Christians apparently do not have a right to practice their faith in church and pro-life sidewalk counselors are being arrested for peacefully assembling on public sidewalks, but abortion facilities can continue to kill unborn babies in elective abortions during the global health crisis.
On Monday, an Alabama judge ruled against a state mandate temporarily halting all non-essential medical procedures, including abortions, UPI reports. Judge Myron Thompson, who has a history of ruling for the abortion industry, argued that the mandate restricts women’s right to abortion.
Thompson temporarily suspended the order as it applies to abortion facilities through April 13, according to The Birmingham News. No other medical services are included in his order.
“Because Alabama law imposes time limits on when women can obtain abortions, the March 27 order is likely to fully prevent some women from exercising their right to obtain an abortion,” Thompson wrote in his decision.
“Despite the serious conditions described by defendants and the dire need for medical equipment across the United States, the benefits of some potential increase in the availability of equipment (some of which may be ill-suited to the task of disease containment) do not outweigh the serious, and, in some cases, permanent, harms imposed by the denial of an individual’s right to privacy,” he continued.
The Montgomery Advertiser reports 17 abortions were canceled after the state order went into effect. That means unborn babies may have been saved from abortions. But due to the judge’s order, their mothers could re-schedule their appointments.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall expressed outrage at the lawsuit, which was filed by the abortion industry, not women.
“Put simply, no provider or clinic is excused from compliance with this order,” Marshall said in a statement. “At a time when all Americans are making significant sacrifices to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, it is remarkable that one class of providers demands to be treated differently than all others.”
He said abortion facilities want an exemption, but they are not exempt from the risks of spreading the virus in crowded waiting rooms or using up scarce medical supplies that are needed to save lives.
Marshall also joined 15 other state attorneys general in filing a friend of the court brief supporting states that are including elective abortions in their health care restrictions, according to the report.
The state’s three abortion facilities and the American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit Monday.
“… as of [Sunday] afternoon, the Attorney General refused to provide any further guidance as to how it is interpreting the scope of the Order other than to make plain that in its view some—and perhaps most—abortions are not permitted,” the lawsuit states. “The Attorney General did make clear, however, that violation of the March 27 Order carries criminal penalties.”
The ACLU claimed state leaders are “using the guise of the COVID-19 crisis” to stop abortions.
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“Government response to the spread of COVID-19 must be grounded in science and public health, not politics,” said Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU. “As leading medical experts have recognized, abortion is essential, time-sensitive health care. Alabama’s attempts to prevent patients from accessing abortion care does nothing to slow the spread of COVID-19, it just stops people from getting this essential care.”
Monday brought bad news for Texas and Ohio as well. In Texas, another federal judge with a long history of siding with the abortion industry also ruled that Texas abortion centers can defy the governor’s order and continue to abort unborn babies in elective abortions. An Ohio judge also blocked it from enforcing its health restrictions on abortion facilities.
As LifeNews reported, at least some Texas abortion businesses closed temporarily or stopped doing abortions in response to Gov. Greg Abbott’s order. The Republican governor temporarily halted all non-essential medical procedures to preserve medical resources to fight the coronavirus crisis.
In Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds also banned abortions in the state to preserve medical resources to help fight the virus. She said anesthesiology machines used during abortion procedures might instead be converted to function as ventilators so they can function as legitimate health equipment in a time of need. Her state also is facing a lawsuit from the abortion industry.
Notably, none of the lawsuits were filed by women claiming harm. All of them come from abortion advocacy groups and abortion facilities that benefit financially from the killing of unborn babies.
Although the situation is fluid, here are the latest reports from LifeNews.com on the status of abortion and orders to stop non-essential medical services:
States Attempting to Protect Babies From Abortion
Texas: Abortion centers are temporarily closed after Governor Greg Abbott’s order. But Texas abortion businesses have sued the state to reopen. Planned Parenthood has filed a lawsuit as well to do abortions and ignore the order. A federal judge has blocked the order and allowed abortion centers to keep killing babies.
Maryland: Abortion centers are included in the abortion order to stop non-essential procedures but they have been caught violating the order.
Louisiana: Abortion centers are included in the order to close and all three closed initially but at least one abortion center has been caught doing abortions.
Ohio: Abortion centers are included in the order to close but they are refusing to close. The health department is now investigating those violations. Meanwhile, a judge has blocked the state’s order banning abortions.
Mississippi: Abortion centers are included in the order and the state’s sole abortion business has closed.
Oklahoma: Oklahoma Gov Orders Abortion Businesses to Close, Killing Babies is Not “Essential” Medical Care
Kentucky: Attorney General Asks Health Department to Shut Down Abortion Clinics to Combat Coronavirus
Indiana: Governor Bans Killing Babies in Abortions to Save Medical Resources to Fight Coronavirus
States Not Protecting Babies From Abortion
New York: New York has issued an order to stop non-essential health services but is not applying it to abortion centers. New York Attorney General: Coronavirus Crisis is No Reason to Stop Killing Babies in Abortions. NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio has threatened to permanently close churches while letting abortion centers stay open.
Alabama: Alabama Shuts Down Non-Essential Health Care, Allows Abortion Clinics to Keep Killing Babies
Minnesota: Minnesota Issues Shelter at Home Order But People Can Still Go Kill Their Babies in Abortions
New Mexico: New Mexico Shuts Down Non-Essential Health Care, But Allows Abortion Clinics to Keep Killing Babies
New Jersey: Shut down non-essential health care but abortion centers are excluded.
Michigan: Governor Whitmer has stopped non-essential medical surgeries but allowed abortion clinics to keep killing babies.
North Carolina: Pro-life groups have called on the governor to stop abortions during the coronavirus crisis.
Washington: Shut down non-essential health care but abortion centers are excluded.
California: Shut down non-essential health care but abortion centers are excluded. But 11 Planned Parenthood abortion centers have voluntarily closed.
Pennsylvania: Shut down non-essential health care but abortion centers are excluded.
Maine: Shut down non-essential health care but abortion centers are excluded.
Puerto Rico: Puerto Rico Shuts Down Pregnancy Center Over Coronavirus, Lets Abortion Clinics Stay Open
Massachusetts: Shut down non-essential health care but abortion centers are excluded.
International
Canada Has Banned Every Other Elective Surgery, But People Can Still Kill Babies in Abortions
