WASHINGTON – National Right to Life joins with millions of faithful worldwide in mourning the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI who was a staunch defender of life.

“Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was an unwavering voice for the unborn, those with disabilities and the elderly,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “His stalwart support of the right to life was grounded in compassion and love.”

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was an advocate of the right to life and followed the footsteps of his predecessor St. John Paul II in keeping the right to life at the forefront of Catholic teaching, once saying that “God’s love does not differentiate between the newly conceived infant still in his or her mother’s womb and the child or young person, or the adult and the elderly person. God does not distinguish between them because he sees an impression of his own image and likeness in each one.”

In 2007, in an address to the participants in the General Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said, “[L]ife is the first good received from God and is fundamental to all others; to guarantee the right to life for all and in an equal manner for all is the duty upon which the future of humanity depends.”

“Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will be remembered for his dedication to the pro-life cause and for his work in championing the right to life for the most vulnerable among us,” said Tobias.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Incoming House Majority Leader-elect Steve Scalise Outlines Legislative Goals that Include Pro-Life Legislation

WASHINGTON – National Right to Life praised incoming House Leadership for plans to bring to the House Floor pro-life legislation within the first two weeks of 2023.

“National Right to Life praises Republican leaders for making the protection of innocent human life a priority in the U.S. House of Representatives,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Pro-life leaders in the House have already shown that they will stand up to Biden and the Democrats in Congress who have made unlimited abortion a priority.”

Tobias continued, “We have seen the effects of the ‘all-abortion-all-the-time’ policies under the leadership of the Democrats. They created a maelstrom of pro-abortion policies and legislation that would make unlimited abortion the law of the land and they worked lockstep with the White House to promote abortion through government programs and activities.”

In a letter released to Republican colleagues, House Majority Leader-elect Steve Scalise (R-La.) outlined immediate legislative goals that include:

No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act– Sponsor: Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.)
A bill that would make the long-standing Hyde Amendment permanent. The bill also includes provisions to prohibit federal funding of abortion as well as funding for any insurance plan that includes elective abortion. It’s estimated that before the Hyde Amendment took effect, the Medicaid program paid for about 300,000 elective abortions annually, and that the number was escalating rapidly. The Hyde Amendment is estimated to have saved over 2.5 million lives.

Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act – Sponsor: Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.)
The Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act requires that, when a baby is born alive following an abortion, health care practitioners must exercise the same degree of professional skill and care that would be offered to any other child born alive at the same gestational age. It also requires that, following appropriate care, health care workers must transport the living child immediately to a hospital.

Expressing the sense of Congress condemning the recent attacks on pro-life facilities, groups, and churches – Sponsor: Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.)
A resolution expressing the sense of Congress condemning the dozens of attacks that have been committed against pro-life facilities, groups, and churches.

“National Right to Life thanks House Majority Leader-elect Steve Scalise (R-La.) as well as bill sponsors Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.),” said Tobias. “House Leadership has made advancing legislation on the right to life and protecting women and their unborn children a priority.”

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON – The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the nation’s oldest and largest pro-life organization, today announced that David N. O’Steen, Ph.D., who has led the organization as executive director since 1984, will step down from that role on December 31. Scott Fischbach, who currently serves as executive director of National Right to Life’s Minnesota affiliate, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, will become National Right to Life executive director effective January 1, 2023. Dr. O’Steen will continue to serve in an advisory capacity.

“Words cannot adequately express our gratitude to Dr. David O’Steen for his unwavering dedication to the cause of life and his extraordinary leadership of National Right to Life and the right-to-life movement,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “It is no understatement to say that under Dr. O’Steen’s leadership, National Right to Life has been at the center of developing and executing the legislative and legal strategies that have not only saved millions of lives over the past four decades, but also directly led to Roe v. Wade’s reversal by the U.S. Supreme Court last summer.”

Over the course of Dr. O’Steen’s tenure, National Right to Life greatly expanded its programming and outreach to support and strengthen the organization’s grassroots network. Working in tandem with affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and thousands of local chapters, Dr. O’Steen has kept National Right to Life at the forefront of pursuing state and federal legislative initiatives like the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, and the Dismemberment Abortion Ban Act, among others, that have saved countless lives, and caused the Court to revisit the issue of abortion time and again.

Under his leadership, National Right to Life also led the fight against the abortion-expanding provisions of the Clinton Health Care Plan in 1994 and Obamacare in 2009, as well as combating many attempts to repeal the Hyde Amendment and expand taxpayer funding of abortion.

Additionally, Dr. O’Steen’s tenure saw the expansion of National Right to Life’s outreach efforts to minorities, young people, and women healing from abortion with the creation of outreach organizations like Black Americans for Life, National Teens for Life, and American Victims of Abortion. He established the organization’s Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics, which works to protect the medically vulnerable and disabled from efforts to expand physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia in the United States.

“The work of National Right to Life goes to the very core of our society – a human being’s basic right to exist,” said David N. O’Steen, Ph.D. “What a blessing and privilege it is to be part of this great cause and work with the staff, volunteers, and affiliates of National Right to Life as we restore a culture of life in our country. As a right-to-life movement, we’ve made tremendous gains over the past 40 years, but we know there is still much work to be done. We must ensure that our nation’s laws recognize and respect the humanity of the child in the womb, the elderly and the medically vulnerable and disabled, and that those laws protect these innocent human lives from the evils of abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.”

Scott Fischbach has served as executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) since 2001. Prior to joining MCCL, he served on the campaign staff for former Minnesota Sen. Rudy Boschwitz, as National Right to Life field coordinator, as coalitions director for Sen. Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign, and as an advisor to numerous pro-life public officials including former North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole and former Mississippi Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck, among others. More recently he has overseen National Right to Life’s annual oratory and essay contests that are designed to reach out and mobilize and inspire more young people to become outspoken pro-life activists.

“It is an incredibly humbling honor to be chosen to lead National Right to Life as its new executive director,” said Scott Fischbach. “Ours is the greatest human rights cause of our time and National Right to Life, with our national network of state affiliates and local chapters, is at the center of that great cause. I look forward to building on the successes we have achieved under Dr. O’Steen’s leadership and capitalizing on the wonderful opportunities to save more and more lives.”

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its annual “Abortion Surveillance Report” for the year 2020. The numbers showed a decline in abortions from the 2019 survey and a continuing steady decline in abortion numbers since 2011.

The numbers reported by the CDC are confusing when compared to the numbers from the Guttmacher Institute because the CDC shows a decrease in the number of abortions while Guttmacher showed an increase for the same year. Relying on reports from health departments across the country, the CDC reported 620,327 abortions for 2020 compared to 629,898 abortions for 2019. While it is an indication of abortion trends, this figure does not provide a complete picture of abortion in the United States. California, the nation’s most populous state, New Hampshire, and Maryland do not report abortion data to the CDC.

The numbers reported today are all from 2020, two years prior to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June that reversed Roe v. Wade.

“During 2020, federal agencies, state, and local governments were seeking to save lives with masks, COVID tests, and vaccines while abortion clinics were destroying the lives of unborn babies every day,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Those who advocate for more and more abortions clearly don’t care about unborn babies or their mothers.”

Tragically, based on today’s report, the number of chemical abortions performed less than or at 9 weeks’ gestation has risen to 51%.

In 2020, in the reporting areas included in the report, the CDC found an abortion rate of 11.2 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years which is a decrease of 2%. The CDC found a ratio of 198 abortions per 1,000 live births which is an increase of 2% from 2019.

“The pro-life movement is encouraged that abortion numbers have been greatly reduced from a peak of 1.6 million in 1980 and still remain below one million. Even with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs that reversed Roe v. Wade, the pro-life movement recognizes that there is still much work to be done to protect innocent unborn babies and their mothers,” said Tobias.

In 2016, the FDA revised its guidelines to allow the use of the abortion drug mifepristone as late as 10 weeks in pregnancy. According to the CDC’s report for 2020, 53.4%[1] of abortions were chemical abortions.

“The use of the chemical abortion method appears to be on the rise,” said Randall K. O’Bannon, Ph.D., director of Education and Research for National Right to Life. “The number of chemical abortions might be lower if women were told the truth about the deaths and injuries associated with chemical abortion methods. Instead, the abortion industry peddles lies about the ease of the method and pushes for fewer and fewer protections for women undergoing a chemical abortion.”

Dr. O’Bannon continued, “Promoters of these pills like to trumpet high safety rates, but neglect to mention how that with hundreds of thousands of women taking these pills, even a couple of percentage points of women hemorrhaging, dealing with infections, and ectopic pregnancy, represents thousands of women desperately seeking treatment, which may or may not be nearby.”

The full report from the CDC can be found here.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

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[1] The CDC report splits chemical abortion numbers into two categories: those occurring less than or equal to 9 weeks gestation (51.0%) and those occurring after 9 weeks gestation (2.4%). Together, these percentages total 53.4%.

Republicans Secure House Majority with 218 Seats

WASHINGTON – The Republican Party has officially regained the House of Representatives by securing 218 seats on Wednesday.

Six races have yet to be called and may increase the number of seats held by Republicans.

Losing her role as Speaker of the House, pro-abortion Democrat Nancy Pelosi also steps down as leader of the House Democrats after more than 20 years in the role.

“Nancy Pelosi has carried water for pro-abortion groups since day one,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Pelosi’s leadership will go down in history as one that pandered to the abortion industry and engendered extreme pro-abortion policies. Her legacy is a legacy of death and destruction for the most vulnerable among us.”

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has been nominated as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) will become majority leader, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) will become majority whip, and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) will become the chairwoman of the House GOP Conference. In contrast to Nancy Pelosi, each of them has respect for the lives of unborn children.

“President Biden, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi have done untold harm to American women and their unborn children through their work to secure unlimited abortion,” said Tobias. “The new leadership in the house will hold the line against pro-abortion policies advanced by the pro-abortion team of President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.”

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON – The following is a statement by Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life:

National Right to Life congratulates Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on his nomination for Speaker of the House of Representatives. National Right to Life also congratulates Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) on his election for majority leader, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) for whip, and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for chairwoman of the House GOP Conference. This team has played a vital role in advancing legislation on the right to life and protecting women and their unborn children. We look forward to working with them in the upcoming Congress.

President Biden and the pro-abortion Democrats have reversed protective pro-life policies, worked to pass sweeping pro-abortion legislation that would make unlimited abortion the law of the land, and promoted abortion through government programs and activities. This leadership team will stand up to Biden and Democrats in Congress who have made unlimited abortion a priority.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON — Increasingly, pro-abortion groups and their allies are taking aim at making abortion drugs, including mifepristone and misoprostol, readily available to women through mail order and third-party websites. In doing so, they are creating opportunities for unscrupulous persons to force abortions on women.

“Anyone with a credit card and a mailing address can order abortion-inducing drugs,” stated Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “This can put a woman and her unborn child at the mercy of someone who doesn’t want the woman to carry her baby to term.”

Multiple news accounts have reported numerous women have been the victims of schemes to cause abortions. In these accounts, women have had abortion-inducing drugs slipped into food or drink that have caused the loss of their unborn child.

A March 2022 poll commissioned by the BBC in the UK found that 5% of women ages 18-24 and 4% of women ages 25-34 were given “something (tablets/substance) to cause an abortion” without their consent.

Drugs such as mifepristone have well-known, documented dangers. When the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved mifepristone as an abortion method, restrictions were put in place because women face potentially life-threatening complications that have been associated with the use of the drug. An FDA record of nearly two dozen deaths and thousands of complications, including “adverse events” such as serious infections, severe hemorrhage, and the rupture of previously undiscovered ectopic pregnancies, has proved that the restrictions are necessary to protect women.

Readily available abortion drugs place women at risk not only from a dangerous abortion method that they themselves may use but also from those who would seek to harm them and their unborn baby by forcing an abortion using the same drugs.

Despite these dangers, abortion advocates and their allies are pushing to make abortion-inducing drugs such as mifepristone and misoprostol as common as aspirin—and as profitable.

“Pro-abortion groups don’t care about women,” stated Tobias. “They care about the massive amounts of money they can make from them.”

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON — As the nation waits for the results in several key races across the country, one thing is clear: the Democratic Party is the party of unlimited abortion.

“Fearmongering was a key messaging tactic for Democrats in races across the country. Misinformation about pro-life protective legislation and falsehoods about the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs fueled pro-abortion campaigns,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Despite the scare tactics, pro-life candidates made numerous gains and it appears that the United States House of Representatives will have a majority of pro-life members.”

President Biden and pro-abortion Democrats in Congress have made unlimited abortion a priority. They have reversed protective pro-life policies, worked to pass sweeping pro-abortion legislation that would make unlimited abortion the law of the land, and promoted abortion through government programs and activities.

This push for unlimited abortion carried over into this election cycle with well-funded misinformation campaigns.

“Pro-abortion groups and their allies in Congress know they cannot win with the truth,” said Tobias. “We saw unprecedented attacks using fabrications and misrepresentations against pro-life candidates. Pro-abortion Democratic leaders and their allies know that when people learn the truth about abortion, they lose, so they had to hide behind deception and spin.”

Despite the propaganda, voters in many races voted for the pro-life candidate.

Further election analysis from National Right to Life will be forthcoming.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON – “There are many issues facing Georgia voters but Raphael Warnock seems to only want to talk about one – his support for killing unborn babies by abortion,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life.

“Raphael Warnock would deny the most basic right to life to unborn babies,” said Tobias. “Raphael Warnock voted for a federal bill that would allow unlimited abortion, essentially until birth, and he voted to pay for it with American tax dollars.”

In contrast, Herschel Walker wants to help solve people’s problems and knows killing more and more unborn children is not the solution.

Herschel Walker supports measures to protect the lives of unborn children and their mothers and he opposes using tax dollars to pay for abortion.

Continued Tobias, “Georgia deserves a senator like Herschel Walker who is committed to building a culture of life. Walker’s stance for life stands in stark contrast to the extreme record of Warnock who supports abortion for any reason even late in pregnancy.”

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON – A new poll for National Right to Life conducted by The McLaughlin Group finds that a pro-life candidate who would allow abortion in cases of rape, incest, and to save the mother’s life would beat a candidate favoring unlimited abortion for any reason.

In the poll of 1,000 voters taken September 16-22, 2022, respondents were asked to choose between a pro-life candidate who would allow abortion in cases of the life of the mother, rape, or incest and who opposed taxpayer funding of abortion, and a candidate who would allow unlimited abortion for any reason paid for with tax dollars – an extreme position advocated by the Democratic party platform

A total of 47.1% said they would vote for the pro-life candidate compared to just 44.2% who would vote for the pro-abortion candidate.

Respondents were also asked to choose between a pro-life candidate who would allow abortion in cases of the life of the mother, medical emergencies, rape, or incest and who opposed taxpayer funding of abortion and a candidate favoring unlimited abortion for any reason paid for with tax dollars.

In this case the pro-life candidate prevailed 49.3% to 42.1%.

The pro-life candidate in the latter case mirrored the provisions of legislation recently passed in West Virginia and Indiana. Neither piece of legislation contained any penalties for the mother.

In each case the pro-life candidate took a position typical of Republican candidates running for office, while the candidate favoring unlimited abortion took a position typical of Democratic candidates.

“As has been the case for decades, pro-life candidates enjoy a distinct advantage over their pro-abortion challengers,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “These poll results underscore the importance of pro-life candidates clearly articulating their position while making sure voters understand the extreme position of their pro-abortion opponent. ”

The polling toplines can be read here: https://www.nrlc.org/uploads/communications/mclaughlin092322.pdf

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Democrats Ignore the Needs of Women and Their Unborn Children to Promote Unlimited Abortion, Even Late in Pregnancy

WASHINGTON— Today, National Right to Life condemned the Biden administration’s fanatical devotion to unlimited abortion, even late in pregnancy.

In a speech replete with misinformation, President Biden once again demonstrated that the Biden administration pushes an extremist position on abortion and is more than willing to promote unlimited abortion, even late in pregnancy.

“Instead of supporting life-affirming programs and policies that help women and their unborn children, the Biden administration has poured its focus into promoting unlimited abortion, even late in pregnancy,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life.

Tobias continued, “This administration and Democratic leaders have repeatedly vilified and worked to undermine the life-saving work of the pro-life movement and its millions of volunteers.”

In his speech, President Biden promised to sign any legislation that would codify Roe v. Wade.

“The Biden administration and the Democratic party have yet to hear of an abortion they wouldn’t support,” said Tobias. “Tragically, women and their unborn babies will be the ones to suffer.”

Polling data repeatedly shows that the vast majority of Americans oppose unlimited abortion, even late in pregnancy.

In a June 2022, Harris/Harvard CAPS Poll, when asked, “Do you think your state should allow abortion…?”, only 10% of the respondents said that abortion should be allowed up to 9 months, 18% said that it should be allowed up to 23 weeks, 23% said that it should be allowed up to 15 weeks, 12% said it should be allowed up to 6 weeks and 37% said it should be allowed only in cases of rape and incest.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON — The following is a statement from National Right to Life:

The anonymous attack on Herschel Walker is just the latest in a series of attempted Democratic character assassinations going back to the allegations against Justice Clarence Thomas. National Right to Life stands behind its endorsement of Herschel Walker. It is the Democratic candidate, Raphael Warnock, who has in fact voted to pay for thousands of abortions.

Herschel Walker wants to protect unborn children while Raphael Warnock wants to see them die through unlimited abortion. The Democratic party knows it cannot win on the issues, so we once again see an attempted character assassination, a tactic that is sadly all too often encouraged by a compliant and willing media.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON (Sept. 27, 2022)— During the days, weeks, and months immediately ahead, the 1972 Equal Rights Amendment will take on the appearance of life — a constitutional apparition, long expired, yet engendering activity in all three branches of the federal government. This high-stakes political theater demands close critical scrutiny, which so far has been largely absent from the mainstream media coverage, much of which has been narrowly sourced and credulous.

The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of state right-to-life groups, has actively opposed to the language of the 1972 federal ERA since the early 1980s, based on an assessment that the vague language would readily lend itself to use as a pro-abortion legal weapon. For decades, most ERA advocates denied, deflected, and dissembled regarding the ERA-abortion connection. However: “The mask has come off,” said NRLC President Carol Tobias. “Nearly all major pro-abortion and pro-ERA groups now proclaim that the 1972 ERA, interpreted in what they consider to be the correct manner, would invalidate virtually all limits on abortion, and require unrestricted government funding of abortion.” On Sept. 16, President Biden reportedly said that linking the ERA with abortion rights in his speeches would be “a good idea.”

On Sept. 26, National Right to Life has issued a Media Advisory titled “The Equal Rights Amendment Returns to the Stage” [https://www.nrlc.org/wp-content/uploads/NRLCERAMediaAdvisory9262022.pdf], which provides detailed information and numerous documentary links pertaining to the following imminent or ongoing ERA-related events:

•THE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS: On Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, at 9:30 AM EDT, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will hear oral arguments in Illinois v. Ferriero, a lawsuit in which the attorneys general of Illinois and Nevada seek to persuade the court that the ERA is now part of the Constitution. The two states are appealing a strongly worded March 5, 2021 opinion by federal district Judge Rudolph Contreras (appointed by President Obama), who ruled (among other things) that the ratification deadline included in the 1972 ERA Resolution was constitutional; that it would have been “absurd” for the Archivist of the U.S. (then David Ferriero) to have disregarded the deadline; and that the ERA had not been ratified. Judge Contreras’ ruling was the latest in an unbroken forty-year losing streak for ERA-revivalists in the federal courts, before judges of every political background. “Every time the issue has been litigated in federal court, most recently in 2021, the pro-ERA side has lost, no matter whether the judge was appointed by a Democrat or a Republican,” wrote the Washington Post Fact Checker in February 2022, awarding “Four Pinocchios” to certain claims by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) regarding the ERA’s current status. The Fact Checker added, “two major court rulings have concluded that the ERA’s ratification deadline, as set by Congress, has expired–a position embraced by both the Trump and Biden Justice Departments. The Supreme Court in 1982 also indicated support for the idea that the deadline had passed.”

“ERA-revival activists have been relying on broad dissemination of a hodge-podge of legal fantasies, and raw political pressure, in an attempt to bulldoze over constitutional guardrails,” said Douglas Johnson, director of the National Right to Life ERA Project. Mr. Johnson is NRLC’s subject matter expert on the ERA, an issue on which he has worked directly, and written extensively, for 40 years. Mr. Johnson will be available on Sept. 28 at the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse in D.C. for comments after the oral argument, and at most other times for phone interviews, email exchanges, or debates regarding the legal status of the ERA, and regarding the now widely acknowledged ERA-abortion connection.

•THE U.S. SENATE: The U.S. Senate also may pay a visit to Fantasy Island soon – perhaps taking up, before its pre-election recess, a House-passed measure that purports to retroactively “remove” the ratification deadline that was contained in the ERA Resolution submitted by Congress to the state legislatures on March 22, 1972. This triply unconstitutional measure, H.J. Res. 17, passed the House of Representatives on March 17, 2021, on a near-party-line vote (222-204), with the lowest level of ERA support in the House in 50 years of roll call votes. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s staff participated in a conference call with pro-ERA leaders on Sept. 16, during which a pre-recess vote was left open as a possibility. Still, frustration is evident, as one prominent pro-ERA activist group, Equal Means Equal, on Sept. 21 publicly attacked the chief sponsor of the Senate companion measure (S.J. Res. 1), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), “who is supposed to be our voice on this in the Senate but who is actually obstructing ERA(!)”

•THE ARCHIVIST: A two-year campaign by ERA advocates in and out of Congress to pressure the Archivist(s) of the United States to certify the ERA as part of the Constitution (judicial rulings notwithstanding), or to persuade President Biden to order the Archivist to do so, ran hard aground on Sept. 21. In confirmation-hearing testimony, Archivist-nominee Dr. Colleen Shogan clearly rejected the pressure campaign to certify the ERA. Asked by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Oh.), “If confirmed, would you continue to abide by the January 2020 OLC [Office of Legal Counsel, Dept. of Justice] opinion, as your predecessor did?” Dr. Shogan replied, “Yes, I would,” adding, “I think who will decide the fate of the ERA is the federal judiciary and/or Congress.” Nevertheless, the unprecedented campaign by activists continues. The Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee is scheduled to vote on the Shogan nomination on Sept. 28.

•DOUBLETALK BY DEMOCRATS ON RESCISSIONS: In recent months we have seen rapidly expanding news coverage and commentary regarding the purported possibility of an Article V constitutional convention. NRLC is not among the organizations pushing for a constitutional convention, but NRLC does believe that Article V procedures should be applied uniformly to all constitutional amendment proposals. Every current Democratic member of Congress, and nearly every current Democratic attorney general, has explicitly or implicitly embraced the claim that the pre-deadline rescissions of ERA ratifications by several states were constitutionally impermissible. Yet, many of these same officials (and many Democrat-aligned interest groups) have actively supported rescissions of ratifications of other proposed constitutional amendments, and/or rescissions of state legislative applications for an Article V constitutional convention. Johnson commented: “Activist-author Russ Feingold and Congressman Jamie Raskin are among the prominent figures guilty of have-it-both-ways doubletalk regarding whether Article V allows state legislative rescissions. Similar contradictions are evident regarding ratification deadlines. The ERA-revival campaign is demonstrating that an unprincipled, ad hoc approach to the constitutional amendment process is now endemic among Democratic officeholders and Democrat-aligned interest groups.”

For further details on the points summarized above, including numerous links to primary documentation, please download the Sept. 26, 2022 NRLC Media Advisory “The Equal Rights Amendment Returns to the Stage” [https://www.nrlc.org/wp-content/uploads/NRLCERAMediaAdvisory9262022.pdf]. NRLC ERA Project Director Douglas Johnson is available for interviews and debates through the NRLC Communications Office.

WASHINGTON— National Right to Life announces its endorsement of Congressman Markwayne Mullin for election to the United States Senate in Oklahoma. Mullin is running to replace Senator Jim Inhofe, who last year announced that he would retire at the conclusion of the 117^th Congress.

“National Right to Life is pleased to endorse Markwayne Mullin for election to the U.S. Senate,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “As a member of the House, Mullin has demonstrated strong pro-life convictions, and he will continue to be a champion for vulnerable members of the human family in the Senate.”

Markwayne Mullin has voted for pro-life protections for unborn babies and their mothers. He opposes using tax dollars to pay for abortion, and he also opposes taxpayer funding of abortion providers.

Markwayne Mullin has voted to defend the longstanding Hyde Amendment, which bars federal tax dollars from being used for abortions in many federal programs. The Hyde Amendment has saved an estimated 2.5 million lives since its passage in 1976.

Markwayne Mullin has voted against the so-called Women’s Health Protection Act, which really should be called the “Abortion Without Limits Until Birth Act” because it would enshrine abortion in federal law and policies, and it would tear down pro-life protections on the state level.

By contrast, his Democrat opponent Kendra Horn supports a policy of abortion on demand for any reason, and she would use Americans’ tax dollars to pay for abortions. Her extreme position is out of touch with most Oklahoma voters.

“Markwayne Mullin is firmly committed to building a culture of life,” said Tobias. “We look forward to working with Markwayne Mullin in the Senate to advance policies that protect unborn children and their mothers.”

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.

—Democrats Would Embrace Abortion at Any Time and for Any Reason—

WASHINGTON — Today, Republican leadership presented its “Commitment to America,” a statement of the Republican Party and what it stands for—which includes protecting unborn lives.

“National Right to Life praises Republican leaders for their commitment to women and their unborn children,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life (NRLC). “In contrast, the Democratic Party is pursuing abortion for any reason and at any time in pregnancy.”

The Democratic Party has committed to passing the so-called Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA). The Democratic proposal would make sweeping changes, including expanding taxpayer funding of abortion, and eliminating requirements that a woman be given information about the development of her unborn child so she can make an informed decision.

Tobias continued, “The Democrats’ so-called Women’s Health Protection Act is far-reaching legislation that would entrench abortion on demand in federal law and running roughshod over the will of the American people. Democrats would endanger the lives of women and their unborn babies.”

The Democratic bill would invalidate most previously enacted federal limits on abortion, including federal conscience protection laws and most, if not all, limits on government funding of abortion. The Democrats’ legislation would also invalidate state laws regarding parental involvement and consent for a minor’s abortion.

“The Democrats’ legislation would nullify nearly all existing protective state laws,” said Jennifer Popik, J.D., director of Federal Legislation for National Right to Life. “In addition, the Democrats would also prohibit states from adopting new protective laws in the future.”

Popik continued, “The difference between Democrats and Republicans couldn’t be plainer. While Democrats maintain a nearly uniform support of abortion without limits until birth, Republicans seek to protect unborn children and their mothers.”

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.