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Public Policy Report - January 28, 2005 Marching Forward… A Report on the 2005 March for Life By Nathan Burd, Director of International Program & Public Policy
I recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress and to participate in the annual March for Life. I had an opportunity to speak with many elected officials about the importance of life-affirming pregnancy centers and the vital role they play in assisting women, men, families, and the unborn. Many members of Congress recognize how important pregnancy centers are to encouraging a culture of life in America. At the March for Life rally (see quotes below) and during my meetings, many of our elected leaders in D.C. voiced admiration and support for life-affirming pregnancy resource centers. Pregnancy center directors, staff members, and volunteers can play a key role in supporting pro-life legislation because they are respected members of the life-saving community. Two things stood out during my visit to Washington: With a pro-life majority in Congress and a pro-life President, our movement has a chance for significant legislative gains over the next few years. We are less than two months into the new legislative session and there are already bills introduced to provide grants to pregnancy resource centers for the purchase of ultrasound machines, to strengthen parental notification and consent laws, and to bring attention to the pain felt by an u nb orn child during abortion procedures. These bills need public support, so please contact your elected officials by making phone calls, writing letters and e-mails, and encouraging your staff, co-workers, friends, and family members to make their voices heard also! The pro-life movement is strong among young people. Poll after poll has shown that more and more young Americans consider themselves to be pro-life. This trend was evident and on display at the March for Life. High-school and college students from all over the country were out in force, displaying enough commitment and energy to fuel the pro-life movement for years to come. Quotes from the 2005 March for Life Rally
You know, we come from many backgrounds-different backgrounds, but what unites us is our understanding that the essence of civilization is this: The strong have a duty to protect the weak…I encourage you to take heart from our achievements, because a true culture of life cannot be sustained solely by changing laws. We need, most of all, to change hearts. - President George W. Bush (President Bush addressed the crowd via telephone.) Click here to read the President’s entire speech: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/01/20050124-7.html I stand here in front of you today and say that the end of abortion on demand has started. The end has started. And in its place, a spring of life has begun, when all life-no matter what its age, its gender, its color, its physical or mental ability or its creed-will be celebrated for its beauty, its majesty, its sacredness…Yes, this season has already begun. Hasten it in with your prayers, in faith believing. - Senator Sam Brownback (Kansas) I ask you, please, I beg you to be generous in your support of crisis pregnancy centers. They need you to volunteer, they need your time, they need your energy, they need you to write a check and step up financially. When we do overturn Roe v. Wade, it will be the crisis pregnancy centers that will still be there for men and women. - Congressman Rick Renzi (Arizona) Those innocent, helpless little babies cannot fight for themselves, so we must defend them from those who see them as a burden. We cannot let up and we can never, never surrender. -Congressman Steve Chabot (Ohio) Thank you, and we are proud of you, because you’re fighting for the same basic freedom that our founders always fought for; the fact that people have dignity and worth and value…we will never stop until we put an end to abortion. - Congressman Todd Akin (Missouri) |
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