Monthly Archives: April 2015

What Circles the State Each Spring? Our Pro-Life Town Halls

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By Michael Ciccocioppo, Executive Director

This was my fifth year leading the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation town hall tour around the state. I was privileged to have our education director, Micaiah Bilger, as my co-presenter this year.

0 Michael and Micaiah

Executive Director Michael Ciccocioppo and Education Director Micaiah Bilger

Based on the feedback we received at every stop along the way, the tour was an unequivocal success. People genuinely appreciate our brand of pro-life education. And we reached hundreds of citizens in their hometowns.

We traveled 1,200 miles in seven days this month, speaking in 11 different communities, starting in Ebensburg and continuing on to Uniontown, Pittsburgh, Titusville, Erie, State College, Scranton, Nesquehoning, Easton, Philadelphia and Lancaster. We have one last stop to make in Grove City on September 16. Click here for details.

People like the way we provide the most important information on some of the hottest pro-life topics of the day with high energy, passion and plain English.

This year, we covered seven topics at each stop:

  • The state of abortion in Pennsylvania
  • Gov. Wolf’s ties to the abortion industry
  • Hope for parents whose babies have poor prenatal diagnoses
  • Abortion and medical rationing in the era of the Affordable Care Act
  • The push for doctor-prescribed suicide
  • Encouraging signs for the pro-life cause
  • What you can do to help restore the culture of life in Pennsylvania

Since each event is one-and-a-half to two hours long, we keep our talks brief and focus on the most important aspects of each topic. When people want more details, we provide them during Q&A.

Special thanks to all those who hosted this year’s pro-life town halls. Check out a slideshow of photos from all these events here.

If you or a group would like to host a pro-life town hall in your community in 2016, contact the Federation at lifelines@paprolife.org or 717-541-0034.

New PA Resources on the Threat of Assisted Suicide

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This spring, two bills that could legalize doctor-prescribed suicide were introduced in the Pennsylvania House (HB943) and Senate (SB549).

Giving helpEuthanasia advocates are targeting Pennsylvania and about a dozen other states right now, trying to push their deadly agenda. They have already succeeded in five states.

Here are a few ways you can learn more about this growing threat:

  • The Pennsylvania Coalition to Stop Doctor-Prescribed Suicide now has a website. Visit NoAssistedSuicidePA.org for facts, issue papers, videos, and other resources. And follow the Coalition on Facebook and Twitter. The coalition is a diverse network of disability rights activists, medical professionals, and other groups who believe in compassionate care of people with disabilities and terminal illness, rather than the dangerous practice of doctor-prescribed suicide.
  • We have several fact sheets available: Oregon’s Assisted Suicide Law: Safeguards Don’t Work, and Threat of Doctor-Prescribed Suicide in Pennsylvania. Read them online or request copies from our office.
  • Sign up for our twice-monthly Online Newsletter to receive regular updates about what’s happening in Pennsylvania and what you can do to help protect lives.

We are working hard to educate the public about the threat of doctor-prescribed suicide. Please help us by informing yourself and your friends.

In the Wake of Gosnell Scandal, Lawmakers Have Serious Concerns about Nominee

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
gallagher@paprolife.org

More than 40 Pennsylvania lawmakers have signed a letter to Governor Tom Wolf which raises serious questions about Secretary of State nominee Pedro Cortes. Cogosnell40rtes previously served as Secretary of State during the Rendell Administration, a period of time in which the Department of State took no action against infamous abortionist Kermit Gosnell.

Gosnell was suspected of killing hundreds of full-term babies and causing the deaths of female patients in a West Philadelphia abortion facility, which was called a “House of Horrors” by prosecutors. Gosnell is now in prison after being convicted of killing three babies and causing the death of a woman. Prosecutors say they were unable to bring charges in the rest of the cases because Gosnell destroyed the evidence.

The letter from the legislators states, “To fully understand the gravity of the failures of the department throughout Secretary Cortes’ service, one needs to read directly from the grand jury’s damaging report.”

According to the grand jury report, “Between 2002 and 2009, Board of Medicine attorneys reviewed five cases involving malpractice and other complaints against Gosnell. None of the assigned attorneys or their supervisors, suggested that the Board take action against the deviant doctor. In fact, despite serious allegations, three of the cases were closed without any investigation. The other two were investigated and then closed — without any action being taken.”

The letter from the lawmakers notes, “In his resume and biography Secretary Cortes takes credit for various achievements in dealing with occupational and professional licensure complaints and investigations during his tenure. Yet at the same time he takes no responsibility for the documented blatant failures of those same units under his leadership.”

The letter goes on to say, “…it is deeply troubling to us that you would nominate someone for such an important position as Secretary of the Commonwealth despite his deep ties to this national nightmare.”

You can read the full letter and see the names of the legislators who signed it here.

3 Questions Lawmakers Should Ask Pa. Planned Parenthood

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

When pink t-shirted Planned Parenthood activists swarm the state Capitol in Harrisburg this coming week, they will likely be talking about “reproductive justice,” “women’s health,” and “family planning.”

PlannedParenthood1But chances are they will not be speaking about a number of aspects of their own annual report, which shows just how radical the nation’s number-one abortion performer is in terms of promoting abortion, minimizing adoption, and raking in the taxpayer dough.

The 2013 Planned Parenthood annual report showed the abortion giant committing more than 327,000 abortions. So much for the old pro-abortion mantra of keeping abortion safe, legal, and rare.

For every one adoption referral, Planned Parenthood performed 174 abortions. With that kind of average, the organization is may be a peak performer in the abortion business, but is a non-starter when it comes to promoting adoption.

Moreover, cries of underfunding seem particularly strange, when the non-profit devours more than a half-billion dollars in taxpayer money each year.

State lawmakers would be wise to ask Planned Parenthood officials some pointed questions, such as:

1.) Why are your abortion totals so high?
2.) Why are your adoption referrals so low?
3.) Why does a non-profit need half a billion dollars of our constituents’ hard-earned tax money?

The pink t-shirt parade cannot conceal the ugly truth that Planned Parenthood takes the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens each year…causes unspeakable pain for countless numbers of women…undermines adoption…and wastes hundreds of millions of tax dollars on an annual basis. Planned Parenthood Action Day is not a cause for celebration, but a reason for massive mourning.

Philadelphia Hospital Advances Treatments for Preborn Babies

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I’ve been fascinated lately by the innovative medical work being developed at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to help preborn babies.

TWICEBORNThe other day, I found out that PBS is running a mini-series about the hospital. It’s called “Twice Born: Stories from the Special Delivery Unit.”

I have not watched the series yet, but Kathy Ostrowski of Kansans for Life recommends it:

“Twice Born” focuses on treating serious medical problems detected in the womb, including invasive tumors, spina bifida, and twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome. The first show was well-paced and personalized the staff, particularly one physician whose daughter has a degenerative disease.

But beyond the pathos of the medical conditions depicted, and beyond the admiration for the dedication and compassion of the medical staff, a deliberate feeling kept rising in me: THIS is what medicine naturally aspires to…how marvelous…how noble! This is what physicians SHOULD be doing!

The Philadelphia hospital has performed more than 1,250 operations on babies in the womb. I can’t help but join Kathy in thinking about the stark contrast between this hospital’s work and the abortion industry.

While Philadelphia is making amazing medical advances to save preborn babies, that same city also is killing them at an alarming rate. In 2013, almost half of all abortions (15,986) in Pennsylvania were performed in Philadelphia.

What a contradiction! Some preborn babies are treated as human beings worthy of medical attention and advancements, while others are mercilessly being killed.

Let’s hope that the work at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will help more people to see that all preborn babies deserve life.