Facebook Labels Pro-Life Group as Fake News Based on Abortionists’ Advice

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A group of Republican senators is calling out Facebook for suppressing the views of a pro-life organization by rating its abortion-related content as “false” based on the opinions of abortionists.

“Yet again, Facebook’s pattern of censorship has reared its ugly head,” begins a letter sent to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg from GOP Sens. Josh Hawley, Mo.; Ted Cruz, Texas; Kevin Cramer, N.D.; and Mike Braun, Ind., on Wednesday.

In late August, Facebook hit pro-life advocacy group Live Action with a “false” rating after a “fact check” on two videos that claimed abortion is not medically necessary. One video featured board-certified neonatologist Dr. Kendra Kolb and was titled “The Pro-Life Reply to ‘Abortion Can Be Medically Necessary.’” The other featured Live Action founder and president Lila Rose explaining why abortion isn’t medically necessary.

At the time of the “false” rating, Rose described the action as “potentially the most devastating thing a tech company has done against a pro-life message” and accused Facebook of “effectively taking a position in this debate.” Rose also said she had been told that the group’s reach would be suppressed as a result of the action.

Facebook’s third-party “fact-checking” mechanism made the determination based on the viewpoints of abortionists Robyn Schickler and Daniel Grossman. Schickler went so far as to say that “all reasons for deciding to seek abortion care are valid; no one reason is better than another.”

“No reasonable person would describe Grossman or Schickler as neutral or objective when it comes to the issue of abortion, yet Facebook relied on their rating to suppress and censor a pro-life organization with more than 3 million followers,” the group of senators wrote, calling the actions “clear violations” of “Facebook’s supposed commitment to non-partisanship.”

In contrast, the position that abortion isn’t medically necessary is “a widely-held view, one shared by the thousands of members of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstretricians & Gynecologists, among others,” the senators added.

“Your company, like Twitter, Google, Pinterest and so many other major Silicon Valley social media firms, has been repeatedly confronted with evidence of bias against those with conservative viewpoints, especially on the issue of abortion,” the letter reads. “And in response you have repeatedly insisted that these numerous incidents of discrimination, censorship, and suppression of speech are merely glitches, not evidence of systemic bias.”

“But if this isn’t bias, what is?” the lawmakers asked Zuckerberg. “The only thing more astonishing than your claim to nonpartisanship is your complete failure to back that claim with proof.”

The senators conclude by calling on the social media company to “immediately issue a correction, remove any restrictions placed on the pages of Live Action and Lila Rose, and submit to an external audit.”

Last week, Live Action also announced that it had sent out legal “cease and desist” letters to YouTube and Pinterest on claims that the tech companies had “violated the law by engaging in illegal and discriminatory action against the organization based on its pro-life ideology and mission.” (For more from the author of “Facebook Labels Pro-Life Group as Fake News Based on Abortionists’ Advice” please click HERE)

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Vaping-Related Disease Spurs Calls for Tighter Rules in Congress

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Lawmakers are seizing on the outbreak of a vaping-related illness to push for more aggressive regulation of the young but fast-growing e-cigarette industry.

Democrats and increasing numbers of Republicans want age restrictions, flavor bans, and marketing crackdowns. They want the FDA to move faster to investigate and regulate e-cigarettes, touted by the industry as a way to reduce harm from traditional cigarette smoking but which has also led to what the FDA calls an “epidemic” of youth vaping of nicotine.

Health authorities haven’t fully untangled what’s causing the respiratory disease, which has potentially affected more than 450 and killed six. Public health officials across 33 states have linked many of the cases to vaped forms of marijuana and its component CBD — both of which are in legal but in regulatory limbo. Counterfeit or black market nicotine vapes may also have a role — and legal vapes haven’t been totally ruled out, but they aren’t dominating the public health investigation into the illness.

Yet anti-tobacco lawmakers and children’s health advocates are using the moment to demand more regulation of e-cigarettes, including industry powerhouse Juul. They want to go further than Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s bill, which would raise the age for buying all tobacco to 21. And they want consistent national standards, not a state-by-state patchwork as some areas of the country plow ahead on flavor bans. (Read more from “Vaping-Related Disease Spurs Calls for Tighter Rules in Congress” HERE)

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2020 Candidate Breaks Away from Dems, Says She Actually Supports Some Restrictions on Abortion

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Democratic presidential hopeful Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) broke with other members of her party when she revealed that she believed that abortion should be limited, with exceptions, to before the start of a pregnancy’s third trimester. She also criticized her fellow Democrats for supporting open borders policies.

During an interview Monday, libertarian host Dave Rubin asked Gabbard to clarify her position on abortion. Rubin noted that Gabbard used to be pro-life and admitted that he was becoming more pro-life due to the recently radical abortion policies espoused by members of the Democratic Party.

Gabbard said that her own position had changed along with her “understanding of the role of government.” She said she took “a more libertarian position on this issue: that government really shouldn’t be in that place of dictating to a woman the choice that she should make.”

“I think that there should be some restrictions, though,” she continued. “You know, for me personally, I would not make that choice for myself, but I don’t believe that I should be telling anyone else the kinds of decisions that they should make for themselves or for their family. And, therefore, a woman should have a right to choose. And I will stand up and protect her right to do so.”

She also said that she believed that abortion should be restricted at “the third trimester, unless a woman’s life or severe consequences is at risk, then there shouldn’t be an abortion in the third trimester.” (Read more from “2020 Candidate Breaks Away from Dems, Says She Actually Supports Some Restrictions on Abortion” HERE)

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‘Angel Mom’ Booed While Testifying About Son Killed by Illegal Alien

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Last week, Boston mother Maureen Maloney was booed while testifying about the death of her son Matthew Denice, who was killed in 2011 by a drunk-driving illegal with a criminal history. Maloney was testifying at the State House in opposition to a bill seeking to grant driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

“At the start of her testimony, Maloney held up a photo of Matthew and recalled how he was killed by an illegal immigrant drunk behind the wheel. About halfway into her 3 minutes of testimony, a man behind Maloney booed the grieving mother,” the Boston Herald reported.

“It just made me more determined,” Maloney told the outlet. “I don’t want other people to lose their lives like Matthew did. I don’t want other families to go through the heartache that my family deals with. And that’s where I get the strength and the stamina to keep doing this.”

This was not the first time the “Angel Mom” has been booed while discussing the tragic death of her son. “A few years ago, Maloney spoke out against a similar proposal, and a senator had given her his additional three minutes to testify. When Maloney went over the three minutes, she said people in the audience began booing and hollering that her time was up,” the Herald reported. . .

Maloney said she prayed to her son for strength before giving her testimony last week, the Herald noted. “I was just asking him to guide me with my testimony and help me to not have anger in my heart towards the other side,” she said. “Just do some work through me, use me to try to save other lives.” (Read more from “‘Angel Mom’ Booed While Testifying About Son Killed by Illegal Alien” HERE)

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Church Vandalized After Opposing Drag Queen Story Hour

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A Los Angeles area church was vandalized over the weekend after opposing city-run events where men dressed in drag read books to children at public libraries.

A pastor of the South Bay Pentecostal Church said he believes “there is no doubt” the crime was committed against the house of worship for their opposition to “Drag Queen Storytime,” according to ABC 10 News San Diego. . .

“Sure enough, at every corner there were phrases, hateful words, and graffiti on the walls of our church,” said pastor Amado Huizar. The messages were reportedly “associated with Satan,” according to the ABC affiliate.

“Huizar said the church’s surveillance system captured two men parking their sedan in the church parking lot at around 3:00 a.m. Sunday and walking toward the building,” the report detailed. “Fifteen minutes later, they are seen jumping back into the car with what looked to be spray cans in their hands.” . . .

“The Chula Vista Public Library said this is a reflection of our community. I beg to differ,” the pastor said, adding, “If the people want to make that happen, do it at a private setting, at a book store or at a home, but not at the Chula Vista Public Library.” (Read more from “Church Vandalized After Opposing Drag Queen Story Hour” HERE)

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Study: Fewer People Are Getting Married. the Reason Why Is Stunning

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By INC. . .Have you noticed, indeed, that you’ve been invited to fewer weddings lately? . .

Let’s turn, then, to the large brains at Cornell University to enlighten us as to why.

Their new study, tantalizingly entitled Mismatches In the Marriage Market, tried to examine what might lie behind the trend toward more people living non-married lives. . .

Yet that same Pew Research poll cited another important aspect:

About seven-in-ten adults (71 percent) said it was very important for a man to be able to support a family financially to be a good husband or partner, while just 32 percent said the same for a woman to be a good wife or partner.

(Read more from “Study: Fewer People Are Getting Married. the Reason Why Is Stunning” HERE)

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Mismatches in the Marriage Market

By Wiley Online Library. . .This study identifies recent marriages from the 2008 to 2012 and 2013 to 2017 cumulative 5‐year files of the American Community Survey. Data imputation methods provide estimates of the sociodemographic characteristics of unmarried women’s potential (or synthetic) spouses who resemble the husbands of otherwise comparable married women. These estimates are compared with the actual distribution of unmarried men at the national, state, and local area levels to identify marriage market imbalances. . .

These synthetic husbands have an average income that is about 58% higher than the actual unmarried men that are currently available to unmarried women. They also are 30% more likely to be employed (90% vs. 70%) and 19% more likely to have a college degree (30% vs. 25%). Racial and ethnic minorities, especially Black women, face serious shortages of potential marital partners, as do low socioeconomic status and high socioeconomic status unmarried women, both at the national and subnational levels. . .

This study reveals large deficits in the supply of potential male spouses. One implication is that the unmarried may remain unmarried or marry less well‐suited partners.

(Read more from “Mismatches in the Marriage Market” HERE)

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Two Planned Parenthood Clinics Closing in Ohio After Funding Cuts

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By The Hill. Planned Parenthood on Monday announced that two of its clinics in Ohio will close later this month after losing state and federal funding.

The organization blamed the closures on politicians who moved to “defund” Planned Parenthood for performing abortions. Neither of the two clinics performed the procedure, Planned Parenthood said. . .

Planned Parenthood gave up millions of dollars in federal funding last month after the Trump administration said the group would need to comply with a new rule banning it from referring women for abortions if it wanted to continue receiving government dollars.

Republican legislators in Ohio cut about $600,000 in state funding to Planned Parenthood this year after winning approval from a federal appeals court.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in March upheld a 2016 Ohio law banning preventive health funding from going to organizations that perform or promote abortions. (Read more from “Two Planned Parenthood Clinics Closing in Ohio After Funding Cuts” HERE)

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Planned Parenthood Clinics Reopens

By WBAA. The Fort Wayne Health Center operated by Planned Parenthood of Kentucky and Indiana INC. officially opened September 3, just over a year after it closed due to protests.

Planned Parenthood’s website lists the new location at 2930 Lake Avenue. It also lists services ranging from men and women’s health care, to HIV testing and birth control, as well as abortion referrals, but no abortion services. . .

In a Facebook post, Planned Parenthood of Kentucky and Indiana posted a bright pink image of the state of Indiana with a Planned Parenthood logo over the geographic location of Fort Wayne, under the words, ‘We’re Back!’ The caption accompanying the picture reads:

“Anti-reproductive health attacks on Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky’s Fort Wayne health center forced it to close, but we didn’t back down. Fort Wayne is open again and we will continue to fight back in the legislature and in the courts to ensure Hoosiers have access to the care they need and deserve.”

(Read more from “Planned Parenthood Clinics Reopens” HERE)

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Lawsuit: City to Face the Music for Chick-Fil-A Airport Ban

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On Thursday, five Texans who frequent the San Antonio airport and wish to eat Chick-fil-A there filed a lawsuit against the City of San Antonio under S.B. 1978, a new Texas law dubbed the “Save Chick-fil-A bill.” The new law forbids government actors from discriminating against religious groups or those associated with them, and removes government legal immunity from agencies that do so. The law’s passage followed the San Antonio airport’s ban on Chick-fil-A, citing “a legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior” and calling the fast food chain “a symbol of hate.”

“The city’s continued exclusion of Chick-fil-A is based ‘wholly or partly’ on Chick-fil-A’s past and present contributions, donations, and support for certain religious organizations, including the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, which is provides through its WinShape, its charitable foundation,” the lawsuit explains, citing the new law directly.

In the suit, the plaintiffs ask the court: to declare that San Antonio violated the law and continues to do so; to issue an injunction to prevent the city and the company Paradies Lagardère from excluding Chick-fil-A from the airport; to issue another injunction compelling the city to install a Chick-fil-A in the airport; to issue a third injunction preventing the city from “taking any adverse action against Chick-fil-A or any other person or entity, which is based wholly or partly on that person or entity’s support for religious organizations that oppose homosexual behavior;” and to order the city to pay attorney’s fees and other appropriate relief.

“If you thought we were bluffing, now you know we’re not,” Jonathan Saenz, Esq., president of the Texas Values Coalition, said in a statement on the lawsuit. “This is just one of many lawsuits that we expect to be filed against the San Antonio City Council for their illegal ban of Chick-fil-A. The continued religious ban on Chick-fil-A by the San Antonio City Council has by left citizens with no choice but to take this case to court. Any other vendor that tries to replace Chick-fil-A at the airport will be doing so under a major cloud of long and costly litigation with the city.”

The lawsuit presents the entire story of liberal outrage at Chick-fil-A. In 2010, the restaurant company gave over $8 million to the WinShape Foundation, a charitable organization run by the family of the late Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy. WinShape donated some of that money to Bible-believing Christian organizations such as the Family Research Council (FRC), Exodus International, Alliance Defense Fund (now Alliance Defending Freedom), the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and more. (Read more from “Lawsuit: City to Face the Music for Chick-Fil-A Airport Ban” HERE)

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Mayor Pete Uses the Bible to Redefine When Life Begins and Now His Family Wants Him to Repent

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South Bend, Indiana Mayor turned 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg used the Bible to explain why he believes life doesn’t begin until a baby takes his or her first breath.

“Right now they hold everyone in line to this kind of piece of doctrine about abortion, which is obviously a tough issue for a lot of people to think through. Then again, you know, there’s a lot of parts of the Bible which talk about how life begins with breath,” Buttiegeg explained during an interview with The Breakfast Club. “And even so, that’s something that we can interpret differently.” . . .

Now, Buttigieg’s brother-in-law, Pastor Rhyan Glezman, wants the presidential candidate to repent.

“I feel a sense of responsibility and stewardship of my faith to stand up and say something, to say, ‘No, that’s not true,'” Glezman told the Washington Examiner. “God places a very high value on all human life. Everyone is created fearfully and wonderfully in the image of God with intrinsic value. That doesn’t start at the first breath, it starts when we enter our mother’s womb.” . . .

“If we’re going to say we’re for all people and we love all people, but we don’t value human life in the womb, that’s being a hypocrite. You’re hypocritical if you don’t stand up for all life. So that’s why I’m speaking out,” Glezman explained. “This isn’t a little issue, especially when we’re talking about life. This is not just a political conversation. We’re talking about human life. These are human beings.” (Read more from “Mayor Pete Uses the Bible to Redefine When Life Begins and Now His Family Wants Him to Repent” HERE)

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Pete Buttigieg Attacks Pro-Life Christians

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By Breitbart. Mayor Pete Buttigieg defended his belief that Christians should have a right to abortion, pointing to Scripture stating life begins when a baby breathes.

“You know, there’s a lot of parts of the Bible that talk about how life begins with breath,” he said when discussing abortion. “So even that is something we can interpret differently.”

Pro-life Christians frequently cite Jeremiah 1:5 to say that life begins in the womb: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

Christians on the left argue that life begins at first breath, citing the account of God creating Adam in the book of Genesis: “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

Buttigieg commented on Scripture during a discussion with ‘Charlamagne tha God’ on The Breakfast Club radio show about Republicans’ grip on the Christian vote in America. (Read more from “Pete Buttigieg Attacks Pro-Life Christians” HERE)

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Radio Host Tells Buttigieg He ‘Got Lost’ During Debates

By Fox News. Pete Buttigieg had an awkward moment on “The Breakfast Club” Friday when radio host Charlamagne tha God gave him a frank assessment of his performance in the Democratic primary debates.

“Do you think you sucked in the first couple of debates?” the host asked, prompting Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Ind., to say he thought he did well.

When Buttigieg asked what he thought, Charlamagne said the veteran didn’t show the same kind of charisma that he’d demonstrated before.

“You kind of got lost, Mayor Pete — like, I like you because your charismatic, I didn’t really get that from the first couple of debates,” he said.

Buttigieg responded by claiming that the debate formats — with so many people — made it difficult for candidates to give substantive answers. (Read more from “Radio Host Tells Buttigieg He ‘Got Lost’ During Debates” HERE)

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