It’s only been 17 days since the presidential inauguration, and we’ve already seen enough pro-life victories to fill multiple newsletters. Here is a digestible summary of just some of the most notable events of the past two weeks:
President Trump pardons 23 pro-life activists imprisoned under FACE Act. On January 23, President Trump pardoned 23 pro-life activists who were placed in federal prison in the past year for their sidewalk advocacy outside of abortion clinics. Ten of these activists were convicted of violating the so-called Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act for their work outside the Washington Surgi-Clinic, a late-term abortion clinic in Washington, DC. A few of these activists, including 76-year-old Joan Bell, who was sentenced to two years in prison, attended the March for Life the day after their pardon was signed, mere hours after being released from prison.
President Trump reinstates Mexico City Policy. This policy, which has been revoked and reinstated multiple times with changes in presidential administrations, ensures that no taxpayer money is used to fund organizations that advocate for or perform induced abortions overseas.
The U.S. Signs the Geneva Consensus Declaration. On January 24, under the new Trump administration, the U.S. renewed its membership in the Geneva Consensus Declaration, a joint initiative originally led by the U.S. alongside Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, and Uganda. The Declaration’s objectives are: (1) to secure meaningful health and development gains for women; (2) to protect life at all stages; (3) to defend the family as the fundamental unit of society; and (4) to work together across the UN system to realize these values. You can read more about the declaration and the importance of national sovereignty when it comes to women’s health here.
The U.S. House passes bill that protects infants born alive after attempted abortions. The Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act is a commonsense bill that mandates that babies born alive during failed abortions later in pregnancy be offered the same level of care as any other neonate at the same gestational age. Unfortunately, the U.S. Senate did not pass an identical bill. AAPLOG will continue to advocate for the lives of all children – regardless of the circumstances of their birth.
New York Doctor Indicted in Louisiana for Mail-Order Abortion Drugs. On January 31, New York-based physician Dr. Margaret Carpenter was indicted by a grand jury in the state of Louisiana for prescribing abortion drugs that were sent by mail to a Louisiana minor in violation of the state’s pro-life law. In response to this indictment, New York governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill on February 3 to prevent the state’s physicians from having their identities revealed when sending abortion pills to pro-life states. The mother of the girl to whom the pills were sent, who is accused of coercing her daughter into getting this abortion, was also indicted for aiding in supplying the drugs. The girl suffered complications from the abortion, requiring transport to the hospital. Dr. Carpenter has previously been sued by the pro-life state of Texas for sending abortion drugs to its residents.
This case presents an example of a point that Senator Josh Hawley made during Robert F. Kennedy’s confirmation hearing for the role of HHS Secretary (more on this in the last story): that by allowing and shielding physicians who send abortion drugs across state lines, pro-abortion states are flagrantly working to override pro-life states’ ability to enforce their abortion laws and protect their pregnant and preborn residents. It also highlights the legal challenges resulting from the wide variation in state-level abortion laws. This case may have important implications for our nation’s abortion landscape, so be sure to stay tuned as we offer further updates.
