Commentary

The Biden Administration’s attempt to impose its will on Idaho will be heard before Judge Lynn Winmill on Monday.  This lawsuit alleges that the “life-of-the-mother” exception for abortions is not wide enough to accommodate health concerns for pregnant women.  The Biden Administration is trying to use a provision of the Medicare Act to re-nationalize the abortion debate in the wake of Roe’s reversal.

It may surprise you to learn that the State of Idaho is also facing a concerted effort by about 20 liberal states to force Idaho into liberalizing its abortion law.  States like North Carolina, California, Minnesota, Oregon, Illinois, Washington – have filed a “Friend of the Court” brief with Winmill, urging him to rewrite Idaho’s abortion policy to accommodate their dark politics.  The Attorney General of North Carolina claimed that he was intervening in our business because a North Carolina mother might conceivably travel through Idaho some day and require an emergency abortion. Good grief.

Beyond the evil they seek to impose on the people of Idaho – it is rather outrageous to imagine that liberal politicians in places like Massachusetts believe they have a right to impose their immorality upon Idaho.

We are also under assault by a variety of liberal, pro-abortion “medical” associations.  Groups like the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) have filed “Friend of the Court” briefs with Winmill as well.  They are here to support the pro-abortion agenda of Joe Biden and Planned Parenthood, while hiding under the guise of “women’s health”.  The simple fact is that many of these national medical clubs have been sorely compromised by abortion politics during the decades of Roe.  Many doctors have convinced themselves that killing helpless babies in the womb presents no great moral or ethical challenge to their role as well-paid health care practitioners.  Scary business.

(In the face of such moral blindness, aren’t you glad that we imposed a legal duty upon these health care providers to save the baby, if possible, even in those rare cases where an abortion is allowed under the Trigger Law?)

There is good news, though.  A group of pro-Life states are also seeking an opportunity to file a separate set of arguments before Winmill.  States like Texas, Utah, South Dakota and Wyoming clearly understand that Idaho is just the first test-case of Biden’s dubious legal strategy.  They appreciate that Planned Parenthood and their White House lackeys will use the Idaho case to re-take control of abortion policy across the nation.  Thankfully, our cousin states have no intention of standing idly by to wait for the federal hordes to arrive at their door.

The great national struggle over abortion has begun, and it has begun in Boise, Idaho.  States and communities have begun to choose sides.  The fate and character of a nation hang in the balance. We ask for your prayers on behalf of Monday’s hearing and our deputies attorney general who are working to defend the Trigger Law from an extraordinary national assault.

The US government filed a lawsuit against the State of Idaho yesterday in a desperate attempt to maintain federal control over Idaho’s abortion policy.  Having just been freed from the bondage of Roe – this development is particularly galling. 

Since the fall of Roe, Planned Parenthood and abortion cheerleaders like Pelosi, AOC and Harris have demanded that Joe Biden “do something!!!!”  Attorneys in the Department of Justice have obviously been busy trying to concoct some new legal claim that allows the federal government to continue imposing the lawful murder of innocent babies upon the people of Idaho.  Forget the 10^th Amendment.  Forget the Constitution’s guarantees of limited government or the self-determination of the People.  What they cannot secure through the free process of republican government – the Left seeks to impose through the aristocracy of the federal courts.

We were delighted by Governor Little’s blunt public response yesterday to the lawsuit: The Supreme Court has restored the rights of the states to regulate abortion. “End of story”.  This legal battle is not only about protecting preborn children – it is a fight to restrain the federal government’s noxious drive toward tyranny. 

Still, there is reason to be concerned about this suit.  Idaho is one of about a dozen states with a Trigger Law.  Our law was enacted in 2020, and is scheduled to stop 99% of abortions in a matter of weeks.  It is significant that the federal government chose Idaho as its first victim, its first test case of their new legal theory.  The choice to sue Idaho first was, no doubt, carefully considered.  The DOJ’s hopes of reimposing Democrat control over the entire nation’s abortion policy depends upon winning this first case.

So why Idaho?

We happen to have a very “special” federal judge in Idaho – Lynn Winmill. While on senior status – he continues to lurk around the federal courthouse.  Winmill has been a patron of Planned Parenthood and the Abortion Industry throughout his tenure on the federal bench.  We don’t believe he has ever denied a request from Planned Parenthood in any of the cases he has handled during the past 25 years.  So the DOJ is likely judge-shopping.  And then there is the advantage of a liberal 9^th Circuit which also has a very long history of abusing its authority to impose Planned Parenthood’s agenda across the West.  No doubt they will back Winmill’s last attempt to preserve the slaughter of the innocent. 

We must, however, resist any temptation to despair or even frustration.  Some folks thought that passage of the Trigger Law was the end of our work.  And that the overturning of Roe was a final victory.  But it was never going to be that easy to clean up the huge mess we have been making over the past five decades.  We are in a long struggle against the forces of darkness who will not quietly return to the shadows. 

And, in the immediate term – let us pray that, somehow, Lynn Winmill does not get control of this case.

We knew all along that Roe couldn’t stand forever.  America is better than the barbarity of abortion.  Yet it is really overwhelming to see this day finally arrive.

We truly live in Biblical days, as our Father in Heaven continues to intervene in the affairs of men.  The blood of the innocent cries out to Him.  The prayers of His people, lifted up year after year, have ascended to His ears.  And He has brought about a mighty change.

The Lord has freed us from the shackles of Roe, from the oppression of a Supreme Court imposing its corrupt will upon the American people.  Now we have the freedom to rescue those babies threatened by abortion; now we have the great opportunity to extend the love of Christ to women and girls in need.  The overturning of Roe does not mean all these precious lives will magically be saved.  That work remains ahead us. 

But blessed be the Name of the Lord!  We now have that chance!

There are many people who deserve thanks and praise for bringing this historic moment to pass.  President Trump is to be honored for making sure that his nominees to the Supreme Court were people of integrity.  Mitch McConnell is to be remembered for keeping Garland off the Court; and GOP senators, including Risch and Crapo, are to be commended for making sure that Kavanaugh, Barrett and Gorsuch were placed on the Supreme Court.

But one man comes to mind as deserving of special recognition.

Justice Clarence Thomas has mightily stood against the tide for more than a generation.  His scathing dissents have inspired and taught many law students about the frailties of Roe and its abuse of the Constitution.  In fact, one can imagine that his powerful writings played a critical role in forming the intellect and practical morals of Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett long before they arrived on the Court.

There are many challenges ahead, to be sure.  This historic moment will shake American society to its core.  Christians and the pro-Life movement will be tested. Corruption will be exposed in various institutions – including the establishment media.  And it will take time for people to reorient their expectations and behavior.

But for today, we shall glorify the Name of the Lord for His great mercy and passion for justice.

In a stunning development, Idaho Planned Parenthood has shut the doors on its flagship abortuary clinic on Boise’s State Street.  This was the largest facility Planned Parenthood operated in Idaho, and the only one where they performed surgical abortions.

Signs on the shuttered facility direct potential customers to contact their remaining offices in Twin Falls and Meridian.

The State Street facility has been in operation for well over 15 years.  Thousands of babies have been slaughtered within its walls.  It is hard to imagine how any other business could take up the lease to do business on its blood soaked floors.

We praise God for this shrinkage in Planned Parenthood’s Idaho presence.  Clearly the Lord is moving and the Abortion Industry is on the defense as we await the overturning of Roe and implementation of our Trigger Law later this summer.

But we must acknowledge the diligence and faithfulness of area pro-Lifers in bringing this dramatic victory to pass.

For many years, faithful Christians have been praying in front of that facility – begging the Lord to stop the killing within its walls.  We have participated in those prayer vigils, led by 40 Days for Life and Respect Life groups from various Catholic parishes in the Treasure Valley.  Those prayers have wrought a beautiful fruit.

Stanton Healthcare is also due specific credit.  About ten years ago, they opened a life-affirming clinic right next door to Planned Parenthood’s killing factory – giving women and girls a last chance to change their minds about ending the life of their preborn child.

Praise God!  Stanton is still standing, saving lives.  Next door – the killing has stopped.

Today is a special day in our society, as the sons, daughters and husbands of women everywhere pause busy lives to focus on honoring the women who have chosen to give us life.

I went to pick up a card for my wife yesterday.  I was struck by the traffic jam in the greeting card aisle, as men, women and children searched for the perfect card to convey feelings of love, gratitude… appreciation.  There are a lot of forces at work in our culture seeking to denigrate and devalue motherhood; it was heart-warming to see the card racks mostly depleted as people continue to recognize the great blessing mothers are to us all.

Motherhood is a sacred role, as the act of creating and nurturing a new life is a seminal moment in any woman’s life.  It is a moment of cooperating with the Creator to bring a new human being into existence, a new life full of rich possibilities.

The imminent fall of Roe promises, among many blessings, a new respect in our society for the power and grandeur of motherhood. 

Lord bless the mothers of our land on this special day!

In a shocking development, the DC press leaked a draft opinion circulating in the chambers of the U.S. Supreme Court which lays waste to the evil charade of Roe v. Wade.  While many have thought it possible, the reality that the Court might actually be ready to discard a “right” to abortion is causing grave consternation for many.

And one can be allowed some compassion for people who have been lied to for generations.

We, on the other hand, are overcome with exhilaration and a different kind of emotion.  The reality of this sea change is almost too grand to believe.  And, yet, it makes perfect sense given the fact that the Court made it clear from the beginning that it took the Dobbs case to look at one issue: viability.  This is the core legal fabrication of Roe, like a Jenga piece in the middle of the stack.  Pull that piece out, admit that this is legal and moral garbage … and the stack falls.

Through God’s grace, Idaho Chooses Life was able to file an amicus brief in the Dobbs case.  Our brief focused its fire on this key concept and conclusively demonstrated that the Supreme Court sullied itself by relying upon such a falsehood in order to sell the American people on the idea of killing preborn children as a matter of constitutional right.  The integrity of the Court, and our entire legal system, has been grossly compromised over the past half-century in order to prop-up the idea that human babies can be protected (somewhat) by the law only after they achieve some magical state of “viability”.  It defies reason and science.  It chafes the conscience. Babies don’t become human beings at “viability”, any more than they become a human being at birth.

Of course, we have not yet seen the actual reversal of Roe.  There are stories that the Supreme Court once before arrived at this point – in 1992, when deliberating the Casey lawsuit.  At the last moment one justice changed his mind.  That forced O’Connor to redraft the opinion, resulting in the mish-mash that is Casey. 

No doubt the clerk who decided to undermine the highest court in America by publicly releasing this draft was motivated by the belief that he/she could force the majority to reconsider its drive to overturn Roe.  We must be in earnest prayer that the majority resists any temptation to pander to the angry mob now gathering on the front steps:  Let the rule of law be defended, and the Constitution be restored to its grandeur!

The wisest course is for the Court to expedite its ruling and uphold the integrity of its deliberations.  Get on with it and let the earthquake hit the American culture with full force so that we can begin the long road to rebuilding a more just society.

Thankfully, Idaho is already well-positioned to defend preborn babies and their families.  In 2020, the Idaho Legislature passed our Trigger Law (SB1385).  That bill was signed into law by Governor Brad Little.  It will criminalize almost all abortions from conception – within 30 days of the final certification of a Supreme Court decision.  We may see a summer of LIFE in Idaho! Abortionists will face prison time – not just lawsuits – for destroying innocent lives.  The law allows for very narrow exceptions – rape, incest and life of the mother – but lays a legal burden on the abortionist to do everything possible in those cases to save the baby.  In the case of rape and incest, the abortionist cannot proceed without first obtaining legal documents proving that formal cases have been opened with a police department or the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare.

May God bring us the victory over evil so long desired by His people.

Idaho Chooses Life has endorsed Bryan Smith for Congress in Idaho’s 2^nd Congressional District.

Mr. Smith is challenging Mike Simpson for the second time, and this run seems likely to succeed.

The simple truth is that Idaho needs fresh and more vigorous leadership in Congress on a host of issues – but none more important than the holocaust of the innocent.

Idaho Chooses Life has never endorsed Mr. Simpson, despite his positive rating with National Right to Life.  We have deep historical experiences with Mr. Simpson going back to his days as Speaker of the Idaho House in the late nineties.

During the 1998 session, Mike Simpson used all the powers of his office to prevent us from bringing forth legislation to ban Partial Birth Abortions in Idaho.  We also brought a Parental Consent bill that year.  Back in those days, it was the position of the Republican Leadership that no pro-Life bills would even be printed … let alone approved.  Mike Simpson would have succeeded in blocking pro-Life legislation yet again, but for the courage of several legislators – Ron Crane and Stan Hawkins come immediately to mind – combined with the angry protests of Idaho voters.

We actively opposed Mr. Simpson in his first run for Congress – which happened in that same historic year of 1998.  He had more than proven that he couldn’t care less about the abortion issue.  But we have largely left him alone since because he voted for pro-Life bills which came before him on the House floor.  And there has simply not been a viable challenge mounted against him in all these years.

But this year is different.  This is our best opportunity to gain an actual pro-Life advocate representing Idaho’s 2^nd Congressional District.  And it comes at a crucial time for the pro-Life effort to eradicate abortion.  We remain hopeful that the US Supreme Court will topple Roe later this year.  That will make the Congress and the Idaho Statehouse raging battlegrounds for the lives of preborn children.

Mike Simpson is simply not up to that kind of fight.  We need someone willing to do more than push a button when convenient.  It seems fair to observe that Mike Simpson has a lot more passion for saving fish than he does saving human babies from intentional slaughter.

We need a fighter from the 2^nd District willing to join with the rest of our great pro-Life delegation in a vigorous battle with the crazy baby killers who keep electing Nancy Pelosi to leadership.  We believe that happy warrior is Bryan Smith.

The cost of an education cannot be the souls of our children 

“I’m running for State Superintendent to put all of Idaho’s kids first,” said Debbie Critchfield.  “I’m deeply honored by the endorsement from Idaho Chooses Life, and their confidence in my commitment to defend our children.”

(BOISE).  Idaho Chooses Life announced today that it was supporting Debbie Critchfield in the GOP Primary on May 17^th, and urged pro-Life voters to get behind the pro-Life candidate.

“I have had the chance to spend time in serious conversations with Debbie about her views on family, parental involvement and her core moral values,” Executive Director David Ripley said in a prepared statement.  “I am impressed.  We are convinced that Debbie has the temperament, skills, and vision to provide fresh leadership to Idaho’s public school system at a critical time.”

“But our focus is not so much on test scores as it is upon protecting the innocence of children,” Ripley continued.  “Most Idahoans are concerned about the radical agendas at work across our society seeking to undermine family values by sexualizing children at ever younger ages.”

“Parents ought not to have to worry about sending their children to school – or having to choose between learning how to read and having their child’s innocence and identity shaken by unaccountable public school employees. The cost of an education cannot be the souls of our children.”

Ripley pointed to the mounting evidence that public school libraries and health curriculum in Idaho may be exposing young children to inappropriate sexual material as a major concern for the pro-Life movement. 

“We know that many organizations, especially Planned Parenthood, seek to normalize premature sexual activity among school children,” Ripley argued.  “That is a key component of their business model.  And that agenda can destroy young lives.”

Ripley went on to observe that the threat to the well-being of our school children has grown more serious in the wake of radical new policy directives coming out of Joe Biden’s White House.

“We need new and effective leadership from our next Superintendent to protect our children from those radical agendas,” Ripley concluded.  “Schools should be a safe place, focused on academic development.  We are convinced that Debbie Critchfield is the person who can get the job done for Idaho families and our children.”

Governor Brad Little has signed HB756 into law.  This critical legislation – which we view as the most important of the 2022 Session – provides many safeguards for patients should Idaho ever go back into “Crisis Standards of Care”. 

Idaho has experienced three waves of “Crisis Standards of Care” over the past seven months in response to high rates of COVID infection.  During CSC, hospitals have been providing substandard care to all patients.  The guidelines developed by various health experts to ration care in emergencies failed to provide explicit and solid protections for patients and families.

Idaho Chooses Life spent well over a year researching and advocating for legislation to guarantee that, even in a “crisis”, pro-Life principles would be respected.  Governor Little’s office, Sen. Chuck Winder, Speaker Scott Bedke and several other key legislators provided immense help in crafting the legislation and pushing the measure through this Legislature.

Under the new law, patients and families will:

• Have the right to in-person visitation by at least one family member or friend;
• Have the right to file formal grievances against a hospital denying care or for mistreatment;
• No patient will be denied food & water
• Patient’s Living Wills will be honored, regardless of the state of “crisis” in a hospital
• Patients cannot be discriminated against because of their choice to get vaccinated
• A patient’s religious convictions and conscience rights will be protected
• Patients are guaranteed the right to informed consent regarding treatment and procedures

One of the greatest features of this legislation is the creation of a Patient Ombudsman.  As hospitals became overwhelmed with patients amid a nursing shortage, complaints were made that some patients were being denied critical care.  Under CSC, patients and families were pretty powerless to get their loved ones the care they needed.

If we ever go back into this state of emergency … patients and family members will be able to go to the Governor’s office for help.  If CSC is declared, the Governor will set up a special ombudsman within his office to help patients get the medicine, equipment and treatment they need.

Another important feature of this new law is accountability. If CSC is ever again imposed, hospitals and the Department of Health & Welfare are charged to establish exactly what shortages are driving the health care system into crisis. Plans must be developed for meeting that shortage to ensure that CSC operates for the shortest possible time frame. And all of that must be publicly reported to members of the Legislature in a timely manner.

The magnitude of this legislation can perhaps best be understood by recalling the case of Terri Schiavo.  Today marks the 17^th anniversary of her death at the hands of a medical establishment and court system which determined that her life no longer had value.  Over the course of weeks, she was deprived of food and water, and given “comfort” drugs as the world watched her slow and inevitable demise. 

Over the past couple of decades, we have battled for Life at the Legislature.  Most of that effort has gone into protecting preborn children from the scourge of abortion.  But the pro-Life movement is about much more than abortion.  It is about affirming God’s gift of Life … from conception to natural death.  We have battled the “death with dignity” crowd on several occasions, and enacted legislation to make it a felony to assist with a suicide.

Some of the treatment guides and protocols developed by the experts around “Crisis Standards of Care” represented a serious threat to pro-Life values.  It was vital to push back against those people in medicine and our culture who believe that doctors and hospitals should be empowered to determine who lives and dies.  We could not allow CSC Treatment Guidelines to be used as a portal to normalize euthanasia, or to advance the agenda of the “Compassionate Choices” crowd.

We are grateful for the leadership of Governor Little, Speaker Scott Bedke and Senator Chuck Winder.  We also want to publicly express our sincere appreciation for the hard work put forth by our lead legislative sponsors, Rep. Megan Blanksma and Sen. Todd Lakey.

The Lord has provided an historic victory for the pro-Life movement in Idaho, and we believe this legislation could serve as a model for other states.

It seems unlikely that our observations will make much of a difference to the Senate’s movement toward placing Judge Jackson on the US Supreme Court – but it remains important to speak out and denounce the choice.

Biden and his band of radicals would have us focus exclusively on Jackson’s demographic and ethnic characteristics.  This is the cheap distraction of poor magicians.

The plain truth is that Judge Jackson is a radical proponent of Planned Parenthood’s destructive sexual agenda; an agenda which threatens to destroy this nation.

Some attention has been paid to her history of treating pedophiles with great compassion and leniency.  Snippets of that record have seeped out, despite the White House’s desperate attempt to seal those documents from public scrutiny.  As objectionable as that record apparently is, we need to understand it as part of a larger ideological agenda.

Prior to her appointment to the federal bench, Ms. Jackson served as an attorney for Planned Parenthood.  She brought a case in Massachusetts trying to prevent pro-Lifers from being able to get anywhere near an abortion facility.  By no means could the Abortion Industry allow women and girls dealing with an unwanted pregnancy to speak with people able to offer a way out, a prayerful word… a loving hand.

Jackson’s role in that case demonstrates her dissatisfaction with the First Amendment, as well as a radical commitment to destroying innocent babies in the womb.  Jackson’s record on pedophiles is merely an extension of that same destructive agenda for those babies who manage to survive the womb.

Judge Jackson seems to be on a glide path toward the high court.  But it is important to recognize that her mission will be to serve as an agent of degenerative change on behalf of the evil forces driving Planned Parenthood’s war on children.  At this point, our only defense is containment: We must be praying for a national repentance and the election of responsible national leaders who will nominate morally sound people to the federal judiciary.