Tag Archives: prolife

Philadelphia Say So March Shines Light on the Black Genocide

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By Rev. Dr. Clenard H. Childress, Jr., Founder of BlackGenocide.org, and guest blogger for the PA Pro-Life Federation

Pastor Childress speakingMarch hand in hand toward Philly City Hall

Philadelphia is always our favorite stop due to the fellowship with Exodus Baptist Church where Pastor Herb Lusk is the Pastor. As some of you may know, Herb Lusk was the praying half back of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976 to 78 and was a constant menace to the New York Giants. God always has a sense of humor. I would have never thought the guy I was rooting so strongly against would one day be such a great friend and such a great help to me and the cause I serve.

After a stellar sermon by Pastor Lusk, along with an exhilarating and uplifting worship service on Sunday, October 13th, we headed out to Broad Street to march down to City Hall Plaza. We always create a great witness during the March and often are able to witness to the citizens of the City of Brotherly Love. Often, we see faces of utter surprise, and this year’s nods of approval were up when discovering why we were marching.  It’s quite a witness to see so many people of color holding graphic signs warning the city of the horror of abortion. Quotes of Martin Luther King and Fred Shuttlesworth expressed the need for the citizens of justice to rise up and demand justice for children yet to be born in the womb.

The March was only about 15 to 20 minutes, but we had an impressive body of protesters and once again we had activist Hector Ferrer with us. As I preached to the city in between pro-life chants, Hector added homilies of life in Spanish.  I found out later Hector grew up in Philadelphia and attended school there, one of which he was able to march by and see. Once again, the diversity and Christian manner we portrayed is what the nation needs to see now. So, the preaching, chanting and the unity allows our spirit to touch those that are there and those that view it later through social media and the many still shots we take.

Once arriving at the plaza, the skate boarders made room for us and the crowd that’s normally already gathered for leisure was introduced to pro-life activism at its best. The crowd now stood by and heard the compassionate voices of pro-lifers crying out for those whose voices are being silenced by abortion.

Rev. Herb Lusk Jr.’s son led us off with words of commitment and dedication to the plight of the unborn and allowed his son to come up to the podium as he spoke. Why? To remind us all we have to pass the baton till the evil of abortion ends. “The Killing Must Stop”.

I had the pleasure of meeting the director of the Crisis Pregnancy Center for Exodus Baptist Church called “The Hope Center” Marlene Downing, who marched with us along the route and shared a message for the future of young girls who come into the center seeking help. Her love and experience speak to the heart and soul of the women that come in to the Hope Center. The pro-life movement must understand that the people of faith are created to play a role in the ending of abortion. Marlene has a message that I and many others cannot carry, making her voice and service in this area so vital to the movement.

Michael Ciccocioppo,Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Pro-life Federation, marched with us and gave words of exhortation and expectation. Michael encouraged us to stay diligent in our struggle and encouraged the marchers by letting us know the progress we are making locally and nationally.

There were others there such as Patrick Stanton who spoke of the family legacy of engagement and commitment to the cause there in Philadelphia, Pastor Joseph Randolph of the Onley Baptist Church, the fine officers of the Philadelphia Police Department, and all the way from Atlanta Georgia, a forerunner Loretta Greer. Activist Greer spoke words of wisdom and reflected on the pro-life ministry in the African American Community past and present. Sister Loretta highlighted the faithful struggle of LEARN in its endeavor to reach the African American Community as well as the country. Special thanks to Michelle Martin of Exodus Baptist who coordinated our visit to Exodus,  producing an outstanding fellowship.

It was our best attended march in Philadelphia but for 2020 we have to greatly surpass this effort and we are committed to do so. God has brought us thus far and we can’t draw back now! I declare 2020 the year of activism!

 

Reprinted with permission from the 10/31/2019 newsletter of the Life Education And Resource Network (L.E.A.R.N.)

A Study of Contrasts

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Contrast

               Since the beginning of September when the hearings to confirm now Justice Brett Kavanaugh began, pro-abortion activists have been in hysterics.  Paid pro-abortion protesters have been disrupting public meetings and trying to interrupt Senate proceedings.  Worse, they’re not done yet.  Congressman Jerrold Nadler, who is in line to head up the House Judiciary committee if the Democrats win a majority in the US House of Representatives, plans an investigation into Justice Kavanaugh if he becomes Chair of the Judiciary Committee.

The actions of the pro-abortion crowd stand in stark contrast to the love and quiet strength shown by pro-lifers.  We are in the midst of the fall Forty Days for Life Campaign during which prolifers hold vigils outside pregnancy centers. They take a peaceful, prayerful approach to sharing the truth about abortion.  This past weekend was Life-Chain Sunday during which dozens of life chain events were held across Pennsylvania (and hundreds all over the country).  At these events pro-lifers silently stood together in solidarity, praying for the end to the horrors of abortion.

While the confirmation of Justice Kavanaugh was a huge victory, there’s much work left to do to end legal abortion.  Consider participating in a Forty Days for Life vigil or joining your local chapter of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and standing in solidarity with the pro-life community against the horrors of abortion. You can lovingly support those who are facing an unexpected pregnancy and remind them that there is always a reason to choose life.

There is still hope!

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APR_Girl_VerticalThat is the theme of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life’s campaign to educate people about the abortion pill reversal process.

With the increasing prevalence of chemical abortion, our message is more important than ever.  For mothers who have already taken the first abortion pill, and begun the process of aborting their child, it is a reminder that they can call the abortion pill reversal hotline at 1-877-558-0333.  A nurse will direct them to a local doctor who can administer life-saving medication that will allow them to continue their pregnancy and allow their precious baby to live.  More information about the abortion pill reversal process can be found by visiting www.abortionpillreversal.com.

Our multi-faceted campaign will feature a beautiful brochure that lets a woman know the truth about the abortion pill reversal process that the abortion industry is trying to hide—that as long as she takes the abortion pill reversal medication within 24-48 hours she can save her baby’s life.  This brochure is being printed now, and will be sent out to Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation members in the next week or so, along with instructions on how members can receive additional copies for distribution.  We will also be sending multiple copies of the brochure to our hundreds of pro-life pregnancy centers, chapters and affiliates, and pro-life sidewalk counselors across the Commonwealth.  It will also involve a feature presentation at our pro-life education booth throughout the spring and summer, and an increased presence on our website, in our radio outreach, and anywhere else we can get the word out.

This is where you can help.  It is critically important that this information get in the hands of the women who need it most. Carefully consider whether you can help underwrite our effort to disseminate the information with your most generous gift yet. You can make a donation to this effort by clicking here.  If you are already a member, you will get a copy of the brochure in the mail. If you are not, a pdf of the brochure will be available on our website at www.paprolife.org once it is finalized.  Thank you for helping us in this important effort to remind mothers that there is always a reason to choose life!

 

For Immediate Release: Pennsylvanians to Join Hundreds of Thousands at March for Life in DC

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                           CONTACT: MARIA GALLAGHER, PPLF

January 16, 2018                                                                        717-541-0034

28 Marchers making their way up Constitution Ave                                                                                                                          

Pennsylvanians to Join Hundreds of Thousands at March for Life in DC 

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Pennsylvanians are set to join hundreds of thousands of other Americans at the March for Life on Friday, January 19th in Washington, D.C. The event has been called the largest annual peaceful demonstration in the United States.

“It is highly appropriate that the theme of this year’s March is ‘Love Saves Lives,’” said Michael Ciccocioppo, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, the state affiliate of National Right to Life. “The pro-life movement has empowered women across the country to make loving and life-affirming decisions for themselves and their families. On the other hand, abortion has had a devastating effect on women, leaving countless numbers of mothers to grieve for the children they have lost.”

Statistics obtained from abortion facilities themselves indicate that almost 60 million unborn children in the United States have died from abortion in the years since the tragic 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision known as Roe v. Wade. In Pennsylvania alone, over 30,000 unborn babies died from abortion in 2016, according to the most recent figures released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

“Nearly 100 children die each day from abortion in the Keystone State. That means we are losing the equivalent of about five kindergarten classes daily from abortion. It’s an unparalleled tragedy,” said Ciccocioppo.

Still, the abortion rate would be much higher were it not for a number of important developments. “Pro-life pregnancy centers, the miracle of 4D Ultrasound, the closing of abortion centers, and the prevalence of social media have all combined to bring down our abortion rate over the past few decades,” said Ciccocioppo.

As many as a half-million people are expected for the March for Life—the majority of them high school and college students and young professionals.  Chapters of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, along with a number of church groups, have organized bus trips to the annual March, as they have for decades.

“Our dream is the day when we no longer have to march—when abortion is not just illegal, but unthinkable so that the lives of all preborn children are protected and their mothers are saved from the heartache of abortion,” Ciccocioppo said.

Note:  If your news organization would like to know about buses to the March for Life from your area, please contact Maria Gallagher at 717-541-0034 or at gallagher@paprolife.org. 

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The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation is a grassroots right-to-life organization with members statewide.  As the state affiliate of National Right to Life, PPLF is committed to promoting the dignity and value of human life from conception to natural death and to restoring legal protection for preborn children.

 

 

Two VERY Different Responses to Hurricane Harvey

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hurricane-harvey-rescue-3-ap-jt-170827_4x3_992

In the midst of the devastation and destruction of Hurricane Harvey, some inspiring stories have arisen of people putting aside their personal differences and helping each other get through this tragedy.  It has been interesting to note the difference in responses between pro-abortion activists and pro-life advocates.

On one hand, there are the pro-abortion activists. Never afraid to take advantage of a tragedy, abortion advocates are using the situation in Houston to raise money to fund abortion.  The pro-abortion group The Lilith Fund is soliciting money for women “seeking abortion but (who) cannot afford it.”  Pro-abortion writer Bayetti Flores jumped on the bandwagon and encouraged her Twitter followers to donate to a Texas abortion fund.

At the same time, the pro-life response to this tragedy has been nothing short of heroic and inspiring. Stories like that of Cathy Rude, a midwife who used an inflatable swan to float to her laboring patient and help deliver her baby, or Danielle Palmer, who donated over 1000 ounces of saved breast milk to families affected by Hurricane Harvey. These pro-lifers are leading the way in showing everyone how to respond to a natural disaster in a way that does not promote a culture of death, but in a way that encourages people that they can always choose life!

Vice-President Pence’s Commencement Address at Grove City

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PenceGCC-264x160Vice President Mike Pence, a stalwart pro-lifer, recently made another stop in Pennsylvania, giving the commencement address at Grove City College.  For his full remarks click here, but of particular note was this comment: “And I can’t tell you how proud I am to be Vice President to a President who stands without apology for the sanctity of life and all the God-given liberties in the Constitution of the United States.”

The Trump Administration has given pro-lifers a renewed sense of hope after eight years of pro-abortion President Barack Obama.  Some of the administration’s pro-life accomplishments so far include:

  • Vice President Mike Pence’s speech at the 2017 March for Life in Washington DC represented the first time a sitting Vice President spoke at the March.
  • President Trump reinstated a policy that prevents organizations receiving federal foreign aid from performing abortions or promoting them.
  • President Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. He is a pro-life Justice in the mold of the late beloved Justice Antonin Scalia.
  • President Trump appointed avid pro-lifers to key cabinet positions including Kellyanne Conway as Senior Advisor, Tom Price as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Nikki Haley as UN Ambassador, and Ben Carson as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
  • President Trump even signed an executive order saying his administration will “provide regulatory relief for religious objectors to Obamacare’s burdensome preventive services mandate, a position supported by the Supreme Court decision in Hobby Lobby.”

These pro-life accomplishments give advocates renewed hope that we will be even more successful in changing people’s minds and reminding them that they can always choose life.

Eggs–A 2016 Summer LifeLines “sneak peek”

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The Federation just wrapped up its annual pro-life student essay contest, and as always the entrants were amazing and the judges had a difficult time choosing a winner.  Since I will be on the road all this week on our town hall tour, I thought I’d share the winning essays with you as a sneak peek of what will be featured in the Summer LifeLines magazine.  This essay, written by 12th grader Miguel Mendoza, won 1st place in the senior high category. Enjoy!

Miguel Mendoza

Miguel Mendoza

Bald eagles, the enduring symbol of this nation’s spirit, freedom, and pursuit of greatness have received protection by law from those who would wish ill upon this majestic bird. In 1940, the United States passed a strict federal law known as the Bald Eagle Protection Act that focused on guarding not only the national bird, but also the bald eagle’s eggs. If one were to come across those eggs in the wild, it would be considered a serious offense to destroy them. If done so, the penalty would be equivalent to shooting an adult eagle out of the air.

Reverend Tadeusz Pacholczyk, author of The Ethics of Stem Cell Research, states, “By the force of law, we acknowledge the scientific truth that the eagle’s eggs, that is to say, the embryonic eagle inside that egg, is the same creature as the beautiful bird that we witness flying overhead.”  Consequently, this demonstrates the government’s awareness to pass laws that protect not only the adult but also the youngest individual of that species.

This can be applicable to the recent concept of stem-cell research in the field of medical science. Stem-cell research has taken on special attention for its potential health benefits and also for its moral side effects produced by the utilization of human embryos to give way to stem cells. In short, stem cells are an important way for the body’s cells to be restored. They function as unspecialized cells that have the capacity to grow into several specific types of cells, such as a cell that can produce new red blood cells.

The practice of stem-cell research appears to favor the use of embryonic stem cells since those cells have the ability to become any type of body cell. Adult stem cells are also utilized and have the potential to become numerous different cells, but not all. Some scientists hope to cure certain diseases like diabetes using embryonic stem cells.

With guidance from Church doctrine and teachings, I have come to the conclusion that I am in favor of most stem cell research, which normally uses cells from adult tissue, which presents no moral conflict. Nonetheless, a moral problem surfaces when researchers use the early stages of a fertilized egg to harvest stem cells, which ultimately destroys the once living human embryo. Although good results may arise from embryonic stem cell research, it by no means justifies the cruelty in the destruction of innocent human life.

The Church directly opposes any alterations to early human life. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s document, The Gift of Life (Donum Vitae), instructs that, “The human being is to be respected and treated as a person from the moment of conception…” I believe that life is a precious gift that we were given. Although not fully developed, human embryos are alive and therefore possess existence.  Remorsefully, their lack of mouth, eyes, and arms make them vulnerable to the evil works of man. Even though the aim of this research is to produce beneficial outcomes, the immoral means used to arrive at the sought after good does not validate the process. The life of a person should not lend itself as a dispensable commodity on behalf of someone else.

In regards to the bald eagle, people realized how its eggs were as important as the eagle itself, and therefore required protection for its conservation. The bird’s value was noticed and so it was reasonable to protect the bald eagle in all its stages of life. The same notion holds true for humans, who are more valuable than any other species on the planet combined. Unfortunately, human beings do not recognize their own inner beauty and uniqueness. They are willing to protect the embryos of other animals but fail to protect themselves first from what Reverend Pacholczyk describes as the, “dismemberment on the altar of stem cell sacrifice.”

 

 

The Splendor of Truth–A “sneak peak” at 2016 Summer LifeLines

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The Federation just wrapped up its annual pro-life student essay contest, and as always the entrants were amazing and the judges had a difficult time choosing a winner.  Since I will be on the road all this week on our town hall tour, I thought I’d share the winning essays with you as a sneak peek of what will be featured in the Summer LifeLines magazine.  This essay, written by 7th grader Marie Therese Heil of Camp Hill, won 1st place in the junior high category.  Later this week, we’ll be posting the 1st place senior high winning essay. Enjoy!

Marie Therese Heil

Marie Therese Heil

The Federation just wrapped up its annual pro-life student essay contest, and as always the entrants were amazing and the judges had a difficult time choosing a winner.  Since I will be on the road all this week on our town hall tour, I thought I’d share the winning essay with you as a sneak peek of what will be featured in the Summer LifeLines magazine.  This essay, written by 7th grader Marie Therese Heil of Camp Hill, won 1st place in the junior high category.  Later this week, we’ll be posting the 1st place senior high winning essay. Enjoy!

Rhetoric plays a large role in the abortion debate.   By purposefully relying on ambiguous and oblique terminology, abortions-rights activists, who frequently prefer to be called by the more-positive sounding name of “pro-choice,” try to mask the reality of abortion.

A typical semantic obfuscation regarding abortion is the term “women’s health.”  Abortion has been linked to a number of diseases, including breast, cervical, and ovarian cancer; long-term infertility; and psychological problems, including an increased risk of suicide.  However, in Pennsylvania, of the six abortion providers found on Abortion.com, four have the term “Women’s Center” in their names (making them sound like women’s social organizations), while another has “Women’s Medical Center.”[1]  Looking at their websites, it is obvious that the main business of these clinics is providing abortions, which clearly shows that they are not concerned with overall  “women’s health.”  This linguistic fog in the naming of abortion clinics takes its lead from Planned Parenthood, the largest single provider of abortions in the United States.  If a woman were looking to Planned Parenthood for assistance in becoming a parent, she would be out of luck.   While if she wanted an abortion, she would be directed to the local Planned Parenthood “health center,” a woman who needs assistance for infertility is primarily directed to an external website.

The terms for abortions also attempt to take away the stigma of this action.  “Emergency contraception” does not only have a contraceptive effect, but it can also “prevent a newly-conceived embryo from implanting in the womb, causing an abortion.”[2]   Abortions themselves are frequently termed “procedures” or “terminations.”   As David Grimes, one of the “world’s leading abortion scholars,”[3] wrote, “According to the accepted definition of abortion, removing a fetus from the uterus after 23 or 24 weeks gestation is not an abortion.  Hence other terms should be used for these interventions.  Examples include feticide, labor induction, dilation and evacuation (D&E), hysterotomy, termination of pregnancy or combinations of these.  However, ‘abortion’ should not be used for these procedures, since the word is not applicable after viability.”[4]  The preferred words used to describe an unborn child are “embryo,” “fetus,” and “tissue,” objectifying – that is, degrading into the status of an object – a human being.

David Grimes himself wrote, “Incorrect, misleading, and inflammatory language obfuscates, rather than illuminates, the discussion around abortion. Words matter. We should all choose them carefully.”[5]  Agreed.  When the words “fetal tissue” mask the unique humanity of an unborn child and when the rhetoric of “women’s health” and “reproductive rights” hide the truths about how abortion hurts women, it is time for all of us who care about the unborn to speak a word of truth: abortion is murder.

[1]“Pennsylvania Abortion Clinics,” Abortion.com, retrieved from http://www.abortion.com/abortion_clinics_state.php?country=United%20States&state=Pennsylvania.

[2]Patrick Craine, “World’s top authority on morning after pill says women must be told it may cause abortions,” Life Site News, 22 February 2013, retrieved from https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/worlds-top-authority-on-morning-after-pill-says-women-must-be-told-it-may-c.

[3] “David A. Grimes,” The Huffington Post, retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-a-grimes/.

[4]David A. Grimes and Gretchen Stuart, “Abortion  jabberwocky: the need for better terminology,” Contraception: An International  Reproductive Health Journal,  February 2010, p. 93, retrieved from http://www.contraceptionjournal.org/article/S0010-7824(09)00415-6/fulltext.

[5]David A. Grimes,  “6 Things To Understand When Talking About Abortion,” The Huffington Post, 9 February 2015, retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-a-grimes/abortion-terminology-things-to-understand_b_6175430.html.

Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt

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Supreme Court

The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt.  In the first major abortion case in nearly a decade, the court will rule on the constitutionality of Texas law HB2 and determine whether commonsense reform intended to increase women’s health and safety is an undue burden on abortion facilities.  These Texas regulations came out of the trial of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell and his “house of horrors”.  They simply require abortion facilities to have admitting privileges with a hospital within 30 miles and to meet some basic quality of care, facility cleanliness, and safety standards.

The real question is, if the big abortion lobby want abortions to be “safe” as they claim (never mind the fact an abortion is NEVER safe for the baby) why do they support clinics like Gosnell’s “house of horrors”.  According to a University of California study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology last year, complications to the mother are reported in approximately 2.1 % of the abortions that occur in the United States.  That’s despite the fact that only 27 of the 50 states require abortion facilities to report complications…and even in many of those states the reporting is lacking.  So even if we assume those numbers are correct, that means of the approximately 90 abortions that are performed just in Pennsylvania today, 2 women will have some kind of complication (not to mention all the others scarred for life mentally).  Clearly that number will only go up if states aren’t allowed to hold abortion facilities to the same standards as nail salons and tattoo parlors.  Is that really what abortion advocates want?

The question to be decided by the Supreme Court is whether or not these regulations create an “undue burden” on abortion facilities. The good news is that the Supreme Court upheld stricter requirements in 1983 saying they were important to “ensuring public health”.  Even more recently in Planned Parenthood v Casey in 1992 the court determined laws making abortion more difficult or more expensive do not necessarily create an undue burden.

With the passing of Justice Scalia, the court is currently split between 4 conservative justices and 4 liberal justices.  Justice Anthony Kennedy is generally the swing vote on abortion cases, and during arguments he appeared to be open to allowing the regulations to stand in the interest of women’s health.  It is vital we keep Justice Kennedy, and the entire court, in our prayers as they weigh the merits of this case.

March for Life Is Rally of Faith in ‘Plain, Decent, Everyday Common Rightness’

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Hundreds of thousands of people braved the bitter cold last week to participate in the March for Life in Washington, D.C. on January 22. Despite the sub-zero wind chill, people from all across the country walked to restore the right to life for the preborn.

After the March, my friends and I walked to the Lincoln Memorial. I stood between those humbling columns and remembered the scenes from one of my favorite movies, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”smith3

The film reaches its turning point as a no longer naive young politician sits in the shadows of the Lincoln Memorial, having just been crushed by a political machine. From D.C. to his hometown, the news media is being maneuvered against him.

He feels so small, so helpless, so foolish to have believed that the truth would prevail. He feels beaten, ready to go back to his small town. What can one man do against such corruption, such injustice?

Then a friend finds him in the shadows of the Lincoln Memorial. She reminds him that he shouldn’t place his faith in people but in “plain, decent, everyday common rightness.” She points to Abraham Lincoln, a man who refused to stop fighting though the odds were stacked against him and the opposition was severe. He had faith that “rightness” would win.

“All the good in this world came from fools with faith like that,” she tells the young Mr. Smith.

As I stood there, I felt like Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Smith. The media ignores pro-lifers or distorts the truth to make us look weak. Our opposers paint us as liars and fools.

Yet, I found hope in the memory of Mr. Lincoln. He had faith against the odds when he fought to require rights and protection for every human life.

I have faith that one day our country will protect every human being’s right to life inside the womb and out. Until then, we will continue to march, fighting for “plain, decent, everyday common rightness.”