Free Republic

Last week, Wisconsin's Attorney General Josh Kaul shared during with the Associated Press that he would not enforce the state's abortion ban should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. Whether or not he intended to, Kaul made the argument for Texas lawmakers as to why they felt the need to add in a citizen enforcement provision to the state abortion law that bans most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, at about six weeks. Wisconsin is one of nine states that has an abortion ban from 1849 that became unenforceable once Roe legalized abortion on demand in...

"There are rules for most cases, and then there are rules for abortion cases," began a dissent of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Judge Amul Thapar in a case last month. "The majority reveals that abortion exceptionalism knows no bounds," he added. Thapar's allusion to the peculiar rules and procedures that characterize modern litigation surrounding the peculiar institution of on-demand abortion is especially apt, as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares for its expedited Nov. 1 hearing in U.S. v. Texas. That case, pertaining to the Lone Star State's recently enacted fetal heartbeat law, has attracted outsize attention....

An Austin-based political action committee has sent out “RINO alerts” calling for Republican members to hold local party chair Lee Lester accountable by “demanding that he stops attacking his own party or you’ll vote him out” in response to the Harrison County GOP executive committee’s decision to censure State Rep. Chris Paddie. The request has been sent in the form of political mailers by Project Red Tex. The treasurer of the PAC is listed as Cabell Hobbs; Shannon Oleary is listed as assistant treasurer. The “RINO alerts” were not only sent in reference to Lester, but also with regard to...

Texas's new abortion bill will overrun courts with amateur prosecutors avenging wrongs that have not caused them any particularized harm.Texas is the latest state to test the limits of federal abortion jurisprudence by passing the Texas Heartbeat Act, a law severely limiting abortions there. It is part of a trend — a Louisiana abortion law was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2019 and a Mississippi law to ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy is on the docket for next term in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.The Texas law would ban all abortions after the baby’s...

States continued a nationwide trend of enacting pro-life laws in 2021, with the Texas legislature passing a “heartbeat” bill this week, and Montana enacting funding restrictions on abortion providers. The Texas state Senate on Thursday passed a ban on abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which can occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The measure now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) desk, where he is expected to sign it.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot is expected to sign into law a bill that bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can occur as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Texas Senate Bill 8, also known as the Texas Heartbeat Act or “heartbeat bill” was passed in the state Senate 18-12 on Thursday, and awaits Abbott’s signature. The Republican governor has indicated that he will sign the bill on the same day.

State lawmakers on Thursday gave final approval to legislation that would ban abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy and allow anyone to sue doctors and others who violate the guidelines. The bill, a priority for Republicans this session, now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott for an expected signature. It would take effect on September 1. Proponents hope that by turning enforcement of the new guidelines over to everyday citizens, rather than a government agency, they can avoid the legal delays that have come from so-called “heartbeat bills” in other red states. Under the proposal, abortions would be prohibited...

A popular song once told us that “One is the loneliest number that there’s ever been.” And that’s the case for Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards. Edwards is the only Democrat governor in the nation who is pro-life on abortion. He one of just a handful of pro-life Democrats elected at any major federal or statewide level — a reminder that most pro-life Democrats have become Republicans as the Democrat Party has drifted further left and become ubiquitously pro-abortion. Edwards beat pro-life Republican businessman Eddie Rispone 51.3% to 48.7% over the weekend. national pundits tried to use the victory as...

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin ceremonially signed into law four pieces of pro-life legislation as an appeals court heard a challenge brought by the ACLU regarding a state abortion safety law. On Thursday, Bevin signed SB 9, the Heartbeat Bill, which bans an abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected; SB 50, a measure that requires doctors to provide abortion pill patients with information regarding the reversal of the effects of the drug; HB 5, which bans abortion based on sex, race, or perceived disability of the unborn child; and HB 148, a measure that would ban abortion entirely in...

If a new Mississippi law survives a court challenge, it will be nearly impossible for most pregnant women to get an abortion there. Or, potentially, in neighboring Louisiana. Or Alabama. Or Georgia. The Louisiana legislature is halfway toward passing a law — like the ones enacted in Mississippi and Georgia — that will ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, about six weeks into a pregnancy and before many women know they’re pregnant. Alabama is on the cusp of approving an even more restrictive bill. State governments are on a course to virtually eliminate abortion access in large chunks...

Taking a cue from the literature of ancient Greece, actress and political activist Alyssa Milano called for a "sex strike" Friday in response to the "heartbeat" bill that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp recently signed into law. [snip] "Our reproductive rights are being erased. Until women have legal control over our own bodies we just cannot risk pregnancy," Milano tweeted. "JOIN ME by not having sex until we get bodily autonomy back. I’m calling for a #SexStrike. Pass it on."

Hollywood has bee slow in reacting against Georgia’s Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act, legislation known as the “heartbeat bill” that prohibits most abortions in the state once doctors can detect a fetus’ heartbeat. Signed into law this week, the bill – now one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws – was earlier heavily criticized by many In Hollywood, whose interest In the state stems from the extensive film and TV industry presence thanks to Georgia’s production tax credits. Avengers: Endgame and the long-running TV series The Walking Dead are among the productions that have shot in the state....

Rep. Janine Boyd filed an amendment stating that "African-American women shall be exempt “... removing the protections for black babies in the heartbeat bill currently before the legislature. She argued that allowing black mothers to kill their unborn babies even if their babies have a heartbeat, would help America move beyond the dehumanizing legacy of slavery.

While Ohio has reached this stage twice before, the measure was vetoed both times by Gov. John Kasich. But new Gov. Mike DeWine has promised to sign the bill, which would ban abortions, except to save the life of the woman, once a fetal heartbeat is detected. It was unclear Wednesday how quickly the legislation would reach DeWine’s desk or how long he would wait to add his signature. Cincinnati Right to Life labeled the measure “the nation’s strongest pro-life bill,” while Senate Democrats said it “would become the most extreme abortion ban in the country.”

Hollywood activist Alyssa Milano’s effort to threaten Georgia with a boycott over an abortion bill has now gained over 100 supporters, including some of Hollywood’s top talent. [snip] Stars like Sean Penn, Ben Stiller, Jessica Chastain, Sophia Bush, Sarah Paulson, Judd Apatow, and Mandy Moore have all signed the letter. New signees include Brie Larson, Patricia Arquette, and Natalie Portman.

Hollywood threatened Georgia with a boycott if the state passed a bill that limited abortions to the first six weeks. Peach State lawmakers passed the bill and left-wing celebrities are erupting. As Breitbart News reported Friday, Hollywood has lined up to warn the state that they would take their business out of Georgia if the “Heartbeat bill,” H.B. 481, passed, a bill that would ban abortion after a heartbeat could be detected in a fetus. In a letter written by actress-turned-activist Alyssa Milano, stars threaten to “do everything in our power to move our industry to a safer state for...

With “Hollywood” the industry so often stretching well beyond “Hollywood” the town – especially given that stretching increasingly reaches Georgia – about 50 actors including Amy Schumer, Amber Tamblyn, Alec Baldwin, Don Cheadle, Rosie O’Donnell, Patton Oswalt, Sarah Silverman, Essence Atkins, Uzo Aduba, Gabrielle Union, Christina Applegate, Ben Stiller, Sean Penn, David Cross, Mia Farrow, Colin Hanks and Bradley Whitford has signed a letter written by Alyssa Milano in opposition of the state’s so-called “heartbeat” anti-abortion bill The letter was sent Thursday morning to Georgia House Speaker David Ralston and Georgia governor Brian Kemp, but has been circulating on social...

In the latest abortion-related legal battle to hit the state, a federal judge has temporarily blocked Kentucky officials from implementing their newly-enacted law banning abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Signed Friday by Republican Gov. Matt Bevin, the law requires abortionists to check for a fetal heartbeat before aborting. If a heartbeat is found, committing the abortion would be a Class D felony (punishable by up to five years in prison) except in cases of medical emergencies, which would also have to be documented. The same day Bevin signed the law, Judge David J. Hale of the Western...

Georgia's “Heartbeat Bill” has cleared a senate panel to chants of “shame” and “no safe seats” from abortion supporters. Capitol police had to escort Republican legislators to a waiting elevator through the throng of protestors. We know where this is going. The “Heartbeat Bill” is HB 481, which considers any unborn human with a heart beat as a person, with the rights of a person, to be added to the population of the state as a person, and therefore entitled to the protection of the state. Its effect would be to make most abortions illegal, with the narrow exceptions of...

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 1, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tennessee, yelled at an African-American woman today, accusing her of “ignorance,” after she testified before a Congressional committee about abortion being the “leading cause of death in the black community today.” Star Parker, founder and president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education (CURE), suggested it’s disingenuous to conflate abortion with social ills. Parker was testifying before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice as it discussed legislation banning abortions on babies with beating hearts.