Displaying items by tag: prolife

Catholic pro-life activist Mark Houck was raided by 15 to 20 armed federal agents banging on his door in the early hours of the morning. They treated Mark like a terrorist. This massive show of force sparked fierce criticism and questions about whether the Biden administration was using the FBI for political purposes ahead of a heated election. His appearance in court was demanded in the case of United States of America v Mark Houck. He faced up to 11 years in prison and a $350,000 fine as the government claimed a violation took place. Houck vehemently disagreed, saying they were arresting Catholic protestors like terrorists. When the ‘Not guilty’ verdict was announced his supporters in the courtroom wept tears of relief. They had taken on Goliath - the full might of the American government - and won. They later prayed outside the federal courthouse, thanking God for being with them in spirit and truth.

The US government has paved the way for pharmacies to sell mifepristone, the first of a two-drug procedure for medication abortions. Mifepristone is used first to block progesterone and cause the unborn baby to die over several days. It is followed by misoprostol, which causes painful uterine contractions which expel the deceased baby from the mother’s womb. Retailers CVS and Walgreens will seek government certification to dispense the drug to women with a doctor’s prescription. Women could then take it at home, despite documented medical risks. Pro-life leaders say the new regulation will turn neighbourhood retail pharmacies into participants in killing unborn children. Peer-reviewed data from California, Finland and Sweden show that chemical abortions result in higher rates of medical complications than surgical abortions. A pro-life research organisation said emergency room visits associated with chemical abortion increased by over 500% from 2002 to 2015. During those years chemical abortions increased from 4.4% to 34.1% of total abortions.

Birmingham City Council issued a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to deter people from gathering outside an abortion clinic with placards and pictures to protect patients from being harassed and intimidated when entering. 40 Days for Life Birmingham are concerned as the order makes it illegal to pray outside the clinic. They are taking the council to court, saying, ‘Through this action, we are not asking anyone to agree with what we believe; others have the right to disagree. We ask for justice, despite our different beliefs. It is disproportionate and unnecessary to ban prayer connected to abortion in an area near a Catholic church and to ban the words “baby” or “mum” in text or imagery.’ The PSPO comes after the Government voted for nationwide ‘buffer zones’ outside abortion clinics. Anyone breaching them faces up to six months in jail for a first offence and up to two years for several offences.

The US's overturning of women’s rights to abortion is reverberating globally, with activists on both sides of the debate responding. In 1978 Italy legalised abortion. The current rise of politics, closer to the Catholic church, has brought it back into focus, and the US decision is rumbling in Italy. A former foreign minister said it showed the risk in Italy of moving backwards and ‘losing achievements that seemed permanent’. But on the right, ‘A great victory’, declared Simone Pillon, hoping Italy and Europe would follow suit. In Ireland, America’s ruling triggered a swift, passionate response, stirring deep emotions where abortion was only recently decriminalised. Many vocal Irish campaign groups and activists still exist on both sides. A pro-abortion rights' activist in El Salvador, where abortion is banned in all cases said, ‘This will embolden the most conservative groups in our countries who consistently deny women rights.’ In Canada and India similar loud debates are being discussed in the media, Twitter and online.

Abortion was made legal across the US after a landmark legal ruling in 1973, often referred to as the Roe v Wade case. However, a leaked document claims that the Supreme Court - the nation's most senior legal body - is now in favour of overturning that right. Abortion could instantly become illegal in 22 states. A decision is expected in late June or early July. Currently many states have restrictions such as requiring young pregnant women to involve their parents or a judge in abortion decisions, or waiting periods between the time a woman first visits an abortion clinic and the actual procedure. Sometimes women have to travel across state borders for an abortion and pay more for them. According to the pro-choice movement, poor women are penalised most by these restrictions. There are nine judges on the Supreme Court; six were appointed by Republican (pro-life) presidents.

A pro-life filmmaker is claiming censorship after his documentary was removed from Amazon Prime video ‘because of poor customer reviews’ despite the film receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews. Marcus Pittman’s movie, ‘Babies are Still Murdered Here,’ goes into the deep underpinnings of major national lobbyist groups. It asks why after 46 years babies are still being murdered. Amazon categorises reviews based on keywords: some keywords were pro-life, end abortion and pro-life movement. This may be why the film was removed. Amazon has faced allegations of censorship before. Last year it pulled books describing how a relationship with Jesus Christ helped people out of same-sex attractions, saying it was in ‘violation of our content guidelines’, but did not point out which parts were objectionable.

Parliament has backed an amendment that could force abortion on Northern Ireland (NI) after Labour's Stella Creasy put forward the amendment as part of a Commons debate aimed at keeping NI running in spite of a devolved government. NI's abortion law has saved 100,000 lives and many believe it is entirely inappropriate for Westminster to force abortion liberalisation on NI in the absence of Stormont. (MPs have been known to put forward amendments to further their own campaigns in the process). Putting forward an amendment does not mean it will change NI’s abortion law. However, if devolution is not restored by the 21 October the amendment could be passed to the Speaker, John Bercow, to choose if it goes forward; and then it would be down to Commons votes. The DUP reacted angrily to the decision.

The Alabama senate has passed a law that says abortions should not be allowed in any circumstances apart from ‘risk to the mother's life’. A British Christian researcher, Katie Brookfield, disagreed with Alabama’s ruling. ‘The reality is that making abortion illegal does not end abortion, it drives it underground where it's extremely dangerous.’ Meanwhile, a pro-life campaigner said, ‘The Alabama ruling is a fantastic step in the right direction. But you can't celebrate it without taking a long hard look at our own situation. The UK government is pushing to decriminalise abortion totally up to 24 weeks, not recognising there are two people in the case of abortion. This is happening because the UK church, like the priest and the Levi, is choosing to look the other way, walk on the other side of the road and not see the truth. These little human beings are being disposed of and denied burial through every single abortion procedure.’

Ealing Council may install buffer zones outside a Marie Stopes abortion clinic to ban the presence of pro-life protesters within 150 metres. It would prohibit silent praying, singing hymns, displaying foetus images and distributing leaflets. Only after twenty years of activity outside the clinic has the council considered them a threat. Pro-lifers have never altered their tactics or adopted any aggressive policies. They organise the prayer vigils and provide counselling for pregnant women in crisis. They repeatedly asked Ealing councillors to meet and listen to women who have been helped by their pavement counsellors; their offers were ignored. Video footage of ‘intimidating protesters’ simply shows three people at prayer opposite the clinic. Meanwhile on 24 January Manchester council voted to ‘take all necessary actions within its powers’ to stop what it said was protesters’ harassment of women using their abortion clinics. See

Northern Ireland's’ supreme court judges are considering whether abortion laws breach human rights. Currently abortion is illegal unless a woman's life is in danger or if continuing the pregnancy would cause mental or physical harm. On 25 and 26 October a number of contributors explained why they believe the law is incompatible with human rights, while others explained their opposition to any law changes. Ireland's attorney general and lawyers for the department of justice argued for the status quo. Christian politician Jim Shannon said democratic values must be upheld, amid supreme court scrutiny of the abortion laws; and the majority of people in Northern Ireland support current laws. See also the next article.