Since then, MHFV have been making it easier for teen moms in bad situations to choose life for their babies and we've been privileged to partner with them.
It's great to see MHFV getting the recognition they deserve for their work. Here's hoping the operation continues to provide hope and alternatives for years to com. Check out their website for more details about their unique method for helping girls in need.
Posted by Matt Yonke on Wednesday, April 4th, 2012
Last night, after more than two hours of public comment, the City Council of Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago, voted 7-2 to approve the construction of the Naperville Fertility Clinic at Benton and Washington Streets on the north side of the city's posh downtown.
In March, I was part of a group of concerned citizens who spoke out against both the moral and zoning related problems related to the IVF clinic, as covered by the Chicago Sun Times. We came to bring a simple message: IVF involves the freezing and destruction of human beings in the earliest stages of life, and that is not a stain that we want to see on downtown Naperville.
IVF Doc Insists Issue Is Not Religion—Then Gives Lecture on Religion
Dr. Randy Morris was the first to speak last night. Contrary to his claims at the previous meeting that his clinic had nothing to do with religion, Dr. Morris came with a cadre of people from the inter-religious group One Naperville, including a number of people who had undergone IVF treatments with Dr. Morris or elsewhere. [Continue reading . . . »]
Posted by Matt Yonke on Monday, December 5th, 2011
Every year the Pro-Life Action League brings the light of Christ to the darkness of the abortuary with our "Empty Manger" Christmas caroling day. The video of last year's event shows just how moving this effective pro-life witness can be.
More and more groups around the country have started holding their own Christmas caroling events at abortion clinics, and now it's your turn to get involved in this Advent pro-life ministry.
To help you do just that, the League has put together some critical resources that will make your caroling day a success.
Empty Manger Building Plans [PDF]—Simple, detailed instructions for building an empty manger to symbolize our anticipation of Christ's birth and the emptiness left behind by abortion
Christmas Caroling Booklet [PDF]—The carols in this 8-page booklet highlight the Christmas message of hope coming in the form of the infant Jesus
Posted by Matt Yonke on Monday, November 14th, 2011
Planned Parenthood's Aurora mega-center [Photo by Eric Scheidler]
Pro-life activism is work where you don't always see the fruits of your labor right away.
Sidewalk counseling is a perfect example of that. You may not know till you get to heaven how many people chose not to abort their babies simply by your presence and your peaceful outreach.
But sometimes God gives us the gift of seeing our work pay off here and now. That happened to sidewalk counselor Joe B. last weekend in Aurora, Illinois. [Continue reading . . . »]
Posted by Matt Yonke on Wednesday, October 26th, 2011
Swedish Hospital in Seattle, Washington
A strange story emerges out of Seattle, brought to our attention by Catholic blogger Mark Shea, that finds Planned Parenthood pitted against their longtime allies at the National Organization for Women (NOW) as well as the hospital establishment.
Swedish Health Services, a secular healthcare organization, and Providence Health & Services, a Catholic healthcare organization, have tried over the last decade to find a way to join forces to provide the best possible medical services at Seattle's Swedish Hospital. A detailed account of the situation can be found here.
They're poised to come to a historic agreement that would allow both organizations to do the most good for everyone, but controversy has crept in because, as part of the agreement, Swedish is committing to not perform elective abortions.
NOW is in an uproar that any hospital anywhere would dare to not provide abortions. But Planned Parenthood is actually excited about the move. Why? Why else: money. [Continue reading . . . »]
Posted by Matt Yonke on Tuesday, October 4th, 2011
Eric Scheidler leads pro-lifers in song outside Planned Parenthood in Aurora, IL [Photo by Matt Yonke]
This past Sunday, October 2, marked the 4th anniversary of the dark day that Planned Parenthood opened the doors of their "Abortion Fortress," the first of their mega-centers which are now spreading across the nation.
Though it might seem counter-intuitive, the Pro-Life Action League marked this grim day with a "Do-it Yourself" pro-life concert on the vacant lot across the street from the midwest's largest abortion clinic.
The DIY concert is an idea League Executive Director Eric Scheidler came up with to celebrate the closing of the second 40 Days for Life vigil in 2008 and we've held them several times since. Pro-lifers bring a lawn chair and copies of their favorite hymn or praise song and an instrument if they play one, and we sing praises to God thanking Him for the victories He's granted us as a movement. [Continue reading . . . »]
Posted by Matt Yonke on Thursday, September 29th, 2011
I was thrilled to receive an e-mail from Waterleaf Women's Center with the story of the first baby saved from abortion after the mother saw her baby on Waterleaf's ultrasound machine!
I'll let Waterleaf tell the story for themselves:
We were thrilled to receive the following text message recently from one of our Waterleaf clients in the hospital delivery room…
"Thank you for helping me not make a quick decision to abort. I can't wait to hold my daughter in my arms."
Though all of our births are special, Baby "Anna" (who weighed in at a healthy 8 lbs 9 oz.) was our first baby saved from abortion through the power of ultrasound. Her mother, who was determined to visit Planned Parenthood for an abortion, could not overcome the emotions of seeing her baby girl on Waterleaf's full-size TV monitor.
Since our January medical clinic conversion, dozens of Waterleaf's clients have experienced the powerful impact of ultrasound. Many were unprepared for the fact that their baby was a living, moving, human being with a heartbeat and fingers and toes!
Thanks to your prayers and financial support, we continue to witness the power of ultrasound and God's grace daily. May God bless each of you for sharing in our lifesaving ministry.
In faith,
The Waterleaf team
Such great news! Learn more about Waterleaf and contribute to their work at their website.
Posted by Matt Yonke on Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
Illinois Supreme Court Building
This morning the case of Sandholm v. Kuecker begins oral arguments before the Illinois Supreme Court.
Normally a case like this involving a high school athletics coach who was fired and later sued a group he claimed was libeling him wouldn't make pro-life news, but Sandholm is different because it involves the Illinois Citizen Participation Act (CPA).
The CPA is the same law that Planned Parenthood has used in the Scheidler v. Trombley libel case to put the Pro-Life Action League and League Executive Director Eric Scheidler on the hook for nearly $500,000 in legal fees.
Citizen Participation Act Gives Planned Parenthood a License to Lie
The CPA states that, when pursuing favorable governmental action, a person cannot be held responsible for public statements made in pursuit of that action, even if those statements are libelous.
Scheidler v. Trombley began when Planned Parenthood ran a smear campaign on the League and local activists while trying to open their massive "Abortion Fortress" in Aurora, Illinois. When Eric and the League sued for libel, Planned Parenthood counter-sued under the CPA and won, claiming that they weren't responsible for their false claims about pro-lifers because they were seeking the favorable government action of getting the Aurora City Council to approve their new clinic.
This is obviously ridiculous as it essentially grants Planned Parenthood, or anyone else invoking the CPA, a license to lie and say whatever they please about their opponents without being held responsible. [Continue reading . . . »]
Posted by Matt Yonke on Monday, September 19th, 2011
Picket outside Planned Parenthood in Aurora, IL [Photo by Sam Scheidler]
On Saturday, September 17, over 50 pro-lifers beat the pavement outside the "Abortion Fortress" of Aurora, Illinois just as they have every third Saturday since the facility opened in the fall of 2007.
With signs reading Moms for Life, Dads for Life, Planned Parenthood LIES to You and Planned Parenthood: BAD for Aurora the group witnessed to the community's continuing resistance to the presence of the Midwest's largest abortion mill in their town.
I've been a part of the League's protest efforts at Planned Parenthood Aurora since the very beginning, and it's been a great encouragement to get to know the area's faithful activists. As I handed out signs on Saturday, I saw many of those who have been there since the beginning as well as some new faces. [Continue reading . . . »]
Posted by Eric Scheidler on Tuesday, August 30th, 2011
Last week, the Guttmacher Institute announced the publication of an analysis of the rate of unintended pregnancy in the United States from 2001 to 2006. The report unwittingly makes the case for defunding Planned Parenthood.
Guttmacher reports that overall "the unintended pregnancy rate has remained essentially flat" during that period but that it "has increased dramatically among poor women." Their conclusion [PDF]: "The United States did not make progress toward its goal of reducing unintended pregnancy between 2001 and 2006."
The Institute was founded as a division of Planned Parenthood in 1968, and later named in honor of former Planned Parenthood director Alan Guttmacher when it became independent in 1977. However—as the two groups' response to the new report shows—Guttmacher and Planned Parenthood continue to work hand-in-glove.
Predictable Response from Planned Parenthood
"The Guttmacher Institute's new analysis of unintended pregnancy should serve as a national wake-up call," declared Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards—and for once I agree with her. But we're completely at odds as to what the wake-up call is trying to tell us. [Continue reading . . . »]
A local maternity home the League has supported made the Aurora Beacon News today with its stories of hope for pregnant teens.
Last week, the Guttmacher Institute