The leaked Supreme Court Dobbs draft occurred on May 2nd. The intent was clear: to corrupt the process of deciding a critical case before the Court through fear, intimidation, and even abortion violence.
As the March for Life Executive Director, Jeanne Mancini, stated:
“We also believe that given the leak the court should issue a ruling as soon as possible. This leak was meant to corrupt the process. It is heartbreaking that some abortion advocates will stoop to any level to intimidate the court no matter what the consequences.”
Forty-two days have passed and we’re still waiting.
Time is of the essence, because the violence is escalating. Abortion advocates published the addresses of originalist jurists shortly after the leak of Samuel Alito’s draft, a draft that suggests Roe may be overturned.
On June 8th a would-be assassin was arrested at the home of Brett Kavanaugh, armed to the hilt.
This raises the question: what would happen if a judge dies before a decision is released? His or her vote is voided. So if the Dobbs case was poised to overturn Roe with a 5-4 vote (with Roberts voting with the liberals on the Court), the death of a judge voting to overturn Roe changes the vote to 4 to 4, sustaining its toxic legacy.
Domestic terrorism is spreading by abortion zealots. A group called Jane’s Revenge has been especially prolific in the past 42 days. Examples:
- They fire-bombed a pro-life pregnancy center in Buffalo, New York.
- Broke windows and sprayed graffiti at one in Seattle, Washington.
- Attempted arson in Oregon.
- Vandalized another in Washington D.C.
- More arson in Illinois.
- More graffiti in Northern Virginia.
- Molotav cocktail in Wisconsin.
Here in Des Moines, Jane’s Revenge vandalized our friends at the Agape Pregnancy Resource Center, whom they characterize as a “fake clinic” since they don’t provide abortions.
You can read their full statement in the graphic below:
Statement from Jane’s Revenge
Everything about abortion is violent: the procedure itself, and now more than ever, its politics. Pulse Life Advocates believes that peace begins in the womb. As Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta said,
“Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love but to use violence to get what they want.”
It’s past time for Chief Justice John Roberts to release the Dobbs decision so our country can begin healing from a half-century of Roe’s violent legacy.
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should not present her self for Communion because of her uncompromising political support of unregulated abortion. Ms. Pelosi ignored her bishop’s admonition and immediately took communion in Washington D.C. which raises the question: who is the guardian of the sacraments?
Ms. Pelosi thinks she knows best, as you can see in the video above, presenting a straw man argument in her defense:
“I wonder about the death penalty, which I am opposed to. So is the church. But they take no action against those who oppose their view.”
Only 11 people executed in the U.S. last year
For the record, the Catholic Church accepted the death penalty as a just form of punishment for capital offenses until 2018.
For the record, no one in Pelosi’s state of California is even calling for a reinstatement of the death penalty.
And for the record, Ms. Pelosi fails to recognize the innocence of the human person in the womb, 800,000 of whom were ‘executed’ (aborted) for the crime of being inconvenient in contrast to the 11 people who were executed in the U.S. last year for the crime of murder.
Does Pelosi not understand the difference between hundreds of thousand innocent deaths and 11 just punishments? Of course she does, which is why she uses capital punishment as a straw man argument, which the dictionary defines thusly:
“A straw man intentionally misrepresents a proposition that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent’s real argument.”
Ms. Pelosi uses capital punishment as a weapon to deflect answering the real argument her Church has with abortion: that it kills innocent human beings.
So who is the best guardian of the sacraments?
Catholics are split on whether Archbishops should ever deny communion to members of their flock. But most would agree that an Archbishop Cordileone is a better guardian of the sacraments than a pro-abortion politician (or even a Whoopi Goldberg, whom you can watch blather on about the subject in the clip above).
Archbishop Cordileone spent seven years in Rome as a member of the Church’s equivalent of their Supreme Court, the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature. He knows canon law, and clearly expressed his concerns to Ms. Pelosi:
“It is souls that are at stake, not elections. Lost sheep are to be lovingly called to return to the fold, not angrily denounced in the way that would imitate so much of the animosity of our political culture.”
He speaks as a good shepherd, as Christ modeled for us. Even more, he cooly responds to those who accused him of weaponizing a sacrament:
“This is simply application of Church teaching. One would have to demonstrate that a person’s actions in following Church teaching is explicitly for a political purpose in order to justify the accusation of ‘weaponizing’ the Eucharist.”
Whoopi Goldberg had to inject herself into the conversation by declaiming,
“That’s not your job, Dude! That’s not up to you to make that decision. What is the point of communion? It’s for sinners. It’s the reward of saints, but the bread of sinners. How dare you!”
How dare YOU, Whoopi.
Apparently, her star turn in “Sister Act” has deluded Ms. Goldberg into believing that SHE is a proper guardian of the sacraments.
As the bard put it,
”The lady doth protest too much, methinks”
And as the theologian on the program, Jonathan Morris, points out, it IS the job of an archbishop to ensure that the sacraments aren’t abused. Not Nancy Pelosi. Not Whoopi Goldberg.
The risk of taking communion unworthily
Ultimately, Catholics are only supposed to receive communion if they are in a state of grace. The Church tells us that promoting abortion in the public square separates us from Christ. St. Paul warns us in 1 Corinthians 11:27 to never take communion unworthily:
“So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.”
Abortion poisons the flock. Archbishop Cordileone wishes to protect his flock, and in the case of Nancy Pelosi, to protect her from herself.
[YOUR children can change the world! Pulse Life Advocates is developing a new video project, “How to raise pro-life children.” It can only be completed with YOUR financial support. Can you help? Donate now.]
State Capitol Building, Iowa
The Legislature adjourned the 2022 Session of the 89th General Assembly on May 25, 2022.
The MOMS Act: It was included in House File 2578, the human services budget bill. Iowa MOMS will receive $500,000 to help pro-life agencies support pregnant women and new moms with baby essentials and counseling. The funding was not included for the expansion for mothers who receive Medicaid. This amount is significantly less than we had hoped for, but it is a good start to hopefully a program that will grow in the coming years.
HF2420: This bill relates to the newborn safe haven act. Iowa already has a save haven law, but this bill will expand it from 30 days to 90 days in which a parent can voluntarily release custody of a newborn infant. This law has been used more than 50 times since being enacted over 20 years ago.
SF577: This is a bill that provides a birth certificate for a nonviable birth. Health care providers and/or hospitals can provide a birth certificate for families experiencing a nonviable birth. Governor Reynolds signed this bill May 24. This will provide healing to families experiencing infant loss.
HF2372: This bill related to the nonconsensual termination of a human pregnancy. This bill would correct a bad court ruling and make it a crime to attempt to cause a woman to abort. The Governor has signed this bill into law.
The Iowa More Options for Maternal Support (MOMS) Act will ensure that every pregnant woman in Iowa has access to meaningful assistance and support when she needs it most.
When faced with a crisis pregnancy, many women fear if they choose life for their baby they won’t be able to find needed social services, family support, and financial resources. This initiative will support these mothers, their babies, and help stabilize their families. It will ensure access to quality prenatal and postpartum care, which will result in healthier pregnancies and birth outcomes. In addition, the Iowa MOMS Act will provide for the material needs of a new mom as well as counseling and educational services.
All women deserve real options and real support. That is why Pulse Life Advocates advocated for the MOMS act and is so thrilled it passed.
14 states support pregnant women and new moms through coordinated, life-affirming assistance programs.
In addition, The Safe Haven Bill in Iowa was extended to 90 days. A mom can drop her newborn infant ( up to 90 days old) at specified locations without any fear of arrest. Previously it was limited to the first 30 days.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.
By THE IOWA CATHOLIC CONFERENCE
May 23, 2022: Guided by science and faith, Catholics are praying fervently that the U.S. Supreme Court will overturn the claim to a constitutional right to abortion in its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. A draft opinion leaked from the Court would seem to indicate majority support for a reversal of Roe v. Wade. This would have the effect of allowing many states to determine their own abortion policy.
But not Iowa. In 2018, a Supreme Court decision created a fundamental right to abortion in Iowa. That’s why we advocate for the “Protect Life Amendment,” so Iowans can once again debate abortion and perhaps even pass laws protecting preborn children.
In the meantime, as we affirm the dignity and value of every human life, we welcome the possibility of saving countless unborn children as well as sparing women and families the pain of abortion.
We exhort our nation to prioritize the well-being of women, children, and families so that no woman ever feels forced to choose between her future and the life of her child.
Through its charity agencies, and the independent efforts of its members, the Catholic Church is supporting all women in addition to the child in the womb. We accompany women and couples who are facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies, and during the early years of parenthood, through initiatives such as Walking with Moms in Need.
The Church provides abortion healing ministries, most often called Project Rachel Ministry, so that women and men receive forgiveness, healing, and spiritual renewal through Christ’s infinite mercy.
We also encourage those of good will to contact their legislators in support of the “Iowa MOMS” bill, which will ensure that every pregnant woman in Iowa has better access to quality prenatal and postpartum care.
In all these ways and more, the Catholic Church witnesses to the sanctity of all human life, from conception to natural death, and works to build a true culture of life in our nation. No matter how the Dobbs case turns out, we have a responsibility and opportunity to take action to support the dignity of the human person and the common good.
Please help in these efforts and pray for a favorable ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, which will lift up the sacredness and dignity of all human life.
By MAGGIE DeWITTE
A point of discussion for many years has been this question: should graphic images of aborted babies be used in the pro-life movement?
I have always believed that while horrific to view, they are necessary. There is a time and a place for these images.
For example, I don’t believe it is appropriate to have these images in front of abortion mills because the women entering these facilities are in crisis and are going through a major trauma in their life. They need to see people who are praying, caring, and trying to love them and share that they have other options.
I do think, however, these graphic images are extremely useful in a high school and college environment as a teaching tool.
An honest conversation on abortion
If we are going to have an honest discussion about what abortion is, we must understand the procedures of abortion and the results of those procedures.
Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry have done a masterful job at sanitizing abortion under the guise of ‘healthcare’ and ‘reproductive rights.’ But if you don’t know what an abortion actually does to the baby, then you really don’t understand abortion and the undeniable fact that it is a living human being.
This question came to light when I recently attended the movie The Matter of Life. (Watch the trailer above.) It was an excellent documentary that covered all of the many facets of the abortion debate. At some point in the middle of the documentary, they warned the audience that they were about to show graphic images of aborted babies and if you did not want to see it you were free to look away from the screen.
I have seen these images before, and I chose to see them again that night. I know it is a human being. I know it has value and dignity and deserves protection. But seeing those images reminds me what I am fighting so hard for and how gruesome and violent and evil abortion really is. It gives me even more resolve to fight with everything in me to stop this senseless slaughter.
The Emmitt Till example
The civil rights movement was galvanized by a photo that demonstrated the violence of racism
The movie had a good segue on this topic by sharing the story of Emmitt Till. Emmitt was a 14-year-old African American young man from Chicago who went to Mississippi in 1955 to visit his cousins. He, on a dare from his cousins, talked to a white woman in a grocery store. As a result, the woman’s husband and his brother kidnapped Emmitt, tortured him to death and threw his body in the river.
When they found him, his mother asked for her son’s body to be returned to Chicago where she would have a funeral and an open casket. They showed the graphic and horrific picture of this poor child who was unrecognizable because of the extreme beating that he endured.
Why would this mother want to do this? She stated that she wanted the world to see what these racist murderers had done to her only son. Jet magazine published a picture of her son and the mainstream media picked up on the story. This was an early impetus to the civil rights movement. And it took a picture of this child to get people to understand what was happening with race in our country. It catapulted people into action.
So, yes, there is a time and place for images to be seen of the reality of abortion in hopes it will bring people to their knees in prayer and action to put an end to this once and for all. As they said in the movie, ‘we must open the casket of abortion.’
Other takeaways to note:
- 4 in 10 woman who had abortions were church goers
- One of the biggest problems of abortion is that no one is talking about abortion
- The lie that if you are pro-life, you are responsible for fixing every social ill on the planet, which is just a diversion from the fact that abortion is the intentional killing of a human being. Is the unborn one of us? If it is, then there can never be any justification for killing it.
- Using the terms embryo and fetus describe an age range just like toddler, teenager, it doesn’t say what it is. (i.e., it’s not human it’s a fetus…)
- In the 1800’s the first groups to oppose abortion were doctors, journalists, and feminists. In 2022, they are the groups pushing abortion the most.
- Playboy was the first publication to endorse abortion
[Pulse Life Advocates is hard at work on a new video project: “How to raise pro-life children.” You can make a difference by financially supporting this project. Give now here. Thank-you.]
Many people believe that abortion will be illegal should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v Wade. No, that is not what will happen. Abortion will still be legal. The matter will simply return to the states where voters can regulate abortion via their state legislators.
Interestingly, 79% of all voters DO want abortion regulated in some manner, according to a recent poll by Pew Research. You won’t hear the mainstream media or liberal politicians acknowledge that, though. Rather, they use fear tactics that suggest Republicans and conservative judges want to ban contraception (false); make therapeutic ectopic pregnancy treatments illegal (false); and ban interracial marriage (comically false).
The last fear-mongering tactic is especially amusing in light of the interracial marriage between originalist justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, Virginia.
Poll results depend upon how the question is asked
Polling results vary wildly depending on how the question is asked. In fact, the National Review’s David Harsanyi wrote a piece today headlined, “Abortion Polls Are Garbage.” Here are the types of questions that are never asked, he writes:
- Do you support the Democratic Party effort to legalize abortion through all nine months of pregnancy on demand for any reason in all 50 states?
- Do you support the Democrats’ efforts to prohibit states from passing laws that forbid abortions after viability?
- Do you support the Democrats’ efforts to prohibit states from passing laws against sex-selective abortions?
- Do you support the Democrats’ efforts to overturn existing laws that require parental or guardian notification for minors?
- Do you agree with Democrats that non-doctors should be given the right to perform abortions through all nine months of pregnancy?
- Do you agree with the Democratic Party’s efforts to strip medical workers of conscience rights and compel them to participate in abortion procedures or lose their jobs?
- Democrats, including Joe Biden, want to eliminate the Hyde Amendment so that the federal government can fund abortions through nine months with taxpayer dollars. Do you agree?
- Do you agree with the Biden administration that more abortions are vital in keeping down the poor population, increasing labor-force participation, and helping the economy?
- A few years back, Republicans in Congress attempted to pass a 20-week limit on abortion. Do you think such a limit is reasonable?
- In Florida and Mississippi, Republican governors have signed laws limiting legal abortion to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy. Would you support similar limits in your state?
This kind of data would be revealing
And yet, data from polling of this nature would be instructive to a sincere national dialogue on abortion. Harsanyi points out that each of these questions flesh out how out-of-touch the Democrat’s ‘Women’s Health Protection Act’ would be with the public once they understood what it would really do.
As we wrote in a previous blogpost, a Marist Poll commissioned by the pro-life Knights of Columbus revealed that 61% of rank and file Democrats are in favor of significant restrictions on abortion.
For example:
- 29% want abortion restricted to the first three months of a pregnancy.
- 19% only want abortion used in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.
- 9% only want it used if it is necessary to save the life of the mother.
- 4% of Democrats believe it should never be permitted under any circumstances.
The Women’s Health Protection Act has nothing to do with women’s health. It is a radical bill that would prevent the kind of abortion regulations Democrat voters really desire. Thankfully, it once again failed to pass yesterday with every Republican voting against it, along with Democrat Joe Manchin.
If in fact Roe falls, states will once again be empowered to implement regulation on abortion based on the wishes of their voters rather than unelected judges.
[Pulse Life Advocates is working on its next video project, “How to Raise Pro-Life Children.” Help us fund this exciting project with your gift today.]
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer
One of the most deceitfully-named bills in Senate history is up for a vote again today.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer is bringing the ‘Women’s Health Protection Act’ to the Senate floor for another vote, despite failing in a February 28th vote.
Schumer is forcing the vote in reaction to the leaked Supreme Court draft document which suggests that SCOTUS may overturn Roe v Wade. He wants to put members of both parties on record as either supporting or opposing this dreadful piece of legislation.
As Pulse Life Advocate’s Executive Director explained:
“The Women’s Health Protection Act would make us more pro-abortion than China.”
Essentially, the bill’s sponsors believe it would codify abortion and override all anti-abortion regulations passed by state legislatures, such as the fetal pain restrictions Iowa’s legislature passed banning abortions after twenty weeks.
The bill keeps failing, Democrats keep trying to get it passed
This bill was proposed by Democrats in 2013, 2015, and 2017, failing each time. What is interesting is that its latest version removed carve-outs for parental-notification laws, such as we have on the books in Iowa.
In other words, Democrats recognized that laws which required parental notification before their child could obtain an abortion resonated with voters across the country. Until this year, the Women’s Health Protection Act allowed for those laws to stand. But since the party has been purged of its last pro-life member, the exemption was dropped.
In this year’s cloture vote on the bill, every Democrat in the senate, except for Joe Manchin, voted yea, every Republican voted nay.
Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst both opposed this abortion bill in February. Pulse encourages you to contact them and let them know you appreciate their pro-life opposition to the Women’s Health Protection Act.
Democrats want to ‘codify’ Roe v Wade
If Democrats succeed in passing the bill, abortion will be “codified” into the law of the land, eliminating all democratically-enacted regulations on abortion at the state level.
Under this bill, abortion would be legal for all nine months of a pregnancy. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops details the type of laws this bill will ban:
- laws requiring that abortion be performed only by a physician
- ultrasound laws
- parental notice or consent laws
- waiting period laws
- admitting privilege laws
- laws that regulate prescribing, dispensing, or administering drugs for the purpose of inducing an abortion
- laws regulating or restricting the use of telemedicine specifically in relation to abortion
- health or safety regulations specific to abortion facilities
- licensure, certification, and other credentialing requirements specific to a health professionals or facilities that performs abortions
- laws prohibiting government funding for abortion
- laws prohibiting use of government-owned or -operated facilities for an abortion
- laws authorizing the exclusion of abortion coverage from a health plan
- laws creating any “similar” limitation; and
- laws that “impede access” to abortion, no matter how reasonable the law or how slight the impediment, including (a) any law that would delay or deter “some” patients in obtaining an abortion even if there would be no delay or deterrence in the vast majority of cases, and (b) any law that would increase the cost of an abortion, no matter how reasonable the law or how negligible the increased cost.
This is a radical piece of legislation that even most rank and file Democratic voters oppose, once they realize what the bill actually does.
Senator Schumer is demanding this vote as a political ploy to scare elected officials into caving to the radical laws demanded by Big Abortion.
Watch it backfire.
Politico reports that Roe v Wade will be overturned after receiving a leaked draft. The report states that the draft was written by Samuel Alito who says:
“It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
Pro-life leaders throughout the country reacted.
Jeanne Mancini
March For Life president, Jeanne Mancini, said that …
The March for Life “will not be providing comment on an official decision of #scotus possible leak until a decision is officially announced. We also believe that given the leak the court should issue a ruling as soon as possible. This leak was meant to corrupt the process. It is heartbreaking that some abortion advocates will stoop to any level to intimidate the court no matter what the consequences.”
Marjorie Dannenfelser
Susan B. Anthony president, Marjorie Dannenfelser, said:
“If the draft opinion made public tonight is the final opinion of the court, we wholeheartedly applaud the decision. The American people have the right to act through their elected officials to debate and enact laws that protect unborn children and honor women. If Roe is indeed overturned, our job will be to build consensus for the strongest protections possible for unborn children and women in every legislature.
We also recognize the need for the pro-life movement to continue its existing work to support pregnant women and children in need. There are thousands of pro-life pregnancy centers and maternity homes nationwide and an ever-growing pro-life safety net. The pro-life movement will continue to grow to meet the needs of these women and their families, walking and planning with them to love and serve both mother and child.”
Lila Rose
Lila Rose, founder and president of Live Action makes it clear that the demise of Roe is just the beginning:
“Roe has been wrongly decided since the day it was issued. It’s illogical and gravely unjust. Overruling Roe would be an important step in the right direction of protecting our fundamental right to life. But if this decision is issued, true justice has not yet been achieved.
It’s not enough to send abortion back to the states. Democracies shouldn’t have the ability to vote on if a genocide can be committed against an entire group of people. Human rights are not decided by majority vote. They are inalienable.
Pray for the Justices tonight and every night until the decision comes out. I fear there will be unprecedented threats against them.”
Maggie DeWitte
Pulse Life Advocates executive director, Maggie DeWitte, reacted to the possibility of a world without Roe from an Iowan perspective:
“In Iowa, as we have shared with you for the last several years, abortion will unfortunately continue. Because of the 2018 Iowa Supreme Court ruling that stated we have a fundamental right to abortion in our Iowa Constitution, we must pass our Protect Life Amendment next legislative session to undo this ruling. Otherwise, we could see Iowa become an abortion mecca as women from states with abortion outlawed travel to our state to end the life of their unborn child.”
Whether Roe lives or dies, the pro-life imperative has just moved to the next level. Pulse Life Advocates is ready to continue the fight in this, our 50th anniversary. We cautiously celebrate the tremendous progress that has been made in Iowa and nationally. But as long as a single baby is aborted, our work isn’t over.
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I can hardly put into words all the thoughts and emotions that are going through my mind and heart at learning of the real possibility that the US Supreme Court has ruled to overturn the egregious Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in our country.
For nearly fifty years, Pulse Life Advocates and pro-life groups across the country have fought for the rights and protections of our unborn brothers and sisters. We have lost nearly 65 million during these fifty years. The loss of life is unconscionable.
Yet, we never gave up. We never gave in. We never stopping fighting and praying and educating. And now we might finally see the rewards of this long battle.
For many states across the country, this will be the end of abortion. Upon the fall of Roe, abortion law goes back to the individual states. Many states have laws on the books that state that when Roe is overturned, abortion will be illegal in their state.
In Iowa, as we have shared with you for the last several years, abortion will unfortunately continue. Because of the 2018 Iowa Supreme Court ruling that stated we have a fundamental right to abortion in our Iowa Constitution, we must pass our Protect Life Amendment next legislative session to undo this ruling. Otherwise, we could see Iowa become an abortion mecca as women from states with abortion outlawed travel to our state to end the life of their unborn child.
We must pray for the justices on the US Supreme Court as they will certainly be attacked and their lives threatened by this opinion. And we will continue to work. Abortion will never completely go away, because of our fallen world. We will need to redouble our efforts to support the many pro-life pregnancy clinics across Iowa and continue to work to change hearts and minds.
[Maggie DeWitte is Executive Director of Pulse Life Advocates. Pulse needs your financial support more than ever as the fight for Life seems to be moving back to the States. Support life: make your gift today. Thank-you.]