. . . because action speaks louder than words.
League history, NOW v. Scheidler, Action News, Joe Scheidler, League staff
League history, NOW v. Scheidler, Action News, Joe Scheidler, League staff
Q & A on abortion, the unborn child, where we stand on the issues and more
Helping abortion-bound women choose life for their babies
Unmasking the truth about abortion in the public square
Our youth outreach, raising up a new generation of pro-life leaders
Abortion industry converts tell the inside story
News and commentary from the Pro-Life Action League
The League's Eric Scheidler speaks on the link between contraception and abortion at the SpeakOut Illinois conference, Jan. 28 [Photo by John Jansen]
The Pro-Life Action League, along with a coalition of Illinois pro-life organizations, presented the sixteenth annual SpeakOut Illinois 2006 on January 28 at the Drury Lane, Oakbrook, IL. Mark Crutcher, president of Life Dynamics, delivered the keynote address. He spoke about the credibility of the pro-life movement, stressing that we are in this battle to win it, not just to make a good showing.
After Crutcher's talk, attendees could choose from six workshops on a wide range of topics: embryonic stem cell research, presented by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk; Illinois parents' rights, presented by attorney Paul Linton; Margaret Sanger and eugenics, presented by author Akua Furlow; Planned Parenthood's cover-up of statutory rape, by Mark Crutcher; end of life issues by Fr. Frank Pavone; and the link between contraception and abortion, presented by the League's communications director, Eric Scheidler.
The Pro-Life Action League has made the contraception-abortion link a major focus for 2006 and will hold a full-day conference on the subject in September. Eric's presentation at SpeakOut Illinois was a preview of the League's educational campaign to help the pro-life movement articulate the relationship between contraception and abortion. Eric is available to present this program for pro-life organizations and conferences.
At the conclusion of the dinner the Henry Hyde Life Leadership award was presented to Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life. In his address, "The Atrophy of Compassion," Fr. Frank tied the "right" to kill Terri Schiavo to the "right" to kill the unborn based in Roe v. Wade. "Terri would be alive today if it were not for Roe v. Wade," said Father. He closed his talk by chanting Victimae Paschali Laudes (Praise to the Paschal Victim).
The evening concluded with a memorial service for the unborn whose lives have been lost to Roe v. Wade. Vanessa Gura, a student at Trinity University, led the four hundred guests in singing, "Go Light Your World," and Joe Scheidler and Sandy Rios led the "Battle Hymn of the Republic."
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Oct. 15, 2005 Kingswood benefit group (from left): parent and event organizer Leanne Hemmerling, speaker Eric Scheidler, Principal Lisa Grundon and Admissions Director Jan Whitten
In addition to his talk on the abortion-contraception link at the 2006 SpeakOut Illinois conference (see article above), Eric has spoken in recent months on the benefits of Natural Family Planning at a Chicago Theology of the Body conference; on the Theology of the Body and family life to a Theology on Tap group in Glen Ellyn, IL and a benefit for Kingswood Academy in Lisle, IL; and on pro-life activism to groups in Aurora, IL and Washington, D.C. To invite Eric to Speak, call his office at 630-896-1200 or send a note to eric@prolifeaction.org.
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Ralph Rivera (standing) instructs Illinois activists on the candidates and issues of concern during the 2006 primary [Photo by Ann Scheidler]
March 21 is primary election day in Illinois. Since Illinois has become a radically pro-abortion state, many pro-life activists are looking to the primary elections to effect a change in the direction of the state. To find out how pro-life activists could be most effective, the Pro-Life Action League invited Illinois Citizens for Life lobbyist Ralph Rivera to give his analysis of the primary election picture. Julie McCreevy organized a meeting at the League's headquarters in Chicago on February 3, attended by twenty-five leaders in the movement.
Pro-life activists are eager to do something effective to restore sanity to Illinois. Four candidates are vying for the Republican gubernatorial primary. Two are pro-abortion. Two are pro-life. The two pro-abortion candidates have teamed up with candidates who had been dependable pro-life votes in the state legislature. This link-up makes no sense to the pro-life community.
Rivera's knowledge of the inner workings of Illinois' political scene helped crystallize the importance of exposing the truth about the pro-abortion commitment of Judy Baar Topinka, the Republican establishment candidate for governor. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, took it into his own hands to allocate $10 million for embryonic stem cell research. Then he issued an executive order demanding that pharmacists fill prescriptions for the morning after pill. Blagojevich is the most anti-life governor Illinois has ever had. It is of paramount importance to replace him with a candidate who values life.
Veteran Congressman Henry Hyde is retiring at the end of his current term. State Senator Peter Roskam, a solid pro-lifer, is running for Hyde's 6th congressional seat. It will be crucial to hold Hyde's seat as a pro-life vote in the Congress. In the 9th congressional district, pro-abortion Democrat Melissa Bean had replaced pro-life congressman Phil Crane in the 2004 election. Several Republicans are eyeing her position, one of whom is a rock solid pro-lifer, Kathy Salvi. Kathy has volunteered in a crisis pregnancy center for years and has the confidence of the pro-life community. It is important to win back the 9th congressional district for pro-life.
Pro-life Americans need to take their responsibility as citizens very seriously. Using our vote wisely, we can transform the culture. With the mood of the country shifting against abortion, now is the time to press our advantage. All pro-lifers must work for and vote for pro-life candidates, who make great sacrifices to represent those of us who reverence life.
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On February 24, Joe and Ann Scheidler were the honored guests at the priest appreciation dinner hosted by Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Academy in Rockford, IL. Bob and Mary Schindler gave the keynote address.
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The March for Life as seen from near the top of Capitol Hill [Photo by Eric Scheidler]
A massive crowd in excess of 100,000 marched along Washington, DC's Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court building on Monday, January 23 in the 33rd Annual March for Life. Among the crowd were the League's Joe and Ann Scheidler, their son and League Communications Director Eric Scheidler with his twelve-year-old son Sam, and Generations for Life Co-Director John Jansen. As usual, the march was dominated by pro-life youth (see related story, page 5).
The day's events began with a rally on the National Mall that included speakers Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Bobby Schindler, brother of the late Terri Schiavo. President Bush addressed the marchers by telephone, reminding them that "the strong have a duty to protect the weak, and that the self-evident truths of the Declaration of Independence apply to everyone, not just to those considered healthy or wanted or convenient."
The March for Life as seen from near the top of Capitol Hill [Photo by Eric Scheidler]
Enthusiastic marchers chanted pro-life slogans, some sang hymns, and many carried pro-life signs and banners. One of the most ubiquitous signs proclaimed: Roe v. Wade: Indefensible. The March concluded at the Supreme Court, site of the infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions that stripped unborn Americans of their God-given right to life. League National Director Joe Scheidler had been hopeful that the Court would issue a ruling in Scheidler v. NOW on the morning of the March, but no decision was announced until February 28 (see story).
After the March, members of Silent No More Awareness Campaign gathered at the steps of the Supreme Court holding signs reading I Regret My Abortion and I Regret My Lost Fatherhood. They held a press conference with testimonies on the grief and regret they have experienced because of
Women from the Silent No More Awareness Campaign tell the world that they regret their abortions, outside the Supreme Court after the March [Photo by Eric Scheidler]
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