United for Life (Part 2)

Family policy matters in engaging and informative weekly radio show and podcast produced by the North Carolina family policy Council hi this is John Ralston, presidency, family, and were grateful to have you with us for this week's program is our prayer that you will be informed, encouraged and inspired by what you hear on family policy matters and that you will for better equipped to be a voice of persuasion for family values in your community, state and nation, and now here's our house to family policy matters. Tracy Yvette Griggs. Today we bring you part two of our discussion with Catherine Glenn Foster, Pres. and CEO of Americans United for life. So let's talk about North Carolina. Maybe not quite such a shining example.

We do have a right to know law, of course, and we have a waiting period to allow women to reflect more on their choices course laws are being barraged by opposition. So, talk a little bit about North Carolina were roughly in the middle of the pack. What are the positives and opportunities that you're seeing here in our state, from light and we are so delighted to see that lawmakers can definitely go further, there is a prohibition against selective abortion, but we do know that huge number of abortions are performed because of down syndrome or other fetal anomaly. We know that two thirds of babies diagnosed with down syndrome in the well reported, and this is a vulnerable population that North Carolina lawmakers must protect Carolina collects critical public health date on abortion but doesn't share with the federal government that's an easy legislative fix that's going to help us better understand what's going on abortion and will help us craft policy to best serve women across the country. North Carolina law recognizes children in the womb of the second victim is if their mother is assaulted, but it doesn't affirmatively require lifesaving medical care.

Babies were born alive during the abortion and we all remember Virginia.gov and are not killing statement about keeping the baby comfortable while we decide what happens. Resuscitating the date each is that's what the mother wants.

It was horrifying. It was something that really galvanized the pro-life movement and Americans of all stripes to that statement and.that is not pro-life. That is not what we stand for and in fact American life conducted a poll just in the days following that date, and then she found that a supermajority of all-American more than 80% support life support protections for life and the third trimester late-term abortion. They say you know if the baby can survive outside the well, we shouldn't be performing these abortions at a time when there's so much more risk to the mother in terms of even risk of death from that abortion is deeply troubling. So North Carolina lawmakers the possibility in 2019 born alive. Bill but was vetoed by the governor, I know it can be frustrating to fight a veto, but lawmakers in North Carolina have got to keep pushing to protect life by recognizing the baby as a separate patient who is entitled to life-sustaining medical care that is what will will start protecting these babies were born alive in the course of an attempted abortion and then one of our big concerns on the national level is the push for at home. Michael abortion North Carolina is a model for the nation in this area requiring that the first pill to be taken under the supervision of a physician who is licensed here in North Carolina and providing conscience protections for pharmacists as well as for physicians and nurses so looking to North Carolina. That is one of the ways that North Carolina is really leading the pack and is the shining example for all states across the nation. So lawmakers are trying and your elected officials are doing what they can but they can still do more they can do more to protect life from fertilization to natural down found that comes to to down syndrome when it comes to health data come to continuing to push for protection for the children who are born alive and attempted abortion and and then just working with other states to share your successes. For example on the chemical abortion product because that is such an encouragement for states across the nation and by as I travel around and ensure the North Carolina three on chemical abortion.

That's great information and thank you for that. Let's talk about the federal level. What been the greatest successes at the national level. Do you think in the last year at the national level. One of the greatest successes has been the elevation of justice Amy Connie Barrett in court. We expect that that will be a total game changer because it gives us a real workable majority to first chip away at and and ultimately overturn Roe V Wade back in fall of 2019 national Constitution Center, which is headquartered in Philadelphia. They invited me to join a panel discussing the future of Roe V Wade, and so I was there to represent the pro-life perspective and I was debating the lawyer who argued the Planned Parenthood PKC case at the Supreme Court 1992. She argued for the pro-abortion side and abortion apologist law professor who teaches down in Florida and the thing that really struck me about that experience was that both of those women on stage before a live studio audience and broadcast to the nation. They both said that this is the Supreme Court that will overturn Rhody Wade now. I took it with a grain of salt because they're clearly stern to preach to the choir, trying to wrap up the troops and buyer pro-abortion people to turnout and to be vocal, but with that said, we are more and more. Seeing this kind of rhetoric from the pro-abortion side that Rhody Wade is in danger.

In fact, even before Justice Kennedy retired another year plus before there is an email that came out from NARAL pro-choice America in the subject line was now to drill Rhody Wade in danger.

Everything is kind of rhetoric more and more people who are concerned.

On the other side that Rhody Wade will fall and what that means for us will be a return of the issue to the state. The ability for lawmakers at the state level to really respond to the needs of their communities and to pass laws that are going to provide for holistic care for women and protections for children in the loan and so there is so much hope now and now especially that we have just disparate on the court. We do believe that we are closer than ever to overturning Roe V Wade so that is one of the biggest successes that we've seen over the last year. I would also point to June medical services that Supreme Court case that sadly did strike down the law in Louisiana and at first it looks like a crushing defeat. It looks like Chief Justice Roberts had changed his vote from the 2016 Holly said Jason had struck down the line. It was devastating that morning seen that ruling, but then the more that we dug into it, the more we actually analyze that ruling, we saw that we had for strong defense from Justice Thomas and Justice Alito in and just as discouraging And I'll be happy to sense that stood for life justice Thomas in particular calling for for real re-examination of Roe, but even the Chief Justice's concurrence. He wrote that to be the controlling opinion and what he did was turn back the clock before that Heller start case. The 2016 case, it was really devastating for pro-life advocates because it it gave every federal judge, the ability to strike down the pro-life box just because they they would think well maybe there wasn't really a need for this lot. Maybe it wouldn't really help women and it said no were going to trust the lawmakers at the flow will help women now are just going to look at whether it's constitutional. And so the Chief Justice open the door to states passing more and more pro-life laws to federal court upholding the laws and we are seeing already in the federal court below the Supreme Court. We are seeing cases being dismissed cases that were brought by the abortion industry to try to strike down protective gloves for single cases being dismissed because of June medical services in the Chief Justice is concurring opinions were seeing cases that we are winning in the federal court because there's fighting the Chief Justice's opinion go back to.

Even though it looked like a lot, it still is providing protection for women for children and it is encouraging state more and more pro-life laws to be bold for life. Even with all of that, I would just say the change in abortion protection for human life. It's going to come from the bottom up and not the top down.

We need to channel the passionate citizen in a state lawmakers across the country to really create the most effective legislative efforts possible to stand up to judicial scrutiny, and ultimately serve its purpose.

The Chief Justice was clear that many pro-life laws, R&D, constitutional, and so need to continuing down that path and we will continue to lead in states across the country to pass strong life affirming laws because every life is precious.

Every life has a measurable value and every life matters. What kind of concerns might you have over those the new incoming by administration. There's a lot of fear. There's here for what's going to happen going forward when it comes to funding for abortion. Both here in the United States and around the world and in fact, by the time this actually is released, it's likely that the president may have repealed the Mexico City policy and we may again be funding abortions internationally abortion colonialism. You might call it were exporting abortion and trying to strip away the pro-life beliefs of so many nations around the world by trying to use US taxpayer funding to pay for abortions and abortion referrals, abortion, pro-abortion counseling and those nations were also concerned about paying for abortion nationally and possibly attacks on the Hyde amendment trying to strip away, those protections were concerned about attempt to potentially try to codify Roe V Wade and try to enshrine Roe V Wade in federal law, especially with the Senate and that equally divided Senate it's it's a concerning time for sherbet. There's also room for hope because Pres. Biden was in favor of the Hyde amendment for over 40 years policy that the protecting Americans from our taxpayer dollars being used, to fund abortions on he's on the record as recently as 2008 calling every abortion a tragedy and so even with some of the statements that he made on the campaign trail, even if he was campaigning on in part based on on his face. I do hope the Pres. Biden will choose moderation and unity by embracing the common sense pro-life protections that he advocated for through his entire career in public service. I hope that that he will listen to the one Curtis of Democrats to say that there pro-life and the two thirds of self-described pro-choice people who oppose some of the most radical abortions that we've seen. I do hope that that he will choose that moderation in unit each. Even with a vice president who unfortunately has proven to be anything but unifying when it comes to life with selective prosecution of our dear friend David delight in and in her suggestion that if she were president that her administration would require any state wanting to pass the pro-life laws to run that law and advance get approval for it from her Department of Justice if she were president, so some of the most radically pro-abortion ideas that we seen but that I still do have hope that on that in his calls for unity.

The president will adhere to that when it comes to the abortion issue is well that he will listen to the super majority of Americans who oppose using our money our taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions and that he will support protections for life, common sense protections for women and protection for the most vulnerable marginalized members of our communities. Well, thank you for that were just about out of time for this week. Where can our listeners go to find out more about Americans United for life and the good work that you all do. Our website is AUL.or please go to our website.

Follow us on social media and you can find out more about what we're doing for life at the national level, and especially in the state so I would just say good AUL.org and find out what were doing.

We were coming to your state and what you can do to protect life, Catherine Glenn Foster, president and CEO of Americans United for life you so much for being with us today on family policy matters.

You been listening to family policy matters has been part two of our conversation with Catherine Glenn Foster to listen to part one of the show and learn more about how you can be a voice of persuasion for family values in your community. Go to our website and see family.org that's and see family.org.

Thanks for listening and may God bless you and your families