Monthly Archives: June 2017

Keeping Tomorrow Alive

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Carol Tobias“Keeping Tomorrow Alive” is a refreshing theme for a convention. And the 2017 National Right to Live Convention is certainly living up to that innovative motto.

National Right to Life President Carol Tobias noted that the theme is two-fold: “We keep tomorrow alive by bringing more and more people into the right-to-life movement to keep this fight going; people who will work beside us in our endeavors to protect innocent human life. But it’s also about an idea, a goal, that human life is to be valued and cherished and respected. Life is to be lived!”

Tobias concedes the pro-life movement faces significant challenges: preborn babies who have as many legal rights as an appendix…babies with disabilities who are considered unworthy of being born…the growing push toward “assisted suicide”…and Planned Parenthood falsely claiming that abortion is “health care.”

And yet, Tobias notes that pro-lifers are eternally optimistic, for good reason.

“We keep tomorrow alive by changing hearts and minds, educating newcomers and bringing them into the movement; by educating our young people so that they have the arguments to bolster their pro-life convictions, and by helping women who have aborted a son or a daughter to realize that they are welcomed and encouraged to join our ranks in the fight to protect innocent human life,” Tobias said.

To view portions of the National Right to Life convention, visit www.nrlconvention.com.

Watching Pro-Life History Being Made Through Cyberspace

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Keeping Tomorrow AliveBy Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

One of the reasons I was initially persuaded to enter the field of journalism was because I liked the idea of having a front row seat to history as it was being made. That dream came true for me, as I was able to report on Presidents and Vice Presidents, First Ladies and Second Ladies, former astronauts and even a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

When I moved from the political beat to the life beat, working full-time in the pro-life movement, I did not initially realize that I still had a prime seat for watching history-in-the-making. It was just from a different vantage point, and it is often by means of an Internet connection.

And so this year I am a virtual visitor to the National Right to Life convention, watching fascinating general sessions via www.nrlconvention.com . The convention theme of Keeping Tomorrow Alive is on full display, as speaker after speaker notes the incredible strides that are being made to protect and defend the generation yet to be born.

It was electrifying to hear David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress,  whose undercover videos of Planned Parenthood officials exposed the alleged trafficking of baby body parts, say that, on every front, Planned Parenthood is facing the end of its abortion empire.

Daleiden adroitly noted that “the worth of a human being is more than the sum of his or her body parts.”

In any other context, such a statement would be hailed by women’s rights activists as undeniably true.

The courageous citizen journalist wisely pointed out that “each new little member of the human family is an asset and not a liability.”

And the truth of that statement makes Daleiden’s prediction about the fate of the pro-life movement entirely conceivable: “If we keep steady, we can win.”

History is, indeed, being made at the 2017 National Right to Life Convention. If you couldn’t make it to Milwaukee this year in the conventional manner, take the cyber route. You won’t be disappointed!

 

 

 

We Protect Butterflies–Why Not Babies?

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ButterflyBy Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

I celebrated the first day of summer this year with a trip to a nearby butterfly garden. Entering that sacred space was a breathtakingly beautiful experience. I stood in awe as these elegant creatures fluttered above my head, then gracefully descended to a leaf, a flower, or a slice of pineapple. The intricacy of their design delighted my eyes and captivated my heart. As I was preparing to leave this lovely sanctuary, I noticed a sign which indicated that taking a butterfly out of this protective space was not permitted. A garden guide carefully checked our bags and clothes to make sure that we had no butterflies tagging along. At that moment, it struck me what care, concern, and compassion are shown to these delicate insects. How can it be that people universally recognize the beauty of butterflies–but not the human child cocooned in a mother’s womb? Why do so many invest so much time and energy in protecting butterflies, while many babies are unprotected, courtesy of the tragic U.S. Supreme Court ruling known as Roe v. Wade? While gazing at a butterfly can be an awesome experience, the butterfly’s beauty pales in comparison to that of a baby. I hope to live to see the day when all babies are permitted a chance to live outside their mothers’ wombs–and to see the mysterious glamour of butterflies with their own eyes.

 

 

 

Father’s Day Reflections

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With Father’s Day approaching, I find myself reflecting on the lessons my father taught me…and not the lessons of how to fish, tie my shoe, ride a bike, or even drive…but lessons of how to be a man. How to stand up for what you believe in, how to admit when you are wrong (one I’m admittedly still working on), and how to stand up for those who can’t defend themselves, among many others.

It’s that last lesson—standing up for those who can’t defend themselves– that stands out for me the most.  Maybe it’s because I’m the oldest of four living siblings, but I have always felt I have an obligation to work toward making the world a better place, mainly by doing what I can to help those who need it most.

That is why I am pro-life—I believe that not just as a father, or even just as a man, but as a human being I have an obligation to defend pre-born babies who can’t defend themselves—we all do!

That is why I find the argument that I shouldn’t express my thoughts about the horror of abortion just because of my gender absolutely wrong.  I have never understood what my gender has to do with whether or not I can speak out against injustice.  Certainly it was not only slaves who spoke out against slavery…men joined women in speaking out for women’s suffrage, and I don’t have to be the victim of a crime to know that crime is wrong.  The morality, or immorality, of a statement (e.g. “all life deserves protecting”) is independent of the person who makes the statement.

So this Father’s Day, and every day, I encourage all fathers, indeed all humans, to stand up against injustice against the most vulnerable among us.  I guarantee you that leaving a legacy of a life-respecting society is better than any tie you can get your Dad this Father’s day!

Troubled Harrisburg Abortion Center Closed

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Hillcrest closed sign 2017

Photo credit: Undefeated Courage

By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

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

The PA Department of Health ordered Hillcrest to suspend operations after a surprise inspection June 5th uncovered new safety violations.

“The department concluded that it was no longer safe for the facility to continue providing medical services to women,” said PA Health Department Secretary Karen Murphy

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 four 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.

 

Senators Demand Answers for Failed Inspection at Abortion Facility

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Senate_Chamber,_Pennsylvania_State_Capitol_Building

By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director

gallagher@paprolife.org

A trio of Pennsylvania state Senators are asking why the license of a Pennsylvania abortion operation was not revoked, once serious health and safety violations were uncovered.

Senators Joe Scarnati, Bob Mensch, and John DiSanto have sent a letter to Health Department Secretary Karen Murphy which states, “The DOH inspection report portrays a facility which is clearly unsafe and unhealthy for both patients and staff alike. Given this, we would like an explanation as to why DOH did not immediately move to suspend or revoke Hillcrest Women’s Medical Center’s license upon finding such numerous egregious violations.”

State health officials have cited Hillcrest for the fourth time in six years for violating Pennsylvania law. The violations run the gamut, from failing to have proper medical credentials to performing abortions without a nurse present. Staff members failed to complete the criminal background checks necessary for dealing with patients under 18 years old. Some supplies were so outdated they could be traced back to 2004.

The Senators note, “These health and safety violations are obviously deeply troubling. However, even more problematic appears to be DOH’s response, which was to allow the abortion clinic to continue operating while granting Hillcrest a six month grace period to correct the cited ‘deficiencies.’”

In 2011 Pennsylvania enacted an abortion center regulations law requiring abortion facilities to undergo unannounced inspections. The legislation grew out of the massive tragedy in West Philadelphia, where abortionist Kermit Gosnell killed living full-term babies and caused the deaths of female patients in a squalid facility labeled a “House of Horrors” by prosecutors.

The law was designed to prevent “future Gosnells” from setting up shop in Pennsylvania. But some legislators now worry the law is not being sufficiently enforced, as evidenced by Hillcrest’s long trail of troubles.