Grassroots Organizing: Now More Than Ever

By Dave Andrusko

Most of our nearly 400,000 subscribers will receive this special NRL News edition around the time of the 29th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision. That will be a somber occasion, for Roe "bruised the soul of America," as Jean Garton once observed, initiating a spiral of unhappiness, cruelty, and brutality that persists to this day.

On January 22, 1973, the powers that be welcomed the Supreme Court's cavalier treatment of history, haphazard explication of the law, and ludicrous leaps in logic with open arms. Recent developments in the states had shown that a pro-life counteroffensive was picking up steam and, rattled, pro- abortionists began to panic.

But then the Court handed down its ruling in Roe v. Wade (and its companion case Doe v. Bolton), creating a federal constitutional "right" to slaughter the innocent spun out of whole cloth. Pro-abortionists breathed a collective sign of relief.

The response of a clearly relieved New York Times editorial page was emblematic of the Abortion Establishment's take on the two 7- 2 decisions. Patting opponents on the head, the Times counseled us to pack up our bags and go home.

Why? Because further resistance was futile. The abortion issue, we were gravely assured, was now "settled."

Were it not for the pro-life movement, this description/prescription could well have come true.

This Special Commemorative Issue lifts up the hood and takes a long overdue look at the engine that powers our Movement: the 3,000+ chapters found throughout the nation. They work harmoniously with their state NRLC affiliate and the national NRLC office in Washington, D.C., like sparkplugs in a well- maintained automobile.

The results are organizations that run faster and accomplish more on behalf of unborn babies, injured newborns, and the medically dependent elderly than anyone could possibly imagine from a Movement that is 99% volunteer and operates on a shoestring budget.

Chapters are the heart and soul of the greatest grassroots Movement for social justice of our time. Readers of this issue will learn a great deal about the techniques that have been so effectively utilized as far back as the late 1960s.

But we look backwards in order to go forward. As Prof. Timothy George said in another context, we "look to the past in order to find the answer to the question, 'What will be?'" What pro-lifers have accomplished (and how they've done this) "anticipates and illuminates the future...."

NRLC's objective is nothing short of a grassroots organizational renaissance. That lofty goal requires fully utilizing people currently on board and aggressively reaching out to find thousands of new pro-life activists--and then enticing them to actively pitch in.

Over and over you will hear the same refrain in this edition: the Death Lobby has everything that money can buy. Pro- abortionists run in circles where money is abundant and support for abortion as bottomless as their deep pockets.

But they do not have the two most important qualities, neither of which can be purchased: the truth and an army of faithful volunteers who do what they do because--and only because--it is right. Those are the priceless resources we have!

One final thought that grows out of a fascinating book Ibegan last night. At the center of our outreach ought to be a quiet assurance that grows out of the knowledge that many, many people are still groping for answers.

These are honest searchers who are repulsed by the pro- abortionist's squalid answer--"Kill first and worry about the morality of what you do later"--but have yet to make the emotional and intellectual commitment to join the pro-life side. As Hugh Hewitt describes it in another context, they are like people on the edge of a crowd. They are intrigued by what they hear from us but their first inclination is to keep their distance.

It is my honest opinion that the willingness to be a champion for the little ones exists in most people. Though currently dormant, this noble impulse can be activated if we offer honest answers to tough-but-honest questions.

This opening dialogue may not win them over initially, but could well plant that seed that takes root in their hearts. If Iam right, these millions of as yet undecided Americans are an untapped resource of colossal dimensions to the cause to which you have dedicated your lives.

Our obligation to those who have no other defenders is enormous but one that we consider a privilege and a blessing. As we work within the law to restore protection to those abandoned by Roe v. Wade, everything we undertake must begin in love, be free of anger and hate.

We are not freelancers (to borrow again from Prof. George). We are "trustees" who are "charged with passing on intact to the rising generation" a timeless truth: that abortion kills unborn babies and emotionally maims their mothers.

Please read this edition carefully and order lots of extra copies. (Call 202-626-8800, ext. 128.) If you are currently involved in the Movement, redouble your own efforts and actively seek out new friends for the unborn.

If your conscience is just now beginning to feel that special twinge, please heed that still small voice, and then act upon the signal which is telling you that you are one of the chosen whose mission it is to help the helpless.

It is as true today as it was 29 years ago: It is all up to you!