Free Republic

The Trump administration is looking to slash an office at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) whose critics say has been a major driver of gender ideology and abortion policies in the federal government. The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) saw roughly 30 employees issued reduction-in-force (RIF) notices Oct. 10, effectively sidelining most of the agency’s staff, individuals familiar with the matter told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The cuts come as White House officials repeatedly warned that staffing reductions could occur if Democrats continue to refuse to reopen the government. OPA’s stated mission is to advance “reproductive...

PIEDMONT, S.C. — South Carolina's SB 323 could change abortion access, the definition of contraceptives, and criminal charges, among other things. Our crews have been reporting on the bill and its potential impacts. This week, our reporter sat down with Sen. Richard Cash, who wrote the bill. Reporter Peyton Furtado: "So you've made these changes to a law, and it's already in place. You've had some amendments here. Can you tell me a little bit about some of the changes you've made and why you made these changes? Sen. Richard Cash: "Well, the goal is to save more babies early...

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (7News) — Over the summer, many in Fairfax County’s Centreville High School community saw social media reports of a teacher’s claims that school staff arranged and bankrolled an abortion for a minor student and pressured another to get an abortion with the parents’ knowledge and consent. When 7News saw the viral claims on social media in August, 7News Reporter Nick Minock reached out to Fairfax County Public Schools. The school system spokesperson replied and told Minock at the time, ”We learned yesterday of these concerning allegations from 2021. We are launching an immediate and comprehensive investigation as...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A downtown Louisville development committee approved a permit application to demolish the former EMW Women's Surgical Center as a 27-story hotel project begins to take shape. The Downtown Development Review Overlay Committee signed off on the demolition at 136, 138 and 140 West Market Street. EMW closed in 2022 after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. The $175 million project planned for 2nd and Market streets in downtown Louisville is set to come complete with a grand ballroom, rooftop pool and street-level restaurant. NuLu-based Zyyo confirmed in July its plans to build...

There’s no doubt we have a fertility crisis. Currently, about 16% of married women in the U.S. struggle to get pregnant or avoid miscarriages, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Worldwide, about one in six people face infertility, according to the World Health Organization. “In the Trump administration, we want to make it easier for all couples to have babies, raise children, and start the families they’ve always dreamed about,” President Donald Trump announced Thursday. That’s wonderful. The plummeting U.S. birth rate has concerning implications for our future economy and culture—and of course, it’s heartbreaking for couples...

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe is defending his pro-life beliefs this week after he denied clemency to a convicted murderer and is facing criticism from activists who oppose the death penalty. Kehoe, a Republican, rejected last-minute appeals to halt the execution of Lance Shockley, who was convicted of killing Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Dewayne Graham Jr. in 2005. Shockley was executed by lethal injection Oct. 14 in Bonne Terre, Missouri, marking the first execution since Kehoe took office as governor, Missouri news station First Alert 4 reported. “The murder of Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Carl DeWayne Graham, Jr.,...

Affordable primary care clinics run by Planned Parenthood will close their locations in Orange and San Bernardino counties as the Trump Administration blocks federal funding for the nonprofit, the organization announced Monday. Melody Health is a branch of Planned Parenthood, and the impacted locations include Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, Santa Ana, Westminster, San Bernardino and Upland. As the Trump administration is preventing abortion service providers, such as Planned Parenthood, from receiving federal grants, the nonprofit said it cannot afford to keep the door open at Melody Health clinics. The last day of operations for the clinics will be Dec....

President Donald Trump unveiled a plan yesterday to slash the costs of IVF and fertility treatments, fulfilling a campaign pledge to make it more accessible to American families eager to welcome new children into the world. While more babies would normally sound like a good thing to pro-life Americans, two top pro-life advocates say it’s not good news because the IVF process includes killing babies at their earliest stages of life. As LifeNews reported, the White House initiative, building on a February executive order directing federal agencies to recommend ways to protect IVF access and cut out-of-pocket expenses, aims to...

Dame Sarah Mullally was named the first female archbishop of Canterbury last week, and received immediate criticism over her apparent support for abortion. Key Takeaways: * The Church of England announced its first female archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally. * Mullally has made comments that indicate support for abortion despite the Anglican Church's pro-life stance. * She has been criticized for "scandalous views on abortion" and has also said she believes in "choice" for parents of preborn children with Trisomy 18. The Details: The Church of England has maintained a largely pro-life stance, believing that abortion should be allowed in...

ashington state's attempt to become an abortion pill vendor has allegedly failed after it spent millions to stockpile the drugs, which are soon set to expire. Key Takeaways: * A recent op-ed from an abortion provider laments the fact that Washington state stockpiled a large number of abortion pills that are set to expire soon. * The state reportedly paid a higher rate for the drugs than abortion providers, and a statute requires the state to sell the drugs at the state's cost plus a handling fee; this has made it difficult for the state to offload the drugs to...

A campaign to encourage people to order abortion pills by mail even before they are pregnant is about to hit Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, putting more women and unborn children at risk of serious harm and even death. Shout Your Abortion, Hydra Mutual Aid Fund, and Plan C are launching the public service announcement (PSA) campaign aiming to raise awareness of the abortion drugs, according to an emailed Oct. 21 press release from Shout Your Abortion. The initiative is set to release two “cinematic PSAs” about a single mother and a teenager facing unexpected pregnancies. The videos will direct viewers to...

Michigan Rep. John James is the best-positioned Republican candidate to flip Michigan’s governorship red in the 2026 contest, according to new polling. The Plymouth Union Public (PUP) Research survey, shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation, found James leading a general election field and trouncing a crowded slate of candidates in the primary contest. In a hypothetical three-way general election contest, James received 35% support from likely general election voters, followed by a generic Democratic candidate who drew 31% of the vote and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, a lifelong Democrat running as an independent, who garnered 12% support. Former Republican...

On the heels of last week’s letter from 51 U.S. senators to the Food and Drug Administration and Department of Health and Human Services, HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy sent an oversight letter today demanding answers from Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and Commissioner Marty Makary. Lawmakers are turning up the pressure after the FDA approved a new generic abortion drug in the wake of the Biden administration’s rollback of commonsense safeguards that required in-person doctor visits. The Biden FDA’s mail-order abortion policy, which is inexplicably still in effect, recklessly endangers women and unborn children while undermining state pro-life laws. All...

When things are not going their way, the Abortion Establishment and its legion of media enablers insist they are “winning the culture war,” by which they mean the public is more accepting of abortion. If ever there was an example of “The wish is father to the thought”—aka, they want to believe it because they wish it to be true—this is it. But just to be on the safe side, they continue to try (so to speak) to rehabilitate abortion. How? By reframing the deaths of unborn children as either a positive good or something beyond evaluation (for a host...

A top Catholic bishop decried the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of a new generic version of the abortion drug mifepristone as a “shocking inconsistency” that endangers women and facilitates the “killing of more children,” urging a swift reversal amid a pending federal safety review. The FDA’s Octover 1 approval of the generic from Evita Solutions LLC — a company whose mission is to “normalize abortion” and make it “accessible to all” — comes as chemical abortions now account for 63% of all abortions in the United States, according to recent data, killing millions of babies Pro-life advocates warn...

A man riding on a bus in Dublin is reported to have repeatedly punched a pregnant fellow passenger in the face and stomach while screaming at her to have an abortion. Key Takeaways: * A pregnant woman was reportedly riding a bus when a man approached her, screaming, telling her to have an abortion. * He then began punching her in the face and stomach. * The man was arrested but has been granted bail. * Abortion is legal in Ireland, and the number of abortions committed have been skyrocketing. The Details: The Irish Independent reported that 45-year-old Thomas Nolan...

The Environmental Protection Agency has launched an internal review to determine if traces of abortion pills like mifepristone are contaminating America’s wastewater and drinking water. Leading pro-life groups warn the chemicals could be causing miscarriages and stillbirths in unsuspecting communities. The probe, directed by senior EPA officials over the summer, stems from a June 18 letter signed by 25 Republican members of Congress, including Sen. James Lankford and Rep. Josh Brecheen, both of Oklahoma. The lawmakers urged EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to investigate potential pollution from the drug, questioning: “Are there existing E.P.A.-approved methods for detecting mifepristone and its active...

A Nova Scotia mother of five is speaking out after the abortion pill nearly killed her. The abortion pill triggered life-threatening bleeding, forcing emergency surgery to remove part of the baby that nearly cost her life — a harrowing ordeal pro-life advocates say underscores the hidden dangers of chemical abortions pushed as “safe.” Cherise Basque, a woman from Paqtnkek Mi’kmaw Nation, opted for the abortion drug about a month ago on advice from her family doctor, citing bleeding complications in prior pregnancies that had required interventions. She took five pills at home to care for her children during the process,...

he mystery behind generic abortion pill maker Evita Solutions, LLC, is reminiscent of the original abortion pill maker approved in 2000 — Danco Laboratories, which has also been long shrouded in secrecy. Like Danco Laboratories, little is known about Evita Solutions, and thus far, no spokespersons of the company have been revealed. Key Takeaways: * Manufacturers of the generic abortion pill have been shrouded in secrecy. * Last month, Trump's FDA approved a new generic version of the drug mifepristone from Eva Solutions, LLC. * Little is known about Evita Solutions, except that the principal is Robert Patane and the...

A London man is currently on trial on charges that he fatally stabbed his pregnant girlfriend because she refused to abort her preborn child. Key Takeaways: * Alana Odysseos was fatally stabbed to death in July 2024 after she reportedly refused to abort her preborn child. * Odysseos's boyfriend, Shaine March, is on trial for her murder. He is accused of stabbing her 19 times. * Neighbors testified that they heard her screaming, "Shaine stabbed me." Hours earlier they heard her yell that she didn't want to kill her baby. March was apprehended shortly after the incident and told police,...