In this week’s Family Update we cover:

  • House Health Committee Investigates Down Syndrome, Abortion Industry 
  • Online Voter Guide Now Available for May 18th Primary 
  • Not So Dope: 4/20 Pot Rally Calls for Legalization, Ignores Problems
  • Top News Headline Shows The Beauty of Choosing Life 

House Health Committee Investigates Down Syndrome, Abortion Industry

"There has never been a greater time to be born with Down syndrome and yet, there has never been a time with greater threat to being born with Down syndrome."

That was Jessica Capitani, a stay-at-home mom to a 15-year-old with Down syndrome in her testimony to the PA House Health Committee at this Thursday’s third hearing on abortion-related topics. This hearing focused on Down syndrome, in particular due to legislation being proposed called the Down Syndrome Protection Act, which would help stop the targeting of people with Down syndrome in the womb.

With noninvasive prenatal testing, the majority of babies who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome are aborted, making it a practical death sentence for thousands of unborn babies each year. Too often doctors pressure women into an abortion upon a diagnosis. Mothers are usually given the worst-case scenario - focusing on all the things her baby won’t be able to do. However, this ignores the reality and stories lived by countless families blessed with children who have Down syndrome. Many women have spoken out about the intense pressure they felt - from hospital staff - to abort.

Jessica Capitani and Kurt Kondrich, both proud parents of teen-age children with Down syndrome and now advocates for those with special needs testified at the hearing, shared their experiences. They each highlighted the way that unborn children with Down syndrome are often discriminated against and that the pressure to abort them simply due to a disability is nothing other than pure eugenics.

Another highlight came from disability rights champion Dr. Karen Gaffney. Not only does she operate her own non-profit foundation but she also currently works at a law firm and travels the world speaking up for those that have Down syndrome like herself. On top of this, she is also an accomplished swimmer who has swam the English channel (among other open-water swims). Dr. Gaffney is a tireless advocate for those with disabilities.

This week she testified that a life with Down syndrome is emphatically a life worth living. This was also the much-needed message at our past rally in support of the Down Syndrome Protection Act in previous years (Gov. Wolf vetoed this common-sense bill last session.) In Pennsylvania, children can still be (and are) targeted and aborted simply because they have a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. You can take action here and tell your State Senator and State Representative to support the Down Syndrome Protection Act to ensure that we put an end to this eugenic practice in our great Commonwealth.

Abortion Industry  vs.  Pro-life Alternatives. On Wednesday, April 21, the PA House Health Committee questioned testifiers from the abortion industry about  their practices, as well as explored the work of pro-life pregnancy care centers, which seek to empower women to choose life and provide support after birth. Your team at Pennsylvania Family Institute was there - in the room - to witness it first-hand.

Melissa Reed, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Keystone (one of three Planned Parenthood affiliates in Pennsylvania) was questioned by the committee. Planned Parenthood is the state’s largest abortion business, performing half of all the state’s abortions. They oppose any sensible improvements to our pro-life laws, have failed numerous health inspections and receive millions in taxdollars every year.

Not only did Reed attack pro-life champion State Rep. Kathy Rapp during the hearing, but in questioning, Reed dodged around a direct answer when questioned if Planned Parenthood always reports potential sexual abuse when a girl, aged 12-15, comes in for an abortion (which is legally required by mandated reporters). According to recent PA Health Department safety inspection reports, Planned Parenthood has been caught not reporting these incidents to the proper authorities.

Reed also confirmed that Planned Parenthood has been offering women telemedicine abortions - offering pills to cause abortions on their own at home - which violate longstanding FDA healthy and safety regulations, months before the Biden administration temporarily lifted this rule this week.

In contrast to this cold pro-abortion testimony, Amy Scheuring of Pittsburgh-based Women’s Choice Network pregnancy care centers, offered a voice of compassion and hope for women considering an abortion. She has served women there for more than 35 years and told the committee that there are more than 200 pregnancy care centers across our Commonwealth, which exist to empower women with the education, care, and resources they need to choose life. She testified: Pregnancy centers offer transformational care to women...We might see her and her partner 40-50 times for the next two years...The abortion industry is transactional. We try to be transformational."

It was eye-opening to witness how hostile several of the committee members (all happen to be Democrats) in their questioning of Amy. Why? It’s because she and the work of the pregnancy care centers around the state are (1) effective in reaching young women and (2) perceived as a threat to the abortion industry.

These hearings were the second and third in a series of abortion-related hearings held by the committee chaired by pro-life champion Rep. Kathy Rapp (R-Warren). Read our recap on the first one here, specifically relating to fetal development. We will continue to be your eyes and ears at the Capitol. Stay tuned for more pro-life hearings in the near future.

 

Online Voter Guide Now Available for May 18th Primary

Tuesday, May 18th is the primary here in Pennsylvania. We’ll be voting for judicial candidates, school board, municipal officials, and four statewide ballot questions. We have surveyed the judicial candidates and a number of school board candidates across the state and are making those responses available to you. (If you are running for school board or can help distribute questionnaires to candidates in your area, contact Emily Kreps at ekreps@pafamily.org.)

We also have additional information on the four ballot questions which include three constitutional amendments.There are also four special elections in different parts of the state and we hope to have that information available soon.

Visit pafamilyvoter.com for all of the voter guide information.

 

Not So Dope: 4/20 Pot Rally Calls for Legalization, Ignores Problems

This week, several dozen supporters of marijuana legalization held a smoke-filled rally on the  Capitol steps. While they had no lack of enthusiasm for pot use, the speakers did fail to acknowledge the very real issues that come along with the commercial sale of marijuana for recreational use.

The main message was filled with promises about how marijuana sales would boost our economy, but when interviewed by ABC 27, our President, Michael Geer, explained how these inflated promises do not calculate any of the many costs that come with such an ill-advised decision:

There are going to be people getting rich over this, but it’s not going to be the taxpayers of Pennsylvania. The taxpayers are going to foot the bill for the damage that happens to families, happens in schools, happens to society because of increased crime, drug addiction, all those things are going to cause problems.

For more information go to TruthonWeed.com.

 

Top News Headline Shows The Beauty of Choosing Life

Harrisburg’s Pennlive.com headline reads:

Mom’s ‘biggest blessing

Spared from abortion, Micah Parsons about to become 1st-round NFL draft pick

Micah Parsons is a Penn State All-American linebacker heading to the NFL draft next week and he recently shared his story with the local Harrisburg media outlet.

His mom almost had an abortion when she discovered she was unexpectedly pregnant again. She had two kids, was struggling to pay the bills, and his father was in and out of the house. She didn’t tell anyone besides his father, but she was planning on going to the abortion clinic.

However, before she could go, she got an unexpected call from a lady at her church who helped her to choose life.

“'She talked my mom out of it,' Micah said. 'I think that is why (my mom) was always like, ‘God looks over you, son, and you should continue to keep doing good things in your life and give back to God.’ That was one of the first lessons she taught me.”

What a beautiful inspiring pro-life story. Let this encourage us to reach out to help and support others to choose life and celebrate the beauty that comes from it!

 

Prayer and Praise

  • Pray that the House Health Committee Hearings would shine light on the destructiveness of the abortion industry and on the beauty of life.

If you have any prayer requests, we would be glad to pray for you. Please forward them to mail@pafamily.org

 

Mark your calendars

May 18th, 2021 - Primary Elections. 

July 18-24, 2021 - 21st annual City on the Hill Youth Leadership and Worldview Conference for high school students. Details: pafamily.org/coth

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