Pro-lifers from across Illinois network at SpeakOut 2010 [Photo by Matt Yonke]
The 300-plus attendees at SpeakOut Illinois 2010 raved about the speakers for this year’s event, held January 30 in Oak Brook Terrace. The day started with a prayer by Fr. K. Anthony Spengler of Orthodox Christians for Life, one of the SpeakOut sponsor organizations, and the lighting of the SpeakOut candle.
Kline and Rose Expose Planned Parenthood
Phill Kline, former attorney general of Kansas and aggressive opponent of Planned Parenthood then spoke about his experience trying to expose Planned Parenthood’s program of covering up the crime of statutory rape when underage girls come to their centers seeking an abortion. Kline was maligned in the press and suffered political setbacks, but he persevered and ultimately was the only prosecutor to obtain abortion records from Planned Parenthood.
Lila Rose talks about her fight against Planned Parenthood [Photo by Matt Yonke]
Lila Rose, a student activist at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) spoke about her undercover video mission, The Mona Lisa Project, to expose Planned Parenthood’s deception and collusion in disregarding state laws against statutory rape. The Mona Lisa Project and Lila’s other projects with Live Action have resulted in Planned Parenthood workers being fired and in action by various states to investigate Planned Parenthood.
Pastor Eric Allyn of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Elmhurst gave the luncheon invocation.
Ruse Gives International Perspective
Austin Ruse, president of Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) received the Henry Hyde Life Leadership Award and spoke about his work with the United Nations to forge coalitions between UN nations that respect the sanctity of human life in order to prevent much of the anti-life efforts of the United Nations. Ruse challenged his audience to think broadly about the pro-life mission and be willing to work with people of other religious traditions who nonetheless share our pro-life views.
The conference ended with the traditional Memorial for the unborn, led by Fr. Steven Bauer, associate director of the John Paul II Newman Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Concurrent with SpeakOut Illinois was TeenSpeak, coordinated by the Pro-Life Action League’s Generations for Life. Read all about the TeenSpeak Conference on the Generations for Life Update page of this edition of Action News.
