Someone working within the Supreme Court leaked a draft decision to Politico written by Justice Samuel Alito purporting to overturn Roe v Wade. If true, this is welcome news to pro-life warriors everywhere who have prayed, marched, sidewalk-counseled, written letters, lobbied elected officials, started pro-life clubs, and donated money to pro-life causes to bring an end to the scandal of Roe v Wade.
Roe has been bookended by scandal. It was a scandal when decided in 1973, and it is a scandal today in the way a draft decision was leaked to the press before a decision is official.
Why was this draft document leaked?
Intimidation. And it appears to have been coordinated with the Democratic Party, which began to fundraise on it last night, and abortion groups:
In lockstep with the leak, abortion groups instantly appeared before the Supreme Court last night with chants of ‘fascist scum have got to go’ mingled with the names of Republican-appointed justices. Protestors displayed signs which said “F-CK SCOTUS,” and “Sam Alito Retire B-tch.”
Abortion-minded politicians have egged on the abortion mob in the past.
Standing in front of the Supreme Building in March of 2020, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer attempted to intimidate Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh with this overheated rhetoric before an already inflamed crowd:
“I want to tell you Gorsuch. I want to tell you Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions.”
Mobs are used to intimidate. And indeed, abortion protestors can quickly morph into a mob, as Molly Hemingway reported, writing for The Federalist:
“The Supreme Court was attacked by a crazed mob in the aftermath of the Kavanaugh confirmation. Hundreds of raucous protesters tried to break down the 13-ton bronze doors. They scaled the building and its statues and threw tomatoes and water bottles at the cars of justices who had attended his swearing-in. The mob even went after Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan.
Mobs had also rioted in Senate buildings in the lead-up to Kavanaugh’s confirmation. They had disrupted the official constitutional proceedings associated with his nomination and review.”
So, does this leaked draft suggest that Roe IS going to be overturned?
We hope so, but as baseball great, Yogi Berra once said, “it ain’t over until it’s over.” Clearly, the leaked draft is intended to intimidate an originalist jurist to change his/her vote.
Who supports overturning Roe?
According to Politico, all three Trump nominees, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, are on board to overturn Roe. Same with Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, author of the draft decision. Chief Justice John Roberts is apparently undecided. Politico’s reporting makes it clear that this isn’t a done deal:
“Deliberations on controversial cases have in the past been fluid. Justices can and sometimes do change their votes as draft opinions circulate and major decisions can be subject to multiple drafts and vote-trading, sometimes until just days before a decision is unveiled. The court’s holding will not be final until it is published, likely in the next two months.”
So we’re forced to return to the motive behind the leak of the Alito draft. The whirlwind which Chuck Schumer unleashed (not ‘Gorsuch and Kavanaugh’) is intended to threaten at least five justices into rethinking the Alito decision and water down the draft, or completely reverse course. It’s not likely to happen, but the threat is apparent, and it is real.
So, assuming Roe IS reversed, how does that affect Iowa?
Not at all. Each state will regulate abortion according to the desires of their voters. In Iowa, abortions aren’t allowed after 20 weeks, when the unborn person feels pain.
However, in 2018, the Iowa Supreme Court discovered a ‘fundamental right to abortion’ in the Iowa Constitution. Pulse Life Advocates, in conjunction with our allies in the Iowa Pro-Life Coalition, are fighting back with a proposed Protect Life Amendment to the Iowa Constitution.
Whether Roe actually falls or not, pro-lifers MUST get this Amendment across the finish line.
In the meantime, let us marvel at the scandal of Roe, and savor the likelihood of its demise.
State Capitol Building, Iowa
More Options for Maternal Support (MOMS) bill, SF 2381 would help ensure that every new and expecting woman in Iowa has access to meaningful assistance and support when she needs it most through life-affirming pregnancy resource centers. We believe this bill will not only support healthier mothers and children, but it will help our state reduce abortions! A subcommittee meeting was held in the House this morning. Please contact your representatives and encourage them to pass the MOMS bill before session ends!
By MAGGIE DeWITTE
This proclamation helps reiterate what we already know: Abortion hurts women and destroys families. And when women have been devastated by their abortion decision, they need to know there is hope and healing. We have hundreds of abortion recovery programs across the country and several in Iowa that help anyone who has been impacted by abortion to receive support, counseling and the services they need to put their lives back together. I am proud we have a Governor that understands this and supports creating a culture of life in Iowa.
You heard the two shortest verses in the Bible during Lent: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35), and “What is truth?” (John 18:38).
Let us reflect on the profound implications of these concise verses through the lens of the pro-life movement. They reveal the essence of the Bible.
Why did Jesus weep? Because we matter. His friend Lazarus died because He wasn’t there to heal him. He intentionally held back so He could perform the ultimate miracle: restoring life to the dead, because each life matters to God.
He wept because He was overcome by the anguish of Martha and Mary at the loss of their brother. Their grief deeply affected Him to the point of tears, tears that demonstrated His profound love for His friends.
Within a week, a beaten and battered Jesus would stand before Pontius Pilate who asks, “What is truth?” Of course, the Roman Governor was oblivious to the fact that the Truth stood before him.
Christ’s coming crucifixion and resurrection revealed that He is fully divine with control over life and death. His tears before Martha and Mary revealed He is fully man.
His physical torture revealed the depth of his profound love for you. Why would a Man-God subject Himself to such horror? Because you matter.
There is such a simple pro-life message in these two shortest sentences in the Bible:
- “Jesus wept.” Why? Because you matter.
- “What is Truth?” That you matter.
Scripture makes it clear we were made in God’s image, that we are His creation. In that light, how could anyone who professes to love God tolerate or promote abortion?
Our dignity is a birthright at the instant of fertilization until our natural death. Any compromise at either end of the arc of our life is a crime against God.
The meaning is all there in five words divided into two sentences in the Gospel of John: You matter. Yesterday, today, tomorrow.
Dr. Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist and author, reflected on the crucifixion of Christ on Good Friday:
“You cannot write a more tragic story. It is impossible.
It’s an aggregation of everything people are afraid of. There was no death more painful than crucifixion. That’s why the Romans invented it. You know what’s coming.
Plus your best friend betrayed you.
Plus your people turned against you.
Plus they’re led by a tyrant who doubts Truth.
Plus you’re a victim of the Roman empire.
Plus you’re completely innocent, and everybody knows it.
Plus they choose a criminal to be released from this experience instead of you even though they know he’s a criminal and you’re innocent.
And you’re young … and you’ve done no wrong. All you’ve done is help people.”
(You can watch Dr. Peterson’s full remarks above.)
The definition of tragedy
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines tragedy as:
“a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (such as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that elicits pity or terror”
Good Friday is certainly a tragic and evil tale. Jesus is confronted by a seemingly superior force, evil, which leads to his sorrowful and disastrous demise.
‘Evil had been demoted’
The Wall Street Journal’s Dan Henninger made an interesting observation in his column this week writing on a different tragedy, the war in Ukraine:
“Evil fell into disrepute years ago. Evil implied the possibility of a devil, and both came to be seen as impediments to some forms of private personal behavior. So we demoted evil and expanded the definitions of goodness. But banishing the devil came with a price, which is apparent as the world stares into the abyss of human ruin in Ukraine.”
How exactly has evil been demoted? Take abortion. What can be more evil than aborting a baby because she’s inconvenient, especially knowing that adoptive parents wait in the wings for that child.
Evil has essentially been rebranded. In the case of abortion, abortion proponents proclaim it as ‘health care,’ essentially a moral good in their eyes.
The reinterpretation of evil
Henninger notes the recent reinterpretation of evil:
“In our time, especially the past 10 or so years in the United States, notions of what constitutes evil have been reinterpreted and distanced from individual responsibility. Evil had become oddly euphemized. Acts of murder, including mass murder, are less about the evil acts of individuals and more about their “guns.” On Monday President Biden gave a stirring speech about a federal plan to control “ghost guns.”
Climate change, a scientific phenomenon, has risen to become the “existential threat to humanity” (as per Mr. Biden again and countless others).
This is not to say these concerns are illegitimate but only to note how far the matters we consider important have drifted toward complex abstractions. One might call it the issuefication of morality.”
Did Jesus consider evil a “complex abstraction” on Good Friday?
On this Good Friday, let us remember that Jesus didn’t view evil as a complex abstraction. He looked Satan in the eyes and essentially said, “give me your best shot.”
Good Friday reminds us of the evil of abortion that kills innocent human beings for the crime of being inconvenient.
Good Friday reminds us that you and I matter, from conception to natural death, because Christ allowed Himself to be nailed to a cross to rescue us from evil.
Good Friday reminds pro-lifers to never despair. The story doesn’t end on Good Friday. It begins.
The ultimate tragic story in history was transformed into the ultimate triumphant story in history on Easter Sunday just three days hence.
[Our next video project is titled, “How to raise pro-life children.” You can financially support this project here.]
On Wednesday, the Iowa Legislature gave final approval to SF 577, a bill that would allow mothers who go through a miscarriage to receive a “nonviable birth” certificate for their child, recognizing that child’s humanity and existence. The bill was inspired by successful programs in Nebraska and Florida and originally suggested by Kristen Stiffler, an Iowan in the Des Moines metro area.
We are thankful for Sen. Amy Sinclair and Rep. Carter Nordman carrying this bill through the Senate and House, hopefully offering consolation to grieving parents.
The scene: the Iowa State Fair. Pulse Life Advocates and our allies, Iowa Right to Life, shared a pro-life booth in the Varied Industries Building a few years ago. A woman walked by our booth and became agitated once she realized who we were. She walked up to a young woman manning our booth and spit on her. Later that evening, our signage was torn down.
Let’s put this incident in a spiritual perspective by heeding the intense scripture readings for this upcoming Palm Sunday.
Consider the first reading from Isaiah:
The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue,
that I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
What’s going on here?
Isaiah prophesies Christ’s passion. Dr. Peter Kreeft explains the intentions of His tormentors:
“Christs’s torturers are trying to inflict not just personal pain but also public shame and disgrace. They are, in fact, doing no such thing. Isaiah the prophet, divinely inspired, sets the future and shows us the suffering Christ saying to us, ‘The Lord God is my help, therefor I am not disgraced.’
Notice the “therefore.” Being on the Lord’s side changes everything. Whoever is on the Lord’s side, whoever is doing his will, is never disgraced but always graced. Sometimes the grace comes in the form of joy, and sometimes it comes in the form of suffering. Suffering is not a disgrace. Martyrdom is not a disgrace. Being hated by evil men is not a disgrace. It is an honor.”
“Well-trained tongue”
Pro-lifers are called to have a “well-trained tongue” to communicate the truth of the pro-life movement, that each life has dignity from the moment of fertilization until natural death.
When pro-abortion zealots push back in disgraceful ways, like spitting on us, jeering us, and destroying our property, we should feel honored for standing up for Christ and God’s creation.
“Being hated by evil men is an honor”
Kreeft says,
“Being hated by evil men is not a disgrace. It is an honor. Being hated by good men is a disgrace. So is being loved by evil men.
Being old and wrinkled and in a wheelchair and having cancer or dementia is not “life unworthy of life.” That was the term the Nazis used to label all the people with mental and physical disabilities to justify killing them. We often do that very same thing today, but politely, and cleanly, in hospitals, by men and women in white coats who went to medical school, not in gas chambers and concentration camps. We call it “mercy killing” or euthanasia.
Iceland recently bragged that there was not a single person with Down syndrome in the entire country: every single one of them had been aborted. In America, 90 percent of Down syndrome babies are aborted. The philosophy behind mercy killing, at either end of life — the beginning, in the womb, or the end, in a bed — is that it is disgraceful to live when your suffering is great and your powers are few. It is a lie. If it were true, then Jesus was a disgrace and a fool.
Graced by our suffering
It all comes down to a simple question: Is society the standard for judging God or is God the the standard for judging society?
We are not disgraced by our sufferings. We are graced.”
Pro-lifers: take heed.
[Don’t forget this Saturday’s 7PM pro-life benefit concert, A LIVING HEAVEN.]
Pulse Life Advocates is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to defending the defenseless for the past half century. We’re dedicated to informing, educating, and inspiring a new generation to value the sanctity of all human life from fertilization to natural death.
Pulse is non-partisan because human abortion is such an egregious crime against humanity, that we oppose any politician that supports it, regardless of party affiliation.
By the same token, we support all politicians who support life-affirming legislation, regardless of party affiliation.
Abortion extremists
Sadly, elected Democrats are not just pro-abortion along the lines of their rank-and-file voters, they are abortion extremists.
An example: Katie Hobbs is a Democrat running for governor of Arizona. Asked on a local television show on what limits on abortion she would be willing to accept, Ms. Hobbs said,
“Well, women deserve access to abortion care. Abortion is health care. I’ve been very clear on my position on that throughout my time in the legislature. So if I’m elected governor, that’s what folks are getting. And I will work with the legislature that’s in place to ensure that women have continued access to reproductive health care.”
Notice how she didn’t specifically answer the question on limits. When pressed, she refused to acknowledge support for any limits:
“Abortion is a personal decision between a woman and her family and her doctor. And that’s something that needs to be discussed in the medical exam room, not by politicians.”
Ms. Hobbs stakes out this extremist position on abortion even though 61% of rank and file Democratic voters “want significant restrictions” placed on abortion.
Cindy Axne wants to undo all abortion restrictions in Iowa
In Iowa, Iowa’s Representative from the 3rd congressional district, Democrat Cindy Axne, stakes out equally extremist views on abortion. Ms. Axne voted in favor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify abortion and strip all regulations away in Iowa, including 20 week limits and parental notification. Said Axne:
“For nearly half a century, a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her body and her reproductive health has been supported by the ruling of our nation’s highest court. Those decisions have been recognized as the law of our land, but recently we have seen a dangerous erosion of that precedent which threatens the health of millions of women. When precedents are no longer enough to protect women’s rights, it’s time for Congress to act. It’s my job as a member of Congress to ensure that these protections are explicit and undeniable by making them clear in federal law.”
Pulse opposes politicians like Hobbs and Axne, regardless of party affiliation, who stake out such extremist views on abortion.
House Republicans affirm their pro-life position
By way of contrast, House Republicans put out a memo proclaiming their vision for a post Roe v Wade world, as reported by National Review:
“Our message is clear. There is dignity and value in every human life from conception to natural death. We will celebrate every opportunity to protect life, share science-backed truth of the humanity of unborn babies, and support unborn babies, mothers, and families in our communities as we fight for a culture of life in the U.S.”
These Republicans know that they are not only on the right side of history, but on the right side of voters:
“By a 2 to 1 margin, Americans want abortion policy to be set by elected leaders, and not unelected judges. 71% of Americans support legal limits on abortion. Only 7% of Millennials share the position of the Democratic Party platform: abortion-on-demand, through all nine months, paid for by taxpayers.”
Pulse’s executive director, Maggie DeWitte, and board president, Tom Quiner, discussed the partisan nature of abortion politics in the video above. Some readers bristle at the mere mention of political affiliation. But remember the definition of politics:
“The art or science of government or governing, especially the governing of a political entity, such as a nation, and the administration and control of its internal and external affairs.”
On this issue of abortion, the Democratic Party has somehow been transformed into an extremist group simply unimaginable at the time of the Roe decision.
Pulse opposes these politicians promoting extremist public policy on abortion, regardless of political affiliation.
“When you came out with your blog “debunking” climate change showed [sic] that you folks are just Republicans Against Abortion.”
This is a comment we received earlier this year when we announced our rebranding. It’s worth addressing.
Regarding the first assertion: Pulse Life Advocates neither affirms nor denies the science of climate change, since scientists themselves disagree on the subject, as our blogpost from last year (“The anti-life politics of climate change”) points out. Our interest in the subject was piqued by the growing perception among young people that human life poses an existential threat to Mother Earth.
Our piece quoted young people so terrified of a climate apocalypse that they refuse to bring children into this world, whether that means aborting their babies or being sterilized.
Republicans against abortion?
So does that make Pulse simply an organization of ‘Republicans against abortion?’ No, since we’re a non-partisan organization. But let’s be honest, there is not a single bonafide pro-life Democrat left in Congress. The last, Dan Lipinksi from Illinois, was ousted by his own party in the last election cycle, beaten in his primary by a pro-abortion Democrat promoted by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Lipinski, who spoke at this year’s March for Life in Washington DC, said
“I’ve been labeled anti-woman because I am pro-life.”
Just a decade ago, 64 Congressional Democrats worked to strip abortion funding from the Affordable Care Act, efforts that were ultimately undermined by the Democratically-controlled Senate.
Since then, pro-abortion groups and politicians, such as Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, have led the charge to successfully oust the last of the party’s pro-lifers by running pro-abortion candidates against them in their local primaries.
It’s kind of hard for Pulse to defend a charge of being ‘Republicans against abortion’ when there’s not a single Congressional Democrat left that is remotely pro-life.
Women’s Health Protection Act
Take a recent bill, the dishonestly named Women’s Health Protection Act. Pulse Executive Director, Maggie DeWitte, said this of this bill touted by Democrats:
“The Women’s Health Protection Act would make us more pro-abortion than China.”
Essentially, the bill’s sponsors believe it would codify abortion and override all anti-abortion regulations passed by state legislatures, such as the fetal pain restrictions Iowa’s legislature passed banning abortions after twenty weeks.
This bill was proposed by Democrats in 2013, 2015, and 2017, failing each time. What is interesting is that its latest version, voted on just last month, removed carve-outs for parental-notification laws, such as we have on the books in Iowa.
In other words, Democrats recognized that laws which required parental notification before their child could obtain an abortion resonated with voters across the country. Until this year, the Women’s Health Protection Act allowed for those laws to stand. But since the party has been purged of its last pro-life member, the exemption was dropped.
In this year’s cloture vote on the bill, every Democrat in the senate, except for Joe Manchin, voted yea, every Republican voted nay.
Iowa abortion politics
At the state level, Maggie DeWitte said it’s the same story:
“Democrats have unanimously opposed every single proposed pro-life piece of legislation in recent years, including the Protect Life Amendment which simply makes the Iowa Constitution abortion-neutral. By contrast, Iowa Republicans in the House and Senate have voted overwhelmingly in support of pro-life legislation.”
So in a sense, it’s hard to argue with the phrase ‘Republicans against abortion’ when every single member of the Democratic caucus at the national level calls for taxpayer-funded abortion-on-demand for a full nine months of a pregnancy, while Republican legislators consistently oppose these efforts.
Democratic politicians are out of touch with rank and file voters
These Democratic legislators need to be wary, though, because they are out of touch with their own constituents on this issue. A 2018 Marist Poll revealed that only 21% of rank and file Democratic voters agree with their party that abortion should be “available to a woman any time during her entire pregnancy” (compared to 3% for Republican voters).
Even more, 61% of Democratic voters “want significant restrictions” placed on abortion.
Pulse Life Advocates recognizes that any reference to political affiliation can be instantly polarizing. But let’s face it, abortion polarized this country half a century ago. Nothing has changed with Republican legislators on this issue since. Nothing has remained the same for their Democratic counter parts.
Your action is needed today!
Pregnant women and new moms deserve more access to meaningful assistance and support when they need it most. A Senate Appropriations subcommittee has passed Senate File 2354, the Iowa MOMS (More Options for Maternal Support) bill. The bill is a priority of Pulse Life Advocates and the Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders.
The legislation would provide reimbursement for services such as:
- Baby essentials, including cribs, clothing, formula, diapers, and safety devices like car seats.
- Counseling, referral, and care coordination services.
- Housing and employment assistance during pregnancy and for up to one year after birth.
- Classes to prepare for pregnancy, birth, parenting, adoption, nutrition, life skills, and employment readiness.
Senate File 2354 would also extend Medicaid services for new mothers to a year after the birth, rather than only two months, helping ensure access to quality prenatal and postpartum care, which will result in healthier pregnancies and birth outcomes.
Iowa MOMS will put the state squarely on the side of childbirth and supporting women. The money could only go to life-affirming agencies that don’t refer for or perform abortions. More than a dozen states have similar initiatives.
When faced with a crisis pregnancy, many women fear they won’t be able to find needed social services, family support, and financial resources. No matter the status of abortion law, we have a responsibility to help women with real options and support when they are pregnant.
Please send a message to your legislators today in support of Iowa MOMS.
Click below to find your legislator and contact them TODAY!
CLICK HERE to see all the bills that survived the second legislative funnel.