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Illinois Federation For Right to Life Daily News |
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On Saturday, February 2nd, Dan and Julie Zanoza, founders of RFFM.org and myself attended Speak Out Illinois 2008 -- "Raising Up a New Generation." All I can say is woe unto those who proclaim choice the law of the land, for your day has passed. I have glimpsed America’s future and it is pro-life. Though many battles lie ahead, the seeds of change have been planted in fertile ground and the victory shall be won. The day is nigh at hand when America’s youth, our nation's future, shall rise up and overturn Roe v. Wade and life will again be the law of the land.
Thirty six pro-life sponsors organized an amazing conference which attracted many of Illinois' most influential pro-life leaders.
The conference began with Eric Scheidler, Communications Director, Pro-Life Action League updating attendees on the fight against Planned Parenthood’s Aurora (Illinois) abortion fortress. This is a most important battle as Planned Parenthood (PP) is constructing even larger mills in Colorado and Texas.
Attendees were given their choice of several workshops, including “Equipped to Engage: Making the Case for Life” by Scott Klusendorf. I encourage everyone to visit Life Training Institute’s webpage, www.prolifetraining.com, and read "How to Defend Your Pro-Life Views in 5 Minutes or Less, Making the Case for Life…Like It’s Never Been Heard Before." It will be five of the most productive minutes you will ever spend and may very well help you save a pre-born baby’s life.
In another seminar, Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, co-founder of the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute [http://www.bcpinstitute.org/] spoke on “The Real Risks of Breast Cancer.”
Columnist Jill Stanek, taught “Blogging for Life.” JillStanek.com is one of the most visited pro-life blogs in the world and Stanek offered tips on how to use the Internet to spread the pro-life message.
Teenage attendees were given several choices, including lectures by Annie Casselman and John Jansen, co-directors of Generations for Life, the youth outreach program of the Pro-Life Action League. An adults only seminar, “Planned Parenthood: Sex, Lies, and Bad Advice” was offered by Patricia Bainbridge, Respect Life Director for the Diocese of Rockford.
Stanek, winner of the 2008 Henry Hyde Leadership Award, closed the Speak Out Illinois 2008 conference by reading a January 22nd Los Angeles Times opinion piece by Francis Kissling, former president of Catholics for a Free Choice, and Kate Michelman, former president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. In a nutshell, pro-abortionists are running scared. They admit, “Twenty years ago, being pro-life was déclassé. Now it is a respectable point of view” and lament the pendulum swinging from abortion on demand. They note with concern that “U.S. forbids the use of federal funds for abortions, and the Supreme Court has upheld state laws that require parental consent or notification, mandatory waiting periods and anti-abortion counseling. The court's 2007 decision on so-called partial-birth abortions was an unprecedented infringement on physician autonomy.”
They ask, how did this happen? Did the pro-choice movement fail? Or did those opposed to abortion simply respond more effectively to the changing science as well as the social shift from the rights rage of the '60s to the responsibility culture of the '90s?
The answer is simple. Pro-life Americans do not kill their babies. We will win the debate by default because legal infanticide claims only the birthright of those who “choose” abortion. As President Reagan oft observed, “I've noticed that everybody that is for abortion has already been born.” An aborted child will never be born, thus they will never have the opportunity to make a choice. However, a child born into a pro-life family will. And, as survivors, more and more are following their parent’s example and choosing life.
Need more proof? On that same day the Los Angeles Times devoted even more ink to the debate with a column by Stephanie Simon, Staff Writer, titled "Anti-abortion cause stirs new generation. Born into a time after Roe vs. Wade, many young adults are eager to reverse it. And veteran activists are happy to enlist their help." Simon documents, “Today's students and young adults have grown up in a time when abortion was widely accessible and acceptable, and a striking number are determined to end that era."
Pew Research Center polls dating back a decade show that 18 to 29 year-olds are consistently more likely than the general adult population to favor strict limits on abortion. A Pew survey over the summer found 22% of young adults support a total ban on abortion, compared with 15% of their parents' generation.
Looking specifically at teens, a Gallup survey in 2003 found that 72% called abortion morally wrong, and 32% believed it should be illegal in all circumstances. Among adults surveyed that year, only 17% backed a total ban. "You look at pictures of marches [over the years] and the crowds just keep getting younger and younger and younger," said Derrick Jones, an advisor to National Teens for Life.
I can attest to this. Recently, my son and I were in San Francisco for the Walk for Life West Coast. This stereotypical pro-life march was composed of middle-aged men (like me) with a grandmother or two tossed in for balance. Instead we witnessed thousands of teenagers wearing t-shirts proclaiming PRO-LIFE! They were proud to be pro-life and celebrated their parent’s choice.
I spoke with several who attended the national march in Washington D.C. and all said the same thing…every year there are more and more young people witnessing for life. Students for Life groups are sprouting on campuses across the state.
But we can not rest on our laurels. Every day pre-born babies continue to be aborted. Planned Parenthood recently opened a mega-mill in Aurora, Illinois and is building two more (in Colorado and Texas). 48 million babies have died to date. Get involved. The life you save may be your grandson or granddaughter.
Contact: Dan Gura Source: RFFM.org |
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The IFRL is the largest grassroots pro-life organization in Illinois. A non-profit organization, that serves as the state coordinating body for local pro-life chapters representing thousands of Illinois citizens working to restore respect for all human life in our society. The IFRL is composed of people of different political persuasions, various faiths and diverse economic, social and ethnic backgrounds. Since 1973 the Illinois Federation for Right to Life has been working to end abortion and restore legal protection to those members of the human family who are threatened by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. Diverse though we are, we hold one common belief - that every human being has an inalienable right to life that is precious and must be protected. IFRL is dedicated to restoring the right to life to the unborn, and protection for the disabled and the elderly. Click here to learn more about the IFRL. |
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Monday, February 04, 2008 |
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Speak Out Illinois a Success
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