Johnson won’t say if destruction of embryos during IVF process is murder
He added that Congress would not take up the issue, leaving it up to the states. Read more at Politico
GOP
Group tied to anti-abortion Trump mega-donors pours money into Alabama supreme court race
A group connected to anti-abortion, billionaire Trump mega-donors has funneled more than half a million dollars to an Alabama supreme court judicial candidate who said “embryos were human beings whose lives begin at fertilization”. Read more at The Guardian
‘Scratching their heads’: State lawmakers take a closer look at personhood laws in wake of Alabama ruling
More than a third of states consider fetuses to be people at some point during pregnancy. Any one of them could be the next Alabama. Read more at Politico
Trump’s pick for chair of the Republican Party opposes “the destruction of human embryos”
The position of the North Carolina GOP under Whatley on embryos mirrors a recent decision by the Alabama Supreme Court. On February 16, Alabama’s highest court ruled that frozen embryos are “children” — entitled to the same legal protections as an infant or a third grader. This was based on a religious conviction of when … Read more
Alabama justice’s ties with far-right Christian movement raise concern
Tom Parker, a Republican who joined the court in 2005, wrote a concurring opinion that quoted at length from sources such as the Book of Genesis, the Ten Commandments and Christian thinkers of centuries ago, such as Thomas Aquinas. But comments he has made in other media have raised questions about his seeming espousal of … Read more
What Alabama’s IVF ruling reveals about the ascendant Christian nationalist movement
“He framed it entirely assuming that the state of Alabama is a theocracy, and that that is a legitimate way of evaluating laws and policies,” said Julie Ingersoll, a University of North Florida professor who studies religion and culture. “It looks like he decided to just dismiss the history of first amendment religious freedom jurisprudence … Read more
Republicans block bill that would protect IVF
‘A Quandary’: Republicans Hesitant To Back Federal Protections For IVF On the one hand, Republicans maintain that they support the continued use of IVF, calling it both pro-family and pro-life. But on the other hand, many in the GOP agree with the central premise of the ruling that found that frozen embryos are children with … Read more
Biden campaign, reproductive rights groups hit Trump after he raises 15-week abortion ban
“In his own words Donald Trump confirmed what we already knew: He wants a national abortion ban. When Donald Trump repealed Roe, he allowed states to ban abortion, attack birth control, and restrict fertility treatments women depend on,” campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said. Read more at The Hill
Trump floats possible support for 15-week abortion ban
Donald Trump floated possible support for a 15-week limit on abortion in a Fox News interview on Thursday night, though the former president’s campaign wouldn’t elaborate on his plans. Read more at Politico
Beyond shock and awe: Inside Trump’s potential second-term agenda
“We cannot ballot initiative our way out of this fundamental crisis of rights,” said Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer for the American Civil Liberties Union, one of many groups bracing for Trump and a Republican Congress to attempt to override state abortion protections. “I have no doubt that they would try to impose … Read more