The 3 - May 14, 2023

This week's edition of The 3, coming on the heels of the day when we celebrate mothers, consists of three pro-life stories, including cybersecurity concerns of a pro-life group that is part of the lawsuit against a federal agency's authorization to distribute the abortion pill.  Also, a group of U.S. Senators is challenging seven pharmacy chains, warning them about illegalities involved in selling the abortion pill. And, four California churches will be receiving a financial reward of $1.4 million to pay attorneys' fees in their lawsuit against a state mandate to include abortion in their health care plans.

Another type of attack on pro-life group: cybersecurity concerns

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear the case involving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of the abortion pill later this week, and one of the plaintiffs has experienced not a physical act of vandalism, but a cyber-attack. CBN.com reported that "The pro-life American College of Pediatricians has become the target of ongoing, malicious cyberattacks after a federal judge ruled in its favor and halted the Food and Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone, a drug used in chemical abortions."

The article notes that:

The American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds) was founded by "a group of concerned physicians who saw the need for a pediatric organization that would not be influenced by the politically driven pronouncements of the day."

Dr. Jill Simons, a board-certified pediatrician, and ACPeds' executive director, told the Daily Signal, that she contacted law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, after hackers attempted to access the group's website servers, email accounts, financial accounts, and social media accounts on April 24.

Fortunately, protective software thwarted the majority of the attacks, except for a website that had been archived, which suffered damage Dr. Simons termed, "costly to recover." But, she noted, "we will not be intimidated by these illegal bullying tactics that amount to a hate crime...,: and stated, "We will continue to promote the health and well-being of children by protecting the rights of born and preborn children, promoting biological integrity, and defending conscience rights for healthcare professionals."

Senators warn drug chains about abortion pill distribution

There's more news related to the abortion pill from a group of U.S. Senators. One, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, posted on her website, that she and Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma "led colleagues in letters to seven major U.S. pharmacies that warn them of their obligations under federal and state laws, including longstanding federal laws that criminalize the mailing and interstate shipment of abortion drugs."

The website notes that "the most critical" of the letters "were sent to CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid for their intent to be certified to dispense abortion drugs." It also states, "Four additional letters were issued to Walmart, Albertsons, Costco, and Kroger encouraging them to maintain their current decisions not to seek abortion drug distribution certification."

The two afore-mentioned senators were joined by seven colleagues in the Senate, stating in the letters, “We write to express our support and agreement with 21 State Attorneys General, who have reminded you that Federal law in 18 U.S.C. 1461-1462 criminalizes nationwide using the mail, or interstate shipment by any express company or common carrier, to send or receive any drug that is ‘designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion...'" The Senators stated their disagreement with advice from the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel saying that the ban on distribution of the bill only applies to situations where abortion is illegal.

A number of pro-life organizations supported the Senators' letters. 

Churches resist CA mandate to pay for abortion in their health care plans, collect damages

In 2014, the California Department of Managed Health Care, or DMHC, issued a mandate that forced religious organizations to pay for abortion in their health care plans. The Alliance Defending Freedom website notes that according to Senior Counsel Jeremiah Galus, "For years, California officials, in collaboration with Planned Parenthood, have unconstitutionally targeted faith-based organizations."

A year after the mandate was handed down, ADF filed a lawsuit on behalf of three California Churches: Foothill Church in Glendora, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, and The Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch. The ADF website says that, "In August 2022, a federal court ruled in favor of the three plaintiff churches, concluding that the California abortion-coverage mandate was unconstitutional."

In 2016, another lawsuit was filed against the CA abortion mandate, this time on behalf of Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego. ADF notes that, "In light of the court’s ruling in the Foothill Church case, state officials conceded that the abortion-coverage mandate also violated Skyline Church’s constitutional rights and agreed to a stipulated court order."

And at the end of last week, it was announced that the churches would collectively receive $1.4 million dollars that would be used for attorneys' fees. Regarding the positive rulings for the churches, Galus said, "This is a significant victory for the churches we represent, the conscience rights of their members, and other religious organizations that shouldn’t be ordered by the government to violate some of their deepest faith convictions.”