Council for Life hosted a powerful Lunch & Learn on March 26 for our Board of Directors, Advisory Board and Foundation Board.
A critical part of the CFL Mission is to educate. We were incredibly blessed to have Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), as our speaker. As an internationally recognized advocate for women and children, Dr. Francis offers her medical expertise, knowledge of bioethics and pro-life reasoning in the U.S and worldwide.
Dr. Francis delivered a highly informative presentation on current abortion laws and policy in our nation and in Texas in a post-Roe era. She specifically addressed chemical abortion and sought to clarify confusion surrounding the Life of the Mother exception in the Texas abortion ban.
We are grateful to Pastor Joe Martin, Senior Pastor of Trinity Church, for opening the Lunch & Learn with a beautiful life-affirming prayer and to our outstanding Advisory Board Chair, Betsy Hunt, for planning this exceptional educational event. Thank you to all of our Advisory Board members and other guests who attended.
Texas Leads in Protecting Life:
“I want to encourage you that Texas is setting the standard for the rest of the country and if you were not doing a good job, you would not be getting all of the flack you are getting.”
— Dr. Christina Francis
Dr. Francis asserted that Texas law clearly defines abortion and its exceptions. Intent matters — ending a pregnancy to save a mother’s life or remove a lost pregnancy is not abortion. Abortion is the intentional prevention of a live birth.
Dr. Francis stressed that doctors have a responsibility to care for both mother and baby. Abortion is not essential healthcare because it does not treat a disease. Informed consent is crucial. Women deserve to know the dangers of abortion and the benefits of pregnancy.
Serious risks from abortion include preterm birth, mental health struggles and increased maternal mortality. Studies show higher rates of depression, substance abuse, suicide and breast cancer among women who have had abortions.
Encouraging facts demonstrate that 76% of Ob-Gyns who practice in an academic setting and 93% of Ob-Gyns in private practice do not provide abortions, which further proves that abortion is not standard medical care.
Clarifying Texas Abortion Law:
“There is not a single doctor that has been prosecuted in this country for intervening when they determined that a woman’s life was potentially in danger.”
— Dr. Christina Francis
Dr. Francis and AAPLOG partnered with Alliance Defending Freedom to help Texas pro-life legislators create SB 31, The Life of the Mother Act. The bill is intended to educate and bring clarity to doctors and lawyers on what constitutes legal intervention in pregnancy medical emergencies. The bill has passed the Texas Senate and awaits House approval. (See Council for Life News HERE)
Chemical Abortion
“I have a feeling that when we get the 2024 numbers — at least the numbers that are recorded — chemical abortion will represent close to 80% of abortions.”
— Dr. Christina Francis
Chemical abortions have surged since the overturn of Roe and the most recent statistics show they account for more than 60% of all abortions in the U.S. today. (See 2023 Guttmacher Institute statistics HERE)
Chemical abortion is a two pill process consisting of the drug mifepristone that blocks progesterone causing the developing baby to die followed by a second drug misoprostol that induces uterine contractions to deliver the deceased baby.
The FDA originally recognized the dangers of chemical abortion drugs, requiring medical oversight and safeguards to protect women. But over time, regulations were loosened. (See Council for Life News HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE)
See AAPLOG’s chart showing the FDA’s alarming decrease in safeguards for dangerous abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol HERE.
Abortion pills are now accessible in every state, including Texas where we have arguably the strongest abortion ban in the nation. Texas is taking steps to hold prescribing doctors from other states accountable and introducing pro-life legislation to stop the illegal trafficking of pills into our state. (See Council for Life News HERE)
Life-Limiting Diagnosis of Baby
“We are not helping families when we make them have agency in their own child’s death when we end pregnancies early. And we are also not helping them when we do not value the life of their child.”
— Dr. Christina Francis
Dr. Francis believes Texas law should not allow abortion exceptions for adverse prenatal diagnoses, as terms like “lethal fetal anomaly” wrongly assume certainty about a baby’s survival. While Dr. Francis fully acknowledged the pain or hardship for families who choose life in these circumstances, she stated there is no medical or scientific consensus on what exactly constitutes a “lethal anomaly” or a life-limiting condition.
Renal agenesis, Anencephaly, Thanatophoric dysplasia, Trisomy 18 (which was the baby’s diagnosis in Texas with the Kate Cox case), Trisomy 13 and Holoprosencephaly are conditions that have been traditionally considered uniformly fatal. But, studies show that some of the conditions listed as “lethal anomalies” have up to a 50% survival rate with some children living for years when given medical care. (See a table referenced by Dr. Francis from a study on the outcomes of congenital anomalies often described as lethal HERE)
The Miracle of Baby Grace
To close, Dr. Francis shared the miraculous story of Baby Grace, who was diagnosed in the womb with Downs Syndrome, a severe heart defect and fluid buildup that doctors saw as a death sentence. Despite being offered an abortion, Grace’s mother chose life. Against all medical expectations, the dangerous fluid disappeared, leading to Grace’s healthy birth.
Now twelve years old, Grace is a joyful reminder that God’s hand is at work, even when situations seem hopeless. This story challenges us to trust in God’s plan, value every life and ensure that mothers receive the support they need to choose life for their babies.