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Spring 2015

The Illinois Heartbeat

Chicago Abortion Clinic License

Revoked - Remains Open
On March 11, 2015, the Illinois Department of
Public Health (IDPH) revoked the license of
Albany Medical Surgical abortion clinic at 5086
N. Elston Avenue in Chicago and fined the clinic
$50,000. The revocation and fine resulted from a
health and safety inspection conducted by the
IDPH on August 28, 2013, where 57 pages of
health and safety violations documented that,
The Department [IDPH] observed conditions in
the facility that threaten the public interest, health,
safety or welfare and made findings that
respondent substantially failed to comply with the
[licensing] Act and the Code.

More Fraud
Uncovered in Aurora
Planned Parenthood?
In 2007, a contract worker noticed
that the 22,000 sq. foot building he
was working on
Page 3

Here are four of the violations found: 1. The

clinic failed to have a qualified physician on site
to care for women recovering from abortions.
The IDPH found when complications arose
during an abortion and the doctor accompanied
the female patient in the ambulance to the
hospital, the clinics other female patients in the
recovery rooms were left without a doctor on
call or on site to care for them. 2. The clinic
failed to properly report emergencies and
complications during abortions to the state of
Illinois for the past four years. 3. The clinic had

Continued on page

Am I at Risk? End of
Life Planning 101.
The number one call we receive is
for help in end of life emergency.
Planning starts now.

Page 4

Whats the Deal with

Senate Bill 1564?
Weve compiled the top six
problems SB1564 will cause for
pro-life Illinoisans
Page

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Spring
Spring 2016
2015

Ashleys Story

Baby Ashley 10 years later

Did you know?

In January, Illinois
Right to Life led
the largest pro-life
event in Illinois, the March
for Life Chicago, with 4,000
marchers from five different
states.
Illinois Right to
Life was the first
pro-life organization in
Illinois. We were founded in
1968 on the mission of
education and continue to
stay true to that mission
today.
In the past year,
weve launched
two educational
websites. Check them out at:
www.WomensHealthComes
First.com and
www.ProtectMyConscience.
org. Six thousand people
have visited our websites this
month.

Her entire hand was the size

of her mothers thumb. At 21
ounces, she was barely
heavier than a Dasani bottle
of water. Born at only 25
weeks gestation, baby Ashley
was in for the fight of her life.
Due to complications in the
pregnancy, Ashley was born
15 weeks early. The NICU
room at Rush University
Medical Center buzzed with
doctors and nurses hard at
work trying to save Ashleys
life. Warm love and prayers
from Ashleys family
surrounded her.
Ashley was being treated with
life-saving care at Rush
University Medical Center
where only 6 miles away,
Family Planning Associates
abortion clinic was legally
aborting children Ashleys
age.
A new study published in The
New England Journal of
Medicine said approximately
25% of babies born 22 weeks

Baby Ashley at 25 weeks gestation

could survive if properly treated.

According to the New York
Times, Dr. Edward Bell, a
pediatrics professor at the
University of Iowa, said he
considers 22 weeks to be the new
standard of viability two weeks
earlier than the previously held 24
weeks.
After three months in the NICU,
Ashley arrived home 14 days
before her actual delivery date.
This August, Ashley will
celebrate her 11th birthday. Ashley
loves animals and is an avid
swimmer on the Gators swim
team. Her nickname is Peanut
and her smile lights up a room.
Last year, Ashley was presented
with the Illinois Principals
Association award for excellence
in leadership, enthusiasm for
learning, and outstanding work
ethic and character.
Ashleys story is one of many
stories that show how all these
unborn children need to live is
time to grow.

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Spring2016
2015
Spring

More Fraud Uncovered in Aurora

Planned Parenthood Clinic
In 2007, a contractor noticed that the 22,000 sq. foot building
he was working on included 12 recovery rooms, surveillance
cameras, and bulletproof glass. He knew this could only mean
one thing the building was an abortion clinic.
Further investigation from the Pro-life Action League, the
Aurora Beacon News, and the Chicago Tribune, uncovered that
Planned Parenthood was building the largest abortion clinic in the
country in Aurora Illinois. But the towns zoning ordinance at
the location Planned Parenthood was being built on didnt
allow a non-profit medical facility. So Planned Parenthood
came in under a fake name Gemini Office Development
("G.O.D."), and told city officials that they were a for-profit
medical entity thus falling within the zoning regulations.
However, Planned Parenthood received an $8 million loan to build the facility only on the basis that
they were a non-profit. To obtain building permits for a non-profit, Planned Parenthood would have
had to apply for special use building permits. To obtain special use permits, notice must be sent to
Aurora residents of their building intentions, a public hearing must be held, and the city council has to
vote on the plans.
Led by the Pro-life Action League, 1,000 residents protested in 40 days of prayer outside the megaclinic leading up to the September 18, 2008 scheduled opening. Over 400 people attended in protest the
next city council meeting. Despite public outrage, the mayor granted Planned Parenthood its final
permits. Local residents had kept the abortion clinic closed for two weeks past its planned opening
date. But on October 2, 2008, Planned Parenthood opened for business. The Chicago based Thomas
More Society sued Planned Parenthood and the city of Aurora on behalf of local residents stating in
200 pages of evidence that the clinic committed fraud, deceit, and violated zoning laws.
After a 7 year long lawsuit, Thomas More Society uncovered even more fraud committed by
Planned Parenthood. On August 29, 2013, a DuPage County judge dismissed the lawsuit, ruling in
Planned Parenthoods favor. Thomas More Society immediately appealed the decision to the Illinois
Appellate Court. Thomas Brejcha, chief counsel of the Thomas More Society details the fraud:

Scarcely was the ink dry on the Circuit Courtsmotion approving Planned
Parenthoods zoning as a for-profit medical clinicwhen Planned Parenthood hastened to
the DuPage County Board and the Illinois Department of Revenue to insist that its use
always had been exclusively charitable, and that it was entitled to a full property tax
exemption.
Planned Parenthood applied for, and received, tax rebates for 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013 despite
telling the court it was a for-profit entity. At the end of April 2015, Thomas More Society supplied the
court with the new evidence of fraud. We now await their decision. If Planned Parenthood loses the
lawsuit, the building permits will be revoked and they will be forced to, at minimum, pay property
taxes like a for-profit company or sell the facility to a legitimate for-profit medical center.
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Spring2016
2015
Spring

Five Steps to End of Life Planning

He hadnt even reached his late twenties yet but there he lay in a hospital
bed in a coma. His hospital room had turned into a showdown, much like
youd hear about in the Wild West: his mother and siblings on one side,
his estranged father on the other. Dans [name changed for privacy]
family never dreamed they would end up in a heated battle over whether
to give Dan time to recover or end his life by removing food and fluids.
Dan had never filled out any end of life documents and didnt have any
conversations with his family regarding his final wishes. His family now
fought over his last wishes for months.
The five steps below will help you to avoid these heartbreaking situations:

Quick pro-life rule of thumb: the cause of death should never be due to a medication overdose, starvation, or
dehydration.
Choose a healthcare agent. Picking the wrong healthcare agent (a person to make medical
decisions for you should you become incapacitated) can be as dangerous as completing the
wrong healthcare directive. Have several in-depth conversations with your chosen healthcare
agent ensuring they understand your end of life desires.
Complete a healthcare directive form. Illinois Right to Life strongly discourages completing
the state of Illinois Living Will form. We also discourage using the state of Illinois
Durable Power of Attorney form because of its vagueness and life-ending language. We
strongly encourage you to use Illinois Right to Lifes Patient-self Protection Document a
pro-life end of life durable power of attorney form. All persons, age 18 and older, should
complete a healthcare durable power of attorney.
DNR To sign or not to sign? Illinois DNR form has been replaced by the POLST form.
A DNR is not appropriate for a healthy person to sign. If a need for resuscitation occurs, the
patient will be properly resuscitated if this form is not signed. A DNR is appropriate for a
person entering the absolute final stage of his or her life and who is also very frail. In this case,
resuscitation would only prolong and disturb natural death.

Make organ donation desires clear. In order for vital organs (such as a heart, both lungs, a
liver, etc.) to be useful, blood and oxygen must be flowing through them during the time of
collection. This means a patient may not be fully deceased when organs are collected. Illinois
Right to Life discourages vital organ donation. Non-vital organs can be donated ethically after
death such as eye membrane, skin, or bone.
Regularly discuss end of life wishes with your healthcare agent. Situations and health
change over time. Talk about your end of life wishes regularly and openly with your
healthcare agent to ensure your end of life desires are understood. It is okay to change your
healthcare agent if necessary.
A new Illinois pro-life power of attorney for healthcare form will be available soon from Illinois Right to Life.

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Lorem Ipsum Dolor

Continued from the front

serious problems with internal
traffic flow which can result in
sterile areas of the clinic being
contaminated, placing patients
at risk for infections. 4. The
clinic failed to have a back up
generator. If the power goes
out in the middle of a
procedure and a woman is
under anesthesia, the lack of
the generator can kill the
patient.
After issuing these violations,
the IDPH gave the Albany
abortion clinic 10 days to
submit a plan of correction for
the violations. The abortion
clinic failed to submit a plan of
correction to the IDPH until
five months after the deadline!
The IDPH rejected that plan of
correction as insufficient to fix
the violations and, over the
span of 18 months, they
rejected four more plans of
correction that the clinic
submitted. As a result, on
March 10, 2015, the IDPH
revoked the Albany abortion
clinics license and fined the
clinic $50,000.
However, the clinic remains
open and in full operation
today even without a license.
The IDPH stayed (or placed on
hold) its decision to revoke the
clinics license until the clinic
has a formal hearing before an
administrative judge. Two
months later, no hearing has
been scheduled by the IDPH
and the clinic continues to
operate in violation of the law.
Illinois Right to Life continues
to follow the story. Weve filed
a complaint with the IDPH for

allowing the clinic to remain

open and sent the abortion
clinic staff information on how
to leave the abortion industry
as no medical personnel wants
to work in a clinic that neglects
the safety and wellness of its
patients.

Unfortunately, situations like

the Albany abortion clinic are
all too familiar in Illinois.
Thats why at the beginning of
this year, Illinois Right to Life
released an in-depth report on
the conditions of Illinois
abortion clinics. Our research
included reviewing hundreds of
pages of IDPH health and
safety inspection reports from
abortion clinics. You have to
know your enemy to defeat
your
enemy.
What
we
discovered was a severe pattern
of disregard for basic medical
and sanitary practices among
licensed
abortion
clinics.
Illinois women are being
abandoned to the prospect of
unsterilized surgical tools, ruststained recovery beds, and dirty
operating rooms in abortion
clinics. While tanning salons,
nursing homes, and Chicago
restaurants
are
inspected
annually, Illinois abortion
clinics are inspected an
average of once every 9 years.
Between 2000 and 2010, 92%
of all (licensed or unlicensed)
Illinois
abortion
clinics

received no health and sanitary

inspection.
Today, approximately 63% of
licensed abortion clinics in
Illinois have gone between two
and three-and-a-half years
without a health and sanitary
inspection. Prior to the release
of our report, the IDPH told us
they would maybe try to
inspect abortion clinics once
every five years but they didnt
have a policy. After the release
of our report and journalist
began questioning them, the
IDPH told reporters they
would try and inspect every 3-4
years and later every 2-3 years.
Worse yet, 54% of Illinois
abortion clinics are unlicensed

due to a loophole in Illinois

law and have not received a
health and safety inspection in
over 14 years. No Planned
Parenthood in Illinois is
licensed by the state. If an
abortion clinic is not licensed
by the state, the IDPH has no
authority to conduct a health
and sanitary inspection within
it. To view the full report visit
www.WomensHealthComesFirst.
com. The website is updated

monthly.
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Spring 2016
2015
Spring

Whats the Deal With Illinois Senate Bill 1564?

Senate Bill 1564 (SB1564) is an incredibly lousy bill. Not only does it seek to force pro-life people to
violate their conscience, its a vague, poorly written, and confusing bill. Weve compiled the top six
problems with the bill below. For more detailed information on the bill including legal memos from
expert attorneys, bulletin inserts, pastors guide, and to read an analysis of the bill by Princeton
University Professor Robert George and Dr. Pam Smith, a Yale Graduate and a Chicago OBGYN
visit our website for SB1564 at www.ProtectMyConscience.org.

SB1564 would force medical personnel including doctors, nurses,

pharmacists, and pregnancy resource centers to give patients upon
request a list of places they reasonably believe perform abortions.

SB1564 would force medical personnel to discuss the benefits of

abortion with patients.

If an OBGYN found out that his patients unborn child had a fetal
abnormality, he would be required by SB1564 to tell the mother
that one legal treatment option is to abort her child.

If assisted suicide became legal in Illinois, a doctor would be

required to give a patient a list of places where s/he reasonably
believes the patient can obtain life-ending drugs. Once a patient is
diagnosed with cancer, the physician would be required to tell the
patient the benefits of ending his/her life.

Pregnancy Resource Centers will be required to give their clients a

list of nearby places they reasonably believe perform abortions a
direct violation of the pregnancy centers mission.

This bill jeopardizes Illinois federal funding because its language

violates federal law. It will also cost the state thousands of dollars
in legal fees with all the lawsuits that are sure to follow its passage.

Dear Friends,
Weve seen five abortion clinics shutdown (or about to be shut down) within the
past four years. The number of abortions in Illinois has reached its lowest level since its
legalization in 1973. We saw the largest number of marchers (4,000+) gather in Chicago
for the March for Life Chicago. The abortion industry is growing desperate as Illinois is
turning pro-life. Thats why we see desperate moves like the attempt to force SB1564
through. The abortion industry is trying to recruit pro-life people to help sell their agenda
because their current plans arent working. Lets hold strong and push forward more
determined than ever. Thats why Illinois Right to Life is hiring an additional staff
member. One that will help us grow even stronger. For more information visit
www.IllinoisRightToLife.org. We will turn Illinois pro-life.
Emily Zender
ctor
Executive Dire

Yours in Life,

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Spring 2016
2015
Spring

Stand Up (Comedy) For Life

On April 24th hundreds of pro-life people
enjoyed an evening of laughter and comedy at
Illinois Right to Lifes 46th annual fundraiser.
Participants helped raise approximately $80,000
gross of a $110,000 goal to benefit Illinois Right
to Lifes educational fund as the organization
looks to hire additional staff to increase
educational programs.
The nations most media covered Christian and
pro-life comedian, Brad Stine, joined Illinois
Right to Life as the main speaker. Guests
cracked up all night at his hilarious familyfriendly jokes. Brad took a brief break from his
jokes to tell the guests in the VIP reception
beforehand, You guys are the real heroes.
Illinois Right to Life bestowed its annual
Champion of Life Award upon the Crusaders for
Life, a high school youth led pro-life group that
spreads the pro-life message by educating their
peers and by showing love and spirit for life
with their expert dance moves. The Chicagoland Crusaders president and high school
senior Maureen Severance accepted the award.
Forty Crusaders then led the crowd in their
signature pro-life chants: We love babies yes
we do, we love babies how about you?! and
Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! Roe v. Wade has got to go!

Spring 2015

Turning the University of Chicago pro-life.

We helped sponsor a pro-life talk by Serrin Foster,
the president of Feminists for Life at the University of
Chicago the only known university in the country to
have an abortion clinic on campus.
The University newspaper showed how the talk
opened hearts:
I am pretty undecided on this issue, but the speech
resonated with me because by giving [women] few
resources if they are pregnant, [the womans] decision to
have an abortion is skewed, which inhibits their ability
to make a fully-informed and supported decision, said
sophomore Charlie Salmans.
We see time after time, when we present people with
facts and pro-life resources and do so with love, even
the toughest hearts are transformed.

www.IllinoisRightToLife.org
PO Box 511
Chicago, IL 60690

Non-profit
Organization
US Postage Paid
Chicago, IL
Permit #227