Decades from now, pro-life Americans may very well look back at 2008 and realize that it was a monumental turning point for our movement. But what kind of turning point will it be?

Later this year, we’ll elect a new President, many members of the U.S. House and Senate, and numerous local officials all around the country. If we get involved in these elections, we can bring about the most positive change in abortion policy to date. But if we choose to sit on the sidelines and be nothing more than inactive spectators, frustration and disappointment will surely follow.

Just think about what’s at stake. The next President of the United States will likely appoint one or two new Supreme Court Justices. Judicial scholars believe that we’re only one pro-life Justice away from finally tossing Roe v. Wade on the ash heap of history. If we miss this opportunity, our efforts to overturn Roe could be set back decades or more.

Those of us working in the pregnancy center movement have specific reasons to care about the outcome of the 2008 elections. In recent years, radical pro-abortion legislators around the country have introduced bills to unnecessarily regulate centers and they’ve issued reports labeling us “deceptive.” Our silence on Election Day could result in a hostile environment for our nation’s life-affirming pregnancy resource centers.

The U.S. Congress is hanging by a pro-life thread. Over the last year, longstanding pro-life provisions were narrowly upheld in the face of aggressive attacks. If more pro-abortion members are elected, we’ll see drastic changes in abortion policy. The Mexico City policy that keeps our tax dollars from funding abortions overseas could be reversed. We currently aren’t required by the federal government to fund embryo destructive research, but that would likely change. And if you’re frustrated about the $300 million that Planned Parenthood currently receives from taxpayers, just wait until that number increases under a pro-abortion President and Congress.

Heartbeat International encourages your involvement in the 2008 elections. While nonprofit organizations are prohibited from endorsing or opposing specific candidates or political parties, we are permitted to register new voters and remind them to vote their pro-life values on Election Day. Click here for additional guidelines for nonprofit voter registration activities.

Three simple things you can do to make a difference:

1. Make sure that all of your staff and volunteers are registered to vote. Don’t assume they are already are! Research shows that millions of good citizens are currently unregistered.
   
2. Include an article about the importance of voting in an upcoming newsletter.
   
3. Do you have a website for donors and community supporters? If so, consider adding a link to a voter registration site.

Legal Guidelines for Pregnancy Centers: Click here

 

Websites of Interest:
Register to Vote: I Vote Values (www.ivotevalues.org)

Elections Information: Priests for Life Election Center (http://www.priestsforlife.org/elections/index.htm)

 

State Voter Registration Deadlines
Election Date: November 4, 2008

Alabama - 10 days prior to the election; www.sos.state.al.us
Alaska - 30 days before the election; www.gov.state.ak.us/ltgov
Arizona - 29 days before the election; www.sosaz.com
Arkansas - 30 days before the election; www.sosweb.state.ar.us
California -15 days before the election; www.ss.ca.gov/elections.htm
Colorado - 29 days before the election; www.sos.state.co.us
Connecticut - 14 days before the election; www.sots.state.ct.us
Deleware - 29 days prior to the election; www.state.de.us/org
District of Columbia - 30 days before the election; www.dcboee.org
Florida - 29 days before the election; http://www.dos.state.fl.us
Georgia - the fifth Monday before the election; www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/default
Hawaii - 30 days before the election; www.hawaii.gov/elections/index
Idaho - 25 days before the election; www.idsos.state.id.us/elect/eleindex
Illinois - 28 days prior to the election; www.elections.state.il.us
Indiana - 29 days before the election; www.state.in.us/sos/elections
Iowa - 10 days before the election; www.sos.state.ia.us/elections
Kansas -15 days before the election; www.kssos.org
Kentucky - 29 days before the election; www.sos.state.ky.us
Louisiana -30 days before the election; www.sec.state.la.us
Maine - 10 days before the election; www.state.me.us/sos
Maryland - 21 days before the election; www.elections.state.md.us
Massachusetts - 20 days before the election; www.state.ma.us/sec
Michigan - 30 days before the election; www.sos.state.mi.us
Minnesota - 21 days before the election; www.state.mn.us/ebranch/sos
Mississippi - 30 days before the election; www.sos.state.ms.us
Missouri - 28 days before the election; www.sos.state.mo.us
Montana - 30 days before the election; http://sos.state.mt.us/css/index.asp
Nebraska - the third Friday before the election; www.nol.org/home/SOS
Nevada - the fifth Saturday before the election; http://sos.state.nv.us
New Hampshire - 10 days before the election; www.state.nh.us/sos/clerks/htm
New Jersey - 29 days before the election; www.state.nj.us/lps/elections
New Mexico - 28 days before the election; www.sos.state.mn.us/elect.htm
New York - 25 days before the election; www.elections.state.ny.us
North Carolina - 25 days before the election; www.sboe.state.nc.us
North Dakota - North Dakota does not have voter registration; www.state.nd.us
Ohio - 30 days before the election; www.state.oh.us/sos
Oklahoma - 25 days before the election; www.oklaosf.state.ok.us
Oregon - 21 days before the election; www.sos.state.or.us/elections
Pennyslvania - 30 days before the election; www.dos.state.pa.us/elections/cel
Rhode Island - 30 days before the election; www.corps.state.ri.us
South Carolina - 30 days before the election; www.sos.state.sc.us/scsec
South Dakota - 15 days before the election; www.state.sd.us/sos/sos.htm
Tennessee - 30 days before the election; www.state.tn.us/sos/sos.htm
Texas - 30 days before the election; www.sos.state.tx.us
Utah - 20 days before the election; www.governor.state.ut.us/menu
Vermont - By noon on the second Saturday before the election; www.sec.state.vt.us
Virginia - 29 days before the election; www.sbe.state.va.us
Washington - 30 days before the election; www.secstate.wa.gov
West Virginia - 20 days before the election; www.state.wv.us/sos/election
Wisconsin - 13 days before the election; http://seb.state.wi.us
Wyoming - Will not accept voter registrations by mail; http://soswy.state.wy.us/