Local Election Highlights | Trump: AFA abortion rules, obstructed by Obama, will be enforced.

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Election Highlights

Erie-area pro-life candidates hold their ground

The November 6th elections did almost nothing to change the pro-life political landscape in the Erie-area and northwestern Pennsylvania.

Pro-abortion Governor Tom Wolf remains in office for another four years, and Senator Bob Casey, who has been of little or no help to the pro-life cause, to say the least, will continue filling a seat in the U.S. Senate.

All the incumbent state representatives from the Erie-area ran unopposed. All but two of them have rock-solid pro-life voting records and were endorsed by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation PAC.

The only contested race for the state House of Representatives in the Erie area was for the 2nd district seat, which was previously held by the late Flo Fabrizio, who had a 100% pro-abortion voting record. Pro-life Republican Tim Kuzma lost to Democrat Bob Merski.

Merski expressed a substantially pro-life position in a candidate survey he returned to People for Life while running for Erie Mayor in 2017. We can reasonably hope, then, that state Representative-elect Merski will be a big improvement over his predecessor, and People for Life congratulates him on his victory.

Three other very important races featured pro-life incumbents facing pro-abortion challengers. Thankfully all three pro-life candidates prevailed.

Congratulations to Congressman Mike Kelly

Pro-life Congressman Mike Kelly won a close race against a pro-abortion, Planned Parenthood endorsed challenger. Kelly won by a roughly four-percentage point margin in the newly configured 16th congressional district.

Kelly prevailed despite his home county of Butler having been partitioned (i.e., "gerrymandered") between three different congressional districts and his Democratic challenger being a native of Erie Co unty, which has long been one of the major Democratic strongholds in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Mike Kelly is a staunch advocate for the Right to Life and a strong supporter of pro-life President Donald Trump. He was one of the speakers at the 2017 March for Life in Washington, DC. He is shown here on the speaker's platform during the March for Life Rally.

Congressman Kelly's "nail biter" victory serves as a reminder about the critical importance of every, single pro-life vote. The pro-life residents of the 16th congressional district who voted and worked so hard to reelect Mike Kelly, including so many pro-life residents of Erie County, should feel a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in this pro-life victory.

Congratulations to Congressman Glenn "GT" Thompson

Pro-life Congressman Glenn Thompson won a decisive victory against a pro-abortion challenger on Tuesday. Thompson prevailed with 68% of the vote.

GT is pictured here talking about human life issues with the Knights of Columbus chapter at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Harborcreek last May.

Plans for the talk were initiated in Washington, DC on the morning of the 2018 March for Life, when two marchers from Erie stopped by the Congressman's office. When GT heard that they were pro-lifers from Erie, he invited them into his private office area for a 20-minute long chat.

Congressman Thompson has been representing the eastern part of Erie County, but in the new Congress, his district will extend only as far east as Warren County.

GT has been a great pro-life Congressman for Erie County and will remain a highly-esteemed representative of the Erie / northwestern Pennsylvania region.

Congratulations to State Senator Michelle Brooks

State Senator Michele Brooks won her race in Pennsylvania's 50th state senate district against a pro-abortion, Emily's List-endorsed challenger. Michele cruised to victory garnering 63% of the vote.

Emily's List is a national political action committee that is dedicated exclusively to promoting and bankrolling women who are pro-abortion and running for public office.

Senator Brooks was recently the primary sponsor of S.B. 3, legislation to end dismemberment abortion and lower the limit for late term abortions from six months to five months. She is shown hear speaking at the Erie March for Life closing program on January 9, 2016.

Congratulations to our Erie-area pro-life state representatives

Congratulations to all of our northwestern Pennsylvania incumbent pro-life state representatives who were reelected and will continue to faithfully represent our pro-life values and convictions in Harrisburg:

Rep. Lee James

Rep. Mark Longietti

Rep. Tedd C. Nesbit (did have a challenger)

Rep. Kathy L. Rapp

Rep. Brad Roae

Rep. Curt Sonney

Rep. Parke Wentling

Despite the challenging mid-term election climate this year for Republicans, most of whom are pro-life, 90% of the pro-life state legislators who were endorsed by the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation PAC won their elections, and there will continue to be pro-life majorities in the Pennsylvania state House and state Senate.

Obamacare Abortion Funding

President Trump to order Obamacare plans to follow the law

Despite adamant denials from pro-abortion politicians and certain "pro-life democrats," Obamacare, as enacted, was designed to fund insurance plans that pay for abortion on demand, and it continues to do so.

One glaring bit of evidence that abortion was being funded, for anyone willing to open their eyes, was a provision in the so-called Affordable Care Act (ACA) that required insurance plans to itemize the amount of money that is to be earmarked for abortion coverage on every, single insurance bill. Furthermore, a separate payment (e.g., check, credit card payment, or electronic funds transfer) for the abortion coverage was required.

Having insurance customers submit a separate amount to pay for abortion (in order to BE able to say that the taxpayer was not paying the bill) was merely an accounting gimmick; money is fungible. But it did help to ensure that customers would be aware that their insurance plan was subsidizing the taking of human lives. It also helped the ongoing battle to prevent abortion from becoming seen as just another "health care service."

In a sham executive order, President Obama pledged to follow the ACA's abortion requirements to the letter. Nevertheless, the separate payment for abortion coverage stipulation was immediately ignored, and insurance companies were assured that the law did not really mean what it actually said and that the "abortion surcharge" could be hidden away, out of sight and out of mind.

President Trump's Department of Health and Human services has just announced that the law will be enforced from here on out.

From the U.S. House of Representatives

The following paragraphs are part of a communication published this morning by the pro-life caucus of the U.S. House of Representatives:

On November 9, 2018, HHS will issue a proposed rule entitled, "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Exchange Program Integrity," which seeks to address a hidden abortion surcharge in many plans purchased on the federal or state Affordable Care Act (ACA ) exchanges. The proposed rule will be available for public comment for 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register.

It will require congressional action to remove abortion from the ACA. In the interim, the proposed rule will strictly enforce the statutory requirement that the abortion surcharge be collected separately from other insurance premiums. This corrects the Obama-era regulation that interpreted "separate" as together, allowing plans to embed the abortion surcharge within the monthly premium.

The proposed rule clarifies that qualified health providers (QHPs) must "send an entirely separate monthly bill" and "instruct the policy subscriber to pay the portion of the premium...in a separate transaction." It provides further guidance for "separate," including that QHPs should send "a separate mailing with separate postage" or "two bills in separate emails."

This rule comes after 102 Pro-Life Members, led by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), sent a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar requesting new regulations to enforce the law and make consumers aware of the "abortion surcharge."