NRL News
Page 12
February/March 2010
Volume 37
Issue 2-3

Pro-Lifers across the Country Energized to
Continue Fight against Obama Abortion Agenda

By Liz Townsend

A year of success in fighting the Obama Abortion Agenda has given pro-lifers across the country the energy and determination to continue to stand up for life. Their conviction was on full display in state capitals and small towns during January to commemorate the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Massachusetts pro-lifers, gathering for the Assembly for Life in Boston January 24, took pride in their state’s election of a Republican senator that ended the Obama allies’ stranglehold on the U.S. Senate. “I think we have honestly broken the back of Obama’s abortion agenda,” Massachusetts Citizens for Life President Anne Fox told the crowd.

Right to lifers are optimistic that their continuing hard work can help pass legislation that will protect the most vulnerable. Six thousand pro-life champions gathered in St. Paul, Minnesota, January 22 to call for a ban on saline, sex-selection, and forced abortions. Gov. Tim Pawlenty energized the crowd by reiterating the pro-life mission: “We’re here today to remind our fellow citizens and policymakers in this state and around the country that we stand for protecting life, and we want to promote and celebrate a culture of life in Minnesota and in the United States of America.”

A bill that would ban abortions performed on babies capable of feeling pain absent a significant risk to the mother was supported by the 5,000 attendees at Nebraska’s Walk for Life in Lincoln January 30. They also released 400 pink and blue balloons at the capitol to represent the millions of babies killed by abortion since the Supreme Court’s tragic decision in 1973.

Speakers at the Rally for Life in Montpelier, Vermont, January 16 urged pro-lifers to let their legislators know they support proposed bills treating unborn children as victims in homicides and also that they oppose any attempts to legalize assisted suicide. Four hundred people marched through the streets of the capital to show their support for all Americans, from the preborn to those at the end of life.

A proposed bill to legalize euthanasia was also condemned at Hawaii’s March for Life in Honolulu January 22. Speakers urged the hundreds gathered to continue the spirit of the day. “We need to put our money and time at the disposal of those in need, to open our hearts and doors to women in need,” said Catholic Bishop Larry Silva. “Our rally is for a few hours, but our commitment must go beyond that.”

Attendees at the North Carolina March/Rally for Life in Raleigh January 16 were also encouraged to fight for pro-life laws in their state. “There’s a lot that needs to be done in our state that hasn’t been done,” keynote speaker Deanna Jones said. “I hope that more and more people will speak out from North Carolina to our legislators to move some bills and at last hear some of the things we’re bringing in front of them.”

Alabama’s capital of Montgomery was the site of the Pro-Life Legislative Day at the state house January 26, where pro-lifers spoke to their representatives and urged them to support protective legislation. In addition, although rain washed out the Memorial Service for the Unborn in Montgomery January 24, several hardy souls braved the weather and prayed at the Greenwood Serenity Memorial Gardens for aborted children.

A packed room of about 360 pro-lifers, many of whom were youth from across the state, listened intently to featured speaker Angela Franks, Ph.D., author of “Margaret Sanger’s Eugenic Legacy.” Alyse Player, a 12-year-old vocalist, wowed the attendees with her fantastic singing style at the 11th Annual Prayer Breakfast for Life held in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Alaska pro-lifers gathered for the annual prayer vigil in Anchorage January 23. Participants also celebrated the 47,000 signatures collected across the state for a proposed initiative that would ensure that parents are informed before their minor daughter has an abortion.

A prominent sight at many rallies across the country were marchers with red tape covering their mouths, in solidarity with the silent screams of the unborn and with others who have no voice. Thousands of Georgia pro-lifers in Atlanta January 22 and hundreds in Cheyenne, Wyoming, January 23, also marched through their capital streets without speaking.

State capitals were the site of rallies on January 24 in Phoenix, Arizona, and January 17 in Little Rock, Arkansas, where thousands marched and heard stirring words from state officials and religious leaders; January 27 in Sacramento, California, which combined a march and a lobbying day at the state house; January 22 in Topeka, Kansas, where over 2,000 marched from the Topeka Performing Arts Center to the Kansas Supreme Court lawn; January 19 in Olympia, Washington, where a huge crowd of 6,000 pro-lifers gathered on the capitol steps; and January 23 in Boise, Idaho, where 1,000 pro-lifers marched.

Other statewide rallies were held January 16 in Columbia, South Carolina, where hundreds Stand Up for Life each year; January 16 in Augusta, Maine, which showed pro-life unity and commitment with Hands around the Capitol; January 24 in Nashville, Tennessee, which featured speakers who encouraged attendees to speak out about abortion; January 22 in Pierre, South Dakota, where the Hour of Reflection had the theme, “Pro-Life Legislators and You: Working Together to Advance the Cause”; and January 24 in Springfield, Illinois, where a Recommitment to Life ceremony encouraged attendees to continue working for justice for the unborn.

Justice was the main theme at a march and rally in Houston, Texas, January 18. Over 4,000 pro-lifers walked to a Planned Parenthood mega-clinic, where attendees stood in silent prayer. The rally was noticeably diverse, with people of all races and ages gathered together to support unborn children.

Pro-lifers made their presence known in other local communities, displaying their commitment outside of state capitals. Michigan right to lifers held events in towns such as Muskegon, Holland, Warren, Traverse City, and Temperance, to name just a few. Nevada held a Choose Life Rally and Life Chain in Reno January 16.

Louisiana pro-lifers brought their “Who Dat” spirit to rallies in New Orleans, Gonzales, New Iberia, Lafayette, Opelousas, and Ville Platte. Indiana towns and cities such as South Bend, Terre Haute, and Fort Wayne also showed their pro-life dedication in January events.

In Pennsylvania, pro-lifers in cities like Gettysburg, Erie, and Lebanon held local events, while thousands also traveled to Washington, D.C., for the huge national March for Life January 22. A survey of signs at the march showed attendees from states near and far, including Virginia, Missouri, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and West Virginia. Ohio and Kentucky pro-lifers, as they do every year, attended Congressional Breakfasts before marching.

For the second year in a row, Oregon pro-lifers took their rally out of the capital of Salem to their largest city, Portland. Despite rain, over 5,000 came together January 17. The haunting sound of 51 bells tolling and echoing through the streets of Portland commemorated the 51 million unborn babies who have died through abortion.

Catholic Archbishop John Vlazny spoke for all pro-lifers nationwide when he encouraged the crowd to continue their movement that combines faith, justice, science, and human rights to protect the most vulnerable among us. “This is our moment,” he said. “This is the only way we can transform the culture of death into a culture of life—from heart to heart and one person at a time.”