abortion

Overcoming Abortion and Becoming a Force for Life

Appeals Court Upholds Defunding of Big Abortion Businesses

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Jan 27 2026

New York Ends Fight to Force Nuns to Pay for Abortions

The state of New York has spent a decade attempting to force nuns and other religious ministries to cover the cost of abortions. But no longer.

In 2017, New York created a statewide abortion mandate requiring employers to cover abortifacients and even surgical abortions in their health plans.

According to Becket, a religious freedom legal firm, New York initially planned to respect conscience rights by exempting employers with religious objections. But under pressure from abortion activists, the state greatly narrowed the exemption to protect only religious organizations that “primarily employ and serve people of their own faith.”

“For nearly a decade, New York bureaucrats tried to strong-arm nuns into paying for abortions because they serve all those in need,” said Lori Windham, senior counsel at Becket and an attorney for the religious groups.

“At long last, the state has given up its disgraceful campaign,” Windham added. “This victory confirms that the government cannot punish religious ministries for living out their faith by serving everyone.”

A coalition of religious groups from a variety of streams of Christian faith sued New York “arguing that the law forced them to violate their deeply held religious beliefs about the sanctity of life,” Becket notes. “The groups include Roman Catholic dioceses, an order of goat-herding Anglican nuns, Baptist and Lutheran churches, and Catholic ministries.”

However, when New York courts failed to protect the organizations’ religious freedom rights, the ministries asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up their case. In 2021, the Court reversed the lower courts and asked them to reconsider the case in light of the Court’s decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia.

In that case, the Supreme Court upheld Catholic Social Services’ (CSS) constitutional right to refuse to place children in foster homes with same-sex couples. The Court held Philadelphia’s refusal to contract with CSS because of the organization’s religious beliefs violated the First Amendment’s free exercise clause.

However, the New York courts once again sided against the religious organizations, forcing the ministries to again seek relief from the Supreme Court.

In 2024, the Court again sent the case back down to the New York courts for reconsideration in light of the Court’s unanimous ruling in Catholic Charities. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled the First Amendment prohibits states from requiring organizations to meet certain theological criteria to qualify for exemptions from unemployment taxes.

Considering that ruling, New York agreed that its abortion mandate ran contrary to the Supreme Court’s decision in Catholic Charities and decided to end the case.

“The Supreme Court has made it abundantly clear that religious groups shouldn’t be bullied for staying true to their faith,” said Windham. “We are glad that New York finally agreed to settle this case and protect religious objectors from discrimination.”

The case is Diocese of Albany v. Harris.

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The Power of Prayer to Defeat the Darkness of Abortion

Photo from Becket.

Jan 22 2026

Trump Administration Delivers Pro-Life Wins Ahead of March for Life

Ahead of the annual March for Life being held Friday, January 23, 2026, in Washington, D.C., the Trump administration announced two policy changes designed to protect preborn life and promote the sanctity of human life.

On Thursday, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a policy ending the use of human fetal tissue – derived from the bodies of aborted human babies – in NIH-supported research.

Taxpayer money will “no longer be used to support research involving human fetal tissue from elective abortions,” NIH said. The policy applies all NIH-supported extramural research, including grants, cooperative agreements, other transaction awards, and research and development contracts.

NIH-supported research using fetal tissue from aborted babies has declined since 2019, with 77 projects funded in Fiscal Year 2024.

“NIH is pushing American biomedical science into the 21st century,” said NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya.

“This decision is about advancing science by investing in breakthrough technologies more capable of modeling human health and disease,” he added. “Under President Trump’s leadership, taxpayer-funded research must reflect the best science of today and the values of the American people.”

Additionally, the State Department announced the expansion of the Mexico City Policy, which bars taxpayer dollars from subsidizing abortions. The expansion will now also bar funds from supporting gender and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, Fox News reports.

The Mexico City Policy, first implemented by former President Ronald Reagan in 1984, requires foreign nongovernmental organizations receiving U.S. taxpayer dollars to certify they will not perform or promote abortions.

The policy was rescinded by former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. It was reinstated and expanded by Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump.

After it was revoked by former President Joe Biden, President Trump reestablished the policy in a memorandum on January 24, 2025.

According to Fox News, President Trump expanded the policy in his first term to cover around $8 billion in foreign aid. Now, the new policy will go even further and “cover all nonmilitary foreign assistance to the tune of more than $30 billion.”

In President Trump’s second term, the Mexico City Policy has already cost International Planned Parenthood Federation and other major abortion providers around $100 million.

The dual initiatives are a good step forward for the pro-life movement, especially as hundreds of thousands of Americans gather to march for life. It should remind all pro-life supporters of the importance of raising our voices and advocating for life.

If you are experiencing an unexpected pregnancy and want to learn more about your options, you can visit My Choice Network.

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Overcoming Abortion and Becoming a Force for Life

Photo from Getty Images.

Jan 20 2026

Conservative Lawmakers Propose Budget Bill Defunding Big Abortion – Again

Conservative lawmakers recently unveiled a budget bill containing numerous pro-life policies with a full defund of Big Abortion organizations – including Planned Parenthood.

The Republican Study Committee’s (RSC) budget blueprint was unveiled on Jan. 8 by RSC Chairman August Pfluger (R-TX) and Budget and Spending Task Force Chair Beth Van Duyne (R-TX). Titled “Restoring America’s Golden Age,” it contains proposals to beef up border security, cut wasteful spending, reform entitlement programs and increase American energy production.

The budget provides a “comprehensive fiscal roadmap that balances the federal budget within ten years, and returns spending to pre-pandemic levels.”

The budget also contains numerous pro-life policies. It “ensures Planned Parenthood no longer benefits from taxpayer dollars” and “completely eliminates Title X Family Planning funding to save the lives of countless innocent children.”

According to an RSC press release, the budget focuses on “making the American Dream affordable again” by:

Restoring the American dream of homeownership.
Delivering healthcare freedom and lower drug prices.
Reducing energy bills and gasoline prices.
Rebuilding the American family by eliminating marriage penalties, supporting stay-at-home parents and eviscerating radical gender ideology.
Cutting wasteful government spending.
Codifying President Trump’s executive orders.

“At its core, the RSC Budget is a fundamental rejection of the excessive government spending and regulatory overreach that characterized the Biden Administration’s approach to government,” the RSC budget reads.

The RSC is a congressional caucus of conservative members in the U.S. House of Representatives. It was formed in 1973 by Paul Weyrich and others to help advance conservative priorities and check the House’s Republican leadership, which they saw as too moderate. Currently 188 congressmen are members of the RSC.

Additionally, the budget supports multiple pro-life bills and priorities, including:

Rep. Warren Davidson’s (R-OH) bill, the Aid Accountability Act, which would eliminate funding for any federal employee or non-governmental organization violating the Helms Amendment, which prohibits the use of any U.S. foreign aid to perform or encourage abortion.
Rep. Chip Roy’s (R-TX) bill, the No Taxpayer Funding for the U.N. Population Fund, which would prohibit any federal agency from giving taxpayer dollars to the U.N. Population Fund – which has supported China’s population-control programs, including forced abortions and sterilizations.
Rep. Eric Burlison’s (R-MO) bill, the Life at Conception Act, which would recognize unborn children as “persons” under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
Rep. Mark Harris’ (R-NC) bill, the Teleabortion Prevention Act, which would make it a federal offense for doctors to send abortion pills through the mail.
Rep. Mike Kelly’s (R-PA) bill, the Heartbeat Protection Act, which would prohibit abortions when a baby’s heartbeat is detected.
Rep. Ann Wagner’s (R-MO) bill, the Born-Alive Survivor’s Protection Act, which would ensure medical protections for babies who survive an attempted abortion.

The budget blueprint provides a roadmap for a second reconciliation bill in the 119th Congress. Republicans utilized the reconciliation process last year to enact the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which President Donald J. Trump signed into law on July 4.

The reconciliation process, a budget maneuver provided for under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, allows a budget bill to be passed with only a majority vote (51 votes) in the Senate, rather than the usually required three-fifths majority.

The OBBBA contained a provision defunding Big Abortion organizations – including Planned Parenthood – of all taxpayer dollars, costing the nation’s largest abortion mill roughly $850 million. However, the provision lasts only for one year.

“With so much of President Trump’s America First agenda still to enact,” the RSC added, “failing to seize this opportunity would be political malpractice.”

“The first reconciliation bill launched America’s Golden Age through economic and security reforms. The next reconciliation bill should focus on cementing the progress we’ve made on affordability in order to restore the American Dream for every family.”

Not every provision of the RSC’s proposal will be retained as the budget process moves forward. Nevertheless, it’s greatly encouraging that the RSC budget contains so many strong pro-life provisions.

Let’s hope and pray that if the House and Senate pass a second reconciliation bill later this year, Big Abortion providers will be defunded – again.

If you are experiencing an unexpected pregnancy and want to learn more about your options, you can visit My Choice Network.

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