UPDATE ON GOV. LLG'S LAWSUIT AGAINST YOU AND ME

A couple of things about the story in today's Guam Daily Post: "Appeal hearing scheduled for abortion law’s in-person mandate"

The story first references the recently passed Guam Heartbeat Act, and describes it as "the controversial measure that would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, or within about six weeks of conception, when most women may not know they are pregnant."

First, the Act does not actually "ban" abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected but permits a civil suit against certain persons involved in the abortion. Second, the local media continues to echo the pro-abortion talking point: "when most women may not know they are pregnant." It would be better for reporters to write "when, according to abortion supporters, most women may not know they are pregnant." 

Going on to the main story which is GovGuam's "appeal of the injunction placed on Guam's in-person consultation mandate for abortions," via the Office of the Attorney General. The injunction has permitted off-island doctors to tele-consult and prescribe abortion pills. 

The case is an odd one given that the ACLU's suit is against the Government of Guam which is headed by the most public, pro-abortion governor ever elected and now re-elected. 

The case gets even weirder given that it appears (per documents obtained by The Vigilance Committee) that it is this same governor, through her abortion lieutenant, Jayne Flores, who actually set the stage for the ACLU to sue our own government -  and ultimately you and me since we are paying the bill. 

A strange twist in this is how well our Attorney General, or at least a couple of lawyers who work in that office, have done to counter the ACLU suit, which, as just explained, is really our own governor suing our own government.

The primary Defendant-Appellant is the current AG, Leevin Camacho, in his capacity as AG, whose job it is to defend the laws of Guam. 

Given how easily AG Camacho torpedoed Belle's 1990 Law which would have banned abortion outright, we should be under no illusion that Leevin or anybody in his office is actually motivated by any pro-life sentiments - which is an office where "sentiments" should not factor anyway.

Instead, the AG (mostly James Canto, Deputy AG; and now Jordan Lawrence Pauluhn, Asst. AG) is doing what it is paid to do: defend the laws of Guam. And the law of Guam requires an "in-person" consultation before a woman can procure an abortion. 

Regardless of the motivations or lack thereof for taking on the ACLU and ultimately their own boss - Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero - Canto and Pauluhn have done excellent legal work and pro-life advocates would do well to learn from their arguments. 

DEFENDANTS’ OPPOSITION TO PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

RAIDOO ET AL. V. CAMACHO ET AL.: APPELLANTS' OPENING BRIEF

Note: The pic used above is cropped from the pic the ACLU uses to headline its case against Guam which can be found here. They might want to consider "optics" next time.