Live Action News’ Top 10 of 2023: Upholding human dignity in a post-Roe landscape

The goal of Live Action News is to save lives through education about the dignity and humanity of preborn children and to expose and counter the lies disseminated by the abortion industry. Through our daily content, we seek to inspire and change the hearts and minds of readers with informative news on life-related issues at the state level, national level, and abroad, and by sharing compelling and inspiring human interest stories.

Live Action News continues to inform readers of the impact of the Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision which overturned Roe v. Wade, expose the strategies of the abortion industry and its allies, and highlight the efforts of the pro-life movement to build a culture of life in this new, post-Roe landscape. 

Our 2023 articles have countered the pro-abortion narrative of mainstream media and have equipped pro-lifers to become even stronger in their defense of life at its most vulnerable. We have kept readers informed about national, state, and local political leaders’ attempts to deter even peaceful, grassroots pro-life activism, and we have provided detailed, firsthand accounts of the court proceedings in the case of multiple pro-life activists, including nine who were charged with conspiracy and FACE Act violations. These heroes still await news of their fate for their involvement in peaceful, pro-life activism in our nation’s capital. 

And, as always, we continued to share countless inspiring stories that affirm the value and dignity of every human life. In 2023, Live Action News published nearly 2,300 articles.

Below are our top 10 articles of 2023 based on page views, counting down from #10:

10. Six paramedics called to Ohio abortion business for ‘dangerous’ injury

In June, Live Action News reported that six paramedics arrived to tend to a medical emergency at Preterm Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio — a facility responsible for the abortion-related deaths of at least two women. The CAD report noted that the patient was 32 years old and had suffered lacerations and was hemorrhaging. Yet the staffer who called 911 seemed to downplay the danger of the situation, saying, “She’s just having some bleeding that we are not able to get completely controlled after a procedure.”

Lakisha Wilson and Tia Parks both died after undergoing abortions at Preterm, which commits abortions late in pregnancy. Wilson died when emergency responders were unable to get to her in a timely fashion due to a broken elevator. When they finally got to the procedure room, Wilson was reportedly where she had been left for more than 30 minutes before staff called 911 — on the exam table with her legs still in stirrups. Staff had not administered enough oxygen and Wilson’s IV had also been removed.

As of June, there had been 23 known medical emergencies at Preterm over the year, and the facility has a history of failing health inspections.

9. NICU nurse adopts premature triplets… and their teen mom: ‘I wanted them to stay together’

In March, Live Action News published the story of NICU nurse Katrina Mullen, who met a 14-year-old mother while working at an Indianapolis hospital. This mother gave birth prematurely to triplets at 26 weeks, and Mullen and the young mother built a relationship — so much so, that when the young mom’s babies were removed from her home and placed in foster care, Mullen decided to not only take in the triplets, but their mother as well.

“Just from being a nurse, I knew there would not be many foster homes that would take a teen mother with three kids… I didn’t want them to be separated. I wanted them to stay together,” Mullen explained.

Thanks to Mullen’s help, the young mom is now working on completing her education.

8. ‘Fetal containers’: Bioethicist proposes using brain dead women as surrogates

A Live Action News story published in January reported on the remarks of bioethicist Anna Smajdor of the University of Oslo, who suggested the use of brain dead women as surrogates under the auspices of “whole body gestational donation.”

“We already know that pregnancies can be successfully carried to term in brain-dead women,” she said. “There is no obvious medical reason why initiating such pregnancies would not be possible.” Donors would have to give consent in advance.

“States and health services should adapt their policies and procedures to allow for WBGD among other donation options,” Smajdor said. “If [whole body gestational donation] is viewed as a straightforward means of facilitating safer reproduction, and avoiding the moral problems of surrogacy, we should be ready to embrace it as a logical and beneficial extension of activities that we already treat as being morally unproblematic.”

However, surrogacy is, in itself, exploitative. Read more here.

7. ‘American Idol’ viewers react as Katy Perry appears to ‘shame’ mom of three

In March, Live Action News reported on ‘American Idol’ contestant Sarah Beth Liebe’s audition in front of judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and Katy Perry. Liebe told the judges she was a 25-year-old mother of three — and Katy Perry responded in a less than supportive manner.

When Perry dramatically stood to her feet from behind the table, wide-eyed at the news, Liebe said, “If Katy lays on the table, I think I’m gonna pass out.”

Perry snarked, “Honey, you been laying on the table too much,” — appearing to insinuate that Liebe was having too much sex that resulted in too many children. Perry added that she didn’t feel being the next ‘Idol’ was Liebe’s “dream,” remarking, “Look, if it’s not your dream, it’s not gonna go far because I also respect everyone that’s walking through that door who will lay down their life for this golden ticket.”

Viewers reacted, chastising Perry for bullying and “mom shaming” Liebe, who later removed herself from the competition.

6. ‘American Idol’ contestant responds to Katy Perry’s ‘hurtful’ jabs about motherhood

Also in March, Live Action News published ‘American Idol’ contestant Sara Beth Liebe’s reaction to Katy Perry’s “mom-shaming” remarks. Liebe called Perry’s remarks “unkind” and “embarrassing.”

“I got scouted to go and audition on American Idol, and sing in front of Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Katy Perry,” Liebe said. “And at the start of my audition, before I sang, I mentioned that I had three children, and was a young mother. And Katy Perry made a ‘joke’ that… wasn’t super kind.”

She added some encouraging words for young moms as well, stating, “I did want to take this opportunity to just say that I think that women supporting and uplifting other women is so cool. And I think that mom-shaming is super lame…. I see all of the young moms, and just moms in general, who have commented on all of the videos and posts and everything. And I just wanted to say that I see you, and I hear you, and I am grateful for you, and you’re worthy. And keep loving your babies. Nobody deserves to feel crappy about that.”

5. First baby saved with newly-installed Safe Haven Baby Box in Kentucky

In February, Live Action News shared an article regarding Kentucky’s first installed Safe Haven Baby Box located at a fire station in Bowling Green.

Monica Kelsey, founder of the Safe Haven Baby Box organization, stated in a press conference that the fire department responded quickly, within 90 seconds of the child’s anonymous surrender. “This child was left safely and legally in this baby box so that the baby could be pulled from the other side by the firefighter,” she said. “The fire department did exactly what they were trained to do, and it worked flawlessly.”

Kelsey publicly addressed the baby’s unidentified parents, saying “Thank you for doing what you felt you could for the life of this child… If this parent is out there and they want the resources of counseling or medical care, it is available for you at no cost.”

While each state has a Safe Haven law allowing children to be surrendered to hospitals and/or first responders within a certain amount of time, not every state has a baby box installed so that parents can surrender a child completely anonymously.

4. This New York man obtained the abortion pill. Guess what he did with it.

In July, Live Action News informed readers about 39-year-old Dia Beshara from Schaghticoke, New York, who was charged with second-degree assault for slipping a woman the abortion pill without her knowledge. The woman, who miscarried her child, filed a restraining order against him.

In December 2021, the Biden administration’s FDA weakened the safety system put in place on mifepristone, the abortion pill, by eliminating the in-person dispensing requirement. This allowed the abortion pill to be permanently shipped by mail. And men like Beshara, in turn, gained easier access to mifepristone, since the drug is able to be obtained by virtually anyone online.

The abortion pill regimen consists of two drugs – mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone blocks the pregnancy hormone progesterone, essentially starving a preborn child of nutrients needed to survive. Misoprostol, administered hours to days later, causes contractions to expel the preborn child from the uterus. Some women have seen the tiny bodies of their aborted children.

3. Mother shares photos of 9-week miscarried baby to show ‘God’s creativity and marvelousness’

In November, a grieving mother responded to an email from Live Action founder and president Lila Rose, sharing the story of her miscarriage. She wrote, “A few weeks ago, on October 6th, I labored naturally for 4 hours at home and gave birth to our baby, lost to miscarriage at 11.5 weeks pregnant, but baby measured 9.”

This mother, Priscilla, chose to share her story to “offer a small glimpse of God’s creativity and marvelousness.”

Priscilla wrote: “It angers me to hear that abortion clinics misinform women about so many things: beyond completely denying the sanctity of life, they do not fully prepare their clients for the labor process it will take to expel their child (and yes, miscarriage was true labor with timed contractions for me at least). Also, most women are not prepared for what they will see when the child is born.”

She added, “My husband and I saw a fully intact amniotic sac, a little bigger than an orange, in which the baby still had its umbilical cord attached. We retrieved and held our baby. I birthed the placenta days later and bled for weeks after. We buried our baby recently and the grief has been unimaginable.”

2. Planned Parenthood promoter Gwyneth Paltrow says daughter ‘in shock’ after 6th grade sex ed

In May, Live Action News discussed how even a celebrity like Gwyneth Paltrow can be surprised at the graphic nature of sex education being presented to school children. Paltrow stated that when her daughter, Apple, was in sixth grade, her elementary school taught a sex ed class, and Paltrow “really was not prepared with the information that they came home with.”

“They taught them everything. Everything,” she said. “Anything you’re thinking — they taught the 11-, 12-year-olds. Told them everything, I swear.”

She noted her child’s reaction and that of her young friend as well. “I will never forget Apple and her best friend, Emily, sitting at our kitchen banquette in shock, like color drained from their face. They’re like, ‘Do people do this?’” Paltrow said.

1. UN-linked report calls for decriminalization of all sexual activity, says children can consent to sex

In April, Live Action News published an article exposing a report — released on International Women’s Day — from the International Committee of Jurists (ICJ), UNAIDS and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The “8 March principles,” call for the decriminalization of offenses related to “sex, drug use, HIV, sexual and reproductive health, homelessness and poverty.”

But the most controversial aspect of the report was its references to “age of consent.” The report stated:

With respect to the enforcement of criminal law, any prescribed minimum age of consent to sex must be applied in a non-discriminatory manner. Enforcement may not be linked to the sex/gender of participants or age of consent to marriage. Moreover, sexual conduct involving persons below the domestically prescribed minimum age of consent to sex may be consensual, in fact, if not in law. In this context, the enforcement of criminal law should reflect the rights and capacity of persons under 18 years of age to make decisions about engaging in consensual sexual conduct and their right to be heard in matters concerning them.

Pursuant to their evolving capacities and progressive autonomy, persons under 18 years of age should participate in decisions affecting them, with due regard to their age, maturity and best interests, and with specific attention to non-discrimination guarantees.

While no age restrictions are specified in this report, after media articles on this document went viral, representatives from the United Nations responded, claiming the report had been taken out of context and that any references to minors were meant only to refer to sex between minors of similar age. However, despite three years of reported review among global experts, this “similar ages” stipulation was never mentioned anywhere in the report.

A UNAIDS executive director told the AP: “In the application of law, it is recognized that criminal sanctions are not appropriate against adolescents of similar ages for consensual non-exploitative sexual activity.”

However, Live Action News responded to this fact check in a follow-up article, stating that “The question of the age of the party engaged in ‘sexual conduct involving persons below the … minimum age of consent’ is left unanswered. So, while the document may not explicitly call for the decriminalization of sex between adults and minors, that is certainly implied, or at least left open.”

The experts behind the document have not yet issued an addendum of which we are aware, to correct or clarify the document —but undercover journalism has exposed a disturbing trend of seeking to both separate children from the protection of their parents and to treat children as sexual beings equal to adults. Read here about a Socialist conference where educational leaders discuss the idea of “young people in the sex industry as part of a children’s liberation vision,” and read here about a national sex ed conference webinar that posits the desire to end all parental involvement in sex education for minors.

Editor’s Note, 12/27/23: This article has been updated.

The DOJ put a pro-life grandmother in jail this Christmas for protesting the killing of preborn children. Please take 30-seconds to TELL CONGRESS: STOP THE DOJ FROM TARGETING PRO-LIFE AMERICANS.