More than 30 respected national and state organizations representing concerned citizens from across the nation joined Americans United for Life Action, AUL’s sister organization, in sending a group letter to all 100 U.S. senators. The letter calls for a “thorough investigation” into Elena Kagan’s role in the 1996-97 partial-birth abortion debate.

President & CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest said, “A nominee to the highest court in the land must meet our nation’s absolute highest standards of integrity and impartiality. With serious outstanding questions clouding Ms. Kagan’s nomination, we are leading a united effort to ask that the Senate investigate discrepancies between her Senate testimony and the written record on partial-birth abortion before proceeding to a floor vote.”

To see the open letter, AUL Action’s 54-page report examining Kagan’s role in manipulating the medical statements of two major organizations on partial-birth abortion, and former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop’s letter urging the Senate to reject the Kagan nomination, click here.

On The Docket

New Efforts in Congress Could Help End Taxpayer-Funded Abortion

A new post at the AUL Blog looks at two proposed pieces of federal legislation that would help prohibit federal funding for elective abortions established in the health care reform bill that passed earlier this year.

The “Protect Life Act” - introduced by Congressman Joe Pitts (R-PA) - would ensure that no federal funds authorized under the health care reform law are used to pay for abortions or subsidize insurance plans that cover abortions, prevent any part of the federal government from forcing insurance plans to cover abortions, and codify strong conscience protections. Another bill, which is expected to be introduced soon by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), is even more comprehensive because it will establish a permanent government-wide prohibition on taxpayer subsidies for abortion and abortion coverage. Learn more about these important pieces of proposed legislation at the AUL Blog.

AUL Opposes New Pro-Abortion Constitution in Kenya

On August 4, Kenyans will vote in a national referendum whether or not to accept a constitution that would change Kenyan law from one that protects the right to life to one that enshrines abortion-on-demand as a constitutional right. AUL has joined pro-life leaders around the world in signing a petition declaring “our solidarity with those Kenyans who are standing up for the most vulnerable among us – the unborn child and his or her mother,” and urging a “no” vote on the proposed new constitution because of its pro-abortion provisions. Read more at the AUL Blog.

Bioethics Students Gain Legal Insights at AUL Expert’s Pro-Life Law Course

Students came from as far away as California last week to attend AUL Staff Counsel Mailee Smith’s seminar on pro-life law at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill., sponsored by the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity as a follow-up to its conference “Beyond Therapy: Exploring Enhancement and Human Futures.” The seminar, which included guest lectures by AUL Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs William Saunders, covered developments in federal and state laws on abortion, biotechnologies, and end-of-life issues.

Smith told Bench Briefs that the students asked excellent questions. “Although most of the attendees were bioethics students, and so were familiar with some of the issues we discussed, I could tell that much of the legal information was new to them.”