Free Republic

In those neighborhoods, where civil society breaks down, giving way to anarchy and Haitian-style barbarism, civilization is effectively suspended. Across the United States, the trajectory of inner cities has been one of “inexorable decline” — a descent from centers of economic growth, cultural splendor, and communal solidarity into fragmented, dystopian environments marked by neglect and anarchy. Like mirror images of downtown Port-au-Prince, these urban landscapes, far from civic greatness, have become wastelands defined by abandoned structures, pervasive insecurity, and social disintegration (aggravated by the “homelessness crisis”). The emblematic example of Detroit crystallizes the narrative of urban decline — a Democrat-run...

When Taylor Edwards and her husband Travis first learned they were pregnant in late 2022, they were filled with joy — and relief. After more than two years of trying, and three rounds of IVF, they would be parents. "With IVF and infertility, you are always waiting for the other shoe to drop," says Edwards, 33. After she passed her 12-week mark into her second trimester, she felt like she could relax. "I was like, 'Finally. I've run a marathon. I did it. It's my turn to be a mom.' " But when she and Travis, 34, went in for...

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — On Monday, Fairfax County Public Schools placed a teacher, who reported information about school staff allegedly arranging abortions for students, on paid administrative leave. The Centreville High School teacher’s leave is effective immediately, pending the conclusion of FCPS’s ongoing investigation focusing on concerns that she “may have engaged in serious professional misconduct.” On Tuesday, Zenaida Perez told 7News that she believes FCPS is retaliating against her for going public with the abortion story, which has received national media attention. “They are now suspending me with pay indefinitely," Perez told 7News on Tuesday. "Who knows until...

The bills would return Pennsylvania to the Kermit Gosnell era, with legal protections for abortionists and late-term abortions.The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee votes on a package of six bills Wednesday that will make it possible for pregnant Pennsylvania women to kill their unborn babies up to birth. It will also turn Pennsylvania into an abortion tourism destination, allowing women from states with stronger pro-life rules to kill their babies in Pennsylvania with no legal entanglements. Currently Pennsylvania bans abortion after 24 weeks (six months), though even then state law makes an exception “when the pregnancy poses a serious health risk...

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell has ruled that Planned Parenthood affiliates in California, Iowa, and New York do not have to comply with recent executive orders requiring them to affirm biological sex and discontinue the promotion of radical gender ideology and promiscuity in order to receive federal funding Key Takeaways: * Despite multiple Trump executive orders specifying otherwise, a district judge has ruled that certain Planned Parenthood affiliates in three states do not have to rid their sex ed curricula of radical gender ideology. * The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program has been shown in the past to have failed to...

Today, Governor Phil Murphy issued a Conditional Veto of the proposed Abortion Travel Advisory bill (S3663). His veto raises important questions about his motives and logic and whether the state should be in the business of evaluating other states’ laws in the first place. The bill, strongly backed by Planned Parenthood, called for the creation of an ‘Abortion Tourism’ website to be maintained by the Department of State (DOS), a move that would promote one-sided information and political messaging. According to the proposal, the website would have used a three-tiered, color-coded system—Blue: Exercise normal caution; Yellow: Exercise increased caution; and...

Unexpected pregnancy doesn’t mean unwanted pregnancy. A married couple leaving Planned Parenthood saw a 40 Days for Life “Ask Me About a Free Ultrasound” sign and decided to take Upland, California, vigil participants up on their offer. “This is a miraculous gift from God!” the husband said. “We just found out she is pregnant, and we didn’t even know if it was possible. We have been hoping and praying, and now we are expecting our first baby!” So why in the world were they at Planned Parenthood? The young family needed pregnancy care. But contrary to the name, Planned Parenthood...

Afaxys Pharma — which supplies "family planning clinics" and Planned Parenthood facilities, universities, and others with birth control and emergency contraceptives — has received $8 million in funding from an abortion pill investor, allegedly for "improving access to affordable contraceptives across the United States." And a former Planned Parenthood manager is set to lead the for-profit company. Key Takeaways: * A 'contraceptive' pharmacy heavily tied to Planned Parenthood and at least one abortion pill distributor has received millions from two foundations — one of which is one of the largest global funders of abortion. * The funding, from the Packard...

The mother of a woman who died after taking the abortion pill has announced her support for former Georgia state Senator Jason Esteves as candidate for governor, in hopes of overturning the state's pro-life law. Key Takeaways: * Shanette Williams is the mother of Amber Thurman, who died in Georgia in 2022 after taking the abortion pill. * Williams is supporting former state Sen. Jason Esteves in his bid for governor because he wants to overturn the state's pro-life law. * Thurman died of sepsis, a known complication of the abortion pill, after doctors failed to give her a timely...

This story isn’t complicated. A teenage girl in Fairfax County became pregnant, her guardian told the school, and days later she was bleeding and terrified—no one from the school had called, no consent was sought, and the guardian learned she was no longer pregnant only when doctors in the ER told him. FCPS insists it ran a “comprehensive investigation,” but this newly surfaced recording proves they either never found or never wanted to find the truth. It obliterates the official narrative that whistleblower Zenaida Perez fabricated evidence and shows exactly what the district tried to bury: a frightened minor, a...

Planned Parenthood’s abortion empire continued its downward spiral as the abortion organization announced the closure of seven centers in California, That pushes the total number of its facilities shuttered across the country this year to 50 and highlights the mounting financial toll of federal defunding efforts championed by pro-life advocates. Planned Parenthood clearly relies on our tax dollars to prop up its abortion business. The closures, affecting Melody Health — an arm of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties — will shutter locations in Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, Santa Ana, Westminster, San Bernardino and Upland. The centers...

When the Planned Parenthood clinic in Marquette closed in April, it was the only clinic providing abortion medication in the Upper Peninsula. Healthcare options were already limited in the vast, remote region. The next-closest Planned Parenthood clinic is now a roughly five-hour drive south. While the Planned Parenthood clinic in Marquette didn’t offer procedural abortion, it did provide more than a thousand patients per year services like cancer screenings, birth control and medication abortion. “All of these reproductive health care services, for a big chunk of the population here, were put into jeopardy,” said Dr. Viktoria Koskenoja, a local emergency...

A former abortion clinic worker in the state of Arizona has revealed alarming practices that, according to her, reflect severe ethical and legal negligence within the abortion industry. The former employee reported that medical instruments that were already worn out or had damage, such as small broken pieces, were not completely discarded but instead sent to Mexico and other Latin American countries, even at times when abortion was illegal in most of the region. According to her testimony, the clinics where she followed an informal protocol: any instrument that did not meet US safety standards—whether due to wear, cracks, or...

The Trump administration is looking to slash an office at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) whose critics say has been a major driver of gender ideology and abortion policies in the federal government. The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) saw roughly 30 employees issued reduction-in-force (RIF) notices Oct. 10, effectively sidelining most of the agency’s staff, individuals familiar with the matter told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The cuts come as White House officials repeatedly warned that staffing reductions could occur if Democrats continue to refuse to reopen the government. OPA’s stated mission is to advance “reproductive...

PIEDMONT, S.C. — South Carolina's SB 323 could change abortion access, the definition of contraceptives, and criminal charges, among other things. Our crews have been reporting on the bill and its potential impacts. This week, our reporter sat down with Sen. Richard Cash, who wrote the bill. Reporter Peyton Furtado: "So you've made these changes to a law, and it's already in place. You've had some amendments here. Can you tell me a little bit about some of the changes you've made and why you made these changes? Sen. Richard Cash: "Well, the goal is to save more babies early...

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — Over the summer, many in Fairfax County’s Centreville High School community saw social media reports of a teacher’s claims that school staff arranged and bankrolled an abortion for a minor student and pressured another to get an abortion with the parents’ knowledge and consent. When 7News saw the viral claims on social media in August, 7News Reporter Nick Minock reached out to Fairfax County Public Schools. The school system spokesperson replied and told Minock at the time, ”We learned yesterday of these concerning allegations from 2021. We are launching an immediate and comprehensive investigation as...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A downtown Louisville development committee approved a permit application to demolish the former EMW Women's Surgical Center as a 27-story hotel project begins to take shape. The Downtown Development Review Overlay Committee signed off on the demolition at 136, 138 and 140 West Market Street. EMW closed in 2022 after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. The $175 million project planned for 2nd and Market streets in downtown Louisville is set to come complete with a grand ballroom, rooftop pool and street-level restaurant. NuLu-based Zyyo confirmed in July its plans to build...

There’s no doubt we have a fertility crisis. Currently, about 16% of married women in the U.S. struggle to get pregnant or avoid miscarriages, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Worldwide, about one in six people face infertility, according to the World Health Organization. “In the Trump administration, we want to make it easier for all couples to have babies, raise children, and start the families they’ve always dreamed about,” President Donald Trump announced Thursday. That’s wonderful. The plummeting U.S. birth rate has concerning implications for our future economy and culture—and of course, it’s heartbreaking for couples...

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe is defending his pro-life beliefs this week after he denied clemency to a convicted murderer and is facing criticism from activists who oppose the death penalty. Kehoe, a Republican, rejected last-minute appeals to halt the execution of Lance Shockley, who was convicted of killing Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Dewayne Graham Jr. in 2005. Shockley was executed by lethal injection Oct. 14 in Bonne Terre, Missouri, marking the first execution since Kehoe took office as governor, Missouri news station First Alert 4 reported. “The murder of Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Carl DeWayne Graham, Jr.,...

Affordable primary care clinics run by Planned Parenthood will close their locations in Orange and San Bernardino counties as the Trump Administration blocks federal funding for the nonprofit, the organization announced Monday. Melody Health is a branch of Planned Parenthood, and the impacted locations include Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, Santa Ana, Westminster, San Bernardino and Upland. As the Trump administration is preventing abortion service providers, such as Planned Parenthood, from receiving federal grants, the nonprofit said it cannot afford to keep the door open at Melody Health clinics. The last day of operations for the clinics will be Dec....