This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
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Two Tennessee lawmakers are looking to change the state’s criminal statute to treat abortion as a homicide. This is a misguided effort to punish women who end their pregnancies in a state where abortion is almost entirely banned, and it could endanger both women seeking care for a miscarriage and the crisis pregnancy centers that have stepped in to help women with unplanned pregnancies.
The addendum to Tennessee’s HB 570 is also so poorly written as to be almost inscrutable, casting doubt on whether the two Tennessee legislators, Rep. Jody Barrett of Dickson and Rep. Mark Pody of Lebanon, even authored the bill with Tennesseans in mind. Abortion is all but banned in Tennessee under a trigger law that went into effect immediately after the Supreme Court’s landmark Dobbs ruling sent the regulation of abortion back to the states. The two almost certainly didn’t consider the needs of women or the goals of the pro-life movement at large.
So-called “abortion abolitionist” bills are not new. Earlier this year, National Right to Life joined forces with unlikely allies, the ACLU and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, to defeat a nearly identical measure in South Dakota. Support for legislation such as the Tennessee amendment has festered recently in the same recesses of social media where men debate the utility of the 19th Amendment as a means to ensure women feel the fullest extent of possible punishment for their moral transgressions.
But while this sort of terminally online version of conservative politics captures clicks and the attention of paranoid leftists, it often fails to consider the real-world implications of its policies. The 19th Amendment, of course, prohibits discrimination in voting based on sex, not specifically the female sex, meaning if it were up for true debate, women, who make up the majority of reliable American voters, could just as easily disenfranchise men. 
The “abortion abolition” bills, similarly, would directly and negatively affect the very pro-life organizations that support women facing unintended pregnancies and put pro-life organizations in the untenable position of preaching compassion to pregnant women in a land of punishment — after years of work ensuring that Tennessee protects not only the most vulnerable among us, but also the women whose lives and futures are in the balance.
The Tennessee law is so unbelievably vague that it even puts the very people pro-lifers have always sought to protect — people like me who lived through the agonizing reality of a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy — at risk of being investigated, charged, or tried if they run across an authority who is confused or even vindictive.
In December 2022, right after the Tennessee trigger law went into effect, I ended up in the emergency room in downtown Nashville. What I’d thought was a case of food poisoning turned out to be my worst nightmare: My pregnancy, which I’d been overjoyed to learn about just a few short weeks before, was ectopic. My fallopian tube was either strained or had ruptured, and I was bleeding out. The hospital called a Catholic priest to give me last rites, just in case I didn’t make it out of emergency surgery. 
I survived. My child, then just shy of 12 weeks, did not. 
It was not my choice, and it was not by any definition, even the strictest interpretation of the Catholic faith to which I fervently ascribe, an abortion. But in the months-long haze that followed, I considered the “what ifs.” The trigger law in Tennessee, written decades ago, was vague, and while I’d gotten swift and competent care, the law left open the possibility that other doctors in lower-level trauma hospitals outside of a big city or unattached to a major university might not be willing to risk what could, in some people’s minds, be an abortion procedure.
It was a rare point on which the state’s pro-life and pro-choice organizations agreed: We could not let confusion endanger women. Tennessee’s law needed to be clearer and more specific about treating an ectopic pregnancy so that no woman would be denied the care I received. In the worst weeks of my life, I worked with those organizations and the doctors who saved my life to change that language.
Tennessee’s laws now protect both the unborn — the “heartbeat”-style statute proscribes any abortion after about six weeks, once fetal heart tones are detected — and women who need life-saving care. This is a perfect scenario for someone like me, such a hardcore and consistent pro-lifer that I can make both the Left and the Right deeply uncomfortable at cocktail parties.
Enter the “abolitionists.” The provisions of the <a href="https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default?BillNumber=HB0570&amp;ga=114">new Tennessee legislation</a> don’t say the word “murder,” but they theoretically extend the definition of “homicide” to include any taking of a life from the moment of fertilization — a definition so extreme it almost sounds like satire authored by Planned Parenthood’s communications department. It strips legal protections for pregnant women who currently reside in the state and makes an assault on an unborn child the equivalent of an assault on a born-alive one.
Here’s where it gets hairy, though. The bill’s sponsors claim that the bill includes protections for a “spontaneous miscarriage” and for the “unintentional” death of a child during “life-saving procedures,” so long as an adequate effort is made to “save the life of the unborn child.” But the language comes after and in response to the redefinition of “homicide,” meaning that the two scenarios are defenses to alleged crime, not situations where a woman would be excused from scrutiny.
Homicide isn’t the same as murder; it includes intentional, reckless, and negligent killings. Under this law, a woman who goes to a hospital for a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy could end up in a file on a prosecutor’s desk, where the state’s legal department — not the woman’s medical team — would be left to determine whether care that ended the life of an unborn child was actually needed and whether adequate effort had been made to save the child’s life. In other words, they could be asked to decide what type of homicide each woman had committed and whether that homicide was justified.
The bill also allows for retroactive investigations and prosecutions. 
We already know that confusion over what interventions are legal puts women in danger of not receiving timely care, and that’s why pro-lifers were so adamant that the Tennessee law be clear. While states such as Texas that have similar laws have faced <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/josseli-barnica-death-miscarriage-texas-abortion-ban">allegations</a>, albeit mostly unsubstantiated, that abortion laws delayed or prevented adequate medical care, Tennessee has not. Given that Tennessee all but outlaws abortion, the only women likely to fall under the government’s scrutiny are women who show up to receive medical care.
The bill’s supporters claim the legislation is actually aimed at women who procure abortion medication through telehealth, but they seem to miss that most of these women, who will have abortions on Tennessee soil, will remain unknown. To curb these “loophole” abortions, abolitionist organizations could push President Donald Trump and the Department of Health and Human Services to impose stricter health and safety restrictions on drugs such as mifepristone and limit doctors’ ability to prescribe it for off-label uses.
Abolitionists, though, <a href="https://abolishabortiontx.org/abortion-is-still-legal-in-texas-even-in-2023/">have hamstrung those authentically pro-life efforts</a>, as well as efforts to get heartbeat laws passed in new states, standing in the way of any pro-life legislation that does not specifically punish women. This is not simply a side effect of their work; keeping pro-life legislation off the books is <a href="https://abolitionistsrising.com/the-antithetical-goals-of-the-abolitionist-and-pro-life-movements/">a feature for them, not a bug</a>.
These laws, quite simply, make the job of pro-lifers much harder. For years, only the Left worked against us in the legislature and the judiciary. Now, leading pro-life organizations, working to pass pro-life laws that limit access to abortion, face the opposition of abolitionists. And pro-life organizations doing the truly hard work — counseling and serving the women who are faced with unplanned pregnancies — now must publicly reckon with a movement that is everything we have, for years, adamantly denied we are not: cruel, cold, and motivated by desire to punish women.
The argument is, of course, that these women are cold-blooded killers, not victims, and should receive punishment in kind. But we know, from decades of work in the pro-life movement, that abortions are often coerced, directly and indirectly, and that mothers who find themselves considering abortion outside of coercion often have complex motivations. Life isn’t what you see on radical feminist TikTok; while some women could find joy in destruction, they are certainly not the majority. Pro-lifers have dedicated themselves to meeting women where they are — in desperation, in poverty, at critical junctions, in fear, and in danger — and to treating each woman as a human, worthy of dignity and care.
That message simply can’t coexist with a “pro-life” message that takes perverse joy in punishing women at their most vulnerable.
The law in Tennessee is unlikely to pass. But rest assured, the abolitionist movement is not dead. And pro-lifers should be prepared to defend what has made us successful: our commitment to both the unborn and the women who carry them.
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Emily Zanotti is a Catholic writer, humorist, and professional chicken tender living in Nashville, Tennessee.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Silhouette of a pregnant woman with heartbeat graph in a medical concept illustration

A Radical Abortion Push Threatens Pro-Life Progress — And Women Could Pay The Price

Abortion

Pregnant women

Tennessee

Upstream

A University of Notre Dame professor, with a long public record of supporting abortion, has stepped down from a senior leadership role at the Catholic university following weeks of pressure from students, faculty, and Catholic leaders nationwide.
Susan Ostermann, an associate professor in Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs, will no longer assume the role of director of the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, <a href="https://www.ndsmcobserver.com/article/2026/02/breaking-ostermann-declines-liu-institute-directorship-following-backlash-over-abortion-advocacy">according</a> to a February 26 email from Keough Dean Mary Gallagher. Ostermann had been slated to take the position on July 1.
Gallagher said Ostermann “decided not to move forward” with the appointment and thanked her for her “willingness to serve.” Ostermann will remain on the faculty in her prior role as associate professor.
The decision follows widespread backlash after Notre Dame announced Ostermann’s appointment in January. Critics pointed to her extensive public advocacy for abortion, including multiple articles in which she described restrictions on abortion as “violence” and rejected the claim that abortion ends human life.
The controversy quickly escalated beyond campus. Two faculty members resigned from their roles at the Liu Institute in protest, and students organized prayer events and demonstrations calling on the university to uphold its Catholic identity.
Notre Dame <a href="https://meca.nd.edu/our-catholic-mission/">describes</a> itself as an institution where “Catholic character” informs all it does, a claim critics said was incompatible with elevating an outspoken abortion advocate to a leadership role.
The news of Ostermann’s withdrawal from the leadership role was met with positive reactions from pro-life advocates, though some said it did not go far enough. Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, called the move “a good start,” but argued that Ostermann’s continued presence on the faculty remains incompatible with Notre Dame’s Catholic mission.
“It’s clear from her aggressively pro-abortion body of work, including her association with the Population Council, that she needs to be terminated,” Hawkins said in a statement obtained by The Daily Wire. “The premier Catholic school in America should not allow professors to blatantly oppose central teachings on the value of all human life, including babies in the womb. Her elevation was extremely troubling, but stepping down is not enough. She needs to go.”
Pressure intensified earlier this month when Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, whose diocese includes Notre Dame, <a href="https://diocesefwsb.org/statement-of-most-reverend-kevin-c-rhoades-on-appointment-of-new-director-of-the-liu-institute-at-the-university-of-notre-dame/">issued</a> a public statement condemning the appointment. Rhoades said he had “strong opposition” to the decision and warned it was “causing scandal to the faithful of our diocese and beyond.”
Ostermann’s “extensive public advocacy of abortion” and her “disparaging and inflammatory remarks about those who uphold the dignity of human life from the moment of conception to natural death,” Rhoades said, directly conflicted with a core principle of Notre Dame’s mission.
Catholic lay-leaders framed Ostermann’s withdrawal as a necessary step to preserve the university’s identity and credibility. Mary FioRito, a senior fellow at The Catholic Association, said the decision was a “win for consistency, clarity, and common sense” at the University of Notre Dame.
“As an explicitly Catholic university, Notre Dame owes its students and faculty truth in advertising,” FioRito said in a statement obtained by The Daily Wire, arguing that “Ostermann’s public advocacy of legal abortion would have overshadowed the good work of the Liu Center and significantly hampered its ability to form students.” FioRito also credited alumni, students, faculty, and staff who raised concerns through prayer and public advocacy, as well as Bishop Rhoades and other bishops who issued statements opposing the appointment.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I want to express my strong support for the statement that Bishop Kevin Rhoades made this morning concerning a controversial appointment at the University of Notre Dame. Please read his communication in full, for he makes the case more completely and eloquently than I could.…
— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) <a href="https://twitter.com/BishopBarron/status/2021613562842489042?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On Tuesday, Rhoades <a href="https://www.ncregister.com/cna/bishop-rhoades-leads-rosary-for-notre-dame-s-catholic-identity">joined</a> students, faculty, and staff at the university’s Marian grotto for a public rosary “for the cause of life.”
In a statement included with Gallagher’s email, Ostermann said her acceptance of the directorship was motivated solely by a desire to serve the institute’s faculty and students. She added that the ongoing controversy risked overshadowing the institute’s work and said there was “work to do at Notre Dame to build a community where a variety of voices can flourish.”
The Catholic Church teaches that human life is sacred from conception to natural death and that direct abortion is a grave moral evil. In recent remarks honoring Mother Teresa, Pope Leo XIV <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-01/pope-leo-political-innovation-hackathon-one-humanity-one-planet.html">described</a> abortion as “the greatest destroyer of peace.”
Church teaching on Catholic higher education is laid out in St. John Paul II’s apostolic constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae, which calls on Catholic universities to safeguard their identity while exercising academic freedom within the bounds of faith and reason.
Student organizers say demonstrations and prayer events will continue, framing Ostermann’s withdrawal not as an endpoint, but as evidence that sustained, faithful pressure can produce results.

University of Notre Dame Golden Dome

Pro-Abortion Professor Finally Caves To Pressure At Historic Catholic Institution

Student And Clergy Protest Leads Pro-Abortion Professor To Bow Out Of Notre Dame Director Role

Catholicism

Christianity

Christians

Notre Dame University

A new proposal seeking to crack down on the influx of abortion pills into Tennessee would treat abortion as murder under state law. 
The bill from state Rep. Jody Barrett and Senator Mark Pody <a href="https://x.com/AbolitionistFAA/status/2021945840332308900">says</a> that unborn children are entitled to equal protection under the 14th Amendment and that all laws protecting life in the state should apply to them. The bill would punish anyone involved in taking the life of an unborn child, including the person who provided the pills and the woman who took the pills with the intention of ending the life of her unborn child. 
Barrett told The Daily Wire that his legislation “extends equal protection rights to unborn children” so that the same laws in the criminal code against homicide would apply to people in the womb. 
The proposal comes as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/despite-dobbs-more-babies-are-still-being-aborted-in-the-united-states">data shows</a> that thousands of abortions have taken place in Tennessee despite a trigger law that went into effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned. In 2024, there were at least 5,870 abortions facilitated through abortion pills sent into the state in violation of laws making medication abortions illegal. 
“We don&#8217;t ban abortion, we have banned the practice of abortion by medical professionals. There is no crime in Tennessee for anyone else other than a medical professional that performs an abortion,” Barrett said. 
He believes his proposal, which would criminalize abortion for everyone involved, would help crack down on the abortion pill problem, which has so far stumped pro-life states. Many traditional pro-life groups have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/best-of-2025-inside-the-conservative-debate-on-criminalizing-abortion">voiced opposition</a> to laws that would criminalize abortion for the mother. 
Barrett says he wants to start a conversation with his proposal and that the numbers show the traditional approach has not worked. 
“My goal in presenting the bill and having it heard is for us to start having that conversation and have a deeper discussion about this topic and where our shortcomings are currently in the law that they&#8217;re preventing us from stopping this completely and ridding this practice completely from our society,” he said. 
Local media outlets have emphasized the possibility that a woman could be given the death penalty for having an abortion. Barrett noted that the death penalty has been sparingly used over the last few decades and said that it would be unlikely a woman would be sentenced to death under his proposal. A jury would still have to find a woman guilty and then unanimously agree to give her the death penalty. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/friendly-fire?utm_campaign=dwplus&amp;utm_content=20260224_sotu_aa_desktop&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=banner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Watch the State of the Union with The Daily Wire! Live coverage from the nation&#8217;s capital begins at 7:45 ET.</a>
Barrett crafted the legislation with the help of the Foundation to Abolish Abortion, a group that seeks to expand equal protection laws to the unborn.
“The equal protection legislation in Tennessee affirms this simple biblical and constitutional standard by making murdering anyone illegal for everyone,” Bradley Pierce, the group’s president, told The Daily Wire. “All image-bearers of God, whether born or preborn, must be treated by our laws as equally valuable and worthy of protection.” 
The legislation was backed by Clint Pressley, the president of the Nashville-headquartered Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. 
“Tennessee now has the opportunity to set an example of how states can protect the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death,” he <a href="https://x.com/pastorclint/status/2024555347709399522">said</a>. “I am urging the Tennessee legislature to move these bills forward this legislative session. It’s both pro-life and consistent!”
The abortion pill problem has plagued pro-life states for years, with data showing that abortions increased in 2025 from 2024. Some advocates have pinned the blame on a Biden-era Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy that allowed abortion pills to be dispensed through the mail without an in-person doctor’s visit.

Anti-Abortion Activists Protest Against Abortion Pill Sales At Pharmacies

Tennessee Bill Would Classify Abortion As Murder

Abortion Would Be Treated As Murder Under Tennessee Bill

Abortion drugs

Nashville

Welcome to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
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Pro-abortion advocates speak often about women’s health and “rights.” At the darkest moment of my life, however, they offered me nothing more than a pill and the lie that my impending abortion would be “just like having a period.” Years later, after grieving my lost child and overcoming the trauma of abortion, I am appalled that activists market abortion drugs as “<a href="https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/abortion/the-abortion-pill/how-safe-is-the-abortion-pill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">safe</a>,” and “<a href="https://www.reproductiveaccess.org/2022/03/safe-effective-empowering-self-managed-abortion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">empowering</a>.” I am also shocked that these drugs are available via mail order, which leaves women to suffer alone or to experience forced abortions at the hands of abusers.
My experience with abortion drugs opened my eyes to the fact that they endanger women’s health, safety, and happiness. Truly empowering women means ensuring that they are fully informed before they decide about something that could negatively change their lives.
In 2018, I discovered I was unexpectedly pregnant. I already had a son and was not yet married to my then-boyfriend, Lane. Lane thought abortion was our only option. Fearing I could lose the first good relationship I’d been in, I decided to pursue abortion to appease him. Lane and I ventured to Planned Parenthood, where we rejected the offer to see our baby on the ultrasound screen.
The nurse seemed to realize my discomfort and suggested that I take a few weeks to think through the decision since I was still so early in my pregnancy. Secretly hoping Lane would change his mind, I agreed to take the time. Yet after two weeks passed, Lane was still sure abortion was our only choice.
Leading up to the abortion, I was terrified. I shook uncontrollably and had an awful feeling about what it entailed. When we arrived at Planned Parenthood, staff told me that I could take the chemical abortion pill, that it would just be like a heavy period, and that everything would be fine. They did not warn me about any long-term physical or emotional effects.
I should have listened to my gut — especially after hearing the grief of the couple in the hospital room next to Lane and me, where another young woman sobbed while her partner told her it was the only choice they had. My heart breaks for her to this day.
When the doctor arrived to check in on Lane and me, I asked him again if he was sure this was what we wanted to do. Rather than seeing that I was feeling pressured into this major decision, the doctor expressed annoyance while telling me to take it or leave it.
I took it.
Afterward, I went to the pharmacy to pick up the next set of pills. I’ll never forget the pharmacist’s face — his unmistakably sad expression and our mutual knowledge that he could not interfere with what I was about to do.
When I got home, I became drowsy and kept waking up to intense and extremely painful cramps. Because I’d had a baby before, I realized with shock that my body was not just having a “normal period,” but that the pills I’d naively swallowed were preparing my body for labor. After intense pain and bleeding, I ran to the bathroom. I felt something pass. There, in the toilet, was my baby.
I was in a state of shock. Nobody had prepared me for any of this. I didn’t know what to do, so I simply cleaned myself up and got back in bed. The next week, shock turned to extreme grief. The next month, I felt guilt. Then followed years of mingled guilt, grief, and suffering. At times, I felt like I had genuinely lost my mind — an emotional reaction I have since learned was due to my abortion. In all that time, Planned Parenthood never once reached out to check on me and Lane.
Lane and I slowly picked up the pieces of our relationship and lives and tried to heal. We both struggled to forgive ourselves. Through God’s grace and forgiveness, however, we were more vulnerable with each other and began rediscovering our faith. Through prayer and communication, Lane and I slowly learned that what we thought would be forever was just a temporary suffering that opened our eyes to the horrors of abortion drugs.
Today, we hope to turn the tragedy of our story into hope for others who might be struggling. To those who may find themselves in our shoes, I encourage you to trust your gut and to make sure you are fully informed before agreeing to a permanent decision that could leave you with painful scars while robbing you of your unborn child. I urge any woman to look at the ultrasound before making a permanent decision. We wish with our whole hearts that we would have.
I hope you also know that you don’t have to grieve or undergo this suffering alone. Across the country, a network of nearly 3,000 pregnancy resource centers strives daily to meet the material, financial, emotional, and even professional or educational needs of women and children in need. These organizations provide <a id="m_-1227438176112384738m_1183941747262835175OWA096ace12-89ba-23df-8f05-764a436af953" href="https://lozierinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/A-Legacy-of-Life-Love-2025-Rising-to-the-Occasion-with-Unwavering-Care.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lozierinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/A-Legacy-of-Life-Love-2025-Rising-to-the-Occasion-with-Unwavering-Care.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1771510971851000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0dQPvCJRrwHiKq9PG7Nkjk">hundreds of millions of dollars&#8217;</a> worth of lifesaving support that offers women alternatives to abortions they do not need and <a id="m_-1227438176112384738m_1183941747262835175OWAc08e866a-5733-03dd-3f32-95cc4af1a55a" href="https://lozierinstitute.org/hidden-epidemic-nearly-70-of-abortions-are-coerced-unwanted-or-inconsistent-with-womens-preferences/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lozierinstitute.org/hidden-epidemic-nearly-70-of-abortions-are-coerced-unwanted-or-inconsistent-with-womens-preferences/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1771510971851000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3SA5iv4OiArGttgO1_7gdq">often do not want</a>.
Not only that, but they exist to offer hope and healing to women who have experienced abortion, like me. And unlike those pushing abortion drugs without informed consent, these wonderful people will do everything they can to make you feel known, supported, and loved.
***
McKenzie Kaupa-Thiesse is a wife, mother, and fighter for the unborn.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Ultrasound of a pregnant woman and pills medication

They Said Abortion Was The Only Option — Here’s What They Left Out

Abortion Drug

Pregnancy

Women

The following is an edited transcript excerpt from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1916-they-just-made-elmo-muslim?elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">The Michael Knowles Show</a>.
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A woman who presents herself as a “priestess” — a role that does not exist in Christianity — just went viral. This priestess puts on a collar and a stole and pretends to be a priest. And to make the whole presentation even more satanic, she includes the Planned Parenthood logo on the priestly stole.
Here is her defense of the Left&#8217;s highest sacrament, abortion:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Headline: RELIGION MEETS PLANNED PARENTHOOD
A female pastor is sparking a firestorm after claiming she &#8220;felt God’s presence&#8221; while deciding to end two pregnancies—all while wearing a Planned Parenthood stole at the pulpit <a href="https://t.co/sUvgk7HIRz">pic.twitter.com/sUvgk7HIRz</a>
— BuzzBrief (@_BuzzBrief__) <a href="https://twitter.com/_BuzzBrief__/status/2023078105242640722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Credit: @_BuzzBrief_X.com &amp; @OilLondonTV/X.com
<blockquote>In the abortion imaginary, all people of faith are against abortion. This imaginary has colonized our minds, traumatizing many people with its toxic theology and shaping a culture of stigma and shame that has silenced millions of women and people who have had abortions, erasing their voices, their stories, and their witness from the public sphere. As a child of God, I can certainly appreciate the lyrical beauty of this text, as well as the descriptions in Jeremiah and Job of their certain knowledge that God was with them in the womb. I too feel that I am known by God in these ways. As a woman who has borne two children, I can affirm that I felt something sacred happening in my gestating body during those pregnancies. I can also attest that I felt God&#8217;s presence with me as I made the decision to end two pregnancies, and I felt no guilt, no shame, no sin.</blockquote>
Okay, this is horrifying. 
But you have to give this murderous woman, this truly sacrilegious heretic, some credit for honesty. She is openly acknowledging something that most pro-abortion Christians will not: something sacred was going on in my womb when that baby was being knit there. 
She goes on to basically say, Jeremiah and Job describe being knit in the womb. And yeah, that&#8217;s all real. I totally grant that. And I felt it. I personally know it&#8217;s real — but I chose to kill my kids and I felt that that was cool too.
So, of course, the difference between real Christianity and a lot of pagan cults is that Christianity is a definitive religion. Our Lord is a real person who lives in real time and space and picks real people to build his Church with and upon, like Saint Peter, to whom he gave the keys to the kingdom of heaven and the power to bind and to loose. It is a religion that has real, visible authority in the world throughout history.
During that history, our Lord says, I will send the helper, I will send the Holy Spirit to you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of the age, because our Lord is the bridegroom and the Church is the bride. It is a real, definitive religion.
We can definitively say Christianity outlaws abortion.
We can definitively say Christianity has a real view of marriage, and it doesn&#8217;t change.
We can really say all of that.
And this woman kind of admits that, which is why you have to give her points for honesty. She says there was a divine thing happening when babies were being created in her womb. But she killed them anyway because her autonomy trumped even the spark of the divine. In other words, her autonomy trumps even God himself.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1916-they-just-made-elmo-muslim?elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel">WATCH: The Michael Knowles Show on DailyWire+</a></h3>
And it&#8217;s nuts when you hear it that way from a forthright liberal woman. But that is the premise of liberalism today — nothing is more important than my autonomy. I will make of myself the highest god.
We saw this in the Biden administration. Joe Biden believed he could be a liberal and a Christian, he was happy to do it. He called himself the most devout Catholic in the world. However, when his liberalism conflicted with his Christianity, he always chose liberalism.
And this is what liberalism tells us to do. We can believe a wide number of things. We can engage in a wide number of behaviors. We can even join many political parties. But the highest good is my autonomy. I&#8217;m really number one. I will make a god of myself. It&#8217;s a fulfillment of what the serpent promises to our first ancestors in the garden: “You will be like gods.”
You don&#8217;t have to listen to him.
And that&#8217;s what this woman is saying. It&#8217;s all the more shocking because she admits: Jeremiah and Job talk about the divine spark in the womb. I felt it too — and I killed them.
Press them on that.
Press the Democrats and the liberals on that: If you&#8217;re a Christian, what happens when Christianity contradicts your liberalism? Which side do you pick?

MixCollage-20-Feb-2026-05-00-PM-2889

WATCH: Liberal ‘Priestess’ Gives Viral Sermon On Abortion

WATCH: Liberal 'Priestess' Gives Viral Sermon On Abortion

Catholic Church

Church

Leftists

Michael Knowles

Planned Parenthood

Large majorities of Republican primary voters want the Trump administration to crack down on the distribution of the abortion pill by mail and say they would be less enthusiastic to vote in the midterm elections if GOP leaders shy away from pro-life policies, according to new polling. 
Over 70% of GOP primary voters oppose a Biden-era policy that allowed the abortion pill mifepristone to be shipped through the mail without any in-person doctor visit, according to <a href="https://sbaprolife.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/SBA_National_Memo_Final.pdf">polling</a> conducted by Cygnal. That included 77% of self-identified Trump voters and 76% of voters who said they supported the Make America Healthy Again movement. The polling surveyed 1,000 GOP primary voters across the country from February 8-10. 
The polling comes after lawmakers like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/serious-crisis-hawley-says-congress-must-act-to-combat-rising-abortion-rates?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Serious+Crisis%E2%80%99%3A+Hawley+Says+Congress+Must+Act+To+Combat+Rising+Abortion+Rates">Senator Josh Hawley</a> (R-MO) and pro-life groups have called for the Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration to end the Biden-era provision that has allowed abortion drugs to flood into red states where medication abortions are technically illegal. 
Mifepristone cuts off the nutrients that an unborn child needs to survive in the womb. Another drug is then taken to expel the deceased baby from the mother. 
Pro-life advocates say that failure to act could cause a lack of enthusiasm from pro-life voters, who constitute a significant portion of the GOP base. 
“The failure to rein in abortion drugs risks base enthusiasm this November,” said Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser during a Thursday press call attended by The Daily Wire, discussing the polling. “You cannot win without your base. You can&#8217;t bring together that handful of votes in battlegrounds that are required. The abortion drug problem is an electoral problem in addition to a moral problem in our nation, and it&#8217;s caused by the lack of leadership at HHS.”
Nearly a third (32%) of GOP primary voters said they would have decreased enthusiasm to vote in the midterm elections if Republican leaders weakened their stance on the issue of life. Another 34% said they would be less likely to volunteer and help out with campaigns. 
Cygnal pollster John Rogers said that a drop in enthusiasm could have a “dramatic effect across the board” in key midterm elections. 
When asked about the polling, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales highlighted pro-life policies enacted by President Donald Trump.
“President Trump is the most pro-life and pro-family President in history. Thanks to the President’s appointments to the United States Supreme Court, Roe v. Wade was correctly overturned – a triumphant victory for life,&#8221; she told The Daily Wire. &#8220;The President has also enforced the Hyde Amendment and reinstated the Mexico City Policy to end taxpayer-funded abortion at home and abroad, expanded child tax credits, created Trump Accounts, and established a rigorous, Gold Standard Science safety review of mifepristone by the FDA.&#8221;
Wales added that the Trump administration would continue to pursue pro-life policies.
&#8220;President Trump and his entire administration will continue to boldly advance policies that protect the most vulnerable among us and promote the growth and success of America’s families,&#8221; she said. 
Both FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-lifers-demand-answers-from-trump-admin-after-shocking-abortion-pill-approval">said</a> that they are conducting a study on the abortion pill, but lawmakers and advocates have grown impatient. In September, the FDA shocked pro-life advocates by approving another generic brand of mifepristone. 
The Cygnal polling found that 80% of primary voters wanted the FDA to require in-person doctor visits to get the abortion pill, and another 72% oppose approving generic forms of mifepristone before the completion of a safety study. Sixty-five percent disapproved of HHS’s handling of the abortion issue. 
Despite the overturning of Roe, abortions across the country have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/despite-dobbs-more-babies-are-still-being-aborted-in-the-united-states">increased</a>, fueled in large part by mail-order abortions. Data shows that there have been tens of thousands of abortions in states like Texas and Louisiana, where medication abortions are banned. 
“Pro-life protections passed at the state level are being completely undermined, stealing sovereignty away from pro-life states who have passed strong pro-life protections,” Dannenfelser said Thursday.
Last week, Hawley told The Daily Wire after a phone call with Makary that he thought it was time for Congress to take action.
“I think Congress needs to be involved. Congress shouldn’t be a spectator and just outsource this to other people,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I think it’s time for Congress to get involved.&#8221;

March for Life 2026

Republican Voters Want Action On Mail-Order Abortion Pill As Midterms Loom

Department of Health and Human Services

Josh Hawley

Pro-Life Movement

After a closed-door hearing this week with Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary, Senator Josh Hawley told The Daily Wire that Congress must take action against rising abortion rates largely fueled by the abortion drug mifepristone. 
Hawley and other senators on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee met with Makary on Tuesday for a private briefing on mifepristone. The briefing focused on the FDA’s handling of mifepristone and an ongoing study of the drug&#8217;s safety. 
Both Makary and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. committed to conducting the study last year, but Republican lawmakers have grown impatient. 
“I think we&#8217;re at a dead end on this process with the safety review. I just don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s going anywhere, and I think the fact that 70% of abortions in this country now are done with the chemical abortion drug, there are more abortions in America now than there were when Roe was still the law of the land just a few years ago,” Hawley told The Daily Wire. “We have a serious, serious crisis around the chemical abortion drug, and we&#8217;ve got to do something about it.”
Data released in December by the pro-abortion Society of Family Planning <a href="https://societyfp.org/research/wecount/wecount-june-2025-data/">revealed</a> that the number of monthly abortions continued to increase in 2025 from 2024, which was itself an increase from 2023. Many of the pills have been sent through the mail to states where medication abortions are technically illegal. 
Hawley said he has not heard back from the FDA on any of the letters sent on the abortion pill and said he didn’t receive any new information on Wednesday. He said there was no “sense of urgency” to take any action.
“I think this study is just a dead end,” he said. “I think Congress needs to act.”
Hawley said he was still contemplating what the action might look like, but any pro-life proposal would face an uphill battle in the Senate. 
“I think Congress needs to be involved. Congress shouldn&#8217;t be a spectator and just outsource this to other people. I think it&#8217;s time for Congress to get involved,” he said. 
At a minimum, Hawley says the FDA should reverse a Biden-era decision that allowed mifepristone to be shipped through the mail without an in-person doctor visit. Pro-life advocates say that the policy effectively nullifies the laws of states that have cracked down on abortion pills. 
When reached for comment, the FDA pointed The Daily Wire to a <a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/questions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation">Q&amp;A page</a> on mifepristone.

Telecommunications Executives Testify In Senate Hearing Examining Arctic Frost Investigation

‘Serious Crisis’: Hawley Says Congress Must Act To Combat Rising Abortion Rates

As the University of Notre Dame faces concerns of false advertising, it may be time for Catholic students and tuition-paying parents to ask themselves if they can get a discount on the <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://financialaid.nd.edu/costs-and-affordability/*:*:text=Table_title:*20Average*20Cost*20of*20Attendance*20for*202025*2D2026,Item:*20Personal*20Expenses*20*7C*20Cost:*20$1*2C200*20*7C__;I34lJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!xeeyTqD64ZFzG_RrEs6Yd0Qaau2zcy6SUEERwZ4F45ZWTmEYrJm7W1nCOGIuVsLO4nor7TKURdD2VfAPiiLS$">$90,000</a> per year price tag. While the school&#8217;s website <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.nd.edu/faith/__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!xeeyTqD64ZFzG_RrEs6Yd0Qaau2zcy6SUEERwZ4F45ZWTmEYrJm7W1nCOGIuVsLO4nor7TKURdD2VTuaGZjq$">reads,</a> “Notre Dame’s Catholic character informs all it does,” the recent promotion of a pro-abortion professor leaves that statement in doubt.
It’s hard to see how that Catholic character led the school to appoint an outspoken abortion activist to a leadership role. Either the Holy Father, church tradition, and the Bible are all mistaken, and the Catholic faith can in fact coexist with abortion, or Notre Dame is seriously misinformed as to what being Catholic actually means.
Susan Ostermann, the abortion proponent in question, was employed at the university for almost nine years as a professor before the school announced her appointment as the new director of the Keough School of Global Affairs’ Liu Institute of Asia and Asian Studies.
During her tenure, Ostermann used her platform to author and coauthor multiple articles on abortion.
“Forced pregnancy and childbirth is violence,” wrote Ostermann for <a href="https://www.salon.com/2022/05/04/forced-pregnancy-and-childbirth-are-violence-against-women-and-also-terrible-health-policy/">Salon.com</a>. “It is sexual abuse. It is trauma.”
“When the state supports forced pregnancy and childbirth, it is complicit in this violence,” she continues.
Attempts to outlaw abortion “have their roots in white supremacy and racism,” Ostermann explains in <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Fwww.salon.com*2F2022*2F07*2F19*2Fabortion-and-guns-how-supremacy-unites-the-right*2F&amp;data=05*7C02*7Ckhamrick*40studentsforlife.org*7C0cf1d02750f443d94e9c08de629fea78*7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a*7C0*7C0*7C639056636131764390*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ*3D*3D*7C0*7C*7C*7C&amp;sdata=TXL*2BrMPjzahb5dpgLcERcEvPkBHoMtHjKg4bomIhPNY*3D&amp;reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!xeeyTqD64ZFzG_RrEs6Yd0Qaau2zcy6SUEERwZ4F45ZWTmEYrJm7W1nCOGIuVsLO4nor7TKURdD2VSkEFO79$">another article</a> titled, “Abortion, racism, and guns: How white supremacy unites the right.”
Of course, almost all of the claims in Ostermann’s articles are false. It was the early pro-abortion movement, not the pro-life movement, that stemmed from racism and promoted eugenics. Nor, as Ostermann implies in her other article, are a large portion of pregnancies (or abortions) the result of rape.
But even setting aside the accuracy of Ostermann’s claims, her articles highlight a much deeper issue: a lack of belief in the sanctity of life. It’s impossible to believe that life is sacred while also believing that protecting preborn lives is “violence.”
Most would have expected better of Notre Dame. Recently, the top-ranked school did get a “B” in <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.instituteforprolifeadvancement.org/christian-schools-tied-to-big-abortion-2025-research-results/__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!xeeyTqD64ZFzG_RrEs6Yd0Qaau2zcy6SUEERwZ4F45ZWTmEYrJm7W1nCOGIuVsLO4nor7TKURdD2VbVu2X9l$">Students for Life’s Christian Schools</a> report that looked at 725 Christian colleges and universities claiming to be faith-based (excluding denominations that support abortion).
We found that fully 114 self-proclaimed Christian colleges have ties to abortion. That’s 114 schools directly violating the faith they proclaim. In Notre Dame’s case, their Gender Studies Program (and that’s a red flag) held an event “<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://genderstudies.nd.edu/events-and-news/events/2023/03/20/trans-care-abortion-care-intersections-and-questions/__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!xeeyTqD64ZFzG_RrEs6Yd0Qaau2zcy6SUEERwZ4F45ZWTmEYrJm7W1nCOGIuVsLO4nor7TKURdD2Vcm379w-$">Trans Care &amp; Abortion Care”</a> featuring outspoken abortion advocates. That makes two major strikes against the school, apparently masquerading as a mentor of future Catholic leaders.
The most fundamental Christian principle is the sanctity of life. God created humans in his image, bestowing upon them inherent worth and value starting at the point of conception. Through that creation, humans derive, or are “endowed by their Creator with,” certain rights — including, for example, the right to life.
Abortion directly contradicts that principle, painting life as something meaningless to be destroyed at the convenience of another. In fact, <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://catholicvote.org/pope-tells-political-conference-attendees-greatest-destroyer-peace-abortion/__;!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!xeeyTqD64ZFzG_RrEs6Yd0Qaau2zcy6SUEERwZ4F45ZWTmEYrJm7W1nCOGIuVsLO4nor7TKURdD2VWoA4mIk$">Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to Mother Teresa</a> recently by noting that “the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion.”
By appointing Ostermann, Notre Dame has established — in its leadership, no less — someone who stands against everything it proclaims to believe.
In one of Ostermann’s articles, she writes, “When we stand by… we are complicit as well.” She was referring to states “forcing unwanted pregnancies” by restricting abortion. Ironically, her words ring true for Christians. If we stand silent while “Christian” institutions betray the Savior they confess by supporting the murder of infants in the name of compassion and love, then we are complicit.
What must happen instead?
For students, parents, and donors, the path forward is clear: Pressure Christian schools to either cut ties to abortion or stop falsely claiming Christ.
For other Christians, speaking out can take different forms — volunteering at a pro-life pregnancy center, supporting a pregnant community member and enabling her to choose life, or even taking to a public platform to proclaim the truth that abortion is murder.
For a self-proclaimed Catholic university — one that describes its actions as motivated by its faith — to appoint such a person to a leadership role exposes, at best, a lack of wisdom and, at worst, complete and utter moral decay.
This is a good time to pray a Hail Mary, to pray for us sinners, and those leading the schools where we send the next generation of leaders, that they be taught to uphold the faith and not to ignore it.
* * *
Kristan Hawkins is president of Students for Life of America and Students for Life Action, with more than 1,600 groups on middle and high school, college and university, medical and law school campuses in all 50 states. Follow her <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Ftwitter.com*2Fkristanhawkins*3Flang*3Den&amp;data=05*7C02*7Ckhamrick*40studentsforlife.org*7C27bf81b427ed4d25627b08de543f97de*7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a*7C0*7C0*7C639040829270781521*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ*3D*3D*7C0*7C*7C*7C&amp;sdata=C7ZzuOMy7XZf3hb*2BILic3mUgaqZuQh6MDnb0058Hz9Q*3D&amp;reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!xeeyTqD64ZFzG_RrEs6Yd0Qaau2zcy6SUEERwZ4F45ZWTmEYrJm7W1nCOGIuVsLO4nor7TKURdD2VYCUQYHT$">@KristanHawkins</a> or subscribe to her podcast, <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Fkristanhawkins.com*2Fpodcast*2F&amp;data=05*7C02*7Ckhamrick*40studentsforlife.org*7C27bf81b427ed4d25627b08de543f97de*7Cb3f92ab929b141449c57d11e0e7a368a*7C0*7C0*7C639040829270800277*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ*3D*3D*7C0*7C*7C*7C&amp;sdata=b*2FEcs9UMK8btQOVIQRZOYfijz83AGjLJGPSCY9iS12M*3D&amp;reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSU!!PxibshUo2Yr_Ta5B!xeeyTqD64ZFzG_RrEs6Yd0Qaau2zcy6SUEERwZ4F45ZWTmEYrJm7W1nCOGIuVsLO4nor7TKURdD2VZIKwc82$">The Kristan Hawkins Show.</a>
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Notre Dame in Winter

Notre Dame Touts Faith But Elevates Abortion Advocate

American Universities

Catholic

catholic university

Pro-Abortion

Professors

The Justice Department said Tuesday that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations allowing the abortion pill mifepristone to be shipped through the mail do not infringe on a state’s ability to protect the unborn.
The position was taken in a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952/gov.uscourts.lawd.213952.51.0_1.pdf">court filing</a> asking a judge not to grant a request from Louisiana to block the current regulations that allow mifepristone to be sent through the mail. The filing said that the FDA was currently reviewing the safety standards for mifepristone, and a ruling blocking the current standard could be “disruptive.” 
“Louisiana suffers no sovereign injury because it remains free to make and enforce its pro-life policies after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org,” the Justice Department said. “Nor are Defendants standing in the way of Louisiana enforcing its abortion laws against out-of- state prescribers of mifepristone.”
Louisiana and a woman named Rosalie Markezich sued the FDA last November, seeking to have a judge suspend the FDA’s current Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy standards for mifepristone. Markezich says she was coerced into taking abortion pills illegally ordered and sent into Louisiana by her ex-boyfriend. 
A White House official told The Daily Wire that nothing in the filing should be construed as the White House “defending&#8221; former President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration&#8217;s abortion drug policies.
“We’ve been very clear we have issues with that as well,” the White House official noted, saying that the Trump administration has raised issues with mifepristone, which is why it was conducting a study into mifepristone. 
“Legally speaking, it’s a question of standing,” the official said. “All we are really saying with this filing is, let’s not short-circuit this process, and let the agency, that is doing what a lot of the pro-life groups want, let them do what they’ve been tasked to do, and let that process play out.” 
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-a-leftist-network-of-websites-floods-red-states-with-abortion-pills-with-no-consequences-2">previously reported</a>, leftist activists have been shipping abortion pills into states all across the country, even in red states like Louisiana, where medication abortions are technically illegal. This mailing of abortion pills, which was greenlit by the Biden administration as a COVID measure, has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/despite-dobbs-more-babies-are-still-being-aborted-in-the-united-states">fueled an increase</a> in abortions across the country after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court. 
Shield laws passed in states like California and New York have been enacted, preventing Republican attorneys general from being able to prosecute the doctors sending abortion pills into their states. States like Louisiana say the FDA regulations give pro-abortion doctors the cover to ship the pills. 
Both FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have said that they are conducting a study on the abortion pill, but pro-life advocates and lawmakers have demanded quicker action. 
“Given this widespread debate over the safety of mifepristone, FDA has concluded that the best path forward is for the agency to reconsider the restrictions on mifepristone based on all the evidence before the agency,” the Justice Department said on Tuesday. “As noted above, that evidence will include FDA’s own study.”
The department also said that a ruling by a judge to block the current mifepristone regulations would “threaten to short circuit the agency’s orderly review and study of the safety risks of mifepristone by asking this Court for an immediate stay of the 2023 REMS Modification approved three years ago.”
When reached for comment, the Justice Department said that it was committed to President Donald Trump&#8217;s pro-life agenda.
“This Department of Justice remains committed to advancing President Trump’s pro-life agenda, including through dismissing criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits against peaceful pro-life advocates targeted by the previous administration, and using the FACE Act to protect pro-life pregnancy centers,&#8221; a spokesman told The Daily Wire. &#8220;In this filing, the Department of Justice simply requested more time from the court for the FDA to complete its review of mifepristone REMS. As the Supreme Court recognized in a unanimous ruling less than two years ago, it is the role of the FDA – not the federal courts – to evaluate drug safety data and impose appropriate precautions.”
The department asserted that neither Louisiana nor Markezich was facing any immediate harm from the current regulations. The Alliance Defending Freedom, which is defending Markezich, disagreed. 
“Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, the Biden-era abortion-by-mail scheme has allowed thousands of abortion drugs to flow into Louisiana each year. We&#8217;re calling on the FDA to put a stop to it,” ADF wrote on X. “Yesterday, they submitted their reply brief in our lawsuit, Louisiana v. FDA. With [Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill] we’re asking the Court to end illegal mail-order abortions now. They agree that Biden’s scheme is unlawful, but they want to spend another year or more conducting a study. Justice delayed is justice denied. Stand with Rosalie and the State of Louisiana.”
Murrill <a href="https://x.com/AGLizMurrill/status/2016566792412365188">said</a> that the filing shows that the FDA admits the current regulations are “flawed but claims that Louisiana can’t sue to stop the 1,000 dangerous abortions a month in Louisiana that the REMS allows. That is an affront to our sovereignty and the dignity of women and the unborn. FDA should stand with us for life, not with [Gavin Newsom] and [Kathy Hochul].”
The filing was also criticized by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which has called for Makary’s ousting over his handling of the abortion pill study. 
“Today’s denial of justice by the DOJ is completely unacceptable. It slams the door on women like Rosalie Markezich and their babies, who are suffering very real harm as the Trump-Vance administration refuses to reimplement basic guardrails on deadly mail-order abortion drugs,” said SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Abortion drugs accessible by mail are killing more Americans than fentanyl, cocaine or heroin combined.”
The FDA told The Daily Wire that it does not comment on pending litigation as a matter of policy.

HHS Secretary RFK Jr. Holds Press Conference On Protecting Children From Harmful Medical Interventions

FDA Claims Mail-Order Abortion Policies Are Not Preventing States From Protecting The Unborn

FDA Says Mail-Order Abortion Policies Not Preventing States From Protecting The Unborn

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Department of Justice

Louisiana

In 2026, Britain will hit three grim milestones.
First, it will see the number of deaths <a href="https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/resolution-foundation-deaths-births-economy-b2894591.html">exceed</a> the number of births for the first time in modern history.
Second, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/01/15/abortions-at-record-high-in-over-35s-because-babies-are-too/">a third</a> of the babies conceived will be aborted.
Third, the number of migrants in its population (10.9 million) will roughly equate to the total number of children aborted (10.7 million) since the procedure became legalized in 1968.
In other words, by ending unborn lives on an industrial scale, the native British population has created a demographic vacuum it now plugs with immigration, and in doing so, has brought itself to the brink of quiet obliteration.
For Brits, the question of abortion is no longer only an ethical one. A nation that does not reproduce itself must import its future. That is not a moral judgment on immigrants, but a mathematical reality. A critical shortage of young people means a critical shortage of recruits for the armed forces, workers in critical industries, and taxpayers to fund defense, healthcare, pensions, and other social services.
If it cannot “grow our own” workforce, it must import one from elsewhere.
Of course, relying on mass immigration to plug a demographic hole of our own making is not a neutral solution. It carries serious national security implications. As has been clear in recent years, weak, strained border controls, over-used and under pressure, give way to criminal gangs, swept in undetected alongside the key workers we need.
Yet while Right-wing politicians fall over themselves to condemn mass migration, hardly anyone in Westminster will risk breathing a word about the abortion crisis that has brought our nation to the point of requiring large-scale human importation. Meanwhile, Members of Parliament <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/world/europe/uk-abortion-law.html">recently voted</a> to exacerbate abortion culture by decriminalizing the procedure up to birth.
Britain is a prime example of why the abortion debate, though emotive and divisive, is worth having. Though some Americans may roll their eyes at the March for Life or the pro-life rhetoric being championed by Republicans, they’d do well to look overseas at a nation which has let abortion destroy them. 
The consequences of abortion, of course, are not only macro-economic. The loss of life alone is devastating, in the case of every child. Broadly, our collective failure to focus on family has left Brits lonelier and more depressed than ever. And as for those women who have undergone an abortion, physical complications, mental health struggles, and silent grief ripple through our healthcare system and society. &#8220;Pro-choice&#8221; psychology professor David Fergusson <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23553240/">published evidence</a> that women who have abortions are significantly more likely to suffer from anxiety, suicidal ideation, and drug and alcohol abuse. Pretending this is a “cost-free” procedure helps no-one.
What makes Britain’s situation especially tragic is that it was avoidable. Marriage &#8211; one of the greatest proximate predictors for adults to have children &#8211; is punished by the UK tax system, discouraging family formation and making it harder to depend on one salary. In the workplace, motherhood is treated as a liability. Poor maternity leave provision and the constant push of government-sponsored “free childcare” pushes women who do have kids back into taxable desk jobs, rather than encouraging them to invest in time at home with their children. All the while, the culture champions the idea that babies are inconvenient competitors to the luxuries of modern life. Abortion is the far cheaper, easier policy option in many ways. But in the long-term, it leads to a nation collapsing from within.
This is why abortion is no longer just a moral issue, but one of national survival. A society cannot abort a third of its future generation and expect to remain intact. Britain is not simply declining, but aborting itself out of existence. America should take note, and continue to fight for a culture supportive of bringing babies into the world. Once a culture decides children are optional, the future becomes optional too.
* * *
Lois McLatchie Miller (@LoisMcLatch) is a writer and commentator from Great Britain.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

British flag burning

Britain Is Aborting Itself To Death

Children

England

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In a video address to thousands of pro-life advocates gathered at the nation&#8217;s Capitol on Friday for the 53rd annual March for Life, President Donald Trump said his administration was bringing back faith in America.
Trump, who spoke at the March for Life back in 2020, submitted a taped message for march attendees this year that highlighted his appointment of Supreme Court judges who overturned Roe v. Wade and his push to end taxpayer funding for abortion. The president also noted his support for religious liberty protections and bringing faith back into the public square.
“Now, the work to rebuild a culture that supports life continues in every state, every community, and every part of our beautiful land,” Trump told attendees. “This is a battle that must be fought, must be won, not only in the corridors of power, but above all, in the hearts and souls of the people. That is why under the Trump administration, we&#8217;re strongly defending religious liberty. We&#8217;re bringing back faith in America. We&#8217;re bringing back God.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump to the March for Life: &#8220;For 53 years, students, families, patriots and believers have come to Washington from every corner of the country to defend the infinite worth and God-given dignity of every human life &#8230; this is a battle that must be fought, must be won,… <a href="https://t.co/EAk4idSVWI">pic.twitter.com/EAk4idSVWI</a>
— March for Life (@March_for_Life) <a href="https://twitter.com/March_for_Life/status/2014749790987239858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Trump&#8217;s address comes as his administration has faced some criticism over its handling of abortion pill regulations and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-republicans-should-be-flexible-on-rule-that-bars-taxpayer-funded-abortions">comments</a> the president made on Republicans being flexible with the Hyde Amendment, a provision that bans taxpayer funding of abortion. In his speech and in a White House proclamation issued on Friday, Trump promised to continue fighting for &#8220;the eternal truth that every child is a gift from God.&#8221;
After Trump’s message played, Vice President JD Vance spoke to the crowd, highlighting multiple major pro-life policy announcements the administration rolled out this week.
“Building a culture of life requires persuasion, and that&#8217;s what&#8217;s so different about this moment compared to the moment that was dominated by the Supreme Court for 50 years,” Vance said. “We&#8217;re not trying to argue to the Supreme Court anymore. We are trying to argue to our fellow citizens, and we must build up that culture of life.”
Vance said that changing the culture would take a lot of time, energy, and money. He also said it would mean embracing policies that make it easier for Americans to have families.
In the lead-up to the march, the Trump administration announced multiple major pro-life policies including expanding the Mexico City policy to cut off funding for non-governmental groups that fund abortion, launching a review of whether Planned Parenthood illegally took tens of millions in COVID loans, ending funding for fetal tissue research, and taking action to protect the rights of medical professionals in Illinois to not refer for abortions.
The vice president also addressed criticism from some pro-life groups about the administration’s actions on the issue of abortion.
“I must address an elephant in the room,” Vance said, which he described as “a fear that some of you have that not enough progress has been made, that not enough has happened in the political arena, that we&#8217;re not going fast enough, that our politics have failed to answer the clarion call to life.&#8221;
Vance said that despite “debates within this movement,” there would be “open conversations about how best to use our political system to advance life, how prudential we must be in the cause of advancing human life.”
In recent months, some pro-life advocates have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-senate-to-zero-in-on-exposing-the-dangers-of-the-abortion-pill?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=37&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=EXCLUSIVE%3A+Senate+To+Zero+In+On+‘Exposing+The+Dangers’+Of+The+Abortion+Pill">criticized</a> the Trump administration for keeping in place Biden-era Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations that allow for the abortion drug mifepristone to be shipped through the mail. This policy has allowed thousands of pills to be shipped into states where medication abortions are technically illegal. The FDA has promised to conduct a safety study of the drug and review its approval.

March For Life 2026 Event In Washington DC

Trump At March For Life: ‘We’re Bringing Back Faith In America’

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In the post-Roe landscape, pro-life advocates can now effectively work to impose tough restrictions on abortions in states across the nation – but it’s not enough. And that has everything to do with the proliferation of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/despite-dobbs-more-babies-are-still-being-aborted-in-the-united-states">abortion pill mifepristone</a>, and how it continues to be prescribed throughout the nation. 
“This is the Wild West, and this is the greatest public health crisis,” Live Action founder Lila Rose told The Daily Wire on Thursday. “The on-demand sale of the abortion pill via our mail system is the biggest public health crisis that we are facing.”
Restrictions on the pill have become wildly lax. During the Biden years, for example, mifepristone was permitted to be sent through the mail. Now, more than 60% of all abortions include abortion pills, a significant increase from past years. 
Pro-lifers want the pill taken off the market, not only for killing unborn humans, but because of how dangerous they say the pill is for women, especially when guardrails are virtually nonexistent. 
“There are thousands of women going to the emergency room with severe health complications, and sometimes life-threatening health complications because of the abortion pill,” Rose said. “There are hundreds of thousands of children being killed in this country annually by the abortion pill. It&#8217;s our biggest public health crisis.”
“The report from the Ethics and Public Policy Center proves that one out of every 24 women are landing in the emergency room, that there are severe health complications for one out of every 10 women,” Rose continued. “<a href="https://www.liveaction.org/news/live-action-investigative-report-video-abortion-pill">Live Action’s investigation</a> that just broke [Thursday] proves that Planned Parenthood is not checking gestational age, they are not providing ultrasounds. They are sending pills across state lines, sending them to the homes of friends of the person who is supposedly purchasing the pill with no follow-up care.”
As The Daily Wire’s Leif Le Mahieu previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/despite-dobbs-more-babies-are-still-being-aborted-in-the-united-states">reported</a>, abortions have continued to rise since 2023. The increase can largely be pinned on abortion-by-mail, even in states with “abortion bans” in place. 
While pro-life advocates like Rose give high praise to the Trump administration for a number of big pro-life victories, they believe the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can do more to address the proliferation of the abortion pill. 
“The FDA can, in a moment, make a rule to ensure that the abortion pill requires at least one doctor&#8217;s visit,” Rose said. “There used to be three required doctor&#8217;s visits, and this was under the Clinton administration, when the pill was illegally under an emergency order fast-tracked in this country and put on the market. So that&#8217;s something the FDA could do tomorrow.”
“The FDA could pull mifepristone used as an abortifacient from the market tomorrow. Approval for that could happen within 24 hours – the administration has everything they need,” she said, adding that state-level data can be reviewed by the FDA. 
Speaking to The Daily Wire on Wednesday, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary stressed that a comprehensive review of the pill is something that will be done, and is currently in the data acquisition phase. However, he said, the science takes time. 
“Some people think that study can be done overnight, but a proper study at any university takes time,” Makary said. “This is, in fact, my background at Johns Hopkins for 22 years. Being on the faculty, we did many of these large studies and sometimes they took a year if we did them right. Now, in the government, there are some delays associated with procurement, acquiring databases – and the government shutdown was definitely a bit of a setback.”
“But we are committed to getting this study done expeditiously, and I can assure you that there are no attempts to delay any such study,” he said. “People deserve to know the answer.”
Hundreds of thousands of pro-lifers are expected in Washington, D.C. Friday for the annual March for Life, where mifepristone will certainly be a topic of discussion. But so will major pro-life wins, which come in large part due to the Trump administration. 
Just one day before the rally, for example, the National Institutes of Health announced that it will end, effective immediately, the use of abortion-derived human fetal tissue in federally-funded research, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-trump-admin-ends-funding-for-research-using-aborted-baby-tissue?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Ahead+Of+March+For+Life%2C+Trump+Admin+Ends+Funding+For+Research+Using+Aborted+Baby+Tissue">The Daily Wire</a> first reported. 
“The only ban is on, you have an abortion specifically to terminate the baby, and then the tissue then gets sold, that’s what’s being banned,” NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya told Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro on Thursday. If someone wants to donate tissue from a miscarriage, the NIH can use that for research, he noted. 
“Now that there is better technology, there’s no scientific harm to this, we’re still going to be able to use the science we need, … while at the same time getting rid of this use of aborted fetal tissue which so many people, including me, find morally abhorrent,” Bhattacharya added. 
Rose also praised the Trump administration for major pro-life victories. 
“Certainly the pardoning of the pro-life prisoners last year was a huge win by President Trump,” she told The Daily Wire. “It was also a huge win for Congress to finally remove federal funding from Planned Parenthood for one year – and that was signed, of course, by President Trump. … There have been dozens of Planned Parenthood facilities that are shut down because of the lack of taxpayer funding. Those are historic wins for the movement.”

Demonstrators protest and argue outside the U.S. Supreme

The Battle Over The Abortion Pill 

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