Speaker Bolger Blocks Coercive Abortion Bill, Bill Dies During All Night Session

For reasons never directly explained to RLM, House Speaker Jase Bolger refused to take a vote on S.B. 1156 & 1157 over the final days of the legislative session. While more than 100 bills were addressed during a marathon 20-hour session spanning all day Thursday and until nearly sunrise today, the two coercive abortion protection bills were left to die and will have to be reintroduced in the new session starting in January. Bolger is term-limited and will not be returning to the legislature in 2015.

Kudos to Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville and lead bill sponsor, Senator Judy Emmons, who went the extra mile trying to get this legislation through in the waning days of this session. They demonstrated true commitment and leadership to the prolife cause.

It is a disappointing finish to an otherwise historic 4-year legacy of passing prolife legislation under the current House and Senate leadership. Under Speaker Bolger and Majority Leader Randy Richardville, RLM was able to promote more significant prolife legislation than at any other time in our history. Both Bolger and Richardville are term-limited and will not return to the legislature in 2015. Right to Life of Michigan will be working with new leadership.

In 2011, after 15 years of effort, a ban on partial birth abortion was finally secured in Michigan law. In 2012, we passed the unprecedented Prolife Omnibus bill, putting four separate bills together into one. In 2013, the House and Senate approved our citizen petition legislation to remove abortion coverage from Obamacare plans and all health insurance in Michigan. Passage of the Coercive Abortion Protection Act would have been a crowning piece to this remarkable run of prolife legislation.

Some adversity only serves to strengthen resolve. Right to Life of Michigan will be back in 2015 to complete the mission of protecting women and girls from coerced abortions.

With appreciation for all the incredible prolife work you do, may you be blessed this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of a baby. Isn't that what we are about? Knowing there is hope and joy with the coming of each and every baby!

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Great fetal surgery story

The Daily Signal has a video on Elijah Leffingwell and his surgery while he was still in the womb.

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Death is not a treatment for disease

In the Lansing State Journal, Right to Life of Michigan’s Legislative Director Ed Rivet has a piece reflecting on Brittany Maynard’s death and on Michigan’s decision to choose true compassion over assisted suicide.

The conversation about her very public campaign promoting physician-assisted suicide should cause Michiganders to recall the debate we had in the 1990s as a result of Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s lethal activities. At that time, Michigan was the epicenter of the assisted-suicide debate and as a state we gave it a very thorough examination. Let us reflect on what we learned.

We chose not to legalize assisted suicide via a 1998 statewide ballot question, rejecting Proposal B by a 71 percent to 29 percent margin. We recognized that we failed if our solution to suffering was to kill those who suffer. Better alternatives were available. We approved new laws and administrative rules to increase access to hospice care, gave doctors more discretion to aggressively use pain medications, and improved training for palliative care and pain management in the health professions.

FULL STORY

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Michigan House takes up bill to protect religious liberty

With barely two weeks remaining in the current legislative session and a raft of issues on the docket, Michigan House leaders have moved the protection of religious liberties to center stage. House Speaker Jase Bolger introduced House Bill 5958 - the Michigan Religious Freedom Restoration Act (MRFRA) - immediately after the November election. Typically, the Speaker does not introduce bills as leader of the chamber. HB 5958 is the only bill Speaker Bolger has personally sponsored in this two-year session. Today the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony on the bill and reported it to the House floor by a vote of 7-4.

This proposed state law directly parallels the federal RFRA which was at the center of the Hobby Lobby religious liberty case against the HHS Mandate under the federal health care law. The federal RFRA was enacted in 1993, signed by President Bill Clinton, to mitigate a U.S. Supreme Court ruling which lowered the protection of religious beliefs from government actions. Though Congress attempted to apply RFRA to the states, the Supreme Court later ruled states must pass their own RFRA to maintain the highest level of legal protection at the state and local levels.

Right to Life of Michigan offered its support to HB 5958 today as we are currently engaged in our own lawsuit against the HHS Mandate. Recent government actions at both the federal and local levels have demonstrated fundamental religious liberties are vulnerable. While things are always very unpredictable in a "lame duck" session, including what response the Michigan Senate will have to HB 5958, a matter of this importance will keep everyone's attention in Lansing.

RLM will be closely monitoring developments on this legislation and will be advocating for its passage.

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Comedian Steven Crowder discusses the value of every human life

In a new video, comedian Steven Crowder shares his experience volunteering with his wife at a ministry for individuals with special needs.  He discusses how every life has value.

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Short prolife film MITOSIS on YouTube

Check out the wonderful, short 14-minute prolife film MITOSIS below. When we take the life of an unborn child, we also kill their future dreams, creativity and knowledge.

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Double your gift by donating online

This month, Right to Life of Michigan supporters have the opportunity to double their donations to the Right to Life of Michigan Educational Fund. Generous donors are doubling the donations of individuals up to $50,000 for donations given online. Our goal is to raise 50,000 in online donations by December 31.       

Double your donation by donating online to Right to Life of Michigan Educational Fund.

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Infographic contest challenges prolife youth to boldly stand for life

Are you a student, creative, prolife and looking for a way to showcase your talent? Right to Life of Michigan Educational Fund is sponsoring the 2015 Sanctity of Human Life Youth Infographic Contest for high school and college-aged Michigan youth.    

Contenders who create and submit an original prolife infographic by Friday, January 2, 2015, can participate in the contest. Contestants compete in two divisions based on age, 13 to 17 and 18 to 22. The winner of the 13 to 17 division will win $300, and the winner of the 18 to 22 division will win $500.

Right to Life of Michigan President Barbara Listing said, "I want to encourage prolife youth to use their creative talent to promote the sanctity of human life. This contest is an incentive for Michigan students to boldly take a stand for life. At the same time, the infographic submissions will be used to educate others on the precious gift of human life."  

An infographic is a graphic or visual representation of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly. All submissions for this contest must feature a theme which reflects "the reality of 42 years of legalized abortion."

Learn more about the 2015 Sanctity of Human Life Youth Infographic Contest.

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Michigan suspends abortionist Robert Alexander’s license

On November 19, Michigan’s Board of Medicine Disciplinary Subcommittee suspended the medical license of abortionist Robert Alexander for 6 months.  In order to get his license back, Alexander will have to pay a $75,000 fine and petition the state, something he says he won’t do.  For years, Alexander ran abortion clinics in various locations across Michigan until his clinic in Muskegon was shut down by local authorities. 

WOOD TV8 was there to cover the ruling and interview Alexander who was caught lying on a number of issues.  Alexander again attempted to blame prolife people for the horrid conditions of his abortion clinic.  

Alexander’s latest troubles first came to light in December 2012 after a reported break-in at Women’s Medical Services Clinic.

Inside, the city found blood on the floor and walls, uncovered buckets of unidentified fluids in the operating room area, blood dripping from a sink p-trap in a patient room, biohazard bags on the floor and closets, unsecured containers of used hypodermic needles, unsecured medication and patient records scattered around the office, according to records.

Alexander at first told the state that Right to Life activists had broken in and caused the damage. He later blamed the former employee. He claimed the bloody instruments had been left behind by another doctor. He also said he was bipolar and blamed his condition for the mess.

FULL STORY

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Planned Parenthood will close Ionia clinic

Planned Parenthood has decided to close its clinic in Ionia, Michigan. The clinic did not provide abortions but did do abortion referrals. In the article, Planned Parenthood cites a dramatic decrease in clients as a reason for the closing. They also curiously claim “decreased funding” as a reason for closing while at the same time mentioning a fundraising campaign which raised more than $4 million. 

Planned Parenthood is America’s leading abortion provider.

FULL STORY

LEARN MORE ABOUT PLANNED PARENTHOOD’S ABORTION AGENDA

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Reported Abortions Increase for 2013

One Dynamic: Clinic Law Increases Accountability

Data released by the Michigan Department of Community Health showed a 12.4 percent increase in the number of reported abortions performed in 2013. The total number of abortions performed rose from 23,230, to 26,120. While the increased numbers are tragic, they are not unexpected and have predicted explanations. A law passed in 2012 requiring abortion clinics to be licensed caused 5 abortion clinics to close in the early months of 2013. The location of those closed clinics corresponds with the four counties (Muskegon, Wayne, Macomb, and Oakland) that showed substantial increases in abortions, accounting for the increase in the number of reported abortions.

Those closed abortion businesses were suspected of violating the state reporting law. As those abortion businesses closed, their clients went to other abortion businesses; previously unreported abortions may be reported now. There was also a shocking 44.4 percent increase in late-term abortions (after 20 weeks), which may be attributed to better reporting and an influx of women from Ohio after abortion businesses in Toledo closed.

In Muskegon, Right to Life of Michigan identified anomalies in past abortion data. The sole abortion business in Muskegon was not reporting abortions for two years prior to being shut down for dangerous conditions. It is suspected that women from Muskegon County are now traveling to other abortion businesses that follow state reporting laws. Metro Detroit may be experiencing something similar, four clinics from that area closed in 2013 following passage of the Prolife Omnibus Act (PA 499). 

The numbers could reflect an actual increase in abortions, possibly due to the especially difficult economic times Detroit is facing as the city undergoes bankruptcy. About 29 percent of the 2013 increase was reported in Detroit, despite the city having only 7 percent of the state's population. Abortion continues to disproportionately devastate the black community, with more than 50 percent of all abortions being performed on black women, even though they are only 16 percent of the female population. Recent media coverage showing Detroit’s maternal death rate at triple the national rate proves that abortion fails to improve women’s health.

The trend of declining abortions committed on girls under the age of 18 continued. That number dropped to under 1,000 for the first time ever. In 2012, 1,035 minor abortions were reported. The reported figure of 971 in 2013 represents another 6 percent decrease. Since 1990, abortions among minors has fallen 75 percent.

Whether it is real increases or better tracking, we are deeply saddened by the loss of those additional 2,900 precious lives. While the overall trend of decreasing abortions is encouraging, this year’s increase and the annual overall numbers serves as a reminder that our prolife efforts must continue, because lives depend on us.

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2015 Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (SOHLS) Bulletin Inserts

Our 2015 Sanctity of Human Life Sunday bulletin inserts are now available for $7/100.

These 5.5" x 8.5" full color glossy bulletin inserts (as seen below) featuring a prolife prayer are perfect for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday church services, prolife gatherings and events.

Front

 

Back

ORDER NOW

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