Key Takeaways:

• Abortion numbers in Ireland are more than double what they were in the first years after the repeal of the country's Eighth Amendment.

• In the years since the repeal, abortion has morphed into a 'technical' rather than moral issue, especially when it comes to politicians and the media.

• Abortion is now treated as part of 'routine healthcare' in Ireland, and the reality of abortion's impact on children in the womb is rarely even discussed in debates today.

• The pressing task for pro-lifers is not merely to reject the next legislative expansion of abortion but to retrieve the truth about abortion and children in the womb that no amount of pro-abortion propaganda can exterminate.

The Details:

The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) reported in July:

The HSE’s six-year report shows that 46,861 abortions took place between 2019 and 2024, rising to a record 10,852 in 2024. A separate annual report from the Department of Health shows there was a slight fall in 2025, with 10,600 abortions recorded. Even so, abortion numbers remain more than double those seen during the first years after the repeal of the Eighth Amendment.

More than 98% of abortions carried out between 2019 and 2024 took place under Ireland’s broad early abortion provisions, with 722 performed because of “fatal foetal condition” or “a threat to the mother’s life or health.”

The HSE report describes abortion as having evolved into “a routine and normal part of healthcare,” a harrowing admission.

In 2024, 17 of Ireland’s 19 maternity hospitals were offering early medical abortion services, based on a report from the Irish Mirror. Fast forward to two years later, when the HSE’s six-year review admitted that all 19 maternity units were committing abortions by 2025. 

The Normalization of Abortion

The HSE's claim that abortion has become “a routine and normal part of healthcare" should give us pause. Each abortion signifies the murder of an innocent unborn child, a mother, a family, and a set of circumstances that cannot be adequately reflected by the euphemistic description of “service delivery.”

What was once portrayed as the intentional killing of a child in the womb is increasingly referred to as a “routine healthcare appointment.” 

A report from RTE noted figures from a pilot electronic monitoring system tracking hospital-based care under Section 12, which "found that 81% of procedures were medical terminations and 19% were surgical," and "Almost two-thirds of women were between 10 and 12 weeks pregnant at the time of the procedure, while reviews in secondary care took place within five days of referral in more than 80% of cases."

On their own, these increasing abortion statistics do not explain why abortions happen, but the escalating figures reveal that Ireland has slid towards a larger and increasingly institutionalized abortion regime rather than creating life-affirming solutions for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies.

Over time, it is becoming increasingly evident that the machinery of the Irish state is starting to trivialize the horrifying nature of abortion and regard it as an everyday component of healthcare. 

The increasingly 'technical' nature of abortion debates

Ireland’s post-referendum state has given rise to a political consensus that discourages thorough soul-searching regarding the moral consequences of abortion.

Most major parties, including the Sinn Féin party, seem to treat further expansion of abortion as a technical matter rather than a moral decision. In May and June 2026, the Irish Lower House (Dáil) debated and eventually passed legislation abolishing (by 86 votes to 70) the compulsory three-day waiting period between a woman's first consultation and her abortion — a safeguard proposed in 2018 explicitly because some women were expected to change their minds in that window.

A more expansive bill from the Social Democrats — which would have broadened the criteria regarding fatal fetal abnormality and removed criminal sanctions for abortionists — was only narrowly defeated.

When abortion is discussed mainly through the vocabulary of access, capacity, and pathways, the role of the unborn child in the whole saga is diminished. This trend is institutional and moral decay in its most blatant form: each individual step is alleged to be a slight technical “amendment” — a removal of a “waiting period," the streamlining of a pathway, the enhancement of a “service”—yet the cumulative direction is undeniably toward more abortions, with fewer safeguards to discourage abortion-minded women from executing their initial plans. 

Mainstream media adds to the problem with coverage primarily echoing such governmental framing, reporting abortion figures as proof of a functioning “healthcare service” instead of a moral issue necessitating criticism. 

Diminished Role of Unborn Children

Tragically, the significance of the unborn child himself has almost entirely vanished from technocratic public discourse surrounding abortion.

Prior to 2018, the mention of an unborn child was unavoidable in public debates regarding abortion. The 2018 battle was fought with images of babies and stories of pregnancy loss on both sides.

After repeal, political language has sidestepped or eliminated any mention of unborn children and abortion. Instead, euphemisms like “pregnancy termination,” “reproductive healthcare," and “service provision” are thrown around in a cavalier fashion without ever discussing the intentional ending of the life of a very real human being.

The Pro-Life Response:

At the moment, a return to Ireland’s pre-2018 legal order seems unlikely, given existing political pressures. A more realistic option would be to build Ireland's pro-life movement to bear strong witness to the dignity of every unborn life to counter the pro-abortion regime it now has to deal with.

Ireland needs a new generation of pro-life witnesses that blend truth-telling with practical solidarity. 

Pro-lifers should continue to highlight the importance of unborn children and the impact abortions have on them, contest erroneous assumptions surrounding abortion, and demand that official statistics concede the full moral ramifications of abortion. 

In addition, pro-lifers should draw more attention to whether existing policies have delivered the promised reduction in unplanned pregnancies, whether vulnerable women are obtaining authentic life-affirming alternatives, and whether the state is gathering ample data to assess safety and outcomes honestly.

Additionally, a genuine cultural renewal of Ireland should restore an understanding that the unborn child is a member of the human family and not a 'crisis' obstructing a woman’s aspirations. 

The Bottom Line:

All in all, Ireland’s abortion debate is far from over. Rather, it has morphed in form — from a referendum battle to a tussle over language, memory, policy, and culture.

The pressing task at the moment for pro-lifers is not merely to reject the next legislative expansion of abortion but to retrieve the truth that no amount of pro-abortion propaganda can exterminate: every unborn child is a human being worthy of love and protection, and every woman facing an unexpected pregnancy deserves more than the default offer of abortion.

Key Takeaways:

• An upcoming ballot initiative in Missouri would let voters overturn pro-abortion Amendment 3, passed in 2024. The ballot initiative would allow laws protecting preborn children to go into effect once again in the state.

• Michael Bloomberg has donated $1.25M to to “Stop The Ban,” a pro-abortion PAC which opposes the amendment.

• Bloomberg does not live in Missouri, nor does he own property there.

• He has repeatedly funded pro-abortion political campaigns across the country.

The Backstory:

In 2024, Missouri voters approved Amendment 3, which made abortion a constitutional 'right,' and it took effect one month later. Some restrictions remained in place, including a 72-hour waiting period, an informed consent requirement, and a requirement that the same abortionist who initially saw the patient for the consultation must commit the abortion.

In June of 2026, however, nearly all restrictions on abortion were overturned.

Lawmakers introduced a ballot initiative, also named Amendment 3, in 2025; this would repeal the constitutional right to abortion in the state of Missouri. The ACLU sued, setting off months of legal wrangling, before the ballot initiative was finally approved.

If Amendment 3 passes, the state will:

• repeal the constitutional right to abortion;

• restrict abortions except in cases of "medical emergency, fetal anomaly, rape, or incest;"

• permit abortions in cases of rape or incest only through 12 weeks of gestation;

• ban gender transition surgeries for minors, as well as the prescription or administration of cross-sex hormones or puberty-blocking drugs to minors, with an exception for treatments "unrelated to the purpose of a gender transition," along with other changes.

The Details:

ABC 17 reported that Bloomberg gave a $1.25 million donation to “Stop The Ban,” a pro-abortion political action committee (PAC) which opposes Amendment 3. Bloomberg is a notorious real estate investor; he lives in New York City and owns properties around the globe, including in Florida, Bermuda, the Hamptons, and London.

He does not, however, own any property in Missouri.

Bloomberg is a known abortion supporter who has repeatedly funded abortion initiatives in pro-life states. He previously funded the abortion effort in Kansas, giving the largest single donation in a successful campaign to defeat a pro-life amendment. He made similarly sizable donations to pro-abortion efforts in Michigan and Ohio.

In addition to funding political measures, Bloomberg has donated millions to Planned Parenthood. Former Bloomberg employees alleged that he even complained if they became pregnant; one woman in particular said he specifically told her to “kill it,” in reference to her preborn child.

The Bottom Line:

Celebrities and billionaires like Bloomberg have increasingly worked to enact pro-abortion legislation in pro-life states, spending millions to build a culture of death.

For the sixth consecutive year, Zurich city authorities have denied permission for the annual Swiss Marsch fürs Läbe (March for Life) to be held in the city center, re-routing the upcoming September 19 event to the northern outskirts of the city. Pro-life organizers explain the relocation infringes on their fundamental rights to free assembly and public visibility, announcing plans to challenge the decision in court.

Key Takeaways:

• Sixth Year of Relocation: Zurich authorities have once again prohibited the March for Life from taking place in the historic city center, directing it to the suburb of Oerlikon.

• Legal Challenge Pending: Organizers are filing a court challenge, arguing that relocating the demonstration severely diminishes its visibility and public engagement.

• Misdirected Security Concerns: Organizers contend that security threats stem from hostile counter-demonstrators and that police are fully capable of protecting pro-lifers at the event.

• Pattern of Restriction: Organizers point out that similar pro-life marches proceed safely in central locations across major European cities like Vienna, Berlin, and Paris.

The Details: 

Zurich authorities cited security concerns and the likelihood of counter-demonstrations as the justification for moving the event to Oerlikon, where it has been held since 2021.

However, Beatrice Gall, president of Marsch fürs Läbe, told CNA Deutch that the city's reasoning "does not address the actual source of the security concerns." Gall emphasized that the March for Life has operated peacefully and legally for 16 years in Switzerland.

She also noted that Zurich City Police's own assessment from last year confirmed officers successfully managed to keep the event safe despite attempts by several dozen counter-demonstrators to disrupt it.

Zoom In: 

Organizers argue that shifting the march out of the central public square severely undermines their mission to foster pro-life dialogue on pregnancy, abortion, and support for families.

"The visibility of a demonstration is an essential element of the freedoms of assembly and expression," Gall said, adding that an out-of-the-way venue drastically limits public reach and lowers participation.

Gall warned that relocating peaceful events due to potential counter-protests creates a dangerous precedent, making fundamental rights dependent on the willingness of opponents to threaten disruption.

She called the continuous exclusion a "pattern of unequal treatment" compared to other national demonstrations held in Zurich.

The Bottom Line: 

Citing European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence, organizers maintain that the threat of counter-demonstrations alone should never justify restricting a peaceful assembly. 

The legal dispute now extends beyond event logistics, raising broader constitutional questions about whether pro-life groups in Switzerland receive equal protection under the law for freedom of assembly and expression.

Key Takeaways:

• In 1982, Rhomberg photographed the contents of a repossessed shipping container: the bodies of more than 16,000 preborn babies.

• Melvin Weisberg, the owner of a medical lab, had received the bodies of the aborted babies from abortionists in several states for storage, but had stopped making payments.

• The men who came to repossess the storage container were told it contained pool equipment, and were horrified when they saw what was truly inside.

• Rhomberg entered the the Los Angeles County coroner’s office to take photos of the babies, which were among the first to show the reality of late-term abortion.

The Details:

In an interview with Live Action, Rhomberg discussed the grisly discovery, which began with the men sent to Weisberg's property to repossess the shipping container.

"It was so heavy, it broke the winch," one man said at the time.

"We couldn't get it off the trailer, so we had to leave it on the trailer because it was too heavy," another man explained. So the men decided to empty the container to make it lighter, and saw the remains of thousands of aborted babies.

"I got a radio call from Ron Gillette, the foreman," a spokesperson said. "They said the men were throwing up and there was something really wrong."

"It was opened up and there it was," the second man said. "It was a mutilated body. And the more closer I looked at it, it was a human body."

After the bodies had been collected, they were taken to the Los Angeles County coroner's office, where Rhomberg photographed them. Those photographs provided evidence that the babies were victims of late-term abortions.

Rhomberg told Harris:

"You can see one of the hands has been torn off. Both of the legs have been twisted. You can see the muscle wound around until the legs were torn off. That type of procedure, they would tear the baby to pieces inside the mother's womb.

You can see they would grab the baby's feet here. See the marks, like a big pliers? There's forceps. And they would just twist and twist and twist and twist until the leg was twisted off and broken."

The procedure he is describing is a dilation and evacuation, or D&E, abortion. It is most often performed in the second trimester, and the abortionist literally rips the preborn baby apart, limb from torso.

Zoom In:

Harris questioned why Weisberg would have collected the bodies of thousands of preborn babies, and Rhomberg said he had a guess: to sell them.

"In some cases, some of the smaller ones, I think it was some idea he might want to sell them for specimens," he said. "You know, like people would want to have one. It was even some idea at that time that they would mount them in bookends, like a beetle or something embedded in like amber or plastic."

Rhomberg also explained how Weisberg was able to obtain the bodies:

"He was going around to these abortion clinics, collecting the bodies of the babies from the abortionist. And the way he made money is, he had himself registered as a laboratory. 

He was billing the government for supposedly doing pathological exams on the bodies and making reports. He sent these reports in, and he was getting hundreds of thousands of dollars of government payments."

Initially, after collecting the bodies and using them to make money, Weisberg would take them to an incinerator to dispose of. At some point, though, he began keeping them.

Pro-life Christians wanted to give the babies a proper burial, but the ACLU and the abortion industry fought back, arguing that it was just meaningless tissue, and should be cremated.

It sparked a two-year legal battle.

The incident and ensuing legal battle was so fierce that it even caught President Ronald Reagan's attention; Reagan, who had previously been pro-abortion, was extremely moved by Rhomberg's photos, and wrote a letter in support of the burial of the babies. He noted, "The terrible irony about this sudden discovery is not that so many human lives were legally aborted, but that they are only a tiny proportion of the 1.5 million preborn children quietly destroyed in our nation each year. This is the truth many would rather not face."

The Bottom Line:

Ultimately, the horrific discovery exposed the reality of what abortion truly is.

"I think everybody there realized this was wrong, that it was really wrong," one of the men who discovered the bodies said. "Everybody standing there felt that way. Even the coroner's office. I could sense that they were treating us like they were dead people. And they are dead people."

Beginning on August 5th of this year, doctors in New York state can begin to prescribe a lethal mix of drugs to patients who qualify under the law. The guardrails she and the state legislature promised are soon to come off.

The governor and legislature sold it as compassionate and dignified. In hospitals, hospices, and private homes, patients will be given a poison mixture and told they must drink it themselves. The law cynically requires them to take the final step alone.

No one is allowed to help. No monitors are watching what happens next. Just the ending Hochul’s allies said would be peaceful.

It is not peaceful.

An hour after the patient takes anti-nausea pills that may or may not work, she is handed the glass that contains the poisonous concoction. A pharmacist mixed the powdered compounds earlier into a thick, bitter slurry, which her friends and family then stir into a little juice or wine. She has to lift it, put it to her lips, and swallow the whole thing. The law does not allow for assistance. 

The mixture burns as it goes down. Once it reaches the stomach and then the small intestine, the drugs start taking hold. A massive dose of morphine, often 15 grams or more, hits first. It saturates opioid receptors in the gut, slowing the normal muscle contractions that move material through the digestive system. The morphine crosses into the bloodstream and heads for the brain and spinal cord. Breathing starts to get shallower. Oxygen levels begin to drop.

There was Digoxin in the brew, and it’s prescribed in a huge overdose of around 100 mg, which absorbs more slowly. It binds to heart muscle cells and throws off their electrical signals. The heart starts contracting chaotically. Irregular rhythms develop. Over the next hour or two, the pulse becomes erratic as dangerous arrhythmias take over. 

Amitriptyline, often given in doses of 8 grams or more, blocks sodium and potassium channels in the heart cells. On an EKG, the QRS complex, the sharp spike that shows the ventricles firing, would widen dramatically. The electrical impulses grow disordered. This sets up the possibility of severe and incredibly uncomfortable arrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation.

READ: <a href="/news/countries-physician-assisted-death-euthanasia">Culture of death: Nations allowing doctor-assisted suicide and euthanasia</a>

 No EKG or EEG is used. In a real emergency, those monitors would be on immediately to track the heart and brain. Here they are left off on purpose. Clear evidence of what the drugs are doing to the heart and brain would destroy the picture of a calm, dignified death. Family members see a mostly still body instead of the pharmacological Armageddon happening inside.

 The patient may lose consciousness as the sedatives, diazepam and phenobarbital, shut down higher brain function. Control of the body disappears. The sphincter muscles relax. The bladder and bowels empty into the bed. There is no dignity here.

 The bitter mixture in the stomach often causes retching. She vomits. The slurry comes back up, burning the esophagus. Some of the dose ends up on the sheets, so less is absorbed. Acidic material can slip into the lungs, causing choking and coughing even while she is mostly unresponsive. This leads to chemical pneumonitis. The lungs fill with fluid. Breathing becomes more labored, as if she is drowning in her own secretions.

 In some cases, consciousness is not complete. The remaining drugs keep working while the body deals with vomit, incontinence, choking, and struggling for air.

 Then the combined effects hit hard. Morphine’s depression of breathing, joined by the barbiturates and benzodiazepines, causes severe hypoventilation. Carbon dioxide builds up. Oxygen crashes. Brain cells switch to anaerobic metabolism and produce lactic acid. Neurons in sensitive areas start dying from lack of oxygen and energy failure.

 The heart, already damaged by digoxin and amitriptyline, keeps throwing off arrhythmias. Cardiac output falls. Blood flow to the kidneys and liver drops. Organs begin failing in sequence. The brainstem’s drive to breathe weakens further. The heart may fibrillate or stop. In some cases, the lungs fill with fluid from circulatory failure.

 When absorption is slowed by vomiting or incomplete ingestion, the process can drag on for 4, 6, or even more than 24 hours. The person stays unconscious or nearly so. The body continues: slow agonal breaths, mottled skin, cooling limbs as circulation fails. Cells die across tissues. The brainstem is the last to quit.

 Then, after all the trauma, unseen by her family and friends, she is finally dead.

 Welcome to Kathy Hochul’s New York.

Key Takeaways:

• Syeisha Johnson allegedly took abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol at 31 weeks.

• She gave birth to a baby on a toilet. After 911 was called, first responders found the baby, still in the toilet, with a pulse.

• Johnson is facing charges of assault inflicting serious bodily injury on an unborn child, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and negligent child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury, and the baby's father Elijah Speight is facing a charge of negligent child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury.

• The couple appeared in court on Wednesday and they have both been released on bond.

• Babies born at 31 weeks have a 90% to 95% chance of survival, with a 99% chance in more advanced NICUs.

The Details:

According to local reports, Syeisha Johnson, 18, and Elijah Speight, 19, were arrested on Tuesday nearly one week after first responders were called to a home at which a newborn baby was found with a pulse in a toilet.

Johnson is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, assault inflicting serious bodily injury on an unborn child, and negligent child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury. Speight is charged with assault inflicting serious bodily injury on an unborn child.

Police believe that Johnson took the two drugs of the abortion pill regimen —mifepristone and misoprostol — on July 26 "in an attempt to terminate her pregnancy early." She allegedly didn't learn she was pregnant until she was 20 weeks along in June.

She is believed to have ordered the abortion drugs online from Virginia and began taking them a few days before the baby was born at 31 weeks — well into the third trimester.

According to a report from a detective, “On July 29, 2026, Ms. Johnson began having abdominal pain and sat down during the day to help with the pain. She sat on the toilet and gave birth to a child.”

According to Assistant Public Defender Barbara Lagemann, Johnson called 911, which is "exactly what we would expect her to do, which is getting care for her child."

Police arrived to find the baby in the toilet with a pulse. The baby weighed 5.5 pounds and first responders performed CPR. The baby was taken to Duke Medical Center and the abortion drugs were located in Johnson's purse.

What To Know:

The abortion pill regimen is approved by the FDA for use up to 10 weeks of pregnancy, but online, telehealth, and in-person abortion pill distributors, including Planned Parenthood, have been flouting this rule without repercussions.

In addition, the abortion industry's <a href="/news/no-test-contact-abortion-covid-works-time">&quot;no-test&quot; protocol</a> for the abortion pill regimen, long planned by the industry and put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, doesn't require women to receive so much as a positive pregnancy test to obtain the drugs.

One Planned Parenthood affiliate has even begun giving out the pills "<a href="/news/against-fda-planned-parenthood-just-case-abortion-drugs">just in case</a>" a woman becomes pregnant, which is a clear violation of the FDA's REMS safety rules on the drug mifepristone, which has a <a href="/news/emergency-room-visits-abortion-pill-tens-thouands">black box warning for sepsis</a> risk.

Yet, neither the abortion pill's <a href="/news/guest-abortion-pill-makers-fail-enforce-safeguards">manufacturers</a> nor the FDA <a href="/news/increasing-abortion-pill-expansion-flout-fda">appear to be taking any action</a> against those who violate the rules.

Situations like this one in North Carolina have <a href="/news/planned-parenthood-lawsuit-abortion-pill-30-week">happened</a> before (not just in the U.S.) and are likely to become even more common because of the abortion industry's continued disregard for the safety of women or preborn children.

Zoom Out:

North Carolina's pro-life law, S.B. 20, protects preborn children from abortion beginning at 12 weeks and six days; however, women who are pregnant as the result of rape can have an abortion through 20 weeks (five months) and a woman whose baby has received a "life-threatening" health diagnosis can have an abortion through 24 weeks (six months).

According to the law group Shipman & Goodwin LLP, "It is not clear, but appears likely from the statutory text, that a woman undergoing an abortion in addition to any providers involved, are violating these criminal laws. Further, the ... bill creates a new statute, G.S. § 14-44.1, which provides for a $5,000 fine for the provision of abortion-inducing drugs (including their purchase, procurement, mailing, and shipment) to pregnant women in North Carolina."

Separately, North Carolina Article 6A — "Unborn Victims" — lists the penalties for violations against preborn children, including "Assault inflicting serious bodily injury on an unborn child." This is one of the charges against both Johnson and Speight. It states (emphases added):

§ 14-23.5.  Assault inflicting serious bodily injury on an unborn child; penalty.

(a) A person is guilty of the separate offense of assault inflicting serious bodily injury on an unborn child if the person commits a battery on the mother of the unborn child and the child is subsequently born alive and suffered serious bodily harm as a result of the battery.

(b) For purposes of this section, "serious bodily harm" is defined as bodily injury that creates a substantial risk of death, or that causes serious permanent disfigurement, coma, a permanent or protracted condition that causes extreme pain, or permanent or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ, or that results in prolonged hospitalization, or causes the birth of the unborn child prior to 37-weeks gestation, if the child weighs 2,500 grams or less at the time of birth.

(c) Penalty. - Any person who commits an offense under this section shall be guilty of a Class F felony. (2011-60, s. 2.)

The baby in this case was born at 31 weeks and weighed about 2,495 grams.

Under the charge of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, anything can be considered a deadly weapon (according to the Law Office of Dewey Brinkley), as long as prosecutors can prove that there was intent to kill.

The negligent child abuse charges are likely due to the child being left in the toilet since the law states that such charges can be filed when a caregiver or parent fails to provide proper protection or medical safety for a child.

What's Happening Now:

Johnson and Speight appeared in court on Wednesday and their defense team argued that North Carolina protects pregnant women from prosecution concerning the assault of their own preborn child.

“Statute does require that the alleged ‘victim’ be living at the time of the assault,” Assistant Public Defender Lagemann said. “In order to be living, one must be born.”

According to biology, preborn humans are alive in the womb as they have heartbeats and are growing.

Fox News 8 reported that the couple posted bail after the judge gave them each a $1,000 secured bond.

“These two young people are not a danger to our community,” Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry said. “They are very young and … it’s important that they be with their families and be able to defend themselves appropriately. My goal always is to get to the truth and to justice and once we review the evidence, we’ll know where we’re going to go from here.”

The Bottom Line:

The further along in pregnancy the abortion pill is taken, the less likely it is to work properly and the greater the risk of complications.

In addition, babies born as young as 21 weeks are capable of surviving with medical care; babies born at 31 weeks have a 90% to 95% chance of survival. At more advanced neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), babies have a 99% chance of survival when born at 31 weeks.

Key Takeaways:

• HHS issued a press release announcing the decertification of Network for Hope, a Kentucky organ procurement organization.

• Multiple federal reviews allegedly found Network for Hope had persistent patient safety failures.

• The national spotlight turned to Network for Hope after a man declared to have "no brain activity" woke up when he was taken to surgery to harvest his organs.

The Backstory:

Anthony Thomas "TJ" Hoover was admitted to Baptist Health Richmond in Kentucky after experiencing cardiac arrest following a drug overdose. His family was told he was brain dead, and that he was an organ donor. They agreed to let his organs be harvested, and the hospital held an Honor Walk for him, at which point his family began questioning his diagnosis of brain death.

His sister, Donna Rhorer, told local station WKYT:

“We had his honor walk Friday afternoon. During his honor walk, his eyes started opening up. He was tracking. His eyes were tracking us around. We were told it was just reflexes, just a normal thing. Who are we to question the medical system?”

TJ was then taken into organ retrieval surgery.

“About an hour into it, the doctor came out and got us. He said he wasn’t ready. He woke up. But we also hadn’t been told during his heart catheterization that morning, he woke up then. If we had known that, then clearly we would have known he wasn’t brain dead,” Rhorer said.

Rhorer was told to take TJ home and make him comfortable. She was told he wouldn’t live long. Rhorer’s been caring for her brother for three years now.

“He made several attempts to say, ‘Hey, I’m here.’ But it was kind of ignored. They finally stopped the procedure because he was showing too many signs of life,” Rhorer said.

As Live Action News previously reported:

Natasha Miller, who works at the hospital as an organ preservationist for Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA), was in the operating room when Hoover was brought in. She told NPR it was immediately evident something was wrong.

"He was moving around — kind of thrashing. Like, moving, thrashing around on the bed," Miller said. "And then when we went over there, you could see he had tears coming down. He was crying visibly."

Two doctors immediately refused to move forward with the organ procurement surgery, and Miller said the staff was extremely upset at what they had witnessed. Yet a supervisor for KODA allegedly pressured staff to continue, despite the clear signs of awareness from Hoover.

"[T]he coordinator calls the supervisor at the time," Miller said. "And she was saying that he was telling her that she needed to 'find another doctor to do it' – that, 'We were going to do this case. She needs to find someone else.' And she's like, 'There is no one else.' She's crying — the coordinator — because she's getting yelled at."

Network for Hope was created in 2024 after Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates (KODA) merged with LifeCenter Organ Donor Network. Hoover is still alive and living with Rhorer, receiving physical therapy and treatment to continue his recovery.

When Hoover's case made headlines, Network for Hope said it “remains confident that accepted practices and approved protocols were followed," and claimed that Hoover's case has been “inaccurately represented."

The Details:

In a press release, HHS announced the decertification of Network for Hope, taking away its federal approval and the ability to participate in Medicare and Medicaid.

"Americans who choose to become organ donors deserve a system that honors their gift and protects every patient,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “Today’s action reflects the Trump Administration’s commitment to protecting the sanctity of life. Organizations that repeatedly fail to meet federal standards and put patients at risk will be held accountable.”

The press release said there had been an investigation from the HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) between 2021 and 2024 into 351 cases, in which organ donation was approved but not completed, finding:

103 cases (29.3%) showed concerning features, including 73 patients with neurological signs incompatible with organ donation.

That some potential donors may not have been deceased at the time organ procurement was initiated — raising serious questions.

Evidence pointed to poor neurologic assessments, lack of coordination with medical teams, questionable consent practices, and misclassification of causes of death, particularly in overdose cases.

HHS said that Network for Hope was given the opportunity to address patient safety issues, but failed to do so.

Network for Hope, meanwhile, said it will appeal the decision. "Under HRSA’s oversight, organ donation went down for the first time in 14 years," CEO Barry Massa said. "As a result, more than 3,000 people waiting for a life-saving organ transplant will be negatively impacted by the decision announced today.”

But an upcoming film documenting the 'work' of a sex researcher (and child sexual abuser) — who believed society might be better off if men were castrated like farm animals at birth — may hold the key to unlocking the mystery of the paper dolls.

Key Takeaways:

• The NY Post reported about new paper dolls for "gender diverse children ages 4-10" which came about as a result of taxpayer-subsidized research from the University of Minnesota Medical School for Sexual and Gender Health.

• Many may question how society got to the point where biological sex is now often denied altogether in favor of how a person 'feels' inside, but a new film exposes one of the men behind the curtain of gender ideology's rapid advancement.

• Sex researcher John Money was raised by females who held "anti-male" sentiments, and he began to adopt these views himself. He reportedly wondered if society would be better off if human males were castrated at birth like farm animals.

• Money claimed infants were born 'gender neutral' but he put his theory to the test, horribly victimizing a family and their twin boys; both boys eventually took their own lives.

• The new film, "John Money," purports to tell the story of how Money's experiments harmed Bruce and Brian Reimer, and their parents, Ron and Janet.

• Money's and his cohorts' theories about gender and sexuality have helped to lead society to where we are today: a place in which paper dolls are created to indoctrinate young children into denying their biological sex, which can lead to permanent, irreversible consequences and severe regret.

The Details: 

How Did We Get Here?

The New York Post recently reported on the upcoming launch of “MyGender Dolls” — paper dolls with interchangeable hair, clothing and... genitals.

The “dolls,” initially the result of research from the taxpayer-subsidized University of Minnesota Medical School for Sexual and Gender Health, are reportedly meant to “make gender fun” while purporting to be the “first-of-their-kind therapeutic play approach designed for gender diverse children ages 4-10.” 

These dolls are the latest example of taxpayer-funded propaganda used to further indoctrinate vulnerable minds with gender-ideology, which rejects biological reality and was built upon lies perpetrated by sexual predators and their sympathizers, who intentionally target children. 

A new film tells the story of one of those sexual predators. "John Money," produced by Brasil Parlelo, claims to tell “the story of a case that transformed a family’s life and forever altered the limits of science.”     

Flawed Theories

John Money was an influential psychologist, ‘sex researcher,’ and professor who began to mainstream the idea of “gender identity” while working at the first gender clinic at Johns Hopkins University and Hospital.

Money told his biographer, John Colapinto, that his mother and aunts who raised him harbored “anti-male” sentiments. Money reportedly “wondered if the world might really be a better place for women if not only farm animals but human males also were gelded [or castrated] at birth.” 

Colapinto also wrote that Money struggled with “guilt of being male” and that he sought to “forever avoid the role of the ‘man of the household,’” believing that he “wore the mark of a man’s vile sexuality.”

Money helped to mainstream the idea of “sex reassignment” practices and surgeries on infants, children and adults — practices and flawed ideological concepts that are still promoted by Planned Parenthood, SIECUS (a leader in sex education), Advocates for Youth (AFY) and other aligned groups.   

Money focused much of his early research on his limited and flawed knowledge of sexual disorders to develop his theory that infants are born “gender neutral.”

As explained in Live Action’s recent report, Money proposed “that a child’s identity — separate from biological sex — becomes 'locked in' as male or female early in life during the so-called ‘gender identity gate’ (p. 35).” 

The New York Times summarized details of some of Money's ‘research’ in his book, "Man and Woman, Boy and Girl," stating: 

... [I]t is usually easier, after a certain age, to change the child physically through surgery and hormone treatment than it is to switch his mindset…

That is to say, if you tell a boy he is a girl, and raise him as one, he will want to do feminine things. In most cases, rather than suspecting that he is a boy, he will see his penis as an embarrassment, and want to be repaired to physically fit his view of himself as a girl.

Brazil Paralelo’s website on the upcoming film states that Money’s theory “gained academic prestige and spread through universities, medical protocols, and public policies. But his idea would be tragically put to the test” (emphasis orginal).  

Disturbing Beliefs

Like other sexologists and sex education propagandists of the time — including Planned Parenthood medical director turned SIECUS founder, Mary Calderone — John Money casually advocated for and tried to normalize pedophilia, incest, orgies, bestiality, and other sexual deviance.   

For example, as Live Action News reported, Money claimed that pedophilia was “simply the love of children,” stating in an interview in “Paidika: The Journal of Paedophilia”: 

Paedophilia should just be accepted for its etymological meaning, which is simply the love of children. Neither boys nor girls—just the love of children. It’s not the so-called parent-child, pairbonded love. It includes that and then adds the erotic love or lover bonding. 

In the same interview, Money added: 

[I]f I were to see the case of a boy aged ten or eleven who’s intensely erotically attracted toward a man in his twenties or thirties, if the relationship is totally mutual [or consensual], and the bonding is genuinely totally mutual, then I would not call it pathological in any way. 

If a child is "intensely erotically attracted" in such a way, this should be a red flag that the child may have already become a victim of sexual abuse. RAINN (lesser known as the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) points out that one of the behavioral signs of sexual abuse in young children is "inappropriate sexual behavior for their age." RAINN adds:

Many perpetrators are adults in trusted roles—family members, teachers, coaches. Red flags include:

Ignoring physical or emotional boundaries

Giving gifts for no reason

Isolating a child from others

Excessive time alone with the child

Inappropriate conversations or sexual comments

Yet Money and others like him, including Alfred Kinsey's fellow researcher, Wardell Pomeroy, believe adult/child sexual relationships can even be healthy (even if they're incestuous). It is their beliefs on which today's school comprehensive sex ed programming is based.

With flawed scientific theories and a morally depraved ideology, Money put his beliefs into practice, exploiting a desperate couple named Ron and Janet Reimer, whose twin boys, Bruce and Brian, suffered life-altering consequences. 

READ: <a href="/news/unholy-alliances-sex-ed-gatekeepers-crowned-themselves">Unholy Alliances: How sex ed gatekeepers crowned themselves king</a>

Devastating Consequences

After a tragic accident during an attempted circumcision left baby Bruce’s genitals mutilated, the Reimers went to John Money for help; he convinced the couple to raise their son as a girl — “Brenda.”

Live Action News previously noted the serious allegations against Money — that he repeatedly sexually abused the twin brothers. Colapinto wrote that Money “forced [the boys] to strip naked and ‘inspect’ each other’s genitals,” and made them “engage in pornographic poses with each other” — which Money referred to as “childhood sexual rehearsal play.”

Bruce was administered feminizing hormones contrary to his biological sex, in addition to surgical attempts to mimic female genitalia. For these horrific violations, Money was praised and elevated among the scientific community and in the media. Consequently, Bruce struggled with life-long mental health afflictions. 

Brasil Paralelo’s film trailer depicts multiple intense scenes apparently intended to illustrate the devastating impacts of Money’s practices on Bruce/"Brenda" and the Reimer family.  

Years later, Bruce learned the truth about his biological sex and changed his name to David. Tragically, both Bruce (David) and his brother Brian later took their own lives. Brasil Paralelo notes: 

The case, presented as a scientific success, ended in tragedy and, decades later, was exposed as a disastrous experiment. Even so, John Money continued to be quoted and revered.

To this day, his ideas influence cultural and scientific debates around the world, and their consequences continue to be discussed. 

READ: <a href="/news/unholy-alliances-abuse-lies-rampant-child-mutilation">Unholy Alliances: The abuse and lies that lead to the destruction of children's bodies</a>

Reality Check:

Despite the Reimers' case being exposed as an absolute failure — in addition to the well-documented sexual abuse and perversion perpetrated by Money — the anti-life and gender-ideology aligned industries only continued to push and expand Money’s scandal plagued ideas — and the U.S. government continues to fund it in various ways. 

While receiving taxpayer dollars, Planned Parenthood has only further disseminated Money’s theories throughout its K-12 school curriculum, content and medicalized practices still evident today—and has done so with devastating mounting consequences for a growing population of youth.  

Planned Parenthood, a self-proclaimed leader in ‘gender-affirming care’ (GAC), also financially benefits from the medicalization of this destructive ideology, including life-altering hormones and puberty blockers.

The Bottom Line: 

After complaints were received by parents regarding the use of the “transgendered” paper dolls in schools, the U.S. Education Department (ED) announced its launch of an investigation into the Minnesota Department of Education.

However, experts recently criticized the Trump administration for its continued taxpayer funding through the National Institutes of Health to study “gender-affirming care for BIPOC and rural gender diverse youth.”

Unfortunately, after a mere one year of defunding, Planned Parenthood, as one of the largest providers of sex-rejecting medicalized practices, has regained access to approximately $700M annually in Medicaid dollars. 

Key Takeaways:

• New Jersey mom Shedeline Pierre Louis successfully delivered twins at 32 weeks after a high-risk Monochorionic-Monoamniotic (MoMo) pregnancy.

• In a MoMo pregnancy, the twins share a placenta and amniotic sac, which can pose some risks.

• These particular twins were discharged from the NICU on July 23 after a two-month stay.

The Details:

New Jersey mom Shedeline Pierre Louis delivered her baby girls early at 32 weeks after a high risk and extremely rare Monochorionic-Monoamniotic (MoMo) pregnancy, in which the twins shared a placenta and amniotic sac.

Thanks to the care she received at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, babies Shednhee and Claydee were successfully delivered on May 26. Remarkably, the girls were delivered embracing each other within their amniotic sac.

“I’m going to make sure so they can stay together because they come in the world together,” Pierre Louis told People.

Though Pierre Louis and her husband, Evens Claude Bontant, were "shocked" and "scared" after discovering they were expecting MoMo twins, Pierre Louis' faith was evident throughout the process.

"When they told me I was going to have MoMo twins, I was scared," she admitted. "So I prayed, I fast[ed], and then I knew that everything was going to be fine."

She also credited her medical team with keeping her calm and telling her there was nothing to fear.

“So I believe them,” she said. “I put God first and then the doctors.”

Zoom In:

Dr. Alexander Juusula, who led the medical team in delivering the babies, explained why a MoMo pregnancy can create challenges.

"MoMo twins, both of them are inside one sack, and they share one placenta. This increases risks of very unique things to MoMo twins," he explained. "The cords are in the same sack, so they can wrap around each other, and then as the babies grow, this could potentially cut off blood supply to either one or both of the babies, leading to fetal death of either one or both babies."

The condition is very rare, occurring in one in every 10,000 pregnancies.

In Pierre Louis’ case, the babies' cords did become tangled, and doctors noted that one of the girls was notably smaller than the other, prompting the c-section delivery at 32 weeks.

The Bottom Line:

After two months in the hospital, the babies were discharged on July 23 with a special send-off from cheering medical staff.

“Seeing my babies healthy and finally being able to bring them home is more than I could have hoped for,” Pierre Louis said.

Key Takeaways:

• In 1988, Ronna Bremer was seven months pregnant when her husband, Joel Bremer, reported her missing.

• She was declared dead in 1997. A skull anonymously sent to authorities was determined to be hers in 2001.

• The case went cold for many years until DNA technology tied Joel Bremer to the crime.

• Bremer was arrested on July 31 and faces two counts of second-degree murder for killing Ronna and her preborn baby.

The Details:

Joel Lake Bremer was arrested on July 31 and charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of his wife, Ronna Bremer, and her preborn child.

Ronna was 22 years old and seven months pregnant when Joel reported her missing in 1988. According to news reports, Joel filed for divorce in 1990, as Ronna had not yet been declared dead at that time; in 1991, the Green County Sheriff’s Office received a human skull from an anonymous sender. That skull was not confirmed to be Ronna's until 2001, though she was declared dead in 1997.

The case went cold several times over the course of 37 years because investigators had little to go on.

“There just wasn’t a whole lot of information at the time or any tangible evidence to put their hands on to move forward with the investigation,” Sheriff Brad Cole of the Christian County Sheriff’s Office told KY3. “It was, I mean, for lack of a better term, it was just a missing person case that nobody had any information about.”

In November 2024, evidence was sent to a DNA testing lab, while investigators worked through interviews regarding the case. Eventually, the DNA connected Joel Bremer to the crime. U.S. Marshalls arrested Bremer on July 31, and he is currently being held on a $200,000 bond.

READ: <a href="/news/man-kills-pregnant-woman">'Absolutely egregious': Man kills pregnant woman in front of their son</a>

The Big Picture:

Sadly, as these allegations reveal, pregnant women have long faced the threat of violence, especially at the hands of their partners.

According to research published by the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in January 2025, between 2005 and 2022, of 20,421 maternal deaths, 1,407 were due to homicide. Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have stated that pregnant women in the U.S. are more likely to be murdered than to die from obstetric causes.

Hooman Azad, MD, MPH, a fourth-year resident in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at New York’s Columbia University Irving Medical Center, has explained:

“Many people are surprised when they hear that violence is the leading cause of death in pregnancy. Right now, the definition of maternal mortality does not include death by homicide. I’m not sure this is correct — being pregnant or postpartum significantly increases the risk of death by homicide, and more pregnant women die of violence than any individual medical cause.

Part of the reason violence is not recognized as the leading cause of death during pregnancy is because we don’t include homicide and suicide in the definition of maternal mortality."

The Bottom Line:

Both preborn children and their mothers deserve protection from violence. When society as a whole disregards the life of the preborn as expendable, it doesn't take much for that disregard to extend to other lives. All human life is precious and worth protecting.

Key Takeaways:

• Baby Theo was diagnosed with complex gastroschisis at 20 weeks.

• At 26 weeks gestation, he and his mother underwent a new surgery to put his intestines back into his body while he was still in the womb.

• The surgery was a success, and Theo was born 14 weeks later at full term.

• Gastroschisis was once considered fatal, but it is now considered treatable, and more than 95% of children with the condition survive. Despite this high survival rate, more than a quarter of babies diagnosed with it are aborted.

The Details:

As reported by the BBC, Maisie Savage was 26 weeks pregnant when she and her preborn baby Theo underwent keyhole surgery in a "first-of-its-kind" clinical trial to put his organs back into his abdomen.

He had been diagnosed at 20 weeks with gastroschisis, in which the belly button doesn't form properly and as a result, the intestines grow outside of the abdomen.

Theo was diagnosed during an anatomy ultrasound and his case was considered "complex gastroschisis." Savage and her husband Josh were shocked.

"Going towards a 20-week scan, we were purely just excited to have an image of our baby," he said. "We didn't know he was going to be a 'he' at the time."

The diagnosis, he added, was "incredibly scary."

Four weeks later, doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital explained to the Savages what Theo's life would be like with multiple surgeries and time in the NICU. The couple was also told about Dr. Michael Belfort, who was leading a team of U.S. surgeons running a trial to repair complex gastroschisis in the womb. He is the same doctor behind an in-utero surgical procedure for spina bifida.

A major factor of the couple's decision was that they would have to relocate from London to Texas to participate in the trial, with a stop in Belgium, where Botox would be administered to Theo's abdominal wall to relax the muscles.

"It was a huge decision," said Maisie. But it was a trip they were willing to make to help their son.

Zoom In:

At 26 weeks, the procedure was carried out at Texas Children's Hospital. As the BBC reported:

Maisie's womb was partially exposed to position the uterus and baby, the amniotic fluid was drained and replaced with carbon dioxide (CO2) gas to expand the operating space. Using keyhole surgery, Theo's organs were then gently pushed back inside his abdomen, which was stitched closed.

Maisie was left with a scar, twice the size of a C-section incision. But unlike other women who are recovering from a C-section, she still had a baby to grow inside her for another 14 weeks.

She said Theo would often kick inside her, hitting her scar and causing her pain. "It was a hard recovery," Maisie said. "But, it was worth it."

"The length of that day, it felt like a week," said Josh. "The waiting and just not knowing exactly what was going on at each and every stage."

The surgery was a success, and both mom and baby recovered well. "The mother, the baby, the surgery, the time of the surgery, the fact that we had zero complications during the fetal surgery and after the fetal surgery, just remarkable," Belfort said.

Maisie added, "Everything they did just completely reversed what could have been a really horrible start to his life and he's just the best. He's a completely normal baby essentially."

Josh likewise noted how grateful they are for the doctors at Great Ormond Street and in Texas, saying, "[T]he level of care was amazing and they made a very traumatic time of our lives so much easier, and we've got this little man — we couldn't be happier."

According to research, gastroschisis used to be considered fatal, but it is now considered treatable and carries a higher than 95% survival rate. Yet, about a quarter (26.5%) of babies with the condition are aborted.

The Bottom Line:

Theo's story is spreading far and wide via social media, and will hopefully lead to more awareness of how treatable the condition is, and the new surgery that's helping babies thrive.

"We hope that we will be able to offer this to patients in a larger scale very soon," said Paolo de Coppi, a doctor at the University College London who will carry out the surgery in the United Kingdom if the trial proves to be successful.

Belfort has high hopes that it will be. "The inside of the uterus is now a new surgical space for innovation," he said. "And spina bifida and gastroschisis are just two, but I believe that we could actually do certain cardiac surgeries in utero, and I think we can also do some lung surgeries in utero."

The court decision upholds South Korea's ban on international mail order abortion.

Key Takeaways:

• In 2024, Women on Web sued to have a corrective order issued in October 2024 by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) overturned.

• With the order in place, the abortion website could not be accessed in South Korea.

• The Seoul Administrative Court’s 4th Administrative Division dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the Women on Web website violates the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.

• The ruling upholds a ban on international mail order abortions in South Korea.

The Backstory:

Women on Web, founded by Rebecca Gomperts, sued in 2024 over the blocking of their website by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC). According to the KCSC, the website violated the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act because Women on Web was mailing abortion drugs into the country from pharmacists outside of South Korea.

Currently, neither mifepristone nor misoprostol are legal in South Korea.

Abortion was decriminalized there in 2019, but there is no legal framework in place, as legislators have repeatedly failed to create any regulations or standards. However, South Korea President Lee Jae Myung recently called for abortion pill distribution to be made available.

Women on Web's mission is explicitly to mail abortion pills anywhere, regardless of a country's laws regarding abortion. Its website claims abortion is “part of life and should be freely available to all,” and it has a tagline of “abortion pill access by mail."

The Details:

The lawsuit was dismissed this month by the Seoul Administrative Court, with judges ruling that the Women on Web website is, in fact, a violation of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act.

Women on Web argued that mailing abortion pills into South Korea qualifies as an “act carried out under necessity,” which refers to a necessary action taken to avoid a present danger to one’s own or another person’s life, body, freedom or property. The abortion group claimed that therefore, their website is not illegal:

In the absence of alternative legislation following the Constitutional Court’s decision that the criminalization of abortion was unconstitutional, activities to assist women in safely terminating pregnancies are justifiable acts under the Criminal Act or unavoidable necessity.

The court, however, disagreed, saying the ban on the website is “hard to see as unlawful because Women on Web’s provision of abortion pills that were not manufactured, imported or approved for use in Korea violated the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act." Therefore, the website promoted “information intended for a crime," which is illegal.

Because Women on Web's main mission is the mailing of abortion pills, the block on the site would remain, with the court explaining, “It appears the site was primarily operated for the purpose of providing medications, not merely offering abortion information.”

Furthermore, the court said the lawsuit was improperly filed, as Women on Web used a power of attorney to file the suit, but failed to have the document notarized. “It was an improper lawsuit filed by someone without litigation agency rights," the court said.

The Bottom Line:

This is potentially only a temporary victory for life in South Korea, as the country moves towards making the intentional killing of preborn human beings fully legal and accessible.

Key Takeaways:

• Professor Yuval Tal gave a presentation featuring a cancer patient who was suffering itching so unbearable that he planned to undergo assisted suicide.

• Doctors worked to address his problem by using an experimental treatment, which worked.

• Afterwards, the man canceled his assisted suicide plans.

The Details:

Yuval Tal, a director of the Immunology and Allergy Unit at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, gave a Ynet presentation on a cancer patient who planned to go to Switzerland to undergo assisted suicide.

The man had experienced years of severe itching, even though his cancer was in remission.

"The condition came to dominate his life: He barely slept, struggled to function and suffered around the clock. Antihistamines, steroids and other standard treatments brought no relief," Tal said. "Eventually, overwhelmed by the pain, he bought a ticket to Switzerland to seek assisted death — not because of the cancer, but because of the itching."

Tal explained that doctors didn't simply accept the man's plan to end his life; instead, they sought to address the problem through actual health care:

"Doctors therefore considered the role of cytokines linked to type 2 inflammation. These proteins allow immune cells to communicate and trigger inflammatory responses.

The same pathway is known to play a central role in conditions such as asthma and atopic dermatitis. Based on this understanding, doctors tried a biological therapy targeting the same immune pathway, even though it had not been developed for cancer-related itching.

After just three injections, the patient improved dramatically. The relentless itching that had tormented him around the clock disappeared."

Because of this, the patient canceled his plans to kill himself through assisted suicide. The success of the treatments also inspired doctors to launch a formal research project to help others with similar suffering.

Zoom Out:

It is not unusual in countries where assisted suicide and euthanasia are legal for people suffering from untreated illnesses to feel their only choice is to die, simply because they cannot access treatment.

For example, Live Action News previously reported on the case of a woman named Gwen (a pseudonym), who lives in constant pain:

Gwen was born with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a disorder which affects connective tissue due to defects in collagen production.

Additionally, Gwen is autistic, has ADHD, and also has Multiple Chemical Sensitivity; a car accident also caused her to experience chronic extreme pain. Gwen needs a wheelchair, but has been on a waiting list for over two years to receive one, and uses a walker in the meantime.

The Canadian health care system denied the treatment doctors had recommended for her, and she couldn't afford to pay for it out of pocket. That led Gwen to feel like her only option was assisted suicide.

“I don’t want to die, but when you’re in that much pain, these intrusive thoughts come up,” she said. “The suffering is so far beyond what anyone can fathom.”

As Live Action News pointed out, Gwen is far from alone:

One woman, for example, sought MAiD because of financial difficulties following complications from COVID-19. A 20-year-old man was approved for MAiD due to years of medical mismanagement. Yet another woman, like Gwen, sought MAiD due to chemical sensitivities, though she was able to get help in time to save her life. Another woman is considering assisted suicide because it has taken years to get a much-needed surgery which would relieve her pain and improve her quality of life.

The Bottom Line:

People who feel they have no other choice but death deserve to be given access to the best medical treatment available to address their symptoms and give them hope for a better future.

I looked down at my phone, ironically while attending a pro-life banquet, and my heart dropped.

With a mere stroke of his pen, another judge had struck down another pro-life law.

It has become an all too familiar feeling. The cycle repeats itself over and over again: hard-fought victories, cautious celebration, and then another court ruling that leaves unborn children unprotected while those fighting for their destruction claim to be the ones suffering "irreparable harm." Another recent ruling in my state called abortion "inherently safe."

That’s part of what keeps me up at night, the language used to make abortion apologists victims instead of the unborn and their families.

The ability to turn a blind eye and even advocate for this genocide of the unborn points an accusing finger at a staggering moral bankruptcy that has become mainstream.

Heavy hearts

I sat through the rest of the banquet listening to testimony after testimony about the lives God had changed through this pregnancy resource center. Yet if I'm being honest, my heart was heavy. It was tempting to dwell in discouragement rather than posture my heart toward praise.

If you have spent any amount of time fighting for the unborn, I’m sure you've felt it too.

When you care deeply about a literal life-or-death issue, it becomes easy to look at a nation with the blood of tens of millions of unborn children on its hands and wonder what possible difference your efforts are making.

The greatest country on earth, and still we have come back around to pagan Molech worship and the child sacrifice of the Aztecs.

There are times when the spiritual degeneracy of our age feels overwhelming.

I want to take a moment to recognize my blue state friends. They’re fighting for the same things I am, but with even fewer tangible wins. Their battlefield is different, often never even having the opportunity to have victories snatched from them.

God places us all in the time and place He wants us, and I know He is always faithful to equip those He calls, but I have a deep respect for those who can keep fighting in these spiritually dark locales.

Whether in red or blue states, we as Christians can be too quick to suppress the sorrow that comes in moments like these.

Uncomfortable grief

We hear about righteous indignation from our pulpits, but not godly sorrow nearly as often. We understand holy anger toward evil and injustice. Grief, however, makes us uncomfortable. We associate sorrow with weakness, or worse, a lack of trust in God. We forget that sorrow can be the very thing that drives us toward faithfulness.

We’re mistaken if we believe that Scripture teaches a stony lack of emotion.

Psalms of lament outnumber those of praise and thanksgiving. My kids think David's vivid imagery in Psalm 6 is hilarious: "Every night I make my bed swim, I flood my couch with my tears."

But the Psalms of lament do not end in hopelessness. The famously flawed man after God's own heart continually turns back toward praise, trust, and confidence in the God who never fails His people.

Whether you are having the best day of your life or the worst, you will find a home in the Psalms.

Then there is perhaps the shortest and most profound reminder of all: "Jesus wept."

The shortest verse in Scripture is not merely easy for children to memorize. It reminds us that the sinless Son of God stood in a world ravaged by sin and death and allowed Himself to grieve.

There is an important distinction here.

Despair is sinful.

Godly sorrow is not.

There is a world of difference between abandoning ourselves to hopelessness and allowing our hearts to be grieved by the very things that grieve the heart of our Father.

In fact, Paul tells us plainly:

"For godly sorrow produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world brings about death." (2 Corinthians 7:10)

So if Christians are not to grieve as the world grieves, what should our response be when the tide of battle seems firmly against us?

Was "Jesus wept" the end of the story? Of course not.

Jesus called Lazarus from the grave. Likewise, Christians are not called merely to mourn. We are called to action.

Christianity is not a spectator sport.

We do not look upon the destruction of those made in the image of God, sigh, say "how heartbreaking," and then continue on with our lives unchanged.

In Ephesians 6, Paul commands believers to "take up the full armor of God... and having done everything, to stand firm."

Having done everything.

Those are not suggestions. They are marching orders.

Because beneath every legal battle over abortion lies something far deeper than politics.

This is spiritual warfare.

Our weapons

The Enemy delights in discouragement. Of course he wants Christians exhausted. Of course he wants us wondering whether the fight is worth continuing.

What he does not want us to remember is that he is already defeated.

Christ has overcome the world.

Whenever hopelessness begins whispering in my ear, I find myself returning to the same song, Goodness of God: "All my life You have been faithful. And all my life You have been so, so good."

Sometimes we simply need to remember that God has never once failed His people.

Charles Spurgeon famously wrote, "I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me up against the Rock of Ages."

The waves will keep coming. Court rulings and politicians will disappoint us. Culture will continue celebrating what God calls evil.

But if those waves drive us into deeper dependence upon Christ, then even they become instruments of our sanctification. So when abortion appears to triumph once again, it is okay to grieve. It is okay to lament.

We are strangers in a strange land, pilgrims on our way to the Celestial City. Sin and death feel foreign because we were created for something better.

But we cannot remain in grief. And we absolutely cannot become apathetic.

The Lamb who was slain is also the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

So we put on our armor and fight. Not with violence, hatred, or cruelty, but with the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

So weep as Christ did. Then let Him wipe your tears.

Then, onward, Christian soldiers. We have a culture of death to transform.

Key Takeaways:

• Dmarieon Matthews was sentenced to 24 months of probation following an incident in which he fired a gun outside a Planned Parenthood in Overland Park, Kansas.

• Matthews had accompanied a woman to the abortion facility, but became agitated when she would not exit the vehicle.

• When pro-lifers tried to verbally intervene, he threatened them with a gun before turning and shooting it into the ground.

The Backstory:

As Live Action News previously reported, in March, Dmarieon Matthews accompanied a female to the Overland Park Planned Parenthood. He reportedly became agitated because she refused to exit the vehicle. Pro-lifers who were nearby tried to verbally intervene, at which point Matthews waved a handgun in the air and pointed it at one of the pro-lifers, before turning away and shooting into the ground.

Police later identified Matthews as the culprit, and stopped his vehicle. They found him and the woman both in the car, along with a child who was not safely secured in a car seat. Drugs as well as two guns were also found in the vehicle.

The Johnson County District Attorney’s Office charged Matthews with one count of felony aggravated assault, two counts of felony aggravated child endangerment, and one count of misdemeanor marijuana possession.

The Details:

Fox 4 KC reports that Matthews has now been sentenced to 24 months probation, with the stipulation that if he violates that probation, he will serve 16 months in prison. That sentence is based on charges of aggravated assault using a deadly weapon and aggravated endangerment of a child.

Matthews reportedly entered a plea deal in June; a second charge of aggravated child endangerment as well as the marijuana possession charge were both dropped.

The Bottom Line:

While no motive for Matthews' violence has been released, his agitation after the woman refused to exit the car at the Planned Parenthood center could indicate an attempt at abortion coercion.

In one study, 64% of women who had abortions said they were pressured to do so. In another study, 74% of respondents felt some form of pressure to have an abortion. These situations show that in many cases, both preborn children and their mothers need protection from the violence of abortion.

Key Takeaways:

• Turner syndrome is a genetic condition affecting females that causes short stature, infertility, and other concerns, but women who have it lead healthy lives.

• A father who was told his baby girl might have Turner syndrome turned to Reddit for advice when his wife wanted to have an abortion.

• Reddit users told him not to have an abortion without further testing and even advised him that testing showed it was his wife who may have Turner syndrome, not their baby.

• Further testing showed that the baby was healthy and the wife had mosaic Turner syndrome, and the baby was not aborted.

The Details:

A man and his wife, who were expecting their second child, learned through the non-invasive prenatal screening test (NIPT) Natera that their baby might have Monosomy X, a condition known as Turner syndrome. Although doctors advised them to undergo an amniocentesis, the wife wanted to have an abortion.

But when the husband turned to Reddit for advice, everything changed.

In the Reddit post, the father of the baby, under the username baahubal, shared that his wife had undergone the NIPT screening with Natera and they were "shocked" to learn that the baby may have "possible Mosaic in Monosomy X with Turner syndrome." They were advised to go for an amniocentesis. However, his wife wanted to skip the amnio and have an abortion right away.

He posted:

We did couple more NIPT again (NextGen and Natera) for additional confirmation. We’re schedule to meet with MFM in 4 days. Wife does not want to go for Amnio and instead wants to Abort. I want her to take an informed decision than just gut feeling and I also don’t want to do something against her will.

I have read a lot about the False positives for NIPT results and she’s aware of that too but she’s not ready to proceed with this pregnancy. I know we’re young and can have another one but I don’t want to take a decision based on a test that can have several false positives.

He's right. NIPT testing comes with a significant chance of a <a href="/news/devastating-cost-wildly-inaccurate-prenatal-screening">false positive</a>, especially for conditions that are less common. These tests do not show a positive or negative result but the level of risk that exists for certain health conditions. In fact, Natera was recently forced to pay $8.25 million in a class action settlement over allegations that it had misrepresented the accuracy of its NIPT products, Panorama and Vasistera.

For Turner syndrome, the risk of a false positive NIPT screening is about 62% to 74%.

The National Institutes of Health explained:

In contrast to the very high positive predictive values (PPVs) achieved with cfDNA analysis for trisomy 21 (91% for high-risk and 82% for low-risk cases), the PPVs for monosomy X are much lower (~26%). This is because the maternal plasma sample contains both maternal cfDNA and placental DNA, which is a proxy for the fetal genome. Underlying biological mechanisms for false positive monosomy X screening results include confined placental mosaicism, co-twin demise, and maternal mosaicism.

Somatic loss of a single X chromosome in the mother is a natural phenomenon that occurs with aging; this could explain many of the false positive cfDNA results. There is also increased awareness of women who have constitutional mosaicism for 45, X who are fertile. It is important to recognize that a positive cfDNA screen for 45, X does not mean that the fetus has Turner syndrome. A follow-up diagnostic test, either amniocentesis or neonatal karyotype/chromosome microarray, is recommended.

Turner syndrome is a genetic condition that affects girls who have a missing or incomplete X chromosome. Women with Turner syndrome are often short, have distinct physical features such as low-set ears, swelling of hands and feet, potentially heart issues, and potential infertility due to early ovarian failure and underdeveloped ovaries. But some women live with Turner syndrome for years without knowing it.

In mosaic Turner syndrome, only some cells are missing all or part of an X chromosome while others are normal, which causes milder symptoms.

When responding to the question of what this couple should do, Reddit users potentially saved the baby's life.

Zoom In:

The majority of those who replied to the father's Reddit post encouraged the couple not to abort. They wrote:

• "MFM will do another scan that will give you more information. If sonogram is normal there, is VERY likely that you are dealing with a false positive. I echo never terminating for NIPT alone, especially for turners. It is a screen, not a diagnostic test."

• "I understand your wife's anxieties and sadness. But it really does sound like her anxiety is overruling her logic. There is an approximately 70% chance that your baby is completely fine right now, and if she doesn't want the amnio she doesn't have to get it! You can continue the pregnancy and have increased sonograms instead. Right now she is considering terminating a completely healthy pregnancy rather than taking a miniscule risk of miscarriage with the amnio."

• "Amnio is a lot less risky than aborting. Your wife’s line of thinking frankly makes zero sense here."

• "I got a very similar result from Natera. ... I went in to MFM and opted for the amnio. The MFM was actually surprised that I wanted one with the NIPT results that I had. I’m paraphrasing here, but he basically said that this result was highly unlikely to be Turners and that he personally wouldn’t even be remotely stressed if he got that result. I still went ahead with the amnio at 16 weeks and it went well. My results came back normal and my daughter is now 13 months old and is the absolute light of our lives with no developmental issues."

• "Please do not [abort]. I’m a false positive story. Except I actually had a 'high risk' result on my Nipt for my baby girl for Turners. It was a false positive….. i had a mosaic placenta. My baby girl is 2 and a half years old and perfect."

• "As others have said that would be a big mistake. TS has a high percentage of false positive, why would she want to go through the trauma of termination when the baby may not even have TS?"

One woman explained that the NIPT is not diagnostic and it could be the placenta, not the baby, that had mosaicism. "I would 100% go for amnio- the NIPT is NOT DIAGNOSTIC! I had confined placental mosaicism and here is my completely healthy baby girl," she wrote.

Perhaps most shocking were the number of people who explained that the NIPT result actually showed that the baby's mother was likely the one who had mosaic Turner syndrome.

A woman whose baby has Turner syndrome explained:

"Someone correct me if I’m wrong here, but it states it 'is suspected to be of maternal origin'… doesn’t that mean your wife would likely be the one with Turner syndrome in this scenario? Many women find out they have mosaic Turner syndrome from their NIPT testing because they never presented signs of it beforehand, or at least none that led to them being diagnosed prior."

Similar comments from Reddit users included:

• "Also after reading this more closely — the results suggest it looks like your wife is most likely the one with mosaic TS. So pretty much every NIPT she ever gets when she’s pregnant is always gonna say this if that is correct (and it most likely is)."

• "Since it says likely maternal origin, your wife may have mosaic Turner’s Syndrome or XXX. She should get a karyotype done on herself asap to find out. If you still have no answers I’d recommend an amnio. I am pro-choice but if this baby was wanted it would be very sad to abort based on a screening and not diagnostic test. There is a VERY high chance the baby is completely fine, especially since it says this is likely maternal origin."

• "This isn't a high risk or positive result. It's a no result due to suspected maternal mosaicism."

• "You didn’t get high risk you got a no result. Moving to termination (assuming this is a wanted pregnancy) is wildly premature. Anyway—it could be what I got—turns out I have mosaic turners. You’d never know that to look at me."

• "Per the report they SUSPECT YOUR WIFE IS MOSAIC, NOT THE FETUS! Mosaic means that your wife may have a missing X is some (but not all) of her cells. Because mom might be mosaic, they give no result for the fetus.

  Next step is a karyotype on your wife to confirm if she has mosaic Monosomy X. You can also consider amnio for the fetus since they didn’t asses for Monosomy X for the fetus (due to your wife potentially being mosaic). Most likely the fetal chromosomes will be normal though. If you terminate now you will likely be ending a healthy pregnancy…"

The husband noted that the comments were helping him convince his wife not to undergo the abortion. He wrote, "This is truly giving me courage in our current situation."

He also said, "My wife agreed to go for an Amnio. I sat next to her and made her read through each and every response you all gave and we had a good understanding of the situation," and "All your responses were giving me positive vibes and Confidence for me that this baby would not have any issue and would be completely fine."

He later updated:

"Got the Karayotype done for Wife. She’s the one having Mosaic Turners as expected. However that doesn’t completely rule out whether the baby had Monosomy X, so we went for Amnio yesterday."

And then he shared, "Amnio Karyotype done for the baby. It is a normal healthy baby girl. No Turner’s syndrome. Everything is good."

Why It Matters:

Turner syndrome is not a death sentence, and those who live with it lead very happy, normal lives.

This Reddit thread shows how inaccurate NIPT testing can be, as well as how unhelpful a test result without a doctor's interpretation can be. Reddit users correctly pointed out that the mother had mosaic Turner syndrome, not the baby.

How many babies may have been aborted because of similar results and misunderstandings?

Furthermore, abortion is never a necessary reaction to prenatal diagnosis or suspected diagnosis. Having and raising a child with a health condition can feel daunting, but it is not the end of the world. In fact, one Reddit user has Turner syndrome and told the father:

I'm an adult with Turner's Syndrome. Even if that's the diagnosis, there's no guarantee of severe issues. It's such a difference in cases. Most babies that make it to term have some medical issues, but nothing untreatable. I lived a normal life as do most that I know who have it. I'm married, own a home, and have a Masters degree. I have medical issues I have to keep up with, but it doesn't keep me from living my life.

Not surprisingly, there is much less here than meets the eye.

The study purportedly found an increase in suicidal ideation among teenage girls who live in states with pro-life laws. However, there was no statistically significant increase in actual suicide attempts among teen girls who live in pro-life states. And the study failed to analyze the number of suicides that took place.

Furthermore, the study had a number of methodological limitations.

• While approximately twelve states have abortion bans in place, researchers were only able to analyze YRBS survey data from five of those states.

• Additionally, state abortion bans were in effect for only one of the four years of YRBS survey data analyzed by the researchers.

• Finally, the researchers failed to consider if abortion bans had a larger impact on sexually active teenagers or on older teenagers — demographics that might be more affected by an abortion ban.

There is a body of research that shows that pro-life laws improve teenage health outcomes.

Various studies have found that pro-life parental involvement laws reduce suicide rates and gonorrhea rates among teens. A new National Bureau of Economics Research paper shows both a lower likelihood of sexual activity and a reduction in sex partners among teens who live in states with strong pro-life laws.

Unfortunately, research that demonstrates the positive public health impact of pro-life laws receives scant attention from the mainstream media.

Key Takeaways:

• On Monday, a Kansas judge permanently overturned a set of informed consent laws known as the Women's Right to Know Act.

• The judge, Christopher Jayaram, issued the ruling in his last hours as a Johnson County judge, before being sworn in as a new Kansas Supreme Court justice.

• Some of the mandates in the Women's Right to Know Act were passed in 1997, but were temporarily paused by Jayaram in a 2023 ruling.

The Details:

The ruling, which placed a permanent injunction on the Kansas Women's Right to Know Act, was issued by outgoing Johnson County judge Christopher Jayaram, the same day he was sworn in as a new Kansas Supreme Court justice. The set of informed consent mandates had already been paused under a temporary injunction Jayaram issued in response to a lawsuit brought by Planned Parenthood in 2023.

Among the mandates overturned include:

• A 24-hour waiting period prior to an abortion, along with a 24 hour disclosure detailing the risks related to abortion

• Fetal ultrasound availability and gestational dating

• A requirement that the abortionist must listen to the preborn child's heartbeat 30 minutes prior to the abortion

• A requirement that abortion-minded women are offered information about 'abortion pill reversal'

• A requirement that patients provide information about why they are seeking an abortion

Jayaram's 260-page decision ultimately determined that these informed consent requirements — which ensure women have as much information as possible prior making a life-altering, life-ending decision of abortion — violated Kansans’ right to bodily autonomy and “infringe upon a woman’s fundamental rights.” 

He wrote:

Because a woman’s right to bodily autonomy (including her right to decide whether to terminate or to continue a pregnancy) is fundamental, the Court concludes, given the overwhelming evidence adduced at trial, that the State’s rationale and legislative schemes… simply do not, in significant part, survive constitutional scrutiny under Section 1 of the Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights.

He said the state failed to justify why the laws should remain in place.

“The State Defendants simply failed in their obligation to clear that high bar to justify such intrusive legislative mandates. It is not, in this Court’s view, even a close call, based upon the record before the Court,” Jayaram wrote.

What We're Hearing:

Brittany Jones, president of Kansas Family Voice, expressed dismay at the ruling.

“All of these things simply give women information, give them more time and make sure we know why women are seeking abortions so that we can actually help them,” Jones said

Mackenzie Ayers, Director of Communications for Kansans for Life, stated in an email to Live Action News:

The timing of this ruling is deeply troubling. After waiting more than ten months to issue a decision, Judge Jayaram waited until just hours before being sworn in to the Kansas Supreme Court to strike down the Woman's Right to Know Act, eliminating nearly 30 years of commonsense protections that helped ensure women received the information they needed before making a life-altering decision.

The ruling leaves women even more vulnerable to a predatory abortion industry that consistently puts its own profits ahead of women. Kansans for Life will continue advocating for compassionate, commonsense policies that protect mothers and babies while educating Kansans about the risks posed by the abortion industry.

Key Takeaways:

• In March, Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit arguing that the advancement of an amendment to establish a 'right' to abortion in Virginia's constitution did not follow proper protocol.

• On July 24, a judge dismissed the lawsuit.

• The amendment will go before voters in November, unless an appeal is successful.

The Backstory:

In March, Liberty Counsel filed a lawsuit on behalf of Charla Bansley, District 3 Supervisor for the Bedford County Board of Supervisors. The lawsuit argued that the advancement of an amendment to establish a "right" to abortion did not follow proper protocol, as it was not sent to the three circuit courts of Bedford County, Campbell County, and the City of Lynchburg.

As Live Action News previously explained: "Per state law, those courts were supposed to receive the amendment for public posting and inspection before the 2025 House of Delegates election. Since the required notice and posting did not happen, the lawsuit maintains the 2026 General Assembly session approval of the amendment is 'void' and 'wholly ineffective.'"

After the lawsuit was filed, Virginians for Reproductive Freedom (VRF), a coalition of 16 pro-abortion groups, filed a motion to intervene in the case. The coalition lists as "partners" over two dozen groups including the pro-abortion American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's "Think Big America," which the billionaire established specifically to advance pro-abortion state constitutional amendments across the nation.

The Details:

On July 24, Campbell County Circuit Court Judge John T. Cook issued a final order dismissing the case. According to The News & Advance, "Cook granted VRF’s motion to intervene and ruled the Virginia General Assembly took action that eliminates the statutory basis for Bansley’s claims and states the plaintiff failed to show she had standing to bring this action."

The ruling was hailed by the Virginia Attorney General's Office.

“The court was right to reject this partisan attempt to silence Virginia voters and block them from shaping their own future,” said Rae Pickett, communications director for the Virginia Attorney General’s Office. “The ruling leaves the choice where it belongs, with the people, who will determine what their Constitution says and the values it protects. With this win, the referendum will remain on the ballot for Virginians to vote for their values.”

Daniel Schmidt of Liberty Counsel indicated that the group intends to appeal to the ruling.

“The reality is this was always going to go higher,” Schmidt said according to the Virginia Mercury. “No question, this is heading to the (Virginia) Supreme Court.”

What's Next:

Unless an appeal is successful, voters will decide on the amendment during the upcoming November 3 vote.

Key Takeaways:

• Max Gilardi is a YouTuber, voice actor, and animator known for making parody videos.

• He announced that he was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2024.

• During a recent livestream, Gilardi said his struggle with fibromyalgia and other health issues has become debilitating, and that he is struggling to afford treatment.

• Gilardi said he plans to fly to Switzerland to undergo assisted suicide, though he later said he would "reassess" his plan.

The Details:

Gilardi is a popular YouTuber, animator, and voice actor known for gaming content and parody videos. He previously announced that he was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2024. Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition known for causing pain throughout the body, fatigue, and trouble sleeping. It can also be associated with other issues, like irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, jaw and facial pain, and mental health issues. It's also known to cause brain fog, which sufferers refer to as "fibro fog." There are treatments that can help, but there is currently no cure.

In an August 2 livestream, Gilardi told followers he has recently been struggling with his health, describing constantly feeling tired, having "bad pain" in every joint and his muscles. He said that he has "a lot of difficulty sleeping, especially during a flare-up" of his condition.

He described having "a restless night" "maybe once or twice a week," and his body's temperature regulation isn't functioning well at all. "I might not be able to sleep, because I feel like my skin is boiling or my body is itchy, but like painful itchy, like I'm being stabbed by tiny needles," he said, adding, "I feel as if I've lost a big chunk of my brain power. I can't think right anymore. It's hard to explain, but it's like my mind has been hollowed out."

He added that his brain often feels like it's lagging, and that he can't process information or control how he's speaking. The brain fog, he said, has also made it difficult to complete simple tasks, and that simply sitting and reading a book is difficult and taxing.

He also said he has begun having trouble breathing normally, because he feels he's not bringing in enough air with each breath.

But that isn't the end of the symptoms he's been struggling with:

"Most mysteriously, the bane of my existence, my true ruination, I have a condition that I have dubbed slobber mouth. My mouth is always drooling. My throat is always producing mucus, which is why I have that squeaky puberty voice now. 

My throat is also scratchy and sore, probably because I have to clear it all the time. I have a big wad of goo in my nasopharynx. The inside of my mouth and my tongue feel puffy and raw and swollen and numb and tingly. So imagine rubbing sandpaper on your tongue until it feels like raw and spongy and puffy. 

I have a metallic taste a lot of the time, like coins or pennies or whatever. I spit all day. I can spit it or I can swallow it, but it just fills right back up again in two seconds. It also feels like if I spit or swallow it too much, that'll start making it worse. That'll agitate it. On at least one occasion, I woke up in the middle of the night choking on it. When it gets really bad, I have to sit on the couch and hold a bowl under my mouth, and I just let it drip dry while I watch TV." 

He explained that he has tried diet change, including cutting out dairy, gluten, and sugar, as well as looking into allergic causes, but that nothing seems to help. And it has begun affecting his ability to work.

"All of these are symptoms that impact my ability to speak, and speaking is my job," he said. "A job that should have been easy has become very, very difficult for me... Usually when I stream, I do my best to try to be silly, as a streamer would have to do, but most of the time I'm just sitting here thinking, you know, I feel terrible, I feel terrible, I feel terrible."

He added that he has additional health problems that he's had "since middle school," including anxiety, a calcified disc in his neck, and headaches. Recently, he said, he's developed tinnitus.

"It's as if the universe itself looked at me and said, oh look, we missed a spot," he said. "He still has one sensory input that's left unmolested."

Zoom In:

Gilardi said he is unable to afford treatment, saying he has paid $900 for an MRI, only for doctors to say the scan is inconclusive.

"I can't really afford to go to the doctor anymore," he said. "They're never really able to help me anyway. They've done a lot of tests over the past two years, but they're usually inconclusive. They're like, yeah, you look fine. Every time."

He said he has multiple medical bills he's unable to pay and that some have gone to collection. Some, he's had to pay with his credit cards.

Describing the situation as a "personal hell," he concluded that the only solution he could think of is assisted suicide. However, fibromyalgia is not a terminal illness and doesn't qualify anywhere in the United States. He's also unable to get Canadian citizenship for the purpose of ending his life. Because of this, he set his sights on Switzerland, a country known for its death tourism. But even that, he says, is cost-prohibitive:

"I found out that being euthanized in Switzerland can cost up to like $17,000. So now I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here. Like, why is everything being made so difficult for me here? Am I going to have to start a GoFundMe for like $30,000 instead? I was worried that people wouldn't want to give me $10,000. Nobody's going to donate $30,000 to kill a man.

... But you know, if you think dying is expensive, imagine how expensive it would be for me to live for another two to three decades. That would be really expensive. There's nothing more expensive than living."

Still, he said he would find a way to make it happen, because he said he couldn't see any other options. "No matter how many times I run this giant equation in my head, I just keep getting the same answer. I mean, I know it's right and I know that it's time."

The Reaction:

However, his followers across YouTube and social media reacted with heartbreak and horror, and urged him to not give up. Many donated money, explicitly saying they hoped it would help him obtain health care so he can reach a more "manageable state," and at least one commenter with fibromyalgia encouraged him not to see death as his only option.

"I have had fibromyalgia for over 40 years. I know what it's like to wake up every day in pain, knowing it likely will never go away," said one commenter. “But I beg of you to reconsider, and don't do anything rash. Death is a permanent solution to a temporary problem."

Another wrote, "... Your symptoms describe a thyroid condition to a T. All those symptoms sound like undiagnosed and untreated hashimoto's. Depression, joint pain, temp regulation issues, extreme fatigue, saliva issues, ringing in ear, all of it. I know because I have hashimotos. treated with synthetic thyroid hormones which is dirt cheap. If thats what you have get it treated and you'd be amazed how it fixes so much."

Many people reached out urging him to "stay strong" and keep on living.

Following the outcry, Gilardi said he will reconsider the plan to die, writing that he feels he is not "thinking clearly."

The Bottom Line:

Gilardi's example shows the difference that support can make for people who are struggling and see no hope of a better future. Unfortunately, too many people feel death is their only option, and the people around them simply stand back and let it happen, rather than offering support and assuring them that — even with an illness or disability — life is still worth living.

Planned Parenthood was founded by Margaret Sanger, who was lauded as a hero until recent years, when her racist and eugenicist mindset and actions became inescapable, even for the organization she founded. A landmark New York city facility (now closed) was originally named the Margaret Sanger Center until the organization removed her name from the facility in 2020; Planned Parenthood also used to bestow an annual Margaret Sanger Award, but this has not been awarded since 2015.

Alexis McGill Johnson, a Black woman, was named the permanent president and CEO of Planned Parenthood in 2020, and the organization reluctantly admitted to Sanger's controversial legacy, though much of what was done amounted to lip service and an attempt to either whitewash Sanger's legacy or sweep it under the proverbial rug.

Key Takeaways:

• Alexis McGill Johnson spoke with Black influencer Kahlil Greene on Instagram about Margaret Sanger's legacy of racism and eugenics.

• She downplayed Sanger's views, arguing that while Sanger's actions were wrong, her intentions were good.

• Planned Parenthood has been steeped in this same mindset from its founding, and it continues to be accused of racist practices today.

The Details:

Influencer Kahlil Greene posted a snippet of his interview with Johnson on his Instagram page, in a reel sponsored by Planned Parenthood.

He captioned it, "How does Planned Parenthood reckon with its beginnings and founder? I sat down with the CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund [Alexis McGill Johnson], to talk about the importance of learning from history and how they’ve moved forward."

However, Johnson's response was to largely downplay Sanger's actions and seemingly argue that, while Sanger's actions were wrong, her intentions were good — and that today, the organization has left its historical racism behind it:

"I have no idea what was in Margaret Sanger's heart. That's not really, one way or the other, of importance, right? Because you can have very well-meaning people or people who purport to believe in equality or egalitarianism still engaging in practices that are blatantly racist or discriminatory at best. And I think that's what I saw unpacking some of the history of Margaret Sanger, right? 

She did have tactics and beliefs that were rooted in eugenics. Many Black leaders at the time also held some of those beliefs, but that does not justify the fact that they existed and her participation in them. 

She did recommend or was an advisor to studies around women living in Puerto Rico related to sterilization — again, you know, a practice at the time does not justify that. And I think we needed to call that out and actually name that, you know, she created some very real harms, and then raise the question of what is it that we need to do as an organization to move forward, right?

The work that we as leaders, a multiracial group of leaders of this entire federation, that serves a multiracial group of patients, that we will become strong only to the extent that we do our own work, to ensure that every single patient, regardless of their race, documentation status, their income status, their language speaking, their sexual identity, deserves the best high quality care in the world. And we can't do that until we unpack our own biases as it relates to that. 

So that was the impetus of doing that. It wasn't just to kind of attack Margaret Sanger and be like, OK, we did that. It was to ask the question of, who do we want to be over the next century, and how are we going to ensure that the lessons that we draw from her behaviors are put into the appropriate context, and force us to behave differently for the future generation."

The Backstory:

In a 2020 series of tweets, Planned Parenthood said:

Access to health care and freedom from violence are reproductive justice issues. We’re proud to stand in solidarity with our partners in the Reproductive Justice movement, but we must also acknowledge our own racist history.

Our commitments to you are to:
→ Reckon publicly with our own racist history.
→ Improve the delivery of our health care by addressing and correcting implicit bias.
→ Step back to create space for Black organizations and leaders organizing in this moment.

The question is, what, exactly, is the racist history of Planned Parenthood — and did they actually reckon with it? Based on Johnson's comments six years later, this remains a valid question.

As the pro-life movement has been pointing out for years, Sanger has a disturbing legacy. As Live Action News previously reported:

In 1926, as Live Action News has previously detailed, Margaret Sanger met with the women’s branch of the Ku Klux Klan at the group’s request, entertaining additional invitations, according to her own report of the meeting. The event took place in Silver Lake, New Jersey, and Sanger described in it in her autobiography:

I accepted an invitation to talk to the women’s branch of the Ku Klux Klan…. I saw through the door dim figures parading with banners and illuminated crosses…. I was escorted to the platform, was introduced, and began to speak…. In the end, through simple illustrations I believed I had accomplished my purpose. A dozen invitations to speak to similar groups were proffered. (Margaret Sanger: An Autobiography, P.366)

Sanger called that event “one of the weirdest experiences I had in lecturing.”

Then, in 1934, Sanger suggested that couples apply for a governmental “license” to have children.

Just five years later, in 1939, Sanger created her “Negro Project,” as described in a letter she penned to Clarence Gamble regarding her desire to use Black ministers in furthering her organization’s agenda. “We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population,” she said, and if it did, these ministers could “straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.”

Sanger populated her board with known eugenicists and racists, like the aforementioned Gamble and Lothrop Stoddard, the latter of whom was an outspoken white supremacist and member of the Ku Klux Klan.

Gamble, a eugenicist, was the heir to the Procter and Gamble fortune, and received $1 million for his 21st birthday in 1914. He often used Procter and Gamble stock to promote birth control, abortion, and eugenics, and also founded Pathfinder International to promote population control under the auspices of "reproductive health" in places like Africa and South Asia.

Stoddard and Gamble both wanted to limit the population growth of certain people groups.

In addition to these men, Sanger worked with Gregory Pincus to create the birth control pill. Pincus used Puerto Rico to test the pill in the midst of a population boom, while many of the people there lived in poverty. Before that, the birth control pill was tested on mentally ill women at the Worcester State Hospital. After the women took the pill, the doctors sliced into the women's uteruses to see how the pill affected them, despite birth control being "heavily regulated" in the state of Massachusetts at the time.

The women were largely left in the dark about what was to happen to them.

As Gabriela Soto Laveaga, a professor of the history of science at Harvard, commented, “The regulations were more lax, but also you had this belief that some people could be experimented on: the ‘feeble-minded,’ people of color, the poor.” History.com notes in an article written in 2018 and last updated in 2025:

In the eyes of Pincus and Sanger, Puerto Rico was the perfect place. At the time, it was in the midst of a population boom, and poverty was rampant. It was also home to birth control clinics that had once been funded by the U.S. government under New Deal programs. Now, Procter & Gamble heir and American eugenicist Clarence Gamble funded and ran many himself.

Gamble believed that Puerto Ricans and others living in poverty should be wiped out to make room for more “fit” members of the population, and birth control was part of that vision.

And as Erin Blakemore further explained for History.com, “Women who took the drug knew that it prevented pregnancy, but had no idea it was experimental or even that they were participating in a clinical trial. They weren’t given safety information about the product, either… and women experienced serious side effects like blood clots and nausea.”

Women who reported experiencing side effects were dismissed as “unreliable.”

Reality Check:

While Johnson paints a picture of an organization that has "moved forward," Planned Parenthood still grapples with allegations of racism today, including from its own employees.

Nicole Moore, who previously worked for Planned Parenthood, sued the abortion business in 2022, alleging "structural racism." Moore claimed:

While Planned Parenthood has publicly boasted its commitment to racial equality, the organization – whose tagline is ‘Care. No matter what’ – has blatantly ignored reports by dozens of its Black employees of systemic unequal hiring and promotion, more work for lower pay, overt hostility, and trafficking in stereotypes by leadership.

Instead of addressing the issues, Planned Parenthood has doubled down by punishing employees of color who dare to speak up, pretextually disciplining them and creating working conditions so intolerable that they are effectively forced to leave.

In July 2020, hundreds of current and former Planned Parenthood of Greater New York (PPGNY) employees signed an open letter, which claimed the abortion organization was “founded by a racist, white woman” and had a “present steeped in white supremacy" in which Black employees faced discrimination on a regular basis.

When the PPGNY CEO Laura McQuade was fired, the person hired as the affiliate's COO filed a lawsuit of his own, with the lawsuit noting, "... [T]he reality is that Planned Parenthood continues to be run by people who are openly hostile to racial minorities, the disabled, older workers and those who complain about discriminatory practices.”

An internal audit also confirmed that Planned Parenthood Federation of America has a racism problem — not just at one affiliate, but nationwide.

Also in 2020, 26 Planned Parenthood staffers from multiple affiliates accused Planned Parenthood of “open racism” and preferential treatment of white employees over staffers of color.

They alleged that they had been “berated and belittled by their bosses,” held back from promotions, and were “unable to move up within the organization, while their white colleagues were promoted,” Buzzfeed reported.

Ultimately, over two dozen lawsuits have been filed by former employees alleging systemic racism.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois was also fined $500k for alleged racial discrimination, as recently as March of 2026.

The Bottom Line:

Margaret Sanger wasn't a saintly woman who just wanted to help people but had a pesky little eugenicist view (which, by the way, Black people allegedly held too, according to Johnson).

Racism, eugenics, and discrimination were a key element in the founding of Planned Parenthood, and it doesn't appear to have left them in the past.

Key Takeaways:

• Planned Parenthood and its affiliates, including in Oregon, have benefited from shield laws allowing for sex-rejecting practices on minors.

• Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon (PPSO) and Columbia Willamette (PPCW) have reported explosive growth in “gender-affirming care” since these shield laws went into effect.

• Oregon has become a state willing to remove minors from their parents unless those parents choose to follow the "gender-affirming care" pipeline.

• Planned Parenthood affiliates use teen peer educator groups to indoctrinate students by reinforcing queer theory and Neo-Marxism, and to introduce minors into its money-making, taxpayer-subsidized business of "gender-affirming care."

The Details:

Medicalized Ideology Targeting Minors

Analyzing insurance claims data, a recent study published by Oxford Academic’s Research Connections (April 2026) reported that from 2016 to 2023, in the state of Oregon, more than 1 in 250 biological young girls and about 1 in 630 biological young males, ages ranging from 8 to 17, were taking masculinizing or feminizing hormones.

Independent journalist Benjamin Ryan points out that the study’s findings were “... nearly three-fold higher for natal girls and nearly twice as high for natal boys…” when compared to a 2025 study analyzing national data between 2018 to 2022.

Ryan further reported that the study’s investigators were “keen to examine the rates of prescribing of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to treat pediatric gender dysphoria in a state that has a policy environment that is particularly supportive of pediatric gender medicine,” noting that: 

Oregon’s Medicaid program started covering these [gender-affirming] treatments for minors in 2014. In 2023, the state passed a so-called shield law to protect youths’ access to gender-transition treatment.    

Indeed, Oregon appears to have little issue with removing minors from their loving parents if those parents don't toe the "gender-affirming care" line.

Live Action research fellow Carole Novielli previously reported that Planned Parenthood and its affiliates, including in Oregon, have benefited from such shield laws that have expanded sex-rejecting services practiced on minors alongside protecting providers of life-ending abortions. 

Since then, Planned Parenthood’s affiliates operating in Oregon, Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon (PPSO) and Columbia Willamette (PPCW), reported explosive growth in “gender-affirming care.” 

Explosive Growth in Sex-Rejecting Services

As a self-proclaimed leader in “gender affirming care,” and in an apparent correlation with the troubling Oregon study findings, PPSO and PPCW have reported considerable growth in a short amount of time.   

Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette (PPCW)

From 2022-2023, PPCW reported: 

• Having reached over 12,000 youth with its obscene sex ed

• 6,798 abortions

• 1,236 “gender affirming care” visits 

From 2023-2024 (latest year publicly available) reported receiving over $15 million in Medicaid funding, and reported: 

• Having reached over 12,000 youth with its graphic sex ed 

• Over 7,800 abortions

• 3,309 “gender affirming care” visits   

That’s a greater than 167% increase in “gender-affirming care” visits from 2022-23 to 2023-24.

Planned Parenthood Southwestern Oregon (PPSO) 

From July 1, 2024-March 31, 2025 PPSO reported: 

• 1,398 abortions 

• 479 “gender-affirming care” visits 

From July 1, 2025-March 15, 2026, PPSO reported: 

• 1,442 abortions 

• 942 “gender-affirming care” visits

That is an increase of over 96% from 2024-25 to 2025-26.   

This follows the explosive growth in sex-rejecting services seen in other Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country, as Live Action News has previously noted. 

‘Revolution’ Teen Council  

Planned Parenthood maintains itself as a key figure in the gender ideological movement and the explosive growth of its medicalization seen in the U.S. One of the ways it does this is by continuing to create youth clubs that train teens to spread its propaganda among peers. 

Recently, PPSO took to social media to recruit more teens into its ‘Revolution’ Teen Council program, marketing it as a “a year-long leadership program for people ages 14-18.” PPSO's teen program claims to “train” teens to become “peer educators” and “advocate for reproductive justice” on school campuses and in the communities to “educate” other teens on abortion, birth control, gender ideology, and all the ways Planned Parenthood is there to 'help'. 

Live Action News has reported on Planned Parenthood’s numerous teen recruitment and ‘grooming’ clubs across the country, all of which are in alignment with neo-Marxist ‘queer theory,’ including: 

• Generation Action: Often working in conjunction with Advocates for Youth (AFY) to “train” teens to become activists. It focuses on Planned Parenthood’s “key priorities” such as "inclusivity, abortion stigma, trans inclusion, elections, and movement/power building.” 

• TeenM’power: Part of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM), this group specifically targets teens as young as 13 and markets itself as a “group of LGBTQ+ youth and allies who come together and make memories.” It promises to provide “super comfy” couches, ample free food, dance parties, and game/movie events.  

• Queer in Canton: Part of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio (PPGOH), this group targets youth ages 12-17, claiming to offer “monthly peer support groups and social gathering[s]; safer injection kits for people going through hormone replacement therapy (HRT)... community closets for people who are transitioning and others to get free affirming clothes; and youth programming.”  

• Several other coalition groups also target teens. 

Planned Parenthood's Politicized Agenda

What does Planned Parenthood mean by “reproductive justice”?

Planned Parenthood’s Pacific Southwest affiliate states that “reproductive justice” must be looked at through a “human rights and social justice framework” and “... analyzes power systems, and addresses intersecting oppressions” — all politicized jargon for Planned Parenthood’s willful promotion of a neo-Marxist aligned political agenda known as ‘Queer Theory.’

Live Action News previously explained that ‘Queer Theory’ aims to abolish "normalcy" by “challeng[ing] objective reality and subvert[ing] established academic and societal standards under the guise of combating inequality.”

In this way, the taxpayer-subsidized PPSO is openly admitting to indoctrinating highly impressionable adolescent participants in its ‘Revolution’ Teen Council with a political ideology that is antithetical to American democracy, the traditional familiy, human dignity, and the sanctity of life.

This is what it's teaching teens, again, using the taxpayer dollars coming from millions of parents who simply have no idea it's happening.  

Why It Matters: 

The number of minors who undergo life-altering medicalized ideological services in Oregon are sobering. Now that American taxpayer funding of over $800 million has been restored to Planned Parenthood, this may only continue to grow.

Key Takeaways:

• In 2023, Abdul Mboob called police to tell them he had strangled Anastasia Paul, who was pregnant with his child.

• He had stopped taking his medication for a mental health disorder.

• He agreed to a plea deal and was sentenced to 34 years in prison.

• Paul's family felt his sentence was too short and left the courtroom in protest.

The Backstory:

On July 17, 2023, Abdul Mboob, 26, killed Anastasia Paul, 22, who was pregnant, at their apartment in Vernon, Connecticut. They also had a son who was one year old at the time. Mboob called the police himself and admitted to strangling her to death. In the affidavit, he explained that he had recently stopped taking his medication for a mental health disorder and that he had been ‘seeing spirits’.

"In the moment, I wanted to kill her," Mboob told police. "Now that it is over, I am remorseful for what I did and wish it never happened."

Mboob was charged with murder the following day along with first-degree strangulation, tampering with physical evidence, interfering with an investigation, and making a false statement. Most of those charges were eventually dropped, and he pleaded guilty to murder and risk of injury to a child.

The Details:

He was sentenced to 34 years in prison on July 28, which Paul's family felt was not enough. They left the courtroom in protest before the sentence was given. In addition, the judge chose to keep Mboob out of the courtroom during the sentencing, but Paul's family felt he should have been made to face them in person.

“I’m asking you to please forgive me. I made a terrible mistake that I cannot undo, so please forgive me. I am truly sorry,” Mboob said through a recording from his jail cell.

Paul’s family got up and walked out of the courtroom while he was speaking.

“It’s really not fair. He got a 34-year sentence, but we got a lifetime sentence,” Ty Mosley, Paul’s stepfather, told Eyewitness News 3.

Jeanine Lavoy, Paul’s mother, said she wanted a harsher punishment for Mboob. “I would put him away for life. He doesn’t deserve to come out at 50 something years old and come out of prison and see the sunlight. My daughter can never do that again,” she said. 

At the time of the murder, Mboob had just finished serving an 18-month sentence for a probation violation. His criminal record previously included two assaults, a violation of a protective order, and possessing a weapon in a correctional institution.

One of the assaults was in August 2020, when police were called to Motel 6 on Hartford Turnpike, where Paul reported that Mboob had punched her in the face, choked her, and threatened to kill her.

Family members and friends wore purple on the day of the sentencing, a color symbolic of domestic violence awareness. Mosley hopes Paul’s case will draw awareness to this pervasive issue.

“It’s something that needs to be talked about more, domestic violence. More awareness is better. She could’ve been saved, and hopefully someone else could be saved just by us representing her,” he said.

Zoom Out:

According to the CDC, in the United States:

• About 6% of people with a recent live birth experienced emotional, physical, or sexual violence during pregnancy by a current intimate partner.

• Over two-thirds of people who experienced violence by a current intimate partner during pregnancy also experienced it before pregnancy.

• In 2018 to 2019, the homicide rate for women ages 15-44 was 16% higher among those who were pregnant or within one year of pregnancy compared to those who were not.

• Almost half (45.3%) of homicides of women who were pregnant or within one year of pregnancy have been found to involve intimate partner violence.

The Bottom Line:

As US News explained, researchers have found that homicide is a leading cause of death in pregnant women in the United States.

In particular, there was a large increase in the number of Florida women who sought abortions elsewhere because of the 2024 Heartbeat Act. The Guttmacher report indicates that between 2024 and 2025, the number of Florida women who traveled to other states to obtain abortions increased by approximately 24 percent.

Travel and telehealth

Even though large numbers of women travel to obtain abortions, the overall number of out-of-state abortions actually fell in 2025.

For instance, in Texas, the number of women obtaining abortions in other states fell by over 19 percent. That is because telehealth abortions are becoming more common. Instead of incurring the travel costs, many women simply have chemical abortion pills delivered to their home.

Overall, Guttmacher finds that in states with abortion bans, 91,000 telehealth abortions took place, an increase of over 22 percent from 2024.

Still saving lives

Data like these can certainly be disheartening for pro-lifers.

The media spin is that, because of out-of-state travel and telehealth abortions, pro-life laws are ineffective. But it is important to note the strong body of research that suggests that recently enacted pro-life laws are still saving lives.

Three separate studies analyzing Texas birth data have found that the Texas Heartbeat Act saves approximately 1,000 lives every month. Three other studies in peer-reviewed journals analyzing birth data from a range of states all conclude that recently enacted pro-life laws have saved tens of thousands of lives.

Prioritize placing limits

Overall, much of the media coverage of this Guttmacher report has focused on the increase in telehealth abortions and the decrease in the number of women who are traveling to other states to obtain abortions.

However, the report also contains the first abortion estimates from 2026. It finds that, in the first three months this year, 296,130 abortions were performed in the United States — a 1.2 percent increase compared with the first three months of 2025.

The continued slow rise in the U.S. abortion rate is further evidence that the Trump administration needs to prioritize placing limits on chemical abortions.

Key Takeaways:

• A federal judge temporarily shielded several Catholic orders and healthcare organizations from a New York law allowing assisted suicide.

• The Catholic plaintiffs had filed a lawsuit last month against the state's assisted suicide law, arguing it violated their religious beliefs.

• The order protects the Catholic organizations while their federal lawsuit proceeds.

The Backstory:

In mid-July, a coalition of Catholic plaintiffs, including the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, and Catholic Health, filed a lawsuit against the state of New York, arguing that the state's law allowing assisted suicide violated their religious beliefs.

The plaintiffs, many of whom run homes for the elderly or infirmed, said the legislation would force them to take part in assisted suicide. As Live Action News previously reported, "[The plaintiffs] say that the law compels them to counsel patients who are deemed 'terminally ill' about assisted suicide, make referrals to doctors willing to carry out assisted suicide, and even allow assisted suicide deaths to be carried out in their facilities."

New York's "Medical Aid in Dying Law" is slated to go into effect on August 5. It will allow adults with a terminal diagnosis of six months or less to live to choose assisted suicide.

The Details:

On July 30, U.S. District Judge Anne Naracci temporarily shielded the religious orders and health care ministries involved in the lawsuit from the state's law. According to the Becket Fund, "the temporary agreement protects the ministries from being forced to help terminally ill patients end their lives via suicide in direct violation of their faith."

Naracci's order also gave the state an August 20 deadline for New York Attorney General Letitia James to respond to the emergency injunction.

“Forcing Catholic nuns to participate in suicide—and robbing New Yorkers of the choice to receive faithful, life-affirming care—is both unlawful and unjust, said Mark Rienzi, president of Becket and lead attorney for the healthcare ministries. "This agreement protects the sisters and those they care for while we fight to end New York’s suicide mandate for good.”

Mother Mary Rose Heery, prioress general of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, said the temporary ruling will allow her order to continue providing true care.

"Families entrust their loved ones to us because they know our homes will be places of tenderness, dignity, and faithful care," she said. "We are grateful that we can continue honoring that trust and remain beside every resident until the very end."

The Bottom Line:

In a statement, Bishop John O. Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, emphasized that legislation allowing assisted suicide violates the teachings of the Catholic church.

"New York cannot force the Church to answer suffering with suicide or abandon the sick and dying when they need care most. Until our legal fight is resolved, this temporary agreement keeps our ministries free to serve every patient according to the Gospel," he said. "We continue to proclaim that every human life is sacred and worthy of love until its natural end.” 

Key Takeaways:

• Italy’s population, recorded at the beginning of this year, was 58.94 million – a drop from the peak population of 60.8 million reported in 2014.

• Italy recorded 355,000 births in 2025 – a drop from 369,000 births in 2024.

• In 2025, Italy’s fertility rate fell to 1.14 children born per woman, down from 1.18 children born per woman in 2024. These rates are far below the replacement rate of 2.1 births per woman.

• Italy’s number of deaths far outnumbered the number of births in 2025. Last year, there were 355,000 births recorded against 652,000 deaths.

The Details:

Space Daily and Wanted in Rome reported the data released by ISTAT, Italy’s national statistics agency.

ISTAT released a projection last year, which suggested that Italy’s population will fall from approximately 59 million people in 2025 to 54.7 million people by 2050. Space Daily notes that this represents a loss of over 4 million people in just 25 years, the equivalent of the entire population of Norway. Over time, the projected population loss is set to accelerate, with fewer women being born in each successive generation.

Italy’s population is rapidly aging, with already 24% of the population aged 65 or older, and a median age of 48 — the highest of the large European countries. With fewer working people to support the elderly through the pension and healthcare systems, Italy is set to experience serious economic and social strain.

Underpopulation is already bad enough that towns in Sicily are selling houses for 1 Euro each, according to Space Daily.

Zoom In:

Survey data suggests that Italians are having fewer children, not through lack of desire, but out of economic, professional, and social fears. Over half of the Italians surveyed who have decided not to have more children said they had given up primarily because of perceived obstacles related to career and economics. Just 5.5% of survey-takers said that parenthood was simply not a life plan.

Whatever the reasons may be for Italians having fewer children, the country is facing a population crisis. 

The vulnerable, particularly the elderly, are at risk of losing the support of the ever-shrinking population of the young and working.

The Bottom Line:

Several regions in Italy are looking to expand assisted suicide, which is especially concerning due to the aging population, and could place pressure on the vulnerable elderly to die. Last year, Tuscany became the first region in Italy to legalize assisted suicide. South Tyrol is similarly looking to allow assisted suicide locally.

Euthanasia is still a crime in Italy, prohibited in the Italian Criminal Code. In 2019, the Italian Constitutional Court ruled that euthanasia is not a crime if committed by will of the patient because of a chronic, life-threatening condition or intolerable pain. However, as the Italian Parliament never came to a decision on the issue, there is no national legal framework in place for assisted suicide.

Key Takeaways:

• USCCB leaders are noting the increasing lives ended by abortion due to "easier access to abortion pills" and are calling for "a focused effort of prayer and action to stop the spread of abortion pills," involving seeking “the intercession of St. Joseph, Defender of Life” and sending messages to pharmaceutical businesses involved in the dispensing and sale of abortion drugs.

• The Catholic Church teaches that every human life is sacred from conception until natural death, and as such, abortion is always wrong.

• Because of increased access to the abortion pill, abortions have been increasing; even the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute notes that its tracking of abortion pill statistics are most likely an undercount.

The Details:

According to OSV News, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued joint remarks addressing the alarming increase in abortions in the United States. They noted, “Every abortion involves the death of a child and harm to the mother. Now with easier access to abortion pills, the abortion rate is tragically climbing, along with increased health risks."

The outlet reported:

A federal policy permitting distribution of mifepristone, sometimes called the abortion pill, by mail that was first issued by the Biden administration has thus far been left in place by the second Trump administration.

The Department of Justice, under the current Trump administration, has sought to block state challenges to the policy pending a promised safety review by the Food and Drug Administration. But the status and timeline of the FDA review are unclear.

The outlet added:

Archbishop Coakley and Bishop Thomas wrote the FDA “has enabled a nationwide mail-order abortion industry by allowing abortion pills to be prescribed in telehealth appointments and sold both at neighborhood pharmacies and online, circumventing state laws that protect life in the womb.”

“This leaves women vulnerable to suffering an abortion alone at home, without any medical supervision,” they said. “It also sets up additional opportunities for exploitation by violent partners or human traffickers.”

The bishops said that now through the end of October, when the Church in the U.S. marks Respect Life Month, “the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities is inviting Catholics to join a focused effort of prayer and action to stop the spread of abortion pills.”

They urged Catholics to seek “the intercession of St. Joseph, Defender of Life” as well as to send messages to pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies that are involved.

Why It Matters:

In remarks cited by OSV News, Kat Talalas, assistant director for pro-life communications at the USCCB’s Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, said,

We are setting up a simple on-line platform allowing users to click and send one message that will go to multiple entities, such as brick-and-mortar pharmacies and online pharmacies, distributors, and pharmaceutical companies. We are also developing educational resources about the abortion pill, which will help explain distinctions between miscarriage care versus ending the life of a child in an abortion.

The Catholic Church teaches that every human life is sacred from conception until natural death, and as such, abortion is always wrong.

The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute typically tracks abortion statistics on a more comprehensive level than the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and, as Live Action News reported:

In June of 2026, Guttmacher updated abortion data for 2025 from the 1,126,000 estimated total previously reported to 1,129,900 estimated abortions. This updated figure reflects 3,096 abortions per day, 21,729 per week, and 94,158 per month and brings the estimated total number of abortions since Roe to 66 million.

However, what makes these statistics even more alarming is the fact that they are almost certainly an undercount, Live Action News also pointed out:

Guttmacher says its data is likely an undercount, because it does not include data about advance provision of abortion pills (which is not FDA-approved), the number of abortions provided under "exceptions" to pro-life laws, or abortions "not provided by US clinicians" which would include the ordering of the abortion pill through a website.

Zoom In:

The bishops are lobbying for Catholics to act, and to pray: first, by calling on the faithful to contact pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies involved in the abortion pill pipeline, and to pray for the intercession of St. Joseph, Defender of Life.

The bishops’ call points to several practical tasks. First, Catholics and pro-lifers should regard the abortion pill industry’s influence and hold it accountable. When abortion is delivered through a phone and a mailbox, the pro-life response must also be digitally savvy, persistent, and public by countering such outreach. Pro-lifers should support pregnancy help centers, maternity homes, and parish efforts. Women must be provided practical resources when they are afraid, poor, unsupported, or pressured.

Pro-lifers should likewise pressure pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies to stop distributing abortion drugs. The bishops’ invitation is important because corporations react to pressure. If they believe abortion sales carry reputational cost, they may think twice about further entrenching their role in the abortion industry.

The bishops’ message exhorting people to prayer reminds us that no pro-life policy can be sustained without moral renewal. America did not arrive at this abortion crisis by accident, but by a gradual turning away from God. 

The Bottom Line:

All in all, the bishops’ message is a sobering reminder of of what the pro-life cause is really about: a child, a mother, a conscience, a society. Abortion is not simply one issue among many. It is a direct attack on the weakest human beings, and the growing reliance on abortion pills makes that attack easier to hide but no less unconscionable. 

Key Takeaways:

• Patrick Murtagh is a former Australian football player, whose time in the NFL was spent with the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Denver Broncos through the NFL International Player Pathway.

• He is married to Australian influencer Hannah Orval, and the couple announced their pregnancy earlier this year.

• They experienced a heartbreaking stillbirth, which they shared on social media.

The Backstory:

Earlier this year, Orval announced her pregnancy on social media, detailing the first trimester for her followers. Her carousel included photos of pregnancy tests, shopping for maternity clothes, videos of Murtagh stroking and kissing her stomach, and her holding up figs and olives to show the size of their preborn baby.

She also shared a reel of gender reveals with their family, announcing they were expecting a little boy.

Throughout her pregnancy, Orval expressed her excitement about welcoming a new baby. "Knowing confidently that god gave us a little boy because the world needs more men like his dad," she wrote. "couldn’t feel more blessed in this next chapter because [I'm] doing it with my best friend and someone I know will give our children a life of love."

She also shared that this little one was a rainbow baby, and that they had previously experienced a miscarriage, saying the "first piece of us" would always be missing:

Last year we were so excited to be having our daughter. Our first child, our first pregnancy. We also then simultaneously carried the grief of a missed miscarriage.

Unfortunately at our 12.5 week scan we were made aware her heartbeat could no longer be found. She had unfortunately stopped growing the week prior & I had shown no signs of miscarriage. My body had not told me in any way so we were utterly shocked by the news.

A different country, a new state, a new team, a new bunch of faces. Just us two to carry something so great. Timelines, decisions, surgeries, recovery, grief. It truely was a cruel experience and I want to give my heart to the many that face this.

To carry both life and death. It does something profound to you.

The Details:

Tragically, just a few days ago, Murtagh and Orval announced the loss of their little boy in a joint post on social media, sharing that he was stillborn. In another carousel, she shared photos of her son's feet, and both of them holding their baby boy in the hospital.

While she did not disclose how far along she was, she did explain that her son was premature.

"Meelo Michael Murtagh, born into this big world early and sleeping," she wrote. "[H]e will forever be the biggest missing piece of the rest of our story. to be a family for even just for a day was irreplaceable. childbirth, I would do it over again every day in every lifetime to meet him. we are absolutely devestated [sic], but forever our biggest achievement in life."

She further shared a reel with moments from throughout her pregnancy, captioning it, "Memories to last a lifetime."

Orval also posted multiple stories expressing her grief and loss, according to PEOPLE.

"To my baby boy, Meelo, I dreamt for a lifetime of being your mumma," she wrote. "I’ll always be your mumma ... Our day with you was both the most incredibly magical and utterly heartbreaking day, though forever grateful for it because I relive it every day. We were and always will be a family. I miss you more than I can even begin to comprehend."

She further described childbirth as a sacred experience she would cherish forever:

The pain that we as mothers would choose to go through over and over again in every lifetime. Nothing could ever prepare you for the feeling of your baby touching your skin for the first time. Now I understand.

Though we are strong as mothers to bare [sic] these children, I could not have understood more in that moment the real power of who we choose to have kids with. Grief filled the room, loudly. The pain physically and mentally, but one thing that never wavered for even a moment was the strength of Meelo’s dad.

From the moment we stepped into that room he wiped my tears, he held my hand, he walked me to the bathroom, he warmed up my blankets, changed my bedding, stayed up while I slept, fed me... the list goes on. Because I was giving birth and because I was grieving .. all the time he was too but me and Meelo were never once left without his tenderness.”

I will be forever in debt to the man that carried us both through this world. Meelo would have been the greatest of men watching and learning from his dad.

The Bottom Line:

The loss of a preborn child, which is considered a miscarriage before 20 weeks, and a stillbirth after 20 weeks, is tragically much more common than many realize. It is possible that this is because many people have remained private about experiencing it.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 4 pregnancies ends in a loss, and the bravery of couples like Murtagh and Orval for speaking and grieving openly about it helps others enduring it to know they are not alone in their grief.

Key Takeaways:

• The Massachusetts Senate passed H.5595 on July 31, allowing abortion up to birth for any reason as long as a doctor (including the doctor who stands to profit from the abortion) approves.

• The bill next heads to the desk of Governor Maura Healey.

• Though abortion supporters called the legislation caring and medically necessary, it is never caring or necessary to kill a preborn child in the womb.

The Details:

HB H.5595, 'An Act Prioritizing Patient Access to Care,' passed the state's Senate on Friday, nine days after clearing the House. The bill radically expands upon the state's current law, which allows abortion after 24 weeks to protect the mother's physical or mental health or in cases of a fetal diagnosis, by allowing abortion at any point in the pregnancy for any reason, as long as a doctor approves.

If Healey signs the legislation, Massachusetts would become the 11th state to have no gestational limits on abortion.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Lindsay N. Sabadosa, called abortion 'medically appropriate care.'

"The goal of passing this legislation is simple. Medical decisions should be made by a patient and their doctor. Massachusetts has one of the best health care systems in the country, and patients should be able to rely on their providers to deliver medically appropriate care without restrictions that can fail to account for the complexity of individual medical circumstances," she said. "By removing those barriers, we can ensure that no one has to leave Massachusetts to receive the care they need."

Reality Check:

Supporters of the bill paint a picture of women needing late abortions due to cases of prenatal diagnoses and fetal conditions. But in reality, data has shown that most women seeking late abortions are not doing so due to a prenatal diagnosis.

A 2013 study published by the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute said, “[D]ata suggest that most women seeking later terminations are not doing so for reasons of fetal anomaly or life endangerment.”

This was also shown in a 2010 paper from Julia Steinberg, of the pro-abortion Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, in which she said, “Research suggests that the overwhelming majority of women having later abortions do so for reasons other than fetal anomaly."

What We're Hearing:

The bill has drawn harsh criticism from pro-life groups, both within and outside of the state.

“‘An Act Prioritizing Patient Access to Care’ endangers one patient and completely overlooks another in a gruesome and violent assault on human rights,” said Myrna Maloney Flynn, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life. She continued:

“Not one legislator who voted for this has been brave enough to acknowledge the truth, the inconvenient fact that this bill allows heinous dismemberment abortions on perfectly healthy and viable babies. It is accepted science that an unborn baby’s nervous system is developed enough at 24 weeks of pregnancy so that the baby can feel pain. By passing this bill, Massachusetts lawmakers have decided that an abortionist can crush the skull of any infant, then tear that baby apart, limb by limb.”

SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said:

“Massachusetts already allows abortion in the first 24 weeks, but that isn’t enough for Democrats whose party holds the position of no limits on abortion whatsoever.

If Gov. Healey signs this bill into law, Massachusetts will join 10 states and Washington, D.C. with an all-trimester abortion policy where babies are killed after the point they can survive outside of the womb.

These extreme laws that only 10% of Americans support are enabled by the ‘states-only’ philosophy on abortion. The GOP must abandon the failed ‘leave it to the states’ position and move the country toward a national protection for unborn children across this nation.”

The state's Catholic bishops also issued a statement ahead of the Senate's July 31 passage, in which they called the bill "a radical measure which is gravely immoral" and exhorted the faithful to "pray for a renewal of reverence for all human life."

"We reaffirm the Church’s call to its own community and to civil society to provide the resources to welcome and cherish the gift of life, as well as to accompany women and families who have known the tragedy of abortion," the bishops wrote. "Let there be room in our hearts for the most vulnerable among us. May we recall and live the Lord's own word 'whatsoever you do to the least of these you do to me.'"

The Bottom Line:

Notably, a January 2026 poll showed that even less than a third of those who consider themselves "pro-choice" approve of abortion to birth.

Since that time, the company has claimed to dispense hundreds of thousands of abortion pill prescriptions, all while its profits skyrocket.

Key Takeaways:

• Honeybee Health didn't start out dispensing abortion drugs, but it exponentially increased its profits once it decided to focus largely on the abortion market. From 2018 to 2021, after starting to dispense abortion drugs, the company increased its revenue by nearly 52,000%.

• According to the LA Business Journal, "by mid-2021... one-third of Honeybee’s overall revenue" was from abortion drugs, "which was about $15 million for that entire year."

• Unsurprisingly, Honeybee co-founder, pharmacist Dr. Jessica Nouhavandi, has now "emerged as a leading national spokeswoman for efforts to increase access to medication abortions."

• Honeybee was among those who influenced the FDA to suspend its in-person requirement for the abortion pill during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Nouvahandi told the media that Honeybee is no longer just a mail-order dispensary for abortion pills, but is now "much more involved in shaping the future of access, by working with legislators. We’ve written several amicus briefs to the Supreme Court."

• The pharmacy claims to have dispensed "hundreds of thousands" of abortion pill prescriptions by mail thus far, with "thousands" being sent out each month.

The Details:

The 'Abortion Activists'

Honeybee Health was the first online pharmacy to ship abortion drugs after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Biden administration's eroded REMS safety requirements for the drug mifepristone during the COVID-19 pandemic to allow for mail-order and pharmacy dispensing.

At the time, the company considered the move “a momentous achievement for Americans.”

The pro-abortion online pharmacy is headquartered in Culver City, California, and was co-founded by pharmacist Dr. Jessica Nouhavandi and Peter Wang in 2017. The two were labeled "abortion activists" by the LA Business Journal in 2023, with good reason.

The media outlet explained:

Honeybee Health is also working with abortion rights activists to move legislation in Sacramento granting a liability shield to medication and surgical abortion providers in California who make treatment or pills available to residents of states where abortion is now outlawed.

And, as the public face of Honeybee Health, Nouhavandi has emerged as a leading national spokeswoman for efforts to increase access to medication abortions, which, according to several reports, now comprise roughly half of intentional pregnancy terminations.

In 2022, Time.com spoke to the company's founder about their decision to dispense the abortion drugs, reporting:

When Nouhavandi and her co-founder Peter Wang launched Honeybee Health in 2018, abortion access was not particularly on their minds.

They’d been operating a regular community pharmacy outside Los Angeles and thought a new, online, mail-order pharmacy could help lower prescription drug costs by offering generic medications from wholesalers without going through health insurance.

But in 2020, everything changed as Honeybee Health entered the abortion business.

Time.com called the fact that larger pharmacies failed to jump into the abortion dispensing marketplace a "boon to Honeybee’s business, which increased its revenue from just $27,000 when it launched near the end of 2018 to more than $14 million in 2021" (emphasis added).

That's nearly a 52,000% increase (yes, you read that correctly) in revenue in just three years.

Influencing the FDA

LABusinessJournal.com wrote in 2023:

... At that time, Honeybee kept quiet about its online sales of abortion pills, choosing not to mention it for a previous Business Journal story in late 2021. Nouhavandi said recently this was an intentional policy aimed at avoiding a political outcry as Honeybee, along with other medication providers, attempted to convince the FDA to suspend its in-person requirement for the dispensing of mifepristone during the pandemic emergency.

The FDA paused its in-person clinic requirement in May 2020, a move that was upheld by a judge in July of that year. After some back-and-forth over the next year, the suspension was made permanent in late 2021.

That suspension cleared the way for Honeybee Health to sell mifepristone legally. Because of its head start, Honeybee quickly became one of the nation’s largest providers of online medication abortion pills. By mid-2021, sales of medication abortion pills comprised roughly one-third of Honeybee’s overall revenue, which was about $15 million for that entire year.

Nouhavandi considered selling abortion pills a "no brainer," telling the LA Business Journal in June 2026 that abortion providers like Planned Parenthood had urged her to enter the abortion business in 2020:

My relationships with lots of clinics, Planned Parenthood, providers – they were like, “Can you do this? We can’t. Patients can’t come into the clinic.”

I’m also crazy and a big risk taker, so I was like, “Yeah, let’s figure it out. Let’s figure out how we’re going to do this.”

... It was a no-brainer decision for me to do it...

In 2023, the year FDA made the permanent decision to remove in-person dispensing, the Soros Economic Development Fund had granted Honeybee Health $650,000 to increase abortion access to women with "limited access."

Shaping the Policies

In an interview with LABusinessJournal.com, Nouhavandi explained the process of ordering abortion pills:

There are levels of purchasing. There are wholesalers, there are distributors, there are manufacturers. It really depends on how much you’re purchasing, and where it makes the most sense to get in and get the best pricing.

So as we’ve grown, we’ve been able to use our patient basis leverage to negotiate better pricing. And yes, that is on a drug-by-drug basis.

For example, for a medication for blood pressure, we’ll say, “We just spent 60,000 units of these a month. So what’s the best price you can give us?” And it’s really like shopping. We have a whole procurement team and all they do all day is try to find the best pricing.

She added (emphases added):

If you want to protect access and patient access, it’s not just about filling the prescription. We do that really well. But you have to be willing to shape the policies that determine whether those prescriptions can be filled in the first place.

The ability for us to even order Mifepristone from a manufacturer and getting access to the drug and being able to distribute that to people, that’s a whole other world, right?

... We’ve gone from simply taking that chance on dispensing the medication to being much more involved in shaping the future of access, by working with legislators. We’ve written several amicus briefs to the Supreme Court.

I’m now writing a document to the FDA in support of continued access to the main medication in medication abortion.

Honeybee Health claims online that mifepristone is "97% successful overall when taken in combination with misoprostol." Yet this is misleading, because the success rate varies depending on gestational age — something even makers of the drug point out.

Behind The Scenes:

In its April 2026 amicus brief filed in State of Louisiana v. FDA, Honeybee Health wrote:

Honeybee’s business has relied heavily on the FDA’s determination that dispensing mifepristone by mail is safe and effective.

Every month, Honeybee delivers thousands of orders of mifepristone to patients, some of whom would not otherwise be able to access this medication at all.

For example, people who do not live near clinics often turn to Honeybee for assistance, as do those who cannot afford the costs of in-person care and associated travel.

Reinstating the in-person dispensing requirement would eliminate this aspect of Honeybee’s business and prevent it from providing a safe, essential, and effective medication to patients.

In a separate amicus filed in GenBioPro v. Louisiana, Honeybee claimed that "The in person dispensing requirement eliminates a significant portion of Honeybee’s business and jeopardizes the viability of mail-order pharmacies more broadly."

It claims in its footnotes:

Honeybee has implemented a system whereby specific medications have “Shipping Rules,” which define the states in which those medications are permitted to be shipped. In Honeybee’s system, mifepristone is only shipped to states that have permitted the use of such medication via applicable state laws and regulations.

According to Nouhavandi:

As Honeybee’s volume of medication abortion patients increased, it became increasingly inefficient and costly for our staff to manually record the mifepristone serial number and relay it back to each prescriber.

We therefore decided to make a substantial financial investment in developing a special, HIPAA-compliant “dashboard” that would enable us to streamline the process of relaying the serial number to mifepristone prescribers, as the REMS requires.

In 2023, Bloomberg Law noted that "Nouhavandi said [Honeybee]’s infrastructure served as a model to help GenBioPro and Danco develop the new rules, which include that pharmacies certified by Danco or GenBioPro may only dispense mifepristone directly to patients upon receipt of a prescription from a certified prescriber."

It is important to note that, as Live Action News previously documented in part two of its "Dear FDA" series, prescribers who appear to flout the FDA's REMS seem to remain certified without any action from the manufacturers.

In its May 2026 amicus filed in GenBioPro v. Louisiana, Honeybee Health claimed that "when filling prescriptions for mifepristone, the Honeybee team adheres to the FDA’s REMS requirements."

The online abortion pill pharmacy then claimed it has...

devoted significant resources to developing systems and processes that comply with the FDA’s evidence-based regulations, and reinstating the in-person dispensing requirement would cause Honeybee substantial harm.

It adds in the footnotes: "Through its relationship with GenBioPro, Honeybee also completes annual audit questionnaires to ensure REMS compliance."

By The Numbers:

The generic abortion pill maker, GenBioPro, lists Honeybee Health among three "national" abortion pill pharmacies.

According to the April 2026 amicus brief, Honeybee has "dispensed hundreds of thousands of orders of mifepristone to date":

It dispenses the highest volume of mifepristone by mail of any mail-order pharmacy in the United States.

Honeybee currently ships mifepristone to patients in [31] states and the District of Columbia, all of which permit delivery of mifepristone to patients by mail.

Each month, Honeybee dispenses thousands of mifepristone prescriptions by mail and has safely dispensed hundreds of thousands of orders of mifepristone to date.

Key Takeaways:

• The Planned Parenthood Federation of America has sued the Department of Health and Human Services over its Title X regulations for Fiscal Year 2027.

• The new requirements include that participants "incorporate foundational body and health literacy" into reproductive health counseling, including "education on menstrual cycle physiology, hormonal health, male and female fertility awareness, and early indicators of reproductive disorders... that first emerge in adolescence."

• Planned Parenthood argues that the rules put its members at a "complete disadvantage."

The Details:

According to a press release from PPFA, the lawsuit challenges "the Trump-Vance administration's funding application for Title X, which attempts to illegally transform the Title X Family Planning Program into a vehicle for furthering the administration's political goals."

This most recent lawsuit is in response to guidelines issued by the HHS in April, stating that facilities that commit or refer for abortion would be ineligible to receive Title X funding for 2027. Other pro-abortion groups — the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association and the Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania — filed a separate lawsuit against the HHS in June.

"None of the funds appropriated under this title shall be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning," the guidelines state. "The Hyde Amendment expressly prohibits the use of federal funds administered by HHS to pay for elective abortion." The notice continues (emphases added):

We expect recipients to demonstrate how their Title X projects maintain strict separation from prohibited activities and contribute to broader HHS efforts to safeguard life-affirming, lawful, and ethical program delivery. Key strategies include, but are not limited to, implementing robust financial and programmatic safeguards; providing clear guidance to staff and subrecipients on Hyde requirements; and establishing monitoring processes that ensure ongoing compliance among staff and subrecipients.

In addition, the guidelines state that due to the "growing infertility crisis," clinics approved for Title X funding "will be required to incorporate foundational body and health literacy into reproductive health counseling. This includes education on menstrual cycle physiology, hormonal health, male and female fertility awareness, and early indicators of reproductive disorders... that first emerge in adolescence."

The lawsuit argues that HHS's changes to Title X violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution. It claims that the new rules to qualify for Title X funding "no longer support the goals of the Title X program." The main reasons it offers are that the rules state that applicants must align with the ideas of “'[r]educing overmedicalization in health care' by promoting natural family-planning methods, contributing to agency efforts to 'safeguard lifeaffirming … program delivery,' counseling patients about 'marriage prior to childbearing,' and 'respecting biological reality'" and that this will put "PPFA's members at a complete disadvantage in the FY 2027 Title X grant cycle."

The Bottom Line:

Title X funding is a federal program that awards grants to organizations and health departments that provide family planning and preventative health care, including STI prevention, testing, and treatment, birth control, and certain cancer screenings. The funding is prohibited from being used to pay for abortions; however, when abortion organizations such as Planned Parenthood receive Title X funding, it opens up other available funding from other sources to be used to pay for abortions.

Just two years earlier, she had already undergone an abortion she deeply regretted — one that left her carrying shame, grief and a promise to God that she would never do it again. 

As she prepared to make the same decision a second time, one moment of conviction changed the course of her life.

Growing up surrounded by instability

Born prematurely in Philadelphia alongside her twin sister, Nadira weighed just 2 pounds, 2 ounces at birth. Doctors were unsure if the twins would survive since both of their parents battled drug addiction during their early childhood.

When she was around 8 years old, Nadira began sensing tension at home as her parents’ relationship fell apart. Soon, her father left the house, and after a custody battle, Nadira and her sisters were suddenly taken from their mother and moved to Tennessee.

Although she was introduced to church, the instability she experienced left lasting emotional wounds. Growing up, she witnessed addiction relapse, toxic relationships and abuse on both sides of her family.

“As I [was] growing up, it made me think that love was from some form of dysfunction,” Nadira says.

By high school, Nadira wanted to feel loved and accepted. Feeling emotionally lost and alone, she entered a relationship that lasted more than a decade and was marked by repeated heartbreak, betrayal and emotional turmoil.

Becoming a young mother

Nadira failed out of college and joined the U.S. Army National Guard, hoping military benefits would help her return to school and rebuild her future. But internally, she still felt lost.

In 2014, at 21 years old, Nadira discovered she was pregnant with her first child, Josiah. Fear immediately overwhelmed her. She did not feel emotionally, financially or mentally prepared for motherhood.

When she shared the news with the people around her, several encouraged her to have an abortion.

“They were like, ‘If I was you, Nadira, I would get an abortion – you know it’s still early,’” Nadira recalls. 

Despite the pressure, Nadira chose life.

Nadira felt lonely during her pregnancy. Her relationship with her child’s father remained unstable, and she often attended appointments alone. During that season, however, an Army chaplain became an unexpected source of support and compassion.

After hearing Nadira’s situation, the chaplain invited her to move in with her family in Memphis during pregnancy.

“She was my angel that God sent for me,” Nadira says.

The abortion that changed everything

Several years later, in 2017, Nadira unexpectedly became pregnant again.

This time, fear consumed her completely.

Her son was still very young. Financially, she was struggling. Emotionally, she felt exhausted and trapped in a toxic cycle.

Convinced she could not handle another child, six weeks into her pregnancy, Nadira decided abortion was her only option.

She went to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Nashville. Even before entering the building, she said she felt conviction.

“I wasn’t in denial about what I was doing,” Nadira says. “I knew it was a baby.”

Inside the clinic, staff unexpectedly placed Nadira’s ultrasound image in front of her. Still, she proceeded with the abortion.

After taking the abortion pills and returning home alone, she says the emotional weight overwhelmed her almost immediately.

“I felt numb,” Nadira recalls. “I knew what I did was wrong. I felt so much shame and guilt, and my son had to go with his dad so I was by myself that night.”

That night, Nadira cried out to God.

“I said, ‘Lord, I know what I did was wrong,’” she says. “I vowed and said, ‘I promise to never do this again, no matter the circumstance – I promise to never take one of your children again.’”

‘Trust Me. I Got You.’

Two years later, in 2019, Nadira found herself staring at another positive pregnancy test. Panic returned instantly.

She was emotionally exhausted, financially overwhelmed and still entangled in a painful relationship. She struggled to pay daycare bills for her son and feared raising another child alone.

Nadira’s first thought was abortion.

She says she contacted another abortion clinic and even began making plans for the procedure. Then, she sat down and wrote a list of pros and cons, trying to convince herself there was no other option. 

“I was so weak,” Nadira says. “I was at my lowest. I felt like if I [kept] this baby, I [was] not going to be anything.”

But in the middle of her fear and uncertainty, Nadira says God reminded her of the vow she made after her abortion in 2017 — that she would never have another abortion again.

As she cried and wrestled with the decision, she said she felt God speak clearly to her heart: “Trust Me. I got you.”

That day, Nadira chose life. Not long after, she discovered she was carrying a daughter.

Finding purpose through her story

Nadira gave birth to her daughter, Amaya, in February 2020. Around the same time, she says she fully surrendered her life to God for the first time.

“I let Him in my heart,” Nadira says. “I said, ‘Lord, I need you to help me – because right now I don’t have anything. My heart is broken. I’m lost. I feel defeated. So I need you to help heal me on this journey. I need you to heal my heart.’ When I gave birth to my daughter, I just made a promise to the Lord that I would use what I went through as a testimony to save babies – to be a voice for children in the womb that can’t be a voice for themselves.”

In 2021, Nadira was able to purchase her first home. She says she now spends her days raising her two children as a single mom, while sharing her testimony publicly through speaking, writing, social media and ministry.

She has also written a book and created a platform called “It’s Never Too Late,” where she encourages women facing unexpected pregnancies and speaks openly about abortion regret, healing and hope.

“I honor God and say thank you, because it could have been another way,” Nadira says. “I’m moving forward with God, for God and for His purpose for my life and for my children. I’m just continuing to trust God and His promise over my life and for my ministry. I know this is just the beginning of what He’s doing.”

Nadira’s encouragement to those facing an unplanned pregnancy:

“Your life isn’t over. I know it’s hard, and I know you may not see the light at the end of the tunnel, but there is hope. There is community and resources [for] women that will help you get through. There’s so much to your story and what you’re carrying in your womb. It will be one of the biggest blessings of [your] lives. [Don’t] look at the circumstance, [don’t] look at the opposition, but look at the child in [your] womb as life. Be surrounded by the right people. Get the right advice. Go to God. Ask Jesus to give you supernatural strength and comfort that you will get through this.”

Key Takeaways:

• Simon and Johanna Durairaj were working with HIV-positive widows and the poor in Bombay, and they were moved by stories of abandoned babies and mothers who had been denied proper health care.

• Following what they felt was God's calling, they founded Life for All.

• The ministry is dedicated to protecting life, from conception through natural death.

The Backstory:

The couple’s pro-life journey started in Bombay, where the newly-married couple was helping HIV-positive widows and the poor. Day after day, newspaper reports of abandoned babies and mothers who had been denied the care they needed began to take their toll on Johanna, who found herself tearing up over the stories she read.

Simon, raised in India in a culture accustomed to tragedy, eventually acknowledged that he had become hardened to suffering, and needed God to soften his heart. That moment became a turning point for both Simon and Johanna, who turned to Proverbs 31:8 for inspiration — ”Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves” — and heard God’s call to take action. 

In 2009, the couple founded Life for All, a pro-life ministry committed to protecting human life from conception to natural death in India. What started as a nudge in prayer and reflection became a public mission in this Hindu-majority country.

The Details:

The topic of abortion was, and still is, seldom openly discussed in India, even in churches and in the media. Women facing a crisis during pregnancy usually have limited options, especially because for many women outside the biggest Indian cities, unwed motherhood can mean an embarrassing stigma, loss of housing, loss of work, or even family rejection and disowning. Hence, abortion is often not regarded as a free choice but as a forced one, coerced by family members, social shame, or worries for survival.

Life for All aims to be a “voice for the voiceless” in India and beyond, with practical responses that include seminars and Pregnancy Helpline India. The ministry’s work mirrors a sobering reality: that the pro-life message cannot remain silently on paper when women are asking not only whether they should choose life, but also what would become of them and their children if they did. 

Life for All also operates Life Centers. These are homes for women who have been shunned by family, stuck in abusive situations, or are pregnant after rape or abandonment. As Johanna told Live Action News, they have already served more than 180 women, including minors, and they offer services including shelter, counseling, accompaniment to medical appointments, and spiritual support. 

The goal is not simply to prevent abortion, but also to honor the dignity of both mother and child. After giving birth, women may reunite with their families, choose adoption, marry, or remain at these centers while they recover and plan for their lives ahead.  

Zoom In:

Many women in India first reach out to Life for All in times of fear and confusion. Pregnancy Helpline India, the first hotline of its kind in the country, provides counseling for pregnant women facing complicated situations. Johanna said callers sometimes ask for abortion pills or for help interpreting scan reports, and that the ministry works with medical professionals who can review cases and provide backup support. This combination of compassion and practical intervention is central to their approach. Life for All attempts to meet women’s needs tangibly, such as offering them shelter and life-affirming solutions. For many women, that may be the first time anyone has said, in effect, “You do not have to do this alone.”

Life for All also operates a home for the elderly, a day care, and other support services, showcasing a more holistic vision of pro-life work that embraces the human being in all life stages. 

Adoption is prominent in the ministry’s vision as well, even though the process in India can be slow and difficult. Johanna describes adoption as a redemptive response to a broken situation, especially for women who cannot raise a child themselves. Many women who come to its center eventually opt to either parent with family support or to place a child for adoption, and it reports a considerable adoption rate among the women it serves. 

Johanna also pointed out the link between pro-life work and education, vocational training, micro-enterprise, and life skills, because, she believes, saving babies without strengthening the abilities of mothers to provide for their families would leave the pro-life cause unfinished.

The Bottom Line:

What makes Johanna and Simon’s story compelling is not only their courage, but also their vision and clarity in their mission to build a pro-life culture in India. The couple is tackling the problem of abortion in a country where silence has often been easier than speaking about truth, and where cultural pressure can be as coercive as any law. 

In India, where women can be isolated by poverty, caste, stigma, rape, or family rejection, Life for All offers something radical: a place to belong, a reason to hope, and a community willing to stand with them. That is what pro-life help looks like when it moves beyond words into practical solutions.

Key Takeaways:

• The High Court of Dominica has ruled that the government must decriminalize abortion in cases of rape, incest, certain prenatal diagnoses, and when the mother's life or health is in danger.

• The government was given six months to comply with the ruling.

• Previously, the nation protected all preborn babies from abortion, and women and abortionists faced up to 10 years in prison for violating the law.

The Details:

Up until the High Court ruling on July 23, Dominica had protected preborn children from abortion, including in cases of rape and incest, under the Offenses Against the Person Act. Induced abortion — the direct and intentional killing of preborn children — is not medically necessary.

Dominica’s law was based on 19th-century Common Law. Offenses could be punished with penalties for women and abortionists, including imprisonment for up to 10 years.

Recent legal opposition to the pro-life protections began in 2022, when a coalition of abortion advocacy groups including Women’s Choice, MiRiDom, and ASPIRE, requested clarification on the constitutionality of the pro-life law from the Attorney General. The coalition filed a constitutional claim in April 2024 after the Attorney General refused the request for clarification.

Is abortion needed in cases of rape or incest?- Lila Rose at UCLA

MiRiDom found a principal claimant, a young woman, for the case. However, as the coalition admitted in Dominica News Online, the groups were unable to convince even one physician or pharmacist practicing in Dominica to join the case. 

Instead, they found a physician in Barbados to support their pro-abortion cause, and the case was heard before the High Court in October of last year.

The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court ruled this month that the pro-life law was unconstitutional and violated protection from sex discrimination, security of the person, and equal protection under the law. 

What's Happening Now:

The Government of Dominica has six months to comply with the High Court’s ruling. There is still a possibility that the government could appeal the decision.

Key Takeaways:

• Colorado legalized assisted suicide in 2016.

• In 2024, Governor Jared Polis signed legislation allowing APRNs to prescribe assisted suicide drugs and reducing the waiting period.

• The 2025 Colorado assisted suicide report found that there were 580 prescriptions for assisted suicide written, but only 261 prescriptions dispensed.

The Backstory:

In the fall of 2016, Colorado citizens approved Proposition 106 (the End-of-Life Options Act) with nearly 65% of the vote, legalizing assisted suicide. Under the legislation, residents of Colorado were eligible for assisted suicide if they had a terminal illness with a prognosis of six months or less to live and the mental capacity to make an informed decision. There was also a 15-day waiting period, and only physicians could prescribe the drugs.

Then, in 2024, Governor Jared Polis signed an amendment that weakened those regulations, allowing non-physicians, such as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), to evaluate patients and prescribe the drugs. Additionally, the waiting period was reduced from 15 days to 7 days.

Doctors or ARPNs could also waive the waiting period completely if they felt the patient was near death.

The Details:

The state of Colorado released its 2025 assisted suicide report, which found:

• a 12.4% increase in the number of assisted suicide prescriptions written, up to 580 in 2025 from 516 in 2024

• a 17.14% decrease in the number of prescriptions actually dispensed, down to 261 in 2025 from 315 in 2024

As Alex Schadenberg pointed out, this raises many questions:

So the data makes it appear that more people are receiving a poison prescription for assisted suicide but fewer people are dying by assisted suicide. Based on the data, 45% of the people in 2025 who were prescribed a poison prescription obtained the prescription. The data must be wrong. 

In 2022, 317 people were prescribed poison prescriptions and 249 (79%) were dispensed. In 2023, 398 people were prescribed poison prescriptions and 316 (77%) were dispensed. 

A new trend started in 2024 with 516 poison prescriptions written and 315 (61%) prescriptions dispensed and as has already been explained, in 2025 only (45%) of the poison prescriptions were dispensed.

Unless there has been a change in the culture, it is suspicious that 45% of the 580 people who [were prescribed] a poison prescription received the prescription. 

The question now becomes what is happening in Colorado. Are fewer people actually getting their prescriptions, or are pharmacies dispensing the medication and not reporting it?

Furthermore, the report showed an increase in people being approved for assisted suicide for "other conditions," without specifying what those conditions are. The number of people being approved for assisted suicide for anorexia is likewise increasing, though it is not a terminal illness. In 2021, just one person was approved for an eating disorder; by 2025, that number had risen to 17.

The Bottom Line:

Regulations surrounding assisted suicide are frequently weakened, leading to widespread abuses. But without complete information, it is impossible to have transparency about assisted suicide in Colorado and what issues there may be surrounding it.

Social media posts by the student club appear to encourage people to use the plants in the garden for self-induced abortions — which one pro-life leader told The College Fix she fears could lead to serious health risks or abuse.

The garden, which was launched in 2019 and revamped in 2024, is run by students who are part of the college’s “C.O.P.E.” club, or Collective Organizing for Pleasure and Equity. The group describes itself as a safe space for “females and those assigned female at birth,” and posts on its Instagram account indicate it was active during the spring semester. 

A September 2024 post from the garden’s Instagram account highlights the “peacock flower” (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), stating that enslaved black women “would use the peacock flower as an abortifacient” and that “by drinking the seeds, leaves, or flowers of the plant in tea-form, enslaved women could induce a miscarriage.” 

The post frames the practice as an act of resistance by enslaved women against forced reproduction under slavery. It does not mention if the peacock flower currently is grown in the garden. 

Another post from Sept. 14, 2025 offers instructions on how students can harvest and “collect [plants] from the garden.”

Additionally, a garden layout from an October 2024 Instagram post labels a large section just for “abortifacient” plants. Other sections of the garden are labeled as for “pregnancy/gestation,” “mental health,” and “menstruation.”

The C.O.P.E. club did not respond to The Fix’s request for comment sent via the contact portal on its website.

READ: <a href="/news/popular-pro-abortion-author-promotes-dangerous-methods">Popular pro-abortion author promotes dangerous alternative abortion methods</a>

Meanwhile, pro-life advocates warned that the abortion project raises serious safety concerns.

Melanie Israel, a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation, told The College Fixthat herbal abortifacients can carry significant risks because their effects and dosages are difficult to control.

“Herbal abortifacients in the hands of unsupportive partners and abusers could be, potentially, even more dangerous than the more predictable (but still risky) FDA-approved drugs,” Israel said.

“The wrong dosage of an herbal method can be toxic,” she said. “There could be a scenario where it’s not just a matter of a forced/coerced/sneaky abortion. It could be a forced abortion that also poisons a woman, using a plant with a really unpredictable margin for error.”

Israel said universities should examine whether projects involving potentially abortifacient substances receive the same oversight as other activities involving hazardous materials.

“Any student or faculty-run project involving a substance capable of causing an abortion, miscarriage, hemorrhage, organ toxicity … that should be subject to the same kind of oversight a chemistry lab or research project involving hazardous materials would be reviewed,” she told The Fix.

The university’s involvement in the garden is unclear. Purchase College media relations did not respond to three requests for comment in recent weeks regarding the nature of the project and source of its funding.

While the garden appears to be organized through a student club, college interns have helped with it, according to an October 2024 post on the club’s Instagram page. Another post says the garden has also received donations from the Purchase Student Government Association, which is funded by mandatory student fees.

Israel said that distinction is significant.

“If it crosses into the territory of providing/distributing plant materials for the intent to cause an abortion, that gets into all kinds of questions about unlicensed practice of medicine and other regulatory questions,” she said. “I’m not asserting that it’s happening, but asking what kind of safeguards are in place raises very serious concerns.”

New York has some of the most liberal abortion laws in the country, but Israel said legal permissibility does not eliminate concerns about university responsibility and liability.

“The university’s legal office should look very carefully about their liability in the event someone experiences a forced/coerced abortion from a university-sanctioned project,” she told The Fix.

Israel said her broader concern is that “with these abortion activists, it appears that the ends justify the means and ‘access’ is more important than the women who end up as collateral damage, forced into abortions they didn’t want.”

The executive director of Feminists Choosing Life of New York also raised concerns about the project, saying it sends the wrong message to women facing unplanned pregnancies.

“The abortion narrative tells pregnant women they must kill their offspring in order to be equal,” Michele Sterlace-Accorsi told The Fix in a recent interview. “It elevates the wombless male anatomy as the standard of equality.”

Rather than supporting projects centered on abortion, colleges should devote their resources to helping pregnant and parenting students succeed, she said.

“From a whole-life feminist perspective, universities and colleges should prioritize creating, maintaining, and expanding comprehensive support systems for pregnant and parenting students — life-affirming solutions that directly address their needs, especially those of low-income women,” Sterlace-Accorsi said.

She also challenged the philosophical premise underlying the garden’s mission.

“Pro-choice feminist arguments that claim ‘abortion is central to women’s liberation’ are anti-feminist, anti-women, and anti-human rights,” she said.

The garden’s promotional materials link to a website, “How to Perform an Abortion,” which describes itself as “a collaborative, research-focused art project.” Its founder, Maureen Connor, is an artist and professor emeritus of Queens College in New York.

Connor’s project aims to demystify and destigmatize “reproductive care,” through projects such as gardens, abortion monuments, workshops, and presentations in public spaces. Other locations for abortion gardens listed on the project website include Barnard College in New York City.

According to the website, the purpose of these gardens is “both as symbol and through function … women need knowledge about existing methods and the means to access them.” 

The garden “explores the history of reproductive justice through plants” and “includes herbs that have been used over thousands of years for fertility, contraception and abortion,” according to the website. 

The gardens are “comprised of ten plants with abortifacient potential,” the site states.

The website also includes educational materials about historic abortion methods, and states on one page that “no power structure can ultimately stop women from preventing or ending an unwanted pregnancy.”

Key Takeaways:

• After being diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, Alycia Gillespie gave birth to her daughter, Aria, at 22 weeks.

• Aria weighed just 12.3 ounces at birth.

• She was discharged from the hospital on her first birthday, July 6.

The Details:

Aria's mom, Alycia Gillespie, was 22 weeks pregnant in July 2025 when she began experiencing headaches. A visit to the emergency room revealed that she had pre-eclampsia; doctors told her it was necessary to deliver her baby.

“They had eight people in the room for high-risk emergency team, and they explained to me that I had to have her now, and possibly me or her wasn’t going to make it,” Alycia told First Alert 4.

Baby Aria was born weighing just 12.3 ounces. During her NICU stay, doctors discovered she needed a heart procedure, resulting in a transfer to St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Over the course of a year, she battled many health conditions, smiling through them all.

“She’s had blood transfusions, platelet transfusions, cardiac heart surgery, BPD, chronic lung disease,” Alycia explained. "Even with all that's going on, she has smiled the whole time," she told KMOV.

On July 6, her first birthday, Aria got a sendoff from the hospital staff. Though she still faces medical challenges, her family is happy to have her at home.

"She's a character," her dad, Delandis Gillespie, said. "All she does is laugh, smile, play all day."

"It's been great to have her here with us as a family, and just to spend time with her outside of the hospital," Alycia said.

The Bottom Line:

Little Aria's story shows that even in cases of medical emergencies, delivery — not the intentional ending of a human being's life — is the best option. In Aria's case, that delivery and high-quality medical care and treatment resulted in her survival.

"She's a real strong girl," Alycia said. "She's our little miracle baby."

Key Takeaways:

• Kevin Legg, a 21-year-old UK man with Down syndrome, and began training in arm wrestling a few months ago.

• He has quickly become successful, and won two bronze medals in his regional arm wrestling tournament.

• People with Down syndrome, like Legg, can be successful if they are only given the chance.

The Details:

According to the Sunderland Echo, Kevin “The Bull” Legg only began training at the North East Marra’s Arm Wrestling Club a few months ago, yet he is already emerging as a formidable presence, impressing seasoned competitors with his quick progress in the sport.

Recently, he competed in the region’s inaugural arm wrestling event, the Newcastle Warzone, held at The Three Mile in Gosforth, where he faced off against approximately 30 participants from across the United Kingdom.

Legg, who won two bronze medals in the novice category, said, “I'm the first person in the United Kingdom to do arm wrestling with Down’s syndrome. It makes me feel brilliant.” 

As Prism News reported: 

The Sunderland man, identified by the Sunderland Echo as Kevin, stood out not just for the medals but for the level he reached in organized arm wrestling.

Three bronzes in one regional competition is a strong return for any newcomer, and it marks a clear competitive milestone in a sport that has traditionally operated in small clubs and tightly knit local circuits. The result lands alongside a broader surge in organized arm wrestling across the Northeast. The Northern Echo reported that the North East Marras Armwrestling Club UK also won medals at the competition, underlining that Kevin’s breakthrough came inside an active regional scene rather than as an isolated exhibition.

For Kevin, the significance is immediate. His medals place him inside that growing structure as a legitimate competitor, and his presence at the table widens the sport’s access point for athletes with disabilities who have rarely been visible in organized arm wrestling in the UK. In a discipline built on classification, grip, leverage, and repeat attempts, representation at this level can shape who enters clubs, who gets coached, and who sees a route into competition.

“We’re always looking for anyone willing to put their arm on the pad. It’s a very inclusive and welcoming sport,” Club founder Dave ‘Mantis’ Curry said. “Hopefully in the near future, we’ll be out on the beach trying to grab locals to have a go while we enjoy the sun and BBQ." 

The Big Picture:

The significance of Legg’s bronze medal victories reveals how he is thriving simply because he had a chance to live in the first place.

His story is important, as in countries like the United Kingdom, diagnoses of Down syndrome too frequently have becomes a means of pressure, fear, and routine abortion rather than life-affirming support and compassion.

Legg’s story reminds us that Down syndrome does not remove joy, achievement, or purpose from the lives of individuals. People with Down syndrome thrive when they are given opportunities, coaching, and camaraderie — and in the case of Legg, sports clubs that welcomed him as well as communities that celebrate his contributions. 

Additionally, some media coverage portrays people with Down syndrome in terms of inspiration alone, which can become another form of reduction. The key thing to remember is that people like Legg are human beings with abilities, interests, discipline, and a place in a community.

The Bottom Line:

All in all, a truly pro-life society does not simply defend the preborn in principle, but celebrates the born in practice, particularly those whom the culture is most tempted to dismiss. On that note, Legg has given the world a better message than any slogan: life with Down syndrome is not a tragedy to be avoided by abortion, but a reality that can be encouraged with the proper help and resources, as well as celebrated. 

Key Takeaways:

• The woman, identified as Malkapuram Sravani, was pregnant with her third child; she and her husband already had two daughters.

• Sravani was living with her mother during the pregnancy, and her family reportedly feared a third girl would impact them financially.

• Her mother took her to get an illegal sex-determining ultrasound, which revealed the preborn child was a girl.

• An auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) committed the abortion at her home; when Sravani began experiencing more bleeding two days later, she was given "tablets."

• Her condition did not improve, and Sravani was taken to a hospital; despite receiving treatment, she died.

• Sravani's husband lodged a complaint, leading to the arrest of her mother, the ANM, and two others.

The Details:

The Times of India reported that Sravani died at the age of 35 after undergoing an illegal sex-selective abortion. Four people — her mother, the ANM, a registered medical practitioner (RMP), and the operator of the ultrasound center — have been arrested.

Sravani was married to Ambala Bhaskar Goud, an auto driver, and the two lived together in Hyderabad. They had welcomed two daughters and were pregnant for the third time. While a reason wasn't given, Sravani had gone to live with her maternal family in Kolukonda village during her pregnancy.

Her family was reportedly worried that she would have a third girl, so her mother, identified as Shobha, asked R Shravan Kumar, an RMP, what to do. He referred her to an ANM, Anasuya, who sent them to an ultrasound scanning center, owned by a man named Praveen.

Ultrasounds performed to determine the sex of a preborn baby are illegal in India, due to the long history of sex-selective abortion.

On July 20, it was confirmed that the preborn baby was a girl. The ANM then committed an abortion on Sravani at her home on July 21, and within two days, Sravani was experiencing complications. Rather than get her legitimate medical care, Anasuya reportedly gave Sravani some "tablets," which did not help.

Sravani was taken to a hospital on July 24, and as her condition worsened, she was sent to a second hospital. Doctors ultimately were unable to save her, and she died on July 25. Her husband filed a complaint with the police, and all four — Shobha, Anasuya, Praveen, and Kumar — were arrested.

The Big Picture:

India is known to have a cultural preference for boys, and that has led to widespread sex-selective abortion. Though the practice is now illegal, it persists.

Authorities have said numerous illegal sex-selective abortion rackets have been found across the country, often operating across multiple states; as these abortions continue, sex ratios have again become lopsided, with boys outnumbering girls. Though authorities have continued to try to fight against it, the practice has continued to take place.

"The foetus gets selected as a boy or a girl, and then eliminated using abortion drugs that are illegally sold across India," women’s rights activist Varsha Deshpande said in an interview last year. "These drugs are supposed to be restricted, unlike condoms and family planning pills that you can buy over the counter, yet you can buy them in every market. The problem is not one law, it’s the violation of all three.”

Likewise, Dr. Neelam Singh, a gynaecologist and founder of Vatsalya, a Uttar Pradesh-based NGO working for women’s and children’s health, said the rise of in vitro fertilization (IVF) has encouraged sex-selective practices to continue. Culturally, dowries are still paid, even though they are supposed to be illegal, and sons are still the only ones who can inherit and carry on the family name.

It is believed that, without the existence of sex-determining ultrasounds, between the 1970s and today, there would be approximately 63 million more women and girls alive in India.

The Bottom Line:

Gendercide continues to be a global problem, with preborn girls the most vulnerable victims.

Key Takeaways:

• 14 psychiatrists sent a letter to prosecutors asking for Verhoof's euthanasia to be investigated.

• Verhoof had a history of depression and sexual abuse, and had attempted suicide numerous times.

• The Royal Dutch Medical Association (KNMG) released a statement condemning the psychiatrists.

• Verhoof's parents are now asking for the psychiatrists to be named, and for the Public Prosecution Service to open a disciplinary case against them.

The Backstory:

In 2024, the letter from the 14 psychiatrists hit the news after the KNMG severely reprimanded them for writing it.

The psychiatrists sent the letter after a 17-year-old, identified only as "Milou" at the time, was euthanized in the Netherlands. She had a history of depression, was a victim of sexual abuse, and had attempted suicide numerous times.

The psychiatrists asked prosecutors to open a criminal investigation into her death, saying it needed to be determined “to what extent those close to this vulnerable patient (…) influenced this young patient’s decision to choose euthanasia.” 

As Live Action News previously reported:

The psychiatrists questioned whether minors should be able to apply for euthanasia and whether mental suffering should be deemed incurable, and stated how they believed the “widespread promotion of euthanasia” could lead to “the unnecessary death” of other children.

In response, the psychiatrists were harshly criticized by the KNMG, which said their letter was “improper and unacceptable,” and could — perhaps most importantly — undermine the trust of citizens in “the profession” — presumably meaning doctors who commit euthanasia.

Ultimately, the mere act of questioning Milou’s euthanasia death was called “indecent and unacceptable.”

At the time, Milou's parents merely asked for an apology. "We expect that the fourteen doctors will realize after this statement from the KNMG that they have overstepped the mark and that the letter must be officially withdrawn,” they said.

Six of the psychiatrists did not hide their names, including Professor of Psychiatry Damiaan Denys. According to Denys, the reaction from KNMG was “unnecessary, unwise and late,” and that the psychiatrists' letter was meant to raise awareness to “the ease with which euthanasia is mentioned for young people with mental problems.”

The Public Prosecution Service ruled that Milou's death had been legal, and that no laws had been broken in her euthanasia.

The Details:

Milou has now been identified at Milou Verhoof, and her parents are calling for the psychiatrists to be named, and for prosecutors to open a case against them.

Mireille and Louis Verhoof said the letter "severely harmed" them, and want disciplinary action taken. But in order for that to happen, the psychiatrists must be named, and eight remain anonymous.

"These psychiatrists never treated Milou, never saw her," Mireille previously told de Volkskrant. "They didn't know her file, but they portrayed us to the justice system as parents who drove their child to their death. We still suffer from that. Day and night."

So far, the Public Prosecution Service has refused to give the names. "The Public Prosecution Service has assessed that in this case there is no legal possibility to provide the names of the signatories," the group said in a statement.

Richard Korver, who represents the Verhoofs, regardless still claims what the psychiatrists did is illegal:

Otherwise, it would amount to the Public Prosecution Service shielding people who may have acted unlawfully towards the surviving relatives. My clients must be able to seek redress from those who did this.

If you want to remain anonymous, you call Crime Stoppers. We are talking about doctors and professors who write a letter under their own names and, because of that good reputation, gain access to the top of the Public Prosecution Service. Then you cannot remain shrouded in mystery regarding your identity afterwards.

Proceedings on the case will take place on August 18.

The Bottom Line:

It is deeply disturbing to know that in the Netherlands, asking for a euthanasia death to be investigated can be considered indecent and grounds for prosecution.

The study, "Navigating the Complexities of Out-of-State Abortion Training in the United States Post-Dobbs" published in AJOG Global Reports, (one of two companion titles to American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology) claimed to be the "first study assessing the barriers and firsthand experiences of trainees and faculty in the post-Dobbs abortion training landscape."

Key Takeaways:

• The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires abortion training as part of OBGYN residency training.

• Study authors with the Ryan Residency abortion training program claim that though this training is required for residents, some students are unable to be trained "to competence in all skills" because they cannot obtain it in their states that have pro-life laws.

• While the authors encourage ACGME to continue requiring the training, they surveyed students who noted that "exposure" to abortions, rather than competency, appears to be the goal of the training.

The Details:

Abortion Training Landscape

Since Dobbs, "training programs in states with abortion bans are developing out-of-state training rotations by partnering with programs in abortion-accessible states," the authors wrote.

"In the United States, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires that abortion training be a part of OBGYN residency training. After the ACGME requirement was enacted, abortion training as a required experience increased from 12% of OBGYN programs in 1992 to 72% in 2020," they stated (emphasis added).

Authors noted that after the overturn of Roe v. Wade (emphasis added):

Thirteen states have since banned abortion at all gestations with varying, limited exceptions... These states house 54 OBGYN training programs and over 1200 trainees, making it challenging for these programs to meet ACGME requirements and prepare their trainees for future practice.

The ACGME continues to require training and states, “if a program is in a jurisdiction where resident access to this clinical experience is unlawful, the program must provide access to this clinical experience in a different jurisdiction where it is lawful.”

According to the National Abortion Federation (NAF), in 1995 the ACGME "acknowledged that abortion training opportunities had dropped to a dangerous level and adopted clear new guidelines that explicitly set forth the expectation that abortion training would be available to all ob-gyn residents..." (emphasis added).

That revision was an "outgrowth" of NAF's 1990 symposium, resulting in a final version adopted on July 31, 1995.

Competency 'Not the Goal' - Abortion 'Exposure' Is

"Trainees have expressed concerns about whether their training will be adequate to provide [abortion] care and have conflicting emotions about whether to train in and practice in states with restrictions," the study stated.

Authors noted that "ACGME continues to require abortion training within OBGYN residency programs" but acknowledged that training sites may be "unable to train visiting learners to a level of competency in all abortion skills."

However, they "encourage[d] the ACGME to continue to mandate training for OBGYN residents."

Authors cited those surveyed:

One trainee felt that gaining competency meant “that I could safely do a procedure and manage complications”

Another described competency as “ready to independently practice by yourself…and you are able to manage the complications associated with the procedure, that you also are able to adequately counsel your patients”

One participant said the obvious part out loud: that the goal of abortion training is not 'competency' but to 'expose' residents to abortion:

“I think it helps that their Ryan program director had sent me [their goals for the residents]. And she's like, ‘Obviously, they're not going to be competent in D&E, being there for two weeks, sharing procedures with your residents. That's not the goal… the goal is for them to be exposed to this stuff, to understand how it works, to do counseling, to do medication abortion, to feel like they get it, so that they know what it means.

They can counsel patients about what's going to happen when they go to other places. And they know enough to know that they want more training after residency.’ It was kind of just set up like, whatever you can do is great….

I think that, knowing that we're not solely responsible for training people to be able to provide care in just this little two-week snippet it makes it lower stakes. I think that really took a lot of the pressure off.”

Authors suggested that delicate abortion procedures could be practiced "using simulation."

The study referenced a previously published research letter describing another study involving 60 medical residents who traveled to other states for training. However, just 35 of those residents completed surveys. While residents reported feeling comfortable committing first-trimester medication and aspiration abortions, at least half seemed to be less than competent in committing the gruesome dismemberment D&E abortion procedure: "40.6% felt competent to 17 weeks of gestation, 46.7% from 18 to 20 weeks, and 12.5% from 21 to 23 weeks."

Additional Admissions

The study was "part of a larger landscape analysis conducted in 2023-2024 to understand US abortion training" and "included interviews with faculty that were sending and receiving trainees from states with abortion bans, the trainees themselves, abortion clinics that were engaged in clinical training and representatives from larger organizations that were involved in medical education that included abortion."

Participants "received a $50 gift card as compensation," authors stated, noting that they "sought to explore the challenges in training learners and establishing partnerships through interviewing faculty and trainees in programs in states with bans on abortion and those without bans."

They "interviewed 22 people including faculty" and "Over half of trainees interviewed had traveled for training."

They identified three themes (emphases added):

(1) uncertainty and pressure created by the Dobbs decision:

(2) navigation of complex logistics:

• One "described the malpractice being the hardest step: 'I think that figuring out the malpractice insurance, figuring out what paperwork everyone was going to require.'"

• "Some trainees and training sites had barriers so onerous that they could not overcome them. One program reported being unable to send residents because they could not navigate the legal barriers..."

(3) tension between rotation goals of exposure vs competency.

• "Exposure was considered to include minimal hands-on training deemed inadequate to achieve competency in abortion procedures."

• "Competency was interpreted as adequate clinical skills training for independent practice of procedural abortion after the rotation."

• "Many faculty described wanting the trainees to obtain a meaningful experience but were unclear whether the goal should be exposure or gaining competency to provide care without additional training."

The Background:

Ryan Residency

The Ryan residency program, named after the late Kenneth John Ryan, MD (who once called for private funds to experiment on aborted children), was formed in the mid-1990s in an attempt to counter the "greying" (aging) and shortage of abortionists.

In the past 20 years, the Ryan Residency Program, based at the Bixby Center for Global Health at the the taxpayer-funded University of California-San Francisco (UCSF), has reportedly trained over 7,000 OBGYNs to kill preborn children.

In 2026, its website claimed there were 122 Ryan Programs across the U.S.

Out of the 7,000+ residents trained, reportedly about 40% of them now “provide routine abortion care for their patients.”

One of the primary funders of the abortion training program has been the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, founded in 1964 by billionaire Warren Buffett, nicknamed the "Sugar Daddy of Abortion."

Despite Buffett’s efforts to frequently remain an “anonymous” donor, evidence shows that his dollars go directly to Ryan Residency programs.

A 2018 University of California report revealed that the Buffett Foundation gave $78 million to UC in past years, with $52 million for the Kenneth J. Ryan Residency Training Program, among other abortion endeavors.

Buffett often hides his abortion training grants. Yet, year after year, the Susan T. Buffett Foundation has granted millions to the Regents at UCSF for “program support.” Where that funding goes is not specified.

In addition, Buffett funds specific Ryan Residency programs at various universities.

According to 19thNews.org:

Between June 2022, when Roe was overturned, and the end of June 2023, 125 out-of-state doctors did residencies in programs that use the Ryan Residency Training Program model, according to Kristin Simonson, director of programs and operations.

Study Authors and Funding

Three study authors are members of the Ryan Program Curriculum Advisory Committee:

• Kristyn Brandi is a "former board member and the past Board Chair of Physicians for Reproductive Health, sits on several sub-committees for the Society of Family Planning and is a founding member of Centering Equity, Racial and Cultural Literacy in Family Planning (CERCL-FP)."

• Kristin Simonson is on staff at the Bixby Center and is Planned Parenthood’s director of programs and operations.

• Jody Steinauer is "Director of the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health and the Director of the Kenneth J. Ryan Residency Training Program in Family Planning."

Two others (Emily Claymore and Jema Turk) are on staff at the Bixby Center:

The study was ironically funded by an "anonymous donor."

Why It Matters

The Dobbs decision allows states to enforce laws protecting preborn life but forcing medical providers to receive abortion training, even if they have to travel, violates the Hippocratic Oath and the conscience of many who would pursue a career in medicine.

Medical Malpractice Attorney Michael Seibel, who operates AbortionInjury.com, told Live Action News:

"The fact that these young intelligent residents feel incompetent after their training in the Ryan Residency reflects poorly on the quality of their training program.

"Maybe ACGME should revisit their guidelines and remove the requirement for abortion training because these residents are being inadequately trained under the current University training structure.

"State and local legislatures should obviously look into why these students feel incompetent after training for abortion and remove the requirement, given there is no benefit to a large majority of students."

Key Takeaways:

• Planned Parenthood of Michigan announced it is closing its Warren, Lansing, and Livonia facilities.

• It claimed this is due to funding cuts, which made keeping the facilities open impossible.

• Planned Parenthood, however, has been transitioning away from a brick-and-mortar model toward telehealth, intentionally closing facilities across the country.

The Details:

WILX reported that Planned Parenthood of Michigan is closing three facilities, citing a $4.2 million decline in patient care reimbursement and $5.6 million in uncompensated care. The facilities in Livonia, Warren, and Lansing have, accordingly, been permanently closed.

“Planned Parenthood built one of the strongest reproductive health care networks in Michigan, but the funding infrastructure that supported that network has fundamentally changed,” Paula Thornton Greear, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Michigan said. “Republicans in Congress have now demonstrated that they are willing to block Medicaid reimbursement for Planned Parenthood patients, and the Trump administration has proposed eliminating the Title X family planning program altogether.”

Facilities in Marquette, Petoskey, Jackson, and Ann Arbor were likewise closed last year.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer blamed the closures on the "Big Beautiful Bill," which temporarily defunded Planned Parenthood for one year.

Today is yet another consequence of DC Republicans’ historic attacks on reproductive freedom, health care access, and Medicaid. We’ve been clear about this since the passage of the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ last year: these devastating cuts would force key health care providers like Planned Parenthood to close doors and shutter services, cutting Michiganders off from the critical health care they need. Planned Parenthood provides critical care, like cancer screenings, routine checkups, menopause treatment, and more, which are all at risk due to the DC Republicans’ cuts.

The Big Picture:

Despite the claims from Whitmer and Planned Parenthood, these closures are likely part of an ongoing business strategy, in which the abortion organization pivots towards virtual health centers.

As Live Action previously News documented, Planned Parenthood closure announcements are routinely misleading, as it was already planning to move toward an online virtual business model. Furthermore, consolidation of facilities and merging of affiliates is typical for Planned Parenthood, and this has happened multiple times in past years.

Planned Parenthood is also not short on funding; Live Action researcher Carole Novielli explained,

From 2024-25, before the BBB took effect, a record breaking $832 million was funneled to Planned Parenthood from taxpayers’ pockets while it killed more than 434,000 preborn children – a record number on both counts.

During that same "killer year," Planned Parenthood’s own reports showed plummeting health care services, like cancer screenings and well woman exams, among other actual health services, all while reporting net assets of more than $3.1 billion.

In April 2025, Planned Parenthood of Michigan (PPMI) announced a plan to close "three of its facilities, consolidat[e] two others, and reduc[e] its workforce by 10%." This is despite the fact that Planned Parenthood of Michigan received nearly $18M in state funding from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in 2024-25. This was, of course, months prior to the passage of the "Big, Beautiful Bill" which defunded abortion providers of federal Medicaid dollars for one year.

The overwhelming majority of abortions are now committed by pill, which is likely why Planned Parenthood wants to pivot to telehealth. Since federal Medicaid defunding in July 2025, it appears the corporation has closed no more than 30 of its brick-and-mortar centers, while actually opening other centers.

The Bottom Line:

Though Planned Parenthood is painting this as a major loss, the reality is that Planned Parenthood can easily continue dispensing abortion pills without having to see women in person, and at a fraction of the cost.

Key Takeaways:

• The man, Hanif Mansoori, contacted authorities saying his wife had died. She was eight months pregnant.

• The investigation revealed her death was a homicide.

• The couple's five-year-old reportedly witnessed his mother's murder.

The Details:

Police revealed that the suspect, 35-year-old Hanif Mansoori, was apprehended once investigators grew wary of the shifting versions of events surrounding his wife's death, even though he himself had contacted authorities to report what had happened. 

Aniruddh Singh, the sub-divisional police official (CO) for Kulpahar, told PTI that officers got a phone call from Hanif at roughly 11:30 pm on Saturday, in which he reported that his 32-year-old wife, Manisha Mansoori, had passed away in Bijrari village, an area under the jurisdiction of the Panwari station house in Mahoba district.

The officers who examined the scene discovered wounds on the woman's neck and head consistent with a bladed instrument. As Mansoori’s story kept shifting under interrogation, authorities began treating him as a person of interest in the case.

The inquiry took a decisive turn after the couple’s five-year-old son told police that his father, reportedly drunk, had struck his mother repeatedly with a sickle, causing her death. Police also said the victim was about eight months pregnant, and that the accused had a drinking problem.

The Times of India reported:

Police said Hanif lived in Bijrari village with his wife, Manisha Mansuri, and their two children.

Late on Saturday, he allegedly returned home heavily intoxicated and began arguing with his wife over an issue. When Manisha objected, he allegedly lost control and repeatedly attacked her on the head and neck with a sickle kept nearby, killing her on the spot.

After the incident, Hanif allegedly dialled 112 and falsely claimed that an unidentified person had killed his wife. Station House Officer Praveen Kumar Singh reached the spot and began the investigation, during which the couple’s son revealed what had actually happened.

Zoom In:

Mansoori then admitted to killing his wife after the child’s testimony implicated him, and police placed him under arrest for his wife’s death. A murder FIR was filed, and the woman’s remains were dispatched for autopsy. 

According to the Times, Manisha's brother, Rafiq Mansuri, said his sister wed Mansoori in 2021, and endured ongoing abuse tied to demands for her dowry, along with his drinking problem. The Times continued:

[Mansuri] alleged that Hanif had sold 2.5 bighas of his four bighas of land to fund his drinking habit. Rafiq said the family had lodged a case against Hanif in 2024, following which Manisha stayed at her parental home for nine months. She later returned to her matrimonial home after assurances of reform and a mutual settlement, but her husband's violent behaviour allegedly continued.

Villagers described Hanif as erratic and quarrelsome, saying most people in the village kept their distance from him. Police said he made several attempts to mislead investigators, but questioning, the evidence at the scene and the child's testimony exposed his alleged attempt to fabricate the story.

Reality Check:

The larger issue for pro-lifers is not only Mansoori’s alleged crime itself, but also what it reveals about the vulnerability of women and children in abusive domestic situations.

In reality, violence against pregnant women is bound together with the vulnerability of preborn babies. When a pregnant mother is attacked, the baby in her womb is attacked too. The preborn child is not an abstraction; he or she is a real victim whose life is ended before birth.

The involvement of the couple’s young son makes the story even more wrenching. Children who witness domestic murder may carry lifelong trauma that can affect their sense of safety, trust, and development.

The Bottom Line:

Cases like this should boost, not undermine, the moral argument for a culture that protects mothers, confronts abuse and addiction, and refuses to regard preborn babies as anything less than fully human beings from the very moment of conception. 

However, for this veteran educator, the lesson she learned was bigger than one innocuous conversation in one history class. It became a test of her pro-life belief, and a reminder that, in a culture increasingly hostile to the dignity of human life, speaking plainly in defense of preborn children can come at huge personal cost. 

Key Takeaways:

• Sarah Morse, originally from the United States, was serving as a substitute teacher at Arbroath High School in Angus, Scotland.

• Students asked for her opinion on various American political issues, including abortion.

• Morse answered that she personally opposes abortion, and was fired later that day.

The Details:

Sarah Morse was teaching at Arbroath High School when a group of older teenage students began asking her questions after noticing her American accent. Among questions about fast food and school buses arose one regarding the topic of abortion.

In turn, Sarah answered prudently (knowing that she was teaching in a secular school): “I’m a faithful Roman Catholic, so I don’t agree with it; I don’t support it.”

When a student broached the subject of rape, Sarah replied that she did not believe it was correct to penalize a child for the wrongdoing of a parent. Her aim, she maintained, was not to provoke an argument. 

“There was no back and forth,” she told Live Action News. “It was more like a hailstorm of arguments, but with replies answered in short sentences.”

Morse felt she was merely doing what a teacher had to do: answer students’ questions, keep order in the room, and move on to the next task at hand. 

Later that day, however, she was summoned into the school office and fired on the basis that she had discussed her “religion and abortion.” 

What shocked Morse the most was not just her abrupt dismissal, but the absence of a standard protocol. Not only was she not accorded a proper departure meeting, but she was not given any opportunity to explain the circumstances, and was not even notified as to who had made the decision. 

Zoom In:

Morse told Live Action News that she is not a polemicist; she thinks of herself as an educator who has spent years learning how to ask questions, open minds, and direct students toward arriving at their own conclusions.

She explained that she has long used Socratic methods in the classroom, encouraging students to address complex ideas rather than solely repeat slogans.

In a former Canadian classroom, she even spearheaded a structured discussion on abortion in a way that sparked thoughtful disagreement, not coercion.

“The students taught themselves and each other,” she recalled. “I wish I could teach this way in every classroom.”

This context is important. Sarah did not ambush students with a sermon lecturing on the evils of abortion, nor did she initiate any talk about the subject. She merely responded to direct questions from teenagers old enough to be curious about moral and cultural issues. She made clear that she was speaking as a Catholic, but did not force students to share her views. 

Morse's selection of words was intentional, as she did not say abortion was "wrong," but that she did not personally support it. The distinction is important, as she wished to be truthful without becoming inflammatory.

“I was very careful,” she said. 

The school’s decision to fire her reveals a deep-seated problem: the misuse of “balance” and “impartiality” language to quash traditional Christian and pro-life voices. She said educators are increasingly being forced to implement one authorized ideological line.

“If you only ever hear one opinion, it’s not education, it’s indoctrination,” Morse told Live Action News. 

She believes that Christians are particularly susceptible to being singled out, even though many religious traditions have moral objections to abortion. In her view, the classroom should be a platform where students encounter multiple viewpoints, including the reasons behind them.

Morse also admits that she saw schools increasingly becoming places where teachers are expected to avoid unpopular truths, especially on life issues, while students are discouraged from reasoning. 

The Big Picture:

After her dismissal, Morse began contacting friends, one of whom informed the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) about what had happened. Gradually, her story began to spread. Thousands of people signed a petition to back her cause.

“I have been taken aback at the amount of support I have received,” she said. “I am so, so grateful.”

The public support Morse received changed how she viewed what happened. What initially seemed like a personal insult became, in her mind, a public test of whether the United Kingdom still permits Christians to act in accordance with their religious beliefs with regard to matters of life. 

Ultimately, Morse has pursued legal action not out of a desire for attention, but because she believes what happened to her was wrong — and because she was worried that it reflected something more ominous on a broader scale. 

“I want to tell the world that this discrimination; this silencing is not only unlawful but also a part of the breakdown of what is an amazing society,” she said.

The personal cost to Morse after her unfair dismissal has been real. Currently, she is unable to teach, which means less income and a reduced ability to contribute financially to charities she holds dear. Nevertheless, Morse remains undaunted. 

“Persecution for your beliefs only serves to make them stronger,” she said.

Morse also reiterated that she is not ashamed of being Catholic, and that she believes preborn children are human beings worthy of protection.

The Bottom Line:

If Morse has one message for other Christian and pro-life teachers, it is to be wise, faithful, and ready for persecution. She also cautioned that if teachers choose to remain in the classroom, they may still share their beliefs when appropriate, but also be prepared for the possible backlash that may ensue.

For now, Morse said she will not let fear dictate her future, and hopes students can learn how to think, ask questions, weigh arguments, and search for truth without surrendering to slogans.

Young people, she said, should not be manipulated by media, ideology, or shallow cultural pressure. On the contrary, they should be curious, read widely, and construct lives shaped by virtue, not blind conformity.

All in all, Morse’s story is not solely an anecdote about her losing her job. It is about whether pro-life beliefs remain in their rightful place in the public sphere without consequences. In view of how so many people are tempted to hide their beliefs for fear of reprisal, Morse’s courage reminds us that sometimes, the most powerful witness is calm, principled, and unwavering.

Started during the Obama administration, the TPPP allocates ten of millions of dollars annually to various organizations seeking to reduce teen pregnancy rates in the United States. The Trump administration has recently issued new guidelines for the program. In particular, the Trump administration wants to fund teen pregnancy prevention programs that emphasize abstinence, fertility awareness, and marriage.

Most of the criticism from the mainstream media is, of course, ideological.

The mainstream media frown on abstinence programs and would rather see the TPPP fund programs that emphasize contraception use. That said, much of the media coverage of both teen pregnancy trends and the TPPP program itself has been very misleading.

READ: <a href="/news/federalist-hhs-teen-pregnancy-prevention">Federalist: HHS finds teen pregnancy prevention programs are not working</a>

First, several commentators and media outlets often give the wrong impression that the teen pregnancy rate decline in the United States started with inception of the TPPP in 2010. In reality, data from both Guttmacher and the CDC shows that the teen pregnancy rate decline actually started in the early 1990s.

Interestingly, data from both the Youth Risk Behavior Survey and the National Survey of Family Growth find consistent declines in the percentage of sexually active teenagers since the early 1990s.

Secondly, many media outlets indicate that programs funded by the TPPP have been effective at lowering teen pregnancy rates. However, HHS’s own Office of Adolescent Health published two reports in 2017 evaluating the results of the TPPP’s grants. Of the 38 programs studied, only three reported long-term reductions in the incidence of unprotected sex, and only one program reported a long-term reduction in overall rates of teen sexual activity. Similarly, a 2018 Mathematica analysis found a very small percentage of TPPP funded programs were effective at lowering teen pregnancy rates.

Overall, a strong body of academic research that shows that programs to promote contraceptive use among teenagers are ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst.

During the first Trump administration, HHS personnel made a concerted effort to shift TPPP grants away from programs that emphasized contraception use and toward programs that promoted abstinence. However, these efforts were largely unsuccessful because many Obama-era grantees successfully litigated to retain funding.

Conservatives should hope that this time the Trump administration is more successful in reforming the TPPP.

Key Takeaways:

• UK PM Andy Burnham put a damper on assisted suicide proponents by failing to endorse a newly-introduced assisted dying bill nearly identical to MP Kim Leadbeater's previous bill that stalled in the House of Lords.

• Burnham stated that he believes "palliative care and social care" must be fixed and funded first, as they are currently "poorly funded."

• Several key figures have weighed in to support Burnham's remarks.

The Details:

On July 29, when questioned about his stance on assisted dying, PM Burnham responded that he had no objection to the topic being broached for discussion but then added:

"Personally, I think there's something that needs to happen first, and that's the fixing of the funding of palliative care and social care. I think it is very challenging to introduce that wider debate in a context of people not receiving that care and having the peace of mind about that care."

As reported by CruxNow:

During his Wednesday remarks,  Burnham vowed to repair his country’s social care system – the day-to-day assistance network for the elderly and persons with disabilities, chronic illness, and other vulnerabilities – saying politicians’ failure to address systemic problems is a “major dereliction of public duty.”

“I think it is very challenging to introduce that wider debate in a context of people not receiving that care and having the peace of mind about that care,” Burnham told reporters, “a context where palliative and social care remains poorly funded.”

“That’s the position I will stick to,” Burnham said.

Unfortunately, Labour MP Lauren Edwards has introduced a new assisted dying bill to Parliament, with its second reading scheduled for September 11.

The legislation is nearly identical to that of the previous legislation brought by Kim Leadbeater, which passed the House of Commons by a slim margin but eventually stalled when it ran out of parliamentary time in the House of Lords.

As CruxNow noted, "Burnham’s position is a departure from his predecessor, Keir Starmer, who supported Leadbeater’s bill," adding that Burnham admitted to BBC Manchester in 2024 that he would “probably vote in favor of [the Leadbeater bill]" if he were in the House of Commons.

The news was welcomed by Liverpool's Archbishop John Sherrington. As the Tablet reported, Sherrington called Burnham's remarks “highly significant,” adding:

“We have consistently called for meaningful investment in palliative and end of life care as an appropriate focus to uphold the dignity of all at the end of life and opposed a bill seeking to legalise assisted suicide... People who are dying are vulnerable and need compassionate care and spiritual accompaniment until their last breath.

This level of care can be found in many Catholic care homes and hospices, but the sector remains woefully underfunded and there is an existential threat to these places of compassion and care should this legislation be passed.”

He urged members of Parliament to vote against the bill at second reading.

The Tablet also noted that Bishop John Keenan, who serves as the Scottish bishops' conference's lead on marriage, family, and life issues, weighed in with support for Burnham's statements, saying:

“We have a duty to ensure that every person approaching the end of life has access to the compassionate palliative and social care they deserve.

We were grateful that the Scottish Parliament resolutely rejected assisted suicide only recently. We hope this latest intervention will encourage members of the Westminster Parliament to reflect carefully before taking a step that would fundamentally change the way our society cares for the sick and vulnerable.

This is an opportunity to rethink the whole approach to assisted suicide. The compassionate response to suffering is never to help people end their lives, but to ensure they receive the high-quality care, love, and accompaniment they need...."

The Bottom Line:

For pro‑life advocates, Burnham’s move paves the way to lobby for a more humane and life-affirming response to suffering.

Instead of buying into the narrative that “compassion” requires doctors to help patients die, Burnham has alluded to a different type of compassion: long‑term investment in hospice care, community nursing, disability support, and family services, together with a discussion of how society treats the elderly, disabled, or terminally ill.

Key Takeaways:

• Nash Keen was born in 2024 at exactly 21 weeks gestation.

• He was given the title of the world's most premature surviving baby by Guinness World Records.

• He recently turned two, and his mom said he is thriving.

• Doctors have said that thanks to Nash's success and other medical advancements, other 21-week preemies have survived.

The Backstory:

Nash Keen was born at exactly 21 weeks gestation — 133 days premature — on July 5, 2024. At his birth, he weighed just 10 ounces and measured 9.5 inches long. After six months in the NICU, he was discharged to his family, and has since continued to grow and thrive.

His early arrival and survival earned him the title of the Guinness World Record (GWR) holder as the world's most premature surviving baby.

The Details:

Nash recently celebrated his second birthday. His mom, Mollie Keen, said he is thriving.

“Nash is doing absolutely incredible and making us so incredibly proud!” she told GWR. “Just by looking at him, you’d never guess that he was born at 21 weeks’ gestation. Today, he weighs a healthy 25 lb [11.3 kg] and is tracking right in line with full-term babies on the standard growth charts."

She told GWR he's had a number of huge milestones developmentally, but still has occasional health challenges.

"I’ve learned to just enjoy Nash for exactly who he is, meet him wherever he is at on any given day, and fully believe that he will get there eventually — and honestly, if he doesn’t, that is completely okay too," she said.

“For other micro-preemie parents, my biggest piece of advice is to remember that the journey isn’t over just because you left the hospital. Expect the challenges, because they will come, but don’t let them steal the joy of the victories.”

Zoom In:

Doctors at University of Iowa Health Care, where Nash was born, have called the little boy a "pioneer," crediting him for paving the way for other successful survival stories for micro-preemies born at 21 weeks.

“Nash, in many respects, is the pioneer for infants born at 21 weeks gestational age,” said Dr. Patrick McNamara, a University of Iowa professor of pediatrics in the Division of Neonatology. “And our mission is to help these tiny babies survive not just in Iowa, but all over the world.”

The Bottom Line:

Nash's survival is a testament that babies have the potential to thrive and survive, even in unprecedented situations.

“I love that Nash is paving the way for more babies to be saved and I’ve heard from so many 21-22 week moms who have reached out to me for support and I love that they’re reaching out to me and that Nash is giving them hope," Mollie Keen said. "That means more to me than anything."

Key Takeaways:

• Retired neonatologist Dr. Robin Pierucci stepped almost immediately into supporting families who receive a prenatal diagnosis with the organization Navigating Fetal Concerns.

• The organization offers free support to families and even healthcare professionals.

• Parents receiving such a diagnosis often experience three traumas at once: the diagnosis itself, the counseling toward abortion, and the pressure to make a decision quickly.

• Navigating Fetal Concerns shifts the conversation away from a fear-based sense of desperation and into an approach that is realistic, hope-forward, and focused on both the mother and her baby.

The Details:

Dr. Pierucci’s medical and bioethics background uniquely equipped her to spearhead Navigating Fetal Concerns, an organization offering “compassionate, trauma informed, medically-accurate support for families facing a fetal diagnosis.”

That support begins with filling out a basic contact form on the website and continues through the first year after delivery, completely free.  

Pierucci spoke with Live Action News about the heart behind Navigating Fetal Concerns, as well as what families, friends, or concerned healthcare professionals can expect when they reach out through the organization’s website. 

The heart: 'We don't abandon people'

During her time as medical director of a NICU in a southwest Michigan hospital, Pierucci often introduced herself to patient families as “excelling in worrying," telling them, "Being a doctor means it's my job to worry about everything, and I promise to call you if there’s something happening, including in the middle of the night.”

That same commitment to accompaniment, a hallmark of trauma-informed care, is at the heart of Navigating Fetal Concerns. She summed up simply, “We don’t abandon people” in their time of greatest need.  

Three traumas at once

Long before Navigating Fetal Concerns formally came to be, Dr. Pierucci was consulted by a maternal fetal medicine specialist to speak to an expectant mother who had just received confirmation of a Down syndrome diagnosis. When she entered the room, Pierucci was confronted by the distraught mother crying out, “Why does every doctor want to kill my baby?” 

When families receive a prenatal diagnosis, Pierucci explained, they can suffer three separate traumas at once:

• First, there’s the sudden, unexpected diagnosis of a life-altering condition like Down syndrome or a life-limiting one like anencephaly. Many mothers and families receive surprising news after genetic testing, not realizing that it may have been a screening test – not a diagnostic one. (This means that it predicts the likelihood of having a certain condition, not a guarantee.) 

• Second, because ACOG and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine policies state that abortion is healthcare, in the same conversation that a family receives a scary diagnosis, they’re routinely counseled about the option to “terminate” the pregnancy — a particularly traumatic “treatment” option when the baby was clearly awaited and anticipated with joy.

• Third, mothers and families are often pressured or rushed to decide, and, as Pierucci observed, it’s “impossible and unfair” to expect parents to make good decisions in a moment of crisis. 

Shifting out of fear mode

Dr. Pierucci responds to families who reach out to Navigating Fetal Concerns by shifting the conversation altogether away from a fear-based, boxed-in sense of desperation and into an approach that is realistic, hope-forward, and focused on “the most important, powerful dyad in the world,” both the mother and her baby.

The questions become:

• “What does this diagnosis mean and how little or how much do we know about how the baby will be affected?"

• "How do we help parents move forward?”

• “How do we give parents space to fall in love with their child and then make medical decisions that are consistent with their values?” 

What Happens:

Practically speaking, when a family or concerned friend reaches out through the Navigating Fetal Concerns website, that person is contacted within 48 hours by Dr. Pierucci herself. She remains in weekly or every-other-weekly contact with them, available through a HIPAA-compliant texting or video format. 

(Note: Medical professionals who have just delivered a prenatal diagnosis are also always welcome to reach out to Navigating Fetal Concerns for medical or ethical consultation.)

Helping parents to become advocates and handle uncertainty

Dr. Pierucci gets to know the details of the mother’s medical background as well as the baby’s diagnosis. Her biggest priorities are to help the mother and her partner to become excellent advocates for their baby and to help them learn to move forward amidst uncertainty.

She teaches them the medical jargon they need to know to understand what’s going on, potential treatment options, and when to seek out a second opinion, especially if they’re told that “nothing can be done” for their baby’s particular condition.

Pierucci observed, “It is possible that medically, we will have limited ability to fix underlying pathology, but that never absolves us from our obligation to care.” 

Over and over again, she helps slow down the sense that things are happening at warp speed and asks a basic but key question: “'Since we haven’t even met the baby [outside the womb] yet, can we give them a chance?' Let’s avoid ‘voting someone off the island’ before we’ve even met them.” 

Creating a birth plan

She also assists families in creating a birth plan — which feels humorous to her, because years ago, she felt annoyed by overly detailed or unrealistic birth plans.

In the case of families who receive a prenatal diagnosis, thoughtful, detailed birth plans help get all the healthcare staff on the same page for labor and delivery. The birth plan thanks each professional for caring for the family and communicates two things clearly: “we’re not in denial [about the baby’s medical condition] and we’re also already in love.” 

Education about post-delivery issues

Dr. Pierucci also educates parents on what their baby responding well (or not responding well) to resuscitation measures looks like, so that they can be prepared for what will happen after delivery, as well as what will happen if their baby does not survive the labor and delivery process.

Before the pressure of the delivery room, she covers what ordinary vs extraordinary medical care (or proportionate vs disproportionate) looks like, meaning “what can reasonably be expected to succeed” vs what is unlikely to succeed.

This is meant to help parents make the best decisions in light of both medical technology and the needs of their particular family.  

Moving Forward: 

Already, Navigating Fetal Concerns has walked with (and is currently walking with) many families.

In the future, Pierucci hopes to bring additional, like-minded healthcare clinicians on board who share the same determination and dedication to “trauma-informed care, medical excellence and research-backed information, lack of judgment, transparency, and honesty.” 

In the meantime, Pierucci views the core of her day-to-day efforts as very simple: How can we help each individual mother integrate her particular child, with all the medical complexity of their needs, into her family’s story? 

Key Takeaways:

• McKenna West thought being a surrogate would be a good way to make income for her family as a single mother, and to do something rewarding.

• After she was accepted as a surrogate and matched with a couple, she became pregnant through IVF, and all was going smoothly until her 20-week anatomy ultrasound.

• The baby boy was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), and the couple who hired her decided they wanted her to abort the baby. After she refused to abort, they filed a lawsuit against her.

• Despite the fact that specialists have stated that the baby boy has a good chance at survival with the necessary surgeries, the couple has given no indication that they will allow those surgeries.

• West is now 35 weeks pregnant and has filed for custody. She hopes that either she is granted custody of the baby or that the couple chooses to accept the surgeries the baby needs instead of letting him die after he is born. She says her goal is to "get him surgery." If the couple commits to the surgeries, she will not fight for custody.

• The baby's fate — and West's rights — may now be in the hands of a California court.

• A fundraiser has been established to help West as she fights for this baby's life.

The Backstory:

McKenna West, a single mother of two young children and a nurse in Alaska, became interested in becoming a surrogate after hearing about a friend's positive experiences. Surrogacy, she felt, would provide benefits for her family as well as another. For West, it sounded like the perfect option.

She recalled to Live Action News:

"I thought [being a surrogate] would be a really awesome way to make extra income for my family, not have to take extra time away from my kids, and get to provide a family the amazing gift of having a child. I felt it would be a rewarding route to take."

In February 2025, West applied to Worldwide Surrogacy and received preliminary approval based on her medical history. Following a physical, West was shown the profile of a couple whom she felt would be a "good match" for her. Then the agency showed West's profile to the couple (known as A.B. and C.D. in court documents), and they agreed to meet with her via Zoom.

"It felt like a perfect match," West recalled. "The conversation was good. It felt exciting for both of us. We both agreed that we wanted to move forward and told the agency, and then took the next steps to move forward from there."

After undergoing a psychiatric evaluation, West traveled to the couple's home state to get medical clearance from their IVF doctor via a physical and lab work. She underwent a procedure to remove small polyps from her uterus at the IVF doctors' request and was then prepared for an embryo transfer.

West became pregnant, and after the baby's heartbeat was heard on the first ultrasound, she was given a due date of September 2, 2026. At the start, she underwent weekly labs and ultrasounds, and everything was going well with the pregnancy.

Then, during the anatomy ultrasound, everything changed.

West explained to Live Action News:

"I was 20 weeks. [A.B. and C.D.] were on a FaceTime call after the ultrasound. The doctor came in and told us there was something really wrong with the baby's heart. There was no blood flow through the left side of the heart.

She said she wasn't qualified to give a diagnosis, and I needed to be referred to an MFM [maternal-fetal medicine doctor] for another ultrasound.

So we were all really upset. It was completely unexpected. Everything had been going great. There had been no signs of anything being wrong. All genetic testing was normal."

That same day, West was able to see the MFM doctor, who diagnosed the baby (whom West calls Gabriel) with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS).

Abortion enters the conversation

It was during the conversation with the MFM that West said A.B. brought up the question of aborting the baby. West told Live Action News that by the end of the appointment, she felt panicked that A.B. and C.D. were going to request an abortion.

"I knew that I didn't want to have to go through [an abortion]," said West. "I didn't want for this baby — for his life to be cut short."

After she was matched with A.B. and C.D., the contract she signed with them included a clause that would require her to abort the baby in the event of an “anomaly.”

Although West expressed concern, the agency told her that such a situation is rare.

According to The Atlantic, the vast majority of surrogacy contracts include a clause allowing the couple or person hiring the surrogate to decide whether to abort. Surrogates.com says surrogates cannot legally be forced to abort, but refusing to do so would put them in breach of their contract, and they would risk losing the money they were receiving.

West asked the agency if there was anything they could do to help the couple with costs regarding the care the baby would need so that they didn't feel they had to choose abortion for financial reasons. She shared positive stories of people with HLHS, including someone she knew.

That weekend was "awful," said West.

She spoke with C.D. and asked if he wanted her to send the latest ultrasound images to them, as she had sent all of the previous ones. He told her they had already removed the baby's 12-week ultrasound image from their refrigerator and said she could mail the 20-week images, but to address the envelope only to him.

West shared:

"I was full of fear and stress of what they were going to choose. I was feeling pretty confident that they were going to choose termination, and how could I possibly live with myself going through that?"

West researched treatments for HLHS. Ultimately, she found a hospital in Dallas that has a 100% success rate in recent years with the first of three surgeries that the baby would need. She told the agency she could live with a friend in Texas to mitigate costs to A.B. and C.D.

That's when the liaison at the agency told her that the couple was concerned about the baby's future quality of life. While these concerns are understandable, the chances of survival and a good quality of life with HLHS are strong.

Positive outlook

Gabriel would need three surgeries: the Norwood procedure shortly after birth, the Glenn procedure at four to six months old, and the Fontan procedure around age two or three. Some patients will ultimately require a heart transplant, although if and when depends on the patient.

Kimberly Rippentrop, the mother of a now-adult son with HLHS, told Live Action News in 2023 that she would not have even considered abortion, but doctors painted a bleak picture. Rippentrop said:

"Back then (2002) my doctor would’ve had no problem aborting Seth. I never would’ve considered it. They tell young moms, 'your child will have a life of hospitals, medications and procedures.' Yes, a few meds each day, a few procedures here and there, annual checkups. No big deal.

They told us Seth would be small and frail for his age and would have learning disabilities. He’s 6’-3” and consistently on the Dean’s List seeking Summa Cum Laude and majoring in Astrophysics. People are aborting these ‘imperfect’ babies all the time out of fear. Babies who could be just like Seth and [and his college roommate] Tate, thriving and living amazing lives. It’s absolutely heartbreaking.”

In court documents obtained by Live Action News, West's doctor, Dr. William Laird, ехplained that he thinks HLHS is "likely an isolated cardiac anomaly" for baby Gabriel. He said Gabriel seems to be a "standard risk" patient, meaning there is a low risk of "operative mortality" (death) following the Norwood procedure.

In addition, the court document points out, "Baby Gabriel's chances upon receiving the Norwood procedure are good - very good. Yet Defendants still refuse to commit to life-saving care."

The decision to abort

On the Monday morning after the diagnosis, West received the call she was dreading.

The liaison from Worldwide Surrogacy told her that A.B. and C.D. had officially requested that she undergo an abortion. No doctor in Alaska would commit an abortion at nearly 22 weeks. According to court documents, the abortion would have been a D&E dismemberment procedure.

The document obtained by Live Action News states:

"[McKenna] wrestled with inner turmoil at the thought that doctors would 'have [Baby Gabriel's] heart injected with a solution that will stop his heart and then he'll be literally ripped apart and dismembered as he's taken from [her] uterus.'"

McKenna told Live Action News, "I had to call the MFM and ask for a referral to an abortion center in Seattle," which is the closest location that does abortions that far along. “And that was really upsetting."

The abortion facility scheduled her for a week later — at 23 weeks — for the two-day procedure on April 28 and 29. They required her to bring someone with her, but she had trouble finding someone on such short notice. So, amid pushback from the agency, the abortion was rescheduled for May 6 and 7, when West would be 24 weeks pregnant.

She said:

"Every time I thought about having to show up at the clinic, I was hysterical, and I couldn't picture myself reacting or feeling any other way. So I was really scared of how I would view myself as a woman and a mother, how I'd be able to come home to my kids after participating in something like that.

But I didn't have the means to be sued over this. I'm a single mom. I can't afford lawyers to fight this. I felt I had no other option, no way out. It was just a horrible feeling."

A D&E not only intentionally and brutally ends the life of a preborn child, but also comes with higher risks to the woman than a first-trimester abortion, including a greater risk of uterine perforation or damage to nearby organs:

Then came an unexpected phone call from West's brother:

"He said, 'I do not want you to go through this. I know you don't want to go through this.' He had talked to his wife, and he said, 'We'll adopt this baby if it means you don't have to go through this procedure. We're here for you. We love you either way.'

That was the catalyst for me feeling like I'm not alone. He said, 'What's the worst that can happen? You and your kids are never gonna be on the street even if they try to take what you don't have. You're not alone in this.'"

West said she realized that while the threat of financial ruin was real and scary, the possibility of being bankrupt was "far better than having to live with killing this baby."

She decided to reach out to her friend, podcaster Ellen Fisher, who previously welcomed Live Action founder and president Lila Rose as a guest on her podcast. Within hours, West received a text from Fisher saying that Rose would help her and her children get to Texas to be with the doctors who could save baby Gabriel's life.

West told Live Action News, "And I just turned the phone to my mom, and I was just like, 'I don’t have to do it,'" she said through tears. "I couldn't believe that within 12 hours of talking to my brother I was getting these screenshots of Ellen's and Lila's text exchanges, and I finally felt hopeful. From there it just blew up, and I think the next day, I was already meeting with some of the lawyers."

Because she refused to have an abortion, A.B. and C.D. stopped sending West money and wanted her to return the money they had already paid her, as well as additional damages for failing to abort baby Gabriel.

What's Happening Now:

Now 35 weeks pregnant, West is in Texas and said she has felt "an overwhelming sense of peace."

A.B. and C.D. have filed a lawsuit and are instructing West to go to their home state to give birth, but they have not stated whether they will allow doctors to perform the life-saving surgeries on baby Gabriel or if they will only provide him with 'comfort care' so that he dies shortly after his birth.

Through her attorneys, West agreed to go to California if A.B. and C.D. commit to providing Gabriel with the surgery. It appears they have not agreed to this condition, and they have sued West for not going through with the abortion.

In turn, West has filed for custody of Gabriel so she can allow doctors in Texas to treat him and give him a chance at life.

"I want to fight for him because he deserves that chance," she said. "There's no guarantee; there's not a guarantee with anything. But he deserves a chance of living life outside of my womb. I just really pray he gets that opportunity."

She added, "I want to get them to commit to the surgery or get parental rights so I can get him surgery. My goal is to get him surgery."

A.B. and C.D. have sought to establish parental rights through a California court even though the surrogacy agreement states that "the laws of the State of Alaska shall govern this Agreement."

The California court granted them a judgment, which West is now appealing on an emergency basis.

On Tuesday, the Alaska Superior Court denied a motion to force West to relocate to California to give birth, but also ruled that a California court can dictate where West gives birth and which medical team treats her. Must Read Alaska reported:

"After the surrogate mother refused abortion, she relocated to Texas so she could deliver the baby at a leading hospital specializing in HLHS. The California couple then tried to force the surrogate mother to give birth in California with a medical team of their choosing.

Rather than upholding the Alaskan surrogate mother’s rights to make her own medical decisions, the Alaska Superior Court ruled that California has jurisdiction over the birthplace.

The Court’s decision ignored the Alaska Department of Law’s Statement of Interest arguing that the surrogate mother’s constitutional right to privacy trumps the surrogacy contract."

Soon, Baby Gabriel’s life may be in the hands of a California court.

Why It Matters:

West said she is now living through one of the worst case scenarios of surrogacy:

"I feel like this object. They feel that because they paid me, they have these rights to my autonomy.

It's a disturbing thing to be on this side of it and realize how the contracts are so unsupportive of the woman who is going through all of it for somebody else and to think, 'Oh, because we're paying you, we're demanding this termination and if you don't do it you're liable for tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars' is really sick and wrong, and this whole thing has greatly changed my perspective on surrogacy."

Lincoln Wilson, a partner at First & Fourteenth PLLC representing West, said:

“McKenna’s case illustrates how an industry that claims to empower women can treat them — and the children they are carrying — as mere property.”

Wilson explained that "at the same time the other side claims to want to parent Baby Gabriel, they are suing her for damages for refusing to abort him." West's attorneys say they "are proud to represent her in her courageous stand to save his life."

West warned women who are considering surrogacy to really think deeply about what it could mean, especially for the babies who are "bought and seen as a commodity":

"I think it can be interpreted that way: being purchased and picked and chosen and 'You have a disability, and you have some diagnosis, and oop we don't want you, and we want to force this woman who is carrying you to end your life because you're not perfect... It can be a really degrading experience."

She added that women should also consider the effects surrogacy can have on children who are created with the intention of taking them from their birth mothers.

As she awaits the ruling from the California court, West is grateful for the support she and the baby have received:

"God has been so evident about it all in the ways He has connected me with people and surrounded me with people who love Him and love life and are completely willing to stand beside me as I go through this.

There are moments when I'm overwhelmed like, 'How am I gonna do this?' And other moments of just, 'Me and this baby are so taken care of, and we're not alone at all.'"

She added, "There's still so much that's happening, and that's going to happen. I can live with this route. I couldn't live with what they wanted me to do."

Click here to support McKenna West as she fights to save baby Gabriel's life.

The Context:

• The proposed constitutional amendment will change the current nominating system for state supreme court justices, in which a small group of predominantly liberal lawyers selects candidates that the governor then chooses from.

• Currently, Kansas is the only state with a Bar-controlled commission type of assisted appointment for supreme court justices. If the Amendment is passed, the decision will be returned to the people – the way that Kansans selected supreme court justices from statehood in 1861 and for nearly 100 years.

• The current system created a liberal court which found a “right” to abortion in the state constitution in 2019 in a stunning example of what many see as judicial activism. The results have been devastating. Kansas has become a destination state for abortions. In 2024, nearly 20,000 babies lost their lives to abortion in Kansas – an increase of 186.5% since the court’s decision – with 76% of those abortions performed on women from outside the state. The number of abortions performed on minor girls also increased 46.81% from 2023 to 2024.  

• Kansans now have no real role in the selection of state supreme court judges other than to occasionally have the opportunity to “not retain” a judge – which has never happened. 

• Big players in the abortion industry, including Planned Parenthood and out-of-state billionaire George Soros, are heavily investing in the opposition to the Kansas amendment.

Follow the Money:

Planned Parenthood and abortion activists are campaigning to keep the current system, which empowers abortion donors and abortion-supporting governors like Governor Laura Kelly to select state supreme court justices and impact legislation on abortion.

The latest data from campaign finance reports released by the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission shows that the opposition to the Amendment (Kansas/Kansans United for Impartial Courts - KsUIC/KnsUIC) has outspent the pro-life side more than 3 to 1 – $12,234,034 to $3,689,425.

The top donors to the pro-abortion opposition are familiar players in abortion-related political and legal battles:

1) American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), New York, NY: $1,000,000 to KsUIC  

The ACLU is a radical pro-abortion group that primarily uses lawsuits to counter and overturn pro-life legislation. The group also heavily funds campaigns targeting state ballot initiatives, in an effort to radically expand abortion laws.

This year, the ACLU pledged $25.5 million to influence voters ahead of the midterm elections, focusing on nine “priority states,” including Kansas. 

2) Planned Parenthood Action Fund, New York, NY: $1,000,000 to KsUIC 

Planned Parenthood Action Fund is the political and legislative advocacy arm of abortion corporation Planned Parenthood Federation of America. It spends millions of dollars to influence policy at the state and federal levels in favor of Planned Parenthood’s gruesome business. 

3) Lynn Rothschild Schusterman, Tulsa, Oklahoma: $1,000,000 to KsUIC 

Lynn Schusterman and the foundation named for her and her late husband, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, have donated repeatedly to out-of-state political initiatives.

Schusterman donated to support Colorado’s Amendment 79, which passed to effectively allow unlimited abortion in the state. The Schusterman foundation donated $5 million to Floridians Protecting Freedom, supporting Amendment 4, which would have enshrined abortion in the Florida State Constitution had it passed. 

According to The Charlotte Lozier Institute, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies has donated $5.6 million to Planned Parenthood, Collaborative for Gender + Reproductive Equity (a radical LGBTQ+ group), and If/When/How, which works with lawyers and law students to help them advocate for abortion. 

4) American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Kansas (ACLU KS), Overland Park, KS: $850,000 to KsUIC 

ACLU Kansas is the local branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).  

5) Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, Overland Park, KS: $450,000 to KsUIC 

Per the report, Planned Parenthood sent these funds from the address of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Overland Park.

Planned Parenthood Great Plains is behind the large number of mailers Kansans have received opposing the amendment and mailed from the same abortion facility address. 

6) Open Society Policy Center, New York, NY (George Soros): $400,000 to KsUIC 

Founded by George Soros in 1993, the New York City-based lobbying group funneled $250,000 into Kansas in 2022 to oppose Value Them Both. (These funds were in addition to over $1.5 million in cash and other contributions from George Soros to block Value Them Both.) 

The Bottom Line:

Major pro-abortion donors, including out-of-state donors, are once again heavily investing in an effort to block a state amendment — this one regarding the “right to vote” amendment in Kansas. 

Key Takeaways:

• 5,022 children were adopted between April 2025 and March 2026.

• The children in highest demand were newborns and toddlers.

• 392 children with special needs were adopted — a 25% increase from the prior year.

• Demand for adoption remains high, with the number of waiting couples higher than that of available children.

The Details:

According to The Times of India, around 26,000 people are waiting to adopt, while the number of children available through adoption agencies remains limited, especially among babies ages 0 to 2.

Between April 2025 and March 2026, 4,603 of all adoptions were within India, while 419 were placements across national borders. The number of adoptees with special needs has also risen; 392 children with special needs were adopted in the last year, a 25% increase from the 313 adopted in 2024–25.

CARA’s data reveals that adoption numbers have varied over time, with 3,677 adoptions documented in 2015–16. For the first time, the total rose above 4,000 in 2018–19, before dipping during the COVID-19 pandemic. The numbers subsequently recovered in 2023–24, again outpacing the 4,000 threshold.

At present, prospective adoptive parents seeking infants and younger children have an average wait of about three years, while older children and those with special needs persist in remaining in the adoption pool.

Additionally, out of 5,022 adoptions, 2,756 were girls, an increase of 8% from the previous year, reflecting a continuing pattern in which girls are more often available for placement.

Officials say attitudes are evolving, with more prospective parents now open to adopting girls. This shift is partly associated with the larger number of girls in orphanages and adoption centers.

Zoom In:

As reported by the Times of India, Bhavna Saxena, the CEO of CARA, said the latest uptick in adoptions stemmed from closer coordination with specialized adoption agencies and child welfare committees. She added that CARA’s identification cell has helped speed up the process of making children legally available for adoption.

Saxena also zoomed in on the need to build greater awareness around children with special needs, pointing out that regional consultations have helped encourage families to consider them. Meanwhile, adoptions by relatives and step-parents have climbed sharply, snowballing from 820 to 1,231, an increase of 50%.

To reinforce the adoption system, CARA set up 118 additional child welfare committees, and brought 52 new specialized agencies onto its register over the past year. Since July 2024, a further 266 SAAs have been enrolled and made operational, broadening India’s adoption network.

“We began holding regional consultations last year and found that they encouraged parents to think more seriously about children with special needs. This year, we plan to expand that outreach further,” Saxena said. “We started the process of holding regional consultations last year and found that parents were getting encouraged to consider children with special needs. We will be strengthening the outreach this year."

The Bottom Line:

For pro-life advocates, adoption cannot be separated from the broader duty to support mothers, families, and children before unplanned pregnancies result in abortions or child relinquishment as default responses. A culture that celebrates adoption should also work to make adoption less necessary by strengthening family life, helping struggling mothers, and making it easier to choose life in the first place.

Additionally, it is noteworthy that adoption unravels the reality that is typically sidelined in abortion debates — that every child is a person, not a problem. The same child who might be treated as disposable before birth can become the center of another family’s joy, hope, and sacrifice after birth.

Adoption reminds us that children are not liabilities to be dealt with, but lives to be protected and prioritized. A child’s life has value even when that child is unable to remain with his or her birth parents.

Key Takeaways:

• Brigitte "GG" Stegemann had been living in a care home for two years; her granddaughter, also named Brigitte, had legal power of attorney and was routinely contacted for medical decisions.

• Five months before her death, Stegemann was diagnosed with untreatable Stage IV stomach cancer.

• After three months, Stegemann was asked about Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD), which she said she ardently opposed due to her Christian faith.

• Staff reportedly had discussions with her about MAiD anyway, without her family or any other advocate present. The family was also never given a clear answer about who initiated the MAiD discussions, which was of concern due to Stegemann's diminished mental capacity.

• The euthanasia date was set before MAiD paperwork had even been completed.

• On the day the actual euthanasia was to be committed, the family said the process was rushed, and their final moments with Stegemann were cut short.

The Details:

Kelsi Sheren highlighted the disturbing story of Brigitte "GG" Stegemann, shared by her family in a public Facebook post, calling for accountability and answers in relation to Stegemann's death.

Stegemann was the mother of two children, Fritz and Karin, but her granddaughter, named Brigitte in her honor, had become Stegemann's primary carer and advocate, and held power of attorney. Due to this, she was the primary contact for all medical and personal care decisions.

Stegemann had been living at the E.J. McQuigge Lodge, a long-term care facility, for two years. In the last months of her life, she was diagnosed with Stage IV stomach cancer, which doctors said could not be treated. Her family began to prepare for the end of her life.

The family noted that Brigitte was regularly contacted and kept informed about her grandmother Stegemann's treatment:

Throughout her stay, Brigitte was contacted frequently by the home—often every day or every other day—to make decisions regarding GG's care. Whether the matter involved medications, treatments, appointments, or other aspects of daily living, the staff consistently relied on Brigitte to make or assist with important decisions on GG's behalf.

Three months after the diagnosis, staff approached Stegemann and her family about considering MAiD. Stegemann refused, saying she was a devout Christian and wanted to die naturally.

Shortly afterwards, Brigitte and her husband went out of town for a 10-day vacation; Stegemann's daughter Karin and her husband visited Stegemann regularly during this time.

The family noted that Stegemann was often lethargic; when she was awake, she was not very alert, and was deaf in one ear and could not hear well in the other. This made communication incredibly difficult, and it was believed that Stegemann's natural death was imminent.

They were told a formal MAiD meeting would be held after Brigitte returned, but were not informed that discussions were being held with Stegemann privately, without her family or any advocate present.

The MAiD meeting

On July 6, the family met with Stegemann and her physician for the scheduled MAiD meeting, and were shocked by the difference they saw.

"GG appeared dramatically different from how she had been only days earlier," the family's statement read. "She was sitting upright in bed, talking, smiling, and interacting. When Dave playfully pinched her toes, she laughed and raised her hands as though she wanted to box with him. Seeing such a sudden, dramatic improvement left us confused and raised serious questions about why she had appeared so heavily sedated during the previous several days."

The family then requested Stegemann's Medication Administration Record (MAR) log, and saw no differences in medication dosages, which only furthered their suspicion. They said:

[E]ither the home's paperwork did not accurately reflect what was actually being injected into her system, or the clinical team had actively exploited a brief, completely anomalous window of temporary alertness to rush through a permanent evaluation that entirely misrepresented GG's true, unresponsive everyday baseline.

It was only then that they were informed that staff met with Stegemann privately in the 10-day period Brigitte was gone, and no one would tell the family who initiated the MAiD discussions or why it had been brought up again when she had already expressed her moral opposition to it.

The meeting with the physician was moved to the next day, and the family was told they could not remain with Stegemann for part of it. The part that they were able to witness, however, was disturbing:

Because of GG's severe hearing impairment, Dr. K had to repeat her questions several times, but the barrier was far more than physical hearing. Throughout the assessment, GG repeatedly provided objectively incorrect answers to basic, factual questions about her own life and immediate family.

When asked if she had any siblings, GG responded that she had none. The family immediately corrected the record, explaining that GG was the second-youngest of fourteen children. Dr. K then asked if any of her siblings were still alive, and GG again answered no. Once more, the family had to intervene and correct the information, explaining that some of her siblings were still living and that GG had spoken to one of them just the previous week.

At this point, GG became completely disoriented and distressed. She began to cry, stating, "I forgot about the grandkids," visibly confusing her living siblings with her great-grandkids.

In fact, the family had to step in and correct the vast majority of the answers GG gave during the questioning. Brigitte explicitly objected to the evaluation right then and there, questioning Dr. K directly on how GG could possibly be deemed to have the capacity to consent to death when she could not accurately recount the most basic facts of her own family and was actively breaking down in confusion.

Despite this, the assessment continued, and to the family's horror, Dr. K's description of what would occur was confusing at best due to the use of vague, euphemistic language:

Dr. K then explained MAID to GG in specific terms, describing it, to the best of our recollection, as receiving medication, feeling peace, falling asleep, and explicitly promising GG that she "would not lose control of her bowels."

Our family was deeply unsettled by this framing. For an elderly individual of GG's demographic background and cognitive capacity, "medication" was a term conceptually linked entirely to healing, care, and relief.

Describing a lethal injection as merely receiving medication—while focusing intensely on her specific, everyday fears of physical indignity—exploited her vulnerability, making it impossible for her to truly grasp that she was consenting to the active termination of her life.

Following this, the family was instructed to leave, including Brigitte, who requested to stay due to her power of attorney. This was denied.

Family left 'shocked and distressed'

Dr. K said Stegemann had consented to MAiD, and her euthanasia was scheduled for July 10, 2026, which left the family "shocked and distressed."

They further discovered that, in what appears to be an illegal action, the MAiD assessment and determination occurred before any application was filled out; after Stegemann's euthanasia date had been set, staff at the facility then filled out the application.

Once again, Brigitte was not informed, despite her power of attorney.

On July 8, the family was informed the euthanasia date had been moved forward one day, and Brigitte immediately went to the facility to find out more information. The euthanasia aspect aside, Brigitte noted that Stegemann's wishes — which included the presence of her family and her pastor at her death — were being ignored.

Brigitte then spoke directly to Stegemann. The family explained:

During the visit that followed, Brigitte sat with her grandmother and asked if she was entirely certain she wanted to go through with this on Friday.

GG appeared confused and visibly distressed. She responded with words to the effect of, "I'm going to die Friday? They're going to kill me Friday?" She wept for an extended period, repeatedly stating that she had made a mistake. Brigitte comforted her and reassured her that if she had changed her mind, she had the absolute right to tell the medical team on Friday that she did not want to proceed.

The clinic moved the euthanasia date back to July 10.

That morning, her family came at 9:00 am, took her outside in a wheelchair to enjoy being outside with her family, and gave her strawberry ice cream, her favorite. Within 10 minutes, staff was pressuring the family to bring Stegemann back inside and get the IV inserted to begin her euthanasia, even though it was not scheduled to begin until 11:00 am.

At 10:20 am, Stegemann was taken back to her room, and Brigitte and her husband were asked to assist with handing the staff medical supplies for the IV insertion, which disturbed them, as they opposed the euthanasia. The insertion was then botched, leaving the family horrified when they entered the room to see Stegemann covered in blood.

When Dr. K arrived, Stegemann never gave verbal consent for the euthanasia to proceed. The family shared:

Our family had been strictly assured that GG would be asked for a final, explicit verbal confirmation on the day of the procedure to ensure she still wished to proceed.

When GG remained completely silent and gave no response, Brigitte felt a sudden wave of relief and a big smile came over her face, believing that the procedure would finally be halted because the strict requirement for final consent had not been met.

Tragically, we were left alarmed and horrified when the clinical team completely ignored her silence and carried the procedure forward regardless.

Shortly afterwards, Stegemann was dead.

The family is now speaking out in an effort to get accountability and answers for the many lapses in care, including ignoring her cognitive state, her prior refusal, denying her the presence of an advocate, and committing MAiD despite Stegemann's lack of a final, verbal consent.

The Bottom Line:

Euthanasia has become a leading cause of death in Canada since being legalized in 2016, and legal euthanasia for mental illness is scheduled to take effect in 2027. Euthanasia and assisted suicide now make up five percent (5%) of all deaths in Canada, with over a fifth of applicants citing “isolation or loneliness” as the reason why they wanted to die.

Reports have additionally shown that people have been offered MAiD for poverty, homelessness, and an inability to access disability or mental health services.

The remains of the baby girl ripped from her mother’s womb were found in a wooded area in Colombia after investigators arrested five people in the murder-for-baby plot, which authorities said was orchestrated by a woman the victim believed to be a friend.

Hopes that María Camila Potosí’s newborn would be found safe were dashed when one of the suspects charged in the case led officials to the child’s remains.

The post noted that Yulieth Angulo was behind the deadly plot to steal Potosí's baby:

In court documents reviewed by The Post, officials allege Angulo paid four members of a local street gang about 4 million Colombian pesos — roughly $1,265 — to kidnap and murder 21-year-old Potosí in order to steal her unborn child.

"Pretending to be pregnant herself, Angulo befriended Potosí several months earlier through a city-run program for expectant mothers, authorities said," according to the Post, which added:

... On July 16, Angulo accompanied Potosí to a prenatal appointment and then convinced her to get supplies for the baby... Prosecutors allege that Angulo brought her to a house in Cali’s Alto de Polvorines neighborhood, where the four gang members were waiting. One of the alleged gang members, identified by authorities as Nitzon Mondragón, then attacked and fatally stabbed Potosí.

7/30/26: A community in Colombia is in mourning after a woman who was eight months pregnant was found brutally murdered last week. Her preborn child was ripped from her womb and is still missing.

Key Takeaways:

• A 21-year-old pregnant woman in Colombia was found stabbed to death on July 20.

• She was eight months pregnant at the time, but her preborn baby girl is still missing.

• Police have one suspect in the case, but believe as many as four people may have been involved. They are offering a reward for more information.

The Details:

Eight-months-pregnant Maria Camila Potosí, 21, was found stabbed to death on July 20, four days after she was last seen alive. Authorities described a gruesome murder scene, and Potosí's preborn baby girl was nowhere to be found.

According to various news reports, on the day of her disappearance Potosí had been at the home of the father of her preborn baby. There, she received a call from a supposed female friend saying she had gifts for her Potosí's baby. Potosí left with the woman on the back of a motorcycle; police later identified and questioned the woman.

Carlos Rincón, the female suspect's former boyfriend, said that she had previously lied to him twice about being pregnant, in one instance telling him that she had lost the baby. It is unclear what charges she is currently facing in regards to the murder and kidnapping.

Gen. Herbert Benavídez, commander of the Cali Police, believes that as many as four suspects are responsible for Potosí's death and her daughter's kidnapping.

Zoom In:

Cali Mayor Alejandro Eder announced a $63,000 ($200 million Colombian pesos) reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.

“We have increased to $200 million the reward for information that allows identifying and capturing those responsible for the crime against María Camila Potosí,” he wrote on X. “We will continue working with all institutional capacities to uncover the truth and advance in each of the lines of investigation, including the clarification of the facts related to the health status of her baby.”

The Bottom Line:

Potosí's mother, Alba Gomez, pled with the kidnappers to return her baby granddaughter, who was named Alahia.

“The only thing I ask with this appeal and with the hopeful faith I hold that my baby is alive – is for her to be found,” Gomez said. “I ask that the people who have her search their hearts and return her to me.”

Key Takeaways:

• International surrogacy agreements are flourishing, despite varying laws between countries.

• Experts are warning this could lead to "stateless" babies, with questions and confusion about citizenship, with one claiming, “That’s a serious risk in cases of international surrogacy agreements, and numbers are growing, and growing very fast.”

• Some have expressed concern that surrogacy is being used for birth tourism and can lead to trafficking.

The Details:

The Guardian reported that this "warning follows the suspension of a 15-year effort by The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) to establish a global surrogacy convention, which was paused due to divisions among member states."

HCCH member states include the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, where surrogacy is allowed, as well as France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, where surrogacy is restricted or banned.

"I invested 10 years of my life into this project. But if there's no political will, there's absolutely no point in us spending more of people's time and money," said Professor Michael Hellner, who chaired the HCCH working group. "The lack of coordination between the states on this issue leads to problems for the children, and the risk of statelessness is increasing."

He added that the differing surrogacy laws cause "limping parentage." Some nations do not grant nationality to a child born there, while others, like the United States, make anyone born in the nation an immediate citizen — even if the intended parent or parents are in China.

Some nations, like Italy, have banned domestic surrogacy and criminalized international surrogacy, citing the commodification of women and children as a violation of human rights and dignity.

With laws on surrogacy differing widely between nations and surrogacy use increasing, the number of children who have different legal parents in different countries is increasing.

Zoom In:

"If the government doesn’t issue a passport in either the country where the baby is born, or where it is going home to, then there are chances the baby will become stateless,” explained Bhaskar Mishra, a child protection specialist at UNICEF. “That’s a serious risk in cases of international surrogacy agreements, and numbers are growing, and growing very fast.”

The Guardian pointed to British citizens who hired a surrogate as an example of the creation of stateless children. Most of the children born via surrogate to British intended parents are born abroad. The adults must apply to the United Kingdom family courts for a parental order to become their biological child's legal parents, and, depending on the nation in which the child is born, must apply for British citizenship for the child.

“There are lots of situations where these children are just left in a limbo and that affects their legal status, which is something that is crucial to having an identity,” said Maud de Boer-Buquicchoi, president of Child Identity Protection. “The differences in legislation between different countries is still a big, big puzzle.”

In another case, a surrogate in Florida is currently fighting for custody of the boys she birthed nearly two years ago for a man in China who has yet to claim the children.

Early this year, Representatives Blake Moore and John Moolenaar introduced legislation aimed at preventing foreign adversarial nations such as China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from abusing the American surrogacy industry to obtain United States citizenship for children and traffic infants abroad.

Some of the major drivers of surrogacy are gay couples and older women. Many are using donor eggs or sperm to create children who will be intentionally deprived of one or both of their biological parents.

The children are also taken from their birth mothers — the only mothers they have ever known, the surrogate, with whom they are most bonded — to be given to people who are strangers to them. When the surrogacy contract is international, there are likely to be legal issues that cause even more confusion and turmoil, which can cause harm to the children.

The Bottom Line:

If HCCH member states can't even agree to meet to discuss international surrogacy, the problems surrogacy creates and the number of wounded children will only increase.

Key Takeaways:

• Paul Vaughn, a pro-life activist, was arrested in an early morning raid at his home in 2022.

• Vaughn's arrest stemmed from a peaceful protest at an abortion facility in 2021.

• He was pardoned by President Trump in January 2025.

• This week, lawyers at the Thomas More Society announced that the Department of Justice has reached a settlement with Vaughn.

The Backstory:

In March 2021, Vaughn and other pro-life advocates participated in a peaceful protest at the Carafem abortion facility in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. Vaughn later emphasized the protest was non-violent, saying, “It was like church service in there, people sitting in the floor in the hallway, people singing hymns, reading scripture, praying... The purpose is to try to save babies today and most importantly be obedient to Christ.”

More than 18 months later, in the predawn hours of October 2022, FBI agents descended on Vaughn's Tennessee home with assault weapons drawn, terrifying his wife and children. They arrested Vaughn for the March 2021 incident, on a charge of conspiracy to violate the FACE Act. At the time of the home raid, FBI agents reportedly did not present an arrest warrant, nor did they tell Vaughn's wife why he was being arrested or where he was being taken.

Eventually, Vaughn was convicted of a misdemeanor FACE violation and a felony Conspiracy Against Rights violation, even though, as his law team from Thomas More Society noted, "his only involvement in the event consisted in serving as a messenger between the police and the peaceful protestors."

Vaughn, along with other pro-lifers, was pardoned by President Trump in January 2025.

READ: <a href="/news/biden-harris-doj-persecution-peaceful-pro-lifers">How Roe’s reversal triggered the Biden-Harris DOJ’s persecution of peaceful pro-lifers</a>

The Details:

In a press release issued July 28, the Thomas More Society (TMS) announced that Vaughn had reached a settlement with the DOJ. As the law firm noted, "With this settlement, the federal government has now affirmed the Biden DOJ’s and FBI’s actions were an abuse of government power."

Steve Crampton, Senior Counsel at Thomas More Society, praised the settlement, saying:

“This family did nothing wrong. Paul prayed and sang. He bore witness to his faith and for that, the full weight of the federal government was brought crashing down on his front door before the sun rose. What was done to Paul and his family was a profound injustice, and we are grateful that this settlement acknowledges that.

We also commend the Trump Department of Justice for having the courage to look at what its predecessor did, call it what it was—an abuse of power—and change course. No American should ever again have to fear an FBI raid for praying and offering hope to women in need.”

The Bottom Line:

In a statement, Vaughn expressed gratitude that he and his family will be able to now move forward.

“My family has been through a traumatic ordeal that never should have happened. But today brings an end to this portion of the story,” he said, adding:

“I am grateful to the members of this Department of Justice who were willing to look honestly at what the prior administration did to our family and so many others and attempt to make it right. I am grateful to President Trump for the pardon that restored my good name, Thomas More Society for their tireless defense, and the countless people who stood with us in prayer.

This chapter is finally closed, and our family looks forward with gratitude and hope, as we continue to serve God, advocating for the most vulnerable among us without fear.”

Key Takeaways:

• Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill challenged the FDA's decision to allow the abortion pill, mifepristone, to be dispensed via telehealth and the mail.

• The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is currently considering the case.

• More than 250 abortion-friendly senators and representatives filed an amicus brief in support of telehealth abortion, despite the dangers to women.

The Backstory:

Mifepristone, the first drug of the two-drug abortion pill regimen (mifepristone and misoprostol), was approved by the FDA in 2000, and safety rules known as REMS were ultimately put in place to ensure women's safety.

The abortion pill is known to carry risks, including incomplete abortion, hemorrhage, and infection.

For women who are experiencing an undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy, taking mifepristone could prove deadly, as the drug is available without any exams, testing, or confirmation of gestational age. Up until a handful of years ago, women had to take mifepristone under the in-person supervision of a certified physician after a physical evaluation.

Today, because of decisions made by the Obama and Biden administrations, those particular safety measures are gone.

Women can now have the abortion pill shipped to them via internet order without a medical exam or proof of their baby's gestational age. But abusive men and parents have also been ordering the abortion regimen and then deceiving or coercing pregnant teens and women into taking it.

Calls for the reinstatement of the safety rules that had been in place for two decades have been met with pushback from pro-abortion groups and legislators.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill challenged the FDA rules under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), arguing that the 2023 decision to allow telehealth abortion pill prescriptions and mail-order dispensing of mifepristone was tainted by "procedural deficits" and a "lack of adequate consideration."

The APA sets rules for how federal government agencies develop and issue regulations.

The Details:

As that case is before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the 259 lawmakers, including 47 senators and 212 representatives, penned an amicus brief in support of the lax safety protocol. They wrote that Louisiana "now seeks to re-impose this onerous nationwide restriction on all Americans."

They added, "Reinstating an in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone exacerbates an already significant reproductive health crisis by limiting access to the most common method of early abortion."

The amicus brief was spearheaded by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), along with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

The Bottom Line:

On May 1, the 5th Circuit had temporarily reinstated the rule that the abortion pill must be dispensed in person. However, the Supreme Court blocked that ruling, allowing mail order of the drug to continue.

It is unclear when the Fifth Circuit will issue its decision.

Key Takeaways:

• Social worker Roderick Theis was fired from Oregon's Intermountain Education Service District after displaying books affirming biological sex in his office behind his desk.

• The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, claimed that displaying the books was not speech protected by the First Amendment.

• Two of the books Theis displayed were authored by Ryan and Bethany Bomberger of The Radiance Foundation, and one was authored by commentator Matt Walsh.

• Theis' former school district allows books on the children's library shelves which “feature violence, suicide, explicit language, domestic abuse, drug and alcohol use, and sexual content... labeled for young adults," and which "contain sexually inappropriate material (e.g., masturbation), and had sparked parental complaints, but they all remained on display.” However, these were deemed appropriate, while Theis' displayed books were not.

• In an ironic twist, searches performed in the Education Service District's library shows that books are available to children which contain content so explicit that these same books are banned from prison library shelves.

The Details: 

In a 2-1 decision on July 21, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the appeal of Roderick E. Theis, who was fired from Oregon’s Intermountain Education Service District (IMESD), claiming that Theis’ display of books affirming biological reality behind the desk in his office was “beyond First Amendment coverage.”

Last year, Theis, a social worker of over 15 years, sued after he was terminated by IMESD in eastern Oregon for displaying the children’s books “He is He” and “She is She” (authored by The Radiance Foundation's Ryan and Bethany Bomberger) and “Johnny the Walrus” (authored by Matt Walsh) in his offices.

Court records state that Theis had two office locations — one at La Grande Middle School in La Grande School District and the other within the Elgin School District located in eastern Oregon. 

Writing the opinion, Judge John B. Owens stated that the three children’s books “share the themes that gender is binary and cannot be changed.” After a complaint was filed, IMESD conducted an investigation where the district found the books to be “transphobic” and threatening to an “inclusive environment.”

Live Action News previously reported that the court documents showed IMSED allows publicly displayed books and posters promoting gender ideology and sexuality while simultaneously concluding that staff “are not allowed to express views and opinions on specific subjects” or which do not “support transgender or gender neutral” ideology. 

The recent Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision states that Theis “resumed displaying the books” after the district court’s order permitting the books to be displayed only while students were not present. 

Court documents further state:  

Students entered his office and accessed the books. In at least one instance, Theis discussed the content of the books with students. IMESD initiated a second investigation, concluded that Theis had violated its policies and the terms of the preliminary injunction, and began disciplinary proceedings. 

Writing the dissenting opinion, Judge Lawrence VanDyke wrote, “like the personal views that Theis’s colleagues were permitted to express in their office, Theis’s placement of three children’s books as decorations in his office was his own personal expression, not the government’s.”  

Ryan Bomberger, co-author of the books “He is He” and “She is She,” and co-founder of The Radiance Foundation, responded to the case on Facebook, stating: 

It's insane that someone can be fired for displaying basic biological facts and affirming what is actually taught in that school system's own science classes. Pray for Rod Theis and his family. Pray this gets appealed and this unconstitutional decision gets slapped down. 

The Backstory:  

Last summer, Judge Andrew Hallman of the U.S. District Court of Oregon Magistrate, cited IMESD’s “Every Student Belongs” (ESB) and Bias Incident Complaint Procedure policy in his split decision, stating that IMESD could not terminate Theis, so long as the books were not displayed while students were present.

This was allegedly so the books would not influence “impressionable or captive students.” 

Live Action News explained that the ESB policy prohibits the “display of symbols of hate.” The Bias Incident Complaint Procedure policy defines a ‘bias incident’ as “a person’s hostile expression of animus toward another person, relating to the other person’s perceived race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or national origin…”

After the split decision, Theis appealed, represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). ADF alleged that several books inside the school districts where Theis was employed “feature violence, suicide, explicit language, domestic abuse, drug and alcohol use, and sexual content... labeled for young adults," and that there are materials available to children which "contain sexually inappropriate material (e.g., masturbation), and had sparked parental complaints, but they all remained on display.”

But it was the three books Theis displayed, geared towards ages 2-8, that were deemed as “hostile” by IMSED, not the sexually graphic and violent books.  

Live Action News previously reported that court documents revealed Theis holds Christian convictions, including that the Bible teaches “[w]e are all created equally but with different purposes,” and that “[w]e are all designed by God, and [H]e was intentional” when creating human beings.  

Why It Matters: 

Live Action News has covered the overlapping history and continuing relationship between pro-abortion and gender-ideology groups. With easy access to the minds of vulnerable youth, the public school system continues to be utilized as a tool of propaganda. 

Bonnie Wallace, legislative liaison for Recover America, has pushed back against explicit books placed on the shelves of school libraries across Texas and the U.S.

Wallace told Live Action News regarding Theis:

“The irony of this ruling and of this brave man getting fired for having books which tell the truth is unbelievable. When our school libraries are filled with sex with animals, sex with dead bodies, group sex, orgies, and a myriad of other perverted content, it's just hard to believe that Mr. Theis was fired for 3 books which share the simple truth of biology.” 

Live Action News reviewed the electronic catalogs of books found in the elementary and middle schools libraries in IMSED’s Elgin School District (SD) — where court documents stated one of Theis’ offices was located — and confirmed that children have access to a plethora of books promoting the radical deconstruction of gender through gender ideology.

They also have access to over a dozen books that would be prohibited in some adult prisons due to their explicit content.  

While advocating to remove obscene books from public school libraries, Wallace was connected with David Stokely, a former Texas inmate-turned-evangelist.

While Wallace and Stokely were attending a school board meeting in San Antonio, Stokely stated that many of the books they were attempting to remove from children’s bookshelves would not be allowed in prison.

Wallace, working with her state senator and chair of Criminal Justice committee, Pete Flores, requested information from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, confirming a list of books prohibited to inmates due to graphic content involving illicit acts such as bestiality, rape, and incest.

After a quick search on Elgin district’s high school library portal, Wallace identified over a dozen explicit books that are so graphic, these same books are prohibited to adult prison inmates.

“The courts got this case wrong. Protecting the minds of minors should be common sense,” Wallace said. “When you consider that, in Texas, prisoners are prohibited from reading over a dozen books which are currently sitting on library shelves in the Elgin school district, accessible to minors, it's shocking. Schools fight hard to protect this filth, but fire a man for simply portraying an innocent children’s book that celebrates biological truths."

The Bottom Line: 

Commending Theis’ efforts, Wallace says she wishes more would get involved in their local schools board meetings and push back against explicit books rampant in schools across the country. 

“The Bible tells us that 'good will be called evil and evil will be called good; well, here we are… More courageous people — like Mr. Theis, willing to stand up for the truth — are sorely needed.”        

Thousands of American women have joined a class-action lawsuit against the manufacturers of birth control shot Depo Provera, following 2024 research linking its use to a more than fivefold increased risk of developing a meningioma, a tumor in the meninges (the protective membranes covering the spinal cord and brain).

But while risk may be highest with Depo Provera use, research is increasingly linking multiple forms of progestin-only birth control – not just the birth control shot – with meningiomas. 

Key Takeaways:

• While meningiomas are largely not cancerous, they can still cause significant health issues.

• Progestin exposure can feed meningioma growth. However, though meningioma risk is increased, even significantly, with progestin use, the overall risk of an individual woman developing meningioma is still very low.

• Risk appears to be highest with use of Depo Provera. A 2025 French study showed that use of the main ingredient in the Depo shot for one year or longer had a fivefold-increased risk compared to women who did not get the shot. 

The Details:

If meningiomas aren’t cancerous, what’s the problem?

The majority of the time, meningiomas are slow-growing and not cancerous, so why the concern over their link with Depo Provera and other progestin-only birth control? The reason is because even though they are benign about 90% of the time, these tumors are growing inside a fixed space. 

As they grow, they can cause pressure on the brain tissue and spinal cord, which may in turn cause symptoms severe enough to impact daily living and potentially require brain surgery or radiation. 

Symptoms may include seizures, trouble seeing, hearing, speaking, and/or remembering things, along with numbness and weakness. What’s more, meningiomas can come back. 

Context on the connection between meningiomas and progestin-containing birth control

Four things are worth noting for context:

• Progestin exposure can feed meningioma growth (so can progesterone exposure during pregnancy). Conversely, reducing progestin or progesterone exposure (like stopping progestin-containing birth control or giving birth) can stop growth or even reduce tumor size. 

• A progestin-only birth control pill, known by the brand name Opill, is available over the counter here in the United States. The public generally expects medicines available without a prescription to be safer than those medicines that do require a doctor’s office visit and follow-up or ongoing monitoring. But progestin-only Opill is not without risks, including increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and breast cancer compared to women not taking hormonal contraception.  

• We may think progestin-only birth control refers to one kind of drug, especially because progestin-only oral contraception is often referred to as ‘the mini-pill.’ But there are multiple generations of synthetic progesterone, known as progestin. For this reason, when we talk about progestin-only birth control, we’re potentially talking about multiple different kinds of progestin. The types of progestin sold here in the U.S. are not necessarily the same kinds that are used in European birth control. 

• When we talk about meningioma risk being increased, even significantly increased with exposure to certain progestins, we’re still talking about very low overall risk of an individual woman developing meningioma. According to ACOG, one in 2,000 women using the Depo Provera shot may experience meningioma, compared to one in 10,000 women not using Depo. 

What new research tells us about progestin-only birth control and meningioma risk

The 2025 French study

A 2025 French study of over 18,000 women who had meningioma surgery found that those who used medroxyprogesterone, the main ingredient in the Depo shot, for one year or longer had a fivefold-increased risk compared to women who did not get the shot. 

Desogestrel – a progestin found together with estrogen in American birth control pills Azurette, Bekyree, Kariva, Pimtrea, Simliya, Viorele, and Volnea – was also linked with meningioma.

• After five years of taking desogestrel, women were 70% more likely to develop a meningioma than women not taking desogestrel.

• When women used desogestrel for seven years or more, risk was 150% higher compared to women who didn’t take desogestrel. 

The study further linked two kinds of high-dose oral progestins that are not used here in the U.S. with meningioma risk. Of note, use of the Levonorgestrel IUD (aka the progestin-only IUD), which is popular in the U.S., did not lead to increased risk.

Importantly, within one year of stopping any of these meningioma-linked progestins, risk of meningiomas returned to baseline. 

The 2026 Denmark study

Most recently, a 2026 study from Denmark spanned 25 years of health records and followed 1,473 women with meningiomas.

• Consistent with previous research, Depo Provera was the riskiest progestin. 

• Combination estrogen and desogestrel pills (mentioned above) were associated with slightly increased risk when used in the past year, as were combination estrogen and drospirenone pills, sold in the U.S. as Gianvi, Jasmiel, Lo-Zumandimine, Loryna, Nikki, Ocella, Syeda, Vestura, YAZ, Yasmin, Zarah, and Zumandimine. 

• While the French study of high-dose (52 mg) IUDs found no increased risk, the Denmark study did identify slightly increased risk with use of one year or longer. 

The Bottom Line:

While the connection between progestin-only hormonal contraception and benign brain tumor risk doesn’t mean that the average woman is at high risk, women still deserve to be informed about even small risks.

Even more, they deserve education about family planning options that don’t jeopardize their health and reproductive issue treatments that restore health rather than Band-Aiding symptoms or bypassing the woman’s reproductive system altogether. 

Key Takeaways:

• A proposed state constitutional amendment would codify the right to abortion in Virginia under the guise of “reproductive freedom,” gutting current pro-life protections, even through the third trimester.

• Ambiguous language in the amendment would place the fate of a preborn child into the hands of a single physician — who could stand to profit from the abortion — who can determine if abortion is necessary to “protect the life or physical or mental health” of the mother, or if “the fetus is not viable.”

• Virginia voters will have the final decision on the amendment’s approval on November 3.

The Details: 

This year marked a major shift in the future of Virginia’s pro-life laws, as one of newly elected Governor Abigail Spanberger’s first acts was to approve posing a constitutional amendment question for Virginia voters to decide on in November.

The amendment states that “every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including the ability to make and carry out decisions relating to one's own prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management and fertility care.” The “Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment” would place abortion in the same category as life, liberty, and happiness in the state Bill of Rights. 

According to the Virginia Catholic Conference, “The amendment is dangerously vague and creates risky loopholes for unregulated abortions even up until birth.” Through it, physicians can justify abortion as the gold standard of care for a mother with everything from life-threatening pregnancy complications to “mental health” issues.

Dr. William Lile, D.O., FACOG, a board-certified OB/GYN known as the “ProLife Doc,” explained, “Experts agree that no situation demands the deliberate termination of a preborn child’s life as the only way to resolve a maternal health crisis.” 

In April, the Founding Freedoms Law Center filed a lawsuit against Virginia election officials on behalf of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, the Virginia Medical Freedom Alliance, and Meagan Kade, a Bluefield Town Council member. They argue that the broad language in the amendment misleads voters on the true impact it would have on Virginia regulations, making it inadmissible for a proper vote.

Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation of Virginia, which oversees the Founding Freedoms Law Center, says this amendment would create “the most radical abortion regime anywhere in the United States.”

The Bottom Line: 

If this amendment is approved, Virginia will become the state with the fewest protections for preborn children, providing loopholes to lower the quality of medical care that pregnant mothers receive. It is critical for Virginia voters to be aware and vote “no” at the ballot box.

Go Deeper:

• <a href="/news/virginia-governor-abortion-ballot-measure">Virginia governor signs bill to put 'extreme' pro-abortion measure before voters</a>

• <a href="/news/virginia-bishops-vow-fight-enshrine-abortion-constitutional">Virginia bishops vow to fight effort to enshrine abortion as constitutional 'right'</a>

No Mistake

When Brandy Meeks was a young teenager, a medical missions team spoke at her church, sharing how their work overseas impacted the lives of people around the world. As she listened, she was inspired, as if God was placing a dream in her heart to one day join the medical team. 

“I thought maybe someday I could solve malaria or something," Meeks told Live Action News. "When I told my father, he asked me if he could hold me accountable. He knew God didn’t make mistakes and if that was placed on my heart, it must be what I was supposed to do.”

But when Meeks entered high school, a biology class dissecting frogs revealed to her that the sight of blood made her ill.

She reflected, “I just didn’t have the knack for that sort of thing. I felt kind of lost, trying to forge a different path.” 

But Meeks later discovered that God had a plan all along, and found her purpose in just the way He intended.

The 'Aha' Moment

After attaining a degree in psychology, she started working for the university as an intern in the fundraising arena. She also worked for a local nonprofit organization.

“I really had a desire to help people reach their highest potential in an area that had nonpartisan support and a mission that everyone could get behind,” Meeks said.

Because she was so visible in the nonprofit arena, the local pregnancy resource center reached out to her, inquiring as to whether she’d consider serving as the director.

“I told them no,” Meeks said. “Then a friend encouraged me to pray about it. She told me not to be a ‘Jonah’ and impressed upon me that may be the direction in which God wanted me to go.”

So, Meeks prayed and within a week of speaking with the board of directors, she knew it was the right fit. As it turned out, the church she had previously attended had launched the center.

She noted, “I could see God’s fingerprints all over this. When I called my dad, he told me that I was indeed fulfilling the call God had placed on my heart. He said I was serving in a medical mission, just not in the way I had originally envisioned.”

It was an “aha” moment for Meeks, realizing she was serving women during the most critical time of their lives.

Since that time, Meeks has been serving in the pro-life movement in various capacities. After serving at the pregnancy resource center for three years, she became Director of Marketing and Research Application of the Vitae Foundation for three years, then was recruited by Abby Johnson to join her team just as the movie “Unplanned” was released.

Meeks said, “Abby anticipated she was going to need more staff, so I accepted a position as vice president of operations.”

After Roe was overturned in June 2022, Meeks was asked by the Vitae Foundation’s board of directions to return to the organization, where she serves today as President/CEO.

She noted, “I have a heart for human beings and a respect for all stages of life. I’m grateful to be able to stay true to my mission.”

Men: A Key to Stopping Abortions

In fact, for the mother of five, Meeks’ pro-life principles were put to the test when her son, who was attending college, confided that his girlfriend was pregnant.

“I knew that as the grandmother, my response mattered,” Meeks said. “I drove from Missouri to Tennessee to put my arms around the mother of my grandchild and told her that whether she married my son or not, I would always love and protect them.”

Her son and his girlfriend eventually got married and now have two children.

As the result of her personal experience — and from a study the Vitae Foundation conducted about men’s influence on abortion — Meeks has learned that men are often the key as to whether a woman facing an unexpected pregnancy will seek an abortion.

She notes, “the abortion industry knows men are very influential and will often find ways to segregate the men from women at abortion clinics. My son knew how he handled his girlfriend’s unexpected pregnancy was important. He wanted her to know they’d figure it out together.”

Meeks emphasized that a woman is looking for affirmation when she tells her partner of their pregnancy. A man, she says, often responds by telling the woman he will respect whatever she decides.

“Essentially, men are putting the entire responsibility on the shoulders of their partners,” Meeks said. “Even though our study, the first of its kind, revealed that they think it’s the ‘right’ thing to say, women resent that canned response. She needs to know she’s not alone in this journey and that he’s going to fight for the child.”

Real change, Meeks said, not only comes from helping men come alongside their partners but also transforming a culture to one that supports life.

“We need to re-frame our conversations around unplanned pregnancies," Meeks said, "and it starts in our homes, around the dinner table.”

Compassion in Action

Equally important is speaking out against abortion, sharing stories that help others see the negative impact abortion has on communities everywhere.

“When, we as pro-life advocates stay silent, we give the other side the microphone,” Meeks said. ” We don’t want to rock the boat, but the abortion industry never stops talking about abortion. It takes one person to share truth with love and compassion.”

While speaking out is vital, so is showing up. Real compassion, Meeks notes, is about action. 

“It’s having a generosity mindset,” Meeks said. “It’s not saying, ‘let me know if you need anything’ but about being more proactive like sending a pack of diapers, offering to drive her to a doctor’s appointment. We need to step up and show up.”

These days, Meeks speaks around the country, often partnering with pro-life organizations like Students for Life. She is adamant about the importance of implementing programs that teach men ways they can support their partners during unexpected pregnancies. “I want to make sure we’re doing what God want us to do,” she said.

Key Takeaways:

• D4vd, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, rose to fame on TikTok.

• He met Hernandez when she was 11 years old and allegedly began grooming her.

• When Hernandez was 13, they allegedly began a sexual relationship; Burke was 18 at the time.

• Hernandez's dismembered, decomposing body was found in Burke's Tesla in 2025. She was just 14 years old.

• New text messages read aloud during a preliminary hearing revealed that Hernandez got pregnant, seemingly more than once, and had at least one abortion, though it is not clear if she was pressured or coerced.

The Backstory:

Burke began his career uploading "Fortnite" montages online, along with original music he created to avoid copyright infringement. His first single, "Romantic Homicide," went viral on TikTok, and eventually landed on the Billboard charts. He was signed to Interscope Records in 2022, and his music continued to go viral on social media; by 2025, he had over three million followers on TikTok.

He began to tour in August of 2025, but by September, the tour was cancelled after Hernandez's body was found in Burke's Tesla. She had been missing for weeks, and her dismembered body had been stuffed into a black trash bag. Hernandez was just 14 years old when she was killed.

An autopsy found she had been stabbed to death, and her body mutilated after her death. Authorities confirmed her body had been decomposing for several weeks, if not longer, by the time it was found; it took so long to find her that Hernandez's 15th birthday had passed.

By November, police officially named Burke a suspect, though he was not arrested until April of 2026.

The Details:

Details about the relationship between Burke and Hernandez were revealed during a preliminary hearing last week. The two first met in 2022, when he was 17, and Hernandez was 11 years old. Documents show they began a sexual relationship when she was 13. They had each other's names tattooed on their left ring fingers, and  "Shhh..." tattooed on their right index fingers.

Testimony during a preliminary hearing last week included text messages between the two. At the conclusion of the hearing, a judge ruled that Burke must stand trial for Hernandez's murder.

The texts dated back to 2022, when Hernandez was 11, indicating she had been groomed for two years before Burke began having sex with her after he was about 18 or 19 years old. It is in these text messages that it was revealed Hernandez became pregnant and had an abortion at least once, though there is some question of whether or not she had multiple abortions.

In November of 2023, Hernandez began discussing the possibility of being pregnant, which is when prosecutors say their sexual relationship had just started. “Currently [manifesting] my period bc I refuse to have kids,” Hernandez wrote, with Burke replying, “Did you miss your date.” He then urged her to track her period, saying, “I just need to make sure ur on top of ur [s***]."

Whether she had an abortion in that instance is not clear. It is known that by January, she was indeed pregnant. Who first suggested an abortion is unclear, although in the days leading up to the appointment, they discussed it frequently.

“Both of us aren’t able to take care of it,” Hernandez texted, with Burke responding, “you’re sm [so much] stronger than me baby lmao” and “I love you.” 

Burke then explained that his mother told him to consider paternity if he ever got a girl pregnant, so he asked, “It is mine right?” Hernandez replied, “Of course it’s yours David.” 

A potential indication that Hernandez may have been pressured appeared in other text messages, with him grilling her about when the appointment was, coaching that “it should take 45,” and then following up with her afterwards. He added that it was like “waiting for test results." When Hernandez became concerned that the abortion had failed, he replied, "nah first baby gone.”

How Hernandez felt about the abortion at the time isn't clear, but by August of 2024, she was feeling serious regret. “Realistically I care abt u. I killed my kid for you,” she texted, adding that she could have chosen to be a mother; Burke replied that doing so would have been acting "selfishly."

“David, I’m going to have to lie to people around me, even my kid, for the rest of my life,” she wrote. “I don’t like talking about it because it gets me really upset, but I’d do anything to have it back.”

At some point, Hernandez also seemed to believe that Burke's promises of marriage and a future together were a manipulation. She texted, "[A]ll we do is have sex and just hang out man I want more than that for myself.”

Hernandez went missing in April of 2025; text messages between the two showed she had threatened to expose their illegal relationship. Prosecutors allege he killed her on April 23, 2025, to keep his ongoing sexual abuse a secret, stabbing her twice in a blue kiddie pool in his garage and leaving her to slowly bleed to death. He then allegedly left her body there for several months before dismembering her with a chainsaw, placing it in black trash bags, and stashing the bags in the trunk of his car.

The Bottom Line:

Abortion is known to be used as a tool by abusers to cover up their crimes. Tragically, this could be what happened to Hernandez before her own young life was senselessly taken by her abuser.

In the ruling, Judge Robert S. Ballou said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) failed to explain why its 2023 REMS safety requirements for the abortion pill mifepristone (200mg)/Mifeprex were necessary, calling the rules "arbitrary and capricious." The 2023 change by the Biden administration eroded in-person dispensing for the drug to allow for mail-order and pharmacy dispensing despite the risks associated with it.

Key Takeaways:

• A U.S. District Judge ruled that REMS safety regulations on the abortion pill mifepristone are "unlawful."

• He ordered the Trump administration to reconsider them.

• The safety requirements, however, are necessary because the abortion pill carries significant risks to women, and underreporting of complications has only made it appear safe.

The Backstory:

The abortion pill, mifepristone (200mg)/Mifeprex, was approved by the FDA in 2000 and placed under a safety system known as REMS in 2011.

2016: Big Abortion conspired to erode the REMS on the drug, and the Obama FDA weakened the REMS, even removing the requirement to report the drug's adverse events other than deaths. The decision to halt the reporting of non-fatal adverse events (complications) of the abortion pill in 2016 may have led to the faulty conclusion that the drug is safe.

2023: Despite a prohibition under the federal Comstock Act, Biden's FDA weakened the REMS again to remove the in-person dispensing requirement and to allow for mail order and pharmacy dispensing of the drug.

June 2026: A senior FDA official under the Trump administration confirmed that the promised safety review of mifepristone was moving forward, and could be completed within months, with some speculating it could happen by September of this year.

The Details:

Pro-life states like Louisiana contend that the 2023 REMS change that allows mail-order dispensing of the abortion pill trampled their laws protecting preborn children. They have filed multiple lawsuits, some of which are on hold pending the FDA's review of mifepristone.

Virginia Case

Whole Woman's Health v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a case currently before the United States District Court of the State of Virginia. Whole Woman's Health is "a collection of health care providers and clinicians that prescribe mifepristone."

"At stake were a set of rules called Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), long criticized by abortion advocates as unduly burdensome," wrote MedicalExpress.com. "[The judge] ordered the Trump administration to reconsider the rules but did not void them or find that the FDA...had acted illegally in principle by trying to impose safety restrictions."

From Judge Ballou's opinion:

The 2023 REMS imposed by the FDA on mifepristone require that (1) prescribing pharmacies be specially certified, (2) prescribing clinicians be specially certified, and (3) prescribers and patients sign a form acknowledging the treatment and its risks.

Abortion providers in Virginia, Kansas, and Montana brought this case to challenge the 2023 REMS as excessively restrictive, unwarranted, and inconsistent with the requirements of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938.

...The FDA failed to consider relevant data, analyze restrictions with reference to the mandated statutory factors, or provide a reasonable justification for its 2023 REMS modification.

It stated that the goal of the REMS is “to mitigate the risk of serious complications associated with mifepristone," and that "[t]he FDA is directed to determine if a REMS is necessary to ensure that a drug’s benefits outweigh its risks."

It included several factors:

Prescriber certification requires providers to certify they

1. can accurately assess pregnancy duration,

2. can diagnose ectopic pregnancies,

3. can provide surgical intervention in instances of severe bleeding or incomplete abortions, or have established plans to provide such care through others and be able to assure access to medical facilities equipped to provide resuscitation and blood transfusions, and

4. have reviewed and understood the mifepristone prescribing information.

Important note: abortion pill prescribers are certified and policed by abortion pill manufacturers Danco Laboratories and generic manufacturers GenBioPro (GBP) and Evita Solutions, but as Live Action News previously documented, prescribers who flout FDA's REMS are not being decertified.

For example, Plaintiff Whole Woman’s Health offers the abortion pill up to 12 weeks, which is beyond the FDA’s 10-week gestational limit; however, nothing is being done to stop it from prescribing the drug two weeks beyond the FDA-approved limit.

Pharmacy certification requires pharmacies to attest, among other things:

1. that the prescriber is certified in the mifepristone REMS program,

2. that the pharmacy will dispense mifepristone so that it's delivered within 4 days of receipt of the prescription, or if delivery is later, confirm with the prescriber that it is still appropriate to dispense the drug,

3. that the pharmacy will track, verify, and maintain records of each mifepristone shipment, and

4. that the pharmacy will comply with mifepristone manufacturer audit requests

The plaintiffs in the case alleged the FDA said the new pharmacy certification requirement is necessary because the in-person dispensing requirement was removed, but failed to state how the two requirements were "interrelated."

The plaintiffs claimed that the "FDA acknowledged that it had not considered any data addressing pharmacy certification specifically."

The arguments

According to the opinion, the plaintiffs argued that the "2023 REMS unduly burden patient access to mifepristone and are not supported by scientific evidence. Plaintiffs also bring an equal protection claim under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment contending that the 'FDA treats providers, pharmacists, and patients who prescribe, dispense, or use mifepristone worse than providers, pharmacists, and patients who prescribe, dispense, or use nearly every other medication.'”

They also claimed that the “FDA reevaluated the provisions of the mifepristone REMS in 2016, and again in 2019, 2021, and 2023, but it has continually decided to reimpose the REMS despite longstanding objections from the medical community and its own review of the data showing mifepristone’s safety and efficacy.”

Ballou further explained that WWH alleged that the REMS "directly injure them by causing delays in their certification of new hires, and generating significant administrative burdens including alleged unnecessary recordkeeping, patient agreement form translation and distribution challenges, and self-stocking of mifepristone given limitations placed on pharmacies certified to distribute the drug."

Meanwhile, the judge noted that the FDA "contends that Plaintiffs lack standing and failed to exhaust their administrative remedies, preventing the Court from reaching the merits of their claims.... Defendants argue that Plaintiffs failed to exhaust their administrative remedies because they did not file a citizen petition, depriving the FDA a chance to address their claims. They also contend that Plaintiffs failed to show that using the administrative process would have been futile."

Ballou also wrote that the FDA said it "has repeatedly affirmed that REMS requirements for mifepristone were reasonable and necessary to ensure the drug’s safe use for medication abortion."

Ballou continued:

Accordingly, Plaintiffs have standing to pursue their claims.

... the heart of Plaintiffs’ challenge echoes the longstanding efforts of various organizations that urged the FDA to lift the REMS requirements for mifepristone, arguing the drug is safe without them. Time and again, the FDA has declined to do so.

... Considering this regulatory history, the FDA cannot plausibly claim that a new citizen petition would change its position that, despite the proven safety of mifepristone, the REMS remain necessary for its use to terminate a pregnancy. I therefore find that requiring further exhaustion through a citizen petition would be futile.

Judge's Ruling

In his July 23, 2026 opinion, Judge Ballou ruled the 2023 "REMS modifications are arbitrary and capricious." The Judge also ruled that "Plaintiffs’ claim that the Agency exceeded its statutory authority (Count I) is DISMISSED."

The judge wrote:

Plaintiffs argue that the FDA’s 2023 REMS Modification Rationale is arbitrary and capricious as a matter of law because the FDA (1) failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for its decision and (2) excluded relevant data.

I agree.

... The Court does not assess whether the 2023 REMS are in fact necessary to ensure that mifepristone’s benefits outweigh its risks or to reduce the burden on the healthcare system. Instead, the court reviews the FDA’s actions to determine whether its decision-making process provided an adequate basis to support its conclusions.

I find that the FDA’s analysis in support of the 2023 REMS fails to provide an adequate explanation of the reasoning behind its conclusions. As a result, the agency’s decision to require the 2023 REMS is arbitrary and capricious under the APA.

His rationale was that over the last 25 years, the FDA has consistently found mifepristone to be safe and effective at ending preborn lives and that the explanation for the pharmacy certification and other REMS requirements does not identify what risk is alleviated by the REMS rules. He also wrote that the FDA did not explain how mifepristone is an "intolerable risk" without the REMS that would ultimately "require withdrawal of the drug from the market."

He concluded that the FDA's "failure to consider relevant evidence and provide a reasoned explanation renders the 2023 REMS modification arbitrary and capricious in violation of the APA and the Fifth Amendment."

The Judge added that:

Because the 2023 REMS modification is inadequately supported, it will be REMANDED to the FDA for further proceedings consistent with this opinion following determination of the status of the constitutional claims. It is so ORDERED.

According to WTOP, Ballou did not give a timeline for a review of the restrictions.

Pro-abortion advocates are claiming victory, pointing to a separate lawsuit in Hawaii (Purcell v Kennedy), which also found the 2023 REMS "arbitrary and capricious."

But the Virginia court opinion also mentioned a lawsuit out of Washington (Washington v FDA), which found that the FDA's changes were "reasonable."

Why It Matters:

Since 2016, there has been no requirement that complications associated with the abortion drug mifepristone (other than death) be reported. This has made it next to impossible to track and understand the dangers and risks of the drug.

However, an insurance database analysis from the Ethics and Public Policy Center found that adverse events from the abortion pill occur at a rate 22 times higher than that reported on the FDA's drug label. A previous study found that mifepristone is four times more dangerous than a first-trimester surgical abortion. As Live Action News previously reported:

Recent research from Ireland about the abortion pill showed 12% of women went to the ER for bleeding or infection. In addition, 16% suffered incomplete abortions.

This percentage corresponds with a recent U.S. insurance database analysis from the EPPC, showing a nearly 11% “serious adverse events” rate after taking the abortion pill.

In addition, abortionist Mitchell Creinin has said he cannot say that the abortion pill is as 'safe as Tylenol' (as has been claimed) because there have been no "long-term" studies on abortion pill use.

Mifepristone is not like other "medications," because its use as an abortion drug means its intention is not to heal but to end the lives of innocent preborn human beings. Those beholden to this agenda continue to push to undo all reasonable regulations surrounding this drug.

Key Takeaways:

• Haywood Robinson was a former abortionist, along with his wife, Dr. Noreen Johnson.

• When he heard the gospel at a 1986 church conference, he and Johnson both stopped committing abortions and became pro-life.

• Johnson passed away in 2021.

• Robinson's loss is being mourned by the pro-life community.

The Backstory:

Robinson previously said he was taught how to commit dilation and curettage (D&C) procedures during residency, with the intention to use it for both miscarriage treatment and for abortions. He and Johnson both became abortionists before eventually stopping due to social stigma, though they still supported it.

“Being the community abortionist would not be something compatible with practicing in the community,” he said. “We no longer were involved with doing abortion. We still believed in it and we still referred for it.”

Over the years, he said they had become desensitized to the humanity of the preborn.

“I never felt any euphoria with it. I think I suppressed most of my emotion and just wanted to get through it,” he said during a Live Action Face to Face panel. “I was doing it because of the money and just wanted to get out of there as fast as I could. So basically suppressing the humanity of the child.”

A church conference in 1986 changed that. After hearing the gospel, he and Johnson abandoned their pro-abortion beliefs, began practicing legitimate medicine, and became pro-life activists.

“[God] opened our eyes to how heinous this war against babies is and He launched us on a pro-life career,” he said. Robinson eventually became Director of Medical Affairs & Education for 40 Days for Life. Johnson passed away in 2021, and Robinson remarried to Daphne Robinson in 2023.

The Details:

Robinson announced the death of her husband on social media.

"It is with profound heartache that I personally, publicly, and officially announce the death of my husband, Dr. Haywood Robinson, MD. My Beloved was much beloved, admired and a friend to many," she wrote, adding:

Protecting and advocating for the unborn and defending all vulnerable life created in the image of God was core to who my husband was. In addition to serving as the Director of Medical Affairs & Education for 40 Days for Life for the past 7-years, Dr. Robinson was the Director of Continuum of Care for Journey of a Lifetime (JOL).

In a comment on Robinson's announcement, 40 Days for Life of New Haven, Connecticut, honored Robinson with a heartfelt eulogy:

He lived with extraordinary purpose. Dr. Robinson’s witness reminded us that God can bring healing from even the deepest wounds and can transform a heart surrendered to His will into a powerful instrument of grace.

What a joy it was learning from him online with the many 40 Days for Life podcasts or other uploaded videos.I was very blessed to meet him in person at the New York City Regional Workshop and the last three National Symposiums in Nashville, Houston, and Phoenix.

As St. Augustine of Hippo famously wrote, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” We pray that Dr. Robinson’s restless earthly journey has now found its eternal rest in the loving embrace of the Lord he faithfully served.

His legacy will live on through the lives he saved, the hearts he changed, and the generations of pro-life advocates he inspired. While we grieve his loss, we also rejoice in the hope of the Resurrection and the promise of eternal life in Christ.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.” — Matthew 25:23

Cory Crenshaw, a former judge and district attorney, also spoke of Robinson's passing, which he called "devastating." He said:

During my six years working and living in College Station, Haywood and his beautiful wife Noreen were two of my absolute favorite people as they were both beloved fixtures in the community celebrated for their medical and Christian mission work. We broke bread weekly at our favorite spots like Veritas, Cafe Eccell and Republic Steakhouse, drank the best wine, traveled and shared so many wonderful memories together.

We just spoke a few weeks ago and discussed a trip to The Bahamas and in classic Haywood fashion he said “Hey man just send the plane and we’ll be there.” I’m so grateful for the blessing he was in my life. My sincere condolences to Riva, Virginia and all his daughters, family and many, many loved ones. I know Noreen was waiting for him with open arms in Heaven. Rest in Heaven sweet Haywood.

Texas Alliance for Life shared a powerful speech of Robinson's, and vowed to continue the fight for him:

Mayra Rodriguez, a former Planned Parenthood health center administrator who likewise became pro-life, also shared the news of his passing.

"Words cannot describe what his friendship and mentorship meant to me. As a former abortion doctor, he understood the weight of the past and the beauty of God's mercy in a way few people could," she wrote on Facebook. "I had the honor of sharing many workshops and conferences with him through 40 Days for Life. Every conversation left me encouraged, challenged, and reminded that God is in the business of redemption. Thank you for investing in my life and in the lives of so many others. Your legacy will continue through every person you inspired. Rest in the peace of Christ. Until we meet again."

A celebration of life will be held on August 5 at Christ Church in College Station, Texas; there will be a livestream available for those unable to attend in person.

“Imagine what would have happened if we had chosen abortion,” she says. “Our lives wouldn’t be what [it is] today. We just have the happiest, most fulfilled lives.”

Life growing up

Tess grew up along Australia’s Great Ocean Road in a close-knit family of four sisters. Life felt stable and grounded early on, shaped by frequent family gatherings and strong ties to her extended family.

That changed when she was just 4 years old and her father was diagnosed with cancer.

From that point on, she says much of her childhood was spent in hospitals, visiting him as he battled illness for years. When she was 9 years old, he passed away.

That loss became a turning point in her life, shaping the grief she would carry into her teenage years.

Navigating loss and uncertainty

After her father’s death, Tess struggled to process what had happened and felt increasingly disconnected from those around her.

“I felt strange … I hated having to tell people my dad has died,” she recalls. “I felt anger, so much so that this anger frightened me.” 

As she entered secondary school, her emotional world became even more complicated. She says a teacher once told her that people who die from illness were being punished by God.

“It just pushed me away from God,” she says.

From there, Tess entered a difficult season of adolescence marked by drinking, drugs, partying and developing an eating disorder. Beneath it all was a deeper sense of searching — trying to cope with grief she had never been able to process.

By 16 years old, things had reached a breaking point, and Tess moved out of her home. She worked to support herself and finish school independently, navigating adulthood and university life long before she felt ready for it.

Unexpectedly pregnant at 20

Eventually, Tess met Alex, who is now her husband, and their relationship quickly grew serious. She describes feeling an immediate sense of connection and familiarity, as though they were meant to be together.

But not long into their relationship, everything shifted. At just 20 years old, Tess discovered she was pregnant.

At the time, Tess says she and Alex were deeply immersed in New Age spirituality, a path they had both begun exploring together. Faith in Christianity had faded into the background, and she had not prayed to Jesus in years.

“I remember looking in the mirror after a shower and just feeling like there was life in my stomach … I had not prayed to Jesus in a long time, but I prayed out of fear, just asking if I was pregnant,” Tess says.

Shortly after, she went to the doctor and received confirmation that she was five weeks and five days pregnant before returning home to tell Alex.

“I looked at Alex and I said, ‘I’m pregnant’ … and he just smiled from ear to ear like it was the most beautiful thing,” Tess recalls. “I felt complete peace knowing that all would be fine because he was beside me.”

That moment brought relief, but uncertainty still remained. The couple had never discussed having children, and she says she was unsure how he would respond beyond that initial reaction.

Tess says she felt she needed to let Alex know that there were other options, including adoption and abortion. But he immediately shut them down.

“He said, ‘No, no, we will just have the baby,’” Tess recalls, “I was so glad about that, and he continued to tell me we would have the baby together.”

Together, they chose life.

Instead of fear, Tess felt reassured by Alex’s response. They then shared the news with both families, who were extremely supportive.

Early motherhood and faith

Halfway into her pregnancy, Tess says she and Alex gave their lives to Jesus.

“We got saved,” she says. “We realized that Jesus Christ was the truth … and our lives changed.”

At 20 years old, Tess gave birth to her son, Jeremy.

Tess says Jeremy’s arrival brought a sense of healing to both families, particularly her own, still grieving the loss of her father. Because they named him Jeremy after her late father, his birth carried special meaning for her family.

Over time, Tess and Alex built a life together and eventually got married. Their family continued to grow, and they welcomed their second son, Julian, in late 2019.

Discovering she was carrying triplets

A year later, Tess recalls a dream that stayed with both her and Alex. Jeremy was 5 at the time and Julian was 1 year old. During COVID, the family was traveling to stay with relatives as they were preparing to move states in search of more stability.

Tess says both she and Alex began having recurring dreams about a little girl who seemed to want to join their family. Though they agreed to wait until they were settled before having another child, Tess soon discovered she was already pregnant. Almost immediately, she became severely sick.

“I just had this overwhelming feeling that this baby was just taking everything from me. Reserves were being pulled from me, and I couldn’t understand it,” Tess recalls. 

At around 18 weeks pregnant, Tess says she was unbuckling Julian from his car seat when she felt movement high on one side of her ribs, then again on the other. The unusual sensation made her realize, for the first time, that she might be carrying twins.

At around 20 weeks, during an ultrasound, the technician noticed something unexpected.

Tess remembers the nurse counting during the scan before stopping and saying, “There’s two … you’ve got twins … Hold on … there’s definitely three babies in there.”

Tess and Alex were stunned.

The pregnancy brought immediate emotional and physical challenges. Medical appointments increased, discussions of risk began, and the weight of what lay ahead became overwhelming.

At one point, doctors discussed the possibility of reducing the pregnancy, but Tess and Alex made the firm decision to continue the pregnancy. 

Eventually, Tess welcomed triplets at 35 weeks — identical twin boys, Samuel and Elias, and a daughter, Indi.

All three were born safely, though Elias required breathing support at birth. After spending 11 days in special care, all three children came home.

Life instantly shifted from a family of four to a family of seven.

Pressure and another unexpected season

Raising five young children brought intense pressure. 

There were seasons of exhaustion, instability and emotional strain as financial challenges, shifting living arrangements and constantly changing routines tested both daily life and their marriage. Tess and Alex often leaned on family support to help carry the weight.

Tess says much of life became survival. 

“There [was] a lot of pressure … Your marriage goes on the back burner because you’re just making bottles, changing babies [and] feeding babies,” she says.

After the triplets, Tess says she and Alex felt they had reached capacity. Life was already full, demanding and stretched. So when Tess became pregnant again, the emotional weight felt heavy. 

Over time, though, her perspective shifted. Tess describes reaching a place of peace where she surrendered her fear and chose to move forward in faith. 

Five days before Tess turned 30 years old, she gave birth to her daughter, Polly.

However, the pregnancy came with serious complications. After birth, Tess says she faced significant medical challenges and nearly died from internal complications that had gone undetected during pregnancy. 

Life today

Now, at 31 years old, Tess is raising six children together with Alex in Australia. Through every stage, she says motherhood has shaped her life in ways she never expected.

“It’s the most completing, beautiful feeling … I have every child meant for me,” she says.

Looking ahead, she often thinks about the life they are building as a family.

“Can you imagine in 20 and 30 years’ time looking at who turns up to our Christmas table … all these children and grandchildren,” she says.

Alongside motherhood, Tess is now building her own creative path. Encouraged by Alex, who runs his own landscaping business, she is working toward launching her own jewelry brand.

As her beading work prepares to be displayed in her local art gallery — a lifelong dream of hers — Tess hopes to eventually sell her jewelry through the gallery as well.

“I feel like I’ve been through a lot, but it’s all to the glory of God,” Tess says.

Tess’ encouragement to those facing an unplanned pregnancy:

“You are given what you are given for a reason and for [a] purpose. You are given that because it is personal to you and for what you should be doing with your life and to trust in something bigger than what you can see.”

Then, while working at an import/export company at age 21, one of Sparshu's co-workers told her about an online dating service, LavaLife, and a man she met through this service kidnapped and trafficked her.

“I met this guy for dinner and discovered he was about 18 years older than the age listed on his profile," she told Live Action News. "As I left the restaurant, he grabbed me and threw me into his car.”

Kidnapped and trafficked

Prior to this, Sparshu had been living in a run-down, cockroach-infected apartment belonging to her mother’s “sugar daddy” because her mother had evicted her from her home in Montreal.

The safety lock on her kidnapper's car door prevented her from escaping. When they arrived at his house, he physically blocked the door, trapping her inside the house.

Sparshu wondered about her children, whom she had left with a babysitter. But when Sparshu didn’t return for her children, no one contacted the police.

“I later learned the babysitter had robbed the house and left the children, who were taken to foster care," Sparshu said. "My mother, who thought I had abandoned the children, only agreed to take them when she was told she’d be compensated. I was in bondage for four years. During that time, I saw both women and children trafficked.”

Sparshu's captor used regular physical punishments to intimidate her and to force her into prostitution. “At the first appointment,” Sparshu recalled to Live Action News, “a woman opened the door and inside a man was waiting. I refused to sleep with him and when my captor learned about it, he beat me, took away all my belongings and threatened to harm my family.”

Giving Birth in Captivity

Sparshu told Live Action News that one day, she sustained a beating so violent that her heart stopped, and she was dumped at the door of a hospital emergency department where the doctors pronounced her dead.

“It may seem unbelievable, but it was during that time I met Jesus,” Sparshu said, describing the vision she had. “He was holding a little girl on his left hand who he introduced to me as my daughter. I also saw a little girl on his right and two children, a boy and a girl standing behind him.”

Sparshu now believes the child in her vision to the right of Jesus was the baby her mother had aborted, and the two children behind Him represented the babies she would later lose to miscarriage years later while married to her husband.

Sparshu was revived, and doctors revealed that she was pregnant. The police had been notified and were coming to get her. But she was fearful to leave her captor – he had promised he would hurt her family if she ever left.

“I begged the doctors to let me go,” Sparshu said. “I was so scared of any repercussions I might face. So, I ended walking back to the trafficker’s house on foot.”

When she told her captor of her pregnancy, he told her she could “kill the child” or continue the pregnancy; he didn’t care. She chose to give birth to her daughter while in captivity.

Sparshu said, “I had always been pro-life. I had my first child when I was two months from my 18th birthday and had previously considered having an abortion, but I forced myself to look at photos of aborted babies and knew I could never do that.”

Fighting for Freedom

The physical abuse, however, continued. One day, she was holding her baby when her captor became violent with her. Now having access to a phone, Sparshu dialed ‘911’ for help. 

“I was taken to a shelter, but ended up going back to him again,” Sparshu told Live Action News. “I was so brainwashed that this behavior was becoming a pattern. I believe I had Stockholm syndrome.”

Eventually, she was put in touch with a victim’s advocate group after again contacting the police, and she offered to help investigators with information they could use to prosecute her captor.

Sparshu told Live Action News, “His computer files revealed that he had trafficked more than 100 women and children over a four-year period. According to police, he had been under surveillance for a long time. He was finally arrested in 2014.”

But while he received a sentence of three years plus probation, he only served 13 months in prison. Once free, he continued to torment Sparshu.

“He posted about me online stating that we had been in a consensual relationship,” Sparshu said. “He had no remorse for what he had done, for stealing so much of my life.”

In a cruel twist of fate, the Canadian courts forced Sparshu to grant her trafficker visitation rights to her daughter. She moved to Toronto in 2016 to get away from him. Ontario Child Protective Services worked with Sparshu for several years afterward to ensure the safety of TiLa and her daughter.

The court only recently terminated his visitation rights.

The years following his release were challenging, but Sparshu eventually married a loving man who knows her backstory and has been supportive.

Sparshu notes, “I believe God brought us together. He not only supports me financially but also emotionally. He loves my daughter like his own.”

Sparshu's mother also eventually relinquished custody of her two sons to her.

What Healing Means

Having survived years of prostitution, sexual assault, and brutal violence, she believes God redeems even the most painful and broken circumstances, transforming them into something beautiful for His greater purpose. 

Sparshu said that when she had her vision of Jesus and the children in heaven, “I was told things were going to get better, and I held onto that promise,” she notes. “Although the trauma will always be part of my story, I refuse to let bitterness define my life, believing that through Christ, healing means not allowing evil to have the final word.”

Her daughter, she believes, gave her the emotional strength to call the police and eventually break free of her captor.

“I wanted to protect her,” Sparshu said. “She was a blessing from God. I would not have her had I not gone through this experience, as horrible as it was.”

Sparshu believes that regardless of how a child is conceived, all human lives have inherent value. That conviction, shaped early on during her teenage pregnancy, was reinforced during her captivity.

“I understand the fear, confusion, and desperation that can arise from an unexpected pregnancy. I have experienced those emotions," she said. "Yet I can separate the innocence of a child from the actions of the person responsible for my suffering. Fighting for my daughter’s life is the reason I’m free today.“

Now, Sparshu uses social media to advocate for survivors of human trafficking, share her faith in Christ and encourage others that no life is beyond redemption.

Key Takeaways:

• Kathryn Francisco, who was donor-conceived, spoke with Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse about how she learned of her origins.

• She said that even though people tried to tell her how loved she was, she "felt like trash."

• She called donor conception "degrading" to the child.

The Details:

Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse of The Ruth Institute recently interviewed Kathryn Francisco, who learned at age 22 that she was conceived using donor sperm.

Her father, who raised her, confessed to her he was not her biological father. He had been distancing himself from her that year after her full brother, also donor-conceived, asked their parents how he was conceived.

After her brother, Matt, learned he was donor-conceived, he told his parents they also had to tell Francisco about her origins within eight months, or he planned to do so himself.

When Francisco found out, she went outside, cried, called her brother, and then went to a friend's house and told her and her family what had happened.

Francisco explained, "[My friend's] mom said, 'You are so loved.' I just... I didn't feel loved. I felt like trash, so it was very confusing because these feelings I was having and my reaction were so different from what this woman told me. And then in college, my friends were like, 'I don't see the big deal.' And it just seemed like no one was getting it."

Francisco said there had been small signs that something was off, like no one in her family had her nose — until her own daughter was born.

She doesn't feel that there was a lot of thought from her parents as to how being donor-conceived might affect the children who were conceived.

Francisco told Morse:

"When you know both of your parents, and you come from them, there's this kind of jive in how you see the world and how you understand the world and how you interact with the world. It's not just based on values and how you're raised. It's also based on who you are and genetics.

I would never advise someone to use donor conception, ever. It's morally wrong on several levels. It's degrading to the child, it's degrading to the spouse who's not related, it's degrading to the donor. It's fueling family separation.

We know that biological mothers and fathers matter to children...."

Why It Matters:

Francisco is not alone. Many donor-conceived individuals have spoken out about how learning about their conception sent them into an identity crisis. They say they feel as though they were "mass-produced," and struggle with learning they have hundreds of siblings.

One man conceived using an egg donor explained it all, saying,

I am egg donor conceived. Male. I found out when I was 16… now in my mid 20’s. Years and years later I still wonder and ponder, “who is my REAL Mother”… where is she? Is she even alive? Would she accept me for who I am? My current Mother… well growing up never accepted me… or even really cared to grow a bond with me (favortizes [sic] my 3 sisters; yes I’m a Quadruplet). It makes sense why now.

There is a massive dIsconnection due to IVF. My relationship with my father has always been the greater of the two.

I wish to one day meet her. Talk with her, even if it’s for 5 minutes. You know who you are….

He concluded that due to his own pain, he intended to do things differently.

"God has blessed my wife & I in being able to have children naturally, and it has been the most wonderful experience so far. I WILL give my children what I never had growing up and still am suffering with. Hurt. Wounds. Depression. Anxiety. And the 'unknown' of my identity."

Key Takeaways:

• Singer Olivia Rodrigo recently had an interview with the Center for Reproductive Rights, where she spoke in favor of abortion.

• In one of her comments, she said pro-life laws are not pro-life, but instead are "pro-control."

• Rodrigo has a long history of supporting abortion.

The Details:

Rodrigo spoke recently with the Center for Reproductive Rights during a discussion centered around abortion. In videos shared to social media on July 21, the pop star made several comments showcasing her support of abortion.

In a conversation with attorney Autumn Katz, Rodrigo asked Katz what it's like working with people in states with "abortion bans."

“Honestly, it’s brutal out there,” Katz said. “Since Roe fell, the Center has challenged abortion bans in 10 states, and the stories that we hear from our clients are really gut-wrenching.” She presented several stories of women who claimed they needed an abortion, but were unable to get one.

“Not very pro-life to harm these women’s health for the long term and see them in the ICU,” Rodrigo said. “It’s just so terrifying... It's pro control."

Another conversation spread misinformation about the abortion pill mifepristone, with Meetra Mehdizadeh, Senior Attorney, U.S. Litigation, telling Rodrigo:

"We have decades of studies showing that it is safe and effective, millions of people have gotten medication abortions since mifepristone was FDA approved. But right now, anti-abortion extremists are trying to get additional, unnecessary restrictions added to mifepristone to make it more difficult to access."

What Mehdizadeh didn't mention was that numerous studies and analyses have found mifepristone to be more dangerous than the FDA label indicates, and that a whopping six percent of women end up seeking emergency care following chemical abortions. And these numbers aren't just seen in the United States.

The interviews were part of a promotional lead-up to Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields Festival, an all-women's music festival which will donate some of its proceeds to fund abortion and abortion-supporting groups.

Zoom Out:

Rodrigo has positioned herself as an abortion supporter numerous times. In 2024, she made waves after she allowed the distribution of information on emergency contraception and information on how to get an abortion at her concerts, which a large number of children attend.

She also launched a pro-abortion fund, to which she gave $2 million from her Guts World Tour proceeds. Among those recipients was the National Network of Abortion Funds, which pays to help women kill their preborn children.

Last year, Rodrigo accepted the Catalyst for Change award from Planned Parenthood of Greater New York at its annual gala, during which she insinuated that women cannot be successful without the legal ability to intentionally end their preborn children's lives through abortion.

Key Takeaways:

• Actress and pro-lifer Alex PenaVega is a vocal supporter of preborn children and the pro-life cause.

• A comment she made in 2024 has now resurfaced and is being misrepresented.

• She is receiving criticism for voicing her opinion about the similarities between domestic violence and induced abortion.

• Most of those who criticized failed to argue that abortion is not killing.

The Backstory:

Actress Alexa PenaVega, who rocketed to fame as a child star with the Spy Kids franchise, has been a vocal supporter of preborn babies for years and, as a recent BuzzFeed article about some of her previous pro-life comments states, she considers herself "hardcore pro-life."

In early 2024, PenaVega and her husband suffered the loss of their daughter, Indy, to stillbirth. The couple openly shared how painful and difficult the loss affected them.

Later that year, PenaVega attended the 2024 Live Action gala, during which she was asked how we can build a culture in which society rallies around women who choose life.

She answered in a very open, honest, and vulnerable way, condemning both domestic violence and abortion:

"My best friend — my husband and I met at his Bible study. He's a refugee from Afghanistan, and when we were talking about what it was like for him growing up in Afghanistan, where he came from, if the wives ever got 'out of hand' the husbands would beat them to 'sort them out,' as they would say. It was a very cultural norm. Nobody considered it bad.

When they all came over to America as refugees, they were getting arrested like crazy because the wives were turning them in because here, culturally, it's unacceptable.

That's what's happening with abortion. We're culturally accepting it, but we would never accept wife beating, right? What's the difference? They're both horrible, horrible things and one is truly ending a life.

We just need to reshape our culture. How do we get past that? It literally takes one person to be brave and to move forward and speak on it."

Live Action released a video clip of this quote in October of 2024, and BuzzFeed is now sharing that the clip "resurfaced on Reddit," where PenaVega is being criticized by individuals who are misrepresenting her comments.

The Details:

The Reddit poster shared the video and said, "Alexa pena vega compares being pro-choice to endorsing domestic violence. Then claims no one dies/really gets hurt from DV."

However, this claim completely misconstrues what PenaVega was saying when she drew a comparison between domestic violence and abortion. She said they are both "horrible" but that abortion "is truly ending a life."

This doesn't mean that PenaVega is ignoring that domestic violence can and does sometimes end in the death of the victim. She's saying that just as we condemn domestic violence, we must also condemn abortion because they are both forms of violence and the entire intent of abortion is to end someone's life.

In addition, commenters arguing that 'women die from domestic violence too' does nothing to prove that abortion doesn't kill people.

But most people only focused on misrepresenting what PenaVega said to avoid the truth that abortion does, in fact, kill human beings.

Missing the point

Commenters did not hold back their dislike for PenaVega, but in doing so, they proved that they missed the point:

• "Her and her husband are massive losers. Also, my sister was murdered by her partner, DV had been an ongoing issue. Alexa is an ignorant b****."

• "Domestic violence can definitely end lives. Don't minimize it."

• "It's so bad to say DV doesn't take lives."

• "Wow. A lot of DV victims would disagree with this sentiment but a lot of them actually can’t since their partners murdered them. Such a beyond dumb and dangerous take."

Again, PenaVega never minimized domestic violence or claimed that women don't die as a result; she said that if we are against domestic violence — as we should be — we should also be against abortion. They are both acts of violence, and one always intends to kill.

Another commenter oddly wrote, "... she doesn’t employ any logic at all. She just says 'abortion is like wife beating, what’s the difference? They’re both bad but one is acceptable!' Like how the f*** can you compare two completely different things and say they’re the same. Genuine insanity."

But PenaVega never said wife beating is acceptable. She said just because a certain culture might believe it to be acceptable doesn't make it so — just like abortion in the United States.

In the BuzzFeed article, comments were even worse than on Reddit:

• "It's also ridiculous that she would compare domestic violence to abortion. Abortion saves women's lives, domestic violence destroys them. She's nuts!"

• "As for Domestic Violence, that's literally hurting someone because you can and may even want to."

• "She and her husband are beyond dumb."

• "Devout Christian” generally means a racist, sexist, xenophobic, anti-LGBTQ MAGAT. I am sure this b*tch checks all boxes."

• "It’s so ironic because in their minds, being Christian means being morally good. But they don’t even give a sh*t about the babies who are actually alive lol"

• "What a dumb f***"

• "Her kids should be taken away, disgusting"

• "Honestly, what a pathetic, washed-up, disgusting loser. Imagine believing that women shouldn’t have the right to choose nor have bodily autonomy. F*ck her. White Christian nationalists are some of the biggest hypocrites in the world. They claim that they follow good ol’ traditional values found in the Bible yet spit in the face of pro-choice women, people of color, immigrants, LGBTQIA + and other minorities. They claim that a fetus is a living, breathing human yet I don’t see them f***ing adopting or fostering children who need a home."

Getting the Facts

• <a href="/news/study-pregnancy-centers-abortion">Pro-life organizations</a> support women and children (who are largely economically disadvantaged, by the way) by supplying them with free education classes, free childcare, free housing, free material goods, free baby formula, access to healthcare, and more. This support often continues for two years or more after the child is born. Sometimes help is even offered for older siblings.

• Religious conservatives and churchgoers adopt and foster children at significantly higher rates than those who consider themselves liberal. According to a national survey, "Compared to those who are Agnostic, Atheist or No Faith, Christians are more likely to have adopted (nearly 2X) or to have fostered (more than 3X). This holds true in relation to other faiths also, with Christians having adopted or fostered nearly twice as often."

Commenters also showed a complete misunderstanding of what an induced abortion is:

I’m guessing she had a D and C following her st*llbirth. The very thing that kept her alive, she’s wanting to deny others. She’d say, her case was different. Rich, entitled people with access to health care always say that. If she were truly Christian she’d care about women’s health.

A D&C is a procedure routinely used for legitimate medical purposes such as miscarriage care and to remove uterine tissue or polyps to diagnose abnormal bleeding.

But it can also be used to intentionally kill a preborn child in an induced abortion, which is a morally wrong way to use this procedure. This specific use — to intentionally kill — is what is prohibited in states that protect preborn children from the violence of abortion.

It is not D&Cs that are prohibited, but the use of a D&C to kill. Just like using a scalpel during surgery is not prohibited, but using one to intentionally kill someone is.

The Bottom Line:

PenaVega has bravely decided to speak up for the preborn children who can't speak for themselves. She clearly compared one cultural norm to another while arguing that both are wrong. Pro-lifers should show her support as she faces this pushback.

But the study results are flawed.

Key Takeaways:

• A study conducted at the site of a California Planned Parenthood affiliate is being used to promote the dispensing of the abortion pill by non-physicians.

• The authors of the study are pro-abortion, and concluded that the dispensing of the abortion pill by APCs, including NPs, CNMs, and PAs, is "noninferior" to dispensing by physicians.

• Certified OB/GYN Dr. Ingrid Skop explained that the study is flawed, in part, because over 1/3 of the women were lost to follow-up — and their outcomes, including safety, are unknown.

The Backstory:

Some physicians don't want to dispense abortion drugs, and as a result, about half of all states allow non-physicians to do so. Big Abortion has been working to get the abortion pill (mifepristone) dispensed by non-physicians as well as pharmacists, and is even pushing for the drug to be available over-the-counter.

According to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, "26 states allow solely physicians to provide abortions..." In these states, only doctors can prescribe the abortion pill, mifepristone (200mg)/Mifeprex, and non-doctors are excluded from doing so. However, the remaining 24 states and Washington, D.C. allow practice clinicians — such as nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurse-midwives — to dispense the abortion pill.

Those wanting to become certified prescribers of mifepristone must complete the Prescriber Agreement Form and agree that they fulfill the following qualifications:

• Ability to assess the duration of pregnancy accurately

• Ability to diagnose ectopic pregnancies

• Ability to provide surgical intervention in cases of incomplete abortion or severe bleeding, or to have made plans to provide such care through others, and ability to assure patient access to medical facilities equipped to provide blood transfusions and resuscitation, if necessary

These qualifications, however, do not specify that practitioners must actually perform such assessments or interventions for the safety of women.

Manufacturers are obligated to decertify those who are out of compliance, but that does not appear to be taking place.

The Details:

Study Claims

The study "Medication Abortion Provision by Advance Practice Clinicians and Abortion Completeness," published this month in JAMA Network Open, said that among the 15 Planned Parenthood locations, there were 59,091 chemical abortions committed between December 2021 and December 2025. It claims 58,473 (approximately 99%) of those were carried out by APCs. It stated:

In 2016, the US FDA Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy for mifepristone changed, permitting advance practice clinicians (APCs; ie, nurse practitioners [NPs], certified nurse midwives [CNMs], and physician associates [PAs]) to prescribe mifepristone.

Most peer-reviewed data focus on the effectiveness and safety of APCs providing procedural abortion.

In the absence of sufficient data, 26 states have physician-only laws restricting APCs from providing medication abortion (MAB).

We assessed the estimated effectiveness and safety of MABs provided by APCs, hypothesizing that MABs provided by APCs are similarly effective and safe compared with MABs provided by physicians.

The study, which was authored by abortion advocates, concluded that "estimated MAB [abortion pill] effectiveness when provided by APCs was noninferior to [abortion drugs] provided by physicians."

But, given the <a href="/news/no-test-contact-abortion-covid-works-time">no-test protocol</a> and "Just in Case" (advance provision) abortion pill dispensing practices of Big Abortion, which seem to violate Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety regulations known as the REMS, is this study an accurate portrayal of real-world results?

Verifying Gestational Age

The study authors claimed, "Ultrasonography was used to confirm pregnancy dating. Patients were dispensed mifepristone and misoprostol."

The no-test abortion pill protocol rolled out by Big Abortion during the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing. Today, many abortion providers work under a "trust the woman" mindset, failing to require ultrasounds prior to dispensing abortion pills. This allows potential disparities in gestational dating, which could far exceed the FDA's 70 day/10-week limits.

And while Planned Parenthood claims online to offer ultrasounds, some affiliates are selling the abortion pill "Just in Case" a woman becomes pregnant; in other words, there would be no ultrasounds conducted to confirm pregnancy with either this or the widespread no-test protocol of abortion pill dispensing.

Back to the study...

Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest (PPPSW), the site where the study took place from December 2021 to December 2025, "has 15 MAB-only [abortion pill-only] clinics across Imperial, Riverside, and San Diego counties in California," the study's supplemental stated.

It added:

• Ultrasound was provided in person to confirm all pregnancy dating until 12/2024.

• In 2025, no-test medication abortion and telehealth medication abortion were expanded. Only 4% of MABs were no-test that year, and they were excluded from this analysis.

Again, since the pandemic, "no-test" has been the practice by many providers, especially online abortion pill dispensaries. Clinical trials like this one already have a more structured protocol than the way the abortion pill is dispensed in the real world. As the National Abortion Federation's 2026 Clinical Guideline states, "For most patients, testing before a medication abortion, including ultrasound, is not required."

In addition, the TEACH abortion training curriculum (2025) states, "When pregnancy duration cannot be reasonably determined by other means, ultrasound should be used (NAF 2024)... use is not a requirement for MAB provision" (emphasis added).

Studies indicate that women seeking use of the abortion pill frequently underestimate the gestational age of their pregnancy. Even the pro-abortion American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) stated, “It has been reported that approximately one half of women accurately recall their [last menstrual period] LMP” (emphasis added).

Adverse Events

The study noted 59,091 medication abortions conducted from December 2021 to December 2025 at Planned Parenthood centers. However, the study noted just "36,609 MABs included in follow-up (62.0%), which not differ between physicians and APCs."

That leaves nearly 40% of those who took the chemical abortion drug not "included in follow-up," opening the door to the possibility of unreported complications.

"Sensitivity analyses estimated complete abortion using multiple imputation of missing data with 10 imputations based on factors potentially associated with follow-up and/or abortion completeness," the authors wrote.

The study's supplemental stated:

The standard affiliate medication abortion protocol was used by physicians and APCs... Post-abortion evaluations were done using transvaginal ultrasound 1-2 weeks later... We included any visit to the affiliate or captured by medical record review in follow-up within 30 days of the abortion visit...

Effectiveness: was defined as the proportion of participants who experienced a complete abortion (without the need for unplanned repeat doses of misoprostol or a follow-up procedure) according to the MARE guidelines.

... Adverse event (AEs): were defined as the proportion of participants who visited an emergency department for an abortion-related complaint or complication within 30 days of the MAB. Minor AEs adverse events included excessive bleeding or infection treated. Severe AEs, including death, hospitalization, blood transfusion and surgery other than uterine aspiration.

... We assumed a baseline equivalent effectiveness of 93.3% (2) based on a control group where all patients had in-person visits for medication abortion.

These definitions are important, suggesting that if the drug was not "effective," i.e. the abortion was incomplete and thus would have been followed by additional drugs or a surgical procedure, it was not considered an "adverse event (AE)."

Should a "clinician" in the real world fail to properly date a pregnancy, it is plausible that a failed abortion could occur, especially given that failures increase with gestational age.

The study then claimed that 130 MABs (0.2%) had an emergency room visit, with 45 having additional adverse events, some classified as serious.

An abortion pill failure can result in an emergency department visit, as the study's authors seemed to acknowledge:

There were 53 ED visits for bleeding, 25 for pain, 39 for incomplete abortion or ongoing pregnancy, 4 for fainting or dizziness, 4 for allergic reaction, 2 for infection, 1 for hematometra, and 2 were unspecified.

Of the 41 minor AEs (0.1%), 26 were hemorrhages and 15 were infections; the 4 severe AEs (<0.1%) were all blood transfusions. Rates were less than 0.1% and equivalent across clinician types.

... Limitations include unbalanced group sizes and loss to follow-up, which we attempted to overcome through imputation. Loss to follow-up is a known challenge in MAB studies and may be explained by the ubiquity of pregnancy tests, allowing for self-assessment of complete abortion...

Imputation methodology was unclear.

Ironically, abortion pill prescribers are required under REMS to have the "[a]bility to provide surgical intervention in cases of incomplete abortion or severe bleeding, or to have made plans to provide such care through others..."

Yet, as Live Action News previously documented, they often advise abortion pill clients to bypass prescribers and present to emergency rooms and lie, claiming to be experiencing a natural miscarriage.

Authors and Funding

Authors of the study came from overtly pro-abortion institutions, some of which train abortionists, namely the University of California San Diego (UCD) and Planned Parenthood.

• Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Complex Family Planning, UCD: trains and commits abortions into the second trimester at Planned Parenthood. Author Sheila K. Mody, MD, founded the Fellowship and Division of Complex Family Planning at UCD.

• Center for Gender Equity and Health, Department of Medicine, UCD.

• Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest: Author Antoinette M. Marengo, MD acknowledged she was "Chief Medical and Transformation Officer at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest, where the data for this study was collected." Author Michelle Luneau is an adult NP in clinical practice at Planned Parenthood.

PPPSW is an abortion factory, committing over 108,000 total abortions, according to 2021 and 2025 fiscal year reports, which may not reflect the study period.

• 2021: 17,688 total abortions (10,879 chemical).

• 2022: 20,575 total abortions (13,239 chemical).

• 2023: 24,227 total abortions (15,506 chemical).

• 2024: 21,996 total abortions (14,779 chemical).

• 2025: 23,638 total abortions (15,936 chemical).

The study was "supported by the Society for Family Planning Research Fund."

The Society of Family Planning (SFP) oversees Complex in Family Planning programs which train in universities across the country.

SFP was founded in 2005 with a “generous contribution” from the David & Lucile Packard Foundation. In recent years, abortion philanthropist Warren Buffett (the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation) poured nearly $32M into SFP, and millions even further back.

Both Foundations were investors in the abortion pill.

Flaws Ignored

“This study demonstrates the commitment of formerly reputable journals like JAMA Network Open to abortion promotion. Many flaws were ignored," OBGYN Ingrid Skop, MD, Vice President and Director of Medical Affairs for Charlotte Lozier Institute, told Live Action News.

Dr. Skop noted (emphases added):

"Over 1/3 of the women were lost to follow-up with unknown outcomes, although the authors utilized a statistical technique to imply this did not matter. 7-9% experienced failed abortions requiring further treatment, but the authors did not discuss who performed the surgical aspirations these APCs would be unable to perform.

All women received pre-abortion ultrasounds and post-abortion ultrasounds (if they followed up), even though the FDA has allowed distribution of these drugs without pre-abortion testing or mandated follow-up, so the study results are not demonstrative of real-world use."

Dr. Skop added that in addition to these problems, "Planned Parenthood demonstrated their willingness to ignore the minimal guidelines the FDA has retained by providing the drugs one week past the FDA’s gestational age cut-off."

KeyTakeaways:

• Nakeeya L. Arbogast is accused of leaving her child face down in the tub while tending to her two other young children. 

• Arbogast claims her intention was not to kill her son.

• Prosecutors allege she had spoken of killing her children before.

The Details:

As reported by the Seattle Times:

Nakeeya Arbogast laid her child face down in the bathtub, turned the water on and left the room, even though the child was unable to crawl, walk or stay seated by himself, King County prosecutors said in charging documents.

Though Arbogast said she didn’t mean to kill her son, prosecutors said family members had heard her threaten to kill her children before. 

Arbogast called 911 on July 9 from her apartment in Northgate to report her son wasn’t breathing, according to court documents. The dispatcher told Arbogast to do chest compressions, which she carried out for over five minutes before first responders arrived. 

Her son died in the hospital two days later due to prolonged CPR and hypoxic brain injury. 

Subsequently, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed the charge on July 20 in connection with the boy’s death on July 11. Prosecutors pointed out that the child’s developmental disabilities made him particularly susceptible and that the incident happened within sight or sound of another minor child — factors that could raise the seriousness of the case if Arbogast were to get convicted. 

According to Komo News:

Investigators say Arbogast initially estimated she had been away from the bathroom for between three and six minutes. However, prosecutors allege crime scene testing showed it took about 14 minutes for the bathtub to fill to the level where the child was later found, suggesting he had been left unattended longer than she reported.

Reportedly, the child had Down syndrome and considerable developmental delays, which prosecutors portrayed as making him a more “vulnerable” victim, a significant fact that underscores a truth our modern-day society too often overlooks: that children with disabilities are not abstractions, symbols, or liabilities — but are human beings whose lives need increased patience, care, and protection.  

Investigators reportedly concluded the bathtub took about 14 minutes to fill to the level where the child was found, a detail that seemed to have had significant impact on their decision to file a manslaughter charge. The mother was allegedly on the phone with her children's father, "despite an active domestic violence protection order restricting contact — while the child was in the tub," according to Komo News.

In other words, the news reports detailing the child’s death and Arbogast’s involvement suggest an avoidable incident that prosecutors believe still took place due to Arbogast’s own actions.

Arbogast's bail was set at $1 million.

What We're Hearing:

Many online commenters reacted as one would expect in the face of such a tragic death: with horror, and a demand for accountability. The prevailing sentiment was that of denunciation. For example, one comment stated, "Lock mama up." Another read:

However, on forums like Reddit, there was a second trend mirroring sympathy for Arbogast, whom commentators assumed must have been overwhelmed by the demands of raising a disabled child. Some users framed the tragedy in the language of parental strain. One commenter claimed, "Not that it makes it right, but it's not easy to be a single mother of three, especially when one of them has a developmental disability."

Another encouraged the use of prenatal testing to target — and eliminate — children with disabilities:

Such a mindset reveal a widespread view that treats disabled children primarily as challenges to be managed rather than as vulnerable and valuable human beings who are just as deserving of care as anyone else.

Commentary:

It is one thing to admit that parenting a child with Down syndrome can be difficult, exhausting, and at times isolating. Yet it is another to allow that sobering reality to blur the moral boundaries between experiencing hardship and harming the child.

A society that constantly tells itself that compassion means comprehending the stresses faced by the adult first may ultimately sound indifferent to the child’s dignity. 

Instead, an appropriate response should include accountability and spark a deeper cultural examination of how we can better assist children with disabilities along with their families — not how we can kill them sooner.

Whether a disabled child is accidentally harmed or intentionally left to die, the deep-seated issue is not only individual failure but also whether our culture truly believes such lives are worth the same level of protection as every other child’s life.

Disability should never be treated as a reason to value a child less. We cannot claim to honor children with disabilities if we do not defend them first in practice, particularly in the home, where their safety depends most on their adult caregivers.

Key Takeaways:

• The Preventing Forced Abortions Act of 2026 would bar federal courts from enforcing surrogacy contracts that include requirements for the surrogate to get an abortion.

• It also bars intended parents from refusing to pay a surrogate if she refuses to have an abortion.

• Forced abortion in surrogacy is an ongoing problem in the fertility industry.

The Details:

Ogles announced the new bill in a press release, with Reps. Lauren Boebert, Sheri Biggs, Josh Brecheen, Keith Self, and Mary Miller serving as co-sponsors. There have been numerous instances of surrogates being pressured or forced into abortions by the intended parents, prompting Ogles to introduce the legislation.

“No woman should ever be forced to murder a child because of a provision buried in a contract,” he said in the press release. “The Preventing Forced Abortions Act ensures that federal courts cannot enforce these coercive clauses or allow intended parents to withhold promised compensation when a surrogate mother chooses life."

The bill had previously been introduced in 2024, but did not pass.

Under the legislation, federal courts would be barred from enforcing surrogacy contracts that include clauses forcing the surrogate to have an abortion if the intended parent wants her to. Additionally, intended parents would still be required to continue paying the surrogate if she refused to have an abortion at their request.

Why It Matters:

At its core, surrogacy commodifies women and children, including when intended parents use forced abortion. Typically, intended parents demand an abortion if the preborn baby is diagnosed with a disability or other health condition, and if the surrogate refuses, a legal battle may be fought over the child's life.

Surrogates are often low-income women, whose bodies are rented by wealthy buyers looking to have a child. The most popular countries from which to obtain surrogates are low-income nations like Ukraine and Georgia, where women — typically already mothers — choose to become surrogates out of desperation, because doing so gives them more money than most people in their countries earn in a year.

Unsurprisingly, this then empowers the buyers to see the surrogate as a product they have purchased, rather than as a human being with agency of her own. This extends to abortion, in which the surrogate is pressured to have an abortion if the child she is carrying is deemed by the buyers to be "defective." Tragically, there are many examples:

• <a href="/news/couple-sues-surrogate-saved-their-refusing-abort">Couple sues surrogate who saved their baby's life by refusing to abort</a>

• <a href="/news/parents-try-to-force-surrogate-mother-to-abort-their-disabled-baby">Parents try to force surrogate mother to abort their disabled baby</a>

• <a href="/news/surrogate-pregnant-triplets-threatened-financial-ruin-doesnt-abort">Surrogate pregnant with triplets threatened with ‘financial ruin’ if she doesn’t abort</a>

• <a href="/news/surrogate-mom-ordered-abort-baby">Surrogate mom fights to change law after being ordered to abort baby boy</a>

Surrogacy is also known to carry extra risks for the surrogate and children alike. Surrogate mothers are at higher risk of developing conditions like gestational diabetes, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and bleeding complications after birth, regardless of whether the baby they carry is biologically related to them or not. Babies conceived via in vitro fertilization (IVF) are similarly at a higher risk for numerous complications, such as low birth weight and prematurity.

It is also understood that taking babies from their birth mothers, even if they aren’t biologically related, causes trauma.

Surrogacy advocates may argue that the same trauma is created in adoption, but these are inherently different circumstances. Adoption does not intentionally create a child with the purpose of being separated from his or her birth mother, while that is the exact intent with surrogacy. That child may furthermore be robbed of his or her medical history, heritage, and background.

As surrogacy grows in popularity across the globe, the number of shocking horror stories has grown with it, to the point that even the pro-abortion European Union issued a resolution condemning surrogacy. These abuses are only possible because of the underregulation of the fertility industry.

Key Takeaways:

• In 2024, a South Korean YouTuber named Kwon posted a video detailing what she said was a 36-week abortion.

• Two doctors performed a C-section on her, delivering the baby alive, before putting the newborn in a freezer to kill him or her.

• Both doctors, along with Kwon, were charged with murder, and all three were initially sentenced to time in prison.

• A court has since acquitted Kwon of the charges, saying she may not have realized the doctors would kill the baby.

• However, the doctors' jail time was reduced as well, despite the fact that this child was not killed in the womb but was instead killed after birth (infanticide).

The Backstory:

Kwon uploaded a video in 2024, saying she had undergone a 36-week abortion, which is just one week shy of full term. The outlook for babies born after 34 weeks is excellent, and most are able to survive. This led to a police investigation, and Kwon and two doctors were arrested in 2025.

Authorities discovered that the two doctors performed a C-section on Kwon, rather than a typical abortion procedure. In the third trimester, most abortions are committed via an induction procedure, which in most cases takes several days.

The baby was delivered behind a surgical drape and was born alive. Rather than provide care to the infant, the doctors put the living baby into a freezer, committing infanticide. They then attempted to falsify Kwon's records to make it look like she had experienced a stillbirth.

The investigation unearthed an abortion scheme, in which authorities believe hospital staff members committed over 500 abortions arranged through brokers, earning almost 1.5 billion won ($1.09 million USD).

All three were charged with murder and convicted. The hospital director, identified as Yoon, was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay 1.15 billion won ($780,000) in restitution. The surgeon, identified as Shim, was sentenced to four years in prison. Kwon was given a three-year prison sentence suspended for five years, along with 200 hours of community service.

“The victim died in a cold storage room without ever seeing the light of day or taking a single breath outside,” the court said in its verdict.

The Details:

Despite the cruelty of the crime on an infant born alive, Yoon and Sim have had their sentences reduced, and Kwon has been acquitted of murder charges.

Yoon will now serve just four years in prison, while Shim's sentence is now two years and six months, and both have additionally been banned from working at child-related institutions for five years. During the trial, both doctors admitted to killing the baby.

Regarding Kwon, the court said she may have believed the baby had already died in utero and had not been aware that the baby was born alive, a stark contrast to the first ruling, which found:

The fetus had a normal heartbeat and could have survived after birth. The medical staff, as well as the mother who consented to entrusting the disposal of the body to the hospital, must have known the fetus could die.

Conversely, the appeals court found:

Kwon appears to have believed the fetus had died in the womb before the surgery. Her signing the consent form was understood as entrusting the disposal of the fetal body, not agreeing to its murder.... [i]f she had known the fetus was to be killed after extraction, she would not have posted it in a public space.

The Bottom Line:

Abortion was decriminalized in South Korea in 2019, but no regulations have been enacted, effectively allowing abortions to be committed through all nine months of pregnancy. This act, however, was clearly not an abortion; it was the infanticide of an infant born alive.

Key Takeaways:

• Bill H.5595 passed the Massachusetts House this week, seeking to remove current restrictions limiting abortion after 24 weeks, effectively allowing abortion up to birth for any reason.

• The legislation next heads to the state Senate, where it has until the session's ending date of July 31 to pass.

The Details:

Bill H.5595 passed the House with a 119-33 vote. Though current state law does allow abortions after 24 weeks to protect the mother's physical or mental health, or in cases of a fetal diagnosis, this legislation would allow abortions for any reason at any stage, provided a doctor approves.

"We've decided to get away from all the exceptions and trust our medical professionals, who are the best in the world, to make those decisions with the informed consent of the patient," said Rep. Michael Day.

Those in support of the bill say it is necessary because so many women are traveling out of state for "medically appropriate care."

“Patients have to leave to other states, leave their support network, and pay out of pocket,” State Rep. Christine Barber (D) told The Boston Globe. “You should be able to get care that your doctors are recommending here in Massachusetts.”

“Massachusetts has one of the best health care systems in the country, and patients should be able to rely on their providers to deliver medically appropriate care without restrictions that can fail to account for the complexity of individual medical circumstances,” added state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa (D), the bill’s co-sponsor.

The legislation next heads to the state Senate, where it has until the session's ending date of July 31 to pass.

What We're Hearing:

Several health care systems in the state, including Mass General Brigham, Tufts Medicine, Beth Israel Lahey Health, UMass Memorial Health, and the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, sent a letter to House Speaker Ron Mariano in support of the bill.

“The legislation would remove arbitrary restrictions on abortion care after 24 weeks of pregnancy and instead empower physicians to use their professional judgment and clinical expertise to make decisions in the best interest of their patients,” the health care groups wrote.

Massachusetts Citizens for Life President Myrna Maloney Flynn noted in a press release:

The good intentions of this bill's sponsors are gravely misplaced.

As written, their abortion-up-to-birth bill permits one physician to subjectively decide that any unborn infant can be killed in or outside of a hospital, even babies capable of surviving outside the womb and feeling pain within it. Women experiencing unimaginable, heart wrenching pregnancy complications absolutely deserve all the support they need, but that support is not what this bill provides.

Instead, this bill ensures increased abortion industry profits and taxpayer-funded late-term procedures. The legislation promises that an already ominous shadow will grow even darker over the state of Massachusetts.

"It's a very sad day in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. The precedent that we're setting is that a mother can get an abortion up until the moment of birth for a healthy, viable baby," said Rep. Alyson Sullivan-Almeida (R).

Zoom In:

Those in support of the bill repeatedly referred to late-term abortions as necessary health care, but the direct and intentional ending of a born or preborn child's life is not necessary, not even in cases of prenatal diagnosis.

At 24 weeks, there is a chance that the child could survive outside the womb if given proper health care. Even if the mother's life or health is at risk, intentionally causing the death of the child is not necessary. Instead, the child could be delivered early and given proper treatment.

Though there is a chance that the baby might still die, this would not be considered an abortion, as the intent of the delivery was to save the mother as well as the child. Children born as young as 21 weeks <a href="/news/defying-odds-preemies-survived-21-weeks">have survived</a> when given medical care.

Key Takeaways:

• In the United Kingdom, any kind of pro-life advocacy is banned within 150 feet of an abortion facility — even silent prayer.

• Scotland, in particular, sent letters to residents within a buffer zone saying that, depending on the circumstances, it is possible that certain activity within their own homes could trigger a buffer zone violation.

• Pro-abortion journalist Ella Whelan has since spoken out, saying these laws are unjust.

The Details:

In an op-ed for the Telegraph, Whelan spoke about against buffer zones, despite describing herself as "passionately pro-choice."

Since October of 2024, buffer zones have been in place in the United Kingdom around all abortion facilities and institutions that may commit abortions, such as hospitals. While Whelan said she didn't agree with pro-life advocacy within close proximity to abortion facilities, she still said the law makes "absolutist pro-choicers like me queasy about its free-speech implications."

This does not mean Whelan supports pro-life advocacy; on the contrary, she spoke strongly against it:

On the one hand, the dishonesty of many anti-abortion activists over what actually takes place during these “silent prayers” or “peaceful protests” is pretty galling, and underestimates the cruelty of holding out knitted boots to a woman grappling with a deeply personal, moral decision about her future.

They might not all be shouting “baby killer”, but the emotional blackmail and pressure exerted on women outside clinics before the buffer-zone law was disgraceful.

The most convincing argument I ever heard for safe zones was made on the basis that women seeking private medical care took on a different role than simply being a citizen out in the public square, where protest and conflict are to be tolerated and negotiated.

This idea that political protest – which even the kindest Christians are inevitably engaging in – should take a pause when someone inhabits the genuinely vulnerable role of patient for any medical procedure is one most of us would support. We don’t let religious groups try to stop teenagers from accessing contraception, or sick children from getting transplants. Why not protect women?

Things to Consider:

Offering aid to a woman who might be feeling pressured or coerced into abortion is not emotional blackmail, but Whelan apparently failed to consider such a scenario.

And it's interesting that Whelan refers to a woman making the decision to abort as "grappling with a deeply personal, moral decision about her future." Why would abortion be considered a "moral" decision if it isn't intentionally ending the life of an already-existing human being? If a woman feels traumatized by receiving knitted baby booties, could it be that this is because she knows what she is about to do to her preborn child and simply doesn't want to face the truth?

Allowing women to remain in denial about a life-altering act without offering them hope or other life-affirming help and options is no true choice at all.

Regardless, Whelan at least acknowledges that things have gone too far; in Scotland, she says, "Residents living less than 150 meters from a clinic had been sent letters telling them that they couldn’t say anything against abortion in their gardens, or with the window open."

Ultimately, Whelan said, free speech must be defended, even if it might end up making some people uncomfortable.

"[W]hen you allow the state to be the arbiter of what can and can’t be said, you always end up with problems," she concluded. "Buffer zones might be solving a very real and practical problem, but if the pro-choice community wants to win the battle of ideas for women’s freedom, autonomy for me and not for thee just won’t wash."

The Big Picture:

Whelan's op-ed sheds light on just how extreme buffer zone laws in the United Kingdom have become.

Recently, new guidance from the Police Service of Northern Ireland stated that clergy could potentially face arrest for carrying bibles within a buffer zone. So long as a "reasonable person" would say the action could be deemed as "indirectly influencing or distressing" a person within the buffer zone, it would be considered illegal.

This could even include a hospital chaplain carrying a bible through public areas of the facility.

• Retired preacher Clive Johnston (mentioned by Whelan), was arrested for preaching the gospel within a buffer zone, despite mentioning nothing anything about abortion or trying to counsel anyone.

• A grandmother in Scotland was also arrested — twice — for holding a sign reading, "Coercion is a crime, here to talk, only if you want," within a buffer zone without approaching anyone

• Another woman in Bournemoth was arrested for standing silently and holding a similar sign, which merely read, "Here to talk if you want to."

• In Birmingham, Isabel Vaughan-Spruce has been arrested three times for praying silently within a buffer zone.

The Bottom Line:

Regardless of whether one is pro-abortion or pro-life, the United Kingdom's buffer zone laws are extreme, with many rightly viewing them as clear attacks on freedom of speech and religion.

Key Takeaways:

• Nora Lussier cared for baby Pamela when she was a drug-affected newborn in the NICU.

• Pamela's biological parents were not able to care for her, and the foster placement lined up for her did not work out, either.

• Lussier was encouraged to foster Pamela, and two years later, she and her husband formally adopted her.

The Details:

While working in Beverly Hospital’s NICU, Nora Lussier met Pamela, who was born addicted to drugs due to her mother's own addiction, and required a feeding tube.

Pamela’s biological parents were not able to raise her, and the foster family originally expected to take her could not do so because of her medical complications. Lussier was encouraged to step forward, and with her husband Martin’s full support, the couple opened their home to Pamela.

“I was kind of sitting there with her and thinking, ‘Well, she is really cute,’” Lussier admitted. “Then, all my coworkers, all my friends, said, ‘You should just take her. Just do it. Your husband won’t notice.’” 

The Lussiers had hoped to foster children someday, but they did not expect the opportunity to come so soon. Martin, however, quickly became attached to Pamela. 

“Seeing her come home and smile and be happy and laugh, I knew it was the right call,” he said.

Fortunately, because Lussier had already cared for Pamela in the hospital, the state was able to expedite the foster placement process. 

“I was like, ‘Oh wait, am I her parent? Oh my God, I’m her parent. What have we done?’" Lussier said. “I really do feel like I just blacked out and suddenly I had a kid.” 

Zoom In:

On Friday, July 17, the Lussiers finalized Pamela’s adoption on the little girl’s second birthday. The occasion was shared with 25 family members and friends, including several fellow NICU nurses.  

“This has been an incredible undertaking, but I can’t think of a better person to do it with and a better person to do it for,” Martin said. 

Pamela has faced some developmental delays, but she is doing well, and has grown into a happy, healthy, and sociable toddler. Though parenthood came sooner than the Lussiers had expected, they believe she was always meant to be their daughter. 

“They say not to take work home with you, which I definitely did. Worked out well for me, too,” Nora said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better kid.” 

Commentary:

What makes this story resonate with pro-lifers isn't just its sweetness and happy ending, but what it uncovers about the role of choice and agency in the very heart of it all. Nora Lussier did not have to take Pamela home.

She could have finished her shift, gone back to her own life, and let the state adoption system sort out what came next for a medically vulnerable infant nobody else wanted. Instead, she and her husband chose to reorganize their entire lives around a child who needed them. 

The nurses who helped care for Pamela as a newborn have also remained part of her life, commemorating milestones and helping care for the toddler along the way. A child who began life as another case file and another difficult placement eventually became the center of an entire community's focus of care. 

The Bottom Line:

Episodes like this one push back against a quiet assumption that runs through so much of our public conversation about challenging pregnancies and difficult family circumstances: the presumption that some children are simply too costly or too inconvenient to be worth the sacrifice.

Pamela had every marker that our culture sometimes treats as a reason to give up: medical fragility, an unstable beginning, and parents unable to raise her. None of it changed her worth. It only changed who would have to put in the effort to give her a chance at life. 

Key Takeaways:

• Jens Spahn, leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, resigned July 18 after announcing the birth of his son through an American surrogate — a practice he had publicly opposed, personally criticized, and voted to keep illegal in Germany just five months earlier.

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called on Spahn to go, telling reporters “credibility is the highest asset in politics.”

• Spahn’s departure leaves Merz without his most experienced parliamentary operator ahead of three German state elections in September, with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) already leading the CDU by eight points in national polling.

The Details:

Jens Spahn spent years on record opposing surrogacy, writing in 2015 that he found it “personally very hard to warm to the idea of a rented womb,” and voting as recently as February 2026 to keep the practice illegal in Germany.

On July 15, he announced the birth of his son Georg, conceived through an American surrogate, and by July 18, he had stepped down as parliamentary leader of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) bloc.

Spahn is legally married to another man, journalist Daniel Funke. Spahn announced the birth of Georg on July 15: “Georg is our greatest joy. This feeling is almost impossible to put into words,” Spahn said.

In February, Spahn had shepherded a CDU resolution through the Bundestag formally codifying the party’s opposition to legalizing surrogacy in Germany, a practice the Catholic Church has consistently condemned. Pope Leo XIV specifically said surrogacy “reduces a child to a ‘product’” while “exploiting” the mother’s body and “distorting the original relational calling of the family.”

Five months later, Spahn announced that he had become a father, using a surrogate in the United States, where there is no prohibition on surrogacy.

The reaction was swift. Within three days, Chancellor Merz had consulted with CDU state leaders and called on Spahn to resign, the AfD’s Alice Weidel had declared the departure “overdue,” and Bishop Oster of Passau had called it a “scandal.”

Why It Matters:

Spahn responded with a statement that acknowledged the gap between his words and his actions without closing it.

“The balancing act between my private decision and the understandable expectations that politicians should live by what they advocate has become greater than I had anticipated,” Spahn wrote.

Spahn’s departure creates a practical problem for Chancellor Merz at at a politically precarious moment. 

As leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group since 2023, Spahn served as the operational backbone of Merz’s legislative agenda, the figure responsible for holding together the CDU, CSU, and Green Party coalition, and moving legislation through the Bundestag. Whoever inherits that role will do so with three German state elections approaching in September.

Jens Spahn voted to protect children from being commissioned and women from being contracted, yet did both.

The CDU has accepted his resignation and reaffirmed its opposition to surrogacy, but neither gesture addresses the child at the center of it. 

The Bottom Line:

In a 1987 Vatican Instruction approved by St. John Paul II, the Holy See declared that surrogacy “offends the dignity and the right of the child to be conceived, carried in the womb, brought into the world and brought up by his own parents” and “sets up, to the detriment of families, a division between the physical, psychological and moral elements which constitute those families.”

While Spahn’s resignation may have answered the political question, for the Church and the pro-life movement, the deeper question was never political to begin with.

Key Takeaways:

• A new proposal would make women eligible for paid leave after experiencing a miscarriage or undergoing an abortion.

• Legislators say the policy is needed to ensure women experiencing pregnancy loss are recognized and supported.

• Pro-lifers, however, say it is wrong to conflate induced abortion with miscarriage.

The Details:

Based on the new rules, the employer would cover the leave at 70% of the daily rate, up to a maximum of €110 a day, in alignment with statutory sick leave.

Women who miscarry before 23 weeks would be able to take leave from their first day on the job, though payment would only be dispensed to those who have been employed for at least 13 weeks.

While it is positive to support women who experience miscarriages, pro-life advocates warn that the proposal further regularizes the destruction of preborn children, while boosting state support to those who intentionally abort them. 

Sandra Parda of the Life Institute told the Catholic Herald, “It is deeply offensive to women who have suffered the trauma of miscarriage to equate their loss with an elective abortion... Miscarriage is a devastating loss. Abortion is an intentional act to end the life of an unborn child. They are fundamentally different.” 

She added that the Irish government's stance was at odds with itself, in that it was “saying that same child needs to be grieved.” 

“The measure is insulting to women — who know the difference between abortion and miscarriage. The state is increasingly setting itself up to promote abortion, which is very different from the tragedy of miscarriage,” Parda said. 

Zoom In:

Pro-abortion Sinn Féin Senator Nicole Ryan has been at the forefront of the campaign, following her public account of a traumatic miscarriage. The politician lauded the government’s decision, stating that while five days isn’t “a huge amount of time,” it’s “an important starting point.” She explained:

(It) represents a recognition that pregnancy loss is not simply a medical event but a deeply personal and emotional experience. This legislation will not take away the grief or the heartbreak of losing a baby, but it will give women the choice to take time away from work if they need it, without the immediate worry of financial hardship. That choice matters.

The Sinn Féin senator also pledged to keep pressing for the introduction of a Certificate of Pregnancy Loss, ensuring families who suffer a pregnancy loss are formally acknowledged by the government. 

Employment Minister Peter Burke stated that pregnancy loss is “a deeply personal and traumatic experience” that has been unrecognized for too long.

"Our labor laws must reflect the realities of modern working life, including the impact that pregnancy loss can have. From our engagement, we know there is still a secrecy and stigma around early pregnancy loss, which can impact those who may need time to process and grieve the loss of a much-wanted pregnancy,” Burke said. 

The Context:

The latest move by the Irish government regarding abortion also comes as abortion access continues to be loosened throughout the country.

In June, the Irish parliament voted to eradicate the three-day mandatory waiting period between a woman’s request for abortion and the procedure itself.

Comparatively, Northern Ireland (part of the UK) likewise proposed paid leave for miscarriage and pregnancy loss, which would give working parents to two weeks of paid leave if a child under 18 died, or if they experienced a stillbirth after 24 weeks of pregnancy. This policy was portrayed as bereavement support for parents suffering from the involuntary loss of a child, not as a reward for willfully killing their preborn children.

In contrast, the Republic of Ireland’s aforementioned proposed measure explicitly includes induced abortion as a reason for paid leave. 

The Bottom Line:

For pro-lifers, the policy reflects a further step in Ireland’s acceptance of abortion as a routine part of “reproductive health,” instead of a heinous act that murders an innocent preborn child. By extending paid leave to abortion, the government is effectively putting the elective killing of the preborn in the same category as an unintended pregnancy loss.

Such a policy sends a deceptive and harmful message to women, particularly young mothers or those facing crisis pregnancies, by regarding abortion as an anticipated and state-sanctioned outcome rather than a catastrophe to be avoided at all costs. Pro-life leaders have long cautioned that public policy and law influence public morality and that language of compassion can be exploited to whitewash the horrors of abortion. 

Key Takeaways:

• The total fertility rate is measured by the number of babies born per 1,000 women of typical childbearing ages, 15-44.

• This is not to be confused with the total number of births, which is measured by general fertility rate.

• States in the central part of the U.S. had a markedly higher general fertility rate than other states in the country.

The Details:

As of 2024, the national general fertility rate was 53.8 births per 1,000 women in the demographic, while the general fertility rate of the six central states averaged at 59.3

Each of those states beat the national average in 2024:

• North Dakota: 60.4

• South Dakota: 66.7

• Nebraska: 62.9

• Kansas: 58.3

• Oklahoma: 58.4

• Texas: 59.3

Axios pointed to several possible demographic, economic, and cultural factors which may be behind the comparative baby boom in the midwestern states and Texas.

The age demographic in Texas and North Dakota is young, right behind Utah, which means that there are more women in their prime childbearing years in these states, which could be a reason for the birth rates in these states being higher than the national average.

A large difference in the cost of living between the Midwest and coastal states could also be a factor in the disparate birth rates. Childcare and housing costs are sometimes wildly lower in the central states than in states like California.

Axios cited Redfin data, which found the median cost of a house in Oklahoma is $260,000, while the median price in California is $800,000 as of May 2026.

Zoom In:

Culture is likely another factor with the birth rates. Young people in rural and religious communities tend to marry at earlier ages and have children before their peers in metropolitan areas, as Axios pointed out.

Previous research and reporting from Live Action News' "The Kids Are Not Alright" series strongly suggests that culture and mindset, in addition to economic factors, play a significant role in the choice of young people to avoid having children:

Gen Z… prioritizes things like financial independence and having enough money to do whatever they wish, over marriage and family. This mindset was further illustrated in a recent Buzzfeed article, in which DINK ["Double-Income No Kids"] couples revealed what they love about their child-free lives. It was a collection of goals that largely involved a life focusing on self-gratification above all else.

The Bottom Line:

The United States birth rate continues to fall. Newly released provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows that there was a drop in birth rates from 2024 to 2025. The total fertility rate in the US is just 1.6 children per woman, well below the 2.1 population replacement rate.

According to South Dakota Searchlight, court documents filed in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals noted, “The Court has legalized the solicitation and aiding and abetting of an illegal drug and erroneously broadened the scope of the term advertising." They added the ruling “could just as easily protect the solicitation and aiding and abetting of online methamphetamine sales by groups who claim to simply ‘provide information’ about methamphetamine and offer consumers the ‘choice’ to commit an illegal act.”

“South Dakota’s law prohibiting advertising for illegal abortion pills is designed to protect women’s health and innocent life,” said Attorney General Jackley.  “As Attorney General, I stand with the Legislature, Governor, and our citizens in defending and protecting innocent life.”

7/25/26: A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked a South Dakota law that prohibits abortion advertising.

Key Takeaways:

• A federal judge has blocked a South Dakota law prohibiting abortion advertising.

• The law was passed earlier this year in response to advertisements placed within the state by Mayday Health, despite the state's law protecting preborn children from abortion.

• Mayday Health sued South Dakota over its law, leading to the preliminary injunction.

The Backstory:

In December 2025, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley issued a cease and desist letter to Mayday Health, which had placed ads for the abortion pill at gas stations around the state. South Dakota law protects preborn children from abortion and prohibits abortion pill distribution.

What followed was a months-long, back-and-forth legal dispute, with Jackley maintaining that Mayday was violating South Dakota laws, and Mayday arguing that its advertisements were protected by the First Amendment right to free speech.

In March, the state was prompted to pass new legislation prohibiting the "dispensing, distribution, sale, or advertisement of certain articles or things for purposes of an unlawful abortion..." That law prompted Mayday to file a federal lawsuit in May.

The Details:

U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler responded to that lawsuit on July 17, issuing a preliminary injunction, which means that South Dakota cannot enforce its law prohibiting abortion advertising.

Though the case will continue through the court, Theeler indicated her belief that Mayday is likely to win.

“Information should not be banned,” said Jim Leach, the attorney representing Mayday Health. “And the state wants to ban information about abortion. This ruling says the state cannot ban information about abortion, no matter what you think about abortion or anything else.”

South Dakota Governor Larry Rhoden expressed disappointment in the ruling, but noted it was not final, saying:

“While I am disappointed by today's ruling, it is important to remember that this is only a preliminary decision. The court has not issued a final ruling on the constitutionality of South Dakota's law. South Dakota has a long-standing commitment to protecting both moms and unborn babies, and House Bill 1274 reflects the will of the people through their elected representatives. I remain confident that our law is not only constitutional — it’s vitally important."

Commentary:

When the Biden Administration FDA chose to remove safeguards, permanently allowing mail-order distribution of the abortion pill in 2023, it led to the current state-by-state legal wrangling.

Though federal Comstock Laws bar the mailing of abortion drugs for the purpose of ending the life of preborn children, these laws remain unenforced by federal authorities, leading pro-abortion states to pass laws protecting individuals who mail abortion drugs from their states into states where abortion is restricted or illegal.

Certain states have filed suit, pointing out that pro-life states are therefore left with an inability to enforce their own laws,while pro-abortion states trample their sovereignty by offering legal cover to those who break the law.

The Bottom Line:

In a separate statement, Jackley promised to continue to defend the state's law.

“While we respectfully disagree, the case on the permanent injunction will still be tried with additional discovery and information about Mayday’s activities and representations," Jackley said. "Protecting and defending innocent life is and remains important to our Legislature, Governor, Attorney General and citizens.”

Key Takeaways:

• South Korea President Lee Jae Myung is calling for legal guidelines to allow abortion pill distribution.

• Several government agencies are in talks to create such guidelines.

• Though abortion was decriminalized in South Korea in 2019, legislative guidelines to create a framework for legal abortion have stalled.

• The abortion pill is always deadly for preborn children and also has risks for their mothers.

The Details:

Last week during a Cabinet meeting, President Lee noted that since South Korean women are ordering abortion pills from overseas, legal guidelines should be established so they can access mifepristone (the abortion pill) instead in their own country.

“Even if it creates some difficulties for the government, women should be able to receive the medication under appropriate medical supervision. Leaving the situation as it is now is irresponsible,” Lee said, according to The Korea Times.

On Thursday, a spokesperson from the Gender Equality and Family Ministry said the group is working with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to discuss ways to introduce abortion pill guidelines.

“The law does not clearly define the scope or time limits for medication-induced abortions, creating practical difficulties in reviewing the drug’s efficacy, safety and risk management plan,” an MFDS official said. “As the need for its introduction continues to be raised, we plan to continue discussions with the health ministry and the gender ministry.”

The Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has lobbied against the introduction of the abortion pill without medical guidelines or oversight, arguing that is “is a dangerous idea that threatens women’s health.” The group said that distributing the dangerous chemicals without "safety guidance and a proper distribution system" risks “turning the public into subjects of a dangerous experiment.”

The Backstory:

Abortion was decriminalized in South Korea in 2019, but the government has been unable to formulate any laws or guidelines to govern abortion procedures.

As The Korea Times reports:

Several bills to revise the Maternal and Child Health Act are currently pending in the National Assembly. The bills vary in how they would set gestational limits, counseling requirements and rules governing medication abortions, but each seeks to fill the legal vacuum left by the Constitutional Court’s 2019 ruling.

Because of the legislative "vacuum," previous efforts to regulate abortion pill distribution have also stalled.

Why It Matters:

The abortion pill is deadly to preborn children, and carries risks for their mothers.

One analysis stated that serious adverse events from mifepristone occur at a rate approximately 22 times higher than the rate reported on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) label for the drug. The report, “The Abortion Pill Harms Women,” published by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), states that nearly 11% of women (10.93%) experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or other serious or life-threatening adverse events following a mifepristone abortion — meaning one in ten women experience at least one serious complication from taking mifepristone within 45 days.

 Other studies have shown that the abortion pill is four times more dangerous than a first-trimester surgical abortion.

The Bottom Line:

Despite the South Korean government's call to find a way for "safe" distribution of the abortion pill, there is no instance in which this deadly chemical — which results in the destruction of innocent human life — is safe.

Key Takeaways:

• Bishop Marc Aillet said that Catholic politicians who are fully in support France's pro-euthanasia bill will no longer be able to receive Communion.

• The bishop warned against the bill's lack of conscience protections for healthcare institutions and individuals.

• The bishop explained that taking one’s own life is objectively against God’s will, and said that a priest’s role is to direct the person toward renewed hope, reconciliation with God, and a dismissal of the desire to end his or her life.

The Details:

In a July 7 interview with France Catholique, Bishop Marc Aillet posited that supporting legislation that permits the intentional ending of a human life is fundamentally incompatible with Catholic teaching and entails serious spiritual repercussions. 

He told France Catholique that a Catholic serving in public office must not disregard the Church’s consistent teaching opposing euthanasia.

“Catholic parliamentarians who have voted for this bill must weigh its consequences. If they are aware of this inconsistency, they will no longer be able to receive communion,” he said, calling on French legislators to undertake a genuine examination of their conscience before making their decision. 

The bishop also pointed out that resistance to euthanasia is grounded not only in religious belief but also in natural law, which underpins respect for every human life. Hence, he contended that a lawmaker who identifies as Catholic while simultaneously endorsing legislation permitting the deliberate ending of a patient’s life “objectively places himself in opposition to a constant teaching of the Church.” 

Addressing allegations that euthanasia is an expression of compassion, Bishop Aillet drew a clear distinction between genuine compassion and what Saint John Paul II portrayed as “false mercy.” He explained that a truly humane society addresses suffering by boosting palliative care and providing psychological, familial, and spiritual support, instead of proposing death as an answer. He denounced the public discourse as being shaped by “an intense media bombardment influenced by powerful lobbies,” which he believes obscure moral judgment. 

When questioned about individuals who seek euthanasia, the bishop reinforced that taking one’s own life is objectively against God’s will, and said that a priest’s role is to direct the person toward renewed hope, reconciliation with God, and a dismissal of the desire to end their life. Concerning the celebration of Christian funerals, he insisted that each situation must be evaluated prudently, taking into account factors such as possible signs of repentance before death, while ensuring that no false picture is given that the Church authorized euthanasia. 

Bishop Aillet encouraged the implementation of robust conscience protection for healthcare professionals and upheld the right of Catholic care institutions to abstain from any involvement, cautioning that, without conscience protections, some Catholic medical establishments could be pushed to shut down or move their operations overseas. 

Zoom Out:

The French Bishops’ Conference has spoken against the proposed legislation from the outset, releasing formal statements after the National Assembly’s initial vote in May 2025, following the second reading in February, and again in May, when it cautioned against “moral imprudence” and a lack of democratic respect in view of the lack of broad political and social agreement. 

Before the June 30 vote, the Church also published a video message addressed to lawmakers, in which Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours stated that the perspectives of caregivers, legal experts, and organizations involved in end-of-life care had been “painfully ignored” throughout the political discussions surrounding euthanasia. 

Rejection of the bill extends well beyond religious quarters. The Société française d'accompagnement et de soins palliatifs, alongside other caregiver federations, pushed back against the legislation, stating that palliative care needs to become an authentic, accessible option and that the bill still lacks clarity in its clinical constitution and oversight mechanisms. 

Even in European nations where euthanasia is already legal, such as the Netherlands, some degree of conscience protection remains in place. Presently, no European statute penalizes pro-life institutions to the extent the French proposal would.

The Bottom Line:

Bishop Aillet’s statements contain lessons far beyond French borders. The Vatican has proclaimed that the legal normalization of euthanasia is “a sign of the degradation of legal systems" and that once killing is rebranded as care, conscientious objectors—doctors, nurses, and chaplains—face rising pressure or legal sanctions to conform.

Also, Bishop Aillet’s position reminds us that the Church’s sacramental discipline is meant to protect both the Eucharist from contradiction and sinners from self-deception.

Can one resident of a city of 1,800 people reach thousands every day for a cause he loves?

While driving through Clarendon, Texas, on Highway 287 in June of 2026, I discovered the answer is yes. Jimmie Griffin turned an idea for Christian evangelization into a lasting public witness.

In 2012, Jimmie wanted to share his Christian faith in a big way following a near-death experience. Jimmie saw an opportunity with Highway 287 merging with Clarendon’s Main Street through the city. I call this travel arrangement “Mainstreet-Highway-Fusion.” Approximately 10,000-11,000 vehicles pass through Clarendon each day.

Jimmie built 10-foot-high white crosses using PVC pipe. He installed these crosses at no charge for Clarendon property owners, with priority on locations next to Highway 287.

Jimmie’s campaign was the talk of Clarendon. He eventually installed 50 crosses. Clarendon locals and Highway 287 travelers still see Jimmie’s legacy. His 2019 obituary described him as a man who "was never afraid to stand up for the Lord."

Untapped Opportunities

Driving east from Clarendon on Highway 287 for 50 miles, I reached Childress, a town of 5,700. I was happy to see a pro-life billboard in downtown Childress. The “Choose Life” billboard has stood for over two years.

This confirmed my conviction on the value of billboards in small cities.

Mainstreet-Highway-Fusion multiplies a town’s billboard audience far beyond county and state lines. Thousands of American towns have an impact multiplier from a major highway. The pro-life movement should capitalize on this traffic flow with billboards and yard signs.

While these signs are common in our movement, the opportunities in small-town America are largely untapped.

My nonprofit, Pro-Life Waco, launched a national initiative in 2024: Pro-Life in the Public Square. One of PLPS’s core missions is promoting pro-life signage nationwide. We prioritize small cities.

Like Childress, Texas, a multitude of small cities can display billboards, with a turbocharged impact of Mainstreet-Highway-Fusion. PLPS’s billboard support initiative is Billboards in Small-Town America. We provide our billboard graphics for use at no charge, also offering strategic guidance and technical assistance.

With our yard sign initiative, Pro-Life Yard Signs Across America, we distribute eight different yard signs with subsidized pricing. Signs are $4 each when purchased in lots of 10.

A campaign featuring a billboard plus yard signs would be a fitting tribute to Jimmie Griffin.

Building a Culture of Life

The post-Dobbs era has exposed strengths and weaknesses of the pro-life movement. We have won significant victories, such as federal legislation defunding Planned Parenthood. We have also suffered major setbacks, such as losing 14 of 17 statewide ballots on abortion.

Clear gains for the Culture of Life will require bold expansion of the pro-life playbook. If one man’s initiative in a city of 1,800 can reach thousands every day, imagine what thousands of small hometowns could accomplish.

Key Takeaways:

• Gary Glenn and Lauren Siwinski were preparing to leave on a cruise when she unexpectedly went into labor. Siwinski hadn't known she was pregnant.

• Baby Sebastian was born at 33 weeks gestation.

• The couple was overwhelmed at first but are grateful for the support they have received from family and friends.

The Details:

Gary Glenn and Lauren Siwinski traveled to Florida in early July to embark on a Royal Caribbean cruise. The night before they were scheduled to leave, Siwinski started experiencing sharp stomach pains and decided to visit the emergency room. There, she was shocked to learn that she was 33 weeks pregnant and already in labor.

The engaged couple had no idea that Siwinski was pregnant, as she had reportedly been on birth control and had no symptoms or signs of pregnancy.

“He comes back, and he goes, ‘You guys are pregnant.’ And I’m like, ‘Is she – what?’ You feel like you’re pinching yourself, and you’re like ‘What are you talking about? This isn’t real,’” Glenn said.

Swiniski explained, "I felt some flutters. But I didn't think anything of it. I thought it was just my stomach settling from something I ate. Didn't think it was a human."

The couple's son, Sebastian, was born at HCA Florida Brandon Hospital a mere 12 hours after his parents learned they were expecting.

Zoom In:

After canceling the trip and unexpectedly becoming a new mom overnight, Siwinski said she initially felt a little overwhelmed. However, the couple has received tremendous support, as Siwinski's coworkers have gifted them clothes, a crib, and baby supplies. It's the kind of support that can make all the difference to new parents.

“I was like, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do, how I’m going to afford this,’” Siwinski said. “But the more support we get, the better and better I feel.”

READ: <a href="/news/debunking-myths-pregnancy-resource-centers">Debunking the common myths about pregnancy resource centers</a>

The Bottom Line:

In a social media post announcing the surprise birth, the hospital noted the beauty of little Sebastian's birth.

“Sometimes life has a way of changing every plan in the most beautiful way,” the hospital said. “This little boy may not have made it onto the cruise, but he’ll forever be the best vacation souvenir his parents could have ever brought home.”

Key Takeaways:

• Baby Hope Fernie was born prematurely at just 22 weeks.

• After a four-month hospital stay, she was able to go home with her family.

• Her parents were inspired to start a business, Hope's Tiny Tapes, to sell personalized surgical tape often used for oxygen tubing.

• Some of the proceeds of their new business have gone to help the hospital that cared for Hope.

The Details:

Hope Fernie was born unexpectedly at just 22 weeks gestation, weighing a mere 1.1 pounds at birth. What followed was an extended four-month stay in the hospital, as she battled health challenges related to her early arrival.

During Hope's hospital stay, surgical tape was used to keep an oxygen tube secured to her face. Her parents, Shannon and Gary, were inspired to create tape that would feel more personalized and creative than the standard hospital-issued tape.

The couple started Hope's Tiny Tapes, where they sell custom and personalized surgical tape for tiny infants, while honoring their daughter.

Zoom In:

"We have turned a traumatic experience into a beautiful, rewarding business," the couple wrote on their website. "We are very passionate about what we do."

Some of the proceeds of their new business have been donated to the hospital that cared for Hope.

“Bringing her home was a moment we had dreamed about for months. Starting Hope’s Tiny Tapes is our way of giving something back and helping support the unit that cared for our daughter during the most challenging time of our lives,” explained Shannon.

The Bottom Line:

On their website, the couple note that doctors initially said Hope wouldn't make it. Shannon says her daughter's survival is "a miracle."

“When Hope was born, we didn’t know what the future would hold. Every day felt like a milestone, and every small step forward was a reason to celebrate,” Shannon told Fife Today. “The support we received from neonatal teams in Glasgow and at Victoria Hospital was incredible, and we’ll always be grateful for everything they did for Hope and our family.”

Key Takeaways:

• Under the new law, families will qualify for size-based benefits, such as nursery grants and school meals.

• Verified pregnancies can be applied toward eligibility requirements.

• If a pregnancy ends in miscarriage or stillbirth, families are not required to reimburse any funds received.

The Details:

Known as the “Law on the Unborn Conceived,” the measure enables families to qualify for size-based benefits, like private nursery grants and subsidized school meals, upon providing medical proof of pregnancy.

Under the measure, families may include a child in utero in their eligibility for certain benefits once the pregnancy has been medically verified. These benefits include transportation discounts and tax relief, based on a report by El País. People with two children will be considered large families once a third pregnancy is verified after the 14th week. If miscarriage or stillbirth occurs, they will not be required to reimburse any benefits received.

The conservative Popular Party-led regional government, which advanced the initiative, said the law supports families instead of targeting any group, and widens access to financial aid and rental assistance for young people.

Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the conservative president of the Madrid region, explained that the pro-family measure is an effort to counter the country’s sharply declining birth rate. Spain’s fertility rate stood at 1.1 in 2024, which is among the lowest in the world, and well below the level needed for population replacement.

“A baby on the way is a blessing … Every life matters; every life is unique and irreplaceable, from conception until the last breath. Let us legislate and align in favor of life," Ayuso said. 

Ayuso said the roughly 100,000 abortions committed in Spain each year is “an atrocious number” and Spain’s “failure as a society.” 

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the national leader of the Popular Party, likewise welcomed the legislation following its approval. “When a woman is expecting a child, I understand that this should be reflected in public sector aid and subsidies so that it has an economic and social impact for the woman and the family expecting it," he said.

Likewise, Borja Sémper, who serves as the national spokesperson for the Popular Party said the legislation aims “to help families, support motherhood, promote work-life balance, and ensure that having children in Spain is no longer seen as a heroic feat.” 

The Other Side:

The vote sparked heated debate in the regional parliament.

PSOE, the opposition Social Democratic party, slammed the legislation as a “culture war” tactic that overlooks what families actually need, and said it intends to contest the measure in higher courts. 

Madrid’s socialist PSOE party decried the vote as a “legislative botch job built on slogans rather than legal rigor."

The pro-abortion party Más Madrid criticized the law as a threat to abortion "rights," claiming that the bill “questions women’s right to make decisions about our own bodies,” and adding that “we won’t accept that rights won over decades by the feminist movement are sacrificed in the name of defending families.” 

A few days following the vote in Madrid, Feijóo indicated that he would push for comparable legislation nationwide if his party is successful in the 2027 election.

The Bottom Line:

This policy has practical ramifications beyond a mere symbolic vote.

By permitting pregnancy to be recorded before birth, the law makes aid available sooner, and decreases the likelihood that parents must wait until after delivery to receive support. That matters for families experiencing financial strain, particularly in a climate where many governments speak about family values while doing little to make childbearing more feasible.

Additionally, a deeper value of the law is its acknowledgement that preborn children are already members of the family, not merely future possibilities.

Key Takeaways:

• A woman in Australia recently gave birth to four identical quadruplets all sharing the same placenta, a situation one doctor called "unheard of."

• Emily, Harriet, Alexa, and Catherine were born at 28 weeks and four days with no complications.

• The girls are still recovering in the hospital, but their prognosis is good.

The Details:

Jenitar Na’amoana and her husband Jortham of Brisbane, Australia, said they were taken by "immense surprise" when they learned they were expecting four babies. The couple already had four young children at home, and had reportedly not been planning to have more.

Despite the fact that the pregnancy was considered "very high risk," Jenitar was able to carry the babies — Emily, Harriet, Alexa, and Catherine — with little complication. The girls were born via c-section at 28 weeks and four days at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH).

"I was amazed that the conception happened and then we were convinced that there would be some complication in the pregnancy but the fact that they got to 28 weeks well, and well grown, is incredible," Dr. Alexis Bendall said.

"Our precious miracles have arrived safely, and while our hearts are overflowing with gratitude, the reality of caring for four newborns at once has brought challenges we never could have imagined," Jenitar wrote in a GoFundMe, noting the need to purchase a larger van to fit their whole family.

According to 9 News, the babies are still in the hospital for now, but their prognosis is good, and they are expected to join their parents and siblings at home soon.

Zoom In:

Dr. Bendall explained that the girls were monozygotic quadruplets, which occurs when one fertilized egg splits into four embryos. While this is already rare — occurring in one in 15 million pregnancies — the babies also all shared a single placenta, a fact Bendall said "was unheard of."

Bendall called the pregnancy "very, very high risk."

"Whenever you have a pregnancy, a multiple pregnancy, which is usually twins, not quads, where the babies are sharing a placenta, there's a very high risk of complications," she said. "The fact that we've got four beautiful healthy babies born at 28 weeks and four days is incredible."

The Bottom Line:

Conventional wisdom and medical advice likely would have suggested that these parents "selectively reduce" one or more of the babies in order to increase the likelihood of a healthy pregnancy. But as this story shows, miracles frequently happen, and such advice is often wrong.

Key Takeaways:

• Maria Rojas was arrested in 2025 for committing illegal abortions, and was indicted with 15 felony charges.

• Eight other people were arrested, all of whom worked in her three facilities.

• Her attorneys asked for the facilities to be reopened while the case proceeds. The Fifteenth Court of Appeals agreed with her attorneys, and lifted the injunction against her, allowing her clinics to be reopened.

• Her case has been sent back to a trial court for further proceedings, as she has not been acquitted of any charges.

The Backstory:

Maria Rojas was arrested in March of 2025 after two women said she committed abortions on them in the state of Texas. A grand jury indicted her on three counts of committing an abortion, and 12 counts of practicing medicine without a license.

One woman, identified as E.G., said Rojas gave her abortion pills; another woman, N.M., said she committed an abortion on her, with the indictment in N.M.'s case specifying that the preborn child died.

She was accused of owning, operating, and committing abortions at multiple facilities, under the names Clinica Waller Latinoamericana in Waller, Clinica Latinoamericana Telge in Cypress, and Latinoamericana Medical Clinic in Spring. Rojas was allegedly charging between $800 and $1,300 for chemical abortions, and one patient said she had claimed to be a gynecologist, not a midwife. 

Eight people were later arrested as well, all charged with practicing medicine without a license. One, Jose Manuel Cendan Ley, was specifically charged with assisting in an illegal abortion.

After Rojas was arrested, Texas obtained a restraining order to shut down her three businesses. In February, her attorneys asked for them to be reopened as the case proceeds.

The Details:

The Fifteenth Court of Appeals ruled in Rojas' favor, lifting the injunction against her businesses. This allows them to reopen as the case against her continues.

According to The Texan, the ruling states:

Although the suit underlying this interlocutory appeal involves allegations that the appellants, a licensed midwife and a group of associated clinics, performed illegal abortions and practiced medicine without a license, this opinion does not decide whether those acts occurred.

Instead, it turns on the fact that the State of Texas did not provide the trial court with sufficient evidence on which the trial court could grant a temporary injunction.

We conclude that the trial court improperly admitted probable-cause affidavits from a related but separate criminal case and that the remaining evidence is insufficient to reasonably support the existence of a probable right of recovery. Consequently, because the trial court abused its discretion in granting temporary injunctive relief, we reverse the trial court’s temporary-injunction order and remand to the trial court for further proceedings.

"Without the probable-cause affidavits, the remaining evidence in the record does not reasonably support the State’s allegations that abortions have been performed at the Clinics and, consequently, that the State has a 'probable right to relief' on its claims that Rojas and the Clinics violated the HLPA and MPA," the judges said in the ruling. "The trial abused its discretion in granting the temporary injunctive relief."

Rojas has not been acquitted of any charges, and the case will return to the Waller County district court. She also faces a civil lawsuit, in addition to the criminal charges against her, and was represented by Jenna Hudson of the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Hudson stated in a press release that “The state of Texas has no case. Maria Rojas has been an upstanding midwife who delivered babies and provided lawful care for underserved pregnant patients” asserting that "pregnant Texans are dying at alarming rates" and that "It will now be nearly impossible to re-open these clinics."

The Bottom Line:

While abortion activists are celebrating this ruling as a victory and framing it as an exoneration of Rojas, the case against her has not been resolved.

Key Takeaways:

• A woman wrote into an online advice column and expressed regret for her abortion.

• The woman described aborting to please her boyfriend, but said, "I have destroyed a life."

• Her experience is not uncommon; many women have expressed abortion regret or trauma.

• There is hope and healing available for women experiencing abortion regret or trauma.

The Details:

In a letter published last week in The Jamaica Star, an 18-year-old woman writes in to a columnist described as "the pastor," depicting an all-too-common situation — after moving in with her 30-year-old boyfriend, the young woman discovered she was pregnant. Her boyfriend, who already had two children with another woman, urged her to have an abortion. She did so to keep him happy — and now regrets it.

"Now I see myself as a murderer because I have destroyed a life," she wrote. "Every day I think about what the child I lost would have become."

The woman also said, "Every day I cry over what I have done." Her experience — and her feelings — are not uncommon.

Why It Matters:

The abortion industry commonly portrays abortion as part of routine healthcare, but women seldom experience trauma and intense regret after everyday healthcare procedures. Women do experience complex emotions, sometimes including regret, after abortion, because it is the taking of an innocent human life. However, for a number of women, relief is the immediate emotion; regret may surface later — sometimes even years later.

Multiple studies have shown that abortion significantly increases mental health risks. Potential consequences include depression, anxiety (including anxiety experienced during subsequent pregnancies), and substance abuse. Abortion-related trauma can also interfere with interpersonal relationships.

Countless post-abortive women have shared their personal experiences of abortion regret and trauma. The website Silent No More Awareness contains over 3,000 personal testimonies. Live Action's campaign, Can't Stay Silent, also details numerous instances of abortion regret, trauma, and healing.

The Bottom Line:

There is hope and healing for post-abortive women who are experiencing abortion regret. Live Action has a webpage dedicated to helping women find such help, with resources pointing to Rachel's Vineyard, the VIS Center, and the National Helpline for Abortion Recovery. Other similar programs are available through local churches and pregnancy resource centers.

Abortion regret is real, but healing is possible.

Key Takeaways:

• Dixon lived with Foxx after she graduated from high school in 2002, and the two shared an incredibly close bond.

• She frequently competed in the Special Olympics and was the 2011 Ambassador for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. She was also the first ever recipient of the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award.

• Foxx was heartbroken after Dixon passed away in 2020, and created a research fund in her name for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation.

• A bipartisan bill authorizing the first NIH-wide Down syndrome research program has passed the House with a unanimous vote.

The Backstory:

Foxx spoke frequently about his relationship with his sister, DeOndra Dixon, who lived with him after she graduated high school in 2002. Despite the 18-year age difference, he and Dixon were extremely close, and he said she taught him about what was truly important.

“I learned how to live,” Foxx told NBC News correspondent Kate Snow. “Sometimes we get caught up in our world on the extras of everything — ‘Ah, the Mercedes is not the right color!’ And then you see this girl over here,” he said, referring to his sister. “‘I just want to live. I want to dance. I want to love.’ She brings you back down to what life is.”

After Foxx became successful in Hollywood, he moved his entire family to live with him in Los Angeles, largely to ensure Dixon had support. And though his family was not familiar with Down syndrome, he said it didn't affect the love they had for her. “DeOndra has a light on that has been on since she got here… since she was born,” Foxx said, adding that his mother “was smart in immediately keeping her normal…. ‘Hey, you want to be in the choir, you wanna do this, you wanna do that? Go do it!'”

Dixon loved dancing, appearing in Foxx's "Blame It" music video and on stage with him at concerts around the world. She often competed in the Special Olympics and worked often with the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, where she was named the 2011 Ambassador. She was the first ever recipient of its highest honor, the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award, as she was a powerful self-advocate.

Dixon wrote about being able to dance onstage at the Grammy Awards:

“Lots of kids with Down syndrome never get a chance to shine or chase their dreams.

Each one has something to offer and each one has a dream. Please help me and my family to advocate for so many beautiful and brilliant children with Down syndrome who’ve been neglected. Together we will make dreams come true.”

Dixon passed away in 2020, leaving Foxx heartbroken.

“My heart is shattered into a million pieces… my beautiful loving sister Deondra has transitioned… I say transitioned because she will always be alive… anyone who knew my sis… knew that she was a bright light,” he wrote, adding, “Well I know she is in heaven now dancing with her wings on… tho my pain is unbelievable I smile when I think of all of the great memories that she left me… my family… and her friends.”

A year later, he honored her on World Down Syndrome Day, writing “My heart… my breath… my soul… I hear your laughter in the house… I hear you sliding down the stairs… my heart… my breath… my soul… I love u Deondra my angel.”

With the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, Foxx created the “DeOndra Dixon Down Syndrome Research Fund," which focuses on improving the disparity in life span for Black Americans with Down syndrome.

The Details:

This week, the Global Down Syndrome Foundation announced on Instagram that the DeOndra Dixon INCLUDE Project Act had unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives.

"This landmark legislation would permanently authorize the [NIH] INCLUDE Project, the only NIH-wide research program dedicated to improving the health and lives of people with DownSyndrome," the group wrote. "The INCLUDE Project is already driving groundbreaking research and medical advances in inflammation and immune system dysregulation, Alzheimer’s, sleep apnea, cancer, and more."

Foxx, who was tagged in the post, reshared it onto his own Instagram account, but has not commented.

The Act would expand the reach and funding of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) INCLUDE Project. While it currently receives funding, the Act would permanently authorize the project, ensuring it continues receiving funds so research can still be conducted to improve the lives of people with Down syndrome for generations to come.

Diana DeGette, one of the leaders of the House effort, praised legislators for the bipartisan effort in passing the bill:

"Today’s passage of the INCLUDE Project Act shows what we can achieve when we make Down syndrome research a true bipartisan priority.

By advancing this critical legislation, we are showing our commitment to improving health outcomes for individuals with Down syndrome. Colorado is already leading the way as home to the Global Down Syndrome Foundation and their affiliate, the Linda Crnic Institute — the largest institute for Down syndrome research in the world. When this bill becomes law, we will be doubling down on our commitment to groundbreaking science and to the Down syndrome community."

What's Happening Now:

The bill now moves to the Senate, where it is being spearheaded by Senators John Hickenlooper and Jerry Moran.

Key Takeaways:

• Anne Hathaway is currently pregnant with her third child and in a recent TODAY interview promoting her new film, "The Odyssey," she received a baby gift that moved her to tears.

• Hathaway’s emotional response to the gift is a touching reminder that pregnancy is the anticipation of a real child who already exists, and is already loved and awaited.

The Details:

During a July 16 interview with her "The Odyssey" co-star Tom Holland, TODAY host Craig Melvin presented Hathaway with a bespoke baby outfit styled in the theme of the film, complete with crocheted pieces that resembled ancient battle gear. The set included a diaper cover, a cape, and a helmet. 

The Oscar-winning actress, who is expecting her third child with husband Adam Shulman, was visibly moved by a gift to her.

“When the child comes out, we want the child ready for battle,” Melvin quipped.

“This is so cute,” she also admitted, while trying to hold back tears. “Who is talented enough to make all of this?”

She elaborated, “This is appropriately epic. Thank you so much. This is amazing.”

Before presenting the gift, Melvin shared a social media post with Hathaway that read: “Anne Hathaway having 5 movies premiering this year and then announcing that she’s pregnant is the level of productivity that men can’t achieve."

“It’s amazing,” Melvin stated. “You’ve made everyone else in Hollywood look and feel lazy.” 

The actress, already a mother to sons Jonathan, 10, and Jack, 6, posted an Instagram video on June 19, wearing a billowing white dress and stepping into view with her hands held over her stomach. She smiled, placed a hand on her bump, and then moved out of view. She captioned the post, “x Baby, I’m yours x.” 

A source told PEOPLE that Hathaway is "grateful for where she is in her career. Complaining just isn’t Anne. She approaches things with gratitude and professionalism,” the source said, adding, “Right now, she’s focused on family and enjoying a little downtime.”

In a May interview for Elle’s Summer 2026 issue, Hathaway reportedly shared a rare glimpse into life with her two sons. The mother of two, who plays Penelope in "The Odyssey," divulged that her boys are “in this really fun zone where we all love hanging out together, which I understand may change.” 

“Well, we will always love hanging out with them, but their feelings about us might change,” Hathaway stated. "We’re all just in it. Adam and I are soaking it up. I’m having the most wonderful time with my family, living in the city of my dreams, and work seems to be going really, really well."

The Bottom Line:

Hathaway’s emotional response to the gift is a touching reminder that pregnancy is not just a headline or a celebrity moment that was captured on screen but the anticipation of a real child who already exists, and is already loved and awaited.

The baby gift, though humorous, showcased the humanity of motherhood and the emotional bond between mother and child forming before birth.

In a time when unborn children are frequently talked about in abstract terms and statistics by pro-abortion advocates, moments like Hathaway’s reactions are noticeable as they depict pregnancy as a blessing to be celebrated.

Go Deeper:

Hathaway's reaction clearly reveals that she instinctively knows her preborn child is a real, living human being. However, she supports abortion and has made extreme comments in the past. Read more here:

• <a href="/news/anne-hathaway-abortion-mercy-human-right-victim">Actress Anne Hathaway calls abortion ‘mercy’ and a ‘human right’ — but the victim count says otherwise</a>

• <a href="/news/anne-hathaway-abortion-prevent-poor-black-babies">Anne Hathaway implies abortion needed to prevent ‘poor and black’ babies</a>

Key Takeaways:

• Several Catholic plaintiffs, including multiple religious sisters, are suing the state of New York over its soon-to-be-enacted Medical Aid in Dying Act.

• The plaintiffs argue that the law will compel them to inform the sick and dying that they have the option to commit assisted suicide, force them to refer patients for assisted suicide, and potentially even allow assisted suicide to be carried out in their facilities, against their religious beliefs.

• The lawsuit alleges that the law violates the groups' First Amendment rights.

The Details:

In a lawsuit filed on Friday, 10 Catholic plaintiffs, including the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, and Catholic Health, argued that New York's Medical Aid in Dying Act forces them to violate their religious beliefs. They say that the law compels them to counsel patients who are deemed 'terminally ill' about assisted suicide, make referrals to doctors willing to carry out assisted suicide, and even allow assisted suicide deaths to be carried out in their facilities.

"New York has put the Sisters to a stark choice: either abandon their religious beliefs regarding the sanctity of life or face significant fines and penalties," the lawsuit reads. "Through its euphemistically-named Medical Aid in Dying Act, which builds upon requirements in the Palliative Care Information Act, New York has conscripted even religious healthcare providers and institutions to participate in the provision of physician-assisted suicide."

New York defines 'terminal illness or condition' as "an illness or condition which can reasonably be expected to cause death within six months, whether or not treatment is provided."

As reported by Fox News, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne run Rosary Hill Home, where they provide end-of-life care for individuals regardless of their faith or background. Over the years, they have served 45,000 people in their final days.

Mother Marie Edward, O.P., Superior General of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, said, "For over 125 years, we have ministered to the poor who are dying of cancer as if they were Christ Himself. Our calling is to offer comfort, prayer, and loving medical care to those in their final days—not death."

She added, "We pray the court will protect our freedom to remain faithful to that ministry God has entrusted to us."

Likewise, Mother Mary Rose Heery, O. Carm., prioress general of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, said in a statement, "At our homes, we bring Christ's unbounded love to elderly New Yorkers of every background and walk of life. We strive to bring His compassion to those entrusted to our care, ensuring that no resident ever has to die alone. This law strikes at the heart of that vocation."

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is representing the Carmelite Sisters, the Dominican Sisters, the Benedictine Sisters, and the Little Sisters of the Poor, as well as Bishop John O. Barres and the Diocese of Rockville Centre in the case. President of the Becket Fund, Mark Rienzi, said in a statement, "New York is forcing sick and dying people to consider suicide at their lowest moment, regardless of whether they ask for it or not.

"Worse, it's conscripting the nuns who care for them into its suicide cult on pain of crushing fines and professional ruin. That is both unconscionable and unconstitutional. We're confident the federal courts will put a stop to it."

The Bottom Line:

When it takes effect on August 5, New York's Medical Aid in Dying Act will allow people who have been told they have six months or less to live to ask for drugs to commit suicide. Coupled with the state's Palliative Care Information Act, which requires health care providers to tell these patients about all of their treatment options, the groups that morally oppose assisted suicide would be forced to both promote and allow the discriminatory act.

Key Takeaways: 

• In vitro fertilization (IVF) was legalized in Malta in 2013; Zarb said the country should now consider legalizing surrogacy as well.

• Surrogacy is currently considered a breach of the Embryo Protection Act.

• Malta has long established itself as a country which protects life, and legalizing surrogacy would violate that.

The Details:

After legalizing IVF in 2013, Malta should now consider if its continued prohibition of surrogacy under the Embryo Protection Act remains justified, said Labour politician Romilda Zarb.

She further argued that the anticipated rollout of the first national Women’s Health Strategy, and the inclusion of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) together with endometriosis treatments in the state formulary, have each created new opportunities in their respective areas. 

“But if there is one topic that for me keeps reminding us that our work is not yet finished, it is the topic of surrogacy," she said. "Because if there's one thing the IVF experience has taught us, it's that politics should no longer shy away from difficult topics."

At the moment, surrogacy is considered a breach of the Embryo Protection Act. It was initially included among the broad legislative reforms put forward by the Labour government in 2018; however, it was ultimately removed from the final bill, with a commitment to address the issue through separate legislation, which has not yet happened.

A MaltaToday report quoted IVF specialist Christine Schembri Deguara, a medical director at HOPE Fertility Clinic, calling on lawmakers to reopen the surrogacy debate and to widen sperm donation rules, including changes that would permit lesbian couples to use the same sperm donor. This was presented as part of improving treatment options in Malta. 

Deguara said surrogacy should be permitted within a strictly regulated legal framework, particularly for women unable to carry a pregnancy, and for male same-sex couples. She also called for revisions to existing sperm donation regulations, so that donors are connected to families instead of individual parents, a change she said would enable lesbian couples to have children who are biologically connected to both partners. 

“I would really love to get the discussion of surrogacy going, both from a medical side and also from an equal rights side,” Deguara said, adding, “If two women are regarded as a family, then the sperm donor can actually be used by both women."

Why It Matters:

The latest development ignites familiar alarms about the commodification of women and children, the fragmentation of parenthood, and the further jeopardizing of safeguards for children already built into Maltese law. 

Surrogacy turns pregnancy into a transaction and the baby into the product of a contractual agreement. This practice reshapes the meaning of motherhood, fatherhood, and the child’s value as a gift instead of a commodity. 

The wider track record of Malta’s IVF debates reveals  that once legal barriers are lowered, further pressures follow. Previous coverage revealed that government changes to IVF already paved the way to sperm and egg donation, embryo freezing, and consultation on altruistic surrogacy, all while critics cautioned against the moral costs of regarding embryonic life and motherhood as technical problems to be dealt with. 

Reports on the Embryo Protection Act pointed out that Maltese lawmakers and commentators had debated over whether repeated or anonymous gamete donation could compromise a child’s biological identity and lead to long-term ethical problems. 

The Bottom Line:

Malta has long positioned itself as a country that treasures the protection of life in law. This reality makes it particularly significant for lawmakers not to trade away one human dignity in the name of another’s desire for a child. A pro-life society should address infertility with medicine that honors the dignity of both mother and child, not with policies that outsource pregnancy or break apart a child’s natural origins from his or her biological mother.

Key Takeaways:

• According to CDC data, births among Black mothers declined 4% from 2023-2024.

• Black women are having first children later in life than they have historically.

• This follows a larger trend, as many young women are either delaying childbirth or forgoing it altogether.

The Details:

According to the CDC, while births among Black mothers declined 4% from 2023-24, births among American Indian and Alaska Native women declined by 2%, and births among white women declined by less than 1%. Births rose by 4% among Hispanic women and 5% among Asian women.

As reported by The Philadelphia Tribune, the average age at first birth for Black women is now 25.9. Black women are having first children later in life than they have historically, and at older ages on average than Latina and American Indian women, whose average ages at first birth are 25.2 and 24.2, respectively. They are also giving birth at younger ages on average than white and Asian women, whose average ages at first birth are 28.3 and 31.5, respectively.

In 2024, the birth rate among teenagers reached its lowest since 1979. Teenage births have historically affected the black community, but CDC data shows that the birth rates among Black teens ages 15-19 declined by 8%, just between 2023 and 2024.

Between 2023 and 2024, the overall birth rates declined among women ages 15-43, and rose for those 40-44. 

As previously reported by Live Action News, the birth rate for females ages 14 to 29 is expected to drop below the birth rate for women ages 30 to 49 for the first time in American history.

Zoom In:

Many young women are either delaying childbirth or forgoing it altogether. By delaying childbirth, it is more likely that they will have fewer children than if they had begun in their 20s instead of their 30s. 

Black women are increasingly a part of this trend.

The Philadelphia Tribune points to several factors which could be influencing Black women (and women of other ethnicities) from having children later in life or foregoing childbirth:

• Educational attainment: More Black women are earning college degrees and are outpacing black men in this area.

• Cost of living (housing and childcare) as well as student loans, compounded by possible racial wealth gaps.

• Possible gaps in maternal care among black women could also be a factor.

The overall U.S. birth rate hit a record low in 2024 at 1.6 children per woman — well below the replacement rate of 2.1 births per woman. This number reflects births across racial demographics, suggesting there is more at play than racial differences. 

The Bottom Line:

Previous analyses from Live Action News suggest that the decline of births across the diverse population of the United States could be attributed to new cultural norms rooted in individualism, which place other life goals and desires above having children.

Chen Zhou appeared via Zoom during a hearing held on Wednesday, though he rarely spoke. The judge, Rose Marie Preddy, questioned why Chen's attorneys had not disclosed that a closely-related case had been heard in Duval County earlier that day, before asking her to issue an emergency pickup order in St. Johns County. Although the Duval judge’s written order denying Simpson’s request, which would have terminated Chen's parental rights, was not formally entered until June 18, Preddy said the attorneys should have informed her about the proceedings, even if the Duval judge had not yet ruled when they appeared before her.

"I don't know why that wasn't disclosed to me, even if he didn't rule, but I just wanted that clear because that would have been helpful," Preddy said.

Chen's attorneys also argued against Preddy appointing a guardian ad litem. A guardian ad litem's role is to be neutral, and advocate solely for what is in the best interests of the children.

"Your Honor that's not set for issue," the attorneys argued. "We've had no notice. We have plenty of arguments to suggest that's improper. There's no 39 proceedings. This is not a custody action between two parents. It's completely improper for that to be handled."

Yet Preddy disagreed.

"I'm struggling with why you would, how it would not be in the best interests of the children, considering this unique posture, why I wouldn't appoint a neutral person for the best interests of the children because I'm gonna have to make a custody determination between non-relative parties who may have waived their rights and a Chinese resident who may not be able to come to the U.S.," she said.

Still, a guardian ad litem was not yet appointed.

The hearing also delved into the children's relocation to California, in which they were taken from Simpson's care. Sam Elliott, who represents the Florida Attorney General's office, said the California parentage order does not apply or have jurisdiction, as the children were not born in California and never lived there. Ellen Kaplan, who represents Simpson, also asked for the location of the children be disclosed to her.

"I don't know when DCF went out in California, and we haven't been provided that information, and this is a proffer," Kaplan said. "And Mr. Elliott said he spoke to DCF over a week ago, that means that we don't know what the current status of the children are, and there are concerns."

Preddy ruled that Chen's attorneys have 24 hours to disclose the children's location to her, though she did not specifically say that location must be shared with Simpson. Another hearing is set for August 4, where Preddy will hear arguments from Chen's attorneys on why she should dissolve the injunction blocking the children from being taken out of the United States, as well as on vacating the motion that removed the children from Simpson.

7/22/2026: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is getting involved after a St. Augustine surrogate gave birth to triplets, and the intended parent never claimed them. The surrogate is now seeking custody of the children she birthed.

Key Takeaways:

• Almost two years ago, surrogate Kyla Simpson gave birth to triplets.

• A California agency had previously matched her with a single man in China, with whom she signed a surrogacy contract before undergoing IVF.

• After giving birth prematurely, the triplets were in the NICU for two months. Eventually, Simpson eventually took the triplets home with her and the intended parent never came.

• The man claimed he was having trouble obtaining a visa, and Simpson offered to fly the babies to China. Eventually, the man stopped communicating with her, and one of the triplets passed away.

• Simpson filed an emergency order to terminate the man's parental rights, and he has since begun to fight back, forcing the Florida attorney general to get involved.

• The intended father filed an emergency child pick-up order, resulting in the boys being placed in foster care.

• Simpson filed an emergency motion to keep the boys in the U.S. as she seeks custody, but that motion was denied.

The Details:

Simpson shared her harrowing story with First Coast News, explaining that she chose to be a surrogate as an act of kindness, to bless someone who wanted children and couldn't have them.

She told the Daily Caller, "My whole point of going into surrogacy was to be able to buy a home, you know? And bless someone with a child."

Working with a surrogacy agency in California, she was matched with a single man in China, and both signed contracts through their separate legal representatives. She explained that after undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), the two agreed on a birth plan.

"That was dated October 31st, 2024, and it basically stated that I have physical custody of them and that I'm able to make decisions on behalf of them in lieu of his absence," she said.

But after Simpson gave birth one month prematurely to triplets on November 4, 2024, the intended father did not come to claim the children. The babies were put in the neonatal intensive care unit for about two months, and the intended father claimed he was arranging travel documents to come to the United States and pick up the children. During that time, Simpson was given physical custody of the triplets under the Gestational Surrogacy Hospital Plan until the man could arrive... but he never did.

The triplets' discharge date came and went, and the babies went home with Simpson and her husband, Lincoln. All three boys were home with the couple by January 2025.

"Every day I came to that hospital, and if it was a day where I'm just super exhausted and I couldn't make it, I'm up there I'm calling all throughout the day," Simpson said of the babies in the NICU.

Initially, the man in China continued communication with her, and Simpson even offered to fly the babies to China for him.

"My mom was like, I'll fly with you, and she was like, 'don't go by yourself,' and I was willing to, so it shows that I never was trying to actually keep them," she said.

Then, on March 21, 2025, he told Simpson that a friend and an agent would be coming to collect the boys, which she was not comfortable with. She told First Coast News that it was around that time that two male strangers came to her home in a black SUV to try to take the babies.

“I don’t feel comfortable doing all of these things and you’re not coming to get them. I said either you, the people you had listed that could, if in case you passed away or something, they would have custody of these kids, them, or a representative from the agency to come and get these kids. I’m not handing them over to [any] strangers,” Simpson told First Coast News.

She told the Daily Caller, "The thing about it is, this Asian man, this Chinese man, is still in China. His attorney is the one who is considered a custodian or something like that.”

Soon afterwards, the man stopped communication with Simpson, and in August of 2025, one of the babies died from RSV complications.

"I broke down crying over him. They had to pull me out of the room because I was crying," she said. "I'm like... say something. That was like my most bubbly baby... I say 'our kids' because blood doesn't matter to me how they look doesn't matter to me, color doesn't matter. I birthed them."

She explained that she didn't hear from the intended father again until 2026. "... I reached out to him in February 2026," she told the Daily Caller. "He didn't respond to me until May 20th of 2026 ... Christopher died last year [in] August 2025. He [the father] would like Facebook posts, like, let me know he's watching me, but never once did he reach out about Christopher."

In May, Simpson filed documents to terminate the intended parent's parental rights and adopt the babies. The intended father then filed an emergency child pick-up order, which a St. Johns County judge approved, sending the boys to foster care, where they have remained since June 17.

Simpson filed an emergency motion with the Fifth District Court of Appeal to prevent the boys from being removed from the U.S., but that motion was denied. Simpson's attorney is seeking a rehearing and there is a 10-minute hearing scheduled at the end of July.

"I feel like my back is against the wall," said Simpson.

In a statement, Simpson's attorney, Ellen Kaplan, explained that the motion is "asking for one thing: that two twenty-month-old American citizens, born in Jacksonville and raised every day of their lives by the Simpsons, remain in the United States while the courts review the orders that removed them from the only home they have ever known."

Kaplan added:

"The certified court record shows that counsel stated in open court on June 25 that travel documents for the children are being obtained. The People's Republic of China is not a party to the Hague Abduction Convention: if these children leave the United States, no American court can bring them home....

The Simpsons will accept whatever a court decides after a full and fair hearing on a complete record. They ask only that their sons still be in this country when that decision is made."

Zoom In:

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has now intervened, filing an emergency order to block the children's removal from the United States. He also revealed that an application to issue passports for the boys has been filed, making the matter even more urgent.

Uthmeier argued that paternity was not established under Florida law, as the initial Uniform Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) was signed in California. For now, a judge has agreed, granting a temporary injunction to prevent the boys from leaving the country.

"We're just very happy that we had some relief here with regard to the passports and we look forward to having the opportunity to present everything," Kaplan said.

Simpson has established a GiveSendGo account to help raise money for her legal expenses.

Commentary

“Kyla’s story should prompt [everyone], including policymakers to ask whether our laws are truly protecting the most vulnerable people involved in these arrangements — the children,” The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network (CBC) Executive Director Kallie Fell told the Daily Caller in a statement. “Surrogacy contracts are negotiated by adults, but it is children who ultimately live with the consequences of those agreements.”

She added, “At the Center for Bioethics and Culture, we’ve been warning for years that international commercial surrogacy creates predictable ethical and legal risks. Kyla’s case is another reminder that our laws should prioritize the rights and well-being of children over the desires of adults.”

The Big Picture:

On July 1, Florida outlawed gestational surrogacy contracts if any of the involved persons is a citizen or resident of a ‘foreign country of concern,' which includes China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria, and Venezuela. The law does not affect surrogacy contracts women in Florida make with surrogacy companies in other states.

In January, federal legislators introduced the Stopping Adversarial Foreign Exploitation of Kids in Domestic Surrogacy (SAFE KIDS) Act which would invalidate commercial surrogacy agreements with citizens of foreign adversary countries, including China.

Rep. Chuck Edward explained on Instagram:

China and other foreign adversaries exploit American surrogacy laws for human trafficking. I’m cosponsoring the SAFE KIDS Act to end this horrific practice. The legislation:
✔️Invalidates any commercial surrogacy contract with citizens of foreign adversarial nations
✔️Holds nefarious brokers accountable
✔️Ensures children involved are protected under state law

There has been no action on the bill since its introduction. However, in February, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) called for an investigation to be opened into surrogacy centers operated by foreign nationals. In a letter, they wrote in part:

Recent reports have uncovered more than 107 Chinese-owned surrogacy agencies operating in Southern California alone. These agencies cater almost exclusively to wealthy Chinese clients, and some are affiliated with Chinese state-owned entities. Chinese nationals pay women living in the United States more than $50,000 to serve as surrogates. The children are born on United States soil and granted automatic citizenship. And in most cases, the infants are promptly flown to China and raised there under the direct influence of the Chinese Communist Party.

A major scandal erupted last year when 21 babies were found in the home of "intended parents" who were running Future Spring Surrogacy (formerly Marks Surrogacy). In an article for The Daily Wire, reporter Mary Margaret Olohan explained that federal authorities are investigating the business following allegations of a for-profit baby selling surrogacy scheme involving a Chinese couple.

In June, legislators in the House introduced the Protecting Kids from Creeps Act to "prohibit surrogacy agencies from facilitating surrogacy contracts with sex offenders, and for other purposes." Also introduced in June was the Preventing International Surrogacy Exploitation Act, which seeks to "prohibit foreign nationals from entering into or enforcing surrogacy contracts in the United States, and for other purposes."

​On Tuesday, July 21, Scurry County Commissioners’ Court considered an ordinance outlawing abortion and declaring Scurry County a Sanctuary County for the Unborn.

After a brief period of discussion about the ordinance, Commissioner Shawn McCowen made the motion to adopt the measure, stating, “This is a no-brainer. I don’t even know why we are discussing it.”

A unanimous vote

Commissioner Terry Williams seconded the motion. Upon a full vote of the court, County Judge Dan Hicks and Commissioners Terry Williams, Doug Scott, and Shawn McCowen all voted in favor of the measure – making the vote a unanimous 4-0. Commissioner Jeff Mitchell was not present for the vote.

​The unanimous 4-0 passage made Scurry County (pop. 16,932) the 22nd county in Texas to outlaw abortion trafficking—following Mitchell (pop. 9,070), Goliad (pop. 7,012), Cochran (pop. 2,547), Lubbock (pop. 317,561), Dawson (pop. 12,130), Jack (pop. 8,875), Shackelford (pop. 3,105), Camp (pop. 13,164), Shelby (pop. 24,179), Hopkins (pop. 38,784), Dickens (pop. 1,725), Howard (pop. 34,860), Motley (pop. 1,063), Crosby (pop. 5,133), Borden (pop. 631), Hall (pop. 2,825), Hood (pop. 61,598), King (pop. 265), Sterling (pop. 1,372), Lynn (pop. 5,596), and Collingsworth (pop. 2,652) counties—as well as the 24th county and the 122nd political subdivision to outlaw abortion in the United States. The effort to see political subdivisions throughout Texas outlaw abortion trafficking through the Sanctuaries for the Unborn initiative is supported by lawmakers across Texas and New Mexico.

Enthusiastic support

​After the meeting, Scurry County Republican Chairman Zachary Gafford shared:

"Scurry County has taken a principled stand for life. I am grateful to our commissioners for their courage in passing this ordinance and for listening to the will of the people they serve. Scurry County joins a growing number of counties that have taken this step to close the gaps in protecting life by stopping abortion trafficking. This is what it looks like when local government serves its people -- born and unborn."

​Snyder First Assembly of God Lead Pastor Mandy Pena shared:

"Many people in small towns want to think of issues like abortion and human trafficking as issues that are “out there,” as though they do not affect our own community. They do happen in our community and in every town in America. Brokenness is everywhere. These are not political issues; they are spiritual issues, and if righteous people stay silent or do nothing, evil wins. I am thankful for the leadership of the Scurry County Commissioners willing to stand for Life."

​Scurry County resident Johnnie Stansell shared:

​"I’m so proud to be a Scurry County resident. Thank you, Judge Hicks, Commissioners 

McCowen, Scott, and Williams for supporting such an important issue. Thank you for letting our voices be heard. This is a positive step in our community to save unborn babies and to protect young mothers from the trauma of the aftermath of an abortion."

​Isaac Castro, who serves as the 259th District Attorney over nearby Jones and Shackelford Counties, shared,

"I am proud of the Scurry County Commissioners for their commitment to the right to life of the unborn! Having spent a great deal of time in Scurry County, I am not surprised that the Commissioners reflected the values of their constituents."

​The Scurry County SCFTU Ordinance

​The Scurry County SCFTU Ordinance prohibits elective abortions and the aiding or abetting of elective abortions within the unincorporated area of Scurry County, as well as the performing of an elective abortion and the aiding or abetting of an elective abortion on a resident of the unincorporated area of Scurry County, “regardless of the location of the abortion, regardless of the law in the jurisdiction where the abortion occurred, and regardless of whether the person knew or should have known that the abortion was performed or induced on a resident of the unincorporated area of Scurry County.”

​As a result of the ordinance, it is now illegal “for any person to knowingly transport any individual for the purpose of providing or obtaining an elective abortion, regardless of where the elective abortion will occur” as long as such activity “begins, ends, or passes through Scurry County.”

​This means it is now illegal “for any person to knowingly transport any individual for the purpose of providing or obtaining an elective abortion, regardless of where the elective abortion will occur” as long as such activity "begins, ends, or passes through Scurry County.” This means it is now illegal to use the sections of U.S. Highway 84, U.S. Highway 180, State Highway 208, State Highway 350, and all sections of all other roads found in the unincorporated area of Scurry County for abortion trafficking.

The Scurry County Sanctuary County for the Unborn Ordinance connects to the county ordinances passed in Collingsworth, Hall, Motley, King, Dickens, Crosby, Lubbock, Lynn, Dawson, Borden, Howard, Mitchell, and Sterling—extending the 'Wall of Ordinances' prohibiting abortion trafficking. The ordinances are part of a cultural shift that looks at abortion trafficking the same way as drug trafficking or sex trafficking and is intentionally written to facilitate the end of abortion throughout the United States.​

The ordinance also prohibits abortion-inducing drugs within the unincorporated area of Scurry County, prohibits Texas waste management companies from transporting and disposing of aborted fetal remains from any out-of-state abortion provider within the unincorporated area of Scurry County, and declares organizations in violation of the federal Comstock Act – which prohibits the mailing and receiving of abortion inducing drugs and abortion paraphernalia – to be criminal organizations, prohibiting such organizations from operating within the unincorporated area of Scurry County.

The Private Enforcement Mechanism

​The Scurry County SCFTU ordinance is not enforced by Scurry County, its elected officials, or any of their employees. Instead of being enforced criminally, the law is enforced civilly by private citizens.

This is the same way the Texas Heartbeat Act is enforced: through a private enforcement mechanism that allows private citizens to file a lawsuit against anyone in violation of the law. The Scurry County SCFTU ordinance does not allow any lawsuit to be filed against the mother of the unborn child, but only against the abortionist and those who are aiding or abetting the abortionist in the killing of an unborn child.

​In addition to the strong protections for pregnant mothers and their unborn children within the local law, the Scurry County SCFTU ordinance also educates about the statewide Thriving Texas Families Program, which helps connect pregnant mothers to a variety of resources through centers listed on the Texas Pregnancy Care Network website and The Pregnancy Network website.

​The only part of the county not covered by the Scurry County SCFTU ordinance is the City of Snyder (pop. 11,251). A citizen initiative petition is currently being circulated so the city can have the same protections for pregnant mothers and their unborn children that are now in the unincorporated area of the county.

​13th Unanimous Vote For Life This Year

​Scurry County’s vote was the 13th unanimous passage of the ordinance by a political subdivision in Texas this year, following: the City of Matador (pop. 570), Borden County (pop. 631), the City of Lockney (pop. 1,988), Hall County (pop. 2,825), Hood County (pop. 61,598), the City of Wellman (pop. 205), King County (pop. 265), Sterling County (pop. 1,372), the City of O’Donnell (pop. 704), Lynn County (pop. 5,596), Collingsworth County (pop. 2,652), and the City of Ranger (pop. 2,469).

Two cities that adopted the measure this year were not unanimous on their decision: the City of Brownfield (pop. 9,976) and the City of Muleshoe (pop. 5,158). The vote in Brownfield was 5-3, and the vote in Muleshoe was 4-1.

​The only two political subdivisions that have rejected the measure and are currently rejecting the measure in 2026 have been Terry County (pop. 11,602) and the City of Comanche (pop. 4,294). While the vote against the measure in Terry County was unanimous, 4-0, the vote against the measure in Comanche was 3-1.

​Citizens who wish to see their city or county pass an ordinance to further protect pregnant mothers and their unborn children from the violence of abortion are encouraged to sign the online petition – regardless of what city, county, or state they are located in.

The 51-44 vote was largely split along party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats against, though Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., voted with Republicans. Kaine said last month that he regretted voting against the previous CDC director, Susan Monarez, and had apologized to her.

7/23/26: During a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee hearing on her nomination this week, Dr. Erica Schwartz, President Trump's latest nominee to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), called abortion surveillance an "absolutely critical component" of what the CDC does.

Key Takeaways:

• Dr. Erica Schwartz, the latest nominee to lead the CDC, stated in a hearing this week that "abortion surveillance is an absolutely critical component of what the CDC is currently doing" and noted the need for "clear case definitions regarding abortions, so the data is actually accurate."

• The CDC and the Guttmacher Institute (with the latter being more comprehensive in its information) have historically tracked abortion data. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Society of Family Planning's #WeCount also began to release estimated data.

• Not all states report abortion statistics to CDC, and since the Dobbs decision in 2022, additional states are considering either halting their reporting altogether or scaling back what data they publish.

• According to Guttmacher, by July 2026, just "44 states plus DC have some form of mandated abortion reporting." Excluded are California, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York; many of these states have historically reflected high abortion numbers.

The Details:

Schwartz began:

"If confirmed, my first priority will be restoring trust in public health institutions through radical transparency and unwavering scientific integrity. As CDC director, my sacred responsibility is to provide the American people with public health guidance that is clear, honest, and evidence based. I will never betray the science."

Schwartz has been endorsed by the American Public Health Association (APHA), which wrote:

As a well-trained and credentialed physician and former Deputy Surgeon General, Erica Schwartz possesses the medical background and public health knowledge to understand that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must be guided by evidence-based science.

With her previous service at HHS during the first Trump administration and as Chief Medical Officer with the U.S. Coast Guard, she has demonstrated strong leadership skills.

Senator Hawley Grills CDC Nominee on Collecting All Abortion Data

During the nomination hearing, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley asked Schwartz about abortion data collection:

“The CDC collects data on abortions that are committed in the United States of America through a system called the Abortion Reporting System.

This system is voluntary, and so a number of states, not coincidentally large blue states, do not turn over any data, so that it's difficult to get a picture of just how many abortions and under what circumstances are committed in this country.”

Hawley, who accurately suggested that not all abortions are reported, then pointed out the increases in abortion after the Dobbs Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade:

"We do know the numbers are going up — way up. Since the Dobbs decision just a few years ago, the numbers of abortions committed in the United States have gone way up. Well over a million abortions last year. I'm sure the number, based on what we know so far, will be higher this year. And all of that is just based on what we can cobble together without full reporting."

As Live Action News previously documented, Big Abortion admits that a contributor to the increase is the intentional erosion of abortion pill safety regulations by Biden's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2023, from in-person dispensing to mail-order and pharmacy dispensing. This has enabled abortion drugs to permeate pro-life states despite laws protecting preborn children, and in the face of the Federal Comstock Act, which prohibits mailing abortion-inducing drugs.

In June of 2026, the Guttmacher Institute (Planned Parenthood's former research arm and "special affiliate") updated abortion data for 2025, revealing that nearly 66 million abortions have been committed since 1973 when the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling forced legalized abortion upon every state in the nation. Over 4.6 million of those abortions were committed since the year the Dobbs decision was decided (2022).

Sen. Hawley continued his question to Ms. Schwartz:

"My question to you is — and I realize that the abortion reporting system, there's been some talk of moving it to a different component in HHS other than CDC — but, historically, its been located in what would be your agency.

So, if that continues to be the case, would you commit to trying to get as much information — again, to collect the data on the number and circumstances of abortions — as is provided for in this system?

To collect that data from these states and to work with those states that are currently holding out and not giving it?

To actually give the data so that we can know, we can get a picture of what really is going on here?

Will you do that?"

Response: Abortion surveillance critical component of CDC

In response to Sen. Hawley's concerns, Schwartz stated:

"Senator, you have my commitment.

Abortion surveillance is an absolutely critical component of what the CDC is currently doing.

To your point, it may be moved to another agency in HHS."

She then reiterated, "I agree, yes, I will look into that," before adding:

“But I also want to also make sure that certain states are not conflating emergency services and hiding abortions in that 'emergency services' case definition.

We need to make sure we're pulling out true abortions and making sure that we're really having clear case definitions regarding abortions, so the data is actually accurate.”

"Tremendous, fantastic, thank you for that," Sen. Hawley replied.

The Background:

Who historically reports abortion data?

Traditionally, abortion data has been compiled by the Guttmacher Institute (a former Planned Parenthood research arm and “special affiliate") and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Guttmacher did not begin publishing abortion data until 1973. The organization previously utilized responses to abortion provider surveys for its abortion reports. Then, in late 2023, after nearly 50 years of using the same methodology, and after the Dobbs decision, Guttmacher changed this methodology and began publishing monthly abortion estimates.

Guttmacher did this despite describing this new methodology as less reliable than what had been previously used.

Since Dobbs, the pro-abortion Society of Family Planning (SFP)'s #WeCount has also been publishing estimated abortion data nationally.

Both are based on surveys or reports submitted by abortion providers.

The CDC relies solely on data voluntarily reported from the states, which individually set the standards for abortion reporting, and is not as comprehensive.

Currently, not all states report abortion statistics to CDC, and since the Dobbs decision in 2022, additional states are considering either halting their reporting altogether or scaling back what data they publish. According to Guttmacher, by July 2026, just "44 states plus DC have some form of mandated abortion reporting."

Excluded are California, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York; many of these states have historically reflected high abortion numbers. New Mexico reportedly had the highest abortion rate among all U.S. states in 2025.

Abortion surveillance history

The CDC began publishing abortion data before Roe in 1969.

According to Perspectives in Reproductive Health, published by the Guttmacher Institute, “[T]he Population Council, The Alan Guttmacher Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—collaborated to gather data by conducting what became known as abortion surveillance…”

As Live Action News previously documented, in 1969, the CDC began its abortion surveillance branch to document the number and characteristics of women obtaining legal abortions. By this time, 10 states had decriminalized abortion and the CDC had estimated that there were 22,670 abortions. As more states began to decriminalize it, the numbers climbed dramatically, before declining some years after Roe. 

In that report the CDC acknowledged, “The need for abortion surveillance is based on a lack of accurate incidence, morbidity and mortality data.” It goes on to state, “The incidence and prevalence of induced abortion are unknown… Abortion-related morbidity is also unknown….” 

Yet post-Dobbs, abortion proponents want all abortion data collecting to be halted.

For quite some time, there had been speculation that the CDC might halt or delay abortion reports, partly because more states have removed requirements to report any abortion data at all, and partly because of cuts within the Division of Reproductive Health of the CDC.

The latest report published by the CDC was for 2022 data, when Dobbs was released midway through that year in June. The CDC later paused its annual abortion surveillance report for the first time since it began publishing the reports in 1969, and to date has yet to release data for 2023.

In 2025, the agency clarified to Live Action News that the CDC was working to release an abortion surveillance report in the spring of 2026. That time has now passed, with no updates on when the data will be released.

CDC tracked additional data

While Guttmacher's overall abortion numbers tend to be higher than CDC, the government agency gave analysts additional data based on:

• Race

• Previous live births

• Gestational age of the baby, including later abortions at or after 21 weeks gestation

• Infants born alive

• Other characteristics

Guttmacher reported:

For decades, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has partnered with states to collect aggregate statistics on abortions in the United States. The CDC does not require states to submit abortion data, but most do so through state laws requiring abortion providers, hospitals and other medical facilities to submit regular reports. Certain localities also require abortion reporting.

The information collected in these reports varies by state but typically includes the names of the medical facility and the clinician providing abortion care, the patient’s demographic characteristics (e.g., age, race, ethnicity, marital status and number of previous live births), the patient’s residence details (e.g., state or locality), the gestational duration of the pregnancy and the type of abortion provided.

Both Guttmacher and the CDC have attempted to document who obtains abortions, as Live Action News previously noted.

The Bottom Line:

In June of 2026, Guttmacher updated abortion data, now estimating that 1,129,900 abortions were committed in 2025 alone.

The number tragically reflects 3,096 abortions per day, 21,729 per week, and 94,158 per month.

We now estimate that from 1973 to June of 2026, nearly 66 million preborn children have lost their lives to abortion, based on Guttmacher's current reports.

Key Takeaways:

• Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha, have announced the birth of their fourth child, Alec Neel Vance.

• Usha and Alec are both said to be "happy and healthy."

• According to news reports, this is the first birth to a sitting vice president in more than 150 years.

The Details:

VP Vance announced the birth of their son, Alec Neel Vance, in a social media post on July 19.

“We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning. Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother,” the statement, which was signed by both JD and Usha Vance, said.

The couple also thanked the doctors and staff at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, along with the White House medical team, for their excellent care.

Baby Alec is the fourth child for the couple, joining big siblings Ewan, 9; Vivek, 6; and Mirabel, 4.

According to CNN, this is the first birth to a sitting vice president in more than 150 years. As the outlet reported: "The last time a second lady had a baby while in office was in 1870, when Vice President Schuyler Colfax and his wife, Ellen Maria Colfax, welcomed Schuyler Colfax III, who went on to become the mayor of South Bend, Indiana."

Zoom In:

As the vice president, Vance has indicated his support for family life. In January 2026, he spoke to the crowd at the annual March for Life about his wife's pregnancy. As Live Action News reported:

"Some of you may remember that, in my remarks last year, I told you all that one of the things I most wanted in the United States of America was more families, and more babies," he joked lightheartedly. "So let the record show, you have a vice president practices what he preaches! Usha and I announced this week that we are expecting our fourth, and it will be our third baby boy, so we'll take whatever prayers you can give. We certainly need them."

In his recent book, Vance also said that the death of his friend, Charlie Kirk, inspired the couple to have more children.

"Not long after we buried my friend, she became pregnant with our fourth child, a boy," he wrote. "One life was stolen from us, but another was given."

Key Takeaways:

• According to new guidance from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, even routine pastoral care, such as praying at someone's bedside, has the potential to be treated as a criminal offense if it leads to “influencing, or causing distress to, someone accessing abortion services.”  

• This guidance surfaced shortly after 77-year-old pastor Clive Johnston was found guilty of violating buffer zone legislation for preaching a sermon near Causeway Hospital in Londonderry in July 2024. Johnston is appealing the conviction.

• This development mirrors a broader disturbing trend across parts of the UK and beyond, where buffer zone laws have increased in scope.

The Details:

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has published fresh guidelines on how to understand the Abortion Service (Safe Access Zones) Act. According to the guidance, even routine pastoral care, such as praying at someone's bedside, has the potential to be treated as a criminal offense if it leads to “influencing, or causing distress to, someone accessing abortion services.”  

The guidance also points out that clergy, chaplains, and other religious ministers are not granted any special exemptions. 

When Chief Constable Jon Boutcher was questioned about how the legislation might affect clergy and pastors "carrying out their usual day-to-day duties in hospitals," he responded that praying, reading Scripture, or even carrying a Bible within a designated zone "may constitute an offense." 

The Christian Institute reported further on Boutcher's remarks:

“However, the same principle applies – if such activity takes place within a Safe Access Zone and a reasonable person would recognise it as capable of indirectly influencing or distressing a protected person, an offence may be committed, regardless of the consensual nature of the activity between the clergy member and their patient.”

He said that carrying a Bible “through public areas of hospitals” or providing pastoral ministry “within wards or hospital grounds” may also be illegal under the Act.

Boutcher added, “As with prayer, scripture reading conducted at the express request of a patient or their family, with a patient not attending for abortion services, is not the conduct this legislation was designed to address." 

Zoom In:

This guidance surfaced two months after Clive Johnston, a 77-year-old pastor from Strabane, Northern Ireland, faced accusations of violating buffer zone legislation for preaching a sermon near Causeway Hospital in Londonderry back in July 2024.

On May 7, he was deemed guilty of breaching the hospital's "safe access zone" and ordered to pay a £450 fine. Johnston is now challenging the conviction through an appeal. 

For pro-life advocates, the ramifications of this new guidance are significant. The movement has long highlighted not only the protection of preborn human beings but also compassionate outreach to women encountering unplanned pregnancies. Many clergy see their role as offering hope, prayer, and practical support — not denunciation.

Nevertheless, laws that conflate peaceful presence with coercion risk silencing exactly such kinds of care.

When laws are so widely defined that individuals cannot reasonably ascertain what type of behavior is allowed, they risk jeopardizing the rule of law itself. In this case, clergy may be forced to opt between fulfilling their pastoral responsibilities and averting potential legal penalties. 

The Big Picture:

This development mirrors a broader disturbing trend across parts of the UK and beyond, where buffer zone laws have increased in scope.

Cases have already emerged of individuals questioned or fined for silent prayer within these areas, even when no outward sign of protest was tangible. Extending such scrutiny to hospital chaplaincy would indicate a gross escalation. 

Reacting to authorities’ interpretation of the Abortion Safe Access Zones Act, Bernadette Smyth, who heads Precious Life, argued that Christians have good reason for alarm — warning that simply carrying a Bible, offering prayer with a patient, or reading Scripture aloud might be classified as criminal conduct if a person alleges they felt perturbed by it. 

“Prayer is not intimidation. A Bible is not a weapon. The Gospel is not hate speech. Christians should never have to fear prosecution for peacefully living out their faith or offering hope and compassion to those who seek it.”

Cautioning the fallout from this could reach well beyond the abortion issue itself, Smyth said: 

“If the State can criminalize peaceful prayer and the public expression of Christian faith in one setting today, where will it stop tomorrow? This is an attack on freedom of religion, conscience, and expression, and every Christian should be concerned.” 

In view of the Northern Ireland Assembly election in May 2027, Smyth called on voters to support candidates who will defend the preborn and protect fundamental freedoms.

“Every unborn child is created in the image and likeness of God. Every mother deserves love, support, and real alternatives. Christians must stand for the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of conscience, and freedom of speech. Precious Life will continue to defend these God-given freedoms without compromise.”

Key Takeaways:

• Widdecombe was a Member of Parliament (MP) for 23 years, and then served as the Brexit Party's Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for one year. She was also a member of the Reform Party UK.

• She was a notable pro-life advocate, and was a member of the Society for the Protection for Unborn Children (SPUC), as well as a patron of Right to Life UK.

• Widdecombe was found dead at her home on July 9, the victim of a brutal homicide. She was 78.

• 28-year-old Joshua Kerry has been arrested for her murder, which authorities say was a targeted attack.

The Details:

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced that 28-year-old Joshua Kerry was arrested and charged with Widdecombe's murder this week. Kerry is alleged to have murdered Widdecombe in early July in a particularly brutal crime that is being called an assassination.

According to court testimony, Widdecombe recorded the last interview of her life just moments before the attack. Widdecombe concluded her interview at 12:10pm, and then missed a scheduled Zoom interview at 1:00pm. When she did not reply to any messages, her assistant asked her gardener to check on her.

CCTV footage, meanwhile, showed Kerry leaving his home in Rotherham shortly before 8:00am, according to The Sun, which obtained the footage. Someone believed to be Kerry is seen in the footage entering a red hatchback sedan with a baton or hammer-like object protruding from his pocket. Ring doorbell footage saw the car arrive at Widdecombe's home between 12:25pm and 12:30pm.

Police believe Kerry drove 267 miles from his home to Widdecombe's, and that she was killed at approximately 12:30pm. A hallway camera revealed Widdecombe sitting down to eat lunch, before Kerry walked into her front door and asked, “Don’t suppose you have bank cards and ID?”

Widdecombe's murder was horrific; she was struck in the face 21 times with what is believe to be a hammer. A motive has not yet been revealed by authorities, though some sources claim it may have been political. Widdecombe was most recently a member of the Reform Party UK; its leader Nigel Farage said the attack was premeditated.

READ: <a href="/news/abortion-to-birth-amendments-uk-problems">Abortion-to-birth amendments are not the solution to any of the UK’s problems</a>

A report from The Blaze notes:

After caving in the Christian politician's skull, the assassin pushed his victim out of her chair and onto the floor, stole her wallet, then fled the scene...

Kerry was arrested on July 10 on suspicion of murder in what was initially figured for a burglary gone wrong. He was cut loose the next day only to be rearrested hours later at his home in Rotherham, this time by Counter Terrorism Policing North East and South Yorkshire Police on suspicion of murder and the "commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism."

Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing, subsequently acknowledged that the investigation had turned up "new information and evidence" pointing to the murder having been a "targeted attack."

A source told the Sun (U.K.) that in their search of Kerry's house, they found clippings of news articles about Reform U.K., its leader Nigel Farage, and the party's immigration policies.

"It would appear he had a profound dislike of the party, its leader, and its policies," said the source.

Zoom In:

Widdecombe was known as an ardent pro-life advocate and was a patron of Right to Life UK, as well as member of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC). She was lauded as a "hero" of the pro-life movement in her obituary.

She voted consistently in favor of protection for preborn children, and more recently, against assisted suicide.

Chris Whitehouse, a Right To Life UK Trustee, said of Widdecombe:

“For 40 years, Ann was to me a personal and family friend, a political mentor and a remarkable heroine of the pro-life cause. To have known her was a pleasure and a privilege, if sometimes a challenge. She was unflinching in her politics, constant in her friendships and steadfast in her defence of the principle of the right to life, both for the unborn and for those approaching the end of their lives.

May the choirs of angels come to greet her, may they speed her to paradise, may the Lord enfold her in His mercy, and may she find eternal life and rest after a lifetime of pro-life endeavour."

Lord Alton, another colleague of Widdecombe's, said he was sorry to hear about her death:

“Ann’s forthright views – whether you agreed with her or not – were always trenchantly, intelligently, and honestly expressed – and never with malice. Beyond the well-known public figure, there was also a less well-known private person, capable of great kindness in responding to people facing personal challenges and tragedy.

As they will attest, she was never a fair-weather friend. At a time when the national debate needs respectful disagreement and intelligent debate, Ann’s voice will be missed. I will not be alone in mourning her passing."

The Bottom Line:

Kerry currently faces one count of murder in connection with Widdecombe's death, and authorities are still attempting to pinpoint a motive.

Key Takeaways:

• Lawmakers in Chile have presented an initiative that would require women to listen to their preborn child's heartbeat before receiving an abortion.

• If the mother refuses, the abortionist would not be allowed to commit the abortion.

• Abortion supporters are railing against the bill, and one Chilean Dominican religious sister has publicly called requiring a woman to listen to her preborn child's heartbeat, "torture."

The Details:

The legislative initiative, "Listen to Their Heart," was presented to the country's Congress on June 25. It would modify Article 119 of the Health Code to require abortionists to inform women about “embryonic or fetal cardiac activity” and offer them “the opportunity to listen to it.”

If the woman chooses to opt-out of listening to the heartbeat of her preborn child, the abortionist would be required to refuse to commit the abortion.

"There can be nothing less ideological than a baby’s heartbeat and a law that allows its heartbeat to be heard before its death,” the legislation says.

The initiative is receiving widespread criticism among abortion supporters in the country. But the bill's author, Cristóbal Urruticoechea, has defended the legislation as another necessary protection for preborn life.

"They always talk about the mother, but they don't talk about the child," he said.

Abortion in Chile was decriminalized in 2017 and is currently allowed for cases of rape, risk to the mother's life, or a life-limiting fetal diagnosis. If it passes, this law would apply to women seeking abortion in those cases.

Why it Matters:

Abortion advocates fight legislation like this because it disproves the oft-touted claim that the preborn child isn't a human, and is only a clump of cells. Meaningless clumps of cells don't have heartbeats.

The sound of the heartbeat is evidence that the child in the womb is living and growing. Expectant parents often cherish the moments they get to hear their baby's heartbeat, because that heartbeat is a sign of new human life.

However, one religiou sister has gone public in expressing her belief that this requirement is tantamount to "torture," because abortion is legal in Chile for only three reasons: "risk to the mother’s life, lethal fetal pathology, and pregnancy resulting from rape." Dominican sister Licarayén Torres, who is reportedly "linked to the Ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso, Chile," made her remarks in an Instagram video.

Infovaticana.com reported her statements:

“Abortion in Chile is not on demand; it is subject to the three grounds you all know well. The question that arises for me is whether it is necessary to torture women in this way. I say this from my role as a woman, as a religious sister, and as a follower of Jesus and his Gospel,” she stated.

Torres then asked whether the proposal could be considered compatible with Christianity.

“Is it Christian, is it evangelical, to subject women to this obligation that some deputies seek to impose?” she asked.

The Catholic website continued:

The religious sister concluded precisely by calling for the protection of life “from the beginning, but also until the end.”

“I would like to ask you to propose, with the same urgency, laws that promote justice and peace for the children and young people of our territories. If we must listen to the cry of the innocent, let us do so from the beginning, but also until the end of life,” she declared.

Her words, however, were spoken to reject a measure that seeks to ensure women know about the existence of cardiac activity in the child before deciding on an abortion.

The Bottom Line:

When abortionists are required to share that life-affirming sound with an abortion-minded mother, there is a chance that she might change her mind.

It isn't "torture" to acknowledge that, regardless of the difficulty or tragedy of the circumstance, a woman or girl has a right to be fully aware of what an abortion does to an innocent human being. An abortion cannot be undone.