After the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, the abortion industry has suffered a debilitating decline in revenue, and the pro-abortion left has responded with a vengeance. In the name of “reproductive rights”, the government is grasping at new ways to ensure the business of abortion doesn’t die with Roe. Most recently, pro-abortion politicians have been working overtime to pass some of the most radical abortion legislation we’ve seen since 1973.
In mid-July, the House of Representatives passed the Women’s Health Protection Act (HR 8296) with a shocking 219 votes. This deceptively named Act would nullify pro-life laws such as:
- Late term abortion bans
- Parental consent laws
- Bans on discriminating abortions that protect babies with Downs Syndrome
- Abortion via telemedicine
As a follow-up, the House also passed the Ensuring Access To Abortion Act (HR 8297), which was aimed at protecting a woman’s right to gain access to abortion across state lines. The implications of this bill are sadly connected to human trafficking, as it could shield child traffickers from criminal liability for taking pregnant young women across state lines for abortions. It also allows abortion providers to prescribe chemical abortion pills by mail – across state lines – via telemedicine. This endangers the health of the mother while legally protecting the abortion provider from any criminal liability.
In yet another desperate attempt to sustain the abortion industry, the House also passed the “Right To Contraception Act” (HR 8373), which presents several troubling measures:
- First, it broadly redefines the word “contraception” thus allowing for future legal manipulations by which the abortion pill could be considered nothing more than a contraceptive. This could make chemical abortions possible in states where abortion was otherwise illegal.
- It also essentially guarantees the use of state and federal funding to support the abortion industry, diverting these funds away from pregnancy resource centers under the guise of ‘supporting women’.
- It blatantly excludes the application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which prohibits the government from burdening a person’s exercise of religion. So if a doctor had a religious objection to prescribing the abortion pill, they may be forced to do so anyway, despite it directly burdening their freedom to exercise their religion.
- Additionally, medical offices who may consciously object to providing abortions could be denied government funding. This ignores and overrides state and federal freedom of conscious laws that prohibit recipients of certain federal funds from discriminating against health care providers who refuse to participate in services based on moral objections or religious beliefs.
President Biden also signed an Executive Order on Securing Access to Reproductive and Other Healthcare Services with the primary goal of protecting access to abortion and contraception. This Executive Order permits emergency rooms to offer abortions as “emergent healthcare” and prohibits retail pharmacies that receive federal funding from denying chemical abortion pills to patients on account of moral/religious objections.
The rest of the EO is laced with arbitrary commands for the Health and Human Services Department to “consider options” and “consider actions” to safeguard abortion care. It also demanded that a task force be created “to protect and strengthen access to reproductive health care services, including actions stemming from the EO” [1]. None of these considerations have any pivotal implications. Rather, they are suggestions and encouragements that open the door for future discussion and exploration around abortion legislation. In a nutshell, this Executive Order is merely a patchwork solution that doesn’t provide any immediate answers.
What Does This Mean For The Future of Abortion in America?
It should come as no surprise that these new measures seek to deny citizens of their most basic constitutional rights of conscience or religious expression. After all, the very right to life is at the center of the abortion debate, and human life is dispensable in the eyes of the opponent.
But there is reason for hope amidst these dark and deceptive ploys of the abortion advocates. For instance, Executive Orders do not require the approval of Congress, and Congress cannot overturn them. However, Congress may pass legislation making it difficult to carry out the terms of the executive order, or pass legislation containing repeal language for existing bills. Likewise, a sitting US President can overturn an Executive Order by simply issuing another one to that effect.
This is where our role begins. Now is the time for all prayer warriors to come forward and intercede. Now is the time for us to pray for a change in the hearts and minds of those in positions of power. We must humble ourselves, pray, seek God, and turn from our wicked ways. Only then will God hear us from Heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land [2].
Join us in prayer for the fortitude and righteousness of our political leaders. May those in positions of political power honor only God’s will, for the glory of His Kingdom. For this intention we pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer – because women deserve better, and babies deserve a chance.
To find out more about how you can get involved with our ministry, contact Choices today.
