Seventy pro-lifers lined East Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago across from the Hyatt Regency during President Barack Obama’s address to the physician delegates of the American Medical Association June 15 to deliver a simple message: “Abortion is not health care.”
League Protests Obama at AMA
We only learned about the Obama speech late on Thursday morning, when the A.M.A. put out a press release, and as soon as we did, we immediately jumped into action.
The overwhelming response to the protest is indicative of how energized the pro-life movement is at this point in history.
The heavy turnout by pro-lifers was in stark contrast to the handful of gay marriage and anti-war activists who were also protesting in the barricaded protest are on the north side of Wacker Drive.
The League used the occassion of Obama’s speach to the A.M.A. to call on him to follow through on his pledge, issued during his commencement address at Notre Dame, to work to reduce abortion. League Communications Director Eric Scheidler commented: “It is time for President Obama to join the pro-life movement in providing compassion and support to the thousands of women in the United States faced with unintended pregnancies who think abortion is their only option.”
Specifically, the League called on Obama to ensure any reform of the nation’s health care system will:
- Provide support to the 3,000 pro-life pregnancy resource centers across the country struggling to meet the needs of pregnant women.
- Withdraw federal funding from the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, which receives $349,600,000 of taxpayers’ money every year.
- Maintain strong conscience protections for doctors and other health professionals so they are free to care for their patients without taking part in abortion.
League Gets the Inside Story at A.M.A. Meeting
Representing the League’s Action News, assistant communications director Matt Yonke secured a press pass and watched Obama’s speech from inside the hotel. He also spoke with several physicians attending the convention and got the inside story on health care reform.
It was clear that the majority of doctors, regardless of political affiliation, saw an urgent need for changes to the current health care system, but most thought President Obama wouldn’t get it right, at least not the first time around. Some are certain his plan will only worsen and already bad situation, while others were more hopeful that the plan could succeed with amendments along the way.
One of the doctors Matt interviewed revealed that the A.M.A. was likely to endorse so-called “comprehensive” sex education at the convention. While a final vote was yet to be taken, the stiff resistance that met previous campaigns for such an endorsement had evaporated, with only three out of eighteen doctors speaking on the measure opposing the endorsement.
Clearly the pro-life movement has a tremendous task ahead convincing both the medical community and our politicians to respect the sanctity of life and the sacred gift of marriage. Monday’s protest was one more step forward in that process.
New Video Tells Story of Notorious Rockford Abortion Clinic
This week we got word from a group of faithful pro-life activists in Rockford, IL about a new video they produced that tells the story of their city’s notorious abortion facility, which has been called “the most anti-Christian abortion mill in America”, and with good reason.
The activists who regularly pray there have sent a copy of every church in the area and all community leaders.
Kevin Rilott, one of the leaders among the local activists, says of the video: “It really is an amazing story of hatred, child killing, and the love of a small group of Christians to battle this evil.”
You can watch it here.
