for making these critical calls!
The pain of abortion is often unspeakable
By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
In recent years it has become common for abortion advocates to use the phrase “reproductive rights” to describe their position.
But the phrase is incredibly misleading.
First of all, abortion is a denial of the fact of reproduction. It is a denial of the humanity of the child in the womb. It is a denial that the baby is a distinct human being with DNA separate from the mother.
Also, one can hardly say pregnant women are exercising their rights when, in as many as 60 percent of cases, women are coerced into having abortions. This means that a boyfriend, husband, parent, or even grandparent may be pressuring them to abort.
The phrase also fails to recognize the fact that a girl in the womb, once she matures, may be capable of reproduction herself. An abortion forever denies that female child the ability to have her own child when she is older.
“Reproductive rights,” when applied to abortion, is a fallacy. The truly accurate way to describe an abortion is the taking of an innocent life and the wounding of a mother. It’s that simple–and that heartbreaking.
The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation Political Action Committee has announced it is joining with the National Right to Life PAC in endorsing Republican Congressman Lou Barletta for the U.S. Senate. Congressman Barletta has a 100 percent pro-life voting record and has worked hard to save tax dollars from the abortion industry. He faces Democratic Senator Bob Casey, who has an 85 percent pro-abortion voting record and who supports continued taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion operation. Congressman Barletta is pictured above with pro-life advocates from Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Republican candidate for Governor Scott Wagner
The following statement can be attributed to Michael Ciccocioppo, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation:
“For the second time in weeks, Senator Scott Wagner’s record on the life issues has been misrepresented. Senator Wagner has a 100 percent pro-life voting record.
“For those not familiar with Senator Wagner’s record, here are the facts:
· Scott Wagner is a cosponsor of Senate Bill 3, which would ban abortions after 20 weeks and outlaw dismemberment abortions.
· Scott Wagner is a cosponsor of Senate Bill 300, which would defund Planned Parenthood.
· Scott Wagner has denounced the horrific impacts Roe v Wade has had on the preborn and has fought to ensure that the Pennsylvania Department of State would not repeat the mistakes that led to the lack of enforcement that enabled abortionist Kermit Gosnell to ply his trade in West Philadelphia.
· Scott Wagner sponsored a trip to Washington, D.C. for a group of pro-life advocates so they could participate in the March for Life.
“While national, liberal interest groups like Planned Parenthood are pledging to spend millions of dollars on the radical pro-abortion candidate for Governor, Tom Wolf, those of us who truly are pro-life should be coming together. Anyone who spreads misinformation about a candidate’s pro-life record is falling into Planned Parenthood’s trap.”
By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
As we mark the 45th anniversary of the tragic U.S. Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade, I would like to offer 45 reasons for hope for the cause of protecting innocent human life:
By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director gallagher@paprolife.org
The tweet I saw pop up in my Twitter feed this week shook me to the core:
Women don’t want to be sacred.
The quote did not come from a male supremacist group, but from the pro-abortion lobbying group known as NARAL.
Upon further reflection, I realized that I should not be surprised by the tweet. After all, the abortion industry has been known to subject women to substandard treatment, failing to recognize their dignity. Consider the abortion center in Harrisburg, PA, which racked up 44 pages worth of safety violations, or the “House of Horrors” run by abortionist and serial killer Kermit Gosnell in West Philadelphia.
And then there is the not-so-subtle fact that about half of the babies whose lives are taken in utero in abortion facilities around the country are of the female persuasion.
The tweet went on to say: We want to be treated as equals.
There should be no objection to that, but the concept of women being sacred and the desire to be treated as equal to men are not mutually exclusive. All human beings are sacred, possessing an inherent dignity that can never be lost.
The evidence that the pro-life movement considers all women sacred–from the moment of conception to the instant of natural death–shows the high degree of respect with which the pro-life cause treats women.
The fact that a group fails to recognize the sacred nature of womanhood is incredibly sad, and provides yet another example of why such groups do not speak for the majority of American women today.
By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
It is one of the most painful situations that can befall a woman–one that can lead to feelings of powerlessness, sadness, and despair. National statistics indicate that, every minute in this country, 20 people are assaulted by an intimate partner. It’s a crime that’s often hidden from public view, played out in bedrooms, kitchens, and living rooms, where a cry for help is often unheard.
No woman should ever be subjected to physical, emotional, or psychological violence. Neither should her unborn child.
It is important to recognize that abortion does not cure domestic violence. A woman battered while pregnant can all too often end up battered again following an abortion.
Statistics show that as many as 60 percent of abortions may be coerced–meaning a woman is being pressured into a choice she does not want to make. The individual exerting the pressure could be her abuser.
Women need to be empowered to leave abusive situations–for their sake and the sake of their children. To all those who work to support women facing such scenarios, thank you. And to all those women who escape abuse and choose life for their children, you are among the hidden heroes that make America great.
By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director gallagher@paprolife.org
“Care. No matter what.”
That is a favorite slogan of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion operation, which performs more than 320,000 abortions a year.
But records from the Pennsylvania Department of Health show that the abortion giant has failed inspection after inspection since the beginning of the year.
A March inspection of a Planned Parenthood in Harrisburg showed that the abortion center failed to maintain a sanitary environment.
An April inspection of a Planned Parenthood in Warminster revealed that the abortion operation failed to ensure that emergency equipment was available in case a patient had to be resuscitated. A follow-up inspection in August showed that staff failed to inform the state of a serious incident in which a patient’s uterus was perforated. The patient was not transported to a hospital, but did later up in an emergency room hemorrhaging.
An August inspection at a Planned Parenthood in Allentown revealed the facility failed to administer Immune Globulin to an Rh-negative patient. Rh-negative is a type of blood group that does not contain the Rh antigen in red blood cells. Staff also failed to remove expired medications from an emergency kit.
The Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania failed inspection in August, when it was cited for building violations which could have threatened the safety of patients. Meanwhile, the Planned Parenthood on Locust Street in Philadelphia also failed a building inspection in August, due, in part, to obstruction in the stairways.
These multiple violations at various Planned Parenthood facilities in Pennsylvania show that the abortion giant does not have an unblemished safety record. Rather, numerous health and safety violations could potentially jeopardize the well-being of patients.
These safety failures provide yet more evidence why Planned Parenthood should not be receiving our hard-earned taxpayer dollars. It would be far better to redirect those funds to federally qualified health centers which provide comprehensive care to women, including Mammograms–something that no Planned Parenthood in the country provides.
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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director gallagher@paprolife.org
It is entirely possible to adopt a pro-life position based solely on reason. After all, science shows us that the baby’s heart starts beating at 24 days after conception; brain waves can be detected 43 days after fertilization.
Since every being in creation has a beginning, conception is the logical marker for determining the initiation of life. And, once a human life is initiated, the boy or girl should be protected. No religious creed is required to subscribe to that position.
Still, some look to faith to answer the question of when life begins, or to validate their position on abortion.
To me, one of the most telling verses in the Bible comes from the Gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 25: “Amen, I say what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for Me.”
The least among us are preborn children. They have no money, no voice of their own. They are small in stature and, under the tragic U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, they are largely unprotected under the law.
But according to Christian Scripture, whatever is done, or left undone, for these little ones is done, or not done, for Jesus, the Son of God.
Therefore, a Biblical imperative exists to defend the lives of preborn children. In honoring them, Christians honor God.
Again, one can come to a pro-life position entirely based on scientific evidence. But for those who look to the Bible for direction, the right to life is as clear as the waters of Baptism.
By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director, gallagher@paprolife.org
An abortion facility touted by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards has failed inspection—again.
You may recall that the Governor—who prides himself as a former Planned Parenthood clinic escort–and the Planned Parenthood chief—who opposes any restrictions on abortion—held an event in Warminster in April to discuss the “devastating effects federal budget cuts to Planned Parenthood would have” for Pennsylvanians.
At the time, Richards stated, “For many, Planned Parenthood is their only health care provider and they would have nowhere else to go.”
But the Governor and the abortion center chain operator failed to mention an annual registration survey the Department of Health conducted at Planned Parenthood Keystone-Warminster eight days before. The inspection showed that the Planned Parenthood facility was not in compliance with state health department regulations.
Now comes a new inspection—and more violations.
An unannounced inspection on August 22nd found the facility “failed to conform to all applicable State Laws.”
This facility—praised by Governor Wolf—failed to report the fact that a woman’s uterus was perforated during an abortion—a serious incident requiring notification to the state. According to the report, (which can be found at https://sais.health.pa.gov/CommonPOC/content/publiccommonpoc/QAsurvey.asp?FACID=00188701&PAGE=1&NAME=PLANNED+PARENTHOOD+KEYSTONE+%2D+WARMINSTER&SurveyType=H%20&COUNTY=) , after the patient was discharged, she ended up in a hospital emergency room. She was hemorrhaging, and required additional care at the ER.
The fact that this serious incident was not reported to the state leads one to wonder how many times Planned Parenthood fails to report complications from abortion. It also leads one to question the accuracy of the complication totals reported each year by the state health department.
The previous inspection found that the Warminster Planned Parenthood failed to ensure that “all required emergency equipment was available” for resuscitation when abortions were performed.”
The troubles at Warminster are just one more reason why federal health care dollars should be redirected away from embattled Planned Parenthood and given to federally qualified community health centers which can provide comprehensive, competent care.
But the situation also brings up the question: Why does Pennsylvania’s Governor continue to defend an organization that routinely fails to follow basic health and safety requirements?
It would appear that, once again in Pennsylvania, politics is interfering with women’s health.