LifeNet

Gripping Testimony: Former abortionist Levatino on fetal pain and "life of the mother" situations

Congressional testimony of Dr. Anthony Levatino, a former abortionist in upstate NY, and now pro-life advocate.

Horrifying and disturbing, but needs to be read (There's also a video of his testimony embedded).

Below the link we are only excerpting his testimony on situations where a pregnancy is threatening the life of the mother. You need to hit the link for the testimony on fetal pain during an abortion.

The most heartrending abortion testimony you’ll ever hear, from a former abortionist

... I want to make a comment on the claims that I often hear that we must keep abortion legal in order to save women’s lives, or prevent grave physical health damage, in cases of acute conditions that can and do arise in pregnancy. Albany Medical Center, where I worked for over seven years, is a tertiary referral center that accepts patients with life-threatening conditions related to or caused by pregnancy. I personally treated hundreds of women with such conditions in my tenure there. There are several conditions that can arise or worsen, typically during the late second or third trimester of pregnancy, that require immediate care. In many of those cases, ending or “terminating” the pregnancy, if you prefer, can be life saving, but “terminating a pregnancy” does not necessarily mean “abortion.” I maintain that abortion is seldom if ever a useful intervention in these cases.

Here is why: Before a Suction D&E procedure can be performed, the cervix must first be sufficiently dilated. In my practice, this was accomplished with serial placement of laminaria. Laminaria is a type of sterilized seaweed that absorbs water over several hours and swells to several times its original diameter. Multiple placements of several laminaria at a time are absolutely required prior to attempting a suction D&E. In the mid-second trimester, this requires approximately 36 hours to accomplish. If one were to use the alternate method defined in federal law as Partial-Birth Abortion (but now generally banned), this process requires three days, as explained by Dr. Martin Haskell in his 1992 paper that first described this type of abortion.

In cases where a pregnancy places a woman in danger of death or grave physical injury, a doctor more often than not doesn’t have 36 hours, much less 72 hours, to resolve the problem. Let me illustrate with a real-life case that I managed while at the Albany Medical Center. A patient arrived one night at 28 weeks gestation with severe pre-eclampsia or toxemia. Her blood pressure on admission was 220/160. A normal blood pressure is approximately 120/80. This patient’s pregnancy was a threat to her life and the life of her unborn child. She could very well be minutes or hours away from a major stroke. This case was managed successfully by rapidly stabilizing the patient’s blood pressure and “terminating” her pregnancy by Cesarean section. She and her baby did well. This is a typical case in the world of high-risk obstetrics. In most such cases, any attempt to perform an abortion “to save the mother’s life” would entail undue and dangerous delay in providing appropriate, truly life-saving care. During my time at Albany Medical Center I managed hundreds of such cases by “terminating” pregnancies to save mother’s lives. In all those cases, the number of unborn children that I had to deliberately kill was zero.

The Live Action expose on Planned Parenthood support for sex selection abortions

Here's the sting video in Texas. Note it's only part 1, so evidently more to follow. Below the video is a link to the full 56 minutes of film, with no editing. You can cut and paste the link into your browser.

 

 

http://youtu.be/3SlHItqTekw

Another abortion survivor speaking out

Claire Culwell, who survived because the abortionist only located her twin brother.

Hit the link for the whole story and a picture of the young lady.

Twin Who Survived Abortion Shares Her Amazing Story

“My birth mother was 13 years old at the time she became pregnant with me. Her mother took her straight to an abortion clinic where she had a surgical abortion. After thinking she had “fixed the problem,” a few weeks later she realized her belly was still growing. Her mother took her back to the abortion clinic where she learned that she had been pregnant with twins,” Culwell recalls. “One was aborted; one survived.”

Culwell says she can’t imagine not sharing her story with others.

“My life is a miracle and I would be selfish to keep this gift of life to myself,” she says. “I want to tell everyone what a gift I and even they have been given!! I want to encourage them to seek alternatives to abortion because I would never want any woman/man to go through the grief and the pain that my birth mother went through simply because she didn’t know she had any other option.”

“I also want to be a vessel to offer God’s forgiveness to the men and women who have previously had abortions. I know healing is possible and I have been given the gift of surviving an abortion so that I can tell these men and women that they are forgiven…coming from an aborted child, I hope they know the power of forgiveness and healing through meeting me,” Culwell continues.

“My life is a testimony that there are wonderful alternatives to abortion (such as adoption in my case) and an accidental/unwanted child still deserves life…even a child with disabilities,” she says. “I was born 2 1/2 months early, weighed 3 lbs 2 oz, had dislocated hips and club feet. I had to wear casts on my feet, a harness and eventually a body cast. The abortion still affects me today.”

That said, Culwell makes it clear, “Life is still worth it!”

Pro-abortion lobby goes BERSERK after Astorino's veto of anti-free speech clinic bill

Wow. Of course this is the sort of drivel you often hear from pro-abortion demonstrators outside of abortion mills, but you'd think their lobbyists would be more circumspect about putting a rant like this online.

Of course, their "market" is not normal people. The lobby constantly needs to raise money so they put out stuff like this for the benefit of financial supporters for whom abortion is akin to a sacrament.

Astorino Supports Terrorizing Women – Vetoes Clinic Access Bill

Of interest to Catholics: Cardinal Burke writes book on the Eucharist

COUNTY EXECUTIVE VETOES CLINIC BILL!

From the office of the County Executive, Rob Astorino:

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  May 18, 2012 

ASTORINO VETOES CLINIC ACCESS LAW CALLING IT LEGALLY FLAWED

Says access to reproductive health facilities is already well protected by state and federal laws

 

Saying the bill is legally flawed and unnecessary, County Executive Robert P. Astorino today vetoed a bill that purports to guarantee women access to certain reproductive health clinics.

“The legislation is unnecessary, unfair and unconstitutional on its face, all of which put the public at risk,” said Astorino in his message to the Board of Legislators. “My veto is a principled attempt to spare our residents of these harmful consequences.”

            The legislators approved the bill on May 7 by a 10-7 vote. It was opposed by a coalition of pro-life and pro-choice legislators. It would take 12 votes to override the veto.

            Astorino gave the following reasons for his veto:

• The legislators who supported the bill and their supporters had failed to provide any evidence that the law was needed. In fact, he said, existing federal and state statutes already restrict protesters outside clinics and there was no evidence that these laws were insufficient or not being enforced.
• The law’s enactment would violate the First Amendment’s guarantees and result in an “unacceptable potential to chill freedom of speech and assembly.”
• The law subjects law-abiding citizens to frivolous lawsuits and exposes them to unreimbursable legal fees.
• The bill itself is legally flawed and vague and could be costly for the county to defend in legal proceedings.

“At a time when your Honorable Board has failed to act on $80 million in pending and much needed capital projects and has failed to act on 37 pending appointments to various Boards and Commissions why is so much time being expended on a matter already addressed by two separate levels of government?” Astorino asked rhetorically.      

Chilean study shows making abortion illegal does not raise maternal mortality rate

This was a large scientific study with 50 years of data.

The research entitled “Women’s Education Level, Maternal Health Facilities, Abortion Legislation and Maternal Deaths: a Natural Experiment in Chile from 1957 to 2007” was conducted on behalf of the Chilean Maternal Mortality Research Initiative (CMMRI) and published in the journal PLoS ONE.

During the fifty-year study period, the overall Maternal Mortality Ratio or MMR (the number of maternal deaths related to childbearing divided by the number of live births) dramatically declined by 93.8 per cent, from 270.7 to 18.2 deaths per 100,000 live births between 1957 and 2007, making Chile a paragon for maternal health in other countries. “In fact, during 2008, the overall MMR declined again, to 16.5 per 100,000 live births, positioning Chile as the country with the second lowest MMR in the American continent after Canada and with at least two points lower MMR than the United States” said Koch.
 
One of the most significant findings is that, contrary to widely held assumptions, making abortion illegal did not result in an increase in maternal mortality. In fact, after abortion was made illegal in 1989, the MMR continued to decrease from 41.3 to 12.7 per 100,000 live births (69.2 per cent reduction). “Definitively, the legal prohibition of abortion is unrelated to overall maternal mortality rates,” emphasised Koch.
 
The variables affecting this decrease included the predictable factors of delivery by skilled attendants, complementary nutrition for pregnant women and their children in the primary care clinics and schools, clean facilities, and fertility. But the most important factor and the one that increased the effect of all others was the educational level of women. For every additional year of maternal education there was a corresponding decrease in the MMR of 29.3 per 100,000 live births.

There's a good deal more to this article; well worth hitting the link and reading it entirely.

 

Fr. Norman Weslin

We just received this notification, from Tom Dixon, one of the attorneys who defended the "Notre Dame 88". Please pass along to the many people  who knew Father.

Father Norman Weslin passed away last evening very peacefully.  He spent the last few years of his earthly life bringing joy to the residents and staff of Cherry Hill Haven, a senior living facility in Traverse City, Michigan owned and run by my wife, Patti and her incredible staff, headed by Administrator Evon Ryan.  

>>

Around the time of the ND 88 arrests, Father was diagnosed with early stage Alzheimers.  As the disease progressed and he required placement, the Holy Spirit's divine setups kept him closely in our lives.  Even after his placement, we were able to frequently pray the Holy Rosary outside the Planned Parenthood in Traverse City, and to arrange a trip for him to be with his friends in the Washington D.C. area for a week long prayer vigil.  He also received visitors from all parts of the country... many Lambs from the Omaha area, friends from Detroit, the Upper Peninsula, and throughout the country. 

>>

In the last weeks of his earthly life, Father was filled with excitement and anticipation of his reunion with the Blessed Mother, his beloved wife Mary Lou, and all of his family and friends who went before him, as they accompany him into the eternal presence of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Friends from Omaha were with him at his death, and a prayer community in Traverse City kept almost constant vigil.  Even in retirement and battling the effects of Alzheimers, Father Weslin touched many lives, brought many people to Christ, and spread the joy of his faith with contagion.  

>>

I think Dr. Charlie Rice has said it best, "while we have been praying for him, we will soon start praying to him."  

>>

Father Weslin increased my faith and deepened my devotion to the Blessed Mother.  Each day, when I pray the Holy Rosary, I now include at the end of each mystery "Our Lady of Guadalupe pray for us" and the "Ave Maria"  both included in his daily devotion.  And, I  now pray the Memorare as I begin my daily travels.  His legacy in my life is much greater than these things, but he will always be with me as I continue in these devotions.

>>

May God bless you all, and may we all celebrate having been bestowed the grace of being in the presence of Father Norman Weslin, and pray for our own reunion with him.

VERY important: Call and email Rob Astorino re: vetoing the anti-free speech clinic access bill

It is important that we contact Westchester County exec. Rob Astorino asking him to veto the anti-free speech bill that profiles and singles out prolife speech.

We need to show, and he needs to show, that this veto is widely supported. You can bet the pro-abortion side is calling and sending emails.

Phone number - 914-995-2127.

Email - [email protected]

Good article in the NY Daily News about the "Choose Life" license plate struggle

An initiative of Elizabeth Rex of the Children First Foundation. The purpose of this particular custom license plate is to raise money for adoption initiatives. It's approved in plenty of states, but New York - still fighting against it. Hard to believe, really. It just never ends.

Here's what the plate looks like -

 

New York, choose free speech

It’s often said that one bit of censorship by the government will inevitably lead down a slippery slope to more censorship. In this case, New York has not gone down a slippery slope. It has strutted right off a cliff.

To buttress its legal case, in 2004 the state issued a moratorium on all new specialty license plates — so it can’t be accused of singling out any particular message. The end result is that the Boy Scouts, the Seneca Park Zoo, even a group honoring 9/11 first responders, can’t get a license plate.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

What is behind this pigheaded response? Choose Life is, of course, a rebuttal to the pro-choice mantra of those who favor allowing unrestricted abortion.

But the state’s position should offend anyone who values free expression, regardless of where they stand on abortion. Veteran civil libertarian Norman Siegel, who is pro-choice, says that the denial of the license plate is classic “government censorship” by state officials “with a different ideology than the message they are trying to suppress.”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The latest twist arrived late last year, when a federal district judge in Syracuse ruled in favor of Children First, saying the state was guilty of viewpoint discrimination because the group had met all the requirements for a specialty plate.

Courts have long allowed states to deny license plates if the prohibition is based on specific content like vulgarities. But Judge Neal McCurn, consistent with reams of opinions over the decades, ruled that “the exclusion of the entire subject of abortion from the forum is not permissible content-based discrimination but is discrimination based on viewpoint, which runs afoul of the First Amendment.”

“The DMV,” he said, “created a public forum where it allows the display of messages, slogans, logos and toll-free numbers for advocacy groups. The state cannot permit free speech for some but not for all.”

The DMV, represented by State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, filed its appeals papers April 13 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York with virtually no public notice. Apparently, it’s not something that the otherwise voluble Schneiderman wants to brag about.

 

 

Happy Mother's Day!

New Yorker's Family Research Foundation (NYFRF) at www.nyfrf.org reminds us why we celebrate Dads and, especially this weekend, Moms:

 

    We would never dream of referring to Mother's Day as "Parent 1" or "Parent 2" Day, but in essence that is what President Barack Obama has told an entire nation.

 

    For the first time in American history a sitting president has endorsed same-sex "marriage". Earlier this week, in an interview with ABC News, President Obama stated he affirms the right of same-gender couples to enter marital relationships.

 

    New Yorker's Family Research Foundation (NYFRF) reaffirms its conviction that both mothers and fathers are important to a child's upbringing. NYFRF believes that state and national policies in regard to the definition of marriage should reflect this truth.

 

    Rev. Jason J. McGuire, President, NYFRF, said, "Same-sex relationships ignore the reality that children do best when raised by their biological mother and father. President Obama has chosen to ignore thousands of years of history, religion, culture and social science research in his support for same-sex nuptials."

 

    "Each parent, mom and dad, provides something unique, first to the conception, and later to the rearing of a child. Same-sex relationships always, by design, deny children either a mother or a father," continued McGuire.

 

    McGuire concluded by saying, "Moms matter. Fathers and mothers are both vitally important to the future of a strong and stable nation. As a nation pauses to celebrate the unique contribution that moms make to their children's lives, it is my hope that a nation will reclaim this truth."

 

Happy Mother's Day, MOMS, from LifeNet! All of you are in our prayers, especially those post-abortive Moms who we remember most especially on this day.

Reminder: Call County Executive to VETO Clinic Access Bill!

THE PROCESS GOES ON! The clinic access act passed with a 10-7 party-line vote in the Board of Legislators on May 7, 2012, and it must now be approved or vetoed by the County Executive.

Please contact County Executive Rob Astorino and urge him to VETO the Reproductive Heath Care Facilities Access Act! 

His phone number (914) 995-2127, his e-mail [email protected]

As you might imagine, he is receiving many calls from people who want him to sign the bill despite its problems, so it's very important that he hear from all of you who have worked so hard for so long against this unbalanced and legally flawed piece of legislation. Our work is not over yet!

Also, if you have not already done so, please contact those Legislators who voted against this Act's passage and thank them for their vote.  You should also call your Legislators who voted in favor of it despite its obvious legal problems as summarized by Legislator James Maisano at the May 7th session of the Board of Legislators. They should be held accountable for their vote, so ask them why they would ignore the procedural problems and the obvious legal ramifications and vote in favor of it anyway. Their concern for women's health does not mean they should sponsor laws that invite litigation and fines that are paid for by the taxpayers.

The following Legislators cast a vote against this bill:  Gordon A. Burrows, David Gelfarb, James Maisano, Sheila Marcotte, Michael Smith, Bernice Spreckman, John Testa.

The following Legislators voted in favor of this bill:  Catherine Borgia, Peter Harckham, Ken Jenkins, Michael Kaplowitz, Judith Myers, Virginia Perez, William Ryan, MaryJane Shimsky, Alfreda Williams, Lyndon Williams

Other contact information can be found at http://westchesterlegislators.com/legislators.html.  Or scroll down to prior postings on LifeNet for telephone numbers.

LifeNet thanks you for your efforts!

P.S. Thank County Executive Astorino for all his hard work every day for our County, too!

 

 

President of ultra pro-abortion NARAL stepping down - worried about "intensity gap"

In the Washington Post. The Post thought it was importatn enough to mail around a "news alert".

Of course the article doesn't mention that the co-founder of NARAL was the late Dr. Bernard Nathanson, who later became pro-life and produced the film "The Silent Scream." 

Anyway -

The 60-year-old Keenan said she is leaving out of concern for the future of the pro-choice movement — and thinks she could be holding it back. In recent years, Keenan has worried about an “intensity gap” on abortion rights among millennials, which the group considers to be the generation of Americans born between 1980 and 1991. While most young, antiabortion voters see abortion as a crucial political issue, NARAL’s own internal research does not find similar passion among abortion-rights supporters. If the pro-choice movement is to successfully defend abortion rights, Keenan contends, it needs more young people in leadership roles, including hers.

10-7 party-line vote passes anti-free speech clinic access bill - now goes to County Executive

The Westchester County Board of Legislators voted at their Monday, May 7 regular meeting to pass, as expected, the anti-free speech "Reproductive Healthcare Facilities Access Act" with a party-line vote of 10-7. The next step is County Executive Rob Astorino’s veto pen that will stop this serially ill-fated piece of legislation. The law could then be resusitated only by a 12-vote override. The votes as of now are not there.

The Democrat caucus and this bill’s supporters, a.k.a. the abortion lobby, are already doing a flashy end zone dance for public relations purposes. They know this Act is DOA. A dignified funeral would be more appropriate.

Passionate citizen testimonies on both sides last Monday and this week led to a lengthy presentation by Board member and Legislation Committee member and attorney, the Hon. James Maisano who voted ‘no’ and to recommit the law to Committee. He presented a starkly troublesome overview of this now-passed law. In short he referred to the law as “sloppy work, poorly drafted, mistake”.

Here is a link to the video of the entire Legislative meeting; the highlight is Maisano's demolition of the Bill:

Anti-free speech legislation debate and commentary

Here is the Journal News' reporting on the vote:

http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012305070135

Here is the written statement Mr. Maisano released prior to the meeting:

http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2012/05/07/republican-leader-to-vote-no-on-clinic-access-bill-at-westchester-legislature/

Legislator Mary Jane Shimsky offered her rebuttal to Maisano's very damning presentation on this law’s readiness, asserting instead that they had done extensive preparatory work and “narrowly tailored” the bill to its current form. Ms. Shimsky offered the standard pro-abortion line that the issue is about healthcare for women and not aimed at the speech, prayer, or First Amendment witness of pro-lifers.

Today the Westchester Legislator’s website characterized the passage in only glowing terms, making no reference to the level of dissent and disagreement both within the Board and from the public at large. No reference was made to the fact that this legislation will likely not pass the County Executive’s veto, and that the necessary votes are currently not there for override.

There was a great deal of questions left unanswered. Proper legal protocols for the law within Committee were apparently not followed with regard to this new bill in a new legislative session. Requests by members of the Legislation Committee for more extensive review of changes were turned down, even with three new members now on board. One hour was given to the new local law before bringing it to public hearing. Legal points in the law are, according to Mr. Maisano, seriously “ legally flawed”. Most importantly the law, he said, is unbalanced in its approach to defendants who alone are penalized with attorney's fees, etc. even when frivolous lawsuits are brought against them, and that could include churches who sponsor or encourage public witness. Some proponents of the law on the Board who are lawyers downplayed these charges as they encouraged passage despite legal concerns, perhaps calculating its inevitable veto.

We must ask those Legislators who voted “yes” on this latest version of the law if this is how they conduct business on a regular basis. We vote these Legislators into office and they should be held accountable. Thanks must go to those Legislators in the Republican caucus who fought hard to defend our rights in the face of so many unsubstantiated claims of violent and harrassing behaviors and the worst fearmongering tactics.

This unnecessary law will go down primarily because it is bad law - badly crafted, bad for the County, and bad for the County's citizens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stand Up for Religious Freedom! Next Rally date June 8th

Go here for all the information.

Stand Up for Religious Freedom

And here are the current locations.

New Jersey

Trenton

State Capital

125 W. State Street

Email the Trenton Rally Captain

New York

Bayside

Office of Representative Gary Ackerman

218-14 Northern Boulevard

Email the Bayside Rally Captain

Buffalo

Federal Courthouse

2 Niagara Square

Email the Buffalo Rally Captain

Canandaigua

Site to be determined.

Garden City

Office of Representative Carolyn McCarthy

300 Garden City Plaza

Email the Garden City Rally Captain

Hauppauge

Office of Representative Steve Israel

150 Motor Parkway

Email the Hauppauge Rally Captain

Melville

Office of Senators Charles Schumer and Kristen Gillibrand

145 Pinelawn Road

Email the Melville Rally Captain

New York

Federal Hall National Memorial

26 Wall Street

Email the New York Rally Captain

Norwich

West Park Place (at the Court House)

North Broad Street, RT 12

Email the Norwich Rally Captain

Patchogue

Office of Representative Tim Bishop

31 Oak Street

Email the Patchogue Rally Captain

Rochester

Site to be determined.

Southampton

Office of Representative Tim Bishop

137 Hampton Road

Email the Southampton Rally Captain

Westchester County Board of Legislators vote tonight on clinic access act

Tonight, Monday, May 7, is the scheduled vote by the Westchester County Board of Legislators on the proposed new “local law” that you have been reading about on LifeNet's website. You can scroll down for links.

Will the Board vote to pass this problem-ridden law despite legal and citizen protests or simply send it back to Committee? If passed by the Board (nine votes needed), County Executive Rob Astorino will surely veto; twelve votes are needed for override. It has already been a two-year-long and contentious process.

There was a Public Hearing last December 12, 2011. The latest Public Hearing on the "Reproductive Healthcare Facilities Access Act" took place at the Board of Legislators last Monday evening, April 30, at 7:30 p.m. The normal business of the Board of Legislators was moved to the beginning of the agenda at 7 p.m. to make way for the large public crowd that filled to capacity the Board’s official Chamber room and the Rotunda just outside.

Many more citizens were lined up on the sidewalk where extra police set up walking barriers to control entrance into the building. After capacity seating was filled, citizens were admitted only as others left. Some of those who stood for hours grew impatient and left.

Prolifers protesting for First Amendment rights  and a “no” vote on passage of the Act outnumbered the “pro-choice” opposition, who presented a number of political statements and requests of support from board members and administrative-level employees of  Planned Parenthood of Hudson-Peconic and Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion, primary movers for the law. Carlo Calvi, the recent Yonkers Mayoral candidate, and Raymond Belair and Stanley Tomkiel were three attorneys who spoke in person against the legislation as unconstitutional and legally structured to cause great concern for the County and for citizens who are targeted with civil suits, and that could include churches. Statements by other lawyers were submitted to the Board or read by surrogates.  Statements by politicians like Nita Lowey, heavily in favor of the law, were presented by staffers first before the public statements as a courtesy.

Those in favor of the Act insist that women entering "healthcare" facilities should not be subjected to protestors' “violence” and “harassment”. According to the Honorable Ms. Judy Myers, citizens' First Amendment witness would remain in tact within this new local law, “suburbanized” for efficiency with various 25 to 200 foot protected areas. 

The arguments for First Amendment rights and against this law's undo targeting of only one particular group and their message rested on citizens who spoke of peaceful protests, sidewalk counseling, and an unblemished record of same in Westchester since the 1984 FACE laws. They cited this new law's highly prejudicial language, especially when the proposed law would level one-sided fines and civil suits by the clinic and employees and volunteers of the clinic against citizens that Planned Parenthood's business models (health clinic plus abortion center) have a financially-vested interest in silencing.

The crowd last week was estimated between 150-200 people. Just over 80 people spoke for the maximum of three minutes each. Video of the public hearing comments can be accessed through the County Board website.

Updates will follow immediately after tonight's vote.

 

Great news: Arizona de-funds Planned Parenthood

This was sent to us from the Susan B. Anthony List. It is a fund-rasing letter from SBA, but also gives the details.

On Friday night, the state of Arizona officially defunded Planned Parenthood. I can't tell you how excited we were when Governor Jan Brewer made the surprise announcement at our Campaign for Life event in Phoenix that she would sign the bill right there! Check out this great picture of Gov. Brewer signing the bill to defund Planned Parenthood at our event Friday night.

This is a great victory for the entire SBA List family across the country!

With your support, we’ve spent the last few months working closely with pro-life legislators and the teams at Alliance Defense Fund, the Center for Arizona Policy, and Arizona Right to Life to pass this legislation.  Chuck Donovan of the Lozier Institute (the SBA List research arm) even went to Phoenix to testify on behalf of the legislation while Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave held defunding Planned Parenthood rallies across the state of Arizona.

With this first major victory for our legislation under our belts, please make an immediate donation to help us continue our pro-life work. Arizona now joins eight other states in cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood.

Momentum is on our side!  We now must leverage this momentum in other states.  Already, we are working with state allies to advance similar measures in Ohio and Iowa. These efforts not only put Planned Parenthood on the defense in the states, but helps sustain momentum in the battle to defund them at the federal level.

We simply cannot – and will not – stop working to protect the conscience of taxpayers and, most importantly, save the lives of precious unborn children.  

Please chip in just $10, $25, or even $50 to support our efforts.

We could not have made this happen without you. Thank you for standing with us in this fight to save lives.

For Life,

 

 

Sr. Mary Martin of the Graymoor Franciscans

We've received word that Sister, a staunch advocate for the unborn, has passed away.

Here is a little information, including arrangements.

Sr. Mary Martin has passed away today Friday May 4^th.The wake will be held Sunday May 6^th at 7 PM in the Sister’s Chapel in Franciscan Sisters Convent in Graymoor Route 9, Garrison NYFuneral service will be held Monday May 7^th  11 AM in the Sister’s Chapel in Franciscan Sisters Convent in Graymoor Route 9, Garrison NY.

 

Sr. Mary Martin was a very outspoken and active for the Pro-Life Cause and a Center for Life Honoree.

 

Please keep her in your prayers.

 

Thanks and God Bless!

 

Full video of the Westchester Cty Board Meeting on the anti-free speech "Clinic Access bill " held onMonday April 30th.

Below is the link to the full video on the County website. A total of about 80 speakers. It begins around minute 37 - it is possible to scroll through the video. Most of the early speakers are pro-abortion and speaking on behalf of politicians eager to quash prolife speech outside clinics through the intimidation which is crafted into the bill (Of course that's not how they put it!). However the majority of speakers are pro-free speech, including three women who had abortions in Westchester and say they wish they had received the kind of information given by sidewalk counselors outside clinics.

This is a long video - the testimonies in total run about four hours. We have our own video breaking out many of the different speakers and will be posting it over the next several days.

County Bd. Meeting, April 30th, - free speech debate

For an analysis of the weakness of this bill, and it's Unconstitutionality! - go here for the "Community View" column that was published in the Journal News HVCL Journal News oped: "Legislation Targeting Pro-life Free Speech is un-American" or here for a link to the Lohud.com online debate/forum. Video of faceoff over anti-free speech clinic access bill on Lohud.com (the Journal News)