Life-affirming pregnancy help was highlighted on national television during March for Life week in Washington D.C.as the president of Heartbeat International appeared on live on Newsmax to discuss the March and pro-life policy in the new Trump administration in contrast with the just ended Biden administration.
In addition to celebrating the convergence of scores of pro-life pilgrims upon Washington each year for March, the conversation also touched upon disparate enforcement of the FACE Act, calls for its repeal, and attacks on pregnancy centers.
Heartbeat is the largest network of pregnancy help organizations in both the U.S. and the world.
Host Lidia Curanaj welcomed Heartbeat’s Jor-El Godsey and Tim Barton, president of WallBuilders, an education, history, law, and public policy organization for the live discussion.
[Click here to subscribe to Pregnancy Help News!]
Against the backdrop of the recent switch from the decidedly abortion activist Biden White House to Trump’s second term, ushered in with multiple pro-life actions, Curanaj asked Godsey to describe what went through his mind as hundreds of thousands of pro-life people came out to the Nation’s Capital for the March for Life.
Godsey expressed appreciation for Curanaj having acknowledged the March attendance numbers that are regularly ignored by the media.
“Oh, it's always inspiring Lydia,” Godsey said, “and thank you for saying hundreds of thousands. It's too hard to find those kinds of numbers actually honestly reported in your regular media. So, thank you for identifying that it happens every year like this.”
“It's always an amazing thing, especially for the young people to be there,” he said. “It gives that energy, there's an excitement, and certainly there's a hope for the future.”
Tweet This: It's always amazing to see the young people at the March for Life. It gives that energy, excitement, and hope for the future.
Curanaj brought up the 23 pro-life activists pardoned by President Trump two days prior and the discussion touched on how the pro-life activists had been targeted and their rights violated for praying and demonstrating for life at abortion facilities, before then turning to calls to repeal the FACE Act, the freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act upon which the federal charges against the pro-life advocates were based.
The FACE Act was signed into law in 1994 by President Bill Clinton and been the object of criticism in recent years for unequal enforcement under the Biden administration.
The FACE ACT was originally understood to protect abortion facilities with rising demonstrations from pro-life activists at the time. But the Biden Justice Department notified Heartbeat International that the FACE Act applies to pregnancy help organizations as well.
However, the overwhelming majority of cases prosecuted under the FACE Act have been for peaceful pro-life demonstrations and have included heavy-handed tactics. This, while countless violent attacks on pregnancy help and pro-life organizations and churches have been allowed to stand.
“Is it time for it to just go away at this point?” Curanaj asked Godsey.
“Absolutely, it's been used really against pro-lifers,” Godsey said. “But at the same time, there have been actual attacks against pregnancy centers and pro-life offices and churches that have largely gone unanswered.”
“Only a few actual convictions have been made (against pro-abortion) perpetrators),” Godsey continued. “So, it really has been used to wield against pro-lifers rather than helping pro-lifers.”
“As pregnancy centers, there are laws already helping us,” added Godsey. “We'll follow those. This does not need to be turned into a federal case.”
“And so, the FACE Act really needs to go for the sake of more peaceful protests, for pro-lifers to be able to do without fear of recrimination,” he said.
“They're doing this really to protect the abortion industry and taking it out on the pro-lifers in the in the process,” Godsey explained. “Certainly, pregnancy centers who stand as really the largest opposition or competition really for Planned Parenthood and those like them.”
From there the discussion referenced a foundational rejection of God at the heart of the targeting of pro-life demonstrations and pregnancy help organizations serving women.
Curanaj decried the selective enforcement of the FACE Act and asked where the outrage and federal charges have been when pregnancy centers and churches are bombed or destroyed. She concluded saying there was a push to make government the higher power in place of God.
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages Pregnancy Help News.
