NRL News
Page 6
January 2010
Volume 37
Issue 1

An Update on Stopping Obama’s Abortion Agenda

By Dave Andrusko

This edition of the “pro-life newspaper of record” is intended to provide you with an update on our battle against “Obama’s Abortion Agenda” one year out, and provide you with tools to help pro-lifers wage the battle against the most pro-abortion President in our nation’s history, aided and abetted by pro-abortion leadership in both the House and Senate.

As soon as Obama was elected, I promised myself and Jacki Ragan, director of NRLC’s State Organizational Development Department, that we would update you periodically on how well our three-pronged strategy is going. It consists of (1) finding as many pro-lifers as possible; (2) getting them organized; and (3) welcoming them on board as members of National Right to Life.

What follows are my questions and Jacki’s responses:

Q: A year ago, pro-lifers were gung-ho to fight the Obama Abortion Agenda. Has enthusiasm died down? Stayed the same? Grown hotter?

A: Hotter than ever, and I think that is clearly due to the health care “reform” that is still being thrashed out in Congress. (See story, page one.) I think we can honestly state that there has not been one lull in the past 12 months. Grassroots pro-lifers have not lost their passion to oppose this President and this Congress. People are unhappy and they are making themselves heard by thought, word, and deed.

Q: You have your finger on the pulse of the grassroots better than anyone. From your correspondence, what about the Obama Administration has infuriated them most? How has that been channeled into productive outlets?

A: The total disconnect between what Obama promises and what he is attempting to deliver. We at NRLC knew better, but many millions thought he meant what he said and said what he meant. But again and again he has promised that abortion will not be covered in health care reform, only to work to assure that it is part of the final bill. Obama has an agenda and, unfortunately for the unborn, abortion is at the very top.

Q: In this issue we talk about www.nrlchapters.org,  discuss the importance of church bulletin inserts, provide a petition to gather names, and emphasize the importance of pro-lifers becoming dues-paying members of NRLC. These are tools that are more essential than ever. If you were going to very briefly explain why grassroots pro-lifers ought to take advantage of them, what would you say?

A: First, let me say that National Right to Life is the nation’s largest grassroots organization, representing all 50 states and thousands of local communities. When we say “a grassroots organization” this means NRLC is a bottom-up, not top-down organization. There are many organizations that fight many important battles, but there is only one single-issue organization devoted to stopping abortion and euthanasia: NRLC. It is the preeminent pro-life organization, not only in Washington, D.C., but around the country, because of the millions of people who make up the NRLC grassroots.

Let me briefly talk about a couple of the resources you asked about. It is the hard work of the many volunteers who make up our local chapters that make us so effective. Our web site, www.nrlchapters.org,  is exclusively for National Right to Life chapters. A phenomenal resource!

The petition, found on pages 14–15, remains one of the very best ways to locate and motivate new pro-lifers. A petition drive is every chapter’s major organizational tool to recruit new members. A re-energized, mobilized, and growing chapter base will be the key to stopping Obama’s Abortion Agenda.

Providing church bulletins is a classic example of going where you know you will find people who are sympathetic. Churchgoing people are an extraordinarily important component of the pro-life movement. Not only are they generally more likely to vote, they are also typically more actively involved in their communities. This is a vital connection for any grassroots effort to make. (See page 10.)

Q: The most important question of all: What else can you tell the 360,000+ readers of NRL News that will help NRLC and its 50 state affiliates Stop Obama’s Abortion Agenda?

A: I cannot emphasize enough the importance of visiting www.stoptheabortionagenda.com and www.nrlactioncenter.com every single day to stay on top of what is going on. We need your help to grow our base. Please collect signatures and e-mails from all pro-lifers (as sources use friends, churches, family, etc.), and send them to me at jragan1@aol.com. 

We do not abuse your trust, and we promise you that we won’t be sending out fundraisers every day. But it does help us keep costs down, and it does make a difference. We take the obligation to spend your donations wisely very seriously.

Set a goal for yourself to personally find 10 NEW members of National Right to Life for $20 each. For that amount of money they will receive National Right to Life News and have access to up-to-the-minute information.

Contact the pro-life churches in your area and ask them to become supporting church members of National Right to Life. It really does make a difference. No one is more suited for this task than you, because you are the best pro-life ambassador for your community.

Plan now on attending NRLC 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where you will hear the latest information by some of the nation’s most notable speakers in five general sessions (or more), a Prayer Breakfast, a closing Banquet, and more than 70 workshops and Teens for Life sessions, with child care provided. Also very important, NRLC 2010 is an excellent place to meet new friends and renew old acquaintances. (See page xyz.)

Q: How can people get hold of you?

A: E-mail me at jragan1@aol.com, or Luis Zaffirini at Luis@nrlc.org, or Jonathan Rogers at Jonathan@nrlc.org, or Marjorie Higgins at NRLC1985@bellsouth.net.  We truly appreciate your efforts, your excitement, and your willingness to get the job done!