Mary E. Harned, J.D.

Wouldn’t it be nice if, by some act of magic, a law that endangers unborn children could be transformed into a life-affirming statute?  Unfortunately, such magic does not exist; in fact, not even an order written by the President can modify language passed by Congress and signed by the President. In an email written by […]

On Tuesday, May 10th, Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana signed a bill containing numerous pro-life provisions.  A survey of the headlines for most news stories about the bill, however, would lead one to conclude that the legislation’s sole purpose is to bankrupt Planned Parenthood.  In reality, the first section of the bill ensures that tax […]

How would you feel if you learned that your state government was promoting a medical procedure to your teenage daughter – one that carries risks of blood clots, infection, pelvic inflammatory disease, injury to her cervix (including cervical lacerations), injury to her other organs, future miscarriages and complicated pregnancies, infertility, hysterectomy, hemorrhage, depression, anxiety, increased […]

 On Friday, Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter signed Senate Bill 1115, which prohibits insurance plans from covering most abortions in the Idaho health insurance Exchange (scheduled to go into effect by 2014 pursuant to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)).  The bill provides an exception for coverage of abortions when the life of […]

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) allows federal tax dollars to directly subsidize insurance plans that cover abortions. This contravenes existing law.  The most well-known examples of the prohibition on the use of federal tax dollars to subsidize insurance plans that cover abortions are the Hyde Amendment which applies to programs funded through […]

On Tuesday, September 28, 2010, a three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order extending their previous decision to allow federal funding for human embryo destructive research to continue.  This “stay pending appeal,” like the panel’s previous decision, is temporary. The court will continue to consider the government’s appeal of U.S. […]

Friday, Americans United for Life submitted comments on the Department of Health and Human Services interim final rule to implement requirements in section 1101 of Title I (pertaining to the creation of the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan Program (PCIP program), or “high risk pools”) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Affordable […]

Congress is taking a break for the month of August. Upon their return in September, a major piece of legislation containing a provision that would provide federal resources for abortion is expected to receive consideration by the full Senate. Conversely, two pieces of legislation have been introduced in the House of Representatives that would prohibit […]

The term “reproductive justice” took on a personal meaning for me in April of 2008, when I underwent an emergency C-Section.  In spite of a flawless pregnancy and topnotch prenatal care, my labor completely stalled, my body simply could not do what it was supposed to do.  Fortunately, there was no panic, no fear; in […]

On Monday, Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), and Robert Casey (D-PA) offered an amendment to the Senate health care reform bill that would ensure that insurance plans are not forced by the government to cover abortions, and would prohibit federal funding for elective abortions and for insurance plans that cover elective abortions.  This […]

At 11:45 today, the Senate will vote on two abortion-related amendments to the Senate health care bill:  the Murkowski (R-Alaska) amendment and the Mikulski (D-Maryland) amendment.  Both amendments will require 60 votes to pass. The Murkowski amendment Senator Murkowski’s amendment would ensure that abortion is not classified by the government as “preventive care” or as […]

Moments ago, the Senate voted 60-39, a party-line vote, to begin debate on Majority Leader Reid’s anti-life health care reform bill.  The debate and amendment process will begin Monday, November 30th. Majority Leader Reid’s health care bill: Allows the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to require coverage of any and all abortions through […]

Senator Johanns is emphasizing that the Stupak-Pitts language is NOT in the Senate bill.  Therefore, it is not likely to be in the final bill (once the Senate version is reconciled with the House version).  He said that there are not enough prolife senators to add this provision to the bill. Senator Johanns argues that […]

Senators Hatch, Brownback, and Johanns are discussing polls which show that Americans over-whelmingly oppose abortion funding by the government.  Senator Hatch is reading personal letters from Americans who oppose federally funded abortion and support strong conscience protection.

Senator Hatch is reading, word for word, our sister organization AUL Action’s score letter on the Senate Floor.

Senators Hatch (UT), Brownback (KS), and Johanns (NB) are having an excellent colloquy on the Senate Floor right now.  They are discussing: the current status of federal law on abortion funding and coverage; why the Stupak-Pitts Amendment language is needed to preserve existing, established law; and why the Reid language is not sufficient. They are […]

Tune in to C-SPAN 2 at 1:00 p.m. EST to hear pro-life Senators discuss the pro-abortion provisions in Majority Leader Reid’s health care reform bill. Remember, the Reid bill: Allows the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services to require coverage of any and all abortions through the public option. Creates new federally-funded subsidies for […]

At 8:00 p.m. tomorrow night, the Senate is expected to vote on cloture on the Motion to Proceed to debate on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s pro-abortion health care bill.  Sixty Senators’ votes are needed for the bill to move forward.  While this vote has been touted by pro-abortion lawmakers as merely “procedural” in nature, […]

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last night unveiled a health care bill which provides for an unprecedented expansion of federally-funded abortion. The bill includes pro-abortion language and mirrors the false compromise Capps Amendment from the House debate — it allows the public option to include abortion coverage and provides federal subsidies for private plans which […]

There have been many recent questions in the press and on Capitol Hill about the scope of the Stupak Amendment added to the House health care reform bill, H.R. 3962, and how it will impact private insurance plans. The Stupak Amendment applies the same abortion funding restrictions to programs created by and funded through H.R. […]

Introduction While pro-abortion groups claim that the Stupak Amendment, added to H.R. 3962 by a vote of 240-194, with 64 Democrats voting in favor of the amendment, is broader than existing federal law, they are incorrect.  In reality, the Stupak Amendment, which ensures that funds authorized and appropriated through the bill will not pay for […]