Proudly Pro-Life Plus

Even though the May issue of National Right to Life News will not be printed until several days after I write these observations, I felt it very important to record my impressions from last night's superlative Ninth Annual Proudly Pro-Life Awards Dinner as soon as I could. Trust me, it was a special time in ways I hope I can do justice to. (See also, story, page 4.)

I've been lucky enough to attend every one of the dinners, which take place annually at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. Since 1994, the NRLC Educational Trust Fund has honored a series of great men and women, a tradition maintained in full when the Trust Fund brought Archbishop Renato Martino and Dr. James Dobson to share a few words and break bread with some of their many admirers and fellow pro-lifers.

Every gathering is different because no two settings can ever be the same. To be sure there were ingredients at the April 30 dinner that regular attendees have come to count on.

For instance, as MC, entertainer Ben Stein was his usual very amusing self. Mr. Stein is always as passionate as he is insightful. But last night his remarks were electrifying.

If it had been people less dedicated and less humble than Archbishop Martino and Dr. Dobson, Mr. Stein's effusive praise might have seemed excessive. But their decades of selfless commitment to the cause of life have earned them every kind word and merited every round of heartfelt praise.

In lavishly praising not only the honorees, but NRLC for its work as well, Mr. Stein set just the right tone for a night that, in fact, also symbolically honors the unsung contributions of tens of thousands of grassroots pro-lifers. Indeed, both Archbishop Martino, the Vatican's permanent representative to the United Nations, and Dr. Dobson, founder and president of Focus on the Family, made it abundantly clear that they considered themselves, like all the other defenders of the innocent, to be workers in the pro-life vineyards.

Obviously, not everyone can make it to these awards dinners. But it's important for every reader of NRL News to know that the resources raised by the dinner for the crucially important work of the Educational Trust Fund will be carefully, thoughtfully, and productively used to raise the consciousness of the American people to the humanity of unborn children and the medically dependent vulnerable.

What better way to honor not only Archbishop Martino and Dr. Dobson but you as well - - the heart and soul of this Movement? Thank you for all you do for the most vulnerable among us.

dave andrusko can be reached at dha1245@juno.com