LifeWorks: January 2012

January 2012 |  eVolume 2, Issue 1

Your monthly news update from New York State Right to Life

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Notre Dame High School builds up the Culture of Life

Pro-lifers, youth, rally at March for Life to commemorate anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Want to learn to defend Life? 

You're invited to two pro-life training opportunities!

New York State Right to Life, with University at Buffalo's Students for Life group, invites you to a pro-life training day on Saturday, February 4, 2012.  Held at the University at Buffalo's North Campus from 9:00am until 5:00pm, the day will feature presentations on topics including:

• abortion basics
• post-abortion stress and help
• presenting the pro-life position effectively 
• euthanasia 101
• legislative update

Norton Hall, room 112, UB North Campus

Registration at 8:30am

$5 pre-registration, $10 at the door

Please pre-register by calling the SBI Box Office at 716-645-2353

New York State Right to Life will also be presenting at a pro-life training day on Saturday, March 17, 2012 at Princetown Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Duanesburg, NY.  40 Days for Life participants are especially encouraged to attend, as the event will provide an invaluable training for effective dialoguing on abortion.  Call 518-434-1293 for more information.

Youth involvement opportunities in 2012

In 2012, pro-life students in New York State will have the opportunity to use their voices for Life in NYSRTL’s thirtieth annual oratory contest and to learn how to be effective leaders in the fight for Life at NYSRTL’s fourth annual Camp Esther.

High school juniors and seniors are invited to prepare and present 5-7 minute speeches on abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, or stem cell research.  Students will participate in local oratory contests, which will take place across the state in the coming months.  Local winners will compete at the NYS Right to Life statewide oratory contest, this year held on Saturday, May 12 in Albany, NY.

The winner of the statewide competition will receive tickets to the National Right to Life Convention for him or herself and a chaperone, as well as $600 to help cover travel expenses.  At the Convention, the New York State representative will compete in the National Right to Life Jane B. Thompson Oratory Contest against students from across the country.  We have high hopes for this year’s winner, as New York State's student representatives in the past have been very successful, including Caitlin Kennedy of Long Island, who won fourth place in the 2011 contest, held in Jacksonville, FL.

Students interested in participating in this year’s oratory contest should contact Natalie at NYSRTL for more information on their local competition.  Call 518-434-1293 or email natalief@nysrighttolife.org.

Camp Esther is NYS Right to Life’s weekend-long “boot camp” for pro-life teenagers.  Registration filled to capacity each year, Camp Esther receives high reviews from students who attend.  With presentations on Life issues from abortion to euthanasia to stem cell research, fun games, the chance to meet pro-life peers from across the state, and opportunities to practice presenting the pro-life message, Camp Esther is a must-attend weekend for any teenager with a proven burden for Life. 

Camp Esther 2012 will be held August 17-19, 2012 at the Good News Center in Utica, NY.  Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the cost of tuition, rooms, meals, speakers, and a t-shirt for the entire weekend is only $100.  You are encouraged to register as soon as possible, as space is limited.   For more information or to register, contact Natalie at 518-434-1293 or natalief@nysrighttolife.org.

 NYS Right to Life outreach update

On January 16th, New York State Right to Life and our local affiliate, Patriots for Life, attended the volunteer fair at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Observance at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. There was a large turnout and we had many enthusiastic visitors at our table.  The response was so great we had to send out for more materials - especially our large red Right to Life buttons because they were a big hit – especially with the young people – everyone wanted to wear a button and proudly display that they are pro-life!

A big thank you to Pastor Justin and Pastor Chuck at Berean Bible Church in Greene, NY for hosting New York State Right to Life on Sanctity of Life Sunday. We had a great outpouring of support and were able to collect lots of signatures on our petitions to stop the Reproductive Health Act. If you haven’t done so yet, please check out the RHA page on our website, call your senator, and print up petitions to distribute at your church.  Call us with any questions or to invite us to come to your church to set up an education and information table.

National Right to Life announces priorities for 2012:

Defeat Barack Obama and protect pain-capable unborn children

in the states and the District of Columbia

As right-to-life activists gathered across the country to mourn the loss of more than 54 million unborn children since the U.S. Supreme Court’s January 22, 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of 50 state right-to-life affiliates, announced its political and legislative priorities for 2012.

“It should not be a surprise to anyone that the top priority for National Right to Life’s Political Action Committee this year is defeating Barack Obama and electing a pro-life president,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life.  “Additionally, building upon recent success in five states, National Right to Life will urge Congress to adopt a ban on aborting pain-capable unborn children in the Federal District, and will push for enactment of this ban in several more states.”

Regarding the candidates in the 2012 presidential primaries and general election, Tobias said:

President Obama’s record on protecting innocent human life is abysmal.

 

The president has given hundreds of millions of tax-payer dollars to organizations that perform or promote abortion in other countries. His administration threatened to cut off all Medicaid funds to Indiana because they voted to stop tax funding of Planned Parenthood.

 

Even more far-reaching is how President Obama is impacting our health care system. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, contains multiple provisions authorizing federal subsidies for abortion, and additional provisions on which future abortion-expanding regulatory mandates may be based.

 

The law also contains multiple provisions that will result in government imposed rationing of life-saving medical care.

 

The Obama health care law will enshrine abortion and rationing of health care in our society for generations to come, if we don’t stop it.

 

The choice before us for this election year will be very clear. We will have a pro-abortion, anti-life incumbent president and a pro-life challenger. We are happy that all the Republican candidates seeking the nomination for president—Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum– are pro-life.

 

We have an updated factsheet of President Obama’s Record on Life. That can be found at our website, http://www.nrlc.org/Records/obamarecord.pdf.

The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act developed by National Right to Life has served as a model for laws enacted so far in Nebraska, Kansas, Idaho, Alabama, and Oklahoma.  Already in 2012, similar bills have been introduced in legislatures in Virginia, New Hampshire, and Florida, with additional states expected to join the list.

In states that have passed the law, the legislatures declared that there is substantial scientific evidence that the unborn child is capable of experiencing great pain during abortion procedures by 20 weeks after fertilization, and on the basis of those findings, applied general bans on abortion from that point on (i.e., from about the beginning of the sixth month, in layman’s terminology), except for rare cases in which acute physical disorders endanger the mother.  No serious legal challenge has yet been mounted to any of these five laws. 

Congressman Trent Franks (R-Az.) introduced the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.  This bill would ban abortion of pain-capable unborn children within the Federal District–the district created by the U.S. Constitution for the specific purpose of serving as the seat of the national government.

“Today, in our nation’s capital, an unborn child can be killed at any point prior to birth, for any reason,” said NRLC Federal Legislative Director Douglas Johnson.  “Under the U.S. Constitution, the sole and exclusive legislative authority to protect unborn children within the Federal District resides with the Congress.  If abortion remains unrestricted in the nation’s capital, during the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth months, it will be because certain members of Congress, or the President, have obstructed this bill.  If they do that, then they alone, under the Constitution, are fully accountable for that policy.”

At least two abortion providers currently are advertising that they provide abortions in the District past the point that the bill would establish protection – one to 24 weeks after fertilization, and the other during the third trimester, at least to seven and one-half months, and perhaps later.

“Enactment of the D.C. Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act will be a top legislative priority for National Right to Life during 2012,” said Johnson.  “The capital city of the United States should not also be the capital for causing torment to unborn babies in the sixth month and later.”

“Pro-abortionists often say that limiting abortion would ‘take us backwards,’ but really, they are the ones who insist that society must remain locked in the Dark Ages of ignorance regarding the capacities of unborn children,” noted Mary Spaulding Balch, J.D., National Right to Life director of state legislation. “Our knowledge about the capacities of the unborn child has increased by orders of magnitude since Roe v. Wade, thanks in part of 4-D ultrasound and other sophisticated imaging techniques.  Our legislation also reflects what medical science has learned about the necessity for controlling the baby’s pain during open-womb fetal surgery, and when performing painful procedures on very premature newborn infants.”

This coverage was originally published at http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2012/01/national-right-to-life-announces-priorities-for-2012/ and http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2012/01/nrlc-president-explains-agenda-for-2012/.

Notre Dame High School Builds up the Culture of Life

Notre Dame Junior/Senior High School in Utica, NY has an active pro-life group called “The Pulse.”  Members of The Pulse with moderators Val Elacqua and Kelly Colangelo held a Cupcakes for Life event the week before the January 22 anniversary of Roe v. Wade to raise money and awareness for a pro-life cause. The “Build your own Cupcake” bake sale was a big hit and brought in $169.00 for Central Right to Life, the Utica/Rome affiliate of New York State Right to Life.

Central Right to Life provides educational opportunities in the Utica area and, with New York State Right to Life, helps to maintain a constant presence in Albany to work for the protection of all members of the human family who are threatened by abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, and lethal human research. CRL and NYSRTL have many initiatives that motivate and empower pro-life youth, such as our student action pledge which challenges young people to devote time each month to working for the cause of Life. Other opportunities for youth involvement include the pro-life teen training weekend, Camp Esther (held at the Good News Center in Utica every summer), and an oratory contest for high school juniors and seniors. We also provide speakers for training events and audiences of all ages.

The students chose Right to Life for its ability to effect comprehensive improvement in the culture. Central Right to Life representative Julianne Stokes said, “I'm so grateful that The Pulse chose the Central Right to Life, because Right to Life has the unique position and experience to effect authentic pro-life change, doing God's work. I'm so glad that the students support that work.” Building cupcakes is a celebration of life everyone can sink their teeth into.

Pro-lifers, youth, rally at March for Life to commemorate anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Hundreds of thousands of pro-lifers gathered at the nation’s capital last Monday, January 23, to commemorate the 39th anniversary of the devastating Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. Many activists from New York State traveled overnight to join others from as far as Minnesota and Kansas to demonstrate their commitment to the legal protection of every member of the human family.

In his article on the 2012 March for Life “They will know us by our youth” (National Right to Life News Today) Dave Andrusko reflected, “It’s impossible to be on the grounds of the National Mall—not to mention many, many side streets where huge contingents of pro-lifers gathered—or walk up Constitution Avenue to the Supreme Court and not put your first emphasis on the colossal number of young people.”

Indeed, the energy, enthusiasm, and spirit of the crowds who marched from the National Mall to the steps of the Supreme Court, undeterred by Monday’s rain, reflected the huge numbers of committed, pro-life youth in attendance.

“The Washington Post may think that only ‘thousands’ attended; USA Today can limit its coverage to a single photo and one paragraph; and the New York Times might think it unworthy to run a story in  its print edition at all (it had photos online). But that does not alter the size or the grit of the pro-lifers who assembled not only in Washington, DC but also round the nation in commemoration of Roe” (“They will know us by our youth”).

Looking forward to the battles in the fight for Life in 2012, Andrusko commented his “Reflections on the March for Life: Part Two”, “This assembly of pro-lifers understood perfectly that Barack Obama is the most pro-abortion President in our history. I’m sure many nodded their heads when pro-life champion Rep. Chris Smith told them, ‘The past three years of abortion extremism by President Obama is a mere foretaste—a mere foreshadowing—of what will be if he is reelected.’ If he wins a second term, ‘Mr. Obama’s abortion extremism will significantly worsen.’

Meanwhile, pro-life activists at home participated in countless other local events to commemorate the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.  One such event was the Syracuse March for Life, hosted by the Syracuse affiliate of New York State Right to Life on Saturday, January 21.  Guests included pro-life Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle, who addressed the hundreds of pro-lifers who participated in the local march.