Welcome to The Vine, where every week I strive to bring you updates from around the pro-life community to help you keep up with the ever- constant battle to save lives. If you aren’t plugged-in, it is my sincere hope that The Vine will allow you to get familiar with those on the front lines and find your place among them.

Congratulations! Thanks to the hard work of pro-lifers around the country, a record number of pro-life women are headed to Congress! Detailed at National Review by Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, the mid-term elections proved that Americans do not side with radical pro-abortion groups and do not support abortion on demand. Hillary Clinton should take note…

In the meantime, Americans United for Life (AUL) writes that “we are now positioned to BREAK THE BLOCKADE surrounding the U.S. Senate and protect women and girls from abortion industry abuses.” While the House has passed major pro-life legislation seven times since 2010, all efforts to protect life have been blocked by the Senate. Stated AULA President and CEO Dr. Charmaine Yoest:

We know that abortion harms women, and yet abortion industry abuses are ignored and at least half a billion tax dollars given to them with little oversight, little regulation and little concern for what happens behind the closed doors of abortion clinics. We must stand with women against this politically protected abortion conglomerate that values profits over people.

Yet, despite the mid-term results being overwhelmingly pro-life, the pro-abortion lobby just cannot accept the results. In Tennessee, voters considered Amendment 1 which aimed to protect mothers and their unborn babies from the lack of safety regulations overseeing abortion clinics in the state. Tennessee has become a destination for those seeking abortions. However, according to Yes on 1, despite pro-life advocates being “outspent more than 2-1 by abortion advocates,” the measure passed. Now, in a last ditch effort to push their agenda on Tennesseans, pro-aborts have filed suit to take down Amendment 1 “claiming that voter rights were violated and that ballots were not accurately counted.” As Yes on 1 explains, considering the amendment enjoys “a margin of 19,876 votes above the number needed for approval,” the lawsuit is simply a losing battle that is wasting time and money.

Pro-aborts that moved on (somewhat) from denial after the elections, jumped quickly into rage on Twitter. Blaming the loss of Wendy Davis, aka Abortion Barbie, on white women, pro-abortion feminists spent Wednesday tweeting their gripes against those who inexplicably voted against Davis. Among their claims: white women in Texas prefer subservient existences, are barefoot and pregnant, self-hatred and loathing and only do what their husbands tell them to do.  On the one hand, it was humorous to watch them fall apart, but on the other it was extremely revealing as to how feminists really feel about women; that is, you must be an idiot if you don’t agree with them. So all in all, a special treat after Tuesday’s victories.

Continuing the momentum, 40 Days for Life announced Thursday that their new headquarters will be located in a former Planned Parenthood abortion center. In fact, the center, located in Bryan/College Station, Texas was the location of the very first 40 Days for Life campaign ten years ago. Said Campaign Director Shawn Carney, “More than 6,400 children lost their lives in this building, but God is making ‘all things new.’” Hope Pregnancy Center will also be located within the building, highlighting perfectly the fact that better options than abortion do exist.

Internationally, the fight for life has taken an extremely dark turn. According to Life Site News, doctors in Kenya have reported finding an anti-fertility agent in a tetanus vaccine provided by two United Nations organizations and sponsored by the Kenyan government. 2.3 million girls and women have received the vaccine by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Due to containing the pregnancy hormone, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG),  the vaccine reportedly causes miscarriages. Within their troubling report, Life Site News claims to have a UN report from a 1992 meeting where-in the topic of discussion was “fertility regulating vaccines.” The particular vaccine that was deemed the most advanced appears to be the vaccine that is currently being used in Kenya. The Catholic Church and recently a teachers’ union have recommended that Kenyan women do not receive the tetanus vaccine.

The Kenyan government has come out against the claims and vows to punish the doctor who first reported finding HCG in the vaccine. However, the UN has a radical history of supporting abortion, at one time even classifying the lack of access to it as “torture.” As recently as September, the UN Secretary General recommended abortions as an option for women in “Conflict-Affected Countries,” despite, according to the Center for Family and Human Rights, the fact that more life-protecting actions are gaining traction in the international community. This story is developing and should be followed closely.

Until next week, I pray blessings for you and for all committed to life in The Vine. Please feel free to email or tweet me with any stories you’d like to see covered or any organizations you’d like to see as the Branch For Life. And don’t forget The Vine’s list on Twitter to stay up-to-date on current news in the pro-life movement!

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