Category Archives: General

Encourage Students to Enter Pro-Life Contests This Year

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This school year, as students consider topics for their school projects, why not suggest they write about a pro-life issue? When they are finished they can enter their project in a pro-life contest for a chance to win cash and other prizes.

Student pro-life contests encourage young people gain a better understanding of pro-life Stop Abortion Mandatesissues such as abortion or euthanasia. That’s why the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation organizes two annual contests for students in our state.

The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Essay Contest is open to students in 7th to 12th grade. Students must write an original essay about one of the following pro-life topics: abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, or embryonic stem cell research. Cash prizes will be given to the top winners. The deadline to enter is March 3. For more information, click here.

In the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Oratory Contest, high school juniors and seniors must write and give an original 5-7 minute speech on a pro-life topic. Students will compete at the regional level before moving on to states. The top prize will be a trip to Louisville, Kentucky, to compete in the national contest in June. For more information, click here.

Our national affiliate, National Right to Life, just started a new Student Video Contest for high school and college-age students. Check out last year’s winning video here. For rules and more information, click here.

The University Faculty for Life also sponsors a contest for undergraduate and graduate students. Students may submit original, pro-life compositions in one of three categories: creative writing, literary criticism, or research. The deadline to enter is May 24. For more information, email DrJeffKoloze@att.net .

Help spread the word about these contests, and encourage students to speak out for life.

Who Were the Babies Who Gosnell Killed?

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The Kermit Gosnell trial brought a whirlwind of activity to Pennsylvania last spring.

During the trial, our office was busy responding to media calls, passing along updates on social media, writing blogs and columns, and giving talks all across the state.

Unborn baby pictureNow that Gosnell has been convicted of murder, things have slowed down a bit and I’ve been able to reflect more on the whole horrible situation.

I’ve had the chance to stop and really wonder: Who were these babies who he killed so mercilessly? What would they have looked like? What would their lives have become? We will never know the answers to these questions, but there are some things we do know.

A number of the abortions Gosnell performed were on babies 24 weeks old (the cutoff in Pennsylvania) or older.

At 24 weeks, babies have their own unique fingerprints. They can hiccup and squint, smile and frown. Their hair is starting to grow, and their vocal chords are working. They also can hear sounds outside the womb – a parent’s voice, a song, or maybe a book being read. These babies even can suck their thumbs.

At 24 weeks, they had a good chance of surviving on their own outside their mother’s womb. Twenty-four weeks is considered viability, though younger babies have been born and survived.

It makes me so sad to realize that we will never know more than that about these individuals. And it’s mind boggling to think that we’ll never know 55 million others who suffered similar fates.

The one thing I do know is this: Every single one of those lives was and is valuable. No matter who they were or where they came from or what they had, they deserve the right to life.

In Prison, Gosnell Still Lies about Deaths, Believes He Is Innocent

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A new, exclusive interview with convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell has just been published.

gosnell40The interview reveals that the former Philadelphia abortionist still thinks he is innocent. This spring, he was convicted of the murders of three newborn babies and manslaughter of a female patient, Karnamaya Mongar, along with 200-plus violations of our Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act.

Even in prison, he twists his story for the interview.

Gosnell outright lies when he claims one death in 40 years of his medical career (meaning Mongar) doesn’t indicate he had a poor record. I guess the three newborns who he murdered don’t count. Investigators believed he actually murdered hundreds of newborn babies in his “house of horrors,” but they didn’t have enough evidence to convict him of those crimes. And we may never know how many more preborn babies he legally killed in earlier abortions.

We do know that Gosnell was responsible for the serious injuries and deaths of several women. According to the Grand Jury Report, “His entire practice showed nothing but a callous disdain for the lives of his patients. As far back as 1972, he was notorious for his mistreatment of the women who came to him for treatment.” One of the women who died was the cousin of state Rep. Margo Davidson. Watch her story here.

Read more of the interview with Gosnell here.

College Student Says Women Should Have More Abortions

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Women should have more abortions, because there’s too many people on this planet.

That’s what a group of college students said, dismissing a Students for Life education effort on their campus. The pro-life group recorded the students’ reaction on video. life-potentialWatch it here.

It’s an argument that I read fairly often in online comments sections, too. People think abortion is a solution to reducing what they believe is a surplus population.

I’m not sure if the Students for Life people got the chance to respond to the students. The video doesn’t show it. But this is one of those arguments for abortion that’s not as complicated as it seems.

First, if you are pro-lifer in this situation, you don’t have to agree or disagree with the theory of overpopulation. I only know a little bit about it, but I think there are some great arguments for why more people doesn’t equal a bad thing for our planet. (Check out overpopulationisamyth.com.) But arguing about overpopulation doesn’t get to the heart of the issue.

Let’s assume for a moment that overpopulation is a problem. If the world is overpopulated, should women have the legal right to kill their 2-year-old toddler? What about a disabled person? Or an aging parent who can’t live on their own anymore? Their deaths would, after all, reduce the population, too.

But most people would say those deaths are wrong. So what is the difference between those things and abortion?

As pro-life advocates, we believe that none of these deaths are justified – not the preborn baby, the toddler, the disabled person, the elderly parent. Every one of them is human, and every human should have the right to life. That’s what the overpopulation argument really boils down to: whether the preborn are humans.

The answer to that question is something every pro-lifer should memorize. It’s a simple, scientific truth that is so powerful: A unique, new human life forms at the moment of conception, complete with its own genetic code.

Thanks to an episode of Life Report for laying out this argument.

Everyone Can Do Something for Life This Autumn

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One person cannot do everything to protect life, but every person can do something.

That’s a message our Executive Director Michael Ciccocioppo shares with pro-lifers when he is out on the road. How true it is.

Bucks County Right to Life volunteers

If you’re one of those people who has always wanted to do something more, this fall is a great time to get involved.

Maybe it’s just taking an hour to read the latest news about what’s happening in the abortion debate in America. Maybe you can help educate other people in your church by requesting our free Respect Life Bulletin insert (Contact us at lifelines@paprolife.org or 717-541-0034). Maybe you can read a pro-life book such as “Unplanned” by Abby Johnson or “Why Can’t We Love Them Both” by Dr. and Mrs. J.C. Willke. When you’re done, consider donating it to your church or community library so others can read it, too.

Maybe you can participate in one of these upcoming pro-life events in Pennsylvania:

Lila Rose Red DressCelebrate Life Banquet — On Oct. 29 in Pittsburgh, join pro-lifers all across Pennsylvania for the pro-life event of the year. This special evening will feature Lila Rose, the young pro-life activist who founded the undercover investigative group Live Action. Register now by calling 717-541-0034 or visiting our website. The banquet benefits the life-saving work of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation Education Fund.

“What I saw at the Gosnell Trial” with journalist J.D. Mullane — at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Doylestown, in St. Mary’s Hall across the street from the church. J.D. Mullane is a columnist for the Intelligencer and the Courier Times. He reported extensively on the trial of Kermit Gosnell, the West Philadelphia abortionist convicted of murdering newborns. The event is hosted by the Bucks County Right To Life.

Life Chain — Thousands of Life Chain events will be held on Oct. 6 on sidewalks all across the U.S. People will gather to pray and hold pro-life signs as a peaceful public witness about the devastation of legalized abortion. For a list of times and locations, visit LifeChain.net and click on “Pennsylvania” on the left side of the screen.

Respect Life Conference — St. Gabriel’s Ministry will host the conference “Building a Respect Life Community” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 5 at the St. Patrick’s Parish Activity Center, 85 Marsh Drive, Carlisle. Speakers include Monsignor Stuart Swetland, vice president of Catholic Identity, Mount St. Mary’s University; and Maria Gallagher, legislative director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation. Registration is $25, including lunch. A family rate is available. For more information, contact Patricia Dowling at dowlingkp@yahoo.com or Gabriel Marcella at marcella@pa.net.voiceofjohn

Pro-life Film Showing — A special showing of “The Voice of John,” a pro-life film produced here in Pennsylvania, will be held at 6 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Hill City Church, 600 South Poplar Street, in Hazleton. Come see the newly released director’s cut with never before seen footage. The event is free.

40 Days for Life – Join pro-lifers outside abortion centers to pray peacefully for an end to abortion. There will be ten 40-day prayer vigil sites in Pennsylvania this fall. The outreach runs Sept. 25 to Nov. 3. For locations, visit 40daysforlife.com.

For more ideas, volunteer opportunities, and events, click here to contact pro-life volunteers in your community.

Abortion: The Faulty Fix

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
gallagher@paprolife.org

The couple was already in their 30s when they met and married. Less than two months after the nuptials, the wife became pregnant.

It was unplanned. It would be quite late in the game before the husband, who was Maria rose picturefacing serious financial struggles, knew of the pregnancy. When the birth became imminent, they were hoping for a boy, and they planned to name him Harry, after his maternal grandfather.

The birth was quite scary. It happened in the apartment they shared, with the husband receiving delivery instructions from the doctor via telephone. The baby arrived before the ambulance did.

In recalling that day, the wife remarked that, when a woman gives birth and she is handed that baby for the first time, “It is a tremendous gift.”

Again and again, she would recall that gift, and her devotion to her first-born daughter knew no bounds.

I was the unexpected daughter.

My mother would often remark how boring she thought life would have been without her children. Both her daughters were unplanned, but they both brought her unintended joy and laughter. Upon her death, my mother’s close friend told me how very proud my mother had been of her children.

Many factors may drive a woman to an abortion center–financial trouble, a coercive boyfriend or husband, abuse, just to name a few. These problems are serious and should be dealt with. But abortion is not the fix.

A woman leaves an abortion facility just as poor as when she went in–generally, about $450 poorer. Her relationship troubles with her significant other aren’t resolved–in fact, the tension arising from the abortion, the regret, and the emotional fallout can make things worse.

What a pregnant woman in dire difficulty needs is a hand of friendship–one that will not take the “tremendous gift” that she has been given from her.

For that one, precious, unrepeatable gift has more value than the entire universe.

Whether the Supreme Court recognizes it or not.

New Threat to Life in PA — Assisted Suicide

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Euthanasia is something I don’t think about too often. Maybe it’s because I’m under 30 and healthy. Maybe it’s because assisted suicide is illegal in Pennsylvania and most of the U.S.

But now that there’s a euthanasia gOldwomanroup lobbying here in Pennsylvania, I’ve been reading more about this pro-life issue.

In his book “Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia: Past and Present,” Dr. J.C. Willke wrote that the problem with assisted suicide is that it judges that human life has only relative value, not absolute value.

Just take a look at Oregon where physician-assisted suicide is legal. According to Oregon Right to Life, the top reasons people request assisted suicide are losing autonomy, decreasing participation in activities, and loss of dignity.

These are value issues. At its roots, assisted suicide pushes the idea that some lives aren’t as valuable as others – maybe because they are disabled or they can’t participate in the same activities they once did. It leads to people devaluing themselves and others.

So what can we do to reverse this trend?

When a loved one is suffering, we need to ensure that they receive the proper medical treatment and pain relief. Most of all, they need our assurance that their life is valuable – no matter what their level of ability or degree of dependency.

Learn more by listening to our half-hour podcast where our Executive Director Michael Ciccocioppo and I discuss the issue in depth. Download it here.

A Movement of Hope and Miracles

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Every baby is a miracle. I’ve heard that saying many, many times, but I understand it a lot better now that I’m working in the pro-life movement.

HannahSmithStory2

Baby Hannah with her parents

Especially when I read stories about babies like Hannah.

While Hannah was still in the womb, doctors diagnosed her with Trisomy 18, a chromosomal abnormality that causes most babies to die at birth.

Doctors encouraged Hannah’s mother, Bernadette, to abort her. They said Bernadette’s seven other children would suffer while she was confined to a hospital bed with a high risk pregnancy, but she and her husband refused to kill Hannah in the womb.

Instead, they hoped and prayed. Hannah was born, not without problems, but she lived. Hannah spent a remarkable five years with her family before she died.

Her mother said, “Five beautiful years with her. I just want to tell mothers, ‘Don’t do this [abortion].’ I had to fight through it all. I wanted my baby alive and I wanted to carry her. We would have missed out on all of the beauty of life with my daughter.”

So many babies like Hannah are labeled “incompatible with life” and routinely aborted. Abortion advocates wrongly persuade these worried parents that the compassionate thing to do is have an abortion.

As I read Hannah’s story, I thought about what would have happened if she had been aborted. I thought about the parents in similar situations who do abort.

And I realized how abortion takes miracles out of the equation: no miracles for a baby diagnosed with a fatal illness, no hope for a family facing terrifying news about their baby.

Then I look at the pro-life movement, and I see the person-against-the-odds stories that we can’t help but love. I see people refusing to allow even the darkest circumstances overshadow the innate value of every human life.

It may be a simple thought, but I find comfort and joy in realizing that we are a movement of hope and miracles.

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Note: After writing this column for our newsletter, a reader contacted me with information about perinatal hospice, a program that helps families who learn that their preborn babies will not live for long. It’s a support system that is so very needed, because it helps families treasure the short time they have with their child.

According to Perinatalhospice.org, “Caregivers can provide support during pregnancy, including assisting with birth planning, making medical decisions for the baby, offering support for anticipatory grief, … helping parents create memories … and supporting families as they say goodbye.”

I encourage you to learn more by visiting Perinatalhospice.org.

Some Abortion Advocates Want to Deny Women Rights, Too

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Recently, I had one of those moments when I stopped, rubbed my eyes, and tried to process the fact that what I was reading was true.

If you have heard of Peter Singer, you probably know what I mean. He is an extreme, anti-life bioethicist from Princeton University.

Earlier this summer, he spoke at the Women Deliver Conference, which was hailed as GlobeWomanan important global meeting to discuss women and girl’s human rights. Bill Gates’ wife, Melinda, also was there.

The Population Research Institute wrote a long article about the conference, but I’ll give you some brief excerpts from it:

Peter Singer, when talking about population control and the environment, said, ““It’s possible of course, that we give women reproductive choices … but that we find that the number of children that women choose to have is still such that population continues to rise in a way that causes environmental problems.”

In other words, Singer says there is a problem: Despite all the governments’ and organizations’ efforts, there are still too many babies being born; and they are hurting the environment. (Click here to learn why Singer’s theory on overpopulation is a myth.)

Here is his answer to the alleged problem: “(It is) appropriate to consider whether women’s reproductive rights are ‘fundamental’ and unalterable or whether … there can be imaginable circumstances in which you may be justified in overriding them.”

Are you rubbing your eyes now, too? Singer is saying that to control the population not only should we deny babies their right to life, but we also should be able to override women’s rights to their child and their own bodies.

Even more frightening is the fact that Singer wasn’t the only one talking like this. A representative from India put things more bluntly when she said wealthier countries in Europe and America should “force women to have less children.”

Mother Teresa predicted these evils when she said, “If a mother can kill her own child, what is left but for me to kill you and you to kill me?”

Babies have been denied their right to life in the womb. Now, global leaders are questioning women’s bodily rights, too.

Fortunately, pro-life advocates are working around the globe to restore and protect our rights from such radicals. Learn more here about our national affiliate’s work to protect human rights through the United Nations.

Euthanasia Lobby Exploits Pennsylvania Case

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A Pennsylvania case has caught the eye of the euthanasia lobby.
Compassion and Choices, whose roots can be traced back to the pro-euthanasia Hemlock Society, is representing a nurse from Philadelphia who is being charged with assisting in the suicide of her 93-year-old father.

According to a Philly.com report, Joe Yourshaw was in hospice care when he asked his visiting daughter Barbara Mancini, who is a nurse, for his bottle of morphine.Gavel
A hospice nurse at the home told police that “her client had taken an overdose of morphine with the intent to commit suicide.” The hospice nurse said Mancini gave her father the morphine “at his request so that he could end his own suffering.” The hospice nurse called 911, and Yourshaw was revived at the hospital. He died four days later.

Mancini says she gave her father the medicine to help ease his pain, not to help him die.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane’s office was asked to prosecute the case because of a conflict of interest at the local court level.

“If a person beyond a reasonable doubt committed assisted suicide, justice needs to be served and the law needs to be adjudicated,” Michael Ciccocioppo, executive director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, told ABC News. “But in a case like this one, which is so murky, unless there is real evidence to corroborate the charge, it’s hard to see how this would go all the way through.”

While the details of this specific case are not clear, the intentions of the euthanasia lobby are. The group is urging state Attorney General Kane to drop the case, by citing her decision not to defend a Pennsylvania law upholding traditional marriage. If the attorney general refused to defend that law, the euthanasia lobby argues she could refuse to defend the Pennsylvania ban on assisted suicide, too.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided unanimously in Washington v. Glucksberg and Vacco v. Quill that states have an interest in protecting their citizens from suicide, and they may ban assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Wesley Smith, an attorney and leading advocate against euthanasia, wrote about how the euthanasia lobby is twisting the court rulings to push their agenda here in the Commonwealth.

“Over 20 years of anti-euthanasia advocacy, I have come to realize that many activists on the other side care little for the truth, or indeed, facts. They just want to win!” Smith wrote on LifeNews.com.

The euthanasia lobby claims pain as a reason for legalizing assisted suicide, but studies show pain is not a leading factor in suicides.

In Oregon, where physician-assisted suicide is legal, studies show that pain is one of the last reasons people give for committing suicide. Depression – a treatable condition – “is the only factor that significantly predicts the request for death,” according to Oregon Right to Life.

Pennsylvania’s ban on assisted suicide protects vulnerable people from being pressured into committing suicide.

“One thing is for sure,” Ciccocioppo said. “People in pain have a right to relieve their pain, and we don’t have a problem with that. But the same Supreme Court decision … also upheld assisted suicide laws and the rights of the states to say it’s not legal. We stand by that to the end.”