Sophisticated Ad Campaign to Save Women from Abortion Comes to Seattle

"I was ill to the bone, hot, cold, shaking and like I wanted to turn into dirt and die.  I threw up and bled.  I passed the child and kept feeling very ill.  The pills they gave me were like poison to both the baby and me making it impossible for the baby to survive.... It’s been over 3 years and I still wonder what she would look like and if she would ever know that she is loved by me.  I’m not the kind of person to kill a bug or hurt a fly but here I am a person so selfish I chose abortion.  It was the easy way out, but the hardest choice in the long run.  When I buckle my two children in the car I often feel like there is someone missing.  It hurts to think she feels unloved or unwanted.  I wish I could go back and make a different decision.  I feel if I would have been more counseled and had more support I would not be stuck with this guilty feeling the rest of my life."

This is Beth's story. We don't know what city Beth lived in when she was sold this abortion that killed a baby and scarred her emotionally, but it could easily have been Seattle.

And a new, sophisticated, privately-funded ad campaign just launched yesterday to help women like Beth stand up to the deception and pressure from the abortion-government complex and choose life for their unborn children. The organization behind the campaign relies on professional psychological studies to frame their message, and has set up partnerships with local pregnancy clinics.

The ads are on the billboards, light rail interior car ads, rail posters, bus tails, and bus interior car cards. But the largest one is downtown on a large wallscape at the corner of Howell Street and Boren Avenue. The campaign is deliberately targeted to lower-income women.

The purpose of the ad campaign is to get the women to call a hotline, or to go to the website www.YourOptions.com. The site is carefully designed to connect with women facing an unplanned pregnancy and to help them see for themselves the long-term devastating consequences of choosing abortion as an "undo" button from first-hand testimonies of women who have been there. It also introduces readers to women, like them, who accepted parenting even though it seemed like an overwhelming prospect to them at the time.

Pro-Abortion Terrorist Who Threatened AIW Nabbed by FBI

Our friend Michelle McIntyre at Life of the Party alerted us to a post at Jill Stanek late on Friday.

The post was about the arrest of pro-abortion activist Theodore Shulman, who has been threatening pro-lifers across the country for several years now.

Mr. Shulman made 3 comments on posts here at AIW as "OperationCounterstrike"; here he posted twice and here once.

Here's a sample:

Right to lifers owe blood for eight terrorist murders.
Someone should kill eight right-to-lifers.
It won't be murder; it'll be justifiable homicide.

Jill Stanek has forwarded the information to the FBI.

Of course, violence and threatened violence is not new behavior for pro-abortion activists, or "pro-choicers" as they like to be called. They kill unborn babies, born babies, pregnant women, abortionists, pro-lifers, or anyone who gets in their way. They steal, kidnap, commit arson, drug crimes, sex crimes, and vandalism.

Doubt what we're saying? There's an out-of-date but informative list of "pro-choice" violence by state and province here which makes a very educational read for people who get their news from places like The Seattle Times, NPR, or CNN.  Washington's list is here.

We are glad the FBI has detained this man before he hurt anyone. But this story is horribly ironic in light of the situation we told you about where we were bullied and harassed by abortionist Julie Komarow simply for trying to interview her for a story we were doing on her stemming from her affiliation with the infamous Cedar River Clinics late-term abortion chain which we've been telling you about lately.

In that case she was able to get help from Eric Holder's Justice Department. Attorney General Holder provided two United States Marshals to "investigate" us and to bully the judge at the first hearing where Ms. Komarow sought a restraining order on our First Amendment rights.

Mr. Holder, consider this an educational moment in terms of where the actual threats of violence are coming from. It's from your side.

Another Update to our Malpractice Page

Eileen Gibbons, MD is an abortionist at Seattle Medical and Wellness Center.

We've updated our page of botched abortions and quack doctors with some of her patient reviews:

Client review: I am writing to comment on the procedure done at this clinic. everything went fine until 6 weeks later, when i began hemmoraging and passing clots as big as a baseball. the emergency room said that the person who did the prcedure left something behind during the abortion, so i plan on filing a lawsuit.

Another client review: I had an awful experience at this clinic. The doctor was rude, the Nurse Practitioner said something very inappropriate to me, and they also billed me for 5 times the amount they said it was going to be. I do not trust the intentions of this clinic nor the competency of its staff.

And The Award for the Most Incompetent Piece of Journalism Goes To ....

Yes, the Abortionssociated Press, in conjunction with the Seattle Times!

Finally the western Washington media cottoned on to the fact that there was a major political battle going on in Olympia and wrote a story about HB1366, the bill to destroy Washington State pregnancy centers on behalf of the abortion industry.

Yet reading the article, you'd be hard pressed to figure any of this out.

First, the article starts off by using the term "limited service pregnancy center" -- without quotation marks. The stigmatizing and biased term was coined by the abortion lobby to serve their political agenda. For the AP, the pejorative language of the extreme left is considered neutral and objective.

Second, it makes absolutely no mention of the fact that the measures in the bill have been found unconstitutional by a federal court, and the Attorney General of Washington has indicated that this bill is even worse.

Third, Robin Hindery, the AP writer -- it would be wrong to use the term 'journalist' -- says nothing about the shocking punitive measures in the original bill that were without precedent and were determined by almost everyone who read them as having been designed for one purpose: to put pregnancy centers out of business by making it impossible for them to afford the flurry of frivolous lawsuits. The language was so bad that the Democrats replaced it with an "injunctive relief" provision. Miss Hindery makes no attempt to explain what the consequences of this would be, or that it would have the same effect.

Fourth, Miss Hindery does not state anywhere that 15 years ago the abortion lobby was arguing the exact opposite of this, when consumers and citizens were trying to get some minimal regulation on the abortion business to force them to tell the truth about abortion to abortion-seeking customers. They fought tooth and nail to avoid such mandates, but now are arguing the opposite.

Similarly, the fact that the ACLU just one year ago was on the opposite side of this issue was somehow omitted by the report.

Even the very title of the article, "Bill seeks to clarify Washington pregnancy-center services" takes the Democrat-Abortion spin at face value. The death of the bill in the Senate is reported as "a relatively common practice" without challenge, when it was actually a significant lobbying victory.

It's additionally pathetic that the massive turnouts from pregnancy care center supporters at committee hearings in opposition to the bill even made it into a piece by the self-proclaimed left-wing "The Stranger", but not into the AP/Seattle Times account.

Some have speculated that with the bill possibly dead in the House Rules Committee, NARAL & Planned Parenthood put in a call to their buddies at the Associated Press and ordered up a press release disguised as a news report to try to breathe new life into the legislation.

Either way, it's high time that the Seattle Times and Associated Press put large disclaimers in "30 point font or larger", "prominently, clearly, and conspicuously" on all their communications that they are a "limited truth news service".

Cedar River Abortion Chain Evicted from Main Office, Months Behind on Rent

Washington State's most notorious late-term abortion mill, Cedar River Clinics, was recently evicted by its landlord from their corporate head office suite on Interurban Avenue in Tukwila, south of Seattle.

26-week baby in utero. Or as Cedar
River Clinics calls him, a $10k target

According to court records we obtained, the abortion clinic chain, which advertises abortions up to a horrifying 26 weeks of pregnancy -- a crime in most western countries -- was over 5 months behind on rent payments. They had leased the office space since 2003.

"On or about August 7, 2010, a three-day notice to pay $16,633.21 or vacate was served upon defendant," reads the lawsuit. "As of this date, defendant has failed to cure said default or vacate the Premises."

The suit went on to demand double the amount of missed rental payments, and attorneys' fees. Cedar River did lawyer up, but never entered any kind of defense. The only other court records from them were a change of attorney, though they declined to answer when contacted whether this was done at the initiative of the attorneys (Ryan Law), or their own. It seems strange to switch counsel if you're not planning to mount a defense.

Lawyers for the landlord told us that the matter was resolved by Cedar River finally vacating the premises in September 2010, a month after the suit was filed.

After Cedar River vacated the property, the landlord, Fairway Center, dropped the suit.

What's not clear in all this is whether Cedar River could not afford to keep the lights on at this facility, or if they were simply stealing a few months of free rent before a planned departure.

They've had a bunch of well-deserved trouble lately. First they were forced to close their flagship abortion mill Yakima after 30 years of killing babies. Then, in the story we broke, they're defending against a medical malpractice lawsuit against their chief abortionist, Robert Kothenbeutel, who pulls in over $300,000 a year.

Kothenbeutel rendered a woman permanently infertile from a botched late-term abortion ("25+ weeks"), after she was taken by ambulance to a local emergency room, where she had to have a hysterectomy.

Nevertheless, according to the most recently available financial records, they had $1.2 million in net assets at the end of 2008, on revenue of $4.6 million, including about $700,000 in real estate holdings. That is their Yakima building, which they bought with the help of money from pro-lifers extorted by a court which abjectly abused the RICO statute, back in the Clinton Administration.

Their revenue has remained stable near $4.5 million for at least the last 5 years. As we have previously reported, making that much money off 6,000 abortion clients a year (which they have claimed publicly), is an average revenue of about $750. That is about triple what most of their competitors are able to generate, so it would be surprising if they suddenly hit on hard times.

We contacted Cedar River's acting attorney in the case for comment, but she deferred to Beverly Whipple, the founder and Executive Director. We caught up with Ms. Whipple today by phone, but she said and then repeated that she did not want to answer any questions about the eviction.

Gregg Cunningham, Director of CBR Coming to Bremerton & Seattle

Our friends at the Anti-Choice Project are bringing Gregg Cunningham to Bremerton and Seattle. Gregg is the director of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. He is travelling to the area with his collegue Gregory Grimm to speak on the importance of graphic images in social reform, the work CBR is doing to end abortion in America and how you can help. This will be an immensely valuable presentation which we encouage all pro-lifers to attend.

Bremerton, WA
Friday, February 25 at 7pm
Central Kitsap Fire Hall

Seattle, WA
Saturday, February 26 at 7pm
Blessed Sacrament Church Hall


See here for more info.

Pence Amendment Passes, Reichert Supports, McDermott Makes Fool of Himself

Washington Democrat
"Baghdad" Jim McDermott

The Pence Amendment to end federal funding to Planned Parenthood affiliates across the country (for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year) passed Friday by a vote of 240-185.

All eyes are watching what happens in the Senate, which is still under Democrat control, but where numerous Democrat Senators from Republican states are up for re-election in 2012. If this amendment becomes federal law, it will have a dramatic impact on Washington State.

The passage of the amendment in the House was a truly historic moment for those who have fought to end the annual distribution of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to the nation's largest single killer of human beings, and most controversial organization.

For Washington's State's Congressional delegation, the vote split across party lines: Republicans Doc Hastings and Cathy (McMorris) Rodgers from the eastern part of the state voted for it, in addition to freshman Jaime (Herrera) Beutler, and Western Washington Republican Dave Reichert. Reichert's vote was not a surprise -- he has voted for previous versions of the Pence Amendment -- but ever since the famed Sheriff voted to let Terry Schiavo be killed, pro-lifers have never considered him to be a sure thing when it comes to voting on issues that the lunatic fringe abortion bloc west of the Cascades might consider sacramental.

Olympia Democrats Ignore Bill to Cut Millions from Deficit, End Tax-Funding of Abortion

Senator Val Stevens

This Monday is the last day for the Olympia Legislature to get bills out of committee for this session, and while we've reported on the removal of the bill to kill pregnancy centers, another bill that should have been on the agenda is achingly absent.

Long-time Senator Val Stevens, a Republican from Arlington, introduced a bill this session that would cut at least $7 million from the budget. As most are aware, Olympia is facing massive budget deficits, and the Governor has put out a call for all and any ideas for how to cut spending, especially without hurting the vulnerable.

Senator Stevens' bill fits that criteria to a 'T'. Yet the Democrats have completely ignored it.

Washington is one of a handful of states that pays for abortions under its Medicaid program. Thanks to the Hyde Amendment, it's illegal to use federal Medicaid money to pay for abortions, but states are free to use their own. (Medicaid is a complicated program funded by a mix of state and federal dollars, though the lion's share comes from DC.)

Pro-lifers Hail Senate Committee Decision to Kill Pregnancy Center Bill, Express Caution

Read the full story here.

City of Seattle Seeking to Renew Funding for Abortion and Contraception thru Families and Education Levy

A concerned citizen alerted us to a Seattle City Council meeting happening tonight, Thursday, at 5:30 pm in downtown Seattle   (See here for details.) At this meeting a renewal of the Families and Education Levy will be discussed. Citizens will be given two minutes to speak.

The Seattle PI has a backgrounder on the Families and Education levy here.

This is the levy that facilitated the abortion of a Ballard High School student last year.

This is the program that funds the so-called health clinics and pays the salaries for the busy-bodies that sell abortions to teens. Maybe your daughter will end up at the Group Health abortion clinic. Don't worry, she'll be safe behind the bullet proof glass. Oh, and by the way they are happy to put your daughter on cancer causing contraceptives behind your back. No questions asked!

Pence Amendment to Defund Planned Parenthood Includes Washington PPs By Name

While Washingtonians watch in shock as their leftist state politicians go on an ideological bender, on the Congressional front, they are as close as they have ever been to seeing Planned Parenthood stripped of federal funding.

Indiana Congressman Mike Pence has an amendment to the federal budget that would prohibit tax dollars going to the country's largest abortion chain.

The legislation this time is different from previous Pence efforts. It is amendment number 11 to "House Resolution 1", the Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government.

His previous bills to strip Planned Parenthood of its access to over $300 million of taxpayers' money have focused specifically on Title X, the Family Planning budget. But as we have researched and reported, PP has pivoted in recent years to get most of its revenue from Title XIX, or Medicaid.

"More Dead Babies" Act Scheduled for Senate Committee Vote

With the Senate Health Committee's inaction on the bill to shut down pro-life pregnancy centers across the state for two weeks, some in the pro-life community had become hopeful that the bill might be dead. But we have just learned that Sen. Kaiser, the committee chair, has scheduled the bill (SB 5274) for an executive session in the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee on Monday, February 21, at 1:30 P.M.

The hearing, which will be open to the public but not open to public comment, will take place in the Senate Hearing Room #4, J.A. Cherberg Building, Olympia.

Despite the fact that the House version of the bill (HB 1366) got out of their Health Committee virtually unchanged, it's not at all clear that the Democrats -- also known as the political arm of Planned Parenthood -- can get this massively controversial and unconstitutional bill passed on the Senate floor.

The balance of power is 27-22 in the Democrats' favor. Assuming all Republicans hold the line, adding Senator Jim Hargrove, a staunchly pro-life Democrat, and Sen. McAuliffe, who has publicly withdrawn her support, and privately promised opposition, the vote count is a squeaker 25-24.

Theoretically, then, just one more Senator from the Democrats is needed to kill this bill.

Senator McAuliffe Rescinds Sponsorship of "Pregnancy Center Elimination" Bill

We recently told you about State Rep. Mary Helen Roberts rethinking her support for HB 1366, the House Bill in Olympia that would destroy the state's pregnancy centers. Now Senator Rosemary McAufille, whom we profiled here, has withdrawn her co-sponsorship of SB 5274. Her full letter to constituents is re-printed below. We've made several observations in brackets within the letter that highlight there is still much educating that needs to happen among our elected representatives.

Here's a brief run-down of the major sticking points we still see in conversations with representatives:

• Elected officials are still confused about what this bill will do and whether it will solve the "problems" the sponsors believe they have uncovered. These "problems" are nothing more than allegations by politically motivated ideologues from extremist organizations.
• Elected officials don't understand that the abortion industry wants to shut down the CPCs because they provide direct competition to their monopoly.
• Elected officials don't understand that Pregnancy Resource Centers have no medical personnel and therefore generate no medical information or documents. Pregnancy Medical Clinics do have medical personnel and must comply with all laws on reporting, confidentiality and medical records.
• Elected officials are still ignorant of what happens inside an abortion clinic.
• Elected officials are still ignorant of how women "choose" abortion.
• Elected officials have internalized the talking points of the abortion industry and disabled their critical thinking skills. Legal abortion is NOT safe.
• Elected officials seem to think women are idiots and incapable of uttering for themselves the words "What services do you provide?"
• Elected officials who are self-proclaimed Christians believe that they must cooperate and co-exist with state-sponsored evil.

Nevertheless, despite her continued confusions, we commend Sen. McAuliffe for admitting to her mistake, and we hope these defections pave the way for others to do likewise.

Letter to Constituents from Rosemary McAuliffe
Thank you for your email regarding Senate Bill 5274, “Concerning limited service pregnancy centers.” Initially I co-sponsored this piece of legislation after speaking with the prime sponsor. I was assured this legislation has no intention of closing down facilities that give medical care to women across this state however this legislation was drafted due to questionable practices of some. “Medical centers” regardless of their stance on pro-life or pro-choice do not need licensed health care staff members such as RNs or Doctors. Without having licensed professionals these facilities do not have to participate in patient confidentiality laws, proper release of medical records, or the standards of care. This legislation will ensure centers with un-licensed staff are held to the same standards as centers with licensed staff, while continuing to give needed patient care. I am not pro-abortion. [Sorry Senator McAuliffe but your past actions say otherwise.] As a Catholic I place a strong value on life. [McAuliffe's support for the abortion industry through her silence and refusal to fight evil is contrary to the Catholic faith. Her statement is nonsensical and contradicts her next sentence.] I believe under the constitution that this country was founded on, all women have the right to make an educated decision between themselves and a doctor. [McAuliffe is simply ignorant. The majority of women self-refer for abortion, never meeting or knowing the name of the "doctor" who performs the abortion. Women are routinely denied the medical information they need to make an "educated decision", and the abortion industry fights tooth and nail -- successfully in this state -- to preserve their "right" to deny women that information.]

[As Christina at Real Choice pointed out, it's too bad McAuliffe isn't more concerned about women being butchered by aspiring Kermit Gosnells than being annoyed by prolifers.]

After speaking with numerous constituents, for and against SB 5274, I have decided to remove my sponsorship and will remain neutral for the time being. [Bravo for removing your name from sponsorship but again, no one, especially a self-proclained Catholic can remain neutral in the face of evil, despite her misinterpretation of the US Constitution.] This particular bill is still in the Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care for further review. As SB 5274 goes through our legislative process, many negotiations and amendments may take place. I will keep your thoughts in mind, wait for a completed bill and watch for the debate if it arrives on the Senate floor.
...
Thank you for your support.
Rosemary McAuliffe

Lib Dem Representative Rethinks Support for Bill to Abort Pregnancy Centers

We recently caught up with Washington State Representative Mary Helen Roberts. Roberts is a co-sponsor of HB1366, and a former employee of Planned Parenthood. But after "hearing from many of her constituents" on the bill which would effectively destroy the 57 crisis pregnancy centers in Washington state which help 62,000 women every year, and increase the number of abortions, Roberts has surprised us by publicly admitting to rethinking her support.

Rep. Mary Helen Roberts (D)

Rep. Roberts' staff told us that she has really been hearing from people on this, and the fact that these centers really help women, and that these women are forever grateful to them has registered with her.

In particular, Roberts was willing to admit that the "forced speech" provisions -- which have been declared unconstitutional by a Maryland judge -- were "onerous" and she did not support them.

This conversation took place before the Health Committee passed a slightly modified version of the bill. Her staff was not willing to go so far as to commit to a "no" vote if the bill came to the floor essentially unchanged, but our impression was that she did not want to be forced into an up-or-down vote on the bill as-is.

Her legislative aide, Dan Hagen, attended the Health Committee hearing, and so saw that it was packed with about 1,000 CPC supporters, who overflowed into the Rotunda. Hagen was very up to speed on the issues, and able to articulate the crux of the testimony in a manner that seemed to differ substantively from the mindless NARAL talking point drivel that has emerged from other Democrats' offerings to constituents.

Hagen told us that the only thing Rep. Roberts real wanted to see the bill address was the "horror stories" she has reportedly heard from individuals who have visited pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) and/or Pregnancy Medical Clinics (PMCs).

He readily acknowledged, however, that much (if not all) of this testimony has come from ideological enemies of these groups, and none of it has been presented under oath, in affidavits, or in any sort of sworn testimony that would distinguish it from politically-motivated and biased slander.

While one never wants to get too hopeful about the willingness of someone like Roberts to buck the abortion industry that controls her party, this conversation was real evidence of the impact regular citizens speaking up and talking to their political representatives, even in sanity-starved Puget Sound, can have.

Crimes of Abortionists in Washington

We've just updated our listing of botched abortions and careless abortionists that we know about in the state of Washington.

It now includes events from the Kennewick Planned Parenthood and two more reviews of Dr. Leslie Miller.

Notice that not a single person complained about wait times or lack of access to their medical records.

Abortion Rules: Is Rep. Cody Working with Planned Parenthood to Subvert Law, Protect Child Sex Abusers?

It's been a very intense two weeks in the fight against Planned Parenthood at the national and local level. And it's not about to simmer down anytime soon.

This week AIW has obtained new direct and damning evidence of crimes happening at Planned Parenthood centers in the state of Washington. Of course, women who've had abortions have known this all along. It's only now that the general public is learning the truth about the abortion industry's dirty secrets.

Readers can see in this Kennewick Police Department report how Planned Parenthood's employee Andrea Smasne holds a 22-week pregnant, 14-year-old girl hostage and refuses to return her to her father. Smasne also holds her so they can complete a referral to Seattle for a late term abortion. When the police arrive, Smasne even disobeys the police officer's order to return the girl to her father, telling him that "once a minor child is pregnant she is emancipated".

Here are the details in the words of the responding officer:

I then asked Smasne how old the patient was. She advised the female patient for 14yoa. I then asked why they would tell the father he had to leave if his juvenile age daughter was there. At that point Smasne stated that once the juvenile is pregnant, the juvenile is emancipated, and further stated the father had no right to be present if the patient did not want him there.

Funny thing but to our ears that sounds just like Rep. Eileen Cody in her "memo" to Rep. Matt Shea that a parental notification bill will not be heard by the Health and Wellness Committee because "over 14 once a girl is pregnant they are considered emancipated - independent."

But is this in fact the law of the state of Washington or another legal fiction developed by promoters of abortion?

Here's what City Attorney Eric Eisinger told the officer after he called about Planned Parenthood's "emancipation" claim,

Based on his research, a Juvenile is not emancipated simply by becoming pregnant. He stated becoming emancipated required a Court process. Eisinger further advised that unless employees of Planned Parenthood provided documentation from the Court indicating that [redacted] is/was emancipated, [redacted] would be required to go with her father [redacted]. I was also advised, if employees at Planned Parenthood could not provided the documentation and did not allow access to [redacted] to send her with father, I should proceed with a criminal investigation against the involved employees citing Custodial Interference Section 26.28 as the charge.

It gets worse.

HB1366 Passed Out of Committee, Virtually Unchanged

For an update on Thursday's House Health Committee hearing on the bill to eliminate pro-life pregnancy centers in Washington State, please visit our partner site.

Ramona at The Savvy Citizen also has an update on what's happening with this bill.

Democrats Modify "Pregnancy Center Elimination" Bill, New Text Almost as Bad

Word on the street lately has been that the House Health Committee Chair Eileen "Waist Up" Cody was planning to replace the text of the massively controversial legislation to destroy the state's 57 pregnancy centers just prior to the committee vote. That vote is expected today, Thursday, in the committee's executive session.

We contacted Rep. Cody's office yesterday to ask if this plan was public. We spoke with her Legislative Assistant, Holly Mortlock. Ms. Mortlock admitted to us that there were changes to the bill that had been drafted but not made public, but claimed that this was standard process because of the short legislative sessions. She said the committee was responding to the public's input.

The only changes she was willing to disclose was the fact that the penalty section of the bill was to be reworked. She admitted that there had been vociferous public outrage over the punishments outlined in the original bill, so devastatingly outlined in testimony before the committee by attorney John Panesko.

Rep. Tami Green Lies To Constituents on Pregnancy Center Bill, Evades Others

While some Democrats are responding to educational efforts and democratic pressure from constituents on HB1366, the bill that would essentially destroy the state's network of 56 "crisis pregnancy centers", others are resorting to desperate measures to justify their support for the unconstitutional legislation.

One such example is State Rep. Tami Green, who represents the Lakewood area of Pierce County, and sits on the House Health Care Committee.

We have made repeated efforts to contact her for answers to some simple questions. She is a co-sponsor of the bill, so one might expect her to have read it, and to be willing to answer questions from the public regarding her support for it.

We have asked her at least three times by phone, by voicemail, and by email how she planned to vote on the bill in committee.

No answer.

We asked if she would acknowledge that the bill was entirely the initiative of, and being pushed on behalf of, the unregulated abortion industry.

No answer.

We asked if she could cite any other examples in Washington State law of devastating civil penalties like the kinds in this bill.

No answer.

We asked if she would admit that this bill would destroy the state's 57 pregnancy centers, both medical and counseling.

Department of Health Confirms: No Plans to Reconsider 'Wild West' Abortion Deregulation After Gosnell, Sting Tapes

First it was the story of Dr. Kermit Gosnell's 'house of horrors' abortion mill splashed across newspapers and TVs across the country. Then Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest chain of abortion clinics, was caught in another series of undercover sting videos. Many Washington State residents assumed that their Health Department would automatically step up oversight plans of our state's abortion industry to make sure this type of thing was not happening in the Evergreen State.

But we were shocked to learn, after asking the Department of Health, that they plan absolutely no action or investigations in response.

Donn T. Moyer, spokesperson for the DOH, thought we'd be satisfied with an assurance that "we’re unaware of anything in our state remotely like the Pennsylvania case you cited."

"The Pennsylvania situation is a unique criminal case and there’s no evidence it’s happening here, so that case has not inspired any new review of the rules in Washington. We’re certain if complaints of that nature came to light in Washington, we would investigate thoroughly and take appropriate action."

More Republicans Speak out Against HB1366 and SB5274

UPDATE Feb. 8, 11:31 am
30th District: State Representative Katrina Asay (R) says that "she opposes HB1366"
State Representative Mark Miloscia (D): No response.

In this post we featured Rep. Paul Harris (R) of Vancouver and his opposition to HB 1366.

We've identified more public statements from other Republicans.

Randi Becker says "I Oppose Pregnancy Resource Center Bill".
Val Stevens, on video, "My opinion on Senate Bill 5274, Crisis Pregnancy Centers".

Where do your senator and representatives, Democrat or Republican, stand on HB1366 and SB 5274? Contact them and let us know so we can post their position.

Update 11:24 am: Linda Evans Parlette mentions the many people who came out to the hearing on SB 5274 but doesn't mention where she stands on it.

Some Evergreen Republican Pols Start to Speak Out Against Democrats' Abortion Radicalism

While grassroots Washingtonians have been attacking the bill to destroy pregnancy centers, we haven't heard too much from political leaders. A few Republicans are now adding their voice and providing political leadership.

One of those is freshman Republican Paul Harris (Vancouver), who sits on the House Health Committee where the bill is now.

Rep. Harris doesn't mince words. “HB 1366 is a bad bill," he told us.

He emphasized the absurdity of going after sacrificial non-profits at a time of massive budget cuts to social services.

"These private pregnancy centers provide $19 million of services to over 60,000 women across the State of Washington," he explained.

"These are often lower-income women who would otherwise be relying on welfare. Like the Governor said, we’ve got to stop kidding ourselves and thinking that government can or should do everything for everyone."

"Pregnancy Resource Centers are exactly the facilities we should be thanking, not punishing.”

Washington Democrats Vow to Crush Minority Rights in Name of Abortion, Despite Clear Court Ruling

The ruling last week in the Baltimore Crisis Pregnancy Center case was the shot heard round the pregnancy center world. Yet lawless, ideological extremists in the Washington State Senate seem hell bent on serving their abortion industry masters and are going ahead with plans to trample the most basic rights of pro-lifers.

On January 28, a federal judge in Maryland struck down a law which the Baltimore City Council passed -- at the behest of the abortion lobby -- that is almost a carbon copy of massively controversial legislation being pushed in the State Legislature right now by the Democrat majority (HB1366/SB5274). Like the Washington bill, the Baltimore bill specifically targeted counseling offices and health care providers that try to help women experiencing unplanned pregnancies not kill their unborn babies.

Hundreds of Washingtonian Pro-Lifers Storm Olympia (Again) to Demand Democracy

Hundreds of pro-lifers are converging at this very minute on Olympia. They're attending the Senate's first hearing on SB5274, the "More Dead Babies Act", to testify and to make their opposition clear.

We are there too.

One thing we'll be doing is looking for answers to various questions, such as:

• Will pregnancy center supporters outnumber the abortion industry 10:1 like they did at the House Health Committee hearing on their equivalent bill last week?
• Will the rules as to who will get to testify and how long be kept secret up to the last minute like House Health Committee Chair Elieen "Waist Up" Cody did last week? (Ms. Cody is rated "strongly" pro-abortion by NARAL.)
  
• Will Democrats have a secret backdoor entrance for their friends in the abortion lobby, and a special room reserved for their abortion bosses, like radical homosexual Rep Marko Liias (who represents suburban Lynnwood) did last week? Hundreds of pro-lifers waited hours, standing in hallways, only to see the abortion contingent turn up at the last minute, and be escorted by Rep. Liias to their own room. Rep. Liias has not responded to our requests for comment.
  
• Will the seating in the hearing room be rigged by the Democrats to artificially 'balance' supporters and opponents 50:50 even if the bill's opponents actually massively outnumber abortion insiders, completely ignoring who arrived first, like Rep. Cody and Liias did last week?
• Will the text of the bill be suddenly switched at the last minute from what the public has been able to see and respond to, to new language the public has not had access to, just prior to voting, as has been rumored?
  
• Will the abortion lobby continue to spew the slander and lies about what this bill would actually do which we have completely discredited on this blog in recent days?
• Will bill backers be humiliated again by withering testimony about the completely unprecedented and vicious penalties outlined in the bill for such offenses as having a sign in the wrong font size, or not having literature translated into Swahili?
  
• Will the Senate Democrats, like Ed Murray and Craig Pridemore, admit they were wrong to put their names on this terrible bill, whose equivalent in Baltimore was just struck down as patently unconstitutional?
• Will Senate Health Committee Chair Karen Keiser be the Hosni Mubarack of Washington politics, as half a million supporters of pro-life pregnancy centers who have quietly stood on the sidelines rise up in outrage at what the legislative branch of Planned Parenthood (also known as the Washington Democratic Party) is doing?
  

One thing is for sure. You'll find the answers right here.

Planned Parenthood Partners with Nation's Illegal Sex Trade

We received this news item last week that Planned Parenthood was running scared after learning they were part of another sting operation by Lila Rose's Live Action.

Today, Live Action released a transcript and video from the first abortion clinic in the series, this one in New Jersey. The details are sickening.

As reported in the CBS News article, "In each case, according to Planned Parenthood, the man sought to speak confidentially with a clinic employee and then requested information regarding health services for sex workers, including some who he said were minors and in the U.S. illegally."

As Jill Stanek reports:

The sting:

“Joe” is the sex trafficking pimp and “Gia” is his bottom girl. They manage several very young girls, ages 14 and 15, in their prostitution ring, some of whom are Asian illegals who don’t speak English.

In the video the clinic manager of PP Central New Jersey’s Perth Amboy mill, LPN Amy Woodruff, tells “Joe” and “Gia” how to get abortions, STD treatment, and contraceptives for their brothel of adolescents as young as 14, some here illegally.

Woodruff coaches the pair on how to have the younger girls lie about their age. She gives them the name of a mill that is apparently schlockier than hers, Metropolitan Medical Associates, that will do abortions with fewer questions asked.

The most awful part of the video, IMO, is Woodruff’s cavalier business advice when asked what can the girls do during the 2 weeks after their abortion when they can’t have sex?

Woodruff: Yeah, um, waist up.

Pimp: Waist up?

Woodruff: Waist up, or just be that extra action walking by. Because then they’re at more risk for infection, and you don’t want to do that….

“Waist up”? That line will live in infamy.

Go watch the whole thing here.

AIW readers will be interested to know that that at least one of Planned Parenthood's Washington facilities was apparently caught up in the sting. (Calls to Live Action to confirm this were not returned at press time.) And we know that Seattle is a hub for sex trafficing of minors and adults. Has anyone bothered to ask where the victims are being taken for abortions? We may have the answer.

It appears that Planned Parenthood can't stand to lose a single dollar, so they don't turn away anyone, despite the sickening canard that they're interested in women's rights. But it's worse than that, as you can see in the video. The clinic manager glibly jokes with the erstwhile pimp and conspires with him on how to best exploit his girls.

Now you would expect Washington state legislators, law enforcement agencies, and health regulators to jump up and take notice, and to open investigations into Planned Parenthood affiliates in our state, where it has one of its strongest state presences.

Actually, not so much.

If you want to know the kind of video that gets the Washington State Democratic Party seriously geared up for action, drafting legislation, you'd have to watch this video of testimony before the Health and Wellness Committee.

Women testifying complained that the a crisis pregnancy center volunteer "asked many of same questions that were on the form she had already completed" instead of telling her the results of her pregnancy test! She was asked what she "did for a living" and what the father did for a living! She was also asked how she felt about abortion!

She also complained that they wouldn't give her a written copy of her test results so she could sign up for state benefits.

The volunteer counselors showed an active, concerned interest in the woman's life, her circumstances, and wanted to help her make a decision she would not regret, and maybe to help her turn her life around.

This is how you make a Washington State Democrat angry.

Rather than investigate Planned Parenthood, rather than inspect their facilities, rather than suspend millions in Medicaid payments to them, rather than stopping meeting with them regularly to set state health policy, rather than reconsider contracts that put Planned Parenthood staff in state health offices, our state legislators let the abortionists write legislation designed to shut down their pro-life competition (House Bill 1366)!

Let's just review this so we're completely clear. Planned Parenthood gladly partners with pimps engaged in illegal, underage sex trafficking to cover up the abuse of minors and immigrants. Pro-life pregnancy centers are spending 'too much time' showing genuine interest in poor and potentially exploited women and girls. And the Democrat legislature is trying to shut the pregnancy centers down on behalf of Planned Parenthood.

AIW, along with Lila Rose, calls on AG Rob McKenna and the state legislature to immediately suspend all payments to Planned Parentood and to begin an immediate investigation into the state's abortion facilities to determine how deeply involved our state is aiding the exploitation of women and children.

State Dems Wade Deeper Into Controversy by Misleading Constituents on Bill to Crush Pregnancy Centers

Another Washington State Democrat is in trouble over blatantly false claims she has been making to constituents about current law in a desperate effort to rationalize her support for SB5274, the bill widely condemned as clearly crafted by the abortion lobby to destroy the state's network of non-profit pro-life pregnancy clinics (known as HB1366 in the House).

Democrat Senator Rosemary McAuliffe was responding to a Mountlake Terrace resident who is deeply opposed to the bill. Firstly, McAuliffe said she had spoken to the prime sponsor, who "assured" her that "this legislation has no intention of closing down" pro-life pregnancy centers. Yet she completely failed to address the fact that the penalties prescribed in the bill for failing to use proper font size, offer sufficient documentation in enough languages, and uttering exact verbiage mandated by Olympia are completely without any precedent in state law.

Numerous legal experts who have analyzed the bill are in complete agreement that these ludicrous mandates would sink the state pregnancy centers -- who survive on a shoe-string budget of donations with a staff of volunteers -- in fines and legal bills.

But it gets worse. Much worse.

Emailing Abortion in Washington

Thanks to everyone who has emailed us over the past week or two. We really appreciate hearing from our readers.

If you've emailed us in the past two weeks, please resend your email as we've discovered some issues with our email account.

If you have a tip, or some information about the abortion industry, we'd like to hear about it. Our email is: seattlecampaign@yahoo.com. Confidentiality assured.

State Rep Van De Wege Shows Stunning Ignorance in Meetings with Constituents on 'More Dead Babies' Act

We recently caught up with River Sussman, who runs two pregnancy medical clinics on the Olympic Peninsula. Mrs. Sussman has been working desperately to try to convince her state representative Kevin Van De Wege to end his co-sponsorship of House Bill 1366, the bill being pushed by the abortion industry to destroy crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs).

Rep. Van De Wege is new to state politics, having been a fireman before. But he seems quickly to have gone from saving babies from burning buildings to delivering them up to be killed by the abortion industry that helped land him his new job.

Mrs. Sussman met with him recently in his office in Olympia, along with 35 other CPC supporters from his district who crossed the Puget Sound for the occasion. Not only had he not read the 5-page bill before he signed on as a co-sponsor; he hadn't even read it before their meeting.

One of the points Mrs. Sussman raised was the fact that not only were the penalties described in the bill without any sort of precedent for the infractions outlined, but the abortion industry itself was not subject to anywhere close to this kind of oversight. In fact, the abortion industry is either unregulated or "self-regulated".

Van De Wege's response: "That's not true."

Mrs. Sussman repeatedly tried to educate the legislator on this point, but he kept repeating his false "facts" back to her.

It seems that Rep. Van De Wege's enablers in the abortion lobby who sold him on this bill set him up for humiliation. They've been going around to legislators asking them: "Did you know that these clinics aren't licensed?" The fact is that their own clinics, which murder unborn babies, are also not licensed. In fact, in Washington State, we don't license buildings. We license individuals. Only doctors need licenses. This is deliberate sleight-of-hand by the abortion lobby.

Group Health Touts Own Abortion Clinic to Attract Residents

If anyone still thinks that abortion is an isolated, never discussed part of mainstream medical practices, all they need to do is a little research to discover that abortion is part and parcel of the establishment medical system.

Group Health is just one example. They are very proud of the abortions they do and don't try to hide it.

Here in the Program Highlights from Family Medicine Residency program with learn about the "Group Health Abortion Clinic" where, "...all residents participate in an opt-out rotation at Planned Parenthood and a small private clinic to train in counseling, early dating ultrasounds, medical and surgical abortions. Additional training is available in the Group Health abortion clinic and at other sites for those interested in additional experience."

We have heard from one woman who had an abortion at Group Health and, though she asked us not to reveal any details about it, we can say that it was an unwanted abortion and it was a horrific experience. We also have been informed that their "Abortion Clinic" in downtown Seattle is actually a ward on the 6th floor complete with bullet proof glass.

Abortion Toady Rep Clibborn Humiliated by Testimony at 'More Dead Babies' Act Hearing

It's a wonder Washington State Rep. Clibborn didn't crawl under her desk and cry like a baby. Clibborn is the prime sponsor of HB1366, the bill given to her by the abortion industry to destroy the pro-life pregnancy centers that cut their business by 6% last year. On Monday afternoon, the House Health Committee held a hearing on the bill. Supporters of the state's pregnancy centers turned out by the hundreds, packing the room, and filling the hallways.

The bill imposes some ridiculous requirements on pregnancy clinics that don't kill unborn babies, and then sets up a legal open season on them by creating unprecedented grounds for them to be sued, by almost anyone, with crippling damages.

We present a transcript of one particularly noteworthy testimony that exposed Clibborn's diabolical agenda and laid it bare for all the world to see.

I'm John Panesko. I'm just an attorney from the community. I'm a former prosecutor. I'm not affiliated with either side, but I was asked to read a copy of this bill, and it made an impression on me, and that's why I'm here.

I'm glad as a lawyer I don't have to post on my door all the things I don't provide, but if somebody asked me if they wanted a divorce, I'll tell them, 'No, I don't do divorces; go somewhere else'

What's the harm? But back to this bill...

I read it and I believe the enforcement part of this bill will put pregnancy centers out of business and I'll tell you five reasons why..

DSHS Knowingly Violating Hyde Amendment, Using Federal Tax Dollars to Fund Abortions

In this exclusive report, AIW can now reveal the results of an investigation into Washington and other states in which we have learned that they are routinely violating federal law.

Since 1976, it has been illegal to use federal Medicaid money to pay for abortions. States that opted to subsidize the abortion industry through Medicaid had to make sure to carefully segregate funds so that abortions were only paid for out of state Medicaid dollars. (Medicaid is a federal program with a complicated funding formula, but in brief, it's funded from a mix of federal and state monies.)

But the Medicaid program also includes a relatively little-known program called "Medicaid Transportation". This program pays for the travel costs to and from medical appointments that are covered by Medicaid. The rationale is, apparently, that a doctor appointment is no good if you can't get to it.

Since states like Washington (and California and New York) pay for abortions under Medicaid, the travel to and from the abortion clinic is also picked up by the Medicaid program.

Readers may remember our coverage of the scandal last year in which a Ballard High School student was taken from school for an abortion without her parents' knowledge, all arranged by the schools' "Health Clinic" (run by Swedish Hospital). During this investigation we also discovered that Hopelink, an organization that milks unwitting churches and other groups into partnership to help feed the hungry, is running secret "Abortion Taxis" that shuttle girls and women to and from abortion clinic appointments, often without their parents' knowledge.

Abortion Lobby Gets Desperate; Lies About CPCs While Hiding own Misconduct

In what can only be described as an act of desperation just as the country reels in shock at the discovery of what goes on at unregulated abortion clinics, Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and the ACLU are now disseminating false information about crisis pregnancy centers in an attempt to convince legislators that they need to "regulate" CPCs.

In a press release issued January 19, this consortium of abortion zealots stated that CPCs:

"put women’s health at risk when they withhold test results and give inaccurate information about pregnancy, reproductive health, or options."

The fact of the matter is that CPCs don't withhold test results or other health information from women. The only time a CPC would do such a thing is in the case of potential fraud, i.e. a woman is attempting to gain access to DSHS benefits by bringing in a sample of another woman's urine. This is something pro-abortion activists have also been known to do to try and trap the CPCs.

It's laughable that that this consortium of abortion cheerleaders would accuse the CPCs of giving "inaccurate information about pregnancy, reproductive health, or options." It would appear to be a case of accusing others of doing what you are most guilty of. A quick visit to this link containing a detailed interview with one abortion client at a Washington State Planned Parenthood will leave you crying out for Representatives Mary Helen Roberts and Tami Green, for example, to pass legislation regulating Planned Parenthood.

But instead they are sitting down with Planned Parenthood coming up with crushing regulations on pro-life pregnancy centers!

Here's just a quick list of some of the other deceptions we've heard from inside the state's abortion clinics and from abortionists themselves:

• It's not a baby.
  
• You've got to have the abortion right away.
  
• It's just a blob of tissue.
  
• Abortion is safer than childbirth.
  
• Contraception is safer than childbirth.
  
• No, you can't see the ultrasound.
  
• Plan B isn't an abortifacient.
  
• Abortion doesn't hurt.
  
• Abortion causes no long term negative side effects.
  
• Going on contraception will prevent you from coming back for another abortion.
  

We might also add that women who are crying before, during and after an abortion are in most cases NOT rescheduled or referred to organizations or people that offer services other than abortion. Women who tell the abortionist to stop are instead told to shut-up or "it's too late." Women in tears are ignored.  No other business that we know of, except for maybe prostitution and pornography, ignores the pleas of women to the extent that Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry do.

Regarding access to medical records, getting Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities to turn women's health records over isn't exactly a walk in the park from what we've heard. There are frequent reports in the media about medical files thrown out in dumpsters and landfills. We know of at least one woman who was unsuccessful in ever gaining access to her abortion medical file.



Call these Legislators TODAY

The "More Dead Babies Act" introduced last week in the Washington State Legislature can be stopped, but you need to speak up. It is currently before the Health Committees in both the House and the Senate. The best way to stop it is to kill kill it in either committee.

The Democrats -- also known as the political arm of the abortion industry -- control both branches, and so have majorities on both committees. In the House, the breakdown is 7-4; in the Senate, 5-4. Assuming we have all the Republican onside, that means we need 1 Democrat on the Senate committee and 2 on the House to see the light.

House
Starting with the House, 6 of the 7 Democrats are co-sponsors. The non co-sponsor is Troy Kelley. Rep. Kelley is from Pierce County and beat pro-life attorney Steve O'Ban with under 53% of the vote, so there's a good chance we can get a no vote out of him. Call him at (360) 786-7890.

Of the remaining co-sponsors, there are two worth focusing on. The first is Kevin Van De Wege. Rep. Van De Wege is from Jefferson County, is a liberal Democrat, and has reportedly been hostile to pregnancy center staff who have tried to educate. He also co-sponsored the bill last year. All that bodes ill, but he is the only other Dem on the committee besides Kelley who wasn't endorsed by NARAL/Planned Parenthood. Call him at 360.786.7916.

The other one to try to talk sense to is Tami Green. While she received $2,800 from NARAL last election, was endorsed by the abortion lobby, and is a co-chair of the Health Committee, on the other hand she only won re-election by 1,200 odd votes (51.5%), also in the same district as Kelly, not-too-liberal Pierce County. There's a chance she might be able to understand the political calculus if you call her at 360.786.7958.

Senate
On the Senate side, unfortunately all of the Democrats on the Health & Long-Term Care are co-sponsors. The best two to contact may be Ed Murray and Craig Pridemore. Murray's a surprising one: he's a radical homosexual activist, but last time around he voted the right way and even indicated to pregnancy center advocates that he would be a hypocrite if supported "minority rights" for homosexuals, and then turned around and persecuted Christians.

He needs to be reminded of his own words. Call him at 360.786.7628.

Finally, Pridemore represents an urban Vancouver district. While he won re-election quite comfortably, it's possible that he's sufficiently far from the Seattle sanity vacuum that he could be capable of seeing sense and doing the right thing. Call Pridemore at 360.786.7696.

It's best if you're from their district, but since these folks are on the all-important Health Committees, they represent everyone in the state in a sense. Imagine what kind of impact 10,000 calls on this bill would have?

If you've never called your legislator before, now is a great time to start. Do not be afraid. They work for you. If you don't like confrontation, just tell them you are deeply troubled by the bill to shut down crisis pregnancy centers ("HB 1366" in the House) and you want them to vote it down.

Study: Washington State Most Pro-Abortion State in the Union

Confirming what those of us in Washington State already knew, a new study by Americans United for Life placed Washington dead last in a ranking of states based on protections for human life.

The top state was Oklahoma.

Contributing to Washington's last position was the fact that the state is one of the few that voluntarily pays for abortions at any stage, for any reason out of Medicaid funds, even with the existence of a multi-billion dollar deficit. You can even get taxi rides to abortion clinics from school and back without your parents' knowing, paid for by the taxpayers, and government officials say: "So What?"

Washington is also one of the only states without any legal restrictions or regulations on the abortion industry whatsoever. It's possible that every abortion clinic in the state is run like Kermit Gosnell's abortion mill in Philadelphia: how would we know? The abortion industry is not only allowed to "regulate itself" -- how many industries in Obama's America are allowed to do that? -- but abortion chain operators like Planned Parenthood and Cedar River Clinics actually get together on a regular basis with DSHS officials to map out state health policy!

Share this Post with your Legislator: Botched abortions, malpractice, and dead women

The recent story about abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell in Philadelphia reminded us here at AIW about all the quacks that operate in Washington state. Go read the article just so you are familiar with the horrific conditions inside his "clinic". Unfortunately, stories like Dr. Gosnell's are not uncommon among abortionists even here in Washington.

It's important to note that licensing agencies and others with authority were warned about Gosnell,

The grand jury investigation revealed that, for over two decades, government health and licensing officials had received repeated reports about Gosnell’s dangerous practices. However, no action was ever taken, even after the agencies learned that Mrs. Mongar had died during routine abortions under Gosnell’s care (see related story).

Put your legislator on notice. This post will give them a little window into what's really going on and suggest that instead of the trying to shut down the state's crisis pregnancy centers they go after the real criminals.

We've looked back over our records of first hand accounts from people who have been inside the state's abortion mills. Here's what we have so far:
-- Robert L. Kothenbeutel. Cedar River Clinics. Law suit brought in 2010 by a woman who claims that, "Dr. Kothenbeutel and Cedar River Clinics were ill equipped to handle Maria Diel's late term termination the termination was negligently performed. Maria Diel lost an excessive amount of blood and was taken from Cedar River Clinics by ambulance to Valley Medical Center where a hysterectomy was performed to save her life." The unborn child was 26 weeks.

Pro-Aborts, Dems Drop Heinous Anti-CPC Bill on Olympia

We got word from Olympia today that the abortion lobby and their allies in the Washington State Democratic Party have, as expected, just reintroduced a bill they tried to pass last year but never got out of committee. The bill is designed to destroy Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) that offer safe and compassionate health care to women in need while leaving the filthy, manipulative, chop-shops staffed by quacks free to ply their deadly trade unmolested.

(Here's the text of the House Bill HB1366. Senate Bill is here.)

The Family Policy Institute of Washington has provided a good summary of the effects of the legislation:

1. It creates two classes of medical/pregnancy centers based on whether or not they provide abortion services.

2. Requires centers that do not provide abortion services to disclose that fact in five different languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, Cambodian, and Laotian) in 30 point font on the front door of the centers, and on any advertisement or notice promoting the centers services.

3. Creates regulations and liabilities associated with medical records that do not apply to any other medical/pregnancy centers in Washington State.

4. Creates a private cause of action (lawsuit) against pregnancy centers for violations of any of the above regulations. In lawsuits against pregnancy centers: (1) anyone can be an aggrieved party even if you have never been in or even seen a pregnancy center; (2) there is no need to prove damages; (3) those who sue a pregnancy center can collect legal fees from the center if they win; (4) but pregnancy centers cannot collect legal fees if they win.

In summary, this bill creates significant liability for non-profit, faith-based, pregnancy centers that receive no tax dollars and provide at least $16 million in free services to communities in Washington simply because they do not offer abortion services. The stated reason is that they are afraid that women who are looking for an abortion will go to one of these centers. Why the attention of the Washington State legislature is required to prevent that from happening is something each of us can ponder for ourselves.

Most craftily, for purposes of seeking damages against CPCs and shutting them down, it defines "person" as "counties or other municipalities". No doubt the City or Seattle and King County would quickly move to shut down all CPCs that didn't have a huge 30-point font size sign in Laotian, Chinese, Russian, Spanish and Arabic stating they don't pass out the sacred condom or offer babies for live sacrifice.

Jill Stanek, who is following similar efforts in NYC, doubts that such a radical bill will pass even in the abortion capital of America. She sites the bad PR from NARAL's recent granting of an A- to NY for abortion advocacy, the report from the New York City Department of Health that a staggering 41 percent of all pregnancies in NYC ended in abortion in 2009, and the fact that abortions are on the rise after a 20 year decline.

How's that compare with Washington?

Pro-lifers Rock Olympia for 2011 March for Life; Pro-Aborts not so much

I attended the March for Life in Olympia yesterday. Here's a great picture that was sent to me. It was taken with a wide angle lens. "With a wide angle lens this photographer went to the Hall of Justice steps, to the top of the steps, and couldn't get the whole crowd in one photo."

Here's coverage from the Olympian, which ain't half bad considering they seem to love the abortion industry most days. However, they only estimated the crowd at 4,500. According to my sources the campus police said if the steps of the legislature building were covered with people, that would be 5,000. It was at least 7,000 by my estimation.

The new archbishop, Peter Sartain, of the Archdiocese of Seattle was on hand. Here he is with Karen Rotter from the pro-life committee at St. Michael Parish and Leigh a representative of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign.

And, well, the pro-aborts just couldn't muster much enthusiasm for their cause.

Gregoire Restores Funding to Planned Parenthood, Cuts Billions Everywhere Else

Confirming once again that the Washington State Governor's Mansion is little more than the Olympia office of Planned Parenthood, Governor Christine Gregoire just decided to preserve the state's "Take Charge" free birth control program.

We have exposed how the program, now in its 10th year, has done almost nothing to reduce the rate of unwanted pregnancies, births to low-income women, or abortions, but has become a massive, multi-million dollar slush fund for Planned Parenthood affiliates of Washington.

As everyone now knows, the state has been facing a budget deficit in the billions, and state legislators have been forced to cut spending on a host of health and education programs, even those which are widely supported, and which help the truly sick and destitute.

The Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) gave Gregoire a list of programs for possible elimination. The Take Charge program was in that list, raising hopes that the scandalous scheme would be eliminated once and for all, and abortion clinics would start closing immediately.

But, alas, Gregoire decided to cut the state's Basic Health Plan, which covers 66,000 otherwise uninsured Washingtonians, rather than cut birth control payments to Planned Parenthood.

She cut the Children’s Health Program, which was helping 27,000 kids. But Planned Parenthood's sacred cow was untouched.

She chose to eliminate Disability Lifeline grants to 28,000 people each month who are temporarily disabled and who can’t work, rather than cut the Planned Parenthood CEO Cadillac plan.

She chose to eliminate the Disability Lifeline Medical Program, but not the Abortion Industry Slush Fund.

Gregoire cuddling former NARAL
director Karen Cooper

She thought it better to reduce in-home Medicaid personal care, which benefits 45,000 people, who will now have to look elsewhere for assistance with bathing, dressing, medication management and other activities. But the Planned Parenthood spendapalooza? Not on your life.

She slashed public education funding in every direction. But free birth control that essentially ends up as millions of dollars in Planned Parenthood's Abortion Clinic Expansion Program was off the table.

You get the idea.

"Take Charge" -- which is exclusive to Washington State, and started in the George W Bush administration -- is an 'experimental' Medicaid program which provides a year's supply of birth control to women who would normally be ineligible for Medicaid because of income at taxpayer's expense.

Most women enrolled in the program get their contraceptives through Planned Parenthood, so it is this organization which ends up getting paid. PP makes huge profits on oral contraceptives sales, and so the program has been a cash cow for them for a decade.

For example, in 1998, Planned Parenthood of Western Washington was pulling in about $5m each year in program revenue. Ten years later, in 2008, that figure had rocketed up to over $25m. In their 2006 annual report, they admitted that fully 70% of their clients the previous 5 years had been Take Charge participants.

PPWW has used these millions in revenue to expand their network of clinics, all of which provide or abortions or at least close the abortion sale.

Defenders of the program argue that all those women on free birth control adds up to fewer unplanned pregnancies, fewer Medicaid-paid births, and fewer abortions. As hard as it may be for contraceptive ideologues to accept this, the numbers are in, and the truth is just the opposite.

In 1999, before the program, Medicaid was paying for 32,000 births each year, at a cost of less than $200 million. Now it's 42,000, at a cost of over $330 million.

Before the program began, Medicaid paid for over 10,000 abortions in Washington. At the program's peak, that figure crossed 14,000, with Planned Parenthood doing an increasing share of those. It's not known how many abortions PPWW was committing back in 1999, but the figure grew from about 6,000 to about 9,000 at one point during the program, due in part to their massive new reach.







Renton Abortion Clinic Being Sued for Botched 26-week Abortion

This blog has just learned that Washington State's most horrific abortion clinic is in the middle of another scandal. Cedar River Clinics is being sued for medical malpractice for a late-term abortion that almost killed the mother and left her unable to have children.

The doctor who performed the late-term abortion was Robert L. Kothenbeutel.

According to court documents, on December 13, 2007, Maria Diel of Pierce County came to Cedar River in Renton -- also known as the Feminist Women's Health Center -- to have her "25+ week" baby killed by the brutal abortion procedure known as dilation and evacuation. This is medical-speak for forcing the mother's cervix open enough so that the 'doctor' can go in with a forceps and rip the baby's legs and arms off and pull them out. Here is one description of the procedure:

Dilation and Evacuation (D & E)
Similar to a D & C abortion, this method also necessitates the forced dilation of the cervix. Metal forceps with a sharp cutting edge are used to grasp and pull the baby from the womb. The entire body is removed piece by piece. Because the baby's skull has typically hardened to bone by this time it must sometimes be compressed or crushed in order to be removed from the uterus. As a result, women undergoing this procedure have a higher risk of cervical laceration. Ironically, even some abortionists find this procedure distasteful, as the process of using forceps to twist and tear the baby's body from the womb is undeniably traumatic.

Another description is from former late-term abortionist Dr. Tony Levatino, where he goes into detail about removing the baby's skull:

The toughest part of a D&E abortion is extracting the baby’s head. The head of a baby that age is about the size of a plum and is now free floating inside the uterine cavity. You can be pretty sure you have hold of it if the Sopher clamp is spread about as far as your fingers will allow. You will know you have it right when you crush down on the clamp and see a pure white gelatinous material issue from the cervix. That was the baby’s brains. You can then extract the skull pieces. If you have a really bad day like I often did, a little face may come out and stare back at you.

Because the baby is so developed at 25 weeks, and his or her bones are hard, and so much force is involved, it's quite easy to lacerate the mother's uterus, or other organs. It seems something very much like this happened when Dr. Kothenbeutel was dismembering Mrs. Diel's baby.

The court documents allege that:

"Dr. Kothenbeutel and Cedar River Clinics were ill equipped to handle Maria Diel's late term termination the termination was negligently performed. Maria Diel lost an excessive amount of blood and was taken from Cedar River Clinics by ambulance to Valley Medical Center where a hysterectomy was performed to save her life."

The case is still at an early stage, and further medical facts will be brought out at trial. The parties have agreed to arbitration, as opposed to a jury trial, so maximum damages are $1 million.

Alas, Mrs. Diel's attorneys will be hard pressed to prove that Kothenbeutel and Cedar River were 'ill equipped' to handle late-term abortions like this, because they have in fact committed hundreds, if not thousands.

According to a 2002 “study” published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine, Dr. Kothenbeutel reported doing just under 200 Dilation & Evacuation abortions in just a 6 week period.

We will bring you further details as they emerge. Meanwhile, this story can't be comforting to future would-be clients of this abortion mill.

Baby Saved from Death at Cedar River Clinics

This article appeared in the Christian Examiner (December, 2010), titled "Team Works Together to Save a Life". (click to enlarge)

Is This Post Illegal?

This last Monday in a Kent courtroom, the Constitution prevailed over a shocking attempt to silence this blog by a prominent local doctor linked to the region's most controversial abortion clinics. This doctor is Chair of the Washington State delegation to the American Medical Association, and in that capacity represents all the doctors in the state.

She is also a colleague and associate of pro-life, Christian doctors, some of whom sit on the board of our local Care-Net pregnancy resource centers.

Her name -- this is the part that she wanted to make a crime -- is Dr. Julie Komarow.

As with many other doctors involved with the local abortion industry, we have written about Dr. Komarow before. We have pointed out that she recently worked at Cedar River Clinics, the most horrific, late-term abortion clinic in the state of Washington.

Cedar River is actually involved in an ongoing medical malpractice lawsuit involving a 26 week old baby, as we will reveal in an upcoming post. Cedar River was also involved in another recent lawsuit because of an abortion they did on an Alaskan minor who was transported from her home state without her parents' knowledge and brought to Cedar River for an abortion. We will soon be exposing the depth of the clinic and staff's involvement with that scandal also.

As if that was not enough, we've also posted the interim results of an ongoing investigation into Cedar River's very questionable financial reporting.

How bad is it?

If the goverment can make a person sell something.

And the government can also make someone else buy something.

Does that mean the government can force people to sell abortions and other people to buy them?

Just asking.