The trafficking of aborted baby body parts for research is barbaric. The Trump administration was dedicated to ending this practice and protecting the sanctity of human life. Grave injustices were exposed that exploited unborn children for experimentation, but were not fully remedied. Policy changes brought an immediate halt to federal contracts that trafficked organs […]
Abortion advocates have always vehemently opposed laws that limit taxpayer funding for abortion. The Hyde Amendment, which Congress has applied to the annual appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services for nearly all of the last 45 years, draws their greatest contempt, because it prohibits the use of federal and state matching Medicaid funds for most abortions—and has likely saved 2.4 million lives. However, for many years the abortion industry grudgingly tolerated lawmakers who supported the Hyde Amendment, for principled or pragmatic reasons, as long as they remained in lockstep with the rest of their abortion agenda.
“Our review of all the Adverse Events from mifepristone as an abortion drug revealed serious concerns about hemorrhage, infections, and fetal tissue left inside. There were over 500 life-threatening complications, which would have been deaths if the women had not had timely access to the Emergency Room. These women without access to an ER are exactly the women being targeted with abortions by mail, and those who are most at risk of death by patient abandonment. We know from other studies that reports from the FDA only represent a small fraction of the actual adverse events happening to women across the country.”
To view this fact sheet as a PDF, see: Fact Sheet: D.C. Statehood and Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Medicaid covers abortions only in rare cases. Since 1976, federal funding for Medicaid has been passed by Congress with an annual rider known as the Hyde Amendment, which limits federal dollars from funding abortion except in […]
Last updated: April 14, 2021 To view this fact sheet as a PDF, see: Fact Sheet: Questions and Answers on Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Do Late-Term Abortions Really Happen in the U.S.? Yes. The definition of a late-term abortion is imprecise – and shifting. The gestational age at which an unborn child can […]
Dr. Tara Sander Lee testified on HB 1110, noting her scientific and clinical experience spanning 20 years, which includes expertise in molecular genetics and diagnostic testing. Dr. Sander Lee provided information on: the incidence of Down syndrome in the United States, methods of prenatal screening and testing, the high false-positive rate of incorrect reporting in standard screening tests, limitations with newer methods of non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS or NIPT), and the “perinatal revolution”
On February 22, Susan B. Anthony List and Charlotte Lozier Institute were pleased to join in an amicus brief filed alongside 26 other organizations in a major case pending before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica. The brief was filed in the case Manuela and Family v. El Salvador.
This paper will explore some of the major pro-life gains made in the past four years, including those made in the final days of the Trump administration and preview what may come in the days and weeks ahead.
Opponents of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) have long warned that there is a “slippery slope” from initially limited acceptance of the practice to a broader “right” to take the lives of the sick and elderly. PAS supporters have generally dismissed this claim as alarmist. In my home state of Washington, however, supporters are now embracing the claim, and urging lawmakers to ski down the slope.
Former vice-president Joseph Biden has made it clear that on becoming President, he hopes to advance his party’s stand on so-called “social issues” such as abortion and the LGBTQ agenda. His ability to do so will depend on whether he will be working with a Congress that shares his goals.
Pro-life Americans Deserve Transparency in Healthcare Plans FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 18, 2020 Contact: Prudence Robertson, probertson@sbalist.org, 240-672-2828 Washington, D.C. – Today Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI), the research arm of Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List), in partnership with Family Research Council (FRC) and The Heritage Foundation, released a new report detailing the extent […]
A Summary of a Recent Amicus Brief Filed by 102 Members of Congress Twenty-four U.S. senators and 78 members of the House of Representatives have filed a bicameral amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in the case of American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists v. United States Food and Drug Administration (ACOG v. […]
*The term “resident” will be used to describe nursing home residents unless otherwise indicated. **All data is accurate as of 10/06/2020 In early 2020 news began circulating that a life-threatening respiratory illness was sweeping across the world and had made its way to the United States. Reactions to the severity of the problem […]
This is Issue 51 in CLI’s On Point Series. To view this report as a PDF, see: On Point 51: Medical and Social Risks Associated with Unmitigated Distribution of Mifepristone: A Primer Chemical abortions, or “medication” abortions, have become a more prevalent method of abortion in recent years in the United States. In 2000, […]
This is Issue 2 in CLI’s On Science. To view this report as a PDF, see: A Policy and Funding Evaluation Of Human Fetal Tissue Research Background The body parts of preborn babies that die through the act of elective abortion are harvested and sold to desiring scientists for experimentation. These acts are heinous, […]
This is Issue 49 in CLI’s On Point Series. To view this report as a PDF, see: On Point 49: The “No-Test Medication Abortion” Protocol: Experimenting with Women’s Health A trend of mounting concern is occurring in abortion provision. When elective induced abortion was legalized in the United States in 1973, one oft-cited motivation […]
An addendum has been written that provides information about state policy changes regarding taxpayer funding of abortion since 2016. This addendum also includes revised calculations of the number of lives saved by the Hyde Amendment. For the full 2016 report, please see Hyde @ 40: Analyzing the Impact of the Hyde Amendment Addendum […]
On June 29, 2020 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against a Louisiana law requiring abortionists to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where they perform the abortion. Justice Breyer announced the judgment of the Court and delivered an opinion joined by Justices Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Kagan. Chief Justice […]
The Supreme Court’s ruling today in the June Medical case does not answer the question whether the free-form balancing test required by the 2016 Hellerstedt decision “supplants” or “supplements” the undue burden test from Casey. Background Before Hellerstedt, it was thought that a health and safety regulation would pass muster if it was reasonably related to […]
This is Issue 48 in CLI’s On Point Series. To view this report as a PDF, see: On Point 48: Six States and Their Radical Approaches to Abortion Law In 2019, there was a flurry of activity around abortion laws at the state level on both sides of the abortion debate. While states such […]
This is Issue 47 in CLI’s On Point Series. To view this report as a PDF, see: On Point 47: Will Ohio Down Syndrome Law Split the Circuit Courts, Provoke Supreme Court Review? As the Supreme Court moves toward the end of its term having heard abortion cases involving admitting privileges and legal standing, […]
Latest COVID-19 Vaccine Chart This is Issue 46 in CLI’s On Point Series. To view this report as a PDF, see: On Point 46: An Ethics Assessment of COVID-19 Vaccine Programs This page outlines the ethical considerations involved solely in vaccine production, based on information present at the time of publication. Subsequently, publication […]
This is Issue 44 in CLI’s On Point Series. To view this report as a PDF, see: On Point 44 Pro-Life Topics for Lawmakers Regarding Coronavirus In February 2019 the Trump administration finalized the Protect Life Rule, a new regulation governing Title X of the Public Health Service Act. Title X is the federal […]
by R. J. Snell, Ph.D. This paper can be viewed as a pdf here: The Coronavirus Pandemic and the Ethics of Triage As the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Italy, many hospitals are overwhelmed with patients, necessitating difficult triage decisions that can seem like choosing who lives and who dies. In the United States, already […]
This is Issue 43 in CLI’s On Point Series. To view this report as a PDF, see: On Point 43 Pro-Life Topics for Lawmakers Regarding Coronavirus. Abortion advocates have found a new ally—COVID-19. During this intensely stressful time, the vast majority of Americans are focused on protecting their health and the health of […]
Washington, D.C. – In response to news reports claiming that potential treatments for coronavirus will not be discovered unless the body parts of aborted children are used in experiments, the Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) issued the following comment: “Those who advocate experimentation using body parts harvested from aborted children are shamelessly exploiting the coronavirus pandemic, […]
By Shea Garrison, Ph.D., M.S. This is Issue 41 in CLI’s On Point Series. To view this report as a PDF, see: Why the Global Protect Life Rule is Right for the U.S. and Nations Around the World The United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959) calls for legal protection […]
This is Issue 40 in CLI’s On Point Series. To view this report as a PDF, see: An Analysis of How Medicaid Expansion in Kansas Will Affect Abortion Rates. Executive Summary This month, the Kansas state legislature will consider legislation that would expand Kansas’ Medicaid program. Currently, the Kansas Medicaid program does not […]
Editor’s Note (2/27/2020): Since the time of initial publication, the name of the case, June Medical Services L.L.C. v. Gee, has changed to June Medical Services L.L.C. v. Russo. This report may be viewed in its entirety as a PDF at: ARS_The Supreme Court Has Said It Will Hear a Major Abortion Case from Louisiana […]
This is Issue 37 in CLI’s On Point Series and update to Issue 33. To view this report as a PDF, see: On Point 37 Abortion Cases in the Higher Federal Courts Introduction Our nation’s highest court may soon clarify or modify federal abortion jurisprudence after agreeing to hear June Medical Services v. […]
The entire text of this publication may be found as a pdf at Anti-Discrimination Laws in the Womb: New Momentum for Protection. Something interesting is afoot in recent disappointments for advocates of the right to life. In a series of cases that may test the appeal of a new jurisprudence on abortion, two federal […]
“Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law” is a befitting state motto for Missouri, where in 2019 pro-life lawmakers and officials have been very busy trying to make the state a safer place for unborn children and their mothers. While many of these legislative and legal efforts have been widely publicized, a […]
Today, August 19, 2019, the Protect Life Rule, which is designed to re-establish the original bright-line separation between abortion and the use of Title X funding, is set to go into effect. Planned Parenthood receives approximately $60 million in federal Title X funding annually. In a recent letter to the U.S. 9thCircuit Court of Appeals, […]
*This map is current as of August 2019.
The entire paper may be viewed as a pdf here: On-Point-34_Legislative-and-Litigation-Overview-of-Five-Month-Abortion-Laws-Enacted-Before-and-After-2010_Final This paper sets out legislative and litigation information involving state laws that prohibit abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy, roughly five months or more than halfway through pregnancy. Summary Since January 2010, twenty-one states have enacted statutes prohibiting abortion at 20 […]
This is an updated version of On Point Issue 26 and On Point Issue 29. To view this report as a PDF, see: Abortion Cases in the Higher Federal Courts Introduction While several states have appealed court decisions enjoining abortion restrictions to the United States Supreme Court, the Court has thus far failed to clarify or […]
This map shows the status of laws prohibiting or permitting assisted suicide, including physician-assisted suicide (PAS) in the United States. Last updated: June 13, 2019. To view as a PDF, see: Assisted Suicide in the States
On May 28, 2019 the U.S. Supreme Court issued a long-anticipated ruling in an abortion case from Indiana involving disposition of fetal remains and whether a state may prohibit abortions performed because of the child’s race, sex, or diagnosis of Down syndrome or other disability. The lower courts had struck down both policies. The […]
Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) is pleased to announce the addition of four new associate scholars to its roster of now 60 accomplished physicians, research scientists, statisticians, attorneys and theologians. The new associate scholars are Rev. Nicanor Pier Giorgio Austriaco, O.P., Ph.D., S.T.D., Drs. J. Wells Logan, M.D., Robin Pierucci, M.D., M.A. and Kathryn Nix Carnahan, M.D. […]
On April 26, 2019 the Kansas Supreme Court declared that the Kansas state constitution guarantees a right to abortion. The case involves a challenge to a Kansas statute banning the practice of dismemberment abortion—i.e., “with the purpose of causing the death of an unborn child, knowingly dismembering a living unborn child and extracting such […]
Many mainstream media outlets are unfairly criticizing the Trump administration for removing the phrase “Sexual and Reproductive Health” from a United Nations resolution on sexual violence. Such a policy change was necessary to ensure that this resolution did not support legal abortion. Many organizations affiliated with the United Nations including the United Nations Population Fund […]
This is part of CLI’s On Point Series and appears as Issue 31. To view the report as a PDF, see: Massachusetts’ Draconian Abortion Proposal. Introduction In the first few months of 2019, with the prospect of a Supreme Court that is more willing to defer to state judgments about abortion law, several […]
Missouri’s 2017 abortion report reveals that abortions in the state have fallen every year over the past decade. Since 2008, abortions performed in Missouri have dropped by 47 percent. Changes in Missouri Abortions, 2016-2017 *Total abortions occurring in Missouri. Missouri also reports abortions performed on Missouri residents both inside and outside the […]
To view this report as a PDF, see: Overview of Legislation and Litigation Involving Protections Against Down Syndrome Discrimination Abortion Last updated: March 21, 2019. Five 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 […]
A federal district court has denied a motion by abortion providers to temporarily block a health and safety law in Missouri. The case is Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains v. Randall Williams, No. 2:16-cv-04313 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. The case is on remand following a […]
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. To view the most recent version, see: Abortion Cases in the Higher Federal Courts, On Point 33 Introduction The challenged abortion laws that may be reviewed by the United […]
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 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 33 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 […]
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.”
Pregnancy help centers (PHCs) have won a victory in their struggle against oppressive regulations.
At issue is a 2016 Illinois law regulating physicians and other health care personnel. Plaintiffs, including the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), challenged the law, arguing, in the words of a federal district court, that it “compels [PHCs] to tell pregnant women the names of other doctors they believe offer abortions, and compels them to tell pregnant women that abortion has ‘benefits’ and is a ‘treatment option’ for pregnancy.”
Proponents of assisted suicide often dismiss “slippery slope” arguments on the grounds that proper safeguards will assure that assisted suicide will not devolve into euthanasia, either voluntary or not.
Earlier this year, for example, Hawaii became another of several states to consider legislation to legalize assisted suicide (the effort failed). During debate, one lawmaker who supported the bill dismissed concerns over where legalization might lead, saying “the inclusion of protections, such as euthanasia bans, helps allay the fears of critics who worry about the ‘slippery slope.’”
Oregon lawmakers have passed a bill that would force health benefit plans offered in the state to provide coverage for abortion and voluntary sterilization.
The bill, known as HB 3391, also would require health benefit plans to cover any contraceptive drug, device, or product approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As this Lozier paper explains, some contraceptives can also cause abortions.
“My biggest issue is this: a parent is a caregiver and then of course the health professionals are the caregivers, but you know, who gets the final say?”
-Mother whose daughter has osteosarcoma
This essential question was posed by the mother of one of 33 children living with chronic conditions whose parents I interviewed for my recently published study in the current issue of Health Communication. The study is titled, “You know the medicine, I know my kid”: How parents advocate for their children living with complex chronic conditions.
Charlotte Lozier Institute submitted a “friend of the court” brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on April 20 in support of pregnancy help centers (PHCs). The PHCs have challenged a California law, arguing that it forces them to post contact information for a county office that refers for abortion and burdens their ability to advertise their services.
March 21 was World Down Syndrome Day. Fitting, then, that on the same day Oklahoma’s House of Representatives passed its Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act of 2017.
Kristi Burton Brown, J.D., is an attorney focusing on First Amendment and sanctity of life issues. In this interview, she discusses the legal defensibility and value of pain-capable abortion prohibitions, as well as fetal disposition and laws governing that practice.