March 20^th is World Down Syndrome day.  It is an opportunity to celebrate children with Down Syndrome and recognize that it is not a disease or a disability, just a difference that should be respected.

I remember my experience with Down Syndrome.  My wife was pregnant with our first child, and we couldn’t be more excited.  We were already planning a Pittsburgh Steelers themed nursery and could not wait.  We had just found out we were having a boy, and had a follow-up with the doctor.

The doctor gravely informed us that our child had a club foot, and that could be a sign of him having Down Syndrome.  He was recommending we go for additional tests so we could decide what we wanted to do.  Talk about a shocker…we weren’t sure what to do.  After a discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of the additional testing, I looked at my wife and told her if she wanted to have the test, we would, but that I wasn’t sure what the point was…whether our child had Down Syndrome or not, he was going to be loved and cherished.  Ultimately we decided not to have the test, and a few months later we were blessed with a healthy baby boy who happened to have club foot.  That baby boy will turn 11 four days after World Down Syndrome Day, and you wouldn’t know he had club foot by looking at him (see above for his 2015 soccer picture).

Now, I do not have any issue with parents who decide to get additional testing.  I can understand the impulse to know as much as possible about the new life you are beginning.  What is concerning is the number of people who determine their child may have Down Syndrome, or any of the other “abnormalities” the testing finds and decide to have an abortion which will kill their baby.  In fact, 93% of babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome are killed before they even have a chance at life (despite a 2.5% margin of error in the testing).

As we approach World Down Syndrome day, I encourage you to take a minute and get to know a child with Down Syndrome.  Consider that he or she is one of the 7% whose parents decided they were going to love their child no matter what, and they were going to give him or her an opportunity to live life to its fullest.

HARRISBURG, Pa. –A ban on the brutal practice of dismemberment abortions has been approved by the Pennsylvania Senate.

The measure, Senate Bill 3, will make it illegal to cause “the death of an unborn child by means of dismembering the unborn child and extracting the unborn child one piece at a time from the uterus through the use of clamps, grasping forceps, tongs, scissors or similar instruments.”

Under the measure, the legal limit for abortions in Pennsylvania would also change from six months’ to five months’ gestation, reflecting the fact that modern technology has been able to save babies at ever-earlier stages of development.

“Taking the life of an unborn child by tearing the baby limb by limb from a mother’s womb is cruel and unconscionable. It is a gruesome practice which most Pennsylvanians want to see banned, according to a statewide poll of Commonwealth residents.  Not one Pennsylvania child should be subjected to this form of brutality—and not one mother should have to grieve a child killed in such a barbaric way,” said Maria Gallagher, legislative director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, an affiliate of National Right to Life.

Senate Bill 3, which is sponsored by state Senator Michele Brooks (Crawford, Erie, Mercer, and Warren Counties), provides exceptions for the mother’s life or for the “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.”

“Poll results show that support for a dismemberment abortion ban in Pennsylvania is actually higher among women than men,” Gallagher added. “Sixty-four percent of PA women want to see this heinous practice banned once and for all.  And they applaud those women lawmakers who are leading the fight to end this ultimate form of child abuse.”

 The bill now moves to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for consideration. A similar bill overwhelmingly passed in the House of Representatives last legislative session.

For immediate release: Tuesday, January 31, 2017
For more information: Tatiana Bergum, (202) 626-8825, mediarelations@nrlc.org

National Right to Life Committee Commends President Trump
For His Selection of Judge Neil Gorsuch as Successor to Justice Scalia

WASHINGTON – Today, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of 50 state right-to-life affiliates, commended President Donald Trump for his selection of Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the U.S. Supreme Court seat vacated by the February 2016 death of Justice Antonin Scalia.

“All too often, our efforts to protect unborn children and other vulnerable humans have been overridden by judges who believe they have a right to impose their own policy preferences,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life.  “We are heartened that Judge Gorsuch appears to share Justice Scalia’s view that federal judges are constrained to enforce the text and original intent of constitutional provisions, and on all other matters should defer to democratically elected lawmakers.”

As a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10^th Circuit since 2006, Gorsuch has not reviewed any state or federal abortion laws. However, he showed support for conscience rights in two cases involving Obamacare mandates. He dissented from a ruling hostile to Utah’s attempts to curb funding for Planned Parenthood (Planned Parenthood Association of Utah v. Herbert). Gorsuch’s 2006 book The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia argued against the legalization of assisted suicide, and defended the idea that “human life is fundamentally and inherently valuable, and that the intentional taking of human life by private persons is always wrong.”

“Pro-life legislators and activists nationwide can have high confidence that as a Supreme Court justice, Neil Gorsuch will not join those who have nullified past efforts to protect the lives of unborn children and other vulnerable humans,” said Douglas D. Johnson, Senior Policy Advisor for National Right to Life.

Founded in 1968, National Right to Life, the federation of 50 state right-to-life affiliates and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, NRLC works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia

Pennsylvania recently received some tremendous, life affirming news.  By the end of the year, three more Planned Parenthood affiliates will be closing their doors. Affiliates in Chambersburg, Gettysburg, and Scranton will no longer be telling women they can’t handle their unexpected pregnancy and referring them to another Planned Parenthood facility that will kill their child and scar them emotionally, if not physically, for life.  This is exciting news for pre-born babies and their mothers, but it is also a time for reflection and re-dedication.

It is important to note that closings like these are becoming more the rule than they are the exception.  Planned Parenthood is closing these “feeder centers” throughout the country. Ironically, Planned Parenthood receives half a billion dollars of taxpayer dollars annually. These closings are a sign that even Planned Parenthood is not immune to the trend toward pro-life ideology happening across the country, and especially here in Pennsylvania.

What the closing of these centers, and the other centers like them around the state, means, is that the work of pro-life pregnancy resource centers is that much more important.  Women who are experiencing an unexpected pregnancy still will need somewhere to go for help and counsel.  The good news is, with the closing of these centers, there will be less fake help and poor counsel.  We know the pro-life pregnancy centers in these areas stand ready to fill in the void and show these mothers how valuable they and their babies are…the question is, what can you do to help?

Here are some suggestions how you can support your pro-life pregnancy resource center:

1. Volunteer—Pro-life pregnancy centers need people with many different skills, from talking to women who are pregnant, to answering phones, to vacuuming and dusting.
2. Collect—Many of these centers help women by providing them with baby supplies. Consider conducting your own “baby shower” with friends and family and donating the items to your local center.
3. Share—Let people know about the great work these centers do. Share their social media posts and help them spread the word that they exist to help women.
4. Participate—Many of these centers have various events throughout the year, fundraising, volunteer, or otherwise. Consider participating in these events and showing your support.

The closing of these Planned Parenthood centers is certainly good news, but as one avid pro-lifer recently stated “Now is not the time for dancing shoes, it’s time for working boots”.

Editor’s Note: From the desk of our Executive Director, Michael Ciccocioppo

This election was historic in many ways. We had a Presidential candidate who strongly opposed abortion and pledged to appoint pro-life justices to the Supreme Court.  He gave an extremely powerful and impassioned explanation of partial-birth abortion in the third debate.  Planned Parenthood and their abortion-minded allies spent more money, time, and resources than ever before opposing the pro-life presidential candidate, and pro-life candidates up and down the ballot.  One party adopted the most pro-life platform ever, while the other adopted the most radically pro-abortion position ever.

In the end, the nation elected the pro-life Donald Trump to be the 45^th President of the United States. Not only did the American people stand up and resoundingly reject the radically pro-abortion Hillary Clinton, they have given President-elect Trump a pro-life Senate and US House of Representatives to support him in his efforts to protect those most vulnerable.

It would be easy to revel in our victory, but there is much work to be done.  As President-elect Trump said so eloquently in his acceptance speech, “So it’s been what they call a ‘historic event’. But to be really historic, we have to do a great job.”

As pro-lifers we need to support President-elect Trump, his pro-life advisors, and our pro-life Congress in doing everything possible to appoint Justices to the Supreme Court who will overturn Roe vs Wade and protect those at the end of life.  We need to let our legislators know we support them in voting for pro-life legislation…and thank them when they vote the right way.  We need to be continue to talk to our friends, family, and neighbors and keep explaining why it is so important to treat all human beings with respect and dignity from conception to natural death.

Let’s help President-elect Trump make his election historic for all those precious babies who are counting on us, not just here in Pennsylvania but across the country and around the world!

I recently had the opportunity to watch the video of a debate between two female attorneys active in the pro-life movement, one arguing for voting for Donald Trump and the other advocating voting for a third party pro-life candidate for President. It was an interesting and educational discussion, and I came away with a few “take-aways” to share as Election Day nears.

 I found it interesting that the advocate for voting for a third party pro-life candidate admitted that this candidate doesn’t have a chance of winning so hers is more of a “protest vote” than anything. But a “protest vote” does not help a viable pro-life candidate get elected. Millions have bled and died for the right to cast a vote. Throwing it away in protest does not save lives!

 The advocate for voting for Trump made some excellent points. She talked about the importance of electing someone who would appoint pro-life Supreme Court Justices who would not legislate from the bench (Trump has talked repeatedly of appointing Justices like the beloved Antonin Scalia). She talked about the sterling pro-life record of Trump’s running mate Mike Pence, and Trump’s repeated commitments to uphold the Hyde amendment, to defund Planned Parenthood, and to defend against late term abortions. What was most compelling to me though was when she talked about what came with a Trump administration—pro-life judicial appointments at all levels of the federal court, life-oriented interpretations of rules and regulations, and support for freedom of speech and conscience rights for pro-lifers across the country.

 She also pointed out that a Clinton administration would bring with it abortion on demand, paid for by tax-payers, not just here but around the world. A Clinton administration would mean even more pro-abortion judges not just on the Supreme Court, but throughout the Federal court system. It would lead to mean the federal government forcing pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortion, and severely restricting sidewalk counselors from doing their life-affirming work outside of abortion centers.

What was most striking of all however, was the overall tone of the debate and its conclusion. There was no name-calling, no shouting over each other, no personal attacks. They both agreed that, no matter how one decides to vote in the Presidential race, it is inherent that pro-lifers vote for pro-life candidates down the ballot. Perhaps most importantly they agreed that while there may be a disagreement on tactics or strategy, all pro-lifers stand together in solidarity to protect those most vulnerable among us from womb to tomb!