Kansas records lowest total abortions since 1987
Kathy Ostrowski
This blog is LOADED with the latest from the Pro Life movement
April 12, 2016 (National Right to Life News) -- Kansas abortion statistics for 2015 were released today by the Kansas Dept. of Health & Environment (KDHE). The figures revealed an overall 4.4% drop from 2014 and the lowest abortion total since 1987!
6,931 abortions were done in Kansas in 2015. KDHE reports 53% (3,579) were obtained by Kansas women and teens and 47% (3,395) obtained by non-residents. [1]
For the first time since KDHE abortion reporting began, an abortion was reported as done to preserve the life of the mother. The medical situation of that one abortion, as described by KDHE, was severe pre-eclampsia, with a separated placenta.
The baby was listed as 22 weeks gestation, but undersized for that age. No location for the procedure is indicated, and it may have occurred outside of an abortion clinic setting. Two other abortions past 22 weeks gestation were done on Kansas women in other states.
The 2011 Kansas Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act allows an abortion at or after 22 weeks gestation (20 weeks post fertilization) if necessary to preserve the mother’s life and prevent substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.
“Except in the case of a medical emergency,” the law requires a written referral from another physician, who is “knowledgeable in the field, and knowledgeable about the case.”
Wichita abortions decrease, abortionist 'inactive'
The good news discovered in the KDHE release was that 14% fewer abortions (down to 720 from 834) were obtained in Sedgwick County, which covers the city of Wichita. This county had been the only one in Kansas’ recent history to show any increase in abortions. After a historic low of 566 abortions in Sedgwick County in 2012, the number rose to 691 in 2013, and then increased again to 834 in 2014.
The abortion rise was attributed to heavy promotion of the 2013 opening of the SouthWind clinic in the former abortion location of George Tiller, staffed by itinerant abortionists. The medical director of that business from the outset has been Cheryl Chastine, originally from Illinois.
Chastine has been featured in a variety of pro-abortion media reports describing her frustration with providing abortions in a pro-life state. But her Kansas medical license has gone “inactive” (see here), meaning she is registered with the State Healing Arts Board through May 2016, but is not allowed to practice medicine in Kansas. Just how that is affecting abortion numbers is unclear.
Last month, Planned Parenthood of Kansas Mid-Missouri in Wichita announced it was expanding to onsite provision of abortion pills in conjunction with abortionists from its Overland Park facility.
Other trends
In other items of concern, there were 11 fewer abortions performed in Kansas in 2015 using the gruesome method of dismembering a well-formed, living unborn child. However, because the overall numbers dropped (from 640 to 629), the proportion of this method to total abortions rose slightly from 8.8% to 9%.
The state of Kansas enacted a ban on such barbaric dismemberment abortions, but it is not in effect due to a district court ruling striking the ban. The decision is now on appeal before the state Supreme Court.
Kansas has one of the highest proportions of chemical abortions (abortions by “medication” or pill). However, in 2015, that number dropped by 136, from to 3,228 in 2014 (44.4% of all abortions) to 3,092 in 2015 (44.3% of all abortions). In 2011, Kansas enacted a ban on abortions vis “webcam” without a physician present, but that law is under injunction and not yet in effect.
Click "like" if you are PRO-LIFE!
Abortion has a long and continued history of coercion. KDHE data has shown a 50% increase in incidents under the “Report of Physical, Mental, or Emotional Abuse or Neglect Filed” connected to abortion provision. In 2014, 29 filings were logged in under this category, rising to 43 in 2015.
No explanation is given as to the resolutions of these officially-filed matters, or for the jump in reports.
[1] The total of 6,974 abortions included 43 abortions obtained by Kansas women in other states.
BREAKING: Mississippi gov. signs ban on abortions that rip babies ‘limb from limb’
JACKSON, Mississippi, April 15, 2016 (LifeSiteNews)—
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (R) today signed into law the Unborn
Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act, which will ban
dismemberment abortions in Mississippi starting July 1.
Dismemberment abortions, also known as “dilation and evacuation” or “D&E” abortions, involve dilating a woman’s cervix and then using a sopher clamp and curette blade to dismember an unborn child and remove his or her body parts.
The Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act, which was sponsored by Representative Sam C. Mims, R-McComb, passed the state House of Representatives 83-33 in February, and the state Senate 40-6 last month.
“Banning dismemberment abortion in Mississippi has the potential to transform the debate when people realize that living unborn children are being killed by being torn limb from limb,” said National Right to Life Director of State Legislation Mary Spaulding Balch, J.D.
In his dissent to the U.S. Supreme Court's 2000 Stenberg v. Carhart decision, Justice Kennedy observed that in D&E dismemberment abortions, “The fetus, in many cases, dies just as a human adult or child would: It bleeds to death as it is torn limb from limb. The fetus can be alive at the beginning of the dismemberment process and can survive for a time while its limbs are being torn off.”
Dismemberment abortions are typically committed during the second trimester of pregnancy.
“When abortion textbooks describe in cold, explicit detail exactly how to kill a human being by ripping off arms and legs piece by piece, civilized members of society have no choice but to stand up and demand a change,” said Spaulding Balch. “When you think it can't be uglier, the abortion industry continues to shock with violent methods of abortion.”
“Dismemberment of preborn children has to end in Mississippi to achieve basic human rights for our state,” Anja Scheib, president of Mississippi State Students for Life, told LifeSiteNews. “Mississippi has the opportunity to lead the nation in this basic human right” of life.
In March, the West Virginia senate voted to override Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s veto of a similar bill. Kansas and Oklahoma banned dismemberment abortions last year.
“Mississippi has taken a courageous and righteous step toward protecting children in the womb from the barbarity of a dismemberment abortion," Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, told LifeSiteNews. "Gov. Phil Bryant, state legislators and every resident of Mississippi have reason to be proud today.”
Dismemberment abortions, also known as “dilation and evacuation” or “D&E” abortions, involve dilating a woman’s cervix and then using a sopher clamp and curette blade to dismember an unborn child and remove his or her body parts.
The Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act, which was sponsored by Representative Sam C. Mims, R-McComb, passed the state House of Representatives 83-33 in February, and the state Senate 40-6 last month.
“Banning dismemberment abortion in Mississippi has the potential to transform the debate when people realize that living unborn children are being killed by being torn limb from limb,” said National Right to Life Director of State Legislation Mary Spaulding Balch, J.D.
In his dissent to the U.S. Supreme Court's 2000 Stenberg v. Carhart decision, Justice Kennedy observed that in D&E dismemberment abortions, “The fetus, in many cases, dies just as a human adult or child would: It bleeds to death as it is torn limb from limb. The fetus can be alive at the beginning of the dismemberment process and can survive for a time while its limbs are being torn off.”
Dismemberment abortions are typically committed during the second trimester of pregnancy.
“When abortion textbooks describe in cold, explicit detail exactly how to kill a human being by ripping off arms and legs piece by piece, civilized members of society have no choice but to stand up and demand a change,” said Spaulding Balch. “When you think it can't be uglier, the abortion industry continues to shock with violent methods of abortion.”
“Dismemberment of preborn children has to end in Mississippi to achieve basic human rights for our state,” Anja Scheib, president of Mississippi State Students for Life, told LifeSiteNews. “Mississippi has the opportunity to lead the nation in this basic human right” of life.
In March, the West Virginia senate voted to override Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s veto of a similar bill. Kansas and Oklahoma banned dismemberment abortions last year.
“Mississippi has taken a courageous and righteous step toward protecting children in the womb from the barbarity of a dismemberment abortion," Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, told LifeSiteNews. "Gov. Phil Bryant, state legislators and every resident of Mississippi have reason to be proud today.”
The Government Of Poland Is Now Planning On Utterly Banning Abortion
http://shoebat.com/2016/04/08/the-government-of-poland-is-now-planning-on-utterly-banning-abortion-the-prime-minister-of-poland-is-fully-behind-destroying-abortion/
California’s assisted suicide law to go into effect this summer
SACRAMENTO, California, March 14, 2016 (LifeSiteNews)
– The clock began ticking on Thursday for the largest state in the
union to begin allowing lawful termination of human life via lethal
drugs.
California's so-called "End of Life Option Act" green-lighting physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill individuals, will go into effect June 9, the prescribed 90 days after a legislative "extraordinary session" called by Democrat Governor Jerry Brown ended March 10.
"It's a historic achievement for California, and for a limited universe of people dealing with a terminal illness," Democrat State Senator Bill Monning said in an npr.com report. "It could indeed be a transformative way of giving them the option of a compassionate end-of-life process."
Monning, a co-author of the law, was pleased that a date for legalized physician-assisted suicide to commence in California had been established.
"We're glad to finally have arrived at this day where we have a date certain," he said.
Monning also expressed gratitude for several deceased people who had advocated during their respective terminal illnesses for the bill, including Brittany Maynard, who moved from California to Oregon in 2014 to legally end her own life there, and who became famous after euthanasia activists seized upon her plight.
A video recorded by Maynard 19 days before she took her life was used in hearings for the California assisted suicide bill.
"I really believe," Monning stated, "we use today to mark and dedicate the memory of some true champions."
The Golden State is the fifth in the U.S. to permit doctors to facilitate the taking of patient's lives, following Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Vermont.
Legalization of physician-assisted suicide in California comes after euthanasia advocates have pushed for years to bring it to the state.
Brown signed the law in October after it passed in the California Assembly the month prior.
Modeled after laws in Oregon and Washington State, the "End of Life
Option Act" had not garnered necessary support during the regular
session, according
to the Los Angeles Times, so its supporters introduced it in special
session, meaning the bill would bypass committees where there was strong
opposition.
Tim Rosales, of Californians Against Assisted Suicide, said Thursday the law's approval came through "controversial legislative tactics."
"Californians Against Assisted Suicide remains strongly critical of this new law, and its lack of medical oversight and actual patient safeguards," he stated.
Other Democrat lawmakers praised the law on Thursday alongside Monning, with Senate leader Kevin de Leon saying from the Senate floor before the special session's adjournment vote that the legislation "ensures Californians have access to humane and compassionate options to limit suffering at the end of life."
The assisted suicide law requires two doctors to concur that a patient has six months or less to live before prescribing "aid in dying" drugs. The patient must be able to swallow the medication on his own and must also confirm in writing 48 hours prior taking the drugs that he will do so.
The pro-euthanasia activist group behind publicizing Maynard's death, Compassion & Choices, formerly the Hemlock Society, said the time was now for terminally ill patients to begin requesting "aid in dying" drugs from their physicians, to get ahead of a time-consuming approval process that could last as long as several weeks.
"We are telling people to start talking to their doctor now," said the group's California campaign director Toni Broaddus.
After lobbying for passage of the law, Broadus's group is engaging in a bilingual campaign educating Californians how to participate in physician physician-assisted suicide now that it is legal in the state.
Religious and pro-life groups criticized the law.
The state's Catholic bishops called it a "travesty of compassion."
"In a few months, California will allow physicians to intentionally and legally assist people in committing suicide," California Catholic Conference executive director Edward Dolejsi said in a statement. "This fundamental change in the doctor-patient relationship will have long-range repercussions for the people of California – especially those who are most vulnerable."
"As medical and ethical experts have shown, a desire to take one's own life is a call for help," the bishops' spokesman continued. "Quality palliative care, spiritual and emotional support and a respect for our human dignity are the compassionate response – not a lethal dose of drugs from a physician."
"Already we see proposals in the legislature to expand and promote physician-assisted suicide," Dolejsi stated. "We remain committed to providing alternatives to this "travesty of compassion."
Californians Against Assisted Suicide called it the "dangerous California assisted suicide law."
"We will continue working with our partners including doctors, patients and disability rights organizations to educate those impacted and vulnerable," the group said in a statement, "as well as working to limit the law's harms and prevent any expansion.
A Missouri House committee passed a controversial pro-life resolution Tuesday that would recognize unborn babies as human beings in the state constitution. The Kansas City Star reports Missouri House Joint Resolution 98 would amend the state constitution and grant the right to life to “unborn human children at every stage of biological development.” Legislators amended the resolution Tuesday to remove exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, the report states.
Some believe the resolution would ban abortions completely in Missouri, but state Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, who proposed the measure, is unsure. He previously said the resolution would lay the groundwork for laws or litigation to end abortion in the future, but it likely would not ban abortions right away because of Roe v. Wade. “As a former embryo myself, I want that protection for all embryos, present and future,” Moon said, according to the Associated Press. He added his goal is to “set a foundation in the [state] Constitution that protects the health of women and unborn children.” FULL REPORT
Students at the University of California, Berkeley, are demanding an abortion clinic on campus despite having multiple facilities less than 10 miles away. Student senator Aanchal Chugh’s proposal for an on-campus abortion clinic was unanimously passed by the student government earlier this month, but she now is dealing with skeptical administrators.
“There are plenty of medical professionals in the area who can provide that type of service,” the school told KIPX-5 on Wednesday. Nearby options for students seeking abortions include two Planned Parenthood facilities, which are 3.7 miles and 6.6 miles away respectively. READ MORE
In a few hours these pro-abortion zealots, their friends and comrades will turn to social media, in general, Twitter in particular, and use the hashtag #WhatWomenWant as a way to promote their radicalized faux-feminist world view. A world view so inculcated with and indoctrinated in the abortion-on-demand-for-any-reason way of thinking that they tragically fail to see what real women want or need.
Last night, as I often do when dealing with all things women and because of this pro-abortion putsch at the UN, I called my mom. I asked her what she wanted; she didn’t understand what I was asking, so I explained, as a woman, if someone came up to you and asked “What do you want?” what would you say? She responded, “With all these troubles in the world, you should come home already, and I wish they had fake sugar that tasted better.” That’s my mom.
Typical response from her, but it wasn’t enough. So I too went to social media, (FaceBook and Reddit) and raised this question:
And then my phone blew up.
Hundreds of women responded – many friends and family members, but many strangers as well. Many responded publicly and just as many responded privately. It was, well, awe-inspiring. I could not have guessed what these women, some who are very close to me, were and are thinking and feeling. Some remarks made me laugh, several choked me up, and a few are still with me – will stay with me. The answers were so honest they hurt.
Chocolate was on the list, vacations, better job, and new clothing too. But the overwhelming sentiment from these extraordinarily real women was a desire for peace and health for loved ones and proximity to their families. The love of children, the love of spouses, the love of pets, the love of siblings, the love of freedom – were all articulated so beautifully.
SIGN THE NEW PETITION! Stop the UN’s Global Abortion Tax
There were also political wants, including my favorite ex-wife’s wish for a particular presidential candidate to drop out of the race. There were hopes for sports teams and tickets for country music concerts – but not one – not a single solitary mention of a want for Reproductive Rights.
The cynical, the twisted, the sarcastic, the caustic and crass will say, “Of course not, those women live where Reproductive Rights are a given.” Really? I just attended a side event at the United Nations where the American “War on Women” harangue was on full display. Which is it then, is there a war on women or not? The inane will also miss the point – abortion or so-called “Reproductive Rights” is NEVER the go-to “want” of most real women.
The inane will also miss the point – abortion or so-called “Reproductive Rights” is NEVER the go-to “want” of most real women.
Neither my question nor the responses were so precise or technical that they would cut the scientific mustard. Yet the answers were real and underscore an even more important point.
The women who responded to me are for the most part women who live in the developed world. But I believe that women in the developing world would want the same things – maybe not so much on the tickets to NASCAR. Women in the developing world want peace, they want potable water, and they want healthcare for their kids and a safe place to live.
The radicals here at the UN don’t (or won’t) appreciate that you can’t eat Reproductive Rights, nor will Reproductive Rights keep you warm, or keep your children healthy. These are nuances fundamentally lost on them; the vacuum in which they live does not permit for this reality. They also don’t understand that there is a difference between what they, 1st World women want, versus what women in the developing world need. Malnourished, anemic, sick women do not need abortion – they need real health care, nutrition and access to water.
Today, as they so often do, the pro-abortion forces will try to convince the United Nations that we’re wrong and that they’re right and that we need a global right to abortion.
So I ask that you please help us let the UN know what it is real women want.
Beginning at 10:30 AM, the aforementioned pro-abortion zealots have asked all those of like mind to use the hashtag #WhatWomenWant. They will insist that these mythical Reproductive Rights (abortion) are of primary importance. But we have an opportunity to educate the delegates to the countries’ of the world by using the same hashtag and telling them that what women want is peace, and health, and close family units. If you have the time today – we could so very much use your help and it would be greatly appreciated.
I would be remiss if I didn’t profusely thank the lovely, gracious, beautiful, generous, wonderful, awe-inspiring women who responded to my question. From the bottom of my heart – THANK YOU! I am a better man for knowing you.
LifeNews.com Note: Raimundo Rojas is the director of Hispanic outreach for the National Right to Life Committee. He is a former president of Florida Right to Life and has presented the pro-life message to millions in Spanish-language media outlets. He represents NRLC at the United Nations as an NGO. Rojas was born in Santiago de las Vegas, Havana, Cuba and he and his family escaped to the United States in 1968.
Jodi says:
The day our twin girls were diagnosed with Down’s syndrome it felt like a life sentence.
That day, I didn’t feel like a mother. I just felt lost and confused. I had bleak visions of the future. I thought we’d be carers until we dropped dead.
The doctor took us off the ward, into a bare, clinical side room with three chairs and then uttered the words that have remained stamped on my memory: ‘I’m sorry.’
Keep up with the latest pro-life news and information on Twitter.
Everything else he said that day is a blur, that ‘I’m sorry’, the first words that came out of his mouth, is the thing that stayed with us.
We had so many questions. Would the girls walk? Would they talk? We knew nothing about Down’s syndrome and left the hospital with no answers, no information, just fear and dread.
But now, nearly five years later, their family is flourishing. And Jodi and Matt say they want to spread positive awareness and provide support to other parents who may be feeling lost and confused.
Abigail and Isobel started at a mainstream primary school last September, and their mum is speaking out again this World Down’s Syndrome Day to say that they have been a gift to her life. Jodi is determined to be there for other parents who might have just received a diagnosis.
92% of children diagnosed with Down’s syndrome before birth are aborted. Under the 1967 Abortion Act, abortion is legal up to birth for disabilities including spina bifida, cleft palate and club foot, as well as Down’s syndrome.
In her 1920 book Radiant Motherhood Stopes condemned a society that “allows the diseased, the racially negligent, the thriftless, the careless, the feeble-minded, the very lowest and worst members of the community, to produce innumerable tens of thousands of stunted, warped, and inferior infants.”
She demanded the “sterilisation of those totally unfit for parenthood be made an immediate possibility, indeed made compulsory.”
Jodi says:
Having twins with Down’s syndrome is very rare – about two million to one. But having a child with any learning disability is much more common.
If there had been a bit more understanding and listening to us as parents, then perhaps our distress would have been heard and someone could have directed us to information that told us what to expect for our daughters’ futures, not just scientific jargon about extra chromosomes!
To this day, I would love to ask that doctor, ‘what are you sorry for?’ There’s nothing to be sorry about, it’s just a different journey.
The family live in Lancashire and have three children – older brother Finlay, seven, and twins Abigail and Isobel, four.
Did you know that Ashley Judd is running for Senate? That’s right: the outspoken liberal, pro-abortion actress will be challenging Mitch McConnell for his Kentucky Senate seat.
While there is no shortage of pro-abortion celebrities, Judd takes it
to an entirely different level, campaigning for Planned Parenthood and
NARAL, and claiming that it is “unconscionable to breed.”
It certainly seems that pro-aborts have taken over Hollywood, but fortunately, that’s not the case. Pro-lifers may be outnumbered, but there are some celebrities you might be surprised to know are outspoken pro-life advocates.
Tim Tebow
Not many football players have generated such controversy over their personal beliefs, and for such surprising reasons. A Heisman Trophy winner, Tebow graduated from the University of Florida and currently plays in the NFL for the New York Jets. His religious devotion, from writing Bible verses on his cheeks during games to the Tebowing craze of praying on the field, has been both widely praised and scorned.
He is also a notable pro-lifer, appearing in a pro-life ad with his mother during Super Bowl XLIV that drew widespread criticism from pro-abortion advocates. The ads told the story of how Tebow’s mother was told to have an abortion but instead chose life for her son. Despite his fame and success, Tebow has remained true to his faith and pro-life principles.
Jack Nicholson
Not many people in Hollywood have had a career as celebrated and prolific as Jack Nicholson. A writer, director, producer, and actor, he has received the most Oscar nominations of any male actor, ever. Considering that he’s a notorious womanizer, it may be surprising to hear that he’s an adamant pro-lifer, but he is.
As a pregnant teenager, Nicholson’s mother was pressured to have an abortion, but she refused. This has shaped Nicholson’s view on abortion, making him one of the few pro-life celebrities. On the subject, he has said, “I don’t have the right to any other view. My only emotion is gratitude, literally, for my life.”
James Caviezel
Famous for playing the role of Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, James Caviezel has starred in several movies and currently is headlining the television show Person of Interest.
Caviezel is a devout Roman Catholic and an outspoken advocate for pro-life issues, speaking out against abortion and embryonic stem cell research. He’s called abortion the ultimate evil, saying, “Abortion goes much further: when the mother herself kills her son she goes against her own nature, against her own instinct. People talk about ‘choice’, but when a woman does that, when she destroys the life of her unborn child, then, we have arrived at the limit. The level cannot go higher regarding evil.”
Kathy Ireland
Kathy’s fame began when she was working as a model, appearing on the covers of major magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She also appeared as an actress in multiple television shows and movies. She also started her own company, Kathy Ireland WorldWide, which has grown into a multi-billion-dollar empire.
She’s also a notable outspoken pro-lifer. She’s advocated for the defunding of Planned Parenthood, and she appeared at a Council For Life luncheon, where she delivered the keynote speech.
Ben Stein
“Bueller? Bueller?”
If you can remember this scene, then you know who Ben Stein is. While he has appeared in movies, television shows, and even as a game-show host (for which he won an Emmy), it is his role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off that made him instantly recognizable. Stein has had an impressive career outside Hollywood, though, working as a scriptwriter for Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and teaching law at multiple universities around the country. He also writes frequently about politics and economics.
He’s also an outspoken pro-lifer. He was even honored at the Tenth Annual Proudly Pro-Life Awards Dinner in 2003.
Patricia Heaton
Patricia Heaton is best-known for her role as Debra Barone on the hit comedy Everybody Loves Raymond, for which she won two Emmy awards. She’s currently starring in another sitcom, The Middle.
Heaton is notable for being one of the rare Republicans in Hollywood, and she is an outspoken advocate for pro-life issues. She has spoken out against abortion, the death penalty, embryonic stem cell research, and euthanasia. She was one of the few celebrities who spoke out in the Terri Schiavo case, and she was named an honorary chair of Feminists for Life of America.
Kenny Chesney
One of country’s biggest superstars, Kenny Chesney has released 15 albums (14 of which have been certified gold or higher) and is the recipient of multiple awards, including Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. He’s also collaborated with other country stars such as Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, and Reba McEntire.
Chesney’s most notable example of pro-life advocacy is in the song he has called one of his favorites, “There Goes My Life.” It spent seven weeks at number one, and it tells the story of a teenager whose girlfriend gets pregnant and has the baby rather than having an abortion. The teen initially believes that his life has been ruined, but in the end, he realizes how much of a blessing the child is.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Jonathan Taylor Thomas was one of the ’90s’ most adored tween heartthrobs, starring in the Tim Allen smash Home Improvement. That fame also scored him roles on the big screen, in movies such as The Lion King and Wild America. Thomas took a break from acting to attend Harvard University. He also studied for one year at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland. He’s slowly been making his way back into showbiz, though, starring in indie films and making guest star appearances on numerous television shows.
He’s also a noted pro-lifer, even providing the voice for a baby in a pro-life television ad. The campaign gave alternatives to abortion, such as adoption and charities.
Janine Turner
In the late 1970s, Janine Turner started her career as a model before quickly moving on to become an actress on multiple television shows in the 1980s and 1990s. She also appeared in many movies, including Cliffhanger.
Turner is an outspoken Republican and a strong pro-life advocate. She has decried the lack of federal funding for pro-life organizations while Planned Parenthood receives taxpayer dollars, and she has urged conservatives not to declare a truce on social issues.
Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen is a notable actor of both television and films, starring in movies such as Apocalypse Now and The Departed and television shows such as The West Wing, where he played the president of the United States.
Sheen is an outspoken political activist and a notable liberal Democrat on most issues. He is also a Roman Catholic and a pro-lifer, even being named a “Remarkable Pro-Life Man” by Feminists for Life. He has also spoken out about his wife, who was conceived through rape. Her mother considered aborting her and, after the birth, dumping her in the Ohio River, but in both instances, she chose to give her daughter life instead.
California's so-called "End of Life Option Act" green-lighting physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill individuals, will go into effect June 9, the prescribed 90 days after a legislative "extraordinary session" called by Democrat Governor Jerry Brown ended March 10.
"It's a historic achievement for California, and for a limited universe of people dealing with a terminal illness," Democrat State Senator Bill Monning said in an npr.com report. "It could indeed be a transformative way of giving them the option of a compassionate end-of-life process."
Monning, a co-author of the law, was pleased that a date for legalized physician-assisted suicide to commence in California had been established.
"We're glad to finally have arrived at this day where we have a date certain," he said.
Monning also expressed gratitude for several deceased people who had advocated during their respective terminal illnesses for the bill, including Brittany Maynard, who moved from California to Oregon in 2014 to legally end her own life there, and who became famous after euthanasia activists seized upon her plight.
A video recorded by Maynard 19 days before she took her life was used in hearings for the California assisted suicide bill.
"I really believe," Monning stated, "we use today to mark and dedicate the memory of some true champions."
The Golden State is the fifth in the U.S. to permit doctors to facilitate the taking of patient's lives, following Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Vermont.
Legalization of physician-assisted suicide in California comes after euthanasia advocates have pushed for years to bring it to the state.
Brown signed the law in October after it passed in the California Assembly the month prior.
Tim Rosales, of Californians Against Assisted Suicide, said Thursday the law's approval came through "controversial legislative tactics."
"Californians Against Assisted Suicide remains strongly critical of this new law, and its lack of medical oversight and actual patient safeguards," he stated.
Other Democrat lawmakers praised the law on Thursday alongside Monning, with Senate leader Kevin de Leon saying from the Senate floor before the special session's adjournment vote that the legislation "ensures Californians have access to humane and compassionate options to limit suffering at the end of life."
The assisted suicide law requires two doctors to concur that a patient has six months or less to live before prescribing "aid in dying" drugs. The patient must be able to swallow the medication on his own and must also confirm in writing 48 hours prior taking the drugs that he will do so.
The pro-euthanasia activist group behind publicizing Maynard's death, Compassion & Choices, formerly the Hemlock Society, said the time was now for terminally ill patients to begin requesting "aid in dying" drugs from their physicians, to get ahead of a time-consuming approval process that could last as long as several weeks.
"We are telling people to start talking to their doctor now," said the group's California campaign director Toni Broaddus.
After lobbying for passage of the law, Broadus's group is engaging in a bilingual campaign educating Californians how to participate in physician physician-assisted suicide now that it is legal in the state.
Religious and pro-life groups criticized the law.
The state's Catholic bishops called it a "travesty of compassion."
"In a few months, California will allow physicians to intentionally and legally assist people in committing suicide," California Catholic Conference executive director Edward Dolejsi said in a statement. "This fundamental change in the doctor-patient relationship will have long-range repercussions for the people of California – especially those who are most vulnerable."
"As medical and ethical experts have shown, a desire to take one's own life is a call for help," the bishops' spokesman continued. "Quality palliative care, spiritual and emotional support and a respect for our human dignity are the compassionate response – not a lethal dose of drugs from a physician."
"Already we see proposals in the legislature to expand and promote physician-assisted suicide," Dolejsi stated. "We remain committed to providing alternatives to this "travesty of compassion."
Californians Against Assisted Suicide called it the "dangerous California assisted suicide law."
"We will continue working with our partners including doctors, patients and disability rights organizations to educate those impacted and vulnerable," the group said in a statement, "as well as working to limit the law's harms and prevent any expansion.
Canadian government introduces bill to legalize assisted suicide, euthanasia
OTTAWA, April 14, 2016 (LifeSiteNews)
— The Liberal government’s euthanasia bill introduced Thursday will not
protect vulnerable Canadians or the conscience rights of physicians,
say anti-euthanasia activists.
While Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould’s Bill C-14
is more restrictive than the legislative framework the special joint
parliamentary committee recommended in its February 2016 report, it
essentially provides “a perfect cover for acts of murder, absolutely,”
says Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention
Coalition.
The
draft legislation restricts eligibility for euthanasia and assisted
suicide to competent patients 18 years of age and older who have “a
serious and incurable illness, disease or disability” which “causes them
enduring physical or psychological suffering that is intolerable to
them and that cannot be relieved under conditions that they consider
acceptable,” who are in “an advanced state of decline in capability” and
whose “natural death is reasonably foreseeable.”
The
legislation mandates that a patient request assisted suicide or
voluntary euthanasia in writing, and that this request be approved by
two independent medical practitioners, or nurse practitioners.
It
mandates a 15-day waiting period after the request is approved, but
that period can be waived if the two medical practitioners deem the
patient’s condition will deteriorate before that time is up.
The
bill stipulates that only patients covered under a Canadian health care
plan are eligible for assisted suicide or euthanasia, so to avoid
“medical tourism,” or people from other jurisdictions travelling to
Canada to be killed by medical means.
The
long-awaited legislation is intended to amend two sections of the
Criminal Code struck down by the Supreme Court in the February 2015
Carter decision as unconstitutional, a ruling that takes effect June 6,
2016.
A
joint parliamentary committee tabled a report in February 2016
recommending a wide-open euthanasia regime, with the four Conservative
MPs dissenting from the report.
Schadenberg
says the bill “does not provide effective oversight in the law,”
because while it calls for two independent physicians or nurse
practitioners to approve a request for euthanasia, “this is the system
where the doctor or nurse practitioner who does the act also does the
reporting.”
The
legislation also provides “legal immunity for anyone, anyone who does
anything at a person’s request, under Sections 241.3, 241.5,” he said.
Canadian Physicians for Life president Dr. Will Johnston denounced the bill as “seriously deficient.”
While
the “draft law does not permit advance directives, or access to
assisted suicide or euthanasia for mature minors or for those for whom
mental illness is the sole reason for requesting the procedures,”
Canadian Physicians for Life stated that “all Canadians remain
vulnerable to abuses under the draft legislation.”
“There
is no necessary waiting period,” Johnston pointed out. “You don’t have
to be dying, your death just has to be ‘foreseeable’ — a term which is
not defined in the bill. Further an heir to your will can make a written
request on your behalf.”
And
while the bill acknowledges conscience rights in its preamble, it
“provides no protection for conscientious objectors,” according to
Albertos Polizogopoulos, a constitutional lawyer for Canadian Physicians
for Life.
“Absent explicit protections for health practitioners’ conscience rights, the bill violates their Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms right to freedom of conscience.”
Health
Minister Jane Philpott, who joined Wilson-Raybould in a press
conference Thursday, told reporters that, “under this bill, no health
care provider will be required to provide medical assistance in dying.”
“The
bill doesn’t say that anywhere,” countered Schadenberg, who echoes
Polizogopoulos in pointing out that “The bill does not provide
conscience protection in any way.”
In
fact, Section 241.31 states that physicians or nurse practitioners
“must send the request [for euthanasia] to a designated recipient, ”
Schadenberg told LifeSiteNews. “So they must in some way participate.”
Campaign Life Coalition is urging MPs to reject the euthanasia
and assisted suicide bill, and is asking the government to invoke the
notwithstanding clause which would override the Supreme Court’s decision
for five years.
“Campaign
Life Coalition opposes any law that allows for a person to kill another
person,” said CLC president Jim Hughes. “This proposed legislation is
deceitful and dangerous and will put at risk the lives of many
vulnerable Canadians regardless of the safeguards put forward.”
“By
legalizing assisted-suicide, the message that parliament will send out
to Canadians, especially young Canadians, is that suicide can be a
lawful solution to your suffering,” said Mary Ellen Douglas, National
Organizer for CLC.
“In
every other jurisdiction such as Belgium and the Netherlands where
assisted-suicide was made legal, the law has been abused and this too
will happen in Canada,” she said.
Conservative MP Michael Cooper, one of the four Tories on
the parliamentary committee who wrote a dissenting opinion, said he was
“pleased to see the government included many of the recommendations from
the dissenting report,” and that the bill is “more restrictive” than
called for by the committee.
But
he too faulted the bill for having no explicit conscience protection
rights for medical practitioners, adding that this has been left to the
provinces.
And
he was surprised that the legislation permits nurse practitioners as
well as physicians to kill patients by medical means, Cooper said.
Wilson-Raybould
noted that the Liberals will be studying the issues of opening
eligibility criteria for assisted suicide and euthanasia to mature
minors, those suffering from mental illness, and whether to allow
advance directives for euthanasia for people with degenerative diseases
such as dementia.
She said the government had a tight deadline and that
amendments on these more contentious recommendations by the joint
committee may be introduced after further study.
The justice minister dismissed suggestions by reporters that the government ask the Supreme Court to vet the legislation.
“We
are confident this legislation will withstand a charter challenge,” she
said. “We’ve tabled the proposed legislation this morning, we look
forward to…having debate among parliamentarians."
“In my view it would be very premature” to consider reference cases to the Supreme Court at this time, Wilson-Raybould said.
Philpott
also announced that Liberals will be putting $3 billion into increasing
access to home care that would include including palliative care.
Missouri House Passes Bill to Define Unborn Baby as a Person and Ban Abortions
A Missouri House committee passed a controversial pro-life resolution Tuesday that would recognize unborn babies as human beings in the state constitution. The Kansas City Star reports Missouri House Joint Resolution 98 would amend the state constitution and grant the right to life to “unborn human children at every stage of biological development.” Legislators amended the resolution Tuesday to remove exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, the report states.
Some believe the resolution would ban abortions completely in Missouri, but state Rep. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, who proposed the measure, is unsure. He previously said the resolution would lay the groundwork for laws or litigation to end abortion in the future, but it likely would not ban abortions right away because of Roe v. Wade. “As a former embryo myself, I want that protection for all embryos, present and future,” Moon said, according to the Associated Press. He added his goal is to “set a foundation in the [state] Constitution that protects the health of women and unborn children.” FULL REPORT
College kids demand abortion clinics on campus
Students at the University of California, Berkeley, are demanding an abortion clinic on campus despite having multiple facilities less than 10 miles away. Student senator Aanchal Chugh’s proposal for an on-campus abortion clinic was unanimously passed by the student government earlier this month, but she now is dealing with skeptical administrators.
“There are plenty of medical professionals in the area who can provide that type of service,” the school told KIPX-5 on Wednesday. Nearby options for students seeking abortions include two Planned Parenthood facilities, which are 3.7 miles and 6.6 miles away respectively. READ MORE
George Soros’ son donates $1 million to Planned Parenthood
WASHINGTON, D.C., March 24, 2016 (LifeSiteNews)
-- The son of leading Democratic donor George Soros was Planned
Parenthood Votes' (PPV) largest donor in February -- to the tune of one
million dollars.
According to Federal Elections Commission (FEC) data originally reported
by The Washington Free Beacon, Jonathan Soros gave the donation to the
campaign arm of Planned Parenthood. That number is four times that given
by his sister, Andrea Soros Colombel, in January -- a month that saw
five donors give to PPV.
Eleven donors gave money to PPV last month.
In
addition to being the son of the infamous liberal donor, Jonathan Soros
heads investment company JS Capital Management, LLC. His father, a
World War II survivor, has either personally or through his associated
organizations given tens of millions of dollars to the abortion
industry, including Planned Parenthood, both domestically and internationally.
Planned Parenthood has endorsed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for President of the United States. The organization plans to spend at least $20 million during the 2016 election cycle to elect pro-abortion and pro-LGBT Democrats to office.
Thousands of Radical Feminists are Flooding the UN Demanding It Make Abortion a Human Right
In a few hours thousands of women representing hundreds of organizations, some which profit directly from abortion, will ask and lobby the United Nations to adopt resolutions that will guarantee abortion as a global human right. They’re going to do this by insisting that a right to Sexual Reproduction is what women want to achieve parity with men, as well as their wealthier, and lighter skinned sisters.
They’re wrong. Deadly wrong.In a few hours these pro-abortion zealots, their friends and comrades will turn to social media, in general, Twitter in particular, and use the hashtag #WhatWomenWant as a way to promote their radicalized faux-feminist world view. A world view so inculcated with and indoctrinated in the abortion-on-demand-for-any-reason way of thinking that they tragically fail to see what real women want or need.
Last night, as I often do when dealing with all things women and because of this pro-abortion putsch at the UN, I called my mom. I asked her what she wanted; she didn’t understand what I was asking, so I explained, as a woman, if someone came up to you and asked “What do you want?” what would you say? She responded, “With all these troubles in the world, you should come home already, and I wish they had fake sugar that tasted better.” That’s my mom.
Typical response from her, but it wasn’t enough. So I too went to social media, (FaceBook and Reddit) and raised this question:
And then my phone blew up.
Hundreds of women responded – many friends and family members, but many strangers as well. Many responded publicly and just as many responded privately. It was, well, awe-inspiring. I could not have guessed what these women, some who are very close to me, were and are thinking and feeling. Some remarks made me laugh, several choked me up, and a few are still with me – will stay with me. The answers were so honest they hurt.
Chocolate was on the list, vacations, better job, and new clothing too. But the overwhelming sentiment from these extraordinarily real women was a desire for peace and health for loved ones and proximity to their families. The love of children, the love of spouses, the love of pets, the love of siblings, the love of freedom – were all articulated so beautifully.
SIGN THE NEW PETITION! Stop the UN’s Global Abortion Tax
There were also political wants, including my favorite ex-wife’s wish for a particular presidential candidate to drop out of the race. There were hopes for sports teams and tickets for country music concerts – but not one – not a single solitary mention of a want for Reproductive Rights.
The cynical, the twisted, the sarcastic, the caustic and crass will say, “Of course not, those women live where Reproductive Rights are a given.” Really? I just attended a side event at the United Nations where the American “War on Women” harangue was on full display. Which is it then, is there a war on women or not? The inane will also miss the point – abortion or so-called “Reproductive Rights” is NEVER the go-to “want” of most real women.
The inane will also miss the point – abortion or so-called “Reproductive Rights” is NEVER the go-to “want” of most real women.
Neither my question nor the responses were so precise or technical that they would cut the scientific mustard. Yet the answers were real and underscore an even more important point.
The women who responded to me are for the most part women who live in the developed world. But I believe that women in the developing world would want the same things – maybe not so much on the tickets to NASCAR. Women in the developing world want peace, they want potable water, and they want healthcare for their kids and a safe place to live.
The radicals here at the UN don’t (or won’t) appreciate that you can’t eat Reproductive Rights, nor will Reproductive Rights keep you warm, or keep your children healthy. These are nuances fundamentally lost on them; the vacuum in which they live does not permit for this reality. They also don’t understand that there is a difference between what they, 1st World women want, versus what women in the developing world need. Malnourished, anemic, sick women do not need abortion – they need real health care, nutrition and access to water.
Today, as they so often do, the pro-abortion forces will try to convince the United Nations that we’re wrong and that they’re right and that we need a global right to abortion.
So I ask that you please help us let the UN know what it is real women want.
Beginning at 10:30 AM, the aforementioned pro-abortion zealots have asked all those of like mind to use the hashtag #WhatWomenWant. They will insist that these mythical Reproductive Rights (abortion) are of primary importance. But we have an opportunity to educate the delegates to the countries’ of the world by using the same hashtag and telling them that what women want is peace, and health, and close family units. If you have the time today – we could so very much use your help and it would be greatly appreciated.
I would be remiss if I didn’t profusely thank the lovely, gracious, beautiful, generous, wonderful, awe-inspiring women who responded to my question. From the bottom of my heart – THANK YOU! I am a better man for knowing you.
LifeNews.com Note: Raimundo Rojas is the director of Hispanic outreach for the National Right to Life Committee. He is a former president of Florida Right to Life and has presented the pro-life message to millions in Spanish-language media outlets. He represents NRLC at the United Nations as an NGO. Rojas was born in Santiago de las Vegas, Havana, Cuba and he and his family escaped to the United States in 1968.
Doctor Said He Was “Sorry” My Twins Had Down Syndrome, But I Wouldn’t Trade Them for Anything
Every child is special, and Jodi and Matt Parry know that even better than most parents. They are mum and dad to identical twin girls, Abigail and Isobel, who also have Down’s syndrome – the chances of which are two MILLION to one.
Jodi and Matt are open in admitting that when they first heard their children had been diagnosed with Down’s syndrome – three weeks after their premature birth in June 2011 – they felt it was a ‘life sentence’.“Sorry”
The first words the doctor said to them when they received the news were: “I’m sorry”Jodi says:
The day our twin girls were diagnosed with Down’s syndrome it felt like a life sentence.
That day, I didn’t feel like a mother. I just felt lost and confused. I had bleak visions of the future. I thought we’d be carers until we dropped dead.
Lack of support
Sadly, many families with a child who has a learning disability struggle to get the right support at the right time. This reinforces the negative stereotypes and fears that many people have about people with disabilities.The doctor took us off the ward, into a bare, clinical side room with three chairs and then uttered the words that have remained stamped on my memory: ‘I’m sorry.’
Keep up with the latest pro-life news and information on Twitter.
Everything else he said that day is a blur, that ‘I’m sorry’, the first words that came out of his mouth, is the thing that stayed with us.
We had so many questions. Would the girls walk? Would they talk? We knew nothing about Down’s syndrome and left the hospital with no answers, no information, just fear and dread.
But now, nearly five years later, their family is flourishing. And Jodi and Matt say they want to spread positive awareness and provide support to other parents who may be feeling lost and confused.
Myths and misconceptions
So they are devoting their lives to busting the myths and misconceptions that surround Down’s syndrome.Abigail and Isobel started at a mainstream primary school last September, and their mum is speaking out again this World Down’s Syndrome Day to say that they have been a gift to her life. Jodi is determined to be there for other parents who might have just received a diagnosis.
92% of children diagnosed with Down’s syndrome before birth are aborted. Under the 1967 Abortion Act, abortion is legal up to birth for disabilities including spina bifida, cleft palate and club foot, as well as Down’s syndrome.
Eugenics
It is also noteworthy that many of the early proponents of legal abortion were firm believers in eugenics – such as Marie Stopes, in whose honour the abortion provider Marie Stopes International is named.In her 1920 book Radiant Motherhood Stopes condemned a society that “allows the diseased, the racially negligent, the thriftless, the careless, the feeble-minded, the very lowest and worst members of the community, to produce innumerable tens of thousands of stunted, warped, and inferior infants.”
She demanded the “sterilisation of those totally unfit for parenthood be made an immediate possibility, indeed made compulsory.”
Two million to one
In the early days, when the twins were diagnosed, Matt and Jodi were terrified that their family would never be the same again. For Jodi, this destroyed her dreams of being a mum and in that instant, all she felt was grief for the children she thought she would have.Jodi says:
Having twins with Down’s syndrome is very rare – about two million to one. But having a child with any learning disability is much more common.
If there had been a bit more understanding and listening to us as parents, then perhaps our distress would have been heard and someone could have directed us to information that told us what to expect for our daughters’ futures, not just scientific jargon about extra chromosomes!
To this day, I would love to ask that doctor, ‘what are you sorry for?’ There’s nothing to be sorry about, it’s just a different journey.
The family live in Lancashire and have three children – older brother Finlay, seven, and twins Abigail and Isobel, four.
South Dakota bans abortions after 20 weeks as governor signs bill into law
PIERRE, South Dakota, March 11, 2016 (LifeSiteNews)
- Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed a Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection
Act into law, making South Dakota the 13th state in the nation to
restrict abortion to the first 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Medical science with the aid of ultrasound technology has proven
that babies in the womb as young or younger than twenty weeks gestation
can feel pain – and react with alarm – when they are aborted, either by
ripping their limbs apart or by poisoning their system with saline.
The
other states that have pain capable bills protecting preborn children
are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska,
North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
South Dakota state Rep. Isaac Latterell, one of the bill's sponsors, told National Right to Life News
that the bill recognizes “the humanity of unborn children” who can feel
pain. “These are people just like you and me," he said.
“I’m
thrilled the Governor signed the bill,” Dr. Fred Deutsch, president of
South Dakota Right to Life told LifeSiteNews. “The fact that the unborn
baby can experience severe pain from abortion provides additional
verification that the baby is a human being deserving of protection.”
“This
legislation begins a new chapter in the history of South Dakota,” Dr.
Deutsch told LifeSiteNews, “to protect unborn babies in our state.”
South
Dakota legislators have successfully passed four major pro-life laws
this session, with bills to inform women their medical abortions may be
reversed if steps are taken in time, to require the state health
department to make its abortuary inspection records public, and to make
the sale of aborted baby parts a felony.
The
pro-life bills passed with overwhelming margins, except for the Pain
Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which was the only bill that did
not pass by a wide enough margin to be “veto-proof.”
The newly passed Informed Consent law, to inform mothers that their chemical abortion can be reversed if action is quickly taken, is on the governor's desk, awaiting his anticipated signature.
The Fetal Body Part Ban, championed by South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, was delivered to the governor Tuesday.
On
Monday, Gov. Daugaard signed the Reporting Bill, requiring the South
Dakota Health Department to make public its records on inspections of
abortion facilities.
Nebraska
first enacted a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in 2010, from
the original model drafted by National Right to Life’s Department of
State Legislation.
The
South Carolina Senate also passed a Pain-Capable Unborn Child
Protection Act on Tuesday, which now goes to the state House for
approval.
The
U.S. House of Representatives passed a national informed consent bill
sponsored by Rep. Trent Franks (R- AZ) requiring women to be notified of
the possibility that they may reconsider and save their baby even after
taking the first abortifacient pill, but it has never passed the U.S.
Senate.It certainly seems that pro-aborts have taken over Hollywood, but fortunately, that’s not the case. Pro-lifers may be outnumbered, but there are some celebrities you might be surprised to know are outspoken pro-life advocates.
Ten Notable Pro-Life Celebrities You Should Know
Tim Tebow
Not many football players have generated such controversy over their personal beliefs, and for such surprising reasons. A Heisman Trophy winner, Tebow graduated from the University of Florida and currently plays in the NFL for the New York Jets. His religious devotion, from writing Bible verses on his cheeks during games to the Tebowing craze of praying on the field, has been both widely praised and scorned.
He is also a notable pro-lifer, appearing in a pro-life ad with his mother during Super Bowl XLIV that drew widespread criticism from pro-abortion advocates. The ads told the story of how Tebow’s mother was told to have an abortion but instead chose life for her son. Despite his fame and success, Tebow has remained true to his faith and pro-life principles.
Jack Nicholson
Not many people in Hollywood have had a career as celebrated and prolific as Jack Nicholson. A writer, director, producer, and actor, he has received the most Oscar nominations of any male actor, ever. Considering that he’s a notorious womanizer, it may be surprising to hear that he’s an adamant pro-lifer, but he is.
As a pregnant teenager, Nicholson’s mother was pressured to have an abortion, but she refused. This has shaped Nicholson’s view on abortion, making him one of the few pro-life celebrities. On the subject, he has said, “I don’t have the right to any other view. My only emotion is gratitude, literally, for my life.”
James Caviezel
Famous for playing the role of Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, James Caviezel has starred in several movies and currently is headlining the television show Person of Interest.
Caviezel is a devout Roman Catholic and an outspoken advocate for pro-life issues, speaking out against abortion and embryonic stem cell research. He’s called abortion the ultimate evil, saying, “Abortion goes much further: when the mother herself kills her son she goes against her own nature, against her own instinct. People talk about ‘choice’, but when a woman does that, when she destroys the life of her unborn child, then, we have arrived at the limit. The level cannot go higher regarding evil.”
Kathy Ireland
Kathy’s fame began when she was working as a model, appearing on the covers of major magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She also appeared as an actress in multiple television shows and movies. She also started her own company, Kathy Ireland WorldWide, which has grown into a multi-billion-dollar empire.
She’s also a notable outspoken pro-lifer. She’s advocated for the defunding of Planned Parenthood, and she appeared at a Council For Life luncheon, where she delivered the keynote speech.
Ben Stein
“Bueller? Bueller?”
If you can remember this scene, then you know who Ben Stein is. While he has appeared in movies, television shows, and even as a game-show host (for which he won an Emmy), it is his role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off that made him instantly recognizable. Stein has had an impressive career outside Hollywood, though, working as a scriptwriter for Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and teaching law at multiple universities around the country. He also writes frequently about politics and economics.
He’s also an outspoken pro-lifer. He was even honored at the Tenth Annual Proudly Pro-Life Awards Dinner in 2003.
Patricia Heaton
Patricia Heaton is best-known for her role as Debra Barone on the hit comedy Everybody Loves Raymond, for which she won two Emmy awards. She’s currently starring in another sitcom, The Middle.
Heaton is notable for being one of the rare Republicans in Hollywood, and she is an outspoken advocate for pro-life issues. She has spoken out against abortion, the death penalty, embryonic stem cell research, and euthanasia. She was one of the few celebrities who spoke out in the Terri Schiavo case, and she was named an honorary chair of Feminists for Life of America.
Kenny Chesney
One of country’s biggest superstars, Kenny Chesney has released 15 albums (14 of which have been certified gold or higher) and is the recipient of multiple awards, including Entertainer of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. He’s also collaborated with other country stars such as Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, and Reba McEntire.
Chesney’s most notable example of pro-life advocacy is in the song he has called one of his favorites, “There Goes My Life.” It spent seven weeks at number one, and it tells the story of a teenager whose girlfriend gets pregnant and has the baby rather than having an abortion. The teen initially believes that his life has been ruined, but in the end, he realizes how much of a blessing the child is.
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Jonathan Taylor Thomas was one of the ’90s’ most adored tween heartthrobs, starring in the Tim Allen smash Home Improvement. That fame also scored him roles on the big screen, in movies such as The Lion King and Wild America. Thomas took a break from acting to attend Harvard University. He also studied for one year at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland. He’s slowly been making his way back into showbiz, though, starring in indie films and making guest star appearances on numerous television shows.
He’s also a noted pro-lifer, even providing the voice for a baby in a pro-life television ad. The campaign gave alternatives to abortion, such as adoption and charities.
Janine Turner
In the late 1970s, Janine Turner started her career as a model before quickly moving on to become an actress on multiple television shows in the 1980s and 1990s. She also appeared in many movies, including Cliffhanger.
Turner is an outspoken Republican and a strong pro-life advocate. She has decried the lack of federal funding for pro-life organizations while Planned Parenthood receives taxpayer dollars, and she has urged conservatives not to declare a truce on social issues.
Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen is a notable actor of both television and films, starring in movies such as Apocalypse Now and The Departed and television shows such as The West Wing, where he played the president of the United States.
Sheen is an outspoken political activist and a notable liberal Democrat on most issues. He is also a Roman Catholic and a pro-lifer, even being named a “Remarkable Pro-Life Man” by Feminists for Life. He has also spoken out about his wife, who was conceived through rape. Her mother considered aborting her and, after the birth, dumping her in the Ohio River, but in both instances, she chose to give her daughter life instead.
