Free Republic

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, a steadfast pro-life advocate whose conservative congressional voting record and support for abortion restrictions defined key aspects of his Republican legacy, died Tuesday at age 84. The cause was complications from pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, his family said in a statement. Cheney had battled cardiovascular issues for much of his adult life, including a heart transplant in 2012. “For decades, Dick Cheney served our nation, including as White House Chief of Staff, Wyoming’s Congressman, Secretary of Defense, and Vice President of the United States,” the family said. “Dick Cheney was a great and...

Olivia Olander reported for the Chicago Tribune on November 3 that Illinois Governor JB Pritzker has not yet decided if he will sign or veto the recently passed assisted suicide bill. Olander reported: Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday said he was still deciding whether he’d sign legislation that would permit doctors to help terminally ill people end their lives, after the bill narrowly passed the General Assembly last week. “It was something that I didn’t expect and didn’t know it was going to be voted on, so we’re examining it even now,” Pritzker said. We need everyone to call...

Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday said he was still deciding whether he’d sign legislation that would permit doctors to help terminally ill people end their lives, after the bill narrowly passed the General Assembly last week. “It was something that I didn’t expect and didn’t know it was going to be voted on, so we’re examining it even now,” Pritzker said. The Democratic-run state Senate, before dawn broke Friday, voted with the bare minimum 30 votes to allow mentally competent, terminally ill adults the right to access life-ending prescription medication with physician oversight. The vote sent the bill to...

(CN) — A divided Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday agreed that Oregon Right to Life had made a sufficient showing that its beliefs are religious and sincerely held to proceed with a lawsuit to avoid having to provide health insurance coverage to its employees for abortions and contraceptives. In a split decision, the three-judge panel overturned a district judge’s dismissal last year of the anti-abortion organization’s complaint as well as her denial of the nonprofit’s request for a preliminary injunction. “ORTL put forth significant evidence of its religiosity, and there was no conflicting evidence against ORTL’s claim that...

BOSTON – A former Stoughton police officer who was previously indicted for allegedly murdering Sandra Birchmore, a pregnant woman, to prevent her from disclosing information about his sexual exploitation of her beginning when she was a minor, has been indicted for allegedly causing the death of Birchmore’s unborn son. Matthew Farwell, 39, of Easton, has been charged with one count of causing the death of Birchmore’s unborn child. Farwell was arrested and charged in August 2024. He remains in federal custody and will be arraigned at a later date. According to the superseding indictment, on or about Feb. 1, 2021,...

In an ongoing lawsuit filed by the state of California’s attorney general against two pro-life organizations for promoting abortion pill reversal (APR), an Illinois judge Oct. 29 ordered the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to release communications with state personnel regarding APR. Seventh Circuit Court Judge Jack Davis of Sangamon County Oct. 29 ordered ACOG to comply with a subpoena requested by the pro-life defendants, Heartbeat International, and RealOptions. California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed the lawsuit in 2023 against the defendants on behalf of the state, alleging that the pro-life groups “engaged in false advertising and deceptive...

Virginia is one of two states holding regularly scheduled state legislative elections in 2025, making it one of the most watched “off-year” elections leading up to midterms next year. Voters will select all 100 members of the House of Delegates Tuesday, as well as the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general. Party control of the House especially will set the course of the battle for life in the largest southeastern state that has not enacted protections for unborn babies and mothers in the law after Dobbs – determining whether a proposal to enshrine third-trimester abortion and eliminate the rights of...

It would not be an exaggeration to say we could see abortion for any reason during all nine months of pregnancy in Pennsylvania if the three state Supreme Court Justices up for retention are re-elected. The vote is November 4th. Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht have been brazen in their promotion of abortion. Their TV ads gleefully proclaim their support for abortion, even though one would expect judges to be fair and impartial. As a result, the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation Political Action Committee is urging “No” votes for the 10-year retention of Justices Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht....

A recent report from a prominent pro-life organization ranks all 50 states on their laws regarding abortion, assisted suicide and conscience protection for healthcare workers.Americans United for Life released its annual "Life List" state rankings, naming Arkansas the most pro-life state in the country for the sixth consecutive year."AUL looks at each state's protections for life from conception to natural death. This includes laws on abortion, legal recognition of preborn children, bioethics, assisted suicide and end-of-life patient care, and healthcare rights of conscience," the organization stated. "Additionally, states are awarded points for their life-affirming cultural and political landscape and momentum."Louisiana...

Babies are being intentionally killed to be turned into keepsake jewelry. Yes, you read that right. Women who no longer want to implant their frozen embryos — their children — can now have them turned into jewelry. Rings, necklaces, and bracelets made from what was once living, growing human Life. According to one popular “embryo jewelry” company, “When storage is ending and donation does not feel right, there is a gentler way to honor what you created.” Gentler? Thawing out human embryos — real babies — and letting them die so they can be worn as an accessory is not...

“Pure Joy!” commented one of my Facebook friends on the reel I posted of my 23-year-old daughter riding the Carousel. If you consider it uncommon for a 23-year-old to inspire such a comment, you must understand something: my daughter has Down syndrome. Few people live life with such whole-hearted gusto, expressing their joy without reservation as those who have an extra copy of Chromosome 21. They lack the fear of the disapproval of others, of not being ‘cool,’ and thus are free to express their joy without reservations. It’s a beautiful thing, but it’s becoming rarer. That is why it...

““New Colorado clinic offers third-trimester abortions for ‘any reason you have‘” The clinic is called the RISE Collective, RISE stands for “Reproductive Health, Inclusive Care, Support and Empowerment.” (Video also available on Substack, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram.) Colorado was already infamous for being one of the few states, a least for a while, that had a late-term abortion clinic, or as they put it, “a historic legacy of all-trimester abortion care.” But then Dr. Warren Hern, who’s in his late eighties, retired earlier this year and their clinic closed. So for at least a few months Colorado wasn’t aborting any...

Back aways, we reposted a story that told the grim truth about the fate of babies with Down syndrome in Denmark. In 2019 there were virtually none—just 18! When I read “The last children of Down Syndrome” by Sarah Zhan, I immediately thought of the 2017 story from CBS News about Iceland titled “What kind of society do you want to live in? Inside the country where Down syndrome is Disappearing.” Zhan’s is a brilliantly written piece that appears in the Atlantic magazine. The subhead puts the story in the larger context: “Prenatal screening is changing who gets born and...

An independent filmmaker says that he was filming a documentary outside of a Planned Parenthood in California when police handcuffed him, confiscated his equipment and forced him to sit in the back of a cop car for almost an hour — an incident his attorney argued violated his rights. According to Dan Brown Jr., he was filming a street preacher named Brother Ed and other evangelists for a documentary titled "Cry Aloud," a name that may change further into production. The film, he explained, focuses on confrontational street evangelists and their interactions with law enforcement, and examines questions about the...

As mayor, Mamdani has pledged to safeguard and expand access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion and gender-affirming care. His platform calls for doubling funding for both New York City’s Abortion Access Hub and the New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF), ensuring that anyone can access abortion care regardless of income or immigration status. His plans also include an investment of $65 million in public clinics and sexual and reproductive health care providers to expand access to gender-affirming care and confronting private health care institutions that have refused to provide this critical care. Mamdani will also declare...

California Governor Gavin Newsom is giving Planned Parenthood another $140 million in taxpayer money, to show support for the abortion corporation and keep its doors open. But even this amount of money may not guarantee that. Key Takeaways: * Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he will funnel another $140 million in taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood. * The promise of further financial support is in response to the Congressional defunding of abortion providers that qualify as "prohibited entities" of federal Medicaid dollars for one year. * Planned Parenthood is asking supporters for more donations as it announces more facility closures; however,...

This is truly shocking stuff. Mexican authorities in August, with the use of DNI intelligence, captured an infamous human trafficker who would lure pregnant women to steal their babies and organs. She would then sell the stolen babies and organs on both sides of the border, which is how the United States got involved. The last example ... was providing intelligence to the Mexican law enforcement that led to the arrest of CJNG cartel affiliated baby trafficker called "La Diabla." Her whole moneymaking operation was centered around luring pregnant women, performing illegal c-sections, harvesting organs, and selling newborn babies. The...

The number of adult couples choosing to get married yet intentionally maintain a child-free life as "Double-Income No Kids" (DINK) couples is increasing. But what does their reasoning say about our culture and the future of our country? Read parts one and two of this series. Key Takeaways: * The number of couples who say they plan to never have children is rising in the United States. * Many say they enjoy being able to spend money and time on personal luxuries, like dining out, vacations, and hobbies. * The focus solely on one's own personal pleasures and experiences is...

A California woman has filed a lawsuit against two Catholic hospitals operating under the umbrella of Dignity Health, claiming that doctors failed twice to give her appropriate care — what she claims would have been a medically necessary induced abortion. Key Takeaways: * Rachel Harrison's water broke at 17 weeks during a pregnancy in 2024, and during another pregnancy in 2025. * Each time, she went to a Dignity Health Catholic hospital, but was reportedly sent away after receiving a diagnosis of preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM). * Harrison's lawsuit alleges that the Catholic hospitals refused to give her...

Pregnancy help centers (PHCs) in Virginia are facing a serious threat. A proposed constitutional amendment could expand abortion access, remove the limited safeguards for women and girls that currently exist, and endanger the existence of PHCs across the Commonwealth. This fall’s election will determine which delegates will vote on that amendment in January. If you’ve ever supported a PHC with your time, prayers, or donations, we’re asking you now to take one more step: support us with your vote. Vote for a delegate who will protect women, unborn children, and the ministry you’ve built. For the staff of PHCs in...