Life

What to Know About the Life at Conception Act Introduced in the U.S. Senate

Important legislation was introduced earlier this year to protect all preborn human life from the moment of creation, and it deserves the attention of every American who believes all human life has value.

Senator Mike Rounds (SD) introduced the Life at Conception Act (S. 3667) in the United States Senate earlier this year. Companion legislation, H.R. 722, was introduced in the United States House of Representatives by Congressman Eric Burlison (MO).

The Act would clarify by statute that the right to life is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to every human being at all stages of life, beginning at the moment of conception and continuing until natural death.

The legislation was cosponsored by Focus on the Family friend Senator Jim Banks as well as Senators James Lankford, Marsha Blackburn, John Kennedy, Roger Wicker, Tommy Tuberville, Kevin Cramer, Bill Hagerty, Mike Crapo, John Hoeven, Steve Daines, Joni Ernst and John Boozman.

Many pro-life organizations support the measure, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Students for Life, Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America.

Since Roe’s reversal in 2022, the pro-life movement has continued to advance the cause of life state-by-state and at the federal level.

This federal bill seeks to establish the principle that many Americans already believe and science affirms  — that human life begins at conception, and every human being deserves equal protection under the law.

The measure is based on the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which declares that no state shall “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

This bill would establish federal law that preborn children are human beings deserving of constitutional protection.

Supporters of the bill contend that preborn babies are human beings and should be recognized as persons entitled to the same legal protections as every other human being.

Modern science confirms that a new and genetically distinct human organism is created at fertilization. From that moment on, the developing human grows through many stages, but the humanity of the preborn baby does not change. The only thing added is time and nutrition.

Pro-life advocates contend that this scientific reality carries significant legal and moral implications.

If human beings possess inherent dignity and worth, then the law should not exclude an entire class of human beings just because they are more dependent than other human beings.

This bill reflects an ongoing conversation within the pro-life movement following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe in 2022. The decision to overturn Roe did not answer whether preborn children are “persons” under the 14th Amendment. This legislation would answer that question directly — with a resounding yes.

To date, both measures have been referred to committees but have not advanced any further in the legislative process.

If you believe every human life deserves legal protection from its earliest creation, consider contacting your senators and representatives today and ask them to support the Life at Conception Act.

The Courageous Christian Doctor Waging War Against the Fertility Industry 

Dr. John David Gordon was a reproductive endocrinologist without a home.

With a medical degree from Duke and his residency at Stanford, the Boston native, who was raised Jewish and converted to Christianity in 2000, is a skilled physician committed to helping infertile couples have children. His credentials and skills are unassailable and unbeatable.

But there was a problem – and it was a moral and ethical one of major proportions. 

Serving in a leadership role at a fertility clinic just outside of Washington, D.C., for over twenty years, Dr. Gordon began having significant misgivings about how his facility was doing business.

Like almost every fertility clinic these days across the reproductive medicine industry, the establishment was employing nearly every available technology to help maximize success. This included creating as many embryos as possible with each patient, a strategy that allows physicians to be choosy when it comes to selecting which ones to transfer to the mother.

At fertility clinics across the world, embryos are literally graded and evaluated, and those statistically most likely to implant and grow are the winners. Those that don’t make the cut are either frozen or discarded.

While nobody knows for sure, it’s estimated that more than thirty million embryos are created around the world each year because of IVF technology. A typical IVF cycle in a traditional clinic will result in up to 15 embryos. Most clinics recommend transferring only three or four.

Although his motives were redeeming, Dr. Gordon began feeling the ethical burden of being part of this industry that had grown increasingly reckless and mercenary. “It’s too morally problematic,” Gordon concluded. “I don’t know where you draw the line.”

After consulting with his wife, Allison, who also shared his deep Christian convictionsand unease over the direction of reproductive medicine, Dr. Gordon decided to leave the Washington, D.C. clinic and open one that would operate within biblical moral and ethical boundaries.

Setting up shop in eastern Tennessee, “Rejoice Fertility was created with a clear vision: to deliver an unparalleled patient experience where couples could openly discuss their moral, ethical, spiritual, and religious concerns about reproductive medicine.”

Specifically, Rejoice Fertility is a “no-discard” IVF clinic. Patients are encouraged to create only the embryos they will transfer or use for a future IVF. 

Any embryos created are either used for fresh transfer or preserved for future frozen embryo transfer.

For decades, Focus on the Family has been asked by married couples on how best to navigate the myriad of ethical considerations and challenges surrounding IVF. The ministry has recognized that across Christendom, believers may view the issue very differently.

While the Catholic Church has remained steadfast in their opposition to it, the Southern Baptists traditionally supported it but have since expressed a growing concern. The denomination’s convention passed a resolution decrying the ethical lines most clinics regularly cross. In doing so, they were correctly calling out the rise in embryo destruction, elective reduction, genetic screening, and the astronomical number of frozen embryos. They stopped just short of calling for an all-out ban. 

Given that the Bible doesn’t offer clear guidance on the overarching technology, we’ve thoughtfully and prayerfully studied the question. We’ve long said that doctors can take proactive steps to address many of the moral and ethical concerns associated with IVF – steps that Dr. Gordon and his team appear to be acknowledging and grappling with on a daily basis.

In the instances where couples may be unable to transfer frozen embryos, Rejoice Infertility strongly advocates for the couple agreeing to make the baby available for adoption. “Snowflake” embryo adoption has been a wonderful program that seeks to find forever homes for these babies locked in a perpetual frozen state.

In a world swirling with countless moral and ethical conundrums, we applaud Dr. Gordon for his efforts to care for his patients and prayerfully address and wage a fight that far too many medical professionals have long ago abandoned. 

Related articles and resources:

IVF: Moral and Ethical Considerations

Christians Must Consider the Moral and Ethical Hazards of IVF

Supreme Court Restores Access to Mail-Order Abortion Pills While Legal Fight Continues

The Supreme Court Thursday granted a stay blocking enforcement of a lower court ruling that would have restricted access to the abortion pill mifepristone by mail.

The Court’s decision allows abortionists to continue prescribing mifepristone through telehealth appointments, and sending it through the mail, while Louisiana’s lawsuit seeking to require the FDA to reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement on mifepristone continues. The agency removed the requirement during the Biden presidency.

Justices Thomas and Alito dissented from the Court’s decision.

In his dissent, Justice Thomas observed that the Comstock Act “bans using ‘the mails’ to ship any ‘drug … for producing abortion.’” This means Danco Labs and GenBioPro, the manufacturers and distributors of mifepristone, which appealed to the Court for a stay, are engaged in illegal activity.

“Applicants are not entitled to a stay of an adverse court order based on lost profits from their criminal enterprise,” Justice Thomas wrote. “They cannot, in any legally relevant sense, be irreparably harmed by a court order that makes it more difficult for them to commit crimes.”

Justice Alito pointed out Louisiana’s request for the FDA to reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement is commonsense.

“Louisiana [responded to Dobbs by making] abortion illegal except in narrow circumstances,” Justice Alito wrote. “But Louisiana’s efforts have been thwarted by certain medical providers, private organizations, and States that abhor laws like Louisiana’s and seek to undermine their enforcement.”

“These medical providers and private organizations have developed an operation enabling women in Louisiana and other States that restrict abortions to place an online order for a pill called mifepristone that induces abortion.”

Around 1,000 abortions occur in Louisiana each month as a result, more than occurred before the Dobbs decision, Justice Alito acknowledged.

Alliance Defending Freedom Counsel Erin Hawley issued the following statement after the Court’s ruling:

We are disappointed by this decision that allows the FDA and the abortion industry to continue nullifying Dobbs and its promise to return the issue of abortion to the people.
It’s high time the Biden FDA be held accountable for the destruction it has caused with this high-risk drug. Together with Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office, we look forward to litigating our appeal at the 5th Circuit to protect mothers and their children.

The case now goes back to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit to consider the merits of Louisiana’s case. The Daily Citizen will keep you apprised of important developments.

The case is Danco Laboratories v. Louisiana.

At Focus on the Family, we have been working to turn the cultural tide and save mothers and babies from abortion for years. Since beginning the Option Ultrasound Program in 2004, Focus has helped save over half a million lives. Just $60 will help save a life through Option Ultrasound. Will you partner with us to save lives from abortion?

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

Related articles and resources:

My Choice Network

I’m Pregnant, Now What?

Dealing With Unplanned Pregnancy

Become an Option Ultrasound Life Advocate

New Insights on the Dangers of the Abortion Pill

Overcoming Abortion and Becoming a Force for Life

Supreme Court Temporarily Restores Access to Mail-Order Abortion Pills

Photo from Shutterstock.

White House Launches Moms.Gov Directing Women to Pregnancy Resource Centers

On Mother’s Day, the White House announced the creation of Moms.gov, an innovative website connecting new and expectant mothers with pregnancy resource centers and other helpful information.

The webpage’s adoption section links to Focus on the Family’s resource “Considering Adoption.”

However, the website also directs women to drugs and medications related to in vitro fertilization (IVF), which (as usually practiced) disrespects and denies the right to life of preborn children.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched the website, calling it a “first-of-its-kind resource” offering “guidance and information to support the health and well-being of mothers and their families.”

“This Mother’s Day, the Trump Administration is strengthening its commitment to America’s families by equipping mothers and fathers with the resources and information they need to build healthy, prosperous lives,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

“Moms.gov delivers critical tools and support to help parents foster healthy pregnancies, strengthen young families, and create brighter futures for their children. This is how you Make America Healthy Again.”

According to HHS, the new platform features information on:

  • Support Services and Health Centers (Pregnancy Centers and FQHCs).
  • Nutrition quick facts for mothers based on the Dietary Guideline for Americans.
  • Trump Accounts.
  • Trump Rx.
  • Resources for women and parents.
  • Preconception health.
  • Breastfeeding.
  • Mental health.
  • Adoption.

The White House announced the creation of the website on social media, calling it a “one-stop home for all the resources needed for expectant mothers including nutrition, pregnancy support, lifesaving care and more.”

Pro-life advocate Lila Rose shared the announcement, saying the website connects women with “life-affirming support.”

“Abortion tells a woman she must kill her child to succeed. THAT IS A LIE,” Rose added. “Mothers deserve hope, help, and real care. Every child deserves the chance to live.”

Speaking from the Oval Office at an event on maternal health care, President Trump touted the website as a part of his “ambitious agenda to support American mothers.”

Secretary Kennedy, speaking at the event, said, “I just want to stress what a huge win for the MAHA movement, and for the pro-life movement Moms.gov is. It is one-stop shopping for IVF, for prenatal care, for postnatal care, for nutrition, for baby formula.”

Individuals can purchase drugs commonly used in IVF, including Gonal-F – an injectable medication containing follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) – through Trump Rx, which is accessible through Moms.gov.

It is good news the Trump administration is directing women to pregnancy resource centers, which provide life-affirming care to moms and dads. There are 2,750 centers nationwide that provide nearly $368 million annually in free support to clients, including $206 million in free medical services, $83 million in education and support services and $78 million in material goods.

However, Secretary Kennedy is incorrect to call IVF “pro-life.” As it is usually practiced, IVF is not pro-life.

Only around 2.3% of babies created through IVF will be born alive; the vast majority are genetically screened, sex-selected and graded out of existence.

In fact, more preborn babies die due to IVF each year than abortion.

The Trump administration certainly deserves praise for supporting the life-affirming work of pregnancy resource centers.

At the same time, pro-life supporters must reaffirm that all human embryos are made in God’s image and worthy of life and legal protection from the moment of conception. Helping more woman access IVF is certainly not a “win” for the pro-life movement.

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

Related articles and resources:

My Choice Network

Counseling Consultation & Referrals

I’m Pregnant, Now What?

Dealing With Unplanned Pregnancy

Become an Option Ultrasound Life Advocate

New Insights on the Dangers of the Abortion Pill

Alternatives to Abortion: Pregnancy Resource Centers

IVF: Moral and Ethical Considerations

Photo from Getty Images.

Kristan Hawkins Lobbies Feds to Enforce Comstock Act

The Supreme Court this week temporarily allowed women to obtain chemical abortion pills remotely while it considers Louisiana’s case against the FDA’s regulation of mifepristone.

Behind closed doors, Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins lobbied the Department of Justice (DOJ) to shut down the mail-order abortion industry altogether by enforcing the Comstock Act.

“All it would take is for the Trump DOJ to issue a memo and say, ‘We’re going to enforce the law.’” Hawkins told the Daily Citizen.

“That, overnight, would end this wild, wild west of abortion we are currently facing in our country.”

When the FDA began allowing physicians to prescribe the chemical abortion pill mifepristone remotely without “adequately studying” the safety of such a step, the agency birthed a massive, unregulated, interstate drug market.

“Any person — sex abuser, human trafficker, a man, a minor, a girl who has a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy — can go online to a couple of websites and order chemical abortion pills within two minutes,” said Hawkins. “It doesn’t matter what state she’s in.”

There’s no guarantee the pills these women receive contain mifepristone and misoprostol, the second chemical in the abortion cocktail which sends women into labor.

“It’s a problem [abortionists] are having in their own industry,” she explained. “There’s zero accuracy to make sure the pills women are getting are even abortion pills and not placebos.”

The federal government doesn’t need to pass a law to take on the wildly exploitative chemical abortion industry. It’s already illegal under the Comstock Act.

The act, which Congress passed in 1873, prohibits the interstate transportation of “obscene or crime-inciting” materials, including every “article, instrument, substance, drug, medicine or thing” used to facilitate or perform abortion.

Thus far, however, the DOJ has refused to enforce Comstock.

Under the Biden administration, the department issued an opinion finding the law did not apply to interstate shipments of chemical abortion pills.

The tortured take relies on judicial interpretations of Comstock from the early twentieth century which determined violators must knowingly send “obscene or crime-inciting” materials to perform, not just any abortions, but unlawful abortions.  

Of course, at the time of Comstock’s creation, virtually all abortions were unlawful. The DOJ apparently did not consider this fact when, in December 2022, it determined that Comstock did not apply to chemical abortion pills because abortionists could intend the pills be used in lawful abortions.

With the stroke of a pen, the current DOJ could rescind this memo and begin enforcing the act, effectively banning the sale of mifepristone and misoprostol across state lines.

“A simple memo tomorrow from the DOJ could save hundreds of thousands of lives,” Hawkins emphasized. “That’s all we’re asking for.”

Enforcing the Comstock Act wouldn’t just score the Trump administration a win with the pro-life community, Hawkins told DOJ officials. It would support the president’s belief that abortion policy should be determined by the states.

“Even while I disagree with the president on that fact,” Hawkins told the Daily Citizen, noting “terrible, tragic things” happen when leaders allow human rights to begin and end at state lines, “if he truly believes [abortion] to be a state’s rights issue, the solution is to get the federal government completely out of abortion.”

That, she elaborated, requires two things: Extending the defunding of Planned Parenthood and enforcing the Comstock Act, which would prevent pro-abortion states from flooding pro-life states with chemical abortion pills.

“These are simple things the administration can do that would be in alignment with what the president himself has said about abortion policy that would save hundreds of lives,” Hawkins reiterated.

She was encouraged to hear DOJ officials confirm the Comstock Act had come up in several conversations at the department.

“So at least they know about it!” she exclaimed.

If the DOJ didn’t before this week, they do now. Hawkins and Students for Life Action delivered tens of thousands of petitions to the department’s doorstep Wednesday supporting the Comstock Act’s enforcement.

As consequential questions about mail-order abortion, the true danger of mifepristone and funding for Planned Parenthood linger over Capitol Hill, the Daily Citizen prays the Trump administration will take bold steps to protect women, babies and life by enforcing the Comstock Act.

Additional Articles and Resources

Supreme Court Temporarily Restores Access to Mail-Order Abortion Pills

Texas Father Sues Out-of-State Abortionist for Killing His Preborn Children

Federal Government Makes Abortion Pill Widely Available, Okays Mail Orders Despite Law Prohibiting Them

Shield Laws Enable Chemical Abortion in Pro-Life States

Shield Law Abortion Providers Advertised Alongside Black Market Abortion Pills

#AbortionChangesYou: A Case Study to Understand the Communicative Tensions in Women’s Medication Abortion Narratives (Health Communication)

New Abortion Pill Study Confirms Danger to Mothers

The Abortion Pill Harms Women: Insurance Data Reveals One in Ten Patients Experiences a Serious Adverse Event (Ethics and Public Policy Center)