Commentary

We are about to witness another temper tantrum of Planned Parenthood & Co. as they gather to protest the election of Donald Trump. Their hope is to convince Americans that he is anti-woman, a campaign they failed to win over the past year or so.

The “Women’s March on Washington” is designed to offer succor to the Left as Mr. Trump takes the Oath of Office. Similar events are planned in several cities – including Boise.

Organizers of the March have been working since the election to build a big turnout by describing it as “inclusive” of all women, representing a broad spectrum of women’s concern. But yesterday, those same organizers announced that pro-Life women would not be welcome at the event.

They want everyone to know that they are marching for Planned Parenthood and abortion rights.

Of course, pro-Life women are not the only ones being shunned. Those daughters in the womb who won’t survive 2017 are not welcome either.

The new Republican Congress has begun work to make good on a critical pro-Life agenda item: Ending the coerced partnership between taxpayers and Planned Parenthood. It is our understanding that language is included in the current “reconciliation” bill which will end Planned Parenthood’s outrageous access to the U.S. Treasury.  This is the same bill which will obliterate ObamaCare.

The defunding language cannot get to President Trump’s desk too quickly.

Approximately 40% of the abortion giant’s funding comes from taxpayers – now something like $550 million each year. It is that massive subsidy which has allowed Planned Parenthood to have such a devastating effect on the nation’s culture and the lives of millions of vulnerable women and girls.

Already the organization is brandishing sabers in the media, trying to persuade Americans that Republicans are waging a “war on women”. PP President Cecile Richards, still recovering from the loss of her White House desk next to Hillary Clinton, recently appeared on the Comedy Central channel.  She argued that the end of public funding for Planned Parenthood is really “an end of access to care for a lot of folks in this country”.  Pure balderdash.

The truth is, Republicans are likely to increase funding for women’s health care – but they are going to insist that public dollars are spent with legitimate health care providers. You know, the kind of professionals who put the patient – not their abortion ideology – first.

Short of overturning Roe v. Wade itself – the current defunding effort in Congress is the greatest single blow we can strike for Life. It will result in the saving of hundreds of thousands of preborn children.  You can be sure that the enemy is well aware of the stakes, and will wage both political and spiritual warfare, at levels rarely seen, to protect the revenue stream of Planned Parenthood’s death machine.

Pro-Lifers must be in earnest prayer for the success of this effort.

The magic of Christmas is all around us. And the core of that wonder is not great, sentimental Christmas movies, presents or even lights.  The center of that enduring magic is the baby Jesus.  And that makes Christmas the ultimate pro-Life celebration.

There is the obvious point to be made: Jesus as a newborn makes the connection to the pro-Life movement clear enough. But there is a greater depth to that fact.  The God of the Universe humbled himself to become a human baby, vulnerable and dependent in every respect.  He joined himself in a miraculous way to humanity, to the human condition.  He experienced that helpless, dependent condition – trusting himself to the care of a new mother and father in a dangerous world.  Jesus, the Son of God, became every baby; he became “every man”.  That is, no doubt, why he continually referred to himself during the years of his public ministry as “the Son of Man”.

Jesus made his identification with babies, children, a core part of his teaching. He made clear that our care for the innocent, vulnerable child was essentially a testament of our respect and care for Him.

This helps explain why the Lord takes the scourge of abortion so very seriously.

But there are other elements of the Christmas Story which can inspire us and teach us.

We have a mother who bravely overcomes her fear to embrace the gift of life. Mary accepts the problems of an unplanned pregnancy in a self-sacrificing way, becoming the very model of motherhood for all women.

We see a man who struggles with the sudden responsibility of caring for a wife and child, leaving behind his own notions of how his life would unfold. Joseph humbled himself to trust God and accept the blessings that an unplanned baby would bring.

And from those decisions and events, we see the power of God’s blessing spread from a humble manger to encompass all of humanity, through all the epochs of history.

The magic of the Christmas Story calls us to reaffirm God’s great gift of Life, and to defend that blessing with vigor, conviction and courage.

We pray that the power and warmth of God’s goodness fills your home this Christmas Season.

In the closing months of 2016, much is happening in the country’s abortion wars.

The President, in a bold attempt to protect his pals at Planned Parenthood, has pushed through a new rule which seeks to ensure public funding of the nefarious organization into the future. Obama’s HHS rule, which takes effect on January 18, outlaws any efforts by the states to deny taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood affiliates operating within their borders.  Adding to the moral outrage of using our tax money to fund the Abortion Industry – Obama has now reached new heights of federal coercion.  For him and most liberals, the 10^th Amendment simply does no exist.  The States are simply an organizational step of the Great Central Government.

But, in a strange way, this outrage may actually help us end the abuse of taxpayers altogether in the new Congress. Obama’s strong-arm tactics may add fuel to the effort to stop Congressional funding of Planned Parenthood altogether: It would be the simplest way to make his new rule irrelevant.

On another front, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee issued a formal report on its year-long investigation of the sordid aborted-baby-parts-industry. The report, signed by Chairman Chuck Grassley, includes a formal referral to the U.S. Justice Department, recommending criminal investigation and prosecution of four different Planned Parenthood affiliates.  The referral also recommends charges against three organ procurement companies.

This is no small matter, as the committee investigation points to a potential RICO investigation of Planned Parenthood.

The actions by the Senate committee complement the work of the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives, chaired by Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). That panel has just issued a separate report and also made recommendations to the U.S. Justice Department that criminal prosecutions be pursued.

“Speaking as a woman, I am deeply troubled by what we have learned about the mistreatment of patients at a particularly difficult and vulnerable time in their lives. They are being treated with a disregard for their best interests and their rights as patients,” Rep. Blackburn said in a press statement.  “Women deserve better than this. … We’ve seen instances in which profit-driven procurement businesses acting in conjunction with [abortion] clinics violate women’s privacy rights under HIPPA.”

While there is no chance that our corrupt AG Lynch will take action on the Congressional recommendations, we are hopeful that the new Justice Department under Jeff Sessions might. And, in any event, the investigations provide even greater cause for Congress to sever their partnership with the Death Industry.

Reports surfaced yesterday that Macy’s will no longer contribute corporate funds to Planned Parenthood.  The decision was reached quietly following revelations last year regarding Planned Parenthood’s trafficking in aborted baby parts.

As one news report put it, this is another “Miracle on 34th Street”, and another brick removed from Planned Parenthood’s wall of legitimacy.

We encourage pro-Lifers who might shop at Macy’s yet this Christmas Season to say “thank you” for the decision to store personnel.

The blessings of this Christmas Season continue to mount.

It was encouraging to see Nevada’s Harry Reid finally depart the U.S. Senate this week. He has built a long, chilling record of blind support for the Abortion Industry during his decades in the world’s most powerful chamber.

No doubt Reid will return to Nevada to enjoy the millions of dollars he has amassed during his years of “public service”. That phenomenon is disturbing, and all too common these days.  Yet, if it incentives Reid to leave the public square, fine.  It is a small price to pay for the babies that just might live now that he is gone.

The government of France has recently enacted a law which makes it a crime to offer women information about the risks or alternatives to abortion. Persons running Pro-Life websites which post “false” information about abortion could face 2 years in prison and a 30,000 euro fine.

The leftists in control of France’s national government have determined that they are the only appropriate source of information on abortion – and they have officially concluded that abortion does not entail any moral, psychological or physical consequence for the women and girls of France.

French officials also caused a stir when they banned a commercial showing a smiling young child, who also happened to have Down’s Syndrome – an ad that had absolutely nothing to do with abortion. Officials claimed they were acting because some women who aborted Downs babies might be made to feel uncomfortable by the commercial advertising.

The President of the French Conference of Catholic Bishops has written the president, Francois Hollande, objecting to the oppressive nature of the new law. “Is the slightest encouragement to a woman to keep her child qualified as ‘psychological and moral pressure?” Archbishop Georges Pontier asked.

Despite concern over the falling birth rate in France, the government provides free abortions to women and girls in that country as a key part of its socialized program of medicine.

While Americans may find it hard to believe that a western nation could embrace such totalitarian policies, we need to recognize that this is the kind of regime Planned Parenthood and its political minions would impose in this nation if given the opportunity. Another reason to celebrate Hillary Clinton’s defeat.

Following their devastating defeat earlier this month, the Democrat Party is searching for leadership going forward. It appears there are three top candidates: A radical Muslim congressman from Minnesota (Keith Ellison) , a former chairman (Howard Dean) and the president of the National Abortion Rights Action League (Ilyse Hogue).  This is the professional association of abortionists.

What a cast.

The most honest choice would be the abortion champion. As we saw in the presidential election, the new Democrat Party has become a subsidiary of Planned Parenthood and the Abortion Lobby.  Ignore the middle class, scorn blue collar families, and deride traditional values: This is the philosophy driving the modern Democrat Party.  All in the name of a hyper-sexualized politics built around their “sacred rite” of abortion.

It would be quite fitting for the head of the country’s abortionist network to become the official head of the new Democrat Party. It would save her a lot of texts and cab rides across town.

The decisive victory by Donald Trump yesterday was, for those with the eyes to see, an historic gift of mercy to the nation by a loving God. By His grace, we did not get the government we deserve, but one which can foster an environment in which virtue can grow.  A major issue in this campaign was abortion, as evidenced by the $30 million Planned Parenthood invested in Hillary Clinton.

Thankfully, the nation rejected Clinton’s corruption and deadly radicalism.

The results of Tuesday’s election present the Republican Party with a new lease on life, and an historic opportunity to protect preborn children. They must begin by ending the coercive partnership with the evil empire that is Planned Parenthood.

The pro-Life movement saw important victories in Idaho as well. Democrat House Leader John Rusche was defeated in Lewiston, after building a “perfect” record of support for Planned Parenthood and its agenda.  Idaho Chooses Life made a concerted effort in this district, and we are pleased that Rusche will no longer be there to obstruct the advance of protections for Idaho’s most vulnerable citizens.

We are happy to report that Thyra Stevenson won a strong victory in the other Lewiston House seat. Her return to the Legislature is a boon to the pro-Life movement and sensible government.

Democrat Senator Dan Schmidt (Moscow) was also defeated in Moscow. He is another Democrat who voted regularly against pro-Life bills in the Legislature.

And pro-Life Representative Lynn Luker (Boise) won another term yesterday, following an all-out assault by the Idaho Democrat Party to extend their influence into the last Boise City district represented by Republicans in the Legislature.

Thankfully, Democrat Deborah Silver was defeated last night in her effort to unseat Sen. Lee Heider (Twin Falls).  Ms. Silver is a Board Member of Planned Parenthood of the Greater Northwest, which runs the abortion clinics in Alaska, Washington and Idaho.

In Ada County, pro-Life Republican Rick Visser won a rather surprising victory over liberal Democrat TJ Thomson in the contest to fill an open seat on the County Commission. Democrats invested something north of $130,000 into Thomson’s campaign, hoping to use him as a wedge in building a county-wide base of operations.  No doubt Trump’s strong victory in Idaho helped Visser overcome his serious financial disadvantages.

There was one serious setback yesterday: Sen. Curt McKenzie, our endorsed candidate for the Idaho Supreme Court was defeated by Robyn Brody.  She enjoyed the backing of the Idaho Trial Lawyers, who invested several hundred thousand dollars into her campaign.  We will now have to await future events to see what kind of impact Ms. Brody will have on the high court.

All in all, there is a boatload of blessings in this year’s general election.

“Defending Religious Liberties”
by Layne Bangerter

As a Latter Day Saint with deep connections with people of other faiths, I share the common goal of bringing others closer to Christ. We live in a Country that permits us to exercise our faith and teach our doctrine to others. The opportunity to serve my fellow men and women is a privilege and right. This very freedom has been increasingly under attack by politicians and our current Executive Branch.

We’re being told that the Mormons are in a dilemma; they feel that they must choose between their moral compass as opposed to the decision of who is better fit to run our country. While the candidacy of Donald Trump might have pushed some Mormons to pause their support; the fact remains that he, along with Mike Pence, is the only valid candidate who will fight for our religious freedoms and uphold The Constitution.

I know Donald Trump, who can be summed up in just one word: Freedom.

America has never been in as dire position as it is now with our Constitutional rights and liberties under barrage from the current leadership in Washington DC. Democrats have continuously pushed through policies that lead our great nation further away from the principles on which it was founded. Americans are caught in the battle to retain our freedoms.

Recently the LDS Church presented a letter, signed with other faiths, to President Obama, with regard to the report, “Peaceful Coexistence: Reconciling Nondiscrimination Principles with Civil Liberties.” Donald Trump stands by and endorses the aforementioned letter and will defend these policies as he has defended the core principle of the First Amendment – the “free exercise” of religion. In a Florida Rally, he stated “Without Religious Liberty, You don’t have liberty.” This is a powerful statement of solidarity aligned with our Christian values.

The report, which was submitted to the United States Coalition of Civil Rights in September of this year, has alarmed many with how harshly it condemned our modern day religious liberties. In the Report Democrat Martin R. Castro, appointed “USCCR” chairman by president Obama, makes the statement:

“The phrases “religious liberty” and “religious freedom” will stand for nothing except hypocrisy so long as they remain code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance.”

He goes on to threaten our modern day practices by adding: “Today, as in the past, religion is being used as both a weapon and a shield by those seeking to deny others equality.”

With the threat of a Hillary Clinton presidency, comes the loss of religious freedoms as we know it. A recent article by The Washington Post reveals Clintons feelings toward what many of us hold so dear. “Hillary Clinton made a stunning declaration of war on religious Americans. Speaking to the 2015 Women in the World Summit, Clinton declared that “deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.”

The overwhelming media bias has shown it’s willingness to support a Clinton presidency which will allow our rights and privileges to be stripped away. As a Latter Day Saint, it is my obligation to stand with other faiths in promoting our ideals and values and I have done so as a citizen and as an ecclesiastical leader. I have found that I do not stand alone in these convictions. My fellow Christians have stood strong by my side. The Evangelical leadership and their patrons are supporting the Trump presidency in historical numbers. We are now being watched by all denominations to see if we stand as strongly to defend religious liberties as other Christians. We are now down to one choice if we are to retain our religious liberties and that is by supporting the Trump Presidency and his associated policies and resolve to defend us. I know the love he has for this country, his desire for America to become prosperous again; to become safe again; and to become united again. Donald Trump’s message is the great message of our time.

Society has been consumed by an overwhelming need to judge and condemn others for their past. I believe it is the path that we are currently on and the future ideals that we strive toward that sing the true character of a person. Human redemption and forgiveness is of the utmost importance.

“To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love. In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.”

-Robert Muller

Layne Bangerter

-Layne Bangerter is an LDS bishop in Idaho and serves as a senior policy advisor for Trump/Pence Campaign.