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News and commentary from the Pro-Life Action League
News and commentary from the Pro-Life Action League
A woman is carried into an ambulance behind a sheet at Planned Parenthood in Aurora, Illinois [Photo by Eric Scheidler, 4/1/11]
The Chicago Tribune ran a front page story today reporting that many Illinois abortion facilities are not reporting how many abortions they perform or the number and nature of the complications that arise from the abortions.
Megan Twohey, author of the Tribune article, called the Pro-Life Action League back in March, in the wake of the news about the filthy conditions in Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s “House of Horrors” abortion facility in Philadelphia. Twohey was looking into inspections and reporting in Illinois.
We sent her the summaries of the malpractice lawsuits against Chicago area abortion clinics on file in the Circuit Court of Cook County. We routinely check the court files and have uncovered dozens of Complaints against Family Planning Associates, Planned Parenthood, and American Women’s Medical Center. Complaints range from deaths due to complications during or following an abortion, to hemorrhaging, perforated uterus, excessive bleeding and damage necessitating a complete hysterectomy on a 14-year-old girl. [Continue reading ...]
The second floor windows of Chicago’s Women’s Center CPC are boarded up following a fire [Photo by John Jansen]
Shortly before midnight on Saturday, June 4, a woman arrived to pray at the Perpetual Adoration chapel housed within the Women’s Center, a crisis pregnancy center on Chicago’s Northwest Side. She saw smoke coming from the second floor of the building and immediately called 911. Within minutes, firefighters were on the scene.
The second floor suffered significant damage. This is the area where the Women’s Center maintains its Family Room, with resources for the pregnant mothers they serve. The Family Room was filled to capacity with clothing, toys and baby items donated by generous supporters of the Women’s Center to meet the material needs of the mothers who face an untimely pregnancy and choose life for their unborn babies.
The fire department suspects that the source of the fire is electrical, but a full investigation will be conducted. Were it not for the Eucharistic adorers having been on site at the time, the damage would have been considerably worse.
The Women’s Center was the focus of a picket and leafleting campaign on Tuesday, May 31, organized by Walk for Choice Chicago, which appears to be associated with the Illinois Choice Action Team, the outfit that supplies the aggressive “deathscorts” at the Albany abortion clinic just a half block south of The Women’s Center. [Continue reading ...]
Last Friday I attended the dedication of Heather’s House, a new project of Aid for Women, a Chicago crisis pregnancy center.
Heather’s House is a residential facility for pregnant women who have nowhere to live when they make a choice for life. It is located on the campus of Maryville Academy in Des Plaines, Illinois.
The dedication ceremony began with Mass in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel celebrated by Bishop Francis Kane and Msgr. Michael Boland, director of Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Following the Mass, papal biographer George Weigel spoke about Blessed Pope John Paul II’s commitment to the pro-life movement and drew a parallel between his beatification and the life-affirming work of Aid for Women. [Continue reading ...]
The Albany abortion clinic dumpster, where our signs were tossed
Now that the Albany Medical Surgical Center abortion clinic in Chicago has aggressive deathscorts on duty, it is particularly difficult to offer real choice to the women who come there thinking abortion is their best option. Many have no idea that abortion can be dangerous or that help is available just less than a block away.
So to make sure they have an opportunity to choose life, we have printed professional signs with the name and phone number for The Women’s Center, in both English and Spanish.
Clearly the sidewalk counselors and prayer warriors are having an impact on the abortion clinic.
First they installed the deathscorts.
Now they are attacking our signs.
Today, I posted five signs—three in English, two in Spanish. When it was time for me to leave, I gave the signs to the prayer group that was coming on duty next.
If anyone needed more evidence that the mood of the country is becoming more decidedly pro-life, the unprecedented number of pro-life bills in state legislatures is it. And the abortion industry is in a panic over it.
Three hundred seventy-four anti-abortion bills have been introduced in state legislatures, which accordingly to a NARAL spokesperson, is 200 more than last year. CNN reports that 29 states have pro-life governors and in 15 states both houses of their legislatures are pro-life.
The Guttmacher Institute’s public policy associate called it a “free-for-all” against abortion. And she said, “I’ve been doing this for almost 12 years now, so I feel like I have some historical sense. This year is just unlike any other year we’ve seen before.” [Continue reading ...]
Annie Casselman, Marianne Linane, director of respect life ministry for diocese of Little Rock, Joe and Bishop Anthony Taylor [Photo by Ann Scheidler]
Joe and I spent last weekend—Palm Sunday weekend—visiting our daughter Annie and her husband Robert and their three children in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Annie had mentioned to Sharon, the respect life coordinator at her parish, Immaculate Conception in North Little Rock, that her dad was going to be in town. Sharon immediately asked if he would be willing to speak at the closing ceremony for Little Rock’s 40 Days for Life vigil in front of Little Rock Family Planning Services.
Joe, of course, didn’t hesitate a minute. He was pleased to be invited and delighted to have an opportunity to meet the pro-life activists of Little Rock. One of the benefits of involvement in the pro-life movement is meeting the best people in the world everywhere we go. [Continue reading ...]
A packed house of pro-life notables gives Joe Scheidler a huge standing ovation [Photo by Sam Scheidler]
Saturday evening was a gala celebration for pro-life activists. It was officially a tribute to Joe Scheidler, but it served as a “class reunion” for pro-life activists from all over the U. S.
Monica Miller, executive director of Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, and a long-time friend of the Scheidlers, did a fantastic job of bringing pro-life friends and family together at the Holiday Inn Mart Plaza in downtown Chicago.
As Joe arrived at the Holiday Inn he was greeted by a cheering group of teens from Crusaders for Life, who literally rolled out the red carpet for him amid dozens of yellow “LIFE” balloons. They clamored for autographs and shouted out, “Joe, Joe!” Check out a slideshow of pictures from the event plus a video tribute to Joe after the break! [Continue reading ...]
Pro-life billboard obstructed by pro-abortion sign [Photo by Heather Charles, Chicago Tribune]
Last Monday, Life Always launched the Chicago edition of their billboard campaign to highlight the high number of abortions among African Americans.
On site at the time were some angry members of the local community and women from Black Women for Reproductive Justice, who were offended by the message: “Every 21 minutes another possible leader is aborted.”
Over the weekend a group of “social workers and community members,” who, according to the Chicago Tribune did not want their names mentioned, covered two of the three billboards with fabric and their own messages. [Continue reading ...]
New pro-life billboards on Chicago’s south side [Photo by Ann Scheidler]
On Tuesday morning, Life Always, the pro-life communications group responsible for the controversial pro-life billboard in New York, unveiled the first of their new billboards on Chicago’s south side, and Joe and I headed down for the unveiling ceremony.
This billboard features a picture of Barack Obama and the text, Every 21 minutes our next possible leader is aborted. Life Always plans to erect thirty such billboards on the south side of the city in predominantly African-American neighborhoods. [Continue reading ...]
The recent mayoral election in Chicago drew national attention since it involved the end of Richard M. Daley’s 22-year tenure and the “swapping out” of Rahm Emanuel and Bill Daley as Chief of Staff for President Obama. In that election the issue of abortion never came up.
But concurrent with the mayoral campaign was the election of aldermen in the 50 Chicago wards. In those wards where a candidate failed to garner 50% of the vote, there is a run-off election on April 5.
Monday’s Chicago Tribune ran an article comparing the two candidates in the 45th Ward—which, coincidentally, includes both my own home and the Albany Medical Surgical Center abortion clinic. (The article, titled “Party lines drawn in sand across 2 wards,” is only available in the print version.)
There is a consistent prayer presence and sidewalk counseling ministry at Albany, and there have been four 40 Days for Life prayer vigils held there. Clinic personnel frequently call the police on the prayerful, peaceful pro-lifers, and deathscorts have begun showing up on Thursdays and Saturdays.
The Tribune article begins with this opening paragraph:
As aldermanic candidate John Garrido shakes hands and knocks on doors around the 45th Ward, potential voters consistently ask him one question, “Are you against abortion?”