“Nothing we do to defend the human person, no matter how
small, is ever unfruitful or forgotten. Our actions touch other lives and move
other hearts in ways we can never fully understand in this world. Don’t ever
underestimate the beauty and power of the witness you give in your pro-life
work.” - Archbishop Charles Chaput, April 8, 2011
The History of Voices
In August of 1987, a new pro-life concept was born. Mr. Joseph Mortimer, a small business owner from Feasterville, PA, founded Voices for the Unborn with the idea of not just using the media, but being a media outlet for the pro-life movement. It started out as a half-hour radio program, taped in the upstairs room of Joe's jewelry store. The show was broadcast throughout the Delaware Valley on several different radio stations.
Joe had asked one of his parish priest, Father Roland Slobogin, who was very active in the pro-life movement in Northeast Philadelphia, to host this radio program. Father in turn asked me to help him and be his co-host. This led to me also working with Joe in the office on administrative issues.
The following August, Voices for the Unborn Newspaper was born. It was circulated in the Delaware Valley, carrying local as well as national pro-life information. The paper soon went national (mailed to 40 States) and we even had international subscriptions in eleven foreign countries. I worked with Reverend Greg Plata, O.F.M., another of our very active pro-life priest from Northeast Philly, on the newspaper.
In 1989, the first Voices for the Unborn TV program aired.
My Personal Commitment
My personal involvement in the pro-life movement started in 1980 when I read in our church bulletin that a prayer rally was being held at an abortion center near me. I was shocked and horrified to learn that unborn babies were being killed in my own neighborhood!
That following Saturday, my husband and I took our four young children, ages 4 months to 6 years old to the center to protest and pray. (I held our 4-month old son while pushing our 17-month old son in a coach, praying; as my husband chased after our almost 3-year son and 6 year old daughter). We were led in prayer by the late Father Joseph Griffin, who also acted as the liaison between our group and the civil affairs officers who were there to enforce an ‘injunction’, something I had never heard of before.
I began going every Saturday morning after that to pray for those babies killed by abortion as well as for their mothers. Several weeks into our ‘prayer vigil’, I saw a young woman looking out a window of the top floor at us. Someone came up to me and said, “there’s one of them now.”
Thinking we were just there to pray and give witness, I was so shocked that my knees gave out from under me as I realized that babies were being killed while we were praying outside. It was then my long-term commitment to the pro-life movement began.
I have been involved in every part of the movement over the years, some of which are: praying and giving witness outside of abortion centers; sidewalk and hotline counseling; post abortion counseling; being part of the Rescue Movement; opening homes for women in crisis pregnancies; being interviewed by local TV & radio; and finally being a part of the media myself with my involvement with the Voices for the Unborn radio program and newspaper.
Mr. Mortimer passed away in the summer of 2011; however his legacy lives on in this new media outlet – blogging. We all know that social media is the way to reach people today, especially the younger generation.
My hopes are to have people blog here or summit pro-life and pro-family articles for blogging to our e-mail address. I will then post these articles to several social media sites to get the largest audience we can.
I have been involved in every part of the movement over the years, some of which are: praying and giving witness outside of abortion centers; sidewalk and hotline counseling; post abortion counseling; being part of the Rescue Movement; opening homes for women in crisis pregnancies; being interviewed by local TV & radio; and finally being a part of the media myself with my involvement with the Voices for the Unborn radio program and newspaper.
Mr. Mortimer passed away in the summer of 2011; however his legacy lives on in this new media outlet – blogging. We all know that social media is the way to reach people today, especially the younger generation.
My hopes are to have people blog here or summit pro-life and pro-family articles for blogging to our e-mail address. I will then post these articles to several social media sites to get the largest audience we can.
If you would like to become a blogger for this site, or if you just want to send me articles to blog for you, send your information to voices4theunborn@outlook.com.
You can also find us on the following social media sites:
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