Byer's Remorse
When it comes to abortions, Planned Parenthood won't take "no" for an answer. Just ask Ayanna Byer. If it weren't for the quick thinking of an emergency room doctor, she might not be here to hold them accountable for their ruthless approach to women. Byer's horror story started at the Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs, where, seconds away from her abortion, she had a change of heart. When the staff couldn't administer her anesthesia, Byer told them she wanted to stop the procedure. According to court documents, the abortionist refused, "turned on the vacuum machines, and told Byer it was too late... He proceeded while Byer, fully awake, was forced to feel the full pain of the procedure against her will..."
Amazingly, that was just the beginning of Ayanna's nightmare. The clinic sent Byer home with a few pain pills and never once tested to see if the procedure was complete. Turns out, it wasn't. Two days later, Byer was rushed to the emergency room with her life on the line. His patient bleeding profusely, Dr. Steven Foley ran tests and found that Planned Parenthood had left dismembered body parts Byer's uterus. He rushed Ayanna into "an immediate high-risk surgery" to save her from Planned Parenthood's botched abortion.
Dr. Foley was so outraged that he submitted testimony in the lawsuit filed on Byer's behalf by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). In it, he fumes that Planned Parenthood refused to perform even the simplest of tests to ensure their patient was safe. "No practicing physician can maintain privileges to practice and perform surgery," he fumed, "if they do not provide specific coverage for their patients in case of a complication. It is considered 'abandonment' of your patient. It is not acceptable to refer your patients to the Emergency Department and assume the on-call doctor will take care of any complications and assume all the risk associated with the complications. It is medically inappropriate for a physician to remove products of conception and not confirm the diagnosis with pathology. I know of no physician or hospital that would allow the removal of a specimen of this nature and assume what the diagnosis was by just 'looking' at it."
Coercion, incompetence, physical torture--is this the type of "women's health care" taxpayers can expect from their billion-dollar investment in Planned Parenthood? Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), Rep. Peter Olson (R-Texas), and Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) think not. Like the majority of Americans, this trio is incensed at how taxpayers have been dragged into the dark world of the abortion industry. Together with 50 other members of Congress, they demand a specific accounting of how Planned Parenthood is spending taxpayers' money (since it's obviously not going to patient comfort, pathology reports, or follow-up care).
Although Cecile Richards's group can't, by law, use the millions of tax dollars it receives for abortion, one would think that it helps free up the organization's other bank accounts for basic surgical necessities--like anesthesia. "My hope," said former nurse and Congressman Diane Black, "is that through greater transparency and accountability we can successfully mobilize the support needed to defund abortion providers--once and for all."
Of Mice and Minn
As Ohio goes, so goes the country. Conservatives hope that isn't the case in the battle over same-sex "marriage," as homosexuals gear up for the first-ever challenge to a state marriage amendment. If the Left collects the 385,253 signatures it needs by July, an initiative to overturn the Buckeyes' 2004 marriage referendum will be on the November ballot. While the media is all but guaranteeing a vote, Phil Burress's Citizens for Community Values knows that what they cannot guarantee is a victory. Ohio backed its amendment with 62% of the vote just nine years ago, and already, churches are readying their congregations to uphold marriage. Phil, who helped spearhead the 2004 campaign, is alerting the state's pastors. "We are building our campaign and contacts in all 88 counties and in churches all across Ohio."
In Minnesota, pro-family groups are bracing for a battle of a different kind. Fresh off of the state's marriage amendment vote, Minnesota state Senator Branden Peterson is trying to pivot off of the initiative's failure with a bill to legalize same-sex "marriage." In the last few weeks, Peterson's involvement has grabbed plenty of headlines since he is the first Republican to co-sponsor a counterfeit marriage bill.
And after National Organization for Marriage's announcement, he might be the last. In a press release yesterday, NOM pledged a half-million dollars to fight any GOP senator or legislator who endorses same-sex "marriage" in Minnesota." "Republicans like Branden Petersen don't realize that not only is voting to redefine marriage a terrible policy, it has terrible consequences for a Republican," said NOM's Brian Brown. And the numbers back him up. In the eight times that state legislatures have voted on same-sex "marriage," only 47 Republicans have broken with their party to support the measure. Of those, less than half (21) are still in office today. Jean White, a former Republican state senator in Colorado told the AP that voting for civil unions "was largely responsible for my loss."
While Minnesota leaders chew on that, the author of a similar bill in Colorado made it clear what this debate is all about. In a stunning speech on the floor, Sen. Pat Steadman ripped off the mask of tolerance and gave voters an unexpected preview of what awaits churchgoers if they remain silent on marriage.
After claiming that his bill "respects religious freedom," Steadman issues a chilling warning to believers: "Get thee to a nunnery and live there then! Go live a monastic life away from society... Go someplace where you can be as judgmental as you like! Go inside your church, establish separate water fountains in there if you want--but don't claim that free exercise of religion requires the state of Colorado to establish separate water fountains for her citizens." Anyone who thinks this is a battle over equality is mistaken. At its core, the marriage battle is a fight for religious liberty as we know it. And if Christians don't speak up now, leaders like Pat Steadman will see to it that they forever hold their peace.
** Is the SPLC stopping bullying or perpetuating it? Find out in my new Christian Post Column, "The Southern Poverty Law Center and Violent Bullying." Also, what's inevitable about same-sex "marriage"? Nothing, according to FRC's Peter Sprigg. Check out his new column on why the media is only telling one side of the story by clicking here.