When “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart invited Mike Huckabee to discuss the topic of his choice on his program last week, the former Arkansas governor chose one near to his heart: the dignity and value of every human life. That is no surprise, given Huckabee’s strong witness for life during his 2008 campaign for the GOP presidential nomination (in which Charmaine Yoest, now AUL’s President & CEO, served as Senior Advisor) and his support for Americans United for Life, which he calls “the premier pro-life organization in America.”

The ensuing discussion was, to both men’s credit, far more substantial and civil than what normally passes for dialogue in mass-media coverage of the life issue. Big Hollywood TV correspondent Tim Slagle, not a fan of Stewart, observes with glee:

Governor Huckabee very clearly laid out the constitutional pro-life position for the Daily Show audience. Stewart, was defenseless against a rational case for the rights of the unborn, especially since Huckabee’s position was not based in religion, zealotry or misogyny–the straw men Stewart usually attacks.

Although Slagle delights in what he calls the host’s “humiliation,” Stewart — despite his ill-advised attempt to offer a drink to Huckabee (an ordained Southern Baptist minister) and his promoting the “my body, my choice” trope — in fact emerged more humble than humiliated. He admitted that, as a father, seeing an ultrasound made him aware of the wonder of life in the womb, and he also confessed to finding it harder to be “self-righteous” about the abortion issue than his other liberal positions.

Huckabee’s eloquent witness seems to have succeeded in helping Stewart to think more deeply on the issue. One hopes his viewers will too.

RELATED: As Stewart notes, ultrasounds have the power to change the parents’ hearts. Read about how Americans United for Life works toward informed-consent laws designed in part to give a woman seeking abortion the opportunity to see her unborn child in the womb.

Please note: AUL is not responsible for the advertising content that may appear in connection with the above videos.

North Dakota Governor John Hoeven has signed life-saving House Bills 1371 and 1445 into law, both relating to the only abortion center in the state. HB 1371 gives women the chance to see an ultrasound of their baby before an abortion. HB 1445 mandates informed consent, requiring abortion centers to explain to women considering an abortion that it will destroy the life of an unborn child, a unique human being.

North Dakotans, you can thank Governor Hoeven for signing these life-saving House Bills by going to AUL Action.

A so-called “Freedom of Choice Act” (FOCA) in Illinois (IL House Bill 2354) is scheduled for a hearing at the State House at 8:00 AM on Wednesday, March 4.

Like the federal FOCA introduced in the 110th Congress, and state versions that have recently been introduced in other states such as New Mexico, the Illinois FOCA would authorize a nurse, in any public school in the state, to do an abortion on a minor girl, at any time of pregnancy, without any parental knowledge.  The bill then specifically immunizes such a nurse from any civil or criminal claim by any parent in Section 25(a).

The Illinois FOCA would repeal Illinois physician-only law and all other Illinois limits on abortion by virtue of declaring abortion to be a “fundamental right” and by prohibiting (in Section 15) any “interference” with the fundamental right and by prohibiting “discrimination” in funding in Section 20.

The FOCA would also eliminate the Illinois prohibition on partial-birth abortion and repeal other existing abortion regulations.

The declaration of abortion as a “fundamental right” would extend from conception to birth and thereby strike down any regulations of abortion throughout pregnancy.

Section 35 of the Illinois FOCA also tramples on conscience rights.

It would also require public funding of abortion from conception to birth by requiring that abortion be treated equally with childbirth.

Judging from comments made by pro-choice activists, Michelle Goldberg (author of Kingdom Coming) and Rebecca Traister (of Salon.com), technological advancements are having an impact on the rhetoric used in the abortion debate. In their discussion of the “internal contradiction” between third term abortions and ultrasound images, the women recognized the need to evolve from using language like “blob” or “growth” when describing the fetus in order to “keep any kind of emotional and moral ground.” The latest ultrasound imagery provides stunning, undeniable proof that the unborn child is a unique person. An excellent 4D ultrasound video presented by the American Life League is available online at YouTube.

This past year, 11 states considered ultrasound legislation including Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Ultrasound legislation requires a woman considering an abortion be given an opportunity to see an ultrasound of her unborn child. This legislation works to ensure that a woman is fully informed of the reality of abortion.

A recent and growing movement seeks to challenge the idea that life can only be acknowledged at the moment of live birth. The “Missing Angels” Bill, enacted in 23 states, allows parents of stillborn children the option of receiving a birth certificate (“certificate of stillbirth”) rather than merely a death certificate as recognition of their child’s existence to help with the healing process. More than 25,000 pregnancies a year end in stillbirth, generally defined as a naturally occurring, unintentional intrauterine death after more than 20 weeks of gestation. While the legislation is carefully constructed to exclude “elected terminations,” it acknowledges that a child in the womb after a certain point of development is worthy of recognition as a person even if he or she doesn’t survive birth.

While Goldberg emphasized that there is a “huge difference” between an 8 week “clump of cells” and an 8 month baby . . . I mean fetus, she failed to explain what justifies that difference and where the line should be drawn. If the line of when life begins is dependent on what technology allows us to see or whether a mother values her unborn child, then the line is merely arbitrary. The law should define and protect life according to the truth, that life begins at the moment at which a new human person is created and that all life has intrinsic value.

For more information on ultrasound legislation, see Defending Life 2008 at AUL.org.

Last year before the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Barack Obama told pro-abortion activists:

“The first thing I’d do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.”

With a single stroke of the pen, Barack Obama would wipe away virtually every state law on abortion nationwide. Instantly, it will undo thirty-seven years of legal work, research, and educational successes that AUL has accomplished in the 50 states. Put another way: Barack Obama will undermine the very reason we exist — to protect human life state by state.

Sen. Barack Obama has co-sponsored this “Freedom of Choice Act” legislation with 18 other Senators. The bill has the support of 110 Members of Congress, too. The stated aim of this legislation is to “end the abortion wars.”

Let me be clear: to these legislators, “ending the abortion wars” means allowing abortion-on-demand in all nine months of pregnancy for any reason and without any restrictions nationwide. This would eradicate state and federal laws that the majority of Americans support — such as requirements that licensed physicians perform abortions, fully-informed consent, and parental involvement — and prevent states from enacting similar protective measures in the future.

AUL Vice President & Legal Director Denise Burke has prepared an analysis of the “Freedom of Choice Act,” which we’ve just posted on our website. Please click here to read Denise’s analysis of this horrendous legislation.

On June 30, AUL’s fiscal year comes to a close. In order to end the year with the funds necessary to fight this looming threat, we must raise $269,000 by June 30. AUL, like many organizations, experiences a dip in donations in the summer time. Please, if you are in a position to give a substantial gift, even a sacrificial one, don’t delay.

As life-affirming laws in Michigan increase, the abortion rates in Michigan continue to plummet. Michigan state health officials announced last week that the abortion rate in the state have dropped to a record low since record-keeping began in 1979. The current abortion rate shows a 50% drop since the peak in 1987, and a 3.7% drop from 2006. The Michigan Department of Community Health reported that in 1987 there were 350 abortions for every 1,000 live births. In 2007, the number of abortions dropped to 200 abortions for every 1,000 live births.

The drastic drop in the Michigan abortion rate in 2007 is no surprise. Americans United for Life (AUL) ranked Michigan as the #1 pro-life state for 2007. AUL bases its rankings on the number of pro-life laws being enforced in a state, and the breadth of protection provided by each law.

Michigan currently has a number of women’s health and safety laws in effect, including:

• a comprehensive informed consent for abortion statute;
• a statute providing an option for women to view an ultrasound image of the unborn child;
• parental consent statute for abortions performed on minors;
• minimum health and safety requirements for abortion facilities;
• and a prohibition of the use of public funds and school health coverage plans for abortions.

Michigan law also contains provisions that specifically protect the health and safety of the unborn and the newly born. Michigan law defines the killing of an unborn child as a form of homicide, and defines non-fatal assaults on an unborn child as a crime. In addition, Michigan law requires that infants who survive an abortion and are born alive must be given immediate and appropriate care.

In terms of bioethics, Michigan law bans human cloning, for both reproductive and research purposes. Michigan also bans fetal experimentation and non-therapeutic research on a live human embryo, fetus, or neonate. As for end-of-life issues, Michigan treats physician-assisted suicide as a felony.

Lastly, Michigan law protects the rights of conscience of healthcare providers in the abortion context. Under Michigan law, healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities who object on grounds of conscience may not be forced to participate in the performance of an abortion, and may refrain from participation.

It is no coincidence that the abortion rate in Michigan has dropped to its all-time low, and that Michigan has the best pro-life, incremental legislation in place. Research shows that incremental protections are effective means of lowering the number of abortions performed. Michigan is a concrete example of this conclusion. The effectiveness and importance of passing life-affirming, incremental legislation in the states has been made clear enough. For those interested in making abortion rare, Michigan stands out as a model.

To go to National Right to Life’s article elaborating on congruent abortion data click here.

In our introduction to Defending Life 2008, we argue that “[I]t is in the states where we are winning the battle to create a culture of life and to protect all human life from its earliest stages until its natural end.  Each year, we are making progress incrementally – state by state and law by law.”  State-by-state building blocks for a culture of life has been AUL’s focus for decades, even more so in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Gonzales v. Carhart, upholding the federal ban on partial-birth abortion and opening the door to more state legislation that protects women and their children from the negative consequences of abortion.

AUL’s focus on the states is driven by our belief that there is where we, in partnership with pro-life Americans, legislators, and policy-makers, are truly making a difference.  Information just released by State Net, a group that actively monitors all legislative activity in the 50 states, confirms our analysis and validates our focus.  According to State Net, abortion is one of most debated topics in 2008, along with illegal immigration and the housing crisis.

Moreover, abortion-related legislation is being actively considered in nearly 80% of the state capitols.  AUL’s independent analysis shows that pro-life measures far exceed pro-abortion measures and that the states continue to make measurable progress toward a culture of life.

Gonzales v. Carhart: One Year Later
Letting the People Decide

By Denise M. Burke
Vice President & Legal Director, Americans United for Life

One year ago, the public debate over abortion was irrevocably altered. In the landmark Gonzales v. Carhart decision, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal ban on partial-birth abortion and, more importantly, abdicated, at least in part, its role as the “National Abortion Control Board.”

In its decision, the Court signaled an increasing willingness to blunt attempts by abortion extremists to use the courts to unilaterally impose their radical agenda on the American public, and an increasing willingness to let the people decide abortion policy. The immediate reaction of activists, state legislators, and the public confirmed this critical shift.

While abortion extremists hastily recycled the hyperbolic rhetoric of the 1970s, legislators and the public increasingly considered prudent responses to the mounting evidence of the negative impact of abortion on women. [more]

AUL’s Oklahoma State Network Affiliate, Maressa Treat sends the following message about activity in her state.

Last night Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry vetoed SB 1878, an omnibus pro-life bill, but today pro-life legislators came together and overrode the veto!

The Oklahoma State Senate voted at 11:00 am to override Governor Henry’s veto, 37-11. And thirty minutes later the Oklahoma House voted 81-15 to override.

Thanks to many prayers and our pro-life legislators working fast to defend the sanctity of life, SB 1878 has become law.

For more on the history and content of SB 1878 see Pro-Life Legislation Passes Oklahoma Senate

Maressa Treat, AUL’s liaison in Oklahoma, has worked with a coalition of pro-life groups and individuals to pass Senate Bill 1878, a sweeping piece of pro-life legislation. The bill now awaits the Governor Brad Henry’s signature.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oklahoma State Senate
Senator Todd Lamb, R-Edmond

Pro-Life Legislation Passes Senate

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – An omnibus pro-life bill passed the Oklahoma State Senate Wednesday with a bipartisan vote.

Senate Bill 1878 by Senator Todd Lamb, R-Edmond, and Representative Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa, contains several pro-life initiatives, passing the Senate with a vote of 38-10.

By combining various pieces of legislation from Senator Lamb and members of the House of Representatives, Senate Bill 1878 now does the following:

• creates the Freedom of Conscience Act which protects the rights of healthcare providers to refuse to take part in the destruction of human life (SB 1878—Sen. Lamb, Rep. Peterson);
• regulates the use of the dangerous chemical pill RU-486, used when the unborn child is about two months old (HB 2181—Rep. McNiel);
• ensures the mother’s consent to abort is truly voluntary, and protects against coerced abortions (HB 3059—Sen. Williamson, Rep. Hamilton);
• provides a woman with an ultrasound of her unborn child which she can view prior to undergoing the abortion (HB 3144—Sen. Lamb, Rep. Billy);
• cultivates respect for disabled children by banning the wrongful-life lawsuits that claim a baby would have been better off aborted (HB 2814—Sen. Crain, Rep. Sullivan).

“The provisions spelled out in this legislation are critical pro-life advances,” said Senator Lamb. “Working with pro-life members of the House and Senate to protect the sanctity of life and develop this comprehensive bill has been an honor. I am encouraged by the bipartisan support to protect innocent life today in the Senate.”

The next stop for Senate Bill 1878 will be the Governor’s desk for his signature.