Commentary

Legislation (SB1243) to expand Idaho’s Informed Consent Law had a formal hearing before the Senate State Affairs Committee on Monday morning. The Abortion Lobby showed up in force to urge the measure’s defeat.  One would have thought that Sen. Lori Den Hartog and the Pro-Life Lobby was about to repeal Roe v. Wade.

Instead, the modest legislation would require the State of Idaho to include information about the possibility that women and girls might be able to reverse the effects of RU-486 if they move quickly enough. It would become part of the State’s Informed Consent booklet, which the Abortion Industry must provide to each woman during the 24-hour waiting period.

But somehow this proposal to inform girls about their options is “anti-woman” and an “abuse of government power”. This may strike more casual followers of the abortion debate as rather strange and illogical.  But it is part and parcel of the battle.

Planned Parenthood and their fellow-travelers have opposed every single piece of legislation related to informed consent for twenty years. They do not want women to know that there are options.  They do not want women to know that there are risks.  They do not want women to get the phone numbers of adoption agencies or pro-Life centers which can help them deal with a difficult pregnancy.  Yet, somehow, the media continues to refer to them as the “pro-choice” crowd, the “pro-woman” movement.

The truth is, there is no more paternalistic and condescending crowd than the Abortion Lobby.

Monday’s show was stolen, however, by a remarkable young mother named Rebecca. She told committee members of her own experience with the Abortion Pill Reversal process.  At the age of 19, she became pregnant for the second time while in an abusive relationship.  She turned to Planned Parenthood because she was convinced that her only option was ending the baby’s life by using RU-486.  After taking the first pill in the Planned Parenthood office, she left with the second pill in a bag.  She began crying as she sat in her car, suddenly panicked over what she had done.  She began searching the internet on her phone, desperately seeking any advice or information about whether she could do anything to stop the abortion.  And she ran across a website telling her that there were doctors who had developed a protocol for overcoming the effects of the first pill if a mother moved quickly enough.

Rebecca found a doctor to help. And she experienced the miracle of motherhood again.  In fact, she brought her son Zechariah to the hearing – who spent most of the three hours sleeping in his mother’s arms.  He is a beautiful 3 or 4 year old boy.

Yet the Abortion Lobby was not to be deterred. Despite the fact that living, breathing evidence sat in the front row of the hearing room – speaker after speaker told committee members that there was no science to back up the APR protocol, that it was not possible to reverse a chemical abortion once it had begun.  It was just astounding to see the triumph of ideology over fact for so many followers of Planned Parenthood.  They have some powerful Kool-Aid over on that side of the room, apparently.

SB 1243 was approved by the Senate committee on a party-line vote and is now pending on the Senate floor.

We commend Sen. Lori Den Hartog and Right to Life of Idaho for bringing the legislation, which we strongly support.

We also want to give thanks for the courage displayed by Rebecca.  May the Lord watch over her and bless her children.

Please take a moment to call or email your legislators about this important bill. Hopefully this proposal will lead to more miracle stories in the years to come.

The pro-Life community has an aggressive agenda for this session of the Idaho Legislature. And the battle is about to be engaged.

On Monday morning, the Senate State Affairs is scheduled to take up legislation prepared by Right to Life. SB 1243 is a proposed law which would inform women who begin a chemical abortion that there is a chance to reverse the process – if she moves quickly.  The lead Senate sponsor of the bill is Meridian State Senator Lori Den Hartog.

Some of our pro-Life readers may be surprised to learn that it is even possible to save the life of a preborn child once a chemical abortion has started. But, in some cases, it is.  The chemical abortion procedure uses two different pills to complete an abortion.  This is the RU-486 regime.  The first pill kills the baby over the course of hours by depriving the baby of oxygen and nutrients.  The second pill (misoprostol) is taken 24-48 hours later, and induces labor to expel the dead baby.

Pro-Life researchers have discovered that the baby can sometimes be saved after the first pill is taken. The basic approach is the same as that used when a mother is at high risk of miscarriage – by using aggressive dosages of the hormone progesterone.

We have learned during the decades of work in the pro-Life field that it is fairly common for women and girls to experience almost immediate regret and grief over the abortion decision. It is almost as if the spiritual veil has been lifted and the profound reality of ending an innocent life sets in.  Of course, Planned Parenthood abortionists are quick to tell women that they have no choice once the abortion procedure begins – but that is not always the case.

This is an important piece of legislation and we ask for your prayer support. Not only does it represent a real chance to save some of those babies at high risk – it represents a viable strategy for saving mothers from a lifetime of guilt and remorse.