Supreme Court Recognizes Humanity of Unborn in Indiana’s Fetal Remains Law

Denial to Hear Indiana’s Unborn Civil Rights Law is Disappointing, but Court May Hear Issue in the Future

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down an order reversing the judgment of the Seventh Circuit regarding the disposition of fetal remains by abortion providers and establishing a victory for the pro-life movement. Unfortunately, it also denied hearing a second Indiana provision, the portion of the 2016 Dignity for the Unborn Law that prohibits abortions because of the child’s sex, race, national origin or a potential disability, like Down syndrome.

“The Supreme Court gave the pro-life movement a major victory by upholding Indiana’s fetal remains law,” said Mike Fichter, President and CEO of Indiana Right to Life. “The court sided with Indiana that unborn human remains must receive dignified disposal. Humane disposal takes us one step closer to recognizing the dignity of unborn children. Aborted children may no longer be treated as medical waste or garbage. Instead, these precious lives will be required by law to receive a burial or cremation.

“We are deeply disappointed the Supreme Court denied certiorari of the civil rights portion of the Dignity Law. Indiana was on the cutting edge of extending civil rights protections to the unborn. Justice Clarence Thomas made clear in his remarks that the issue of civil rights protections for the unborn must be addressed by the Supreme Court. He called out Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion chain, for using abortions to further eugenics. We are hopeful one day the Supreme Court will recognize the civil rights of the unborn.

“Here we now have a troubling dichotomy that cannot stand: on one hand we recognize aborted children have dignity and are not garbage, on the other hand the court refuses the inherent, God-given dignity of each unborn child by recognizing their civil rights. This once again places Roe on a collision course with itself. Rest assured, Indiana will continue leading the charge in the effort to protect life.”

A provision of the Dignity for the Unborn Law regarding ultrasounds was appealed separately to the Supreme Court. The Court has not given any indication on how it will rule on that case.

Indiana Right to Life’s mission is to protect the right to life, especially of unborn children, through positive education, compassionate advocacy and promotion of healthy alternatives to abortion.

###

Supreme Court Reverses Seventh Circuit On Issue Of Humane Disposal Of Aborted Babies

US supreme court building

Ruling Means Aborted Children Can No Longer Be Treated As Common Medical Waste Or Garbage

INDIANAPOLIS – The United States Supreme Court today reversed a U.S. Seventh Circuit ruling blocking Indiana law requiring the humane disposal of aborted babies. The ruling means aborted children in Indiana must now be buried or cremated, not discarded as common medical waste.

“Indiana law prohibits abortion providers from treating the bodies of aborted children as “infectious waste” and incinerating them alongside used needles, laboratory-animal carcasses, and surgical byproducts.,” wrote Justice Clarence Thomas in his concurrence. “I would have thought it could go without saying that nothing in the Constitution or any decision of this Court prevents a State from requiring abortion facilities to provide for the respectful treatment of human remains.”

In the same ruling, the Court ruled it would not hear Indiana’s appeal regarding the civil rights of unborn children based on race, sex, Down syndrome, national origin or disability.

“Although the Court declines to wade into these issues today, we cannot avoid them forever,” wrote Thomas.

Indiana Right to Life is reviewing the full ruling and will issue a statement later today.

Indiana Right to Life’s mission is to protect the right to life, especially of unborn children, through positive education, compassionate advocacy and promotion of healthy alternatives to abortion.

###

Morristown Student Wins Indiana Pro-Life Oratory Contest 

Annual Contest Gives Students the Opportunity to Promote Pro-Life Positions

INDIANAPOLIS – Mikayla Zwirn, representing Right to Life of Johnson and Morgan Counties, won the recent Indiana Right to Life Oratory Contest with a speech on infanticide. She now will represent Indiana Right to Life in the National Right to Life Jane B. Thompson Oratory Contest. The contest will be held at the National Right to Life Convention on July 6 in Charleston, South Carolina.

Mikayla is the daughter of Lori and Pete Zwirn. She has six siblings. She is currently homeschooled and plans to attend Moody Bible Institute this fall, majoring in Ministry to Women.

Runner-up was Emma Shutt of Right to Life of Indianapolis. Other contestants were Joshua Butts of Allen County Right to Life, Sarah Fruit of Right to Life of Southwestern Indiana, Rebecca Torres of Lake County Right to Life and Ava Page of Howard County Right to Life.

“You won’t find a much more articulate defense of the pro-life position than in the speeches of our Indiana students,” said Mike Fichter, President and CEO of Indiana Right to Life. “These students understand the sanctity of life and critical importance of protecting innocent human life from womb to tomb. We wish Mikayla the very best as she represents Indiana on the national stage this summer.”

For a photo of Zwirn, click here.
Mikayla Zwirn wins 1st Place in 2019 Oratory Contest
Indiana Right to Life’s mission is to protect the right to life, especially of unborn children, through positive education, compassionate advocacy and promotion of healthy alternatives to abortion.
###

Tim Smith for Fort Wayne Mayor Endorsed by Indiana Right to Life PAC

Smith Will Bring Pro-Life Convictions to the Mayor’s Office

FORT WAYNE, IND. – Indiana Right to Life Political Action Committee (PAC) announces its endorsement of Tim Smith for Fort Wayne Mayor in the May 7 Primary Election.

“Tim has been a long-time advocate for the unborn and their mothers in Fort Wayne,” said Mike Fichter, Chairman of the Indiana Right to Life PAC. “He will ensure the sanctity of life is protected in Fort Wayne.

“Make no mistake – abortion policy matters at the local level. Fort Wayne’s long-time abortion doctor ceased operations in part due to a county ordinance. Over in South Bend, Mayor Pete Buttigieg stopped Women’s Care Center from offering pro-life pregnancy services next door to a proposed abortion center.

“We urge Fort Wayne voters to vote for pro-life candidate, Tim Smith, for mayor.”

Indiana Right to Life PAC works to elect pro-life candidates to public office for the purpose of enacting public policy that protects the right to life of all persons, including the unborn. Indiana Right to Life PAC believes that the issue of life is paramount to all other issues because without the right to life, all other freedoms are without meaning.

# # #

Holcomb’s Signature Ends Dismemberment Abortions in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS – Yesterday, Gov. Eric Holcomb ended dismemberment abortions in Indiana by signing House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1211. The dismemberment procedure is typically used for second-trimester abortions and involves pulling a fully alive unborn baby apart limb by limb.

“Hoosiers spoke up in great numbers against the atrocity of dismemberment abortions this spring,” said Mike Fichter, President and CEO of Indiana Right to Life. “Legislators listened, and thanks to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s signature, children will be protected from barbaric dismemberment abortions in Indiana. We thank our pro-life elected officials for their leadership.”

HEA 1211, authored by Rep. Peggy Mayfield and co-authored by Rep. Christy Stutzman, passed the legislature with bipartisan support, against the wishes of Planned Parenthood.

Click here for information on dismemberment abortions.

Indiana Right to Life’s mission is to protect the right to life, especially of unborn children, through positive education, compassionate advocacy and promotion of healthy alternatives to abortion.

###

On Good Friday, There Is Good News

Today, if you are struggling in the aftermath of an abortion, there is good news.

Today, if you are struggling with guilt over paying for an abortion, or coercing a woman to have an abortion, or encouraging an abortion decision, there is good news.

Today, if you are wondering if you can really walk away from a job that you know is leading to the deaths of unborn children, there is good news.

Today, if you have failed to speak for the defenseless, there is good news.

Today, if you are liar, a thief, a mocker, or a hater, there is good news.

Today, if you are like me, there is good news.

Today, no matter who you are and what you have done, there is good news.

Today is Good Friday, a day so easily overlooked or marginalized on our busy schedules. Yet what this day commemorates is the turning point of all human history, the day when the only One who could pay the price for our sin willingly did so, not because he didn’t anguish over what was before Him, but because it was His Father’s will.

Who among us would be willing to be beaten, spit upon, scourged, crowned with thrones, stripped, laughed at, marched through the streets, nailed to a cross, and have insults hurled at us as our life drained away, struggling with excruciating pain at each new breath?

Who among us could take every sin of the world upon our shoulders – every abortion, every hateful word, every selfish thought, every lie, every abuse, every denial of God, every evil we can think of – and bear it to the point of crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Who among us would have the authority to say, “It is finished?”

Who among us? Not one.You may think you have gone too far. You may think you are worthless. You may even think you are fine the way you are and have no need for God.

The cross still remains.

Over 2,000 years ago, Jesus, fully man and fully God, took the full punishment of sin on the cross and made forgiveness possible for all who place their trust in Him alone. He is the only One who could. He is the only One who did. He is the One we remember on Good Friday.

There is good news today.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

-Mike Fichter, President and CEO of Indiana Right to Life

Conscience Protection Bill Sent to Gov. Holcomb for Signature

INDIANAPOLIS – Senate Bill (SB) 201 has cleared all hurdles in the Indiana Statehouse and is headed to Gov. Eric Holcomb for his signature. This bill expands Indiana law to extend conscience protections to additional medical providers. Currently, physicians and hospital employees can object to participating in abortions for ethical, moral or religious reasons. SB 201, authored by Sen. Liz Brown, would extend conscience protections to other medical providers, including nurses, physician assistants and pharmacists.”Chemical abortions are on the rise in Indiana,” shared Mike Fichter, President and CEO of Indiana Right to Life. “As more women seek chemical abortions that use pills, pharmacists and other health care workers may become unwilling participants in an abortion. Thank you to Sen. Brown for authoring this conscience protection bill. All health care providers must be able to practice their profession in Indiana without helping to end a child’s life against their conscience. We urge Gov. Holcomb to sign this important pro-life bill.”SB 201 was authored by Sen. Liz Brown with co-authors Sens. Linda Rogers, Travis Holdman, Dennis Kruse, Eric Bassler, John Crane, Ron Grooms and Jim Tomes in the Senate.SB 201 was sponsored in the House by Reps. Ron Bacon, Christy Stutzman, Peggy Mayfield, Chris Judy, Dave Heine, Martin Carbaugh, Ben Smaltz, Matt Hostettler, Dennis Zent, J.D. Prescott, Jim Lucas, David Abbott, Ryan Lauer, Shane Lindauer, Jeff Thompson, and Tim Wesco.Indiana Right to Life’s mission is to protect the right to life, especially of unborn children, through positive education, compassionate advocacy and promotion of healthy alternatives to abortion.

###

Indiana House Passes Dismemberment Ban By 71-25 Margin, Bill Moves To Senate

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana House today passed House Bill 1211, a ban on dismemberment abortions, by a landslide 71-25 margin.  The bill, authored by Rep. Peggy Mayfield and co-authored by Rep. Christy Stutzman, now moves to the Indiana Senate.   The bill passed with bipartisan support as five Democrat legislators voted yes.

“Today’s historic vote brings us one step closer to ending barbaric dismemberment abortions in Indiana,” states Indiana Right to Life President and CEO Mike Fichter.  “We look forward to the Senate taking equally decisive action in the weeks ahead.”Click here to see how your state representative voted
Indiana Right to Life’s mission is to protect the right to life, especially of unborn children, through positive education, compassionate advocacy and promotion of healthy alternatives to abortion.

Supreme Court Rejects Abortion Business Appeal

US supreme court building

WASHINGTON – The United States Supreme Court today rejected an appeal by abortion provider Whole Woman’s Health in its suit against the Texas Catholic Bishops Conference.

In March 2018, Whole Woman’s Health served the Bishops with a subpoena, demanding access to decades’ worth of the Bishops’ communications regarding the topic of abortion, including internal communications regarding moral and theological deliberations among the Bishops.The Bishops filed an emergency appeal to the Fifth Circuit after a trial judge ordered the Bishops to hand over their internal communications in June 2018. The Fifth Circuit granted the Bishops permanent protection on July 15, 2018, holding that the bishops should be protected from a “‘Hobson’s choice’ of retreating from the public square or defending [their] position.”
Whole Woman’s Health is continuing its effort to open an abortion business in South Bend after losing its 2018 appeal of a licensing denial by the Indiana State Department of Health.
Indiana Right to Life’s mission is to protect the right to life, especially of unborn children, through positive education, compassionate advocacy and promotion of healthy alternatives to abortion.

Statement on Indiana’s Appeal of Ultrasound Law to Supreme Court

INDIANAPOLIS – This week, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill petitioned the Supreme Court to review the preliminary injunction against the 18-hour ultrasound provision in the 2016 Dignity for the Unborn Act. Indiana Right to Life President and CEO Mike Fichter gave the following statement:

“We applaud Indiana’s appeal to the Supreme Court to reverse the injunction blocking the right of women to see an ultrasound of their unborn babies at least 18 hours prior to an abortion.  Since the injunction, abortions in Indiana have spiked compared to the six months when the law was in effect. This isn’t about inconvenience to women, it’s about abortion providers not wanting women to be fully informed about the humanity of their unborn children when making life or death decisions. It is remarkable that Planned Parenthood, with a budget exceeding $15 million in Indiana, complained in its suit the law might require them to purchase ultrasound equipment for locations other than its four abortion clinics in the state.”

Indiana’s abortion numbers rose dramatically in 2017 following the blockage of Indiana’s ultrasound law by U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Walton Pratt. The increase of 496 abortions in 2017 compared to 2016 marks the first upward swing in abortions in Indiana since 2009, according to the Indiana State Department of Health’s 2017 Induced Terminated Pregnancy Report.

The 2016 Dignity for the Unborn Act signed into law by then-Gov. Mike Pence, contained a requirement that any woman seeking an abortion must be given the opportunity to view an ultrasound of her unborn baby at least 18 hours prior to an abortion. The ultrasound provision was challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood in July 2016 in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt ruling, but remained in effect until Pratt’s injunction in April 2017.

From July through December 2016, while the ultrasound law was in effect, there were 3,317 abortions in Indiana. During the same period of July through December 2017, after the blockage of the law, abortions spiked to 3,813 in Indiana, a 13 percent increase compared to 2016. A significant portion of the increase was due to a massive 33 percent increase in women from out of state coming to Indiana for abortions, with 296 abortions on out of state women in 2017 compared to 222 in 2016.In total, there were 496 more abortions done in Indiana from July through December 2017 compared to the same period in 2016. When considering the overall annual increase in abortions in 2017 was 498 compared to 2016, the impact of the blockage of Indiana’s ultrasound law is clear.

Indiana Right to Life’s mission is to protect the right to life, especially of unborn children, through positive education, compassionate advocacy and promotion of healthy alternatives to abortion.