How to pass federal paid family leave and limit abortions

/ DFLA

DFLA’s Charles Camosy writes:

Family leave programs and child-care support are energetically backed by liberals. Hillary Clinton just wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post pledging to provide incentives to improve the situation. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has introduced federal legislation mandating paid family leave. If conservatives are wise, they will join in the effort. This is especially true for those who are antiabortion: They should want mothers to have the resources to help them keep their babies….

Democrats who want to see such bills pass need to come up with a carrot to get moderate Republicans on board. A nearly perfect one exists: the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which was passed by the House last year but filibustered by Senate Democrats.

The bill would ban elective abortions past the 20th week of pregnancy. The United States is extreme in allowing such abortions in the first place; it is one of only seven countries in the world that permit abortions beyond 20 weeks. Though there is legitimate debate among biologists about when a fetus can feel pain, the Pain-Capable Act’s 20-week ban is common-sense legislation that would catch up our abortion policy with France, Britain, Germany and most of the rest of the civilized world.

 

Alabama Pro-life Democrats Support Bill to Prohibit Late-Term Abortions

/ DFLA

By Matthew Tyson

On May 12th, 2016, Governor Robert Bentley of Alabama signed a bill that would prohibit abortions performed through “Dilation or Evacuation”—other wise known in the bill as “dismemberment abortion.” This would essentially prohibit second trimester abortions of viable infants in Alabama.

SB 363, or the Alabama Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act, has the full support of Democrats for Life of America, and we would like to send our sincerest gratitude to the 5 Democratic legislators that voted in favor of the bill: House minority leader Craig Ford (D, Gadsden) and Rep. Elaine Beech (D, Chatom), as well as Senators Priscilla Dunn (D, Bessemer), Linda Coleman-Madison (D, Birmingham), and Vivian Figures (D, Mobile).

Though a win for the whole life community to provide protection to preborn infants, the bill attracted the expected negative criticism from abortion rights supporters.

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Did the Bishops Make a Mistake Opposing Affordable Healthcare?

/ Kristen Day

When Congress passed the Affordable Care Act in 2009, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ultimately opposed final passage.  The bishops’ decision to oppose the very lifesaving legislation that they had advocated for several decades provided coverage and legitimacy for Republicans to target the pro-life Democrats.  The results of the 2010 midterm elections were devastating.

One of the key players at the USCCB, Richard Doerflinger, the associate director of the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, recently announced his retirement after 36 years with the Conference.  In an article in the National Catholic Register, Doerflinger noted one regret over his tenure: the decision by pro-life advocates to target pro-life Democrats.  We acknowledge Doerflinger’s admission of this mistake, and we hope and trust that pro-lifers will work together in the future—including with pro-life Democrats—to meet the mounting challenges in our nation from the increasingly aggressive efforts to promote abortion.

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The Plight of the Democratic Party

/ DFLA

by Matt Tuman

Today’s front-page article of the Washington Post discussed the enormous electoral losses Democrats have taken since President Obama was inaugurated in January 2009. Since then, Democrats have lost 13 Senate seats, 69 House Seats, 913 state legislative seats, 11 governorships and 32 state legislative chambers.

The natural question that follows is, “How did this happen?”

Pro-life Democrats have been alienated from the Democratic Party. The 2012 Democratic platform stated the party “strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade” and “opposes any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.” With this uncompromising stance, the party excludes over one third of all Democrats. In a CNN/ORC poll released last year, 36 percent of Democrats said that abortion should be illegal before the fetus is viable. The Democratic Party cannot thrive when it ostracizes such a large part of its membership.

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“Women’s Health Protection Act” – HB 16-1203

/ DFLA

A White Paper from the Protect Life Coalition

** Basis for the testimony of Tom Perille, MD, before the Colorado House Health, Insurance and Environment Committee on April 7, 2016

Introduction

The Women’s Health Protection Act is an attempt to ensure that women who choose abortion are not victimized by those who would profit from the procedure.  For pro-choice activists who for decades have railed against the prospect of unsafe/back-alley abortions, ensuring safe, sanitary conditions for this surgical procedure should be a no-brainer.  Pro-life activists, who abhor abortion for its effects on the woman as well as the developing human, gain no solace from the maiming and mutilation of young women during a legal abortion procedure.   Everyone in Colorado, regardless of their position on abortion, should endorse sound abortion clinic regulations, commensurate with the risk attributable to abortion.

The State of Colorado through the Department of Health and the Environment, Health Facilities and Emergency Medical Services Division, have promulgated rules concerning a wide variety of health care facilities to ensure public safety.  They currently license hospitals, long term care facilities, acute treatment units, assisted living residencies, community clinics, rehabilitation centers, convalescent centers, chiropractic centers, birth centers, maternity hospitals, dialysis centers, psychiatric hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, hospices and home care agencies.1  Abortion is the most common out-patient surgical procedure in the state and abortion clinics deserve to be included in this list of health care facilities with specific state oversight and supervision. Continue reading →

President Hillary Hides the Faults of the Democratic Party

/ DFLA

Friday, January 20, 2017 is a cold day in Washington, DC.  The scene outside the Capitol building is familiar to many political aficionados, although the cast of characters is somewhat different.  It is now Hillary instead of Bill raising her hand to take the oath of office, and the faces around her are more diverse than before.  After thumping Republican nominee Donald Trump (yes, that actually happened), the Democratic Party is full of optimism.  After electing the first African-American president and reelecting him four years later, the presidency can now no longer exclusively use the pronoun “he”.  Democrats are the party of diversity and progress, as astounding numbers of Hispanics and African-Americans carry Hillary to the White House.

On this date, it is easy to fall into the Democratic talking points of an ascendant party, one that will control at least two branches of the government in the near future with maybe the Congress within reach.  However, if this future occurs, it will be a house built on sand, to borrow a biblical phrase.

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Unexpected Support

/ DFLA

John Wesley Leek

The Mississippi Democratic Party platform in 2012 left little room for pro-life Democrats stating among other things that the party “strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade” and that “we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine (abortion rights).”

I went to my county convention Saturday March 12th with proposed platform language adapted from statements provided by Democrats for Life of America.

I felt suddenly nervous as I stood to speak. I hadn’t met many of the people there before and had heard many times that most Democrats identify as pro-choice. Here is what I read: Continue reading →