Report on Stand Up for Life Rally in Harrisburg, PA

Pro-Lifers Fill Capitol Rotunda Building

at Stand Up for Life Rally

By Ted Meehan
Friends

Many of you were in Harrisburg to witness the magnificent Stand Up for Life Rally in the Rotunda. Thanks to each one who travelled from all corners of Pennsylvania to lobby their legislators to Ban Dismemberment Abortions, and Defund Planned Parenthood. Both of these can be done - right now! The bills need to be moved, but each bill has support by massive majorities. The key is to get them to RUN.

The Dismemberment Ban (SB 3) can be moved from Chairman Matt Baker's Health Committee. Once it has been approved (it has enough votes in the committee), then Majority Leader Dave Reed needs to place it on the docket for a vote by the full House.

* This is the most expeditious way to get this bill passed. SB 3 has already passed the full Senate by a margin of 32-18. A similar bill passed in the House last year by a margin of 132-65. This time, we can get both chambers to pass the bill, and get it to the Governor. 

The House also has a bill (HB 77) which would ban dismemberment abortions, but once it passes in the House, it would still need to go to the Senate, and through committee, and then get a vote by the full Senate. The Budget is now taking most of the attention of all legislators. and time is short to accomplish passage of this bill.

To pass Dismemberment, please contact:

Chairman Matt Baker mbaker@pahousegop.com 717-772-5371
Majority Leader Dave Reed dreed@pahousegop.com 717-705-7173

Ask them to move SB 3 to the full House for a vote.

For Defunding Planned Parenthood, either of two bills need to be moved. In the Senate, the bill is SB 300, and in the House it is HB 300. For the House bill, the same two contacts are the ones to contactto ask for action on it. For the Senate version SB 300, your emails and phone calls should be addressed to:

Senator Pat Browne http://www.senatorbrowne.com/contact-me/717-787-1349

Majority Leader Jake Corman http://www.senatorcorman.com/contact/717-787-1377

Acting now captures the momentum that has been generated by the Stand Up for Life rally.

Thank you!
Ted Meehan

Olympic Gold Medalist Had An Abortion: It ‘Broke Me’

Olympic Gold Medalist Sanya Richards-Ross

By Claire Chretien 

Life Site News

Track star and Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross "fell into the depths of despair" after having an abortion just weeks before competing in the 2008 Games, she wrote in her newly-released memoir Chasing Grace.

Aborting her baby "seemed like no choice at all," Richards-Ross recalled in an excerpt published by People. 

"Everything I ever wanted seemed to be within reach. The culmination of a lifetime of work was right before me ... The debate of when life begins swirled through my head, and the veil of a child out of wedlock at the prime of my career seemed unbearable. What would my sponsors, my family, my church, and my fans think of me?"

"Over the phone, we [my fiancé and I] didn’t go into details," the Jamaican-American athlete wrote. "As if not saying it would alleviate some of the guilt and the shame."

The abortion happened "quickly," but it "broke me," Richards-Ross wrote. The day after the abortion, she flew to Beijing for the 2008 Olympics.

The abortion was a decision "from which I would not immediately heal," she said. It "would now forever be a part of my life. A scarlet letter I never thought I’d wear. I was a champion — and not just an ordinary one, but a world-class, record-breaking champion. From the heights of that reality I fell into a depth of despair."

At the Beijing Olympics, Richards-Ross won a bronze medal in the 400-meter race. She and her team won a gold medal in the 4x400-meter relay. (She had won a gold medal in Athens in 2004 and went on to win two more golds at the London Games in 2012.)

"Sanya Richards-Ross' testimony reveals what many of us already knew – that abortion is a significant problem in the athletic community and that few are educated on the life-affirming options and resources available to support pregnant athletes," Beth Rahal, Students for Life of America's Pregnant on Campus Director and a former college cross country and track athlete, told LifeSiteNews. Rahal said she has helped several student athletes over the years.

Life Action News continues

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link.  Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest.  Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?  

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna:  Call or text 610-626-4006  

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.  

Troubled Harrisburg Abortion Center Closed

Hillcrest Abortion Facility

By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
PA Pro-Life Federation

The sign on the door says it all—the troubled Hillcrest abortion facility in Harrisburg is closed until further notice.

Several Pennsylvania state Senators recently sent a letter to the Secretary of the PA Department of Health, asking why the abortion center’s license had not been revoked.

The letter followed the release of a 44-page document noting the health and safety failures of the long-time abortion operation.

Violations included everything from failing to maintain proper medical credentials to maintaining supplies that were 13 years old. Hillcrest also performed a number of abortions without having a nurse present. In addition, staff members failed to undergo the criminal background checks mandated for seeing patients under 18 years old.

Hillcrest’s troubles date back at least six years, when the abortion outfit was first cited for safety failures. The abortion center has been cited three times since, with the latest report suggesting that the violations have become more egregious.

Pennsylvania passed a law in 2011 requiring abortion facilities to meet basic health and safety standards. The law was a response to the massive tragedy in West Philadelphia, where abortionist Kermit Gosnell was ultimately convicted of killing three full-term babies and causing the death of a female immigrant patient, Karnamaya Mongar.

Website: PA Pro-Life Federation

The “Best Reaction” Ever to an Ultrasound?

By Dave Andrusko
National Right to Life News

There are few sights more delightful than watching people’s faces as they respond to ultrasounds.

Barbara Diamond headlines her post (and the video) “She Has The BEST Reaction To Her Sister’s Ultrasound Surprise.” And it may be just that.

Writing at jillian.littlethings.com, Diamond tells us the delightful story of Jillian, a teacher who is due in September, and her twin sister, Kelly-Renee.

Jillian knew there would be one person who would be “ecstatic when” at her 20 week scan, Jillian found out that her third pregnancy was with twin boys. As you watch the video, you can readily see why Ms. Diamond said, “Jillian, however, never expected a reaction quite like this” from Kelly-Renee.

Just seconds after she learns it’s twins, Jillian brings her sister into the room. What made it special is that Jillian doesn’t tell her sister the big news.

Kelly-Renee, smiling broadly, looks the ultrasound, sees a “little baby with a heart… There’s the heart….it’s beating…Look at the baby.”

The doctor, in on the game, asks innocently, “Looks normal, right”

Kelly-Renee then asks, “Are those two”?

“Oh, my God,” she shrieks with joy, “Oh my God, Oh my God…. Can I have one, can I have a baby?”

“The moment Kelly-Renee realizes her sister is pregnant with not one but two beautiful babies (27 seconds in), her reaction is absolutely priceless,” Diamond writes. “Thank God the cameras were rolling.”

Indeed, Kelly-Renee’s “holy cow!” expression just warms your heart and your face lights up in a smile.

Take a minute and watch the video at littlethings.com.

Website: National Right to Life News

Just Get Rid of It” – The Words that Haunted Me Throughout My Teen Pregnancy

Submitted By

Valerie Via Social Media

Save the Storks

Waking up to another bad dream makes it so hard to go back to sleep. The same dream over and over. I was mid-way through my pregnancy and the nightmares of having you taken from me as soon as I gave birth left me breathless.

No chance to hold you, no chance to kiss your face, no chance to see you. I laid there crying out, “My baby, my baby.”

These nightmares would come off and on and I would rise up in the bed in the stillness of the dark night with tears streaming down my face. My shaking hand would rub my growing belly.

Scared and alone are not even close to describing the heartache of the thought of not holding you. The words of “just get rid of it, we can get it done and over with” repeated in my mind. The hurt of those words spoken over me.

I cried out to the Lord, but I felt as if my voice was snuffed out by the darkness in my room.

The excuses would cycle in my mind. Maybe I was being punished for this unplanned pregnancy, maybe it was because of the running away from everything I knew growing up, or the partying.

The isolation of all this fear kept me chained. I felt as if I could not get away from all the thoughts. Walking into church as a pregnant 18-year-old left me full of doubt and fear. The whispers and the stares. Then the night would repeat itself.

Night after night, the enemy was winning as I was struggling with the same nightmare of my precious baby being ripped away from me. 

Save the Storks story continues

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link.  Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest.  Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?  

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna:  Call or text 610-626-4006  

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.  

BREAKING: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Bill Banning Brutal Dismemberment Abortions

Texas Governor Greg Abbott

By Becky Yeh
Live Action News

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation Tuesday to ban the gruesome second trimester D&E abortion procedure, also known as dilation and evacuation. The procedure, during which an abortionist uses a sopher clamp to tear apart a preborn child limb from torso, is described below by former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino.

The procedure, which is an inhuman and violent act against a preborn child, is committed up to 24 weeks since a woman’s last menstrual period. Texas is the eight state to prohibit the procedure, a step that is being praised by pro-life groups.

“The Texas Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act is a vital step in protecting pregnant mothers and their unborn children from being subject to such a dehumanizing experience” said National Right to Life Committee State Legislative Director Ingrid Duran.

Gov. Greg Abbott, a pro-life advocate, has taken strong steps to ensure protections for the preborn. Last year, Abbott announced the LIFE Initiative to make Texas “the strongest pro-life state in the nation,” and called for the total defunding of abortion giant Planned Parenthood, a prohibition on altering abortion procedures to harvest body parts, and tougher protections for the preborn.

Senate Bill 8 also prohibits the donation of fetal parts for medical research and requires abortion facilities to create or bury the bodies of aborted children. The law will take effect in September.

Website: Live Action News

Planned Parenthood Blocks Man From Entering Clinic to Talk His Fiance’ Out of an Abortion

By Cheryl Sullenger
Life News

Pro-life activist Michael Sweeney stood outside of the Margaret Sanger Planned Parenthood abortion facility on May 24, 2017, attempting to offer help to women seeking abortions as he so often does.

But what started as a routine shift at the abortion facility would soon change into an intense effort to save a baby, and later the life of its mother.

One man emerged from the towering Planned Parenthood abortion facility in the heart of Lower Manhattan to speak with Michael. He had just dropped off his fiancée for an abortion. At one point, Michael persuaded the man to go back inside Planned Parenthood to speak to his fiancée about possibly leaving without the abortion.

However, the security guard posted in the building entryway must have seen him speaking to Michael. Not only was the man was barred from seeing the woman, he was not even allowed to reenter Planned Parenthood’s waiting room. Frustrated and upset, he returned to speak further with Michael.

As they waited on the sidewalk, Michael put the man on the telephone with the Sisters of Life, who explained more about the abortion and about what options were available. After about an hour, Michael’s shift was over and he had to leave his new friend to wait for his fiancée alone.

Meanwhile, the man resumed his conversation on his own phone with the Sisters for Life as long minutes of waiting turned into hours. As he was on the phone with one of the nuns about three hours after Michael left, he saw an ambulance pull up.

He hoped the ambulance was not for his fiancée. What were the odds of that? But soon, the paramedics emerged and his worst fears were realized. The woman in the care of paramedics was indeed his loved one.

Life News story continues

Blogger's Comment: This father's last ditch effort to persuade his fiance to choose life for their baby is tragic.  Planned Parenthood is a misnomer.  In reality, it is Banned Parenthood.  Fathers suffer in silence when their baby is aborted against their will.  Mothers and fathers both suffer once a Planned Parenthood adds to the pressure of 'choosing abortion'.  PP's 'choice' mantra is a lie. 

"This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." Deuteronomy 30:19.

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link.  Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest.  Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?  

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna:  Call or text 610-626-4006 

 If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.  

Secret Abortions Haunted Her on Her Deathbed

End of First Trimester

By Sarah Terzo
Clinic Quotes

The story of a woman whose secret abortions haunted her:

… I recall a story my mother shared with me when coming onto my puberty. She told me that my paternal grandmother on her deathbed was quite frightened of dying. She confessed to my mother, who attended her passing, that she was “afraid to meet all her dead babies on the other side.” It seems Grandma had induced several abortions which were secrets kept from family and friends alike. At death’s door, Grandma confronted her previous liaisons with mortality and murder, carrying this hidden fear for years.

That story made a strong impression on me, as I had been taught through the popular “planned parenthood” information materials that abortion was more like a tooth extraction than murder. A little painful, but not such a moral crisis. How could this be true when Grandma carried that guilt all her life? I couldn’t imagine similarly repenting my dentistry operations upon my deathbed.

Website: Clinic Quotes

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link.  Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest.  Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?  

National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna:  Call or text 610-626-4006  

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.

  

You are Somebody's Hero!

By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation  

I recently heard a definition of the word "hero" that really touched my heart--someone who saves another he or she doesn't even know.

That certainly describes you--and all those who selflessly devote themselves to saving the lives of preborn children and helping mothers facing challenging pregnancies.

In this way, heroism is a hallmark of the pro-life movement. While in some cases, especially when an unexpected pregnancy occurs in our families, we are aiding those we know and love, in many situations, we are reaching out to individuals who were previously unknown to us.

Whether you volunteer in a pregnancy help center...donate your time and talent to a local chapter affiliated with National Right to Life...or financially support the pro-life cause...you are somebody's hero!

This is part of the nobility of the right-to-life movement--people giving of themselves, without expecting anything in return. It can be difficult to sacrifice for the good of another, but it is particularly striking when someone is doing so for a stranger.

It is, in fact, the kindness of strangers that can make the difference to a woman contemplating--or more likely, being pressured--to have an abortion. So many people around her may not be supportive of her pregnancy. But caring and compassionate pro-lifers will be--no matter her financial background, her family situation, her race or creed. The pro-lifer is an equal opportunity supporter, a person who is willing to give, no matter what the cost.

The women and children you help to save from the scourge of abortion may never have the opportunity to thank you. I feel privileged and honored to do so now!

     

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, Inc., is committed to promoting the dignity and value of human life from conception to natural death and to restoring legal protection for preborn children. Through legislation, political action, education and other legal means, we proclaim the truth about abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia.  For more information or to find out how you can become involved, please use this link.  

No Room for a Pro-Life Lawyer at the Philadelphia Bar Association

Christine Flowers

By Christine Flowers
National Right to Life

I’ve never been a member of the Philadelphia Bar Association, even though I was once on the editorial board of its professional journal, the Philadelphia Lawyer Magazine. But I never chose to pay dues and officially align myself with the association because, when I started practicing law in the early 1990s, it was clear there was no place for me at the table, let alone the “bar.”

As a conservative woman who believed abortion was both immoral and legally indefensible, it was impossible to feel welcomed or respected in an organization that had become increasingly left-leaning. This did not surprise me. Even my Catholic alma mater, the one with the crucifixes in the classrooms, wasn’t outspoken in its advocacy for the unborn.

I recall a constitutional law class in which the teacher sped through the landmark Roe v. Wade decision as if he were embarrassed to focus on the ethics of killing what many of us considered babies.

I haven’t given thought to the bar association these past few years. They do their thing, I do mine. For example, at 11 a.m. Tuesday, I’ll be speaking at a rally in the state Capitol rotunda in Harrisburg in support of pro-life legislation, such as Senate Bill 3, which would ban abortions after 20 weeks (they currently are permitted until 24 weeks) and criminalize dismemberment abortions. The rally also will support the defunding of Planned Parenthood, which is the nation’s single most prolific provider of abortions.

That’s my thing, which I doubt will interest many of the people who paid $65 a head to attend a reception at the Bellevue on Friday honoring Carol Tracy, executive director of the Women’s Law Project. 

Tracy is this year’s recipient of the Sandra Day O’Connor award, which the bar association presents to a female attorney “who has demonstrated superior legal talent, achieved significant legal accomplishments, and has furthered the advancement of women in both the profession and the community.”

In an email news release, the association said Tracy was chosen for the award because she has led “major legal victories on the national scale in women’s reproductive rights, violence against women, and other areas of women’s rights, including serving as co-counsel in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood v. Casey.”

National Right to Life continues