On June 26, 2018 the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in NIFLA v. Becerra, striking down a California law that interfered with the free speech rights of pregnancy help centers to counsel women and offer alternatives to abortion. The 5-4 decision should have quelled the efforts across the country by state and city governments to […]
This is an updated version of On Point Issue 26. To view this report as a PDF, see: Abortion Cases in the Higher Federal Courts Introduction The challenged abortion laws that may be reviewed by the United States Supreme Court in the near future can be divided into three main groups: (I) Limitations on […]
On Thursday, December 13, 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Healthcare, Benefits, and Administrative Rules and Government Operations for the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on “Exploring Alternatives to Fetal Tissue Research.” The hearing was called as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services re-evaluates funding for research using tissue from […]
By Robert Marshall Many Americans think of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as an issue from another era in American history. And so it is – a 22-word amendment to the Constitution first proposed in 1972, fiercely debated, but failing of ratification by the deadlines Congress established, then extended by majority vote, for it. […]
On Thursday, December 13, 2018, the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Healthcare, Benefits, and Administrative Rules and Government Operations for the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on “Exploring Alternatives to Fetal Tissue Research.” The hearing was called as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services re-evaluates funding for research using […]
Last week Justice Clarence Thomas issued a respectful but strong admonition to his colleagues on the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice Thomas’s admonition comes in his opinion dissenting from the decision of the Court to deny review in Gee v. Planned Parenthood, No. 17-1492, and Andersen v. Planned Parenthood, No. 17-1340. As the Supreme […]
The following are papers published by the Charlotte Lozier Institute in the On Point or American Reports Series on issues involving 20-week or five-month abortion laws.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 16, 2018 Contact: Mallory Quigley, mquigley@sbalist.org, 202-223-8073 Briefs Submitted in Support of Ban on Down Syndrome Discrimination Abortions and Humane Disposition of Fetal Remains Washington, D.C. – The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) has submitted an amicus curiae brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold […]
To view this report as a PDF, see: Overview of Legislation and Litigation Involving Protections Against Down Syndrome Discrimination Abortion Four states have enacted legislation to prohibit the eugenic practice of Down syndrome discrimination abortion. Courts have enjoined the law in three of the states. Several additional states have introduced similar legislation. States that […]
To view as a PDF, see: Former Kennedy Law Clerk Argues Stare Decisis No Obstacle to Reversing Roe and Casey’s “Viability Rule” Table of Contents I. The “viability rule”—the “most central principle” of Roe v. Wade II. “Stare decisis”—what it is and why abortion activists invoke it with vigor III. The three exceptions to […]
In employment law, the rule of “at will” employment provides that an employer may dismiss an employee at any time for any nonprohibited reason or no reason at all. However, that general rule is subject to exceptions, such as the rule that employers may not dismiss an employee based on a protected status such as […]
This article has been updated. To view the most recent version, see: Abortion Cases in the Higher Federal Courts, On Point 29 Introduction The challenged abortion laws that may arrive at the United States Supreme Court in the near future can be divided into three main groups: (I) Limitations on the availability of […]
To view this report as a PDF, see: Ten Truths about Title X Introduction Title X was enacted in 1970 as an addition to the Public Health Service Act (the “Act”), becoming the only federal grant program directed solely at providing individuals and families with comprehensive family planning and related reproductive health services. Title […]
Last week, a federal court held that a lawsuit challenging multiple pro-life laws in Virginia may proceed. However, the court rightfully dismissed the plaintiffs’ “cumulative undue burden” claim—the centerpiece of the abortion industry’s latest strategy to undermine laws written to protect unborn children and their mothers. While it is common for abortion providers to […]
Louisiana has won a major pro-life victory in federal appeals court. On September 26, 2018 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a lower court ruling and upheld a Louisiana law requiring abortionists to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where they perform abortions. The Fifth […]
National elections have local consequences. The President nominates Supreme Court justices. Supreme Court justices decide important cases. And sometimes those cases make a big difference at a very local level. Last week a federal trial court in Hawaii ruled in favor of A Place for Women in Waipio, a local pregnancy help […]
CLI Report: Thousands of Pregnancy Centers Nationwide Served Nearly 2,000,000 People in 2017, Saving Communities at Least $161 Million FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 21, 2018 Contact: Nicole Stacy, nstacy@sbalist.org, 202-223-8073 Washington, D.C. – In response to news that a Hawaii law forcing pro-life pregnancy centers to advertise abortion has been struck down in […]
Last week the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued an important opinion in the abortion case Comprehensive Health v. Josh Hawley (No. 17-1996). At issue were two pro-life laws from Missouri. The hospital relationship requirement requires all doctors who perform abortions at ambulatory surgical centers to be privileged to perform […]
The Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled in opposition of Pro-life Action Ministries, legally represented by Thomas More Society, which filed a lawsuit in 2016 against the University of Minnesota for its unlawful use of aborted human fetal tissue in research. Pro-life Action Ministries alleged that the University of Minnesota was procuring and […]
“Now, they’re gone. Now, I’m never going to know what those babies are going to grow up to be or anything. That’s how it hurts me.” Carrianne Mahoney, a woman suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome, uttered these words in March after she and other patients were notified that a system malfunction at Cleveland’s […]
Bobby Schindler is president of the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network and associate scholar at the Charlotte Lozier Institute. Bobby advocates for the medically vulnerable in honor of Terri Schiavo, his sister. A full-time advocate, speaker, and writer, Bobby and the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network have been instrumental in providing resources and […]
To view this report as a PDF, see: State Regulation of Telemedicine Abortion and Court Challenges to Those Regulations In February 2018, an article appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine (Cosmo) lauding the practice of telemedicine abortion.[1] The article described the process of meeting with a nurse for blood testing and an ultrasound at a “local health […]
BY JESSIE HELLMANN June 26, 2018 – 10:12 AM EDT The Supreme Court’s ruling Tuesday in favor of anti-abortion clinics in California will make it easier for similar facilities in other states to dissuade women from getting abortions. The court ruled 5-4 that a California law requiring clinics known as “crisis pregnancy centers” to inform women […]
Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that pregnancy help centers are likely to succeed in a challenge to a California law forcing them to advertise for abortion. The case isn’t over. It will go back to the trial court for additional fact finding and then a final ruling on the legal issues. But […]
On May 16, 2018, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton (D) vetoed legislation that would have protected patient autonomy and shielded physicians from liability. The Minnesota Legislature passed and presented S.F. 2849 to Governor Dayton to ensure that expectant mothers may give informed consent to abortion procedures. S.F. 2849 would have codified a woman’s right to […]
On May 29, 2018 the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition for a writ of certiorari filed earlier this year by Planned Parenthood of Arkansas & Eastern Oklahoma. Planned Parenthood had asked the Supreme Court to review the opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in a case involving the […]
One argument frequently made by supporters of legal abortion is that the incidence of abortion is not affected by its legal status. As such, proponents of legal abortion maintain that legalizing abortion will not result in more abortions, but will instead improve the safety of abortions – ensuring they are done by trained medical professionals […]
In March 2018 the Governor of Mississippi signed a law banning elective abortions at 15 weeks of pregnancy and beyond. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that states may not ban abortion before the unborn child reaches “viability”, i.e., before the child can potentially survive outside the womb, albeit with what the Court called […]
On April 4, 2018, the Louisiana House of Representatives made significant progress in the promotion of adoption as an abortion alternative. The Louisiana House Education Committee and Health and Welfare Committee each advanced pro-adoption legislation to a full House session for debate on April 11, 2018. First, the Louisiana House Health and Welfare […]
This map shows the status of laws prohibiting or permitting assisted suicide, including physician-assisted suicide (PAS) in the United States. Last updated: April 6, 2018. To view as a PDF, see: Assisted Suicide in the States
by Kevin Petrisek On Tuesday, March 20, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in NIFLA v. Becerra. The legal defense group working on the case, Alliance Defending Freedom, summarized this case well. It stated that the California law at issue forces pro-life pregnancy help centers to provide free advertising for the abortion industry. The […]
Ohio HB 214 prohibits abortion where the abortionist knows that the mother is seeking the abortion, in whole or in part, because the baby was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, because a test result indicated Down Syndrome in the baby, or because of any other reason to believe the baby has Down Syndrome. HB […]
Earlier this year I joined attorneys Nikolas T. Nikas and Dorinda C. Bordlee as counsel on the amicus brief the Charlotte Lozier Institute submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in the pregnancy care center case, NIFLA v. Becerra. Nik is co-founder, president and general counsel of Bioethics Defense Fund (BDF) and Dorinda is Vice […]
In late 2017 Italy’s Senate approved, in a 180-71 vote, legislation permitting patient-created Advance Directives. The law endorses a form of Advance Directives so permissive that Italians won’t simply be able to outline their health care wishes prior to possible incapacity, but in fact will be able to hasten their own deaths. Tragically, this appears […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 16, 2018 Contact: Nicole Stacy, nstacy@sba-list.org, 202-223-8073 Supreme Court Will Hear Pregnancy Centers’ Challenge to California Law that Forces Them to Promote Abortion Washington, D.C. – The Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI), March for Life Education Fund, and Susan B. Anthony List’s National Pro-life Women’s Caucus have submitted an amicus […]
A federal trial court in Austin has struck down a Texas law prohibiting the practice of dismemberment abortion. The court issued its ruling one day before Thanksgiving. The law struck down by the court, known as S.B. 8, provides that “[a] person may not intentionally perform a dismemberment abortion unless the dismemberment abortion is […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 30, 2017 Contact: Nicole Stacy, nstacy@sba-list.org, 202-223-8073 Outdated Information and Dehumanizing Terminology Puts Patients’ Lives at Risk, Says CLI Scholar & Advocate Bobby Schindler Washington, D.C. – A new report by Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) Associate Scholar Bobby Schindler sheds light on the widespread legality of euthanasia by denial […]
Ohio Right to Life reports that the Ohio Senate has passed S.B. 164, a bill that would prohibit abortion when the abortionist knows that the mother is seeking the abortion because the baby has Down Syndrome. According to Ohio Right to Life, two weeks earlier “the Ohio House passed an identical piece of legislation, H.B. […]
To view this paper as a PDF, see: Basic Care, Human Dignity, and Care for Medically Vulnerable Persons Physical and cognitive disability should not mean one’s situation is considered “end of life,” yet too many persons who are not dying are described this way. Earlier this year, Oregon’s state legislature considered a bill that […]
The U.S. Supreme Court has granted review in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra. The case involves a challenge to a California law forcing pro-life pregnancy help centers to post information about public programs that provide free or low-cost access to abortion. This lawsuit is very important. Pregnancy help centers play […]
Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to California’s Reproductive FACT Act By Melanie Arter | November 13, 2017 | 5:29 PM EST (CNSNews.com) – The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a challenge to California’s Reproductive FACT Act, which requires pro-life pregnancy centers to give information on and refer pregnant women for abortions. The […]
To view this fact sheet as a pdf, see: Adoption: The Case for the Credit The adoption tax credit (ATC) as structured today was introduced more than two decades ago by Ways and Means Committee chairman Bill Archer as part of the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996. It is related to the […]
This September, a New York State court unanimously decided on an assisted suicide case and upheld state prohibitions on the practice of physician assisted suicide. The plaintiffs in Myers v Schneiderman consisted of patients with terminal diagnoses who, along with euthanasia-rights advocates, sought the establishment of a “right-to-die” with a physician’s aid by challenging the […]
The Texas law banning dismemberment abortions is heading to trial. A federal court in Austin, Texas has scheduled the law, known as S.B. 8, for a bench trial starting November 2, 2017. Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed S.B. 8 on June 6, 2017. Under S.B. 8, “A person may not intentionally perform a […]
A Kansas abortionist has had his license suspended for 90 days for violating the Kansas Child Rape Protection Act. The final order suspending the license of Allen S. Palmer, D.O. to practice osteopathic medicine and surgery was issued on September 13, 2017 by the Kansas Board of Healing Arts.
As early as September 25, 2017 the U.S. Supreme Court could decide whether to hear three cases involving pregnancy help centers (PHCs).
In August 2017 the Charlotte Lozier Institute submitted an amicus curiae brief to the U.S. Supreme Court. The brief describes the risks to mothers and children from gestational surrogacy.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown broke what theater patrons would call the “fourth wall” when she signed House Bill 3391 into law on August 14, dragging every resident of her state into the vast public drama over abortion and human rights. In an egregious and unprecedented move, Oregon has become the first state to guarantee free abortions for all residents—backed by the full faith and credit of the taxpayer. With this step, it becomes increasingly difficult for any Oregonian to sit in the audience on so important as issue.
In 2013, the Charlotte Lozier Institute published a report titled, “The Adoption Tax Credit: Progress and Prospects for Expansion.” The report both outlines the history of the adoption tax credit at the federal level and analyzes the number of states that provide some form of tax relief for adoption. Since the report was published, the federal adoption tax credit has continued to increase in dollar amount and is utilized by tens of thousands of Americans pursuing adoption each year. In addition, several states have created or expanded adoption tax credits at the state level, helping to offset adoption costs for American families.
In its most recent annual report, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America makes two fundamental claims, both of which are directly relevant to the question involving continued government funding for its services, approximately $555 million in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016. These claims are:
• First, that Planned Parenthood health centers are “an irreplaceable component of our country’s healthcare system”, and;
• Second, that Planned Parenthood provides “lifesaving care.”