DeSantis’ excellent abortion response in the 2nd Republican debate

Sep 29, 2023 |

At Wednesday’s  2nd Republican debate, Fox talk show host, Dana Perino, asked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis this question:

“I want to ask you something that is on a lot of Republicans’ minds. This election could come down to less than 50,000 votes in three states.  Abortion was on the ballot in six states in 2022. Republicans lost all of them.  Next year, abortion will likely be on the ballot in Arizona.  That is a must-win state.  Governor DeSantis, how are you going to win over independent pro-choice voters in Arizona?”

Governor DeSantis responded like this:

DeSantis abortion views“The same way we did in Florida. We won the greatest Republican race in the history of the state, over 1.5 million votes. We were winning places like Miami/Dade County and Palm Beach which nobody thought was possible because we were leading with vision and conviction.  I reject this idea that pro-lifers are to blame for mid-term defeats. I think there were other reasons for that.  The former president, he’s missing in action tonight, and he’s had a lot to say about that.  He should be here explaining his comments that say pro-life protections are a terrible thing.  I want him to look into the eyes and tell people who have been fighting this fight for a long time.  My wife and I were earlier today at the gravesite of Mr. and Mrs. Reagan, and I noticed that there was a quote that said, “Every single person has purpose and worth.”  We’re better off when everybody counts, and I believe we should stand for what we believe in.  I think we should hold the Democrats accountable for their extremism supporting abortion all the way up to the moment of birth.  That is infanticide and that is wrong.”

The only other candidate asked about abortion, Governor Chris Christie, supported DeSantis by telling Dana Perino that, yes, pro-life referendums can pass, because he’s done it. But it takes leadership.

On MSNBC, Rachel Maddow and her smug cohort of abortion zealots mocked DeSantis for taking such a pro-life stance in the 2nd Republican debate. Like Donald Trump, they assert the Life issue is a loser for Republicans, implying that we pro-lifers should simply surrender. You can watch the exchange below.

But are they correct?  As the Gershwin song says, “it ain’t necessarily so.”

DeSantis deserves a great deal of credit for his full-throated support of the pro-life cause in the 2nd Republican debate. He correctly points out that Donald Trump is a factor. As a reminder, Mr. Trump supported four Senate candidates who lost in 2022.

He supported 11 House candidates who lost and another ten losing gubernatorial candidates. Arizona candidate for governor, Kari Lake, was the ideal prototype of a Trump-endorsed candidate: she fixated on the idea that the 2020 election was stolen. Candidates who looked to the past, focusing on grievance as did Ms. Lake, lost.

Candidates who emulated the Ronald Reagan model by looking to the future while running on “vision and conviction,” like a Ron DeSantis, won big. 

Need proof?

Pro-life candidates who remained on offense by promoting gestational limits on abortion enjoyed great success:

Alabama governor Kay Ivey won reelection with 67 percent of the vote.

Sara Huckabee Sanders won the Arkansas governorship with 63 percent.

Idaho governor Brad Little won reelection with 60 percent.

Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt won reelection with 55 percent.

South Dakota governor Kristi Noem won reelection with 62 percent.

Texas governor Greg Abbot won reelection with 55 percent.

Georgia governor Brian Kemp won reelection with 53 percent.

Here in Iowa, governor Kim Reynolds won reelection with 58 percent.

And the list goes on: Ohio governor Mike Dewine by 62 percent; Tennessee governor Bill Lee by 65 percent; South Carolina governor Henry McMaster by 58 percent.

And perhaps the highest profile winner of all was Florida governor Ron DeSantis who supported and signed pain-capable limits and a complete ban on abortions after 15 weeks. He won reelection by 60 percent after winning his first race for Governor by a mere four-tenths of a percent.

He won over Floridians with conviction and leadership, unlike so many of the Trump-backed candidates who got wobbly on abortion.

The pro-life movement has a great deal of appreciation for Trump’s Supreme Court nominees who threw out Roe v Wade. Voters must sort through many issues when considering a president. Each is important. But ultimately, we must ask this question:

“Does every single person have purpose and worth, no matter how small and vulnerable they may be?”  

If a candidate waffles on this single question, they’re not going to be much of a leader.

After all, we’re better off when everybody counts.

[Pulse Life Advocates doesn’t endorse any particular candidate, but supports all candidates who stand up for the pro-life cause. Sign up today to attend our November 18th Christmas Gala.]

 

The 40 Days for Life Fall Campaign has Begun

Sep 28, 2023 |
40 Days for Life Des Moines

September 17 – November 5 2023

Help change hearts and minds by praying for an end to abortion during 40 Days For Life outside one of the Iowa abortion facilities.

We know the power of prayer and our peaceful witness can save lives!

The Rosenfeld Center on the Southside of Des Moines is scheduled to close in February of 2024. PRAYER WORKS – PRAISE GOD! We will partner with the ISU Students for Life and Iowa Right to Life and will be praying in Des Moines and Ames. We will provide signs. Find the fall 2023 campaign schedule below.

There are daily devotions available on the 40daysforlife.com website under the Resources tab and under Devotionals. These are so helpful to focus our prayers each day!

Just a few reminders:

1. The online Calendar is set up. Please consider signing up for a prayer time.

2. In Des Moines, remember to park in the Hobby Lobby parking lot and walk down to the sidewalk right-of-way in front of Planned Parenthood. (This is the sidewalk nearest Army Post Road.)

3. We have never run into any problems but if you ever feel threatened or in any kind of danger, leave to find safety and call the police. If possible you can record interactions on your cell phone. Please also make us aware of any problems, so others can be alerted.

4. Be prepared if asked to refer anyone to:

InnerVisions Healthcare, 500 Army Post Road, Suite 100, Des Moines, IA 50315, 515-440-2273

Agape Center, 2550 Martin Luther King Parkway, Des Moines, IA, 515-255-0423

Here are our scheduled times

Des Moines prayer dates/times: Planned Parenthood 1000 E. Army Post Rd. Des Moines, IA

  • Wednesday 9/27- 10:00-11:00
  • Friday 9/29- 1:30-2:30
  • Wednesday 10/4- 10:00-11:00
  • Wednesday 10/11- 10:00-11:00
  • Thursday 10/12- 12:30-1:30
  • Thursday 10/19- 2:00-3:00
  • Tuesday 10/24- 10:30-11:30
  • Monday 10/30- 11:00-12:00

SIGN UP HERE TO PRAY IN DES MOINES

Ames prayer dates/times: Planned Parenthood 2530 Chamberlain Street Ames, IA

  • Monday 10/2- 9:30-10:30
  • Tuesday 10/17- 11:30-12:30
  • Thursday 10/26- 9:30-10:30

SIGN UP HERE TO PRAY WITH US IN AMES

[Support our pro-life educational outreach. Donate today.]

Pulse board member to be on Fox Business before tonight’s debate

Sep 27, 2023 |
Whitney McIntosh

Whitney McIntoshPulse Life Advocate’s board member, Whitney McIntosh, will be on a voter panel of 3 on Wednesday and Thursday during the 5PM EST hour (4PM CST) on The Evening Edit on Fox Business Network.

She was selected because of a cameo appearance she made on Fox about two weeks ago when Laura Ingraham was in town. She spoke as a veteran about how disappointed she was about the withdrawal that President Biden orchestrated from Afghanistan.

Whitney says she is one of the few black female conservatives who is outspokenly pro-life and pro-parents rights, which makes her somewhat unique.

Regarding tonight’s Republican debate, Whitney McIntosh is interested to hear what every candidate has to say, because of Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus position.

She says there are only two candidates who so far have said that they are pro-life for the whole of life, and that is Governor Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy.

For her, if the others cannot say that they are pro-life for the whole life conception to natural death, then they have lost any possibility of her voting for them.

Says Whitney:

“People may say that makes me a one topic voter but life is the main topic. If there is nobody alive there is nobody to put the other efforts, laws, & policies or efforts towards.”

Tune in to Fox Business at 4 to hear Whitney McIntosh.

[Help us to expand our pro-life educational outreach. Donate today.]

Unsatisfying pro-life positions 

Sep 21, 2023 |
unsatisfying pro-life positions

Two pro-life candidates for president offered up some unsatisfying pro-life positions in the past week.

Former President Donald Trump forcefully attacked Heartbeat Bill legislation passed in Florida and signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis. Similar legislation has passed in Iowa (twice). Said Trump:

“I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake.”

He also refused to support a 15 week federal ban on abortion, dodging the question:

“I would sit down with both sides and I’d negotiate something, and we’ll end up with peace on that issue for the first time in 52 years. I’m not gonna say if I would or I wouldn’t.”

Fantasy world

Mr. Trump lives a fantasy world if he thinks he can negotiate a ‘peaceful’ resolution to the abortion question with a political party that calls for late term abortion in cases of unwanted children; taxpayer funding of human abortion; and the abolition of conscience protections for Catholic doctors, nurses, and hospitals.

Although the pro-life community is grateful for the judges he nominated to the Supreme Court who overturned Roe v Wade, pro-life leaders are abandoning him following these comments on Meet the Press. Lila Rose of Live Action didn’t mince any words:

“Trump should not be the GOP nominee. Pathetic and unacceptable. Trump is actively attacking the very pro-life laws made possible by Roe’s overturning. Heartbeat Laws have saved thousands of babies. But Trump wants compromise on babies’ lives so pro-abortion Dems ‘like him.’”

Same with Abby Johnson:

“The Republican nominee for President should, at minimum, be able to say that men can’t be women and that it’s wrong to kill children in the womb. We’re not asking him to be a rocket scientist. We’re asking him be to be a conservative.”

Same with Kristen Hawkins with Students for Life:

“It was tremendously discouraging for Pro-Life First Voters and the more than 1,000 volunteers preparing to work with us in the general election to see you disparage protections for pre-born infants starting at the universal sign of life – a heartbeat. A political calculation to support limits late in pregnancy, such as 15 weeks (almost 4 months), does not negate the value of laws that acknowledge the clearly understood, audible proof of life. Usually, in an emergency room, we rush to save someone with a heartbeat, and that continues to be the desire of motivated pro-life voters. It’s hard to understand why you would discourage so loyal a following to make a play for the votes of those unlikely to share your vision for shrinking the size of government, working to reduce inflation, or protecting parents’ rights to manage their children’s education and lives.”

Same with Pulse Life Advocate’s Maggie DeWitte:

Maggie DeWitte

Maggie DeWitte

“Saving innocent human life is never a mistake. The mistake is thinking we have the right to take a life. The mistake is calling a law that will save the lives of thousands of babies terrible. There can be no compromise on the life issue. Former President Trump words are disappointing and should be a wake up call to the pro life movement. Abortion is the human rights issue of our time. Now is the time for a strong leader to guide us into the post Roe generation. This fight will never end until we have equal protection for all our pre born brothers and sisters.”

Nikki Haley’s unsatisfying pro-life position

Nikki Haley’s comments on abortion at Saturday night’s Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition banquet are also a cause for concern. Pulse was there. We’ve transcribed her complete remarks along with our reactions:

“I think the American people deserve the truth. You have to speak hard truths on this. I am unapologetically pro-life. Not because the Republican party tells me to be, but because my husband was adopted, and I had trouble having both of my children. I’m surrounded by miracles and blessings.”

So far, so good.

“This issue is personal for every woman and every man, and we need to treat it that way. I don’t judge anyone for being pro-choice any more than I want them to judge me for being pro-life.

So when we look at this subject, we finally took it from unelected judges and put it back in the hands of the people.  That’s where it should be.  But the debate is whether there should be a federal law. And in order to pass a federal law, you have to have the majority of the House, sixty, SIX-ZERO, Senate votes and the signature of the president.

We haven’t had 60 Republicans in over a hundred years. We might have 45 pro-life Senators. so no Republican president can ban abortion any more than any Democratic president can ban state laws.

So my goal is how do we save as many babies as possible and support as many moms as possible? The way we do that is to bring people together and say, can’t we all agree that we should ban late term abortions?

Can’t we all agree that we should encourage adoptions … and good quality adoptions?

Can’t we agree that doctors and nurses who don’t agree with abortions shouldn’t have to perform abortions?

And can’t we all agree that no woman who gets an abortion should get a jail sentence or the death penalty?”

Pro-lifers don’t treat women as criminals

For the record, pro-life leaders consistently view women as victims of abortions, not criminals. Legal sanctions are targeted towards doctors, not moms.

As to her other points, obviously we CAN’T agree with elected leaders of the Democratic Party who have rejected their party’s former position, that abortion should be safe, legal, but rare. However, polling indicates that rank and file Democratic voters are closer to Republicans on abortion than they are with their own elected officials.

Haley continues …

“Let’s start there, because if you go and put these restrictions in that make people demonize each other, I’m not going to be a part of the demonizing. We have to humanize this issue if we’re every going to pass it and do more.”

What is Haley saying?

Abortion zealots demonize pro-lifers over every single restriction we get passed. Abortion zealots are radical. They block votes on ‘born alive’ legislation that mandates that babies that survive abortions be transported from the abortion clinic to a real hospital for medical treatment. They demonize Republicans for trying to pass a law that they claim “unnecessarily restrict doctors from making case-by-case decisions about what is best for infants and mothers.” Seriously? Is it in the best interest of the child to just let it die?

So how is Ms. Haley going to avoid being a part of the demonizing when every single pro-life restriction unleashes a mountain of rage from the pro-aborts?

She continues …

“I had a roommate in college who was raped. I wouldn’t wish on anyone what she went through wondering if she was pregnant. Everybody has a story. The way we bring people to us is not by demonizing them, we bring people to us when we humanize the situation. That’s all I’m saying. Tell people the truth. You go and put this ban of 15 weeks and what does it do? It has everyone running from us.”

Haley seems to be saying that she won’t take any leadership on using the bully pulpit of the presidency to promote life.

What would Lincoln do?

Imagine if Abraham Lincoln felt the same as Ms. Haley and Mr. Trump. Suppose he said, let’s leave slavery up to the individual states. That’s what the Democrats wanted back then. But Lincoln rejected that approach because it denied human rights to a class of people in violation of everything America believes in, just as abortion does.

Haley concludes:

“What about if we got people running to us? Whatever we can get 60 Senate votes on, isn’t that better than what we have now? If it’s six weeks, that’s great. If it’s fifteen weeks, that’s great. If it’s 20 weeks, it’s going further than we want, guess what, we’ll save more babies that way.  I just want us to have a good conversation on how to save as many babies as we can.”

Ms. Haley spends a lot of time telling us what we can’t do. This issue demands leadership, not defeatism.

Candidates need to go on offense, not defense, which seems to be Haley’s path.

At least she isn’t completely selling out pro-lifers as it appears Trump is doing. And to her credit, she went on offense at the first Republican presidential debate:

“I think we’re all pro-life but what I would love is for someone to ask Biden and Kamala Harris are they for 38 weeks? Are they for 39 weeks? Are they for 40 weeks? Because that’s what the media needs to be asking.”

Defeatism is a prescription for defeat.

Be bold, candidates. Avoid wishy-washy unsatisfying pro-life positions. When debating abortion, focus on 3 points:

  1. The extremism of the other side’s positions.
  2. That abortion is a human right’s issue, just as slavery was.
  3. And it’s a human rights issue, because the unborn are biological human beings.

So when a Donald Trump … or a President Joe Biden … or even a Nikki Haley, challenges a Ron DeSantis that his Heartbeat bill is ‘too harsh,’ DeSantis should be teed up ready to go on offense:

“Mr. President, it’s never ‘too harsh’ to pass and enforce a law that protects an innocent person with a beating, human heart.

Abortion is a human rights issue, because each abortion kills an innocent human being.

Each abortion undermines our nation’s Creed that proclaims God-given rights of LIFE, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

And each abortion reminds us that abortion isn’t JUST a states rights issue, just as slavery wasn’t JUST a states rights issue, as the Democratic Party maintained in a tragic, earlier chapter in our nation’s history.

Both issues are human rights issues. End of story.”

And if an opponent tries to make a case that the unborn isn’t a ‘person,’ the rebuttal is straight forward:

“All I know is that is that it takes a human father and a human mother to make a human baby. Until you prove to me beyond a reasonable doubt that the thriving unborn baby in the womb isn’t a human being, I will continue to stand up for her human rights.”

Mark your calendar for Life Chain 2023: October 1st

Sep 18, 2023 |
Life Chain 2022

Life Chain 2022

Life Chain 2023 takes place on Sunday, October 1st from 2PM to 3:30PM. For the second year in a row, the event takes place at 35th & University Avenue in Des Moines. But you’ll pick up your signs at:

Des Moines Fellowship Church • 950 35th Street • Des Moines, IA (just south of Kingman Blvd.) • 2PM to 3:30PM

Abortion zealots are loud and profane. You have an opportunity to diffuse their invective with quiet prayer at Life Chain 2023. Life Chain 2023 provides you with a prayerful opportunity to stand up for society’s most vulnerable people, the unborn, in the public square.

Life Chain 2023 allows you to pray in gratitude for recent pro-life victories, including the overturning of Roe v Wade and the Iowa Supreme Court’s judicial correction of the Reynolds decision.

As people drive by, several things occur:

  • Fellow pro-lifers can see that they’re not alone. You give them courage to be even bolder in their defense of our unborn brothers and sisters.
  • Moderate pro choice supporters notice how loving and peaceful the pro-life movement is, in contrast to zealous abortion advocates who curse and make obscene gestures. Love is the most powerful weapon for opposing human abortion.
  • And more than a few hardcore abortion zealots may feel their consciences squirm seeing such a Godly, loving expression of support for the weakest members of our society: the unborn.

If you’re a shy person who doesn’t feel comfortable talking about abortion with your pro-abortion family and friends, Life Chain 2023 is the perfect way to stand up in the public square for your convictions. God will smile upon your efforts. So will the 66 million victims of abortion from their perch in heaven.

RECAP: Life Chain 2023, Sunday, October 1st, 2 to 3:30 PM, Des Moines Fellowship Church, 950-35th Street, Des Moines, IA.

Why the economy matters to the pro-life movement

Sep 15, 2023 |
the economy and abortion

the economy and abortionWhy do women have abortions? According to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute: money. Let’s face it, the economy and abortion are connected.

According to their 2004 study:

“The reasons most frequently cited were that having a child would interfere with a woman’s education, work or ability to care for dependents (74%); that she could not afford a baby now (73%).”

So when the economy goes south, financial insecurity decreases the desirability of having children, making abortion look like the best exit strategy for some women.

You can see how abortion skyrocketed during the 1970s (below), a decade of economic stagflation (economic stagnation accompanied by inflation), and how it began a steady decline when the economic policies of Ronald Reagan ushered in an era of economic prosperity.

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal pointed out that real wages have declined under ‘Bidenomics’:

“The reason is that inflation has outpaced the earnings growth from work. Real median earnings for full-time workers last year fell $3,620 for men and $2,880 for women despite a tight labor market that had companies paying more to attract and keep workers.”

President Biden’s policies have ushered in a new era of high inflation that is devastating working class Americans’ pocketbooks.

Tipp Insights says “Bidenflation” stands at 16.7% since he took office, so our money doesn’t go as far as it used to:

“These days, it takes $1,000 in earnings to buy what $857 could purchase when Biden took office. And the earnings have not kept up with inflation.”

This isn’t a subject a pro-life group like Pulse Life Advocates typically writes about. But when Big Abortion’s very own research acknowledges that money concerns are the major reason why women abort, then pro-lifers would be remiss not to be concerned about the economy and its impact on abortion.

Let’s face it, from a purely calculating perspective, abortion costs less than childbirth. As NPR wrote:

“Medical costs for birth are also still high, even with insurance coverage: about $4,300 on average for vaginal deliveries in 2015 and $5,200 for cesarean births, according to a wide-ranging study of more than 600,000 women in the United States between 2008 and 2015 who had health care insurance through their employer.”

How much does an abortion cost? According to U.S. News & World Report:

“In the first trimester, Planned Parenthood estimates the procedure will cost up to $750, and up to $1,500 after those three months.”

These callous dollar and cents analysis ignore the true essence of the national abortion debate: that each abortion kills a unique human person, and that humanity begins at fertilization, NOT when someone else decides.

Bidenomics is a different kind of threat to the unborn than his unabashed pro-abortion policies. But a threat it is.

[Help Pulse expand the reach of our pro-life blog. Donate today.]

DeSantis struck a chord

Aug 31, 2023 |
Melissa Ohden

Melissa Ohden

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis clearly struck a chord in last week’s Republican debate when he referenced an abortion survivor he knew. The Governor said:

“I know a lady in Florida named Penny. She survived multiple abortion attempts. She was left discarded in a pan. Fortunately, her grandmother saved her and brought her to a different hospital.”

Left-leaning journalist, Jill Filipovic, suggested that Mr. DeSantis was a liar in his claim:

 “I understand that politicians lie, but DeSantis’s story about ‘Penny,’ a woman he says survived multiple abortion attempts and was rescued from a pan by her grandmother(????), is just such a bizarre and impossible story, it’s stunning that any human is that gullible.”

The Lincoln Project co-founder, Steve Schmidt, concurred with Ms. Filipovic:

“The story of Penny found in the pan by DeSantis is ludicrous, and obviously untrue. It should be looked into by the media.”

Ms. Filipovic’s and Mr. Schmidt’s skepticism is understandable. The media seldom covers the horror of abortion. Most supporters of abortion rights are oblivious that babies sometimes survive abortion, and those that don’t survive suffer gruesome deaths. In this case, the survivor of an abortion to whom DeSantis referred came forward to confirm his story.

Miriam “Penny” Hopper told her story to the media:

“My answer to that would be the fact that I did exist. I existed at 23 weeks. There are thousands of abortion survivors around the world who have stories to tell, who have miraculous stories to tell.”

Followers of Pulse Life Advocates already know that babies sometimes survive an abortionist’s ‘best’ efforts to kill them. Another such survivor was Melissa Ohden, who spoke at our annual banquet in 2011, as you can see in the photo above.

Ms. Ohden formed the Abortion Survivor’s Network (ASN) to provide support for babies and their families who survive abortion. Since Roe, 85,817 babies survived abortion nationally, according to the ASN. They estimate that 8 babies survive abortion each year in Iowa. Ohden provides insights into this little known subject:

“An abortion survivor is a baby who survives an attempt to abort them in the womb. Families are impacted by it. And so that’s where we’re launching this awareness campaign. But we don’t just do awareness. We stand alongside moms who are experiencing abortions that fail, or they stop them.”

Here is a quick look at Ohden’s story:

Ms. Hopper talked about the value of the ASN to her:

“There are organizations like Abortion Survivor Network that have created a platform for a woman to come and not only get and bring healing to this, to help her heal to the situation, but help her not choose abortion. I have friends who have chosen not to have an abortion, and that child became a blessing to their life.

“Even my father did not want me. Not only was I a failed home abortion, but when I was transported to Lakeland regional, he would go out there and try to remove me because he thought I was going to be a burden. As a child, I knew that my dad didn’t want me as a baby because he would tell me, ‘I didn’t want you. But I love you now.'”

That love would never have had a chance to flourish if Hopper had died during the attempted abortion on her little body. She recalled the conversation she had with her dad on his deathbed:

[He] “looked at me, and he said, ‘Honey, I don’t know what I’d have done without you.’ So all the pain, and all the rejection and learning my story, it made it worth it all. Both my parents loved me, and I love them dearly. And I have a brother that’s my best friend. And we have a very close-knit family. So forgiveness … is a wonderful force in life.” 

Pulse Life Advocates and our followers know all about the ugliness of abortion, because we educate you on the issue at the same time corporate media tries to obscure it.

Kudos to Governor Ron DeSantis for shining a light on Penny Hopper’s story, and kudos to Melissa Ohden and the Abortion Survivor Network for providing needed support when a baby survives abortion.

[Help Pulse continue to shine a light on the evil of abortion. Join us at our Christmas Gala on November 18th]

What candidates said about abortion at the first Republican debate

Aug 24, 2023 |
first Republican debate

Fox News hosted the first Republican debate last night, moderated by Bret Baier and Martha McCallum. Baier asked Ron DeSantis his views on the abortion issue. Here is how the Florida governor responded (above):

Ron DeSantis: “ … we sold the biggest election landslide victory in the history of the Republican Party in the state of Florida in 2022. That’s what I did. We can win. 

But second of all, you’ve got to do what you think is right. I believe in a culture of life. I was proud to sign the Heartbeat Bill. One of the most impactful moments of my life is when I heard the heartbeat of my daughter in my wife’s womb and saw the sonograms of all three of my kids. What the Democrats are trying to do on this issue is wrong to allow abortion all the way up to the moment of birth. 

I know a lady in Florida named Penny. She survived multiple abortion attempts. She was left discarded in a pan. Fortunately, her grandmother saved her and took her to a different hospital. We’re better than what the Democrats are selling. We are not going to allow abortion all the way up to birth. We’ll hold them accountable for their extremism.”

Bret Baier: To be clear, Governor, would you sign a six week ban federally?

Ron DeSantis: “I’m going to stand on the side of life. Look … I understand Wisconsin is going to do it different than Texas; Iowa and New Hampshire are going to do it different. I will support the cause of life as governor AND as president.”

The media tries to pin down pro-life politicians

Even right of center media like Fox News tries to pin candidates down on specifically what limits on abortion they’d promote as president. Governor DeSantis properly avoided getting nailed down by specifics, and instead focused on Democrats’ extreme position.

Amazingly, Democrats tried to pounce on DeSantis for mischaracterizing their position on abortion. President Biden’s former press secretary, Jen Psaki, actually Tweeted:

“No one supports abortion up until birth.”

Former Democratic senator, Al Franken, echoed the false claim. Said Franken:

“No one is trying to allow abortion right up to birth.”

Actually, EVERY single member of his party in Congress, except for Joe Manchin, voted to allow abortion up to birth when they voted for the dishonestly named ‘Women’s Health Protection Act’, which allows abortion up to the moment of birth.

The law states:

“A health care provider has a statutory right to provide abortion services, and may provide abortion services, and that provider’s patient has a corresponding right to receive such services, without a limitation or requirement that… impedes access to abortion services.”

Note the the words ‘without limitation.’

The abortion party is out-of-touch with voters

Democrats know that their extreme position is out of touch with most Americans. They know that the Women’s Health Protection Act would eliminate every abortion restriction passed by pro-life legislators. As press secretary, Ms. Psaki acknowledged President Biden’s full support for the law.

For the record, the Democratic Party’s 2020 platform makes it clear that they oppose any limits on abortion:

“Democrats oppose and will fight to overturn federal and state laws that create barriers to reproductive health and rights.”

These ‘barriers’ include heartbeat laws and pain-capable laws, which elected Democrats consistently oppose with near unanimity.

So Ms. Psaki’s protestations last night are disingenuous. Good for Governor DeSantis for exposing Democrat’s extremism on this important issue.

Haley throws the question back at the press

And good for Nikki Haley who threw the question back at the media’s coddling treatment of pro-abortion candidates:

“I think we’re all pro-life but what I would love is for someone to ask Biden and Kamala Harris are they for 38 weeks? Are they for 39 weeks? Are they for 40 weeks? Because that’s what the media needs to be asking.”

A dust-up between Haley and Pence

Speaking of Haley, she got into a dust-up with former VP Mike Pence on the subject of abortion in the first Republican debate:

Nikki Haley:  We need to stop demonizing this issue. This is talking about the fact that unelected justices didn’t need to decide something this personal, because it’s personal for every woman and man. Now it’s been put in the hands of the people. That’s great. When it comes to a federal ban, let’s be honest with the American people and say it will take 60 Senate votes; it will take a majority of the House. So in order to do that, let’s find consensus. Can’t we all agree that we should ban late-term abortions? Can’t we all agree that we should encourage adoptions? Can’t we all agree that doctors and nurses who don’t believe in abortions shouldn’t have to perform them? Can’t we all agree that contraception should be available? And can’t we all agree that we are not going to put a woman in jail or give her the death penalty if she gets an abortion? Let’s treat this like a respectful issue that it is, and humanize the situation and stop demonizing the situation.

Mike Pence: I’ve been a champion for life in the Congress, a champion for life as governor and as vice president. And to be honest with you, Nikki, you’re my friend, but consensus is the opposite of leadership. When the Supreme Court returned this question to the American people, they didn’t just send it to the states only. It’s not a states only issue, it’s a moral issue. And I promise you, as president of the United States, the American people will have a champion for life in the Oval Office. Can’t we have a minimum standard in every state in the nation that says when a baby is capable of feeling pain, an abortion cannot be allowed. A 15 week ban is an idea whose time has come. It’s supported by 70% of the American people.

Nikki Haley: Well, when you’re talking about a federal ban, be honest with the American people. We haven’t had 45 pro-life senators in over a hundred years … 

Mike Pence: I am being honest …

Nikki Haley: … so no Republican president can ban abortions anymore than a Democrat president could ban all those state laws. Don’t make women feel like they have to decide on this issue when we don’t have 60 Senate votes in the house …

Mike Pence: 70% of the American people support legislation that ban abortion after a baby [is] capable of experiencing pain.

Let us parse this exchange:

  • Haley: “We need to stop demonizing this issue. This is talking about the fact that unelected justices didn’t need to decide something this personal, because it’s personal for every woman and man. Now it’s been put in the hands of the people. That’s great.” True, in that Roe v Wade took the issue out of the hands of the people. But imagine if the issue was slavery. Would we say that it’s ‘great’ that the issue has been put back into the hands of the people? No, because slavery AND abortion deny people their Constitutional rights.
  • Haley: “Can’t we all agree that contraception should be available?” Half of all women seeking abortions were contracepting at the time they conceived. Contraception fails. When it fails, too many couples put the blame on the baby and abort it.
  • Haley: “And can’t we all agree that we are not going to put a woman in jail or give her the death penalty if she gets an abortion?” No serious pro-life groups call for this. Pulse Life Advocates certainly doesn’t.
  • Pence: “When the Supreme Court returned this question to the American people, they didn’t just send it to the states only. It’s not a states only issue, it’s a moral issue.” True. Pulse would add that it is the ultimate HUMAN RIGHTS issue of our age. 
  • Pence: “A 15 week ban is an idea whose time has come. It’s supported by 70% of the American people.” For that matter, it’s supported by almost all of Europe where 47 out of 50 European countries have abortions bans between 12 and 15 weeks. 

Republicans should combine DeSantis’ and Haley’s responses

Both DeSantis and Haley made good points in last night’s first Republican debate. Haley’s practicality could easily be folded into DeSantis’ hard-hitting response like this:

“What the Democrats are trying to do on this issue is wrong to allow abortion all the way up to the moment of birth. Now that the Supreme Court has returned this issue back to the people, I encourage voters to elect pro-life Congressional representatives who will pass pro-life federal laws. As your president, I will sign the pro-life legislation you send to my desk.”

Thanks to all of our volunteers

Aug 22, 2023 |

Pulse Life Advocates exhibits at the Iowa State Fair as a critical strategy in our pro-life educational outreach. We touch tens of thousands of people every year with life-affirming messages that matter. We couldn’t do it without a committed team of volunteers.

We share our pro-life booth with our friends at Iowa Right to Life. Thanks to all of our volunteers and to IRTL for coming together with Pulse to project a compelling and authoritative pro-life presence.

Our investment in financial and human capital at the Fair does more than make an immediate impact. It plants seeds by exposing the sanctity of human life to young Iowans. We hand out thousands of 12 week fetal models to children who identify them properly as babies. Human dignity begins at conception, not just birth. These models convey that dignity to children as young as 3 or 4 years of age.

Our volunteers not only hand out fetal models to the kids, they also apply pro-life ‘tattoos’ to some of the older kids, which are especially popular with teen age girls. At the same time, they make sure to flag teens and give them our teen bags which arm them with age-appropriate reproductive educational material from a pro-life perspective.

Do you want Pulse to continue being a pro-life presence at the Iowa State Fair? You can help in two ways:

  1. Volunteer to help at the Iowa State Fair and other pro-life events. Click here to volunteer now.
  2. Donate. Our entire pro-life educational outreach is funded by regular Iowans who make regular, small donations each month.
  3. Sign our petition calling for Life at Conception legislation.

Once again, thanks to our wonderful team of volunteers who made our presence at the Iowa State Fair such a success.

 

The votes have been tallied!

Aug 21, 2023 |
2023 Corn Poll

2023 Corn PollThe 2023 Iowa State Fair has come to a steamy close. Our annual corn poll yielded some interesting results. Before we share them, many thanks to all the volunteers who helped Pulse Life Advocates man our booth and fulfill our mission …

… to inform, educate, and inspire a new generation to value the sanctity of all human life from fertilization to natural death.

We interacted with thousands of visitors during the Fair’s ten day run. Our 2023 corn poll asked this question:

Do you support a Life at Conception Law in Iowa? Yes … or no?

Here are the results:

YES: 6979 [81.4%]

NO: 1585 [18.5%]

TOTAL VOTES: 8564

Iowa is overwhelmingly a pro-life state, and our experience at the Fair confirmed that.

Currently, Iowa has a ban on abortions after 20 weeks. A Heartbeat Bill has been passed (twice!) and an injunction pends before the Iowa Supreme Court, which we believe will be lifted.

Since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v Wade last year, thirteen states have passed life at conception laws, including:

Idaho

North Dakota

South Dakota

Oklahoma

Texas

Missouri

Arkansas

Louisiana

West Virginia

Kentucky

Tennessee

Mississippi

Alabama

Pulse Life Advocates will work in concert with the Iowa Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders to advance a Life At Conception Bill in the Iowa Legislature. 

[Pulse Life Advocate’s pro-life educational outreach depends on you. Donate today.]