40 Days for Life Madison

All Hours Filled! Praise God!

2009-04-07T22:57:00.007-05:00

Thank you!

Wednesday, April 8

Filled! Praise God!

Thursday, April 9

Filled! Praise God!

Friday, April 10

FULL! Praise God!

As you can see, our big need is Thursday night. We appreciate your sacrifices.

State Elections to be held on April 7

2009-03-31T22:43:00.002-05:00

State Elections to be held on April 7

There are a few big ones in both Wisconsin and Dane County next week. While Vigil for Life is not a political organization and does not make political endorsements, these definitely have pro-life implications. In a spring election, voter turnout is low so your voice matters more than ever!

Here's a quick primer:

Wisconsin State Supreme Court
Judge Randy Koschnick vs. Justice Shirley Abrahamson

Koschnick is endorsed by Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Right to Life
Abrahamson is endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin (PPAWI)

Click here for the nonpartisan (but pro-life) Wisconsin Family Council's candidate comparison: http://yourwisconsinvote.org/materials/Judicial_survey_completed.pdfWisconsin

State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Rose Fernandez vs. Tony Evers

Evers is endorsed by Planned Parenthood (PPAWI)

Click here for the Wisconsin Family Council's candidate comparison: http://yourwisconsinvote.org/materials/DPI_Response_Final_030609.pdf

Dane County Executive
Nancy Mistele vs. Kathleen Falk

Falk is endorsed by Planned Parenthood (PPAWI)

Vigil for Life presents at PLW's Day at the Capitol

2009-03-31T22:27:00.002-05:00

Pro-Life Wisconsin invited Vigil for Life to present at its annual Day at the Capitol. Here's what Steve Karlen had to say:

Good morning!

My name is Steve Karlen, and I represent Madison Vigil for Life. Before I get started, I’d just like to ask the Holy Spirit to bless my talk and fill my words with truth and grace. My Italian wife reminded me yesterday that today we celebrate the feast day of St. Joseph. And since St. Joseph knows a thing or two about unplanned pregnancy and the difficult choices that accompany it, I ask his intercession in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

I’d like to thank you all for coming. I’d also like to thank Monsignor Holmes for leading us in prayer and for all his work in the service of God and defense of life.

It’s also my great pleasure to thank fine legislators like Representative La Mahieu and Senator Grothman for their service to Wisconsin residents—born and pre-born. Their courageous stance isn’t exactly a popular one in the Capitol these days. It’s not one that will yield political clout nor draw worldly praise. But Representative La Mahieu, Senator Grothman, and their pro-life colleagues have demonstrated that they are willing to do what is right, even if it’s not trendy. They are heroes in the pro-life movement, and they deserve both our respect and our admiration.

Finally, I’d like to thank everybody at Pro-Life Wisconsin for hosting us this fine day and for inviting me to speak. Surely, I’m preaching to the choir this morning, but the folks at PLW are doing absolutely fantastic work. Not only do they conduct tireless legislative efforts, media campaigns and educational outreach; they also get down into the trenches to pray at vigil sites, participate in demonstrations, and strengthen grassroots efforts to build a Culture of Life across this state. And they do it all without compromising the truth for political expediency or good PR.

Like I said, I represent Vigil for Life right here in Madison. Our organization works to end abortion and all destruction of human life through prayer, fasting and peaceful witness outside abortion clinics. We coordinate the 40 Days for Life campaign, a 24/7 vigil of prayer, fasting and peaceful presence outside of the Planned Parenthood on Madison’s East Side. Our humble organization also coordinates twice monthly prayer vigils outside of Madison’s Planned Parenthood locations, a pro-life retreat, pro-life speakers, and other events throughout the year.

I couldn’t be more proud of our group of prayer warriors. Our resources are few, but our hearts are big. One veteran pro-life activist described the 40 Days for Life campaign as the force that will finally turn the tide on abortion in America. It’s a testament to the power of grassroots activism firmly rooted in prayer, fasting and love for Jesus Christ. And it’s faith and humility that made Vigil for Life a major player in Wisconsin’s pro-life movement this January when it was revealed that the Madison Surgery Center would begin performing late-term abortions downtown.

My involvement in this saga began on December 29, 2008. I was enjoying an evening with my family at home, celebrating the Christmas season when I received the strangest phone call of my life. A man named Matt Bowman was on the line. He worked for an organization called the Alliance Defense Fund. To establish his credentials, he told me he was friends with a number of my pro-life colleagues. He told me that a new abortion clinic was coming to Madison and that he’d like me to organize a demonstration. And then he told me that he couldn’t say any more, but that he knew I was having lunch the next day with PLW’s Matt Sande who would fill me in with the details the next day.

I said goodbye, he hung up the phone, and I told my wife, “That was the single strangest phone call I’ve ever received.” I felt like I’d stepped into a real-life episode of 24. And so I thought little about the conversation until I sat down to lunch with Matt the next day. When I brought up the bizarre call at a restaurant, Matt started looking nervous and told me we’d have to leave the restaurant and he’d brief me in his car.

Wow. Now I really felt like I was in an episode of 24. In his car outside the Pizzeria Uno, I learned the grisly details: Madison’s abortionist Dennis Christiansen was going to retire from killing babies at Planned Parenthood, and UW Faculty member Caryn Dutton would take his place. She’d also be secretly moving the late-term abortions to the Madison Surgery Center—a collaborative surgery institute run by the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics and Meriter Hospital. We had to keep our knowledge of these developments on the down low to not tip off the pro-abortion movement that we were on to them.

Over the coming days, I kept in touch with the people at Pro-Life Wisconsin as well as Matt Bowman at the ADF. Needless to say, the ensuing conversations were much less awkward and confusing than the initial ones. I learned that on January 6, the ADF was set to blow the cover off the secret late-term abortion plans of UW Health and Meriter. Vigil for Life had a week to plan a January 8 rally outside the Madison Surgery Center, but we couldn’t tell people when, where or why were rallying until the ADF’s January 6 announcement. With such short notice, I said I thought we could get 25 people out.

Shortly before 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 6, the ADF dropped the bombshell. They distributed a press release and open letter to UW and Meriter leadership laying out the secret plans, describing the way these plans had crushed employee morale at the Madison Surgery Center, and reminding the parties involved that any attempts to use public funding for abortion or coerce pro-life staff into participating were illegal and would result in swift litigation.

By the end of the morning, Pro-Life Wisconsin had issued its own press release, condemning the plans and encouraging Wisconsin residents to contact Meriter and UW officials to protest the plans.

Just two hours later, Vigil for Life dropped a press release of our own—joining the ADF and PLW in condemning the decision, but also announcing the January 8 rally.

War had been declared. UW Health and Meriter had been caught completely off-guard. While pro-life groups from across Wisconsin joined the uproar, Meriter remained silent. And all the UW could do was issue a terse statement that said little more than “Uh, trust us. Our lawyers said it’s ok” and “We promise to only experiment on the harvested corpses of our victims if a medical board approves it”—a statement they’d later deny ever making.

While the public and the media began to digest the story, we had work to do. We announced a demonstration, and now we had to get people there. First, of course, we mobilized our Vigil for Life group. Secondly, we worked through every pro-life or Christian channel we could find. Within hours, the event was announced to every sort of group we could imagine: Church men’s groups, women’s Bible studies, home schooling groups, a newsgroup of supporters of Bishop Morlino. It spread like wildfire, and we express our deep gratitude to Pro-Life Wisconsin and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison in particular, for making it happen.

To say that I was anxious the morning of January 8 would be an understatement. We had spread the word, but still it was a work day. A school day. Parking was practically nonexistent. And to top it off, the wind chill was well below zero. Despite these challenge, more than 100 people turned out. We prayed. We sang. All up and down Park Street we stood witness that the murder of the pre-born would not be tolerated. The media showed up as all four commercial television affiliates and the Wisconsin Radio Network covered the day. Even in the freezing cold temperature, the crowd was slow to break up, with numerous people staying well longer than the hour we had allotted.

The day was a great success. I spent much of the morning calling family and pro-life colleagues who couldn’t make it to share the great news, took a nap to recover from several late-nights of preparation, and settled in to watch the coverage on the evening news. We were flying high.

That evening as the excitement died down I became contemplative. Among the scores of people I met that morning, one face stood out—burned into my memory forever. It was a young girl with Down syndrome. She had greeted me with an exuberant “Hi!” and the biggest, most radiant beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. This girl warmed my heart and brought joy to my day. I suspect she warmed the hearts of everybody she encountered out in the cold.

But in the United States, 90 percent of Down syndrome children just like her are killed in the womb. In fact, while the UW has waffled on their motives for getting into the late-term abortion business, they haven’t wavered from the fact that they want to provide a place to “terminate” babies with abnormalities. They’re looking to sign a large-scale death warrant for children with disabilities. I can’t help but to be reminded of the point in my favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird, when Miss Maudie explains the book’s title. She says, “'Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'"

My young friend here was the mockingbird. She and special needs kids just like her don’t do one thing but SMILE their hearts out for us, and that’s why it’s a sin to kill them. Yet that’s exactly what the UW and Meriter intend to do. It’s a world gone mad.

And so, after I laid my two-year-old son down to sleep that evening, I walked into my hallway, buried my head in my hands and began to cry. The stakes in this battle had suddenly become all too clear.

My wife walked out and asked me what was wrong. “It’s a game to them,” was all I could mumble. She looked perplexed. “This is life and death,” I said. The news papers don’t care. The radio stations don’t care. And the TV news doesn’t care. This story is just another mixed in among stock market reports and basketball scores. By showing up and protesting, we play our part. The media play their part by reporting on us. And life goes on while babies continue to be slaughtered by the thousands.

Whatever the media’s motivations were, it became clear that our efforts those first three days of the controversy won us a resounding victory in the court of public opinion. We’d caught the pro-aborts by surprise. They wanted to keep their treachery secret, and it had been exposed. Even people reluctant to call themselves pro-life wanted answers.

The momentum was growing and it led to a conference call with state pro-life leaders the very next day. This call was the genesis of the majority of the coordinated efforts that have taken place the last two and a half months. In the middle of the call, Senator Glenn Grothman suggested “Let’s hold a rally on January 31 right in the heart of the UW-Madison campus.” Now, we were talking.

Over the next three weeks, things came together quickly. Meriter Hospital heart surgeons Dr. Bill Evans and Dr. Joe Bellissimo met with Meriter leadership to express their disgust that Meriter pours hundred of thousands of dollars into a state-of-the-art neonatal facility that saves babies the same age as those that would be killed right across the street. On January 24, the coalition of pro-life groups ran a nearly full-page ad in the Wisconsin State Journal urging a boycott of the guilty institutions. Senator Grothman and Representative Rich Zipperer led more than 40 legislators in a letter urging that the late-term abortion plan be abandoned.

On January 28, the pro-life coalition gathered in the Capitol rotunda to hold a press conference announcing that in just two weeks, more than 21,000 signatures opposing these plans had been gathered. Twenty-one thousand in only two weeks! The petitions were delivered to Meriter Hospital. Thousands more would arrive in the coming days.

Next up: the January 31 rally Senator Grothman had suggested. The rally had been a challenge to plan from the start. It was beyond complicated to work out the required permits. It was difficult to schedule a date and time. And it was tough to find speakers on short notice. But for every challenge, there were numerous wonderful people who stepped up to provide answers. The coalition did a great job spreading the word. Senator Grothman’s assistant Jolene Churchill and Pro-Life Wisconsin volunteers made arrangements to acquire a stage, sound system, and decorations. The morning of the 31st saw dozens of volunteers turn a cache of equipment into the stage you see behind me in a matter of hours.

Being the nervous type, I was terrified that our attendance would be low. We had mild temperatures, but a biting wind tore through downtown Madison. On top of that, we learned that at some point we’d be confronted by pro-abortion agitators from the International Socialist Organization. And so, with most of setup completed, I secluded myself in the basement of Calvary Lutheran Church—our base of operation—to prepare my speech and try not to worry about potential pitfalls.

However, as I began to meet and greet people in the Calvary basement, I began to sense we would have an excellent turnout. “Where are you from?” I asked a number of folks. “Milwaukee.” “Wausau.” “Iowa.” All over the place. Simply amazing.

And so, as I emerged from the basement, I saw Library Mall filled with pro-lifers of every age, faith, and background from around Wisconsin. As the crowd gathered, a choral group from St. Paul’s University Catholic Center led us in song. They were followed by powerful remarks from a dozen or so pro-life leaders. The best was yet to come from our keynote speakers.

We flew in Shawn Carney, co-founder of 40 Days for Life, and former abortionist, turned pro-life activist Dr. Haywood Robinson. Dr. Robinson recounted how he’d been seduced by money into doing as many abortions as possible every Saturday. He discussed his conversion to Christianity and to pro-life activism. He called for an end to abortion, remarking, “Now that’s change I can believe in!” And he led a captivated crowd in singing “No Woman No Cry, No Baby No Die,” a spin on Bob Marley’s famous reggae song.

Shawn Carney kept the momentum going. He inspired us with tales of pro-life heroes like Mother Teresa and of saints martyred in World War 2 concentration camps. And he called out the UW in particular, with what he called the “Yeah, but” clause. He said that no matter what the UW achieves—whether the achievement be in medicine, academics, or any other field, it would be tainted because “Yeah, but you’re killing babies!”

As Shawn wound down, there had been a change of plans for our march to the Madison Surgery Center. I got up on stage and broke the news to the crowd. “In case you haven’t noticed,” I said. “We had a few more people arrive than we expected.” The crowd of 2,000 people roared. I continued, “So the police are going to escort us for our march!” The crowd went wild.

Now, I’ll remember this day for the rest of my life. But the memory that is most deeply ingrained into my mind doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with abortion, or speeches, or a police escort. My fondest memory is what transpired next. The St. Paul’s kids came back and led all of us in a rendition of “Amazing Grace.” I knelt in front to hold the microphone for them. As I did I took a look around and just listened. Two thousand voices united in song is a beautiful thing. I saw Dr. Robinson, eyes closed, hand in the air, belting it out with a southern flare. I saw my parish priest, Father David Greenfield—who had rushed to join us there after an event that morning—also with eyes closed belting it out. I saw my pro-life colleagues, members of the clergy, lay people, family, friends, total strangers, long-time activists, first-time protesters, Catholics and Protestants united in song. The love these people had for their God, for defenseless babies, and for each other was thick and tangible. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. There really are no folks like pro-life folks.

I suspect that we needed that gigantic group hug to prepare us for what happened next. Our march, which spanned many blocks and stopped traffic throughout the downtown area, met up with the pro-abortion demonstrators at the Madison Surgery Center. With few exceptions, our people remained peaceful, calm and friendly. The opposition’s faces were filled with rage; their voices filled with palpable hate. I think few will forget their chant, “Pray, you’ll need it. Your cross will be defeated.” Their true colors were on display for all to see.

While their actions were despicable in almost every way, I do have to give the socialists credit for one thing. At least they were honest. They wasted no time pretending to be “personally opposed” to abortion. They didn’t argue that abortion should be safe, legal and rare. This group of a few dozen 20-year-olds and a handful of washed up 60s retreads hated us. They hated God. And they loved the thought of killing babies. We stayed for about an hour or so, prayed, sang some hymns and dispersed. A great success.

The following Wednesday, UW Health held a so-called open meeting, in which they debated and voted on the matter at hand. They invited three pro-abortion groups and three pro-life groups. I won’t spend much time rehashing this kangaroo court, but it didn’t take long to learn that the board of directors had made their decision before the event began. The pro-life groups were largely ignored while the pro-abortion speakers went well over their allotted time and received a wildly disproportionate number of questions from the board. At this open meeting, members of the public were not allowed to speak.

As the board closed debate and convened to vote, board President David Walsh commented that he was hearing a lot about the taking of innocent lives and when life begins but that the Supreme Court said this isn’t life. He then exhorted the board to go forward with the plans to provide late-term abortions. Now, this stunning display of cowardice would be morally reprehensible even if Walsh had gotten his case law right. But Walsh’s assertion that the Supreme Court declared a fetus is not a person was patently false. Indeed, the Roe vs. Wade decision explicitly stated that if society ever decided when life begins, that the Roe decision would be voided. That a statement of such gross negligence could be used to direct the UWHC Board of Directors on a matter of life and death should give us grave concern about the competence of UW Health.

And so, the final tally was 11 votes in favor of late-term abortions so grisly that they won’t even do them in Europe and 3 votes against. But what further made me queasy was the tone of the debate. There seemed to be an implicit assumption that of course we should abort babies with disabilities. The real question is whether we can get away with aborting the healthy ones. As you all know, our language has two different words that describe such targeted killing. One is eugenics. The other is genocide.

Of course the ivory tower abortion proponents won’t admit it’s that simple. They’ll describe late-term abortions as “acts of mercy” justified by concern for a disabled person’s quality of life. They truly believe that the value of one’s life is determined by the perceived quality of life.

My friends, every time I hear this argument made, I stop and reflect on an experience that I had—I believe—two years ago this week. My wife and I were living in Chicago at the time, and we were good friends with a couple we’d known from college. The man’s dad had terminal cancer, and when it became clear that his remaining days were few, my wife and I drove across town to spend an evening with the family. We hoped to simply visit, help out, and try to be good friends.

Shortly after dinner, the father—who had been resting—was going to come meet us. He’d had an upset stomach, and on his way up, he was unable to make it to the bathroom. He’d had an accident.

I’m ashamed to say that the words that immediately went through my mind were, “My God, this man has no dignity.”

The next minute changed my perspective on life forever. His wife, who had been patiently caring for him during a long and painful decline, went over to him, sweetly spoke words of comfort to him, smiled at him, and wheeled him to the washroom to clean him up.

I chastised myself immediately. This man was in his final days. Cancer and chemo had ravaged his body to the point that he looked like a Picasso painting. He was confined to a wheelchair, and he’d just soiled himself in front of a house full of guests. Yet his wife’s tender care made him the most dignified man in the world.

Such is the paradox. This moment was wretched and painful. But it was also the purest and truest expression of love I’ve ever seen. It was something that no spouse ever wants to go through, but it was the absolute pinnacle of human love. This moment was the closest I’ve ever seen human love mirror the love of Almighty God.

GK Chesterton calls this the “great lesson of Beauty and the Beast; that a thing must be loved BEFORE it is loveable.” So, too, it is with these babies. The child with spina bifida. The child who will certainly die within a day of birth. My little friend with Down syndrome. Their value is not reduced by their disabilities. They are only unwanted so long as we CHOOSE not to want them. They are only unloved as long as we CHOOSE not to love them.

And that’s why I ask you all to join us in prayer outside the Madison Surgery Center and Planned Parenthood. Truth be told, I hate praying outside of abortion clinics. I’d rather be somewhere else because I’ve never been cursed at in a soup kitchen, and I’ve never been flipped off ringing the bell for the Salvation Army. But I must go to these places of death to pray because this simple act might be the only act of love a child receives in his or her all-too-short time on this earth. So please, join us.

Getting back to our timeline here, the UW Board approved the abortions on February 4. The defeat was bitter and painful. Over the coming days I received numerous broken-hearted voicemails and emails. And driving home that night, I, too, was sinking toward despair myself. At least until I got a phone call from Doctor Thomas Warner.

Most of you may not know Doc Warner. He’s a Madison pro-life hero, and he also happens to be an enigma. He never refers to himself by name—just as the “Irish doctor.” His Irish accent is so thick that I consider it a victory if I can make out half of what he tells me during a conversation. And despite his age, he’s probably the most pugnacious pro-lifer I’ve ever met.

So I answered the phone to hear, “Hello, Steve. This is the old Irish doctor.” He asked how the board meeting went. Filled with self-pity, I mumbled something about how we lost.

His sharp reply caught me off guard. “Of course you lost tonight!” he said. “What did you expect? You haven’t been at this pro-life work very long have you? Now is when we begin to fight!”

It was a William Wallace moment for me. I snapped out of my funk and got back to work. UW and Meriter think that the public outcry will go away. We need to prove it won’t. Fortunately, Pro-Life Wisconsin is unleashing a multifaceted approach to turn up the heat. You’ll see on your handout, that there are many ways to contribute to the effort.

They’ve got a patient letter that you can give your doctor to decline service at the Madison Surgery Center and to request being referred elsewhere. We invite those who can switch their insurance coverage to avoid patronizing Meriter or UW Health to do so. We encourage you to write the officials responsible for this decision as well as the editors of your local newspaper. If you haven’t yet signed the petition, it’s not too late. We urge you to support and encourage pro-life medical staff that you know. We need their leadership!

We also ask you to pray daily and to consider committing to praying and/or protesting outside the Madison Surgery Center. PLW volunteers have done a great job of this so far, and Vigil for Life is rolling out a plan to have hours covered each business day of the week.

Moreover, in the coming days, we’ll be announcing a 40 Hours for Life campaign of 40 straight hours of prayer outside the UW Hospital—culminating at noon on Good Friday. We’ve entered into our own little version of Gethsemane. We weep the bitter tears of betrayal. Let us keep watch at the UW Hospital, even for one hour. Stay tuned for more information.

Finally, starting next week, Pro-Life Wisconsin will be airing television ads decrying the late-term abortion plans. Watch for them. They’ll refer you to noUWabortions.com, a soon-to-be-launched Web site with full details on how you can get involved.

I greatly appreciate the opportunity to speak with you this morning. You’ve been so kind and considerate. And as I wrap up my time with the microphone at this Day at the Capitol, I find it only too appropriate to close with a quote from a great pro-life legislator—the late Henry Hyde who said:

When the time comes, as it surely will, when we face that awesome moment, the final judgment, I've often thought, as Fulton Sheen wrote, that it is a terrible moment of loneliness. You have no advocates; you will be alone standing before God, and a terror will rip through your soul like nothing you can imagine. But I really think that those in the pro-life movement will not be alone. I think there will be a chorus of voices that have never been heard in this world but are heard beautifully and clearly in the next, and they will plead for everyone who fought to defend them. They will say to God, "Spare him because he loved us"; and God will say not "Did you succeed?," but "Did you try?"

My friends, thank you for all the great work you’re doing. Keep it up. Thank you so much, and praise be to the Lord God Almighty!

Refuse Services at the Madison Surgery Center

2009-02-26T08:49:00.002-06:00

Refusing to Patronize the Madison Surgery Center

Do you want to receive minor surgery in the exact same office and clinic where a 20-week-old baby is being dismembered in the room next to you? Your current health insurance plan likely offers the same services at other surgery centers.

If you live in Madison or the greater Madison area, please download the following letter that informs your physician that you refuse to be scheduled at the Madison Surgery Center for any surgery that you may need. Please mail/e-mail the completed letter to your physician and then mail/e-mail copies to the Madison Surgery Center, the UW Medical Foundation, the UW Hospital and Clinics, and Meriter Hospital. Email and street addresses are provided on the letter.

Click here for the letter: http://www.prolifewisconsin.org/pdf/PatientsLetter.pdf

Switching your insurance coverage away from the UW or Meriter

Does the UW and Meriter’s decision to become a national leader in aborting healthy babies up to viability, and to force this plan on an office full of employees who don’t want to kill babies, lead you to consider switching your health insurance?

Understanding that it may be very difficult to extricate yourself from the UW or Meriter due to specific care needs or insurance requirements, we do ask you to prayerfully consider pulling out of these entities altogether and finding life-affirming medical care in Madison or in the greater Madison area.

Ways to Help Stop the Abortions at the Madison Surgery Center

2009-02-10T09:22:00.003-06:00

Here are additional ways you can help stop the bloodshed at the Madison Surgery Center:

1) Pray daily that this plan will fail: We are called to be a people of hope and prayer. Please ask our Lord to intervene and stop this madness. Pray that the staff members of the Madison Surgery Center have the courage to refuse to participate in any manner and pray for their protection.

2) Fill out and send patients’ letter refusing treatment at the Madison Surgery Center: If you live in the Madison or greater Madison area, please download the following letter that informs your physician that you refuse to be scheduled at the Madison Surgery Center for any surgery that you may need. Please mail/e-mail the completed letter to your physician and then mail/e-mail copies to the Madison Surgery Center, the UW Medical Foundation, the UW Hospital and Clinics, and Meriter Hospital. Email and street addresses are provided on the letter. Click here for the letter: http://www.prolifewisconsin.org/pdf/PatientsLetter.pdf

3) Strongly consider switching your insurance coverage away from the UW or Meriter: Understanding that it may be very difficult to extricate yourself from the UW or Meriter due to specific care needs or insurance requirements, we do ask you to prayerfully consider pulling out of these entities altogether.

4) Phone the Madison Surgery Center and Meriter Hospital and express your disgust with their decision: Please call the Madison Surgery Center at (608) 287-2200 and Meriter Hospital at (608) 417-6210.

Text of Vigil for Life's Statement at the Capitol Yesterday

2009-01-28T14:44:00.001-06:00

Good afternoon.

My name is Steve Karlen, and I am here to submit more than 1,000 signatures on behalf of Madison Vigil for Life.

The members of my organization are people of faith. Yet we are a people of faith that is grounded in reason. That a new, unique, and individual human life begins at the moment of conception is an indisputable fact, proven by both logic and empirical science.

Indeed, this debate over plans to perform late-term abortions at the Madison Surgery Center is not a debate over when life begins, but over which human beings we as a society decide to value and which we decide to discard.

The University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics and Meriter hospital boards now have an important choice to make. Will their institutions affirm the self-evident truths that all human beings are created equal, endowed by their Creator with the inalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness? Or will they decide that a person’s value can be arbitrarily diminished by size, age, health, or location?

Can anyone seriously suggest that mere passage through the birth canal transforms a body from a non-entity to an individual worthy of society’s protection? Indeed, abortion is an irrational act.

Secondly, we must take issue with the UW Health statement that callously labeled abortion as a community service. We cannot conceive of any other service that leads to an astronomically high risk of suicide and substance abuse. So-called family planning services are the only cases where health care is designed to destroy the normal, healthy functioning of the human body.

This week, I have spoken with businessmen who have begun exploring opportunities for changing their insurance plans so that they need not patronize Meriter and UWHC should these late-term abortion plans be enacted. I invite all businesses, families and individuals to join them in this boycott.

Thank you.

Vigil for Life ACTION ITEM and Week in Review!‏

2009-01-15T23:31:00.002-06:00

ACTION ITEM:
Before we get to our weekly message discussing last Thursday’s rally and the days to come, we need your help once more! Vigil for Life has united with other pro-life groups from around the state to circulate a petition opposing the plan to perform late-term abortions at the Madison Surgery Center. We will be circulating this petition throughout the entire state as all Wisconsin taxpayers should be outraged that the publicly funded clinic will dismember live babies.

We encourage you to download the petition (the attached file) and circulate it among family and friends. Then, mail the completed petitions to the Karlens at the address listed at the bottom of the petition. We will add them to those collected by groups all over Wisconsin to be presented to the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics president and board. Thank you for your help! Now to our message! Now to our message!

Message from the Vigil for Life Team
Dear Prayer Warriors,

To the Vigil for Life team and all those who allied with us in prayer and witness the past week and a half: Well done.

We could not have been more pleased with Thursday morning’s demonstration. More than 100 of you braved the subzero wind chills on short notice on a week day. Many more reported praying from home, work, school and church. In fact, prayers came in from all over Wisconsin. Absolutely superlative. We made a very strong statement. Even the secular media was out in force, with three television stations and the Wisconsin Radio Network out to cover our event. Just an exhilarating day.

Yet when the rally ended, I couldn’t shake a tinge of sorrow. When the cameras, microphones and signs were put away, my heart grew troubled. When I tried to spend a relaxing evening with my family, my thoughts remained haunted.

Haunted by the face of a little girl I met at the demonstration. A special needs child who greeted me with the biggest, most beautiful smile I have ever seen. A smile that radiated love and warmth and joy. Indeed, this little smile was the closest look at perfection I might ever have on this side of Heaven.

After saying my quick hello to this child, I quickly excused myself. You see, my eyes had begun to well with tears. But from that moment on, I couldn’t help but notice each and every child gathered with us. Whether nestled in closely to their mothers or playing in the snow, each boy and girl was a reminder of the innocence we adults seem to lose along the way.

Let us make every effort to protect these little ones, our greatest example of what once was good…and can be again. As my wife often says, abortion would be unimaginable if children ran the world. They simply would never tolerate the rationalization that accepts abortion as a reasonable solution to society’s problems. Instead, they’d cry “You can’t hurt a baby! Why would you ever hurt a baby?”

Let us pray that we may all see the world through the eyes of a child.

-The Vigil for Life Team

Looking Ahead
Outside of 40 Days for Life, we typically try to limit our emails to one per month. However, as this situation continues to develop, we will keep you updated. There are a lot of plans in the works, and we expect to make another major announcement in the days ahead. Stay tuned, my friends.

Until then, please continue to inundate UW with calls and emails:

Ms. Donna Katen-Bahensky, President and CEO
(608) 263-6400

publicaffairs@uwhealth.org

Media Coverage of Vigil for Life’s 1/8 demonstration:
Channel 3 Video: http://www.channel3000.com/news/18439268/detail.html
Sly in the Morning Radio Show: (Includes tasteless commentary after the interview): http://podcast.loyalears.com/mr_embeddable.php?station_id=wtdy&mp3_path=YmVndmJhZnlsX25v8mp3&UserID=
Catholic Herald: http://www.madisoncatholicherald.org/around-diocese/298-abortion-plan-protest.html

Text of Steve Karlen's speech at January 8 Rally

2009-01-15T23:20:00.001-06:00

My friends, what a blessing it is to stand united with you this morning to witness against this culture of death in our nation, our state, our city and this very building.

Over the past few months, the Vigil for Life team has asked a lot of you. We’ve asked for you to pray, to fast, to stand witness outside of Planned Parenthood. We’ve asked you to volunteer, to sacrifice your time and give of your talent. And now—when we need you more than ever, when the stakes are higher than ever—you show up in greater numbers than ever to tell UW and Meriter that we do not want this fine medical facility turned into a death camp! Last night as I prepared to speak to you, I realized this is classic preaching to the choir. It’s a work day. It’s a school day. It’s the middle of winter, and you were given less than 48 hours notice that this event would be happening. Yet you’ve come. God Bless you!

As Bishop Morlino might say, I’ve got three points that I’d like to make this morning:

First, I’d like to update you on the latest developments. Exactly two days ago, Matt Bowman of the Alliance Defense Funds raised some serious question for Meriter and UW Officials. Yet this morning, these critical questions have yet to be answered. How will the University abide by a multitude of laws prohibiting public money from financing abortion? In a hastily constructed statement to the media, UW spokesperson Lisa Brunette has said that insurance and patient fees will cover these so-called services. Do not be misled. This institution is a joint venture with the public UW. The abortionist is an employee of that public UW. And her salary is paid by that public UW.

How will the Madison Surgery Center abide by conscience protection laws to ensure that faithful Christians are not coerced into participating even indirectly in killing the pre-born? That same hastily written statement said essentially no more than “Uh, just trust us. Our Lawyer said it was ok.”

In response to allegations that the University could use this facility as a cheap way to harvest nearly-fully formed organs from preborn babies for research purposes, Ms. Brunette said that this could happen quote “only after review by a faculty committee.”

As though that’s supposed to make us feel better about it! I recently learned that there is a market for fetal organs. With a little investigation, you can find price lists for various body parts. Ms. Brunette, allow me to make a suggestion for your price list: Sell every brain, every pancreas, every arm and every other body part for a flat rate of 30 pieces of silver!

If the UW Hospitals and Clinics intended to be forthcoming and transparent as we should expect from a public institution, we’d have answers by now. But still we wait. Shame on you UW, and shame on you Meriter!

Secondly, I ask you to continue this fight with me, wherever it will take us. When this fight for the pre-born goes to the Capitol, let us go there. When this fight goes to the courts, let us go there. When this fight goes to this facility and to Planned Parenthood, let us go there. When it comes to our neighborhoods, our workplaces, even our own families, let us go there.

But wherever this battle for souls goes, let us go first to our knees.

Because it is only with the armor of God, as St. Paul says, that we have the strength and courage to take a stand for life.

Ephesians 6: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.”

My friends, that day of evil has arrived. So let us petition our God and Savior for the spiritual fortitude to reach out to the unwed mother and the child within her, to give the extra dollar, to spend an extra half hour in prayer. Millions of tiny little boys and girls depend on our actions, but perish at our inaction. So let us receive His grace to stand firm against the gates of hell that one day we may be welcomed in at the Gates of Heaven.

Third, I seek to encourage you. Right now, we are an angry people. But we are first and foremost a joyful people. Our victory is and has been in hand for nearly 2,000 years. Alleluia!

We are a people of faith, of hope, and of love. So let us stand witness today to the love we have for our God, for each other, for the pre-born babies, for the parents facing crisis pregnancies, for the post-abortive, and in a very special way for abortionists like Dennis Christiansen and Caryn Dutton.

Our Lord told us “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Indeed, these abortionists have become very skilled at destroying the body. They’ve made careers of it. But in doing so, they’ve caused incredible damage to their own souls and the souls of their victims. So let us always pray for their conversion in love and charity.

Regardless of what decisions are made here at this facility, let us remain hopeful. It may be easy to get discouraged by recent events, but such trials are a part of every movement for justice in the world.

This fight over abortion is THE civil rights battle of our generation. Yet history is on our side. We know that one day abortion will be in children’s textbooks alongside racism and slavery, genocide and apartheid.

So take heart. For one shining day, whether in this life or the next, abortion will be merely another historical relic of man’s shocking capacity for cruelty toward his fellow man. And on that day, we will rest peacefully knowing that we were the Lord’s humble instruments who ran the good race and fought the good fight.

I close today with words of encouragement from Teresa of Avila:

Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing frighten you
All things pass away
God never changes
Patience obtains all things.
He who has GodFinds he lacks nothing
God alone suffices.

Praise be to God the Father. Praise be to Jesus Christ the Risen Lord. Praise be to the Holy Spirit in whom and through whom all our good deeds are done. Thank you and God bless you.

BREAKING NEWS: Vigil for Life Action Alert for Thursday, January 8 at 8 a.m.

2009-01-07T09:12:00.001-06:00

Madison Vigil for Life News Release
January 6, 2009—For Immediate Release
Contact Vigil for Life Communications: 608-445-2063

Today we were saddened to learn of secret plans to perform late-term abortions at the Madison Surgery Center, a clinic jointly operated by the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics and Meriter Hospital.

Pro-lifers across Wisconsin are invited to help stop this transformation of a legitimate health facility into a death camp. Vigil for Life will meet outside the Madison Surgery Center (1 S. Park Street, Madison, WI 53715) at 8:00 a.m. this Thursday, January 8 for a demonstration against these grisly plans. Together, we will stand and declare that we will not accept the destruction of pre-born life.

The demonstration is scheduled to last an hour, but participants are invited to stand witness and pray as long as they would like.

According to the Alliance Defense Fund, the Madison Surgery Center plan would likely illegally force unwilling employees to participate in the killing and dismembering of pre-born babies. Additionally troubling is UWHC researchers’ history of experimenting on body parts harvested from second-trimester abortions performed nearby.

Interestingly, the revelation of these secret plans comes on Epiphany, the Christian holiday commemorating the Wise Men’s visit to the infant Jesus. Shortly after the Wise Men’s visit, King Herod began his Slaughter of the Innocents, killing all of the babies in Bethlehem.

Here are three other ways pro-lifers can help stop this latest development in the modern-day slaughter of innocents:

Pray! Please pray regularly for a quick end to these plans and an end to all abortion.
Spread the word. Please share this information with all your pro-life friends, family and acquaintances from around the state.

Make your voice heard! We urge you to call the officials behind these plans:

Donna Katen-Bahensky, President and CEO of UW Hospital and Clinics
608-263-6400

Jeffrey Grossman, M.D., President and CEO of the UW Medical Foundation
608-608-263-7013

James L. Woodward, President and CEO of Meriter Hospital
608-417-6000

Please contact Steve Karlen at 608-445-2063 with any questions.

2009-01-06T12:00:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas, everybody! As we celebrate the birth of Christ and another year winds down, we'd like to take this moment to thank you for your wonderful service to our Lord and to the least of His people: the pre-born babies. We have asked a lot of you these last few months, and you've answered the call every time.

From 40 Days for life to rallies, to special events, to our continuing presence outside of Planned Parenthood, you have sacrified your time, talent, and energy to prevent the sacrifice of babies. It has been an absolute blessing for us to be able to serve with such faithful, committed people as yourselves. We pray for you and for your families and ask that you continue to stand and kneel with us in the year ahead. God bless you! That said, there is a lot of exciting pro-life news in the Madison area this month. Please read on for all the details, including some major BREAKING NEWS!

BREAKING NEWS
A MAJOR pro-life event will be held around the downtown area on Thursday, January 8 at 8:00 a.m. Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to disclose exactly what and where this event will be, but please trust us: It will be crucial to the pro-life movement in Madison.

We will be able to deliver all the details on Tuesday in a special Vigil for Life email. Until then, we ask that if you are able, please block off the 8:00 a.m. hour to attend this event. Certainly, many of you will be working or otherwise engaged. If this is the case, please let your pro-life friends and family members know. And please pray for the success of the event. If you are scheduled to pray outside Planned Parenthood on Thursdays per the continuing presence at the East Side facility, we invite you to feel free to attend this event in lieu of your scheduled hours.

Again, we will provide more information on this as soon as we are able.

Vigil for Life Expands Presence Outside Planned Parenthood
Our prayerful presence changes hearts and minds through the Holy Spirit. This knowledge challenges us to continue our loving witness outside of Planned Parenthood. We need your help to stand outside in the cold when the clinic is open and especially when abortions are happening. We need your weekly, monthly or one-time commitment to spend an hour in prayerful vigil on Thursdays and Fridays, 7AM-6PM. Our goal is not constant, 24-hour vigil but a year-round commitment to prayerful presence. Please respond to this e-mail with the commitment you can make. As you know, each day, thousands of unborn babies die. So, each day, you and I have the opportunity to do something about it. We kicked off these Thursday and Friday vigils beginning Thursday, December 4, 2008 in conjunction with our anticipation of the Incarnation of Jesus as a helpless child on Christmas morning. Now that we have celebrated the birth of Christ, we seek to continue defending children from this modern day slaughter of the innocents.

Saturday, January 3 Guest Speaker: Safe Place for Newborns' Terry Walsh
As the economy worsens, more women will feel the strain of an unplanned pregnancy. We really need to get the word out more that there is a last safety-net option -- not a quick abortion. Terry Walsh of Safe Place for Newborns joins us to share how we can help mothers choose life in tough financial times. See her speak at 9:00 am at Holy Redeemer, 120 W. Johnson.

Our Lady of Hope Clinic to Bring Pro-Life Family Practice to Madison
Our Lady of Hope Clinic, a 100 percent pro-life family practice clinic, will open its doors in Madison in April. Dr. Michael Kloess and Dr. Anne Johnson will provide primary care to benefactors and uninsured people in the Madison community. However, there is still a great need for pro-life families and individuals to become benefactors, donors, promoters, or to regularly offer prayers. Small group informational meetings are currently being held with free snacks and beverages. Please contact Steve Karlen by phone, 608-445-2063, or by e-mail sjkarlen@ourladyofhopeclinic.com. You may also visit the Web Site, www.ourladyofhopeclinic.org. You are also invited to attend the following scheduled presentations:

-Sunday, January 4, 2009, 9:30 a.m. (Following the 8:30 Mass) at St. James Parish (downstairs)1128 St. James Court, Madison, WI 53715-Tuesday, January 13, 2009, 7:00 p.m. at Schoenstatt5901 Cottage Grove Road, Madison, WI 53718
-Sunday, January 18, 2009, 8:30 a.m. (following the 7:30 Mass) at Sacred Hearts Parish
221 Columbus Street - Sun Prairie, WI 53590
-Sunday, January 18, 2009, 11:30 a.m. (following the 10:30 Mass) at St. Joseph Parish
590 S. Saint Joseph Circle - Edgerton, WI 53534

Silent No More Wisconsin: Post-Abortive Women to Deliver Testimonies at Capitol
Testimonies of mothers and fathers that have lost their children to the choice of abortion. Come, listen and support our precious brothers and sisters giving their personal stories. Wednesday, January 28, 2009, 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. www.silentnomoreawareness.org

Care Net Seeks Male Mentors for Men Facing Crisis Pregnancies
While a great deal of time, effort and attention is rightly given to women facing crisis pregnancies, sometimes men can be forgotten. That's why Care Net seeks volunteers for their man-to-man ministry. It is a commitment that involves being trained in meeting men who are accompanying their pregnant partners/spouses to the Elizabeth House and assisting them in thinking through their situation and praying that they see choosing life as a beautiful option. For more information on volunteering for this life-affirming project, contact Cassie Mott at cassiem@carenetdane.org.

All men who are governed by Christian charity and love, willing to go through some formal training at Care Net, and have some aptitude for relating to men, are encouraged to apply.

Men of Christ Conference, Jan 10, 2009
www.MenofChrist.net

YOUTH 2000 Mar 20-22, 2009
A high school and young adult retreat, led by the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Renewal and the Community of St. John, will take place at the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center. More info: www.madisondiocese.org:80/Ministry/EvangelizationandCatechesis/YouthMinistry/Youth2000/tabid/1129/Default.aspx

Respect Life Retreat: Mar 27-28, 2009 (Date change)
Fr. Samuel Martin of the Diocese of LaCrosse will be our retreat master during our Lenten Journey focusing our attention to how we can continue to protect the innocent (conception to natural death), building a Culture of Life! The flyer will be posted on our new upcoming website. Please ask for more details.

To have your event or announcement listed in our monthly email, contact Steve and Laura Karlen at vigilforlife@gmail.com.

A Light in the Darkness

2008-11-20T20:46:00.002-06:00

Uraguay's president has just shocked the South American country by vetoing a bill that would liberalize abortion law. Here's his statement:

There is a consensus that abortion is a social evil which must be avoided. Nonetheless, in those countries where abortion has been liberalised, it has increased. In the United States, in the first ten years, they tripled, and the figure has been maintained. It has become customary. The same thing happened in Spain.

Laws cannot ignore the reality of the existence of human life in its gestational stage, just as science reveals it. Biology has evolved greatly. Revolutionary discoveries, such as IVF or sequencing the human genome, show that from the moment of conception there is a new human life, a new being. So much so, that in modern legal systems, including our own, DNA has become the acid test of determining the identity of persons, independent of their age, even if the body is destroyed, or when practically nothing is left of the human being, and even after a long time. The true degree of civilisation of a nation is measured by how the neediest are protected.

Therefore we must protect the weakest amongst us. Because the criterion is not the value of the subject with respect to how others respond to him, or his usefulness, but the value which exists due to his mere existence…

Pro-Life Health Care coming to Madison

2008-11-19T14:17:00.002-06:00

Here's the latest from Our Lady of Hope Clinic:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT: Steve Karlen
Our Lady of Hope Clinic Inc.
608-445-2063
sjkarlen@ourladyofhopeclinic.com
http://www.ourladyofhopeclinic.org/

Our Lady of Hope Clinic Engages Development Consultant

Madison, WI, Nov. 19, 2008. Our Lady of Hope Clinic has recruited the services of development consultant Steve Karlen.

Karlen has previously worked in medical development in Chicago, and has been active in pro-life work in Madison. He will promote the Our Lady of Hope Clinic and secure benefactors as the clinic prepares to open in April 2009.

Our Lady of Hope Clinic is a non-profit, pro-life family medicine clinic founded with a mission of caring for the needy, supporting marital chastity, encouraging the use of Natural Family Planning and providing compassionate hospice care at the end of natural life. Upon opening, the clinic will provide free outpatient services to the uninsured, as well as to those who support the clinic as benefactors.

The clinic services will be funded by benefactors who support the Our Lady of Hope Clinic with an annual contribution. In exchange for their support, benefactors receive top-quality, personalized Catholic health care from their private physician at the clinic.

For additional information on becoming a benefactor or making a tax-deductible donation to Our Lady of Hope Clinic, contact Steve Karlen at sjkarlen@ourladyofhopeclinic.com or 608-445-2063 or visit ourladyofhopeclinic.org.

--END--

The Nightmare: An Abortion Testimony

2008-11-06T10:46:00.002-06:00

By Julie Worzella

The nightmare was the same: holding a lifeless baby boy, burned, chest and head sunk in, about 10 inches long. Each time I woke up only to find that it was not just a nightmare but a replay of what had happened months earlier.

I’m Julie Worzella a co-founder and Executive Director of Destiny Point Women’s Restoration Home. This is a part my story that helps to drive a passion within me to see hurting women in Wisconsin not only become survivors but overcomers and conquerors of their purpose, plans, dreams and visions that were instilled within them long before they were even born. A passion to see “hope” restored for their lives and the lives of their children and families.

I received a call about a person close to me; “Kari” was in the hospital. The baby had a defect, and would not live long after he was born. I considered myself pro-life, but wasn’t sure whether it was better for the baby to terminate the pregnancy or for him to die soon after. During the hour and a half ride to the hospital, I found myself crying and praying. Praying the best I knew how (I did not know the Lord very well). Praying for “Kari”, for the baby, and for myself.

When I got there I found “Kari”, alone, having strong aggressive contractions. Several hours ago they injected her with a strong saline solution to kill the baby and then they induced labor. They had to induce her a second time because her body was not ready to give up that baby. After “Kari” had become totally exhausted from hours of violent contractions they sedated her. When she awoke, I was hoping I would hear a little cry from that little boy, and if he was to die after he was born, hoping to hold him until that time would come.

But my hopes disappeared when “Kari” came out of the bathroom; she said the baby was in the toilet. Nothing in my life has prepared me for what I would see that day. I ran in and scooped him out and wrapped his lifeless body in a towel. Even though he was only 16 weeks old, he had everything that a full term baby had right down to his eyelashes and fingernails. As the doctor had suspected some of his internal organs were growing outside his body.

Among the perfect features on a newborn baby was the destruction of the “termination.” His skin was burnt and his chest and head were sunk in. I found out later through research that this deadly mixture of saline solution and the violent contractions was guaranteed to accomplish the results of an abortion. The saline solution burns the baby inside and out, while the violent contractions crush the soft bone of the head and ribcage. Even though it was legal and was described “the best thing to do,” that little guy died a violent death, and in turn a part of “Kari” died that day. And she has not yet recovered.

“Kari” was abused as a child and struggled with her own self-worth, but since the abortion, she has become addicted to alcohol, committed adultery, and recently divorced. She is searching to fill a void in her life and a way to ease the pain. Hope was lost for that child and in turn hope for her own future. It took me years of pain and questioning the Lord, “Why was I there Lord, even though I helped “Kari” through the labor, the baby died, and died a violent death, and “Kari’s” pain was steadily getting worse? What good could possibly come from this?”

The pain of scooping my own 12 week old son out of the toilet after I had miscarried 13 years earlier had come back to mix with the pain of “Kari’s” child. And to top it off, approximately three months after abortion, a photograph of Samuel Armas came out. A surgeon was performing surgery on Samuel while he was still in the uterus! Little Samuel's hand reached out of the uterus and grabbed the surgeon’s finger! Praise God for little Samuel, but too late for “Kari’s” baby. BUT GOD! Yes but God will make all things work together for good….

It is not my heart to condemn anyone that has or may terminate her pregnancy. These women (and men) are hurting enough. And neither does God wish to condemn them. He extends His grace, mercy and forgiveness for our mistakes, failures and sin through His son Jesus for those who believe (Romans 4:25).

What the Lord wants is for us is to walk with Him, see what He sees, rejoice when He rejoices, and weep when He weeps. “Kari’s” baby boy did not die in vain. For the Lord has not only given me a passion to help women through their traumas such as abortion, addiction and abuse, but He also given me a voice to help others see what God sees everyday, and in some small way feel a part of the pain he must feel witnessing 4,000 violent abortions a day, most preformed out of convenience or as a form of birth control. All done because a loss of hope for that child’s future. Mankind is the Lord’s precious creation. He formed us and blew His Breath into us (Genesis 2:7) and made us in His image (Genesis 1:26).

Even those babies with defects, are created by Him. They are not a mistake. Nothing else that He has ever created received this kind of love and care, not His plants or animals. God’s Word said that He does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8). Human life, babies, adults, elderly, you and I are still as precious to Him today as it was when He first created Adam and Eve.

We have been bombarded with campaign ads, promises and sometimes misleading information. Our responsibility as Christians and Catholics is to search out the truth and the candidate’s past voting records on Legislation and bills cannot tell a lie. One of the candidates was the only member of the Senate who voted three times against legislation--that would provide medical care to a baby surviving an abortion which puts him to the left of all Senators. His opposition to banning partial-birth abortion in which the baby is delivered all the way except for the head and then killed, places him 17 out of 47 Democratic Senators.

At July 2007’s Planned Parenthood conference, he promised: "The first thing I will do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act." This law, if passed and signed, will strike down every current restriction on abortion within all 50 states including parental notification and restrictions on Partial Birth Abortion. Despite the downplaying of the abortion issue, most Americans want restrictions on abortion and the one candidate’s 100% pro-abortion voting record goes against our beliefs.

Women like “Kari” are waiting for our help. If you find it in your heart to give please send it to 6983 Grotto Ave, Rudolph WI 54475. Our website is www.destinypoint.org. God Bless You!

Forty Days for Life Madison Election Resource Center

2008-11-03T18:30:00.005-06:00

Dear Friends,

It is the expressed policy of 40 Days for Life Madison not to endorse any political candidates. Our aim is to end abortion through peaceful prayer.

Yet we cannot close our eyes to political and social evils that arise in the world. And, as we've mentioned before, one of the nominees for president intends to advance policies so wicked that we cannot remain silent. These proposals would cause unimaginable harm to our efforts to promote a respect for life and a respect for family.

We do not suggest any particular candidate for any office. But we do feel that you should know
some crucial facts before casting your ballot.

God Bless,
The 40 Days for Life Madison Team

The Freedom of Choice Act

Madison Catholic Herald Column

The Born Alive Infant Protection Act

Bella Star Eduardo Verástegui's election video (Graphic)

A touching video on the Born Alive Infant Protection Act (Graphic):

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Abortion Survivor Gianna Jessen's Born Alive Infant Protection Act Video:

Gianna Jessen Video 2

Never Find Out video:

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2008-10-30T21:33:00.001-05:00

This weekend, my family attended church in Illinois while visiting my in-laws to celebrate my wife's birthday. At the time, I was feeling rather uncharitable, particularly when a young girl stepped up to deliver a portion of the homily.

"What," I arrogantly thought to myself, "can a nine-year-old girl possibly teach ME about the faith?"

I was quickly humbled by this young lady. Indeed, she had plenty to teach me.

She discussed how every other weekend, she helps look after very young children in the church. She particularly described the challenges she's faced in helping take care of a girl with Down Syndrome.

"I have learned how to be patient and to be caring," she said while emphasizing how important it is for her to share her time and energy with this cognitively disabled girl. "She is my friend."

In the United States, approximately 90 percent of children with Down Syndrome are killed before they see the light of day--their lives considered unworthy of society's care and compassion. This right to put these children to death is fought for by doctors, lawyers, and many other folks with advanced degrees. But here, a little child stood before the crowded church and gave a stirring witness to what love is and how it is done.

Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life has said, “In giving His Body, Christ teaches the meaning of love: I sacrifice myself for the good of the other person. Abortion teaches the opposite of love: I sacrifice the other person for the good of myself.”

It's unlikely that the young girl speaking at church this weekend has ever heard those words. It's undeniable that she lives them. In giving of herself, she enriched her new friend's life as well as her own.

My wife Laura is fond of saying that if kids ran the world, abortion would be unthinkable. "You can't hurt a baby!" they would cry. "Why would you hurt a baby?"

May our nation be so blessed as to see the world through the eyes of a child.

"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." --Matthew 18:3

Week in Review

Bill in Congress would eliminate all restrictions on abortion
Woman chooses life for Down Syndrome baby
Pro-Life doctors and pharmacists under attack
40 Days for Life helps Planned Parenthood employee exit abortion industry

Pray for America Part 2

2008-10-22T07:02:00.002-05:00

Recently, we critiqued the Freedom of Choice Act, a bill supported by many prominent members of Congress and a nominee for the presidency. The bill would eliminate all restrictions on abortion.

As we mentioned then, we do this not to promote a political party or ideology, but because some politicians are taking drastic measures to kill pre-born children any way possible.

Sadly, some politicians won't even stop at killing only pre-born children. Today, we will take a look at a video regarding another law: the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. While as many as 500 babies a year survive late term abortions, the abortionists have been known to abandon or murder the surviving children outside the womb.

This act was signed into law at a federal level; however, the Democrat Party's nominee for president infamously opposed it numerous times at the state level.

VIEWER DISCRETION is advised when watching this video. It includes disturbing images.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Spiritual Warfare: Battling the Prince of Darkness at Planned Parenthood

2008-10-21T18:23:00.004-05:00

The Bible is filled with many incredible stories of battles between good and evil. Moses and Pharaoh. David and Goliath. Jesus and Satan in the desert. Angels and demons. These mystical stories of the supernatural world interacting with the natural world are central to the Christian faith, and many of us grew up learning them as children.

Yet in our very secular age, I’m often tempted to believe that the supernatural is reserved for different times and far-off places. While I have no problem accepting that miracles occurred in Egypt and Israel thousands of years ago, how willing am I to acknowledge the same sort of spiritual warfare occurs both in the modern world and in my own life?

Standing outside of Planned Parenthood this past week, it became clear to me: Not only does the supernatural war between good and evil continue in the modern world, but we in 40 Days for Life play a central role in it.

For example, some of you have reported that in the last couple weeks the animosity from the pro-abortion crowd has intensified. Lately, we’ve seen more insults and more middle fingers. And if you had the opportunity to attend the midpoint prayer service Thursday night, you might have noticed a troubled individual who appeared to come out of nowhere, spewing vitriol and hate. Continuing to shout at us, she disappeared into the night as mysteriously as she appeared. Just hours later, another woman drove by the vigil site, delivering a similarly incoherent stream of insults.

These women were so frenzied and unhinged, that I became acutely aware that this anger was not merely human in origin. Forty Days for Life is working, my friends, and Satan is mad. In Madison and across the continent, our lives and souls are being saved. Wounds are being healed. Faith is being strengthened.

As a result, the enemy is unleashing the fury of Hell in the hopes that we might get discouraged, and his steady stream of infant sacrifice may resume unhindered.

The devil’s attacks may force us to our knees, but that’s exactly where the victory is to be won. Like God’s holy men and women in the Sacred Scripture, we will rely on the grace of God to stand strong in the midst of our evil oppressors in this fallen world. We will not back down. We will not be deterred. We will note accept the slaughter of the next generation.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the Kingdom of God.” –Matthew 5:10

Week in Review

40 Days for Life Midpoint Prayer Service draws enthusiastic crowd
Father Jim Heyd of Priests for Life visits 40 Days for Life
Human Life International Father Thomas Euteneuer headlines Pro-Life Wisconsin’s Annual Auction Dinner
New poll shows more than 9 in 10 Americans want restrictions on abortion
First half of 40 Days for Life saves a confirmed 268 babies nationwide

Father John Corapi on the culture of death

2008-10-21T09:41:00.002-05:00

Father John Corapi has an excellent reflection of our nation's culture of death. Below is an excerpt.

The clock is ticking. Midnight is approaching. Time is running out for our nation, a nation that once was great, and could be great again if enough of us wake up and renounce this curse of a death wish. Will God turn his friends over to His enemies as He has done multiple times in the past? Will radical Islam overrun us? Will the planet cook? Will one too many natural disasters grind us into dust? Will we collapse economically? All of the above? Perhaps these are all merely effects of the underlying cause—a death wish that chokes the life out of us.

In the end, it is likely that President Lincoln had it right: "Intoxicated with unbroked success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us." Thus forgetting that we are one nation under God, we become a nation gone under (President Ronald Reagan).
And indeed, "If destruction be our lot, we ourselves will be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."

May God grant us the grace to awake from this deadly moral slumber, renounce the death wish, and live like truly free men and women--in the glorious freedom of the children of God.

Pray for America

2008-10-20T20:30:00.004-05:00

Dear Friends,

The purpose and aim of 40 Days for Life is to pray for an end to abortion and other violence toward God's beautiful gift of life. While we are explicitly not an organization that deals with politics, sadly, the political realm cannot be overlooked. This is particularly true when civil authorities attempt to infringe on natural law and the right to life for all human beings. As Jesus told us, render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.

As prayer warriors for the poorest of the poor, there is a bill in the United States Congress right now that you need to know about. The Freedom of Choice Act is sponsored by numerous high-profile legislators, and Presidential Nominee Barack Obama has pledged that it is the first bill he will sign into law if elected president.

In short, the bill would wipe away any legal restrictions on abortion. Any restrictions whatsoever. While a 17-year old still needs a signed permission slip to participate on a class field trip to a museum, the Freedom of Choice Act would allow 12-year-olds to receive abortions, without parental consent. The absurdity and depravity of this potential law is beyond words. The nation desperately needs your continued prayers.

We have dug up the text of this legislation for your information. Red text is our comment.

The Freedom of Choice Act

To prohibit, consistent with Roe v. Wade, the interference by the government with a woman's right to choose to bear a child or terminate a pregnancy, and for other purposes. Note the subtle language used here: "Bear a child or terminate a pregnancy." The sponsors clearly recognize that a child is the victim of abortion here. However, when this child is unwanted it's a "pregnancy" that is terminated. It's a blatant bit of verbal engineering.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Freedom of Choice Act'. Father John Corapi has an excellent commentary on the use of the word "choice." He notes that it's the only time we don't finish the sentence. For example, we have the choice to go to a movie or get a dog. But the pro-abortion crowd won't elaborate on the type of choice they are promoting because it's clearly evil.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States was founded on the principles of individual liberty, personal privacy, and equality. Such principles ensure that each individual is free to make the most intimate decisions free from governmental interference and discrimination. We have always been under the impression that the United State was founded on the principles of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. It goes without saying that all of these rights depend on the right to life.
(2) A woman's decision to commence, prevent, continue, or terminate a pregnancy is one of the most intimate decisions an individual ever faces. As such, reproductive health decisions are best made by the woman, in consultation with her medical provider or loved ones, without governmental interference. We've got another bit of rhetorical engineering with the use of the phrase "reproductive health." There is nothing reproductive nor healthy about killing a pre-born child. When a woman becomes pregnant, it means the reproductive system IS working. This bill treats pregnancy as a disease.
(3) In 1965, in Griswold v. Connecticut (381 U.S. 479), and in 1973, in Roe v. Wade (410 U.S. 113) and Doe v. Bolton (410 U.S. 179), the Supreme Court recognized the right to privacy protected by the Constitution and that such right encompassed the right of every woman to weigh the personal, moral, and religious considerations involved in deciding whether to commence, prevent, continue, or terminate a pregnancy. Despite these court decisions, the so-called right to privacy does not exist anywhere in the Constitution. Would we as a society be willing to allow any other atrocities as long as they were conducted in private?
(4) The Roe v. Wade decision carefully balanced the rights of women to make important reproductive (Again, there is nothing reproductive about abortion.) decisions with the state's interest in potential life. (Are pre-born babies only potential lives? Let's see. They possess a beating heart, brainwaves, an entirely unique set of 46 chromosomes worth of DNA. They carry out each and every life process recognized by biologists. Scientifically and medically, a pre-born child is a life. The use of the word potential is dishonest.) Under Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, a woman's right to choose to terminate her pregnancy is absolute only prior to fetal viability, with the state permitted to ban abortion after fetal viability except when necessary to protect the life or health of a woman. Note that "health of the mother" has been used to cover nearly any excuse for an abortion, such as financial health.
(5) These decisions have protected the health and lives of women in the United States. Prior to the Roe v. Wade decision, an estimated 1,200,000 women each year were forced (Forced?! In addition to being untrue, this is an insult to women who actually are forced to undergo abortion by oppressive governments.) to resort to illegal abortions, despite the known hazards that included unsanitary conditions, incompetent treatment, infection, hemorrhage, disfiguration, and death. This number was announced by form abortionist Dr. Bernard Nathanson. Nathanson has since joined the pro-life movement and admitted that he fabricated this number. The real number of illegal abortions was less than 10 percent of this figure.
(6) According to one estimate, prior to 1973, as many as 5,000 women died each year in the United States as a result of having an illegal abortion. Another fabricated number. According to Dr. Nathanson, the real number was approximately 200-250.
(7) In countries where abortion remains illegal, the risk of complications and maternal mortality is high. According to the World Health Organization, of the approximately 600,000 pregnancy-related deaths occurring annually around the world, 80,000 are associated with unsafe abortions. The World Health Organization sadly continues to impose a radical pro-abortion campaign on the Third World.
(8) The Roe v. Wade decision expanded the opportunities for women to participate equally in society. In 1992, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (505 U.S. 833), the Supreme Court observed that, `[t]he ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives.'. Unbelievable. Feminists should be outraged at any suggestion that women can only achieve equality by destroying what makes them feminine: their fertility.
(9) Even though the Roe v. Wade decision guaranteed a constitutional right to choose whether to terminate or continue a pregnancy, threats to that right remain, including possible reversal or further erosion by the Supreme Court of the right, and legislative and administrative policies at all levels of government that make abortion more difficult and dangerous to obtain.
(10) 87 percent of the counties in the United States have no abortion provider. Thanks be to God!
(11) Legal barriers to the full range of reproductive services endanger the health and lives of women.
(12) Women should have meaningful access to reproductive health services to prevent unintended pregnancies, thereby reducing the need for abortions. Study after study confirms that increased use of birth control leads to more abortions.
(13) To ensure that a woman's right to choose whether to terminate a pregnancy is available to all women in the United States, Federal protection for that right is necessary. Basically, the government will impose abortion upon us whether we like it or not.
(14) Although Congress may not create constitutional rights without amending the Constitution, Congress may, where authorized by its enumerated powers and not prohibited by the Constitution, enact legislation to create and secure statutory rights in areas of legitimate national concern.
(15) Congress has the affirmative power under section 8 of article I of the Constitution and section 5 of the 14th amendment to the Constitution to enact legislation to facilitate interstate commerce and to prevent State interference with interstate commerce, liberty, or equal protection of the laws.
(16) Federal protection of a woman's right to choose to prevent or terminate a pregnancy falls within this affirmative power of Congress, in part, because--
(A) many women cross State lines to obtain abortions and many more would be forced (Again the use of the word "force" is insulting.) to do so absent a constitutional right or Federal protection;
(B) reproductive health clinics are commercial actors that regularly purchase medicine, medical equipment, and other necessary supplies from out-of-State suppliers; and
(C) reproductive health clinics employ doctors, nurses, and other personnel who travel across State lines in order to provide reproductive health services to patients.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Government- The term `government' includes a branch, department, agency, instrumentality, or official (or other individual acting under color of law) of the United States, a State, or a subdivision of a State.
(2) State- The term `State' means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each territory or possession of the United States.
(3) Viability- The term `viability' means that stage of pregnancy when, in the best medical judgment of the attending physician based on the particular medical facts of the case before the physician, there is a reasonable likelihood of the sustained survival of the fetus outside of the woman. Of course, as medicine improves, viability becomes earlier and earlier. This proves that viability as an absolutely arbitrary guideline. If a fetus is a human being after viability, do medical advances really change when human life begins?

SEC. 4. INTERFERENCE WITH REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PROHIBITED.
(a) Statement of Policy- It is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to bear a child, to terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability, or to terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability when necessary to protect the life or health of the woman. Again, we hear about choice and choosing. When our politicians talk about choice, we must ask "Is this what you mean?"
(b) Prohibition of Interference- A government may not--
(1) deny or interfere with a woman's right to choose--
(A) to bear a child;
(B) to terminate a pregnancy prior to viability; or
(C) to terminate a pregnancy after viability where termination is necessary to protect the life or health of the woman; or
(2) discriminate against the exercise of the rights set forth in paragraph (1) in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information. In other words, a government official making a pro-life speech could be vulnerable to a lawsuit for "discriminating" against the universal right to abortion.
(c) Civil Action- An individual aggrieved by a violation of this section may obtain appropriate relief (including relief against a government) in a civil action.
Let's consider the sort of laws that would be wiped off the books.

Parental consent. Children could receive abortions without their parents consent. If you are a parent, this should send chills up your spine.
Waiting periods. Abortion waiting period laws require patients to be provided with a certain number of days before they can procure an abortion. If the sponsors of this law were really concerned with choice, wouldn't they want to afford women the necessary time to choose correctly?
Conscience clauses. Pro-life doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other medical professionals would not be allowed to refrain from participating in abortions. Pro-life hospitals would be required to offer them. Why don't these individuals and institutions get "freedom of choice."
Partial-birth abortion ban. Yes, this grisly procedure in which a living baby is delivered breech up to the head before being stabbed to death would be once again legally protected.
The Hyde Amendment. Currently, the Medicaid is not allowed to cover abortions. This would change as your tax dollars would immediately be funnelled to kill the preborn.
Laws requiring that abortion patients receive information on fetal development. Again, why doesn't the pro-abortion movement want women to be able to make an informed choice?
Doctor-0nly laws. Most states require licensed doctors to perform abortions. The Freedom of Choice Act would not require an abortion provider to have a medical license.

SEC. 5. SEVERABILITY.
If any provision of this Act, or the application of such provision to any person or circumstance, is held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act, or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which the provision is held to be unconstitutional, shall not be affected thereby.

SEC. 6. RETROACTIVE EFFECT.
This Act applies to every Federal, State, and local statute, ordinance, regulation, administrative order, decision, policy, practice, or other action enacted, adopted, or implemented before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act.

Fr. Jim Heyd visits 40 Days for Life Madison, Milwaukee

2008-10-19T19:52:00.003-05:00

Father Jim Heyd of Priests for Life led 40 Days for Life Madison in prayer at the East Side Planned Parenthood on Saturday, October 18.

At 1:00, Father Heyd led vigil attendees in saying the Rosary. He then celebrated the Saturday evening Vigil Mass at St. Peter's Catholic Church. Father Heyd also celebrated four Sunday morning Masses at St. Peter's before heading to the 40 Days for Life Milwaukee vigil.

40 Days for Life Midpoint Prayer Services draws enthusiastic crowd

2008-10-19T19:25:00.003-05:00

Pastors Keith M. Doyle and Ross Martin of Cornerstone Church in Waterloo, WI led 40 Days for Life Madison in prayer and song during the group's midpoint prayer service held on Thursday, October 16.

With the last rays of sunlight cast shadows in front of Planned Parenthood, Tom Lang welcomed the crowd of more than 30 Christians gathered to pray for an end to abortion. Martin then led the group in singing "Amazing Grace." Following another spirited hymn, Doyle offered an inspiring reflection on Psalm 139.

Lang provided closing remarks on the vitality and importance of the pro-life movement, and Martin complied as the crowd requested him to lead it in additional praise and worship songs.

Prayer service attendees were slow to disperse. Nearly a dozen remained praying in front of the abortion center several hours after the event ended.

An excerpt from Psalm 139

You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb.
I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes foresaw my actions; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be.
How precious to me are your designs, O God; how vast the sum of them!
Were I to count, they would outnumber the sands; to finish, I would need eternity.

40 Days for Life welcomes Father Jim Heyd October 18 and 19

2008-10-15T10:54:00.005-05:00

We are pleased to announce that Father Jim Heyd of Priests for Life will be joining 40 Days for Life Madison this weekend. Father Heyd has been an ordained Catholic priest since 1989 and is a long-time pro-life advocate.

Father Heyd will lead the 40 Days for Life Madison prayer vigil outside Planned Parenthood on Madison's East side at noon on Saturday, October 18. He will then celebrate the 5:30 Vigil Mass at St. Peter's Catholic Church here in Madison.

Father Heyd will return to St. Peter's on Sunday, October 19 to celebrate Mass at 7:30, 9:00, 11:00 and 1:00 (Spanish Mass). He will then head East and lead the 40 Days for Life Milwaukee prayer vigil at Affiliated Medical Services. For directions, click here.

Shocking Poll: Americans overwhelmingly favor restrictions on abortion

2008-10-14T21:29:00.002-05:00

If you believe the pro-abortion lobbyists, politicians and members of the media, the pro-life movement is composed only of extremists and radicals.

Not so, according to a new poll from PR Newswire. The poll asked respondents to state which of six statements came closest to describing their opinion on abortion.

8% of US residents chose option 1, that abortion should be available to a woman any time she wants one during her entire pregnancy.
8% chose option 2, that abortion should be allowed only during the first 6 months of pregnancy.
24% chose option 3, that abortion should be allowed only during the first 3 months of pregnancy;-- 32% chose option 4, that abortion should be allowed only in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.
15% chose option 5, that abortion should be allowed only to save the life of the mother.
13% chose option 6, that abortion should never be permitted under any circumstance.

Into the Silence

2008-10-14T11:21:00.002-05:00

Last week we shared a story of a vigil participant who was blessed to help empower a young, single mother to keep her preborn child. We also relayed another blessed moment in which a woman drove by and exclaimed, “God bless your efforts. We saved a baby today!”

We’ve been so excited to hear your stories. Please continue to send them in. From saved babies, to Spirit-inspired conversations, to post-abortive parents seeking healing, your prayerful presence has truly yielded incredible tangible results.

But some of you might be wondering, “Why haven’t I had a similar experience? Why are my prayers answered with silence?”

Maybe you’ve received nothing but scorn for your efforts. Maybe you stand watch on Sunday afternoons or late nights when the abortion center is closed. Maybe you watch with a broken heart as women enter Planned Parenthood and end their children’s lives.

In the face of such trials we might ask ourselves why we even bother showing up. After all, what good can come from the silence of the cold, dark night? What is the point of subjecting oneself to ridicule from folks whose hearts are filled with hate? How can anybody stand strong while an innocent person is put to death just yards away? These are difficult questions.

Strangely, my favorite time to pray outside Planned Parenthood is the dead of the night. With a pitch black sky and empty streets, the so-called clinic is enveloped in darkness and silence. God seems very distant. As I pray, the silence only grows. I contemplate the evil that occurs in the building before me and wonder why a merciful God does not deliver the preborn from their executioners. My frustration builds, and I’m reminded of the doubts that plagued Mother Teresa, a fellow advocate for preborn babies.

“Where is my faith?” she asked. “Even deep down there is nothing but emptiness and darkness….I am told God lives in me, and yet the reality of darkness and coldness and emptiness is so great that nothing touches my soul.”

Indeed, the darkness that emanates from the abortion facility, permeating the night, nearly swallows my faith and hope as well.

And then I remember. We have a Savior who 2,000 years ago endured the same heart-wrenching sorrow while His prayers from the Cross, much like ours, were answered with silence.
But that silence was not the last word. When all hope seemed lost, Jesus Christ literally and figuratively shook the foundations of the Earth by rising from the grave.

Similarly, when our efforts seem futile, let us remember that our Savior went before us to show us the way. The victory has been in hand for nearly two millennia. Our task is to serve as tools of His grace. Nothing more, nothing less.

So let us continue to answer Jesus’s call. Can we not keep watch with Him for one hour?

Thank you all for your wonderful work. Your sacrifices continue to inspire us. May God bless you abundantly.

Week in Review

40 Days for Life Midpoint Prayer Service to be held October 16
Bishop Morlino celebrates Respect Life Sunday
Wisconsin State Journal publishes 40 Days for Life letter to the editor
Renowned Pro-Life Sociologist Bradford Wilcox to speak in Madison October 23, 24
114 babies nationwide confirmed saved from abortion by 40 Days for Life

Queen for a Day

2008-10-13T17:17:00.007-05:00

Each year, 90 percent of babies with Down Syndrome lose their lives to abortion.

This rate should shock and trouble us all. Though we'd like to believe that eliminating disabled individuals from the population is a historical relic that went out of fashion many decades ago, the evidence tragically suggests otherwise.

However, today, we're delighted to share with you an encouraging story from the Dallas Morning News. Hope you have a box of tissues on hand.

Never has the selection of a homecoming queen sent so many tears falling so freely.
Kristin Pass, an 18-year-old senior with Down syndrome, became Aledo High School's homecoming queen Friday to a joyous standing ovation and the flutter of a thousand tissues on a remarkable night for an amazing young woman.
Her grandfather, Dr. David Campbell of Corsicana, escorted her onto the field and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as Kristin joined eight other young women in the Homecoming Court to await the results of the vote, cast by the 360-plus members of Aledo High's senior class.

Then came the announcement ... and pandemonium.
"Oh my gosh! I was sitting in the student section and everyone stood up, crying and cheering for Kristin," said longtime friend and fellow senior Meaghan Geary, 17, who first met Kristin in the third grade. "It was great!"
Carolyn Pass stood at the edge of the football field, taking pictures of her daughter and friends' daughters in the court, when the stadium erupted.
"It's just something you can't even imagine," she said. "And afterward, everyone was just running down to her, congratulating her. And the other girls in the court, they're all just beautiful girls, inside and out."
Ms. Pass said she spoke later with a friend. "She said the only mistake anyone made was not handing out crying towels."
The vote may have been a surprise, but no one who knows Kristin doubts her popularity, her mother said.
"Kristin has a lot of friends – she likes everyone. It doesn't matter if you're tall or short, pretty, not pretty, smart, not smart – she likes everybody. She has great friends. And Aledo is a great community."
"She's just the neatest kid in the whole wide world," added her aunt, Chari Hust of Houston, "and everybody sees that."
Clay Gilmer, who works in the stadium press box, running the scoreboard and clock, said people pushed toward the windows as the young women were introduced. "They were all pulling for Kristin," Mr. Gilmer said.
When she won, he was thrilled. "This has been such a special time, a special week for Kristin," he said. "And I was really taken by the maturity and the love shown by her
friends, her peers, her classmates.
"That makes this a double blessing." Kristin pronounced the evening "exciting" and "awesome."
She was so thrilled, her mother said, that she took her crown to bed with her. "She's real proud of it," her friend Meaghan added.
Kristin and her family, including sister Kendall, now a freshman, moved to Aledo when Kristin was in the third grade. She was embraced by the people in town through good times and bad, including the death of her dad, J.T., two years ago.
"We've always had great experiences here," her mom said. "We've been blessed, and I think Kristin brings a lot of blessings to the people she knows."
Her selection as homecoming queen was a wonderful surprise. But Meaghan seemed to have an inkling that it could happen.
"Everyone loves Kristin," she said, "and I didn't know for sure, but in class everyone was like, 'Who are you voting for?' and everybody was like, 'Vote for Kristin, she's so good.' "
Kristin doesn't care what's on the outside, Meaghan said. She's friends with everyone, and everyone admires that.
"She's the person we all want to be," Meaghan said.

Great news from the national campaign

2008-10-13T06:16:00.003-05:00

Each morning we receive an update from the national 40 Days for Life campaign. Some days it includes success stories. Other days it outlines challenges. This morning's email was so encouraging that we wanted to share it with you. These stories truly demonstrate the great deeds God is doing. Let us not forget how privileged we are to be instruments of His peace.

The enthusiasm about 40 Days for Life is contagious,and it's had a profound effect during the first half of this fall's historic campaign.

The number of "turnarounds" --women who arrived for abortions but left the clinic without going through with it -- has jumped dramatically in the last week, reaching record levels....

"We know we have saved a 17-year-old who was at first determined to abort her 5-month-old baby," Barbara in Fayetteville, Arkansas said. This young woman could not get an abortion at this point in her pregnancy in Fayetteville, so she was going to make the three-hour drive to Little Rock, home of Arkansas' only other abortion center. "She turned around one block before she reached the abortion facility! We are now are planning her baby shower."

It isn't just mothers and babies receiving positive attention during 40 Days for Life -- it's also the people who work at the abortion centers.

At the 40 Days for Life vigil in Toledo, Ohio, Ann reports that four clinic employees put up yard signs on the building's lawn and taped posters in the facility's windows -- as a result of the prayer vigil going on outside. "This was disconcerting at first,"she said, "but then you come to realize that their consciences are at work. This is a good thing!"

"It seems as if the workers are looking a little grimmer as they enter the building in the morning,"said Jean, speaking of the staff at the Planned Parenthood in Burlington, Vermont. "The ones that do smile are few and far between, and they almost seem to have fake smiles on their faces."

They also can't find anyone to do abortions! Planned Parenthood has gone so far as to run want ads in the local paper, looking for someone to assist with abortions, starting immediately.

"Imagine that!" said Jean. "It seems as though they have lost two employees -- one might be the abortionist herself. Today is the normal day for abortions, but it looked as if there were none preformed."

Patsy in Orange County, California also notes the difference 40 Days for Life can make for people in the abortion industry. "One of the Planned Parenthood employees came out, encouraged our prayer warriors and asked them to display a sign the women can see with a number where they can get help," she said. That's incredible!

If you find such a person, please continue to offer encouragement and Christ's love. It pays off!

"I learned this morning that one of the abortion center nurses quit," said Jenny in Louisville, Kentucky. "Mary, one of our counselors, kept telling this worker that she would help her find another job. Last Saturday was the nurse's last day in the abortion center. Praise God!"

40 Days for Life Midpoint Prayer Service to be Held October 16

2008-10-12T23:17:00.000-05:00

Forty Days for Life Madison will hold a prayer service on Thursday, October 16 at 6:00 pm outside of the East Side Planned Parenthood to mark the halfway point of its 40-day vigil to end abortion. Pastors Keith M. Doyle and Ross Martin of Cornerstone Church in Waterloo, WI are set to lead the group in prayer and reflect on Psalm 131.

Over the last 20 days, Madison-area Christians have maintained a peaceful presence outside of Planned Parenthood, praying and fasting. During that time, nearly a thousand one-hour shifts have been filled as at least two people have stood watch around the clock. Forty Days for Life Madison Co-Director Laura Karlen said the midpoint prayer service is an occasion to rejuvenate the already passionate pro-lifers.

“The prayer service is an opportunity to unite Dane County’s diverse pro-life community,” Karlen said. “Men and women, young and old, Protestants and Catholics all come together to pray that soon abortion and all forms of violence will be no more.”

In addition to praying and fasting, vigil participants have helped empower women to choose life by offering support and referring them to local organizations that provide housing, prenatal care, and other material assistance to those facing crisis pregnancies. Furthermore, a number of men who have been affected by abortion have also approached vigil participants to receive counseling information for post-abortive men and women.

For more information on 40 Days for Life, visit 40daysforlife.com/Madison. To volunteer, call Amy Hying at 608-698-3877 or Steve Karlen at 608-445-2063.

Bishop Morlino celebrates Respect Life Sunday

2008-10-11T22:28:00.002-05:00

Bishop Robert Morlino celebrated Respect Life Sunday Mass as St. Patrick's Catholic Church Sunday. The Mass commemorated lives lost to violence, particularly those lost to abortion over the last 35 years.

The Catholic Herald has more:

In his homily at the Mass on October 5, Bishop Robert C. Morlino first examined the Gospel reading for the day, the parable in which the tenants of a vineyard kill the master’s son, sent to them to collect the produce, and its metaphor for God, the church, and society.
“The people who killed the master of the vineyard’s son turned against him in the end,” the bishop said. “What greater rejection could there be than they would kill your son?
“Killing always involves the rejection of the master of the vineyard,” he said.

Wisconsin State Journal publishes 40 Days for Life letter

2008-10-11T22:06:00.002-05:00

The following letter to the editor appeared in the October 6 edition of the Wisconsin State Journal:

I commend the 40 Days for Life volunteers outside of Planned Parenthood on Madison's East Side for taking up a peaceful fight to try to put an end to abortion.

It can be hard for people to keep doing something they think is right, even if people yell at them and despise them, especially when it seems that much of the surrounding community disagrees with them. But even a small group fighting for what's right is a group to be dealt with. May they continue to have success in their fight.

Why haven't we seen much media attention on their efforts to save the unborn?
-- Adam Morse

Great work, Adam. Thanks for spreading the word.

Why We Do What We Do

2008-10-06T17:26:00.006-05:00

I guess you could say I've always been a bit of a dreamer. Growing up, I'd sometimes daydream about what it might be like to save a life and be a hero. From a doctor successfully performing an emergency surgery to firefighters rushing up the stairs of the crumbling World Trade Center, what must it be like to know that your actions kept a human being alive?

My friends, this question is one we no longer have to ask ourselves. Over the last week, we received two separate reports from our prayer warriors that babies have been saved right here in Madison.

On Thursday, a middle-aged woman drove by the vigil site. As she passed, she honked the horn and proclaimed, "God Bless your efforts, we saved a baby today!" We don't have any more information about this particular encounter, but we ask you to please keep the mother and baby in your prayers.

Then, this morning, another one of you sent us this incredibly touching exchange about two women who entered Planned Parenthood before stopping to talk:

They had lots of questions. What was I doing? Why was I doing it? God provided all the answers....Maria* (20 years old) said "I'm pregnant". She and her sister don't have jobs, are not citizens and have to find a new place to live in one week. I [referred them to] CareNet, and they agreed to go there to get help. So I treated them to lunch and drove them to CareNet. I told Maria to please come by next week and let me know how she is doing. She also wanted my phone number and said that I'm her mom now.
*Name changed for the sake of privacy.

What a beautiful testimony! So we thank and praise God for these two lives that have been spared death. And two more lives that have been spared the emotional and physical scars that come with abortion. And countless more lives that will be touched somehow, some way because two mothers made the heroic decision to bring a child into the world in a difficult situation.

We also thank all of you. For each hour you spent outside the abortion center, for your fasting, for your willingness to pray from home in solidarity we thank you. While you could undoubtedly be pursuing activities more fun, more profitable, or more convenient to your busy schedules, you chose to act as tools of God's grace.

Sometimes this struggle for life seems a bit abstract. In the face of 3,000 abortions every day, it might be easy to lose sight of the human face of this issue. But this week, we continue with the knowledge that the world will be irreversibly changed by two women's choice of life. Two children will be born. And, God willing, they will go to kindergarten, sit on Santa's lap, bring friends home from school, and all the other things little boys and girls do. Perhaps they will play Little League, perform in the high school musical, go to college, get married and raise children of their own.

And without your efforts, none of this might have happened. Well done.

God Bless you, and please continue to pray for these women and all women who find themselves in crisis pregnancies.

Week in Review

Pro-Life Memorial Day is today
40 Days for Life Sioux City recounts a touching story
Planned Parenthood caught covering up statutory rape
Pending legislation would eliminate all abortion restrictions
A look back at Bishop Robert Morlino's 2007 Respect Life Sunday statement

40 Days for Life Kickoff Rally Audio Now Online

2008-09-28T11:37:00.000-05:00

If you missed the 40 Days for Life Kickoff Rally earlier this month, you still have the opportunity to hear the moving testimonies of the event's speakers.

Click here for the stirring testimonies from Silent No More's Jane Frantz and keynote speaker Michael Clancy.

It Begins: 40 Days for Life's first week brings successes, challenges

2008-09-27T11:47:00.007-05:00

Dear Prayer Warriors,

We are now four days into this fall's 40 Days for Life vigil. And already this effort is bearing great fruit in Madison and around the country.

Yesterday morning, National 40 Days for Life Campaign Director David Bereit confirmed that the lives of seven babies have already been saved. Locally, you've reported numerous stories of parents who have lost children to abortion seeking healing. The Holy Spirit is doing great deeds.

In every era, it seems, there is a great moral battle to be fought. Slavery. Racism. Genocide. Atrocities that baffle the mind and sadden the heart. But in each age, our merciful God has equipped ordinary men and women with the courage, the fortitude and the faith to stare down the power of Hell and put a stop to evil.

My friends, we stand before one of the greatest moral scourges to ever plague humanity: innocent children being put to death by the thousands. Abortion is ingrained in our culture. It's ingrained in our laws. It's even ingrained in our communities as Planned Parenthood kills in the middle of a residential East Side neighborhood while children laugh and play.

And so we pray. As desperate women enter the abortion center, we pray. As day gives way to the dark of night and the streets fall eerily silent, we pray. As rain falls like the tears of the unborn, we pray.

This journey upon which we've set out is not an easy one. The insults and persecution remind us that the rulers of this world hate us and all that we stand for. The manipulation of words makes our peaceful vigil sound intimidating and violent.

But still, we pray. Because if just one life is saved or one broken heart mended, isn't it worth the time and the sacrifice we put into it?

Thank you for your prayers. You are truly doing the Lord's work. Let us look forward--God willing--to the day when the culture of death falls and Planned Parenthood stands only as a tragic reminder of man's capacity for cruelty to his fellow man.

God Bless You,
The 40 Days for Life Team

Week in Review:

Forty Days for Life Web Site: http://www.40daysforlife.com/madison/
Forty Days for Life Blog: http://40daysforlifemadison.blogspot.com/
Forty Days for Life on Twitter: http://twitter.com/40DaysLifeMadsn
Forty Days for Life on Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15453109012&ref=ts

Get 40 Days for Life on your phone!

2008-09-27T11:14:00.002-05:00

Madison is now on Twitter!

Users of the popular social networking site Twitter can now easily track Madison's 40 Days for Life campaign by following the user 40DaysLifeMadsn. Daily updates include the current day's devotional, vigil updates, and any vital information that becomes available.

Updates can also be sent as text messages directly to your phone!

Click here to sign up for Twitter and begin tracking 40 Days for Life. To receive updates on your phone, click the Devices tab and enter your mobile phone number. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Wisconsin records lowest number of abortions in more than 30 years

2008-09-27T10:49:00.002-05:00

The power of prayer is working. In 2007, Wisconsin recorded the fewest abortions since 1974, the first full year that Roe vs. Wade was in place. Last year, women chose life at the highest rate in 33 years.

Still, there is much work to be done. More than 8,000 lives were lost to abortion in the state.

Just as troubling, Planned Parenthood continues to target African American babies at an alarming rate. Despite constituting just six percent of Wisconsin's population, the African American population accounted for nearly a quarter of the abortions performed in the state. Clearly, Planned Parenthood continues to embrace the genocidal goals upon which it was founded.

Click here to view the full report issued by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services: Reported Induced Termination of Pregnancy in Wisconsin

A Call to Action: Prayer Warriors Needed

2008-09-16T21:21:00.003-05:00

We're now just a week away from 40 Days for Life Vigil Madison.

As the start draws nearer, we are in great need of folks to sign up for shifts to pray outside Planned Parenthood. We still need dozens of hours to be filled the first week alone.

So whether you haven't gotten around to taking some slots, or you haven't yet decided whether you'll be joining us this fall, let this be a call to arms. Or perhaps more accurately, a call to knees.

Please visit http://www.localendar.com/public/madison40days and take a shift or two the last week in September.

Additionally, the vigil will open on Wednesday, September 24 with a candlelight vigil. Please bring your own candles.

And please, continue to pray for the success of 40 Days for Life and--most importantly--an end to this hidden holocaust.

God Bless,

The 40 Days for Life Team

40 Days for Life Kickoff Features Vibrant Music, Powerful Speakers

2008-09-13T21:10:00.006-05:00

The hard, driving rain that swept through Madison Saturday morning couldn't put a damper on the 40 Days for Life Madison Kickoff Rally.

Despite ugly weather, the pavilion at Reindahl Park on the East Side was packed with pro-lifers eager to share food, fun and fellowship before this fall's vigil begins on September 24. Jack Koczela got the day started with an hour of praise and worship music as the crowd gathered. Koczela was followed by nationally renowned Christian recording artist Aaron Thompson, whose rousing set ramped up the festivities.

After lunch, Jane Frantz of Silent No More gave a powerful testimony on her road to recovery as a post-abortive woman. Eighteen years after undergoing an abortion, Frantz's direct encounter with the Holy Spirit led her to seek healing. Not just for herself, but for post-abortive women across the nation.

Photojournalist Michael Clancy delivered the keynote address. His emotional talk described his upbringing in an abusive household, his conversion to Christianity, and--just three months after his conversion--the picture he took that changed the world.

While photographing a groundbreaking in utero surgery in 1999, Clancy captured the hand of Samuel Armas reaching out of his mother's womb and grasping the doctor's finger. The controversial photograph was published around the world, leading to speculation that Clancy might win the Pulitzer Prize.

However, over the last decade, that spectacular image has proven to be a tremendous cross for Clancy to bear. The doctor who performed the surgery later claimed the picture was staged, calling it a "hoax." Clancy lost credibility among his peers.

Though the photograph has been a cross, it's one borne with love and with purpose. The previously pro-choice Clancy became an ardent pro-life activist, even though it meant losing his primary source of income when the Nashville Tennessean newspaper declined to hire him for future assignments. He hasn't been contracted to work as a newspaper photographer for years.

Clancy's work with the pro-life movement led him to the Capitol, where he testified before the Senate, and the White House, where he was present for the signing of the 2003 partial-birth abortion ban. Though he joked about the surprise of seeing "White House" on his caller ID, the pain in Clancy's heart was difficult to miss. His watery eyes and occasionally cracking voice betrayed the pain he carried. Here was a man who sacrificed his career, his passion, his disdain for public speaking and hopes for a normal life because God called him to stand up for the pre-born.

And stand up he has. Not a Christian a just a decade ago, Clancy has spent the last nine years doing the Lord's work.

The kickoff event also featured information booths and representatives from numerous pro-life organizations, including Pro-Life Wisconsin, CareNet, Pregnancy Help Line of Madison, and Our Lady of Hope clinic.

The rally ended with a somber prayer walk to Planned Parenthood, where the 40 Days for Life vigil will officially begin on September 24. To sign up for hours, visit 40daysforlife.com/Madison or call Amy Hying at 608-698-3877.

Christian Recording Artist Aaron Thompson Joins 40 Days for Life Madison Kickoff Rally!

2008-09-10T00:00:00.000-05:00

Christian recording artist Aaron Thompson will join the 40 Days for Life Madison Kickoff Rally on Saturday. Thompson is set to perform from 10:30-11:30.

Click here for more information on Aaron Thompson.

Reminder: 40 Days for Life Kickoff Rally to be Held on Saturday

2008-09-09T20:44:00.002-05:00

Photojournalist and pro-life advocate Michael Clancy is set to headline Saturday’s 40 Days for Life Madison Kickoff Rally, which will be held at Reindahl Park on Madison’s east side beginning at 10:00.

Clancy made headlines in 1999 when he photographed a groundbreaking in utero spina bifida surgery on a baby, just 21 weeks past conception. The picture clearly depicts Samuel Armas’s fully formed hand extending out of his mother’s womb, a startling reminder of the humanity of pre-born life.

The moment so stunningly captured in the photograph proved to be a turning point in Clancy’s life. In an interview with National Right to Life News, he said “Before the picture, I felt that as a man I could never be pregnant and alone, so it wasn't for me to decide whether abortion was right or wrong. I was indifferent.”

The photograph, which Clancy calls the “earliest human interaction ever recorded,” spurred a dramatic change of heart. The photographer could no longer remain indifferent regarding abortion.

“As a journalist my job is to expose injustice and hope that that exposure will initiate social change,” Clancy wrote. “I have supported what I feel is a God-given mission to deliver the message [that] the in utero child is a reactive human…by continuing to freelance as a photojournalist.”

Clancy’s activism helped pass the 2003 law that banned partial birth abortion. The photograph was displayed on the Senate floor while the law was debated, and he was invited to the White House for its signing. Nevertheless, Clancy has faced his share of persecution for his efforts. Early last year the Tennessean newspaper, which had been Clancy’s main source of income as a freelance photographer for nearly a decade, informed him that the paper would no longer contract his services because he was openly pro-life.

Clancy’s photograph can be viewed at his personal Web site, michaelclancy.com.

The 40 Days for Life Madison Kickoff Rally will feature music, a children’s bounce house and booths from pro-life organizations at 10:00. A free lunch will be served from 11:30 to 12:30. At 12:30, Jane Frantz of Silent No More Wisconsin is set to deliver testimony of her healing process as a post-abortive woman. She will be followed by Clancy. The rally will end with a solemn, prayerful march to Planned Parenthood, where participants can continue to pray for an end to abortion.

The 40 Days for Life vigil officially begins September 24 and runs through November 2. For details on participating or volunteering, visit 40daysforlife.com/Madison or call Amy Hying at 608-698-3877.

40 Days for Life Kickoff Rally to be Held September 13!

2008-09-02T21:31:00.003-05:00

Mark your calendars and join us on Saturday, September 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Reindahl Park as we kick off this fall's 40 Days for Life prayer vigil. Here you can download a flyer to print, post and distribute!

The kickoff will feature musical entertainment, free food, and pro-life speakers. Photojournalist and pro-life activist Michael Clancy will highlight the event with a 1:00 p.m. keynote address. www.michaelclancy.com/story.html

Clancy gained national fame in 1999 when he photographed an in utero surgery on Samuel Armas, just 21 weeks after conception. The photographs clearly show the pre-born child's fully-formed hand extended out of his mother's womb—a startling proof of the humanity of pre-born life.

Clancy will also be available to speak free of charge on Friday, September 12. Email 40daysforlifemadison@gmail.com if you know of any organization that would like to hear his life-affirming message. We look forward to seeing you at the kickoff and praying together this fall!

You can view the vigil hours that need coverage. www.localendar.com/public/madison40days (You may have already committed for some vigil hours, but may see that the hours are still in need of coverage.... that only means that we are waiting for a second prayer partner to sign up with you.)

40 Days for Life Campaign Coming to 170+ Cities in US and Canada this Fall

2008-08-25T20:51:00.003-05:00

Exciting news from our brothers and sisters in Washington:

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 /Christian Newswire/ -- "We may be on the verge of a turning point in the battle against abortion," said David Bereit, national campaign director of 40 Days for Life. "Response to our call for communities to participate in this fall's 40 Days for Life campaign has exceeded our wildest expectations." More than 170 cities will take part in this effort from September 24 through November 2.

The community-based 40 Days for Life campaign features 40 days of prayer and fasting, round-the-clock peaceful vigil outside an abortion facility and grassroots educational outreach. Simultaneous campaigns will be conducted coast-to-coast – and internationally – as part of a unified outreach in some 170 communities. In a number of those communities, peaceful vigils will be conducted at multiple abortion locations.

"We're especially pleased to see three Canadian cities joining 40 Days for Life this fall," said Bereit, noting that campaigns will be conducted in Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax. "As there will also be a campaign in Washington, D.C., this means that 40 Days for Life will have a presence in the capitals of two nations. We firmly believe
that this campaign of prayer and fasting will have a profound impact."

In all, 40 Days for Life events are taking place in 45 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces. The list of participating cities is online at www.40daysforlife.com/location.cfm.

"The spread of 40 Days for Life is amazing," said Bereit. "The growth of this outreach is a reflection of the excitement that people are expressing about the many ways 40 Days for Life impacts a community. This program is being embraced by cities conducting their first 40 Days for Life and those who are planning their second, third, or – in the case of Bryan/College Station, Texas – fourth campaign."

Bereit noted that more than 75 of the 40 Days for Life prayer vigils will be held outside of Planned Parenthood facilities. "Planned Parenthood is a special concern because it is the nation's largest abortion provider," said Bereit. Planned Parenthood's latest annual report shows some 290,000 abortions performed in a single year – almost one fourth of the total number for the entire United States.

"This fall marks a critical time for our country and our culture, and this heartfelt effort to pray and fast for an end to abortion is crucial with regards to our future and what sort of nation we wish to become," said Bereit. "We hope to share the truth about what abortion does to every community where it is practiced, and to make this fall the beginning of the end of abortion in America."

40 Days for Life Madison Web Site Goes Live

2008-08-25T20:43:00.002-05:00

The official Web site for 40 Days for Life Madison went live this week!

Visit http://www.40daysforlife.com/madison/ for your one-stop shop for information on this fall's prayer vigil.

Click here for a complete 40 Days for Life schedule, including information on organizational meetings, events, and the hours that need to be filled.

"Truly children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward" -- Psalm 127:3

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2008-08-23T07:41:00.002-05:00

Fetus. Mass of tissue. Blobs of cells. And, perhaps, our personal favorite: "products of conception."

The pro-abortion lobby uses a lot of deliberately misleading and cleverly crafted language to justify killing the unborn. Which should come as no surprise. Movements that kill a lot of people always use dehumanizing language to conceal the fact that they engage in murder.

But if the old adage is true, and a picture is worth a thousand words, the lies and deceit of the abortion crowd is bound to fail. Check out the following link to see a famous 1999 photograph of Samuel, who was operated on to treat spina Bifida at just 21 weeks in utero.

http://www.michaelclancy.com/

40 Days for Life at the Madison Diocese Family Picnic

2008-08-18T06:26:00.000-05:00

Madison 40 Days for Life had a booth at the Diocese of Madison's family picnic yesterday. We met a lot of great, pro-life people who will be joining us in prayer outside of Planned Parenthood this fall.

If you'd like 40 Days for Life to have a booth at your church's summer festival, let us know. If you get us in, we'll staff the booth!

From Conception to Natural Death

2008-08-17T08:14:00.005-05:00

While the direct goal of 40 Days for Life is praying to bring an end to abortion, we believe it is the duty of all Christians everywhere to protect the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. Abortion, assisted suicide, human cloning, euthanasia, contraception, and embryonic stem cell research are all threads of evil woven together to create the pall that drapes our society.

The culture of death is sneaky. Its agenda often advances through dubious court rulings or obscure policy changes. Anti-life laws are often enacted before the faithful have time to react. As such, we want to inform you of critical developments in the State of Washington, where our brothers and sisters--like our pre-born brothers and sisters--are in desperate need of our prayers.

In November, the State of Washington will vote whether to legalize physician-assisted suicide. If the measure passes, doctors would be allowed to legally prescribe deadly drugs to ill patients with the sole purpose of killing them.

The list of reasons to oppose this initiative is seemingly endless. However, numerous aspects of the proposed law are particularly troubling:

Physicians would be allowed to encourage patients to end their lives.
Government and private health insurance providers would have incentive to pay for suicide drugs rather than more expensive palliative and therapeutic drugs. In fact, this has occurred in Oregon, the only state with legal physician-assisted suicide. Cancer patient Barbara Wagner received a letter from the Oregon Health Plan informing her that a drug that could extend her life is not covered by the state-funded insurance plan. However, the letter did inform her that the state would pay for her to commit suicide.
Patients suffering from depression and mental illness would not be required to undergo counseling before committing physician-assisted suicide.
Requests for the fatal drugs would not need to be made in person. Instead, they could be phoned in, picked up, and administered by an acquaintance of the patient.

Like every other movement in the culture of death, this initiative is driven by lies. Official death certificates would not list suicide as the cause of death. Instead, the patient's initial diagnosis would be listed.

Furthermore, a judge has ruled that neither the initiative, nor the state's official pamphlet describing it may use the term "physician-assisted suicide."

Jessica Skelton, an attorney and proponent of the initiative said the term is "politicized language" that "implies a value judgment and carries with it a social stigma."

It also happens to be an accurate description. And so, when telling the truth impedes the eugenicist goals of this country's death profiteers, they did what they always do: change the meaning of words.

It's worth noting that the Netherlands, which became the world's first country to legalize physician-assisted suicide more than a quarter century ago, has moved on to euthanasia. More than 1,000 patients each year are killed by their doctors without any input in the decision.

Let us pray for a renewed respect for life, not just in the Madison area and not just for the preborn, but for all human beings around the world.

I call Heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live...

-Deuteronomy 30:19

And the Truth Shall Set You Free...

2008-08-12T22:32:00.002-05:00

South Dakota's only Planned Parenthood location has chosen to shut its doors rather than tell the truth about abortion.

South Dakota's new Abortion Informed Consent Law requires abortionists to inform mothers in writing that abortion "terminate[s] the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being." The law took effect last month when it was upheld by the US Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Planned Parenthood's response: Close up shop. No abortions have taken place in South Dakota since the court's decision.

This, of course, is great news for Christians everywhere. America is blessed to finally have a state free of the legalized slaughter of children--even before Roe vs. Wade is repealed. The Prince of Lies has been exposed.

The tremendous victory in South Dakota is also great news for women--particularly mothers who might have considered abortion. By the mandate of law, they will hear the truth. And the truth shall set them free.

For more information, see LifeNews.

40 Days for Life 2008 Organizational Meeting

2008-05-29T05:39:00.002-05:00

Madison-area Christians will join Christian communities around the country again this fall to partake in a 40-day, around-the-clock prayer vigil outside Planned Parenthood.

Madison’s 40 Days for Life is seeking volunteers and participants interested in helping bring an end to abortion. Participants sign up for shifts of one to four hours. They can sign up for a single time or on a weekly basis, fasting and peacefully praying outside Planned Parenthood. The 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week prayer vigil begins September 24th and runs through November 2nd.

Last year’s 40 Days for Life participants reported many moving experiences.

“I had two young Ladies approach and say, ‘I want to know where I can obtain an adoption,’” said Don, who partook in last year’s vigil. “They change[d] their minds [about getting an abortion] because they had supporters. Someone who [could] help them do what was right.”

Kathy, another vigil participant, said 40 Days for Life is an important way to provide a voice for the voiceless.

“What is amazing to me is to see so many people who have come forward to participate in this worthwhile cause,” she said. It is encouraging to see the dedication and love that we share for life and for the unborn babies. We are their voices and we have to say no to the culture of death. Praise be to God!”

An organizational meeting for 40 Days for Life-Madison will take place Monday, June 2 at 6:00 p.m. at the House of Prayer in Madison, near the East Towne Mall. The address is 1714 Eagan Road. For further information, contact Amy Hying at 40DaysForLifeMadison@gmail.com or (608) 698-3877.

The meeting will feature beingHUMAN, a documentary that explains the 40 Days for Life vigil. The video can also be viewed at www.40daysforlife.com/show.cfm

With the beginning of the vigil just four months away, volunteers are needed to fill the following positions:
• Prayer Coordinator: responsible for encouraging the Body of Christ to pray and fast before and during the 40 Days for Life campaign.
• Vigil Coordinator: keeps a list of all vigil volunteers, maintains schedules, and manages substitute lists to ensure a constant, peaceful presence at Planned Parenthood.
• Outreach Coordinator: directs a door-to-door petition, education drive and other community outreach activities.
• Event Coordinator: helps plan and organize the Kickoff Rally, Halfway Rally, and Victory Celebration events.
• Church Coordinator: responsible for inviting local churches’ participation and maintaining ongoing communication with church leaders.
• Communications Coordinator: Communicates with participants through email messages and blog updates and handles media relations.

Last year’s 40 Days for Life was a monumental success, spanning 33 states, 89 cities, and featuring participation from 150,000 Christians. Nationally, 40 Days for Life reports that in the past year, one abortion clinic has closed its doors, and two more Planned Parenthood facilities have ceased performing abortions.

Furthermore, during last fall’s national campaign, the Holy Spirit led hundreds of mothers to choose life, saving at least 500 babies’ lives. Many of the would-be victims have now been born safely into families with a newly found appreciation for the gift of human life.

Bundles of joy indeed! As Kathy said, “Praise be to God!”

Media from the 1/31 Pro-Life Rally

2008-02-05T16:54:00.000-06:00

Pictures (Courtesy of Salt and Light Media)

Audio 1: Will Goodman, Laura Karlen, Steve Karlen
Audio 2: Pro-Life Organization Lineup

Will Goodman

Dr. Haywood Robinson Part 1

Dr. Haywood Robinson Part 2

Testimony from 40 Days for Life Participants

2007-11-14T17:22:00.000-06:00

Testimony

First off, we again thank all who came and contributed to the 40 Day prayer vigil outside of the Planned Parenthood in Madison, Wisconsin. While it is impossible to measure 'success' with a prayer vigil like this...we did want to post some of the many testimonies we received from people who came out to pray at Planned Parenthood during these 40 days.

Also, we will be gathering together to pray outside the East Side Planned Parenthood on the first Friday and first Saturday of each month, although the exact details have yet to be worked out. But if you are interested in getting involved, please contact Amy at 40DaysforLifeMadison@gmail.com and we will be certain to keep you updated on future prayer opportunities.

Here is what you had to say about 40 Days for Life:

***

I'm so glad about 40 Days for Life. Gives to my life peace. Thanks.
~ Cecilia

I am not a night owl and need my sleep. For some reason the midnight to 2 AM goes very fast and I am not even tired the next day. That's not normally me.
~ Joe

Meeting "new friends" from other Christian denominations, being united in prayer for life...AWESOME. Praying the Rosary with our beloved Bishop Morlino and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with our beloved Fr. Eric Sternberg.
~ Cyndy

If you can draw joy from a house of evil is meeting all the different people who have participated in prayers.
~ Joe

Waking up early (or staying up late for some of us) to go 40 days for life everyday, standing in the wind, being cussed out by passerby have been a mini bootcamp for us, the prayer warriors and soldiers of Christ. As prayers have torn down the wall of Jericho in Sacred Scripture and destroyed the communist regime in Russia in the recent past, our FAITH tells us that abortion will come to an end one day with prayer and penance. Moreover, HOPE tells us that the Truth will prevail and Christ will triumph in the end whereas LOVE compels us to keep praying and sacrificing until the culture of death comes to an end. With God's grace, this can be done.
~ Vincent

Nancy and I were encouraged by the number of young people who are enthusiastically involved in this effort. The thoughtful and powerful prayer that is ongoing is inspirational wherever we are.

We also prayed for the car filled with people that sped by late at night with one person yelling, "Get A Life!" We thought they almost had it right! We couldn't wait til they really understood!

Finally, we were amused by the skunk that sauntered up to the front door of Planned Parenthood about 2am one night, and proceeded to the bushes around the corner. We were praying that the skunk would find an appropriate time to make it's presence known!
~ Al

God has deepened my commitment to be totally pro-life in this experience. Spending concentrated time in prayer for the unborn and their parents is a moving experience. Last week, the empty baby stroller almost brought tears to my eyes. We have 10-month-old grandson who is often in such a stroller. And I can only imagine how many babies will never ride in a stroller because they lost their lives in the very building we are praying at. God have mercy.
~ Jerry

I have had the opportunity to meet several wonderful people at the vigil, and have been touched by their integrity, their steadfastness, their strong faith, their positive attitude, and their happiness. It has helped to restore my faith in humanity and re-assures me that goodness still thrives in our world.
~ Dave

I think the most awesome parts for me have been walking around praying Rosaries while sprinkling Blessed Salt and Holy Water, and the Midnight Vigil with the Bishop. It was so incredible being out with the Bishop and about a hundred other people (many of whom I knew) praying for life and sacrificing that time during which I would have rather been sleeping. When the idea was first brought up at school, there was some hesitation because it was a school night, but our Religion teacher pointed out that God always gives you extra grace when you stay up late in vigil. The day after was a Service Day for us and I was amazed as I realized that, not only did I not grow tired, but I actually had more energy then I'd had in quite some time and I truly was joyful as I preformed the tasks assigned to me.
~ Olivia

Perhaps not an "accomplishment," but rather some clarity of thought: my "shift" is Friday evening from 10:00 pm until 2:00 am Saturday morning. There's not much going on at that time - it's downright serene. The trees are beautiful; the landscaping is agreeable. And then the clarity: the Devil does not work with blunt instruments. The physical serenity of the environment is purposeful - to mask the atrocities that take place within the building.
~ Joe

I'd have to say the most positive thing I've found is a renewal in my faith of the youth of today. Whether it be those in their early 20's who have committed themselves to this prayer vigil.....I can think of so many other things that people in their early 20's could be doing on a Friday and Saturday night; or the families that bring their young children late at night that are so well behaved and know their prayers even better than I do. So often I fear that society's holding on to God's values will "die away" as the older generation passes on, but seeing the involvement of the youth in this vigil really restores my confidence in the retention of those values.
~ Curt

We had a wonderful experience praying for life. My wife, my 6 year old daughter and myself shared the praying of a rosary with a wonderful family from Lancaster - Rob and Tanya and their four children ranging in age from 1 to 6. It is an amazing experience to see God through a group like this.

All the people we have met have been wonderful and have exposed us to new and wonderful ways that God is working through his people.
~ David

The other day I received an email saying they needed someone from 8-9 in the morning. I talked my husband into going with me and when we got there we found a young mother with her little son, a young man that had already been there an hour but stayed until 9 and a senior citizen, we talked , prayed and sang songs together/ My husband and I were both so impressed especially with the young people.

During my times at Planned Parenthood I have only had one car of young gals yell at me.
~ Marian

The Holy Spirit puts words in my mouth.

I accidentally found out it's easy to get to the clinic and pray a Rosary in the morning before work. (I was hoping to see Bishop Morlino. Ha!)
~ Ardis

I am thankful for the blessing of unity as Catholics and non-catholics come together in a spirit of love to pray together for Life !
~ Gwen

The vigil is a spirit-filled experience for me. Some days it's a bit cold or wet but totally rewarding personally.

Interviewing two vigil participants the first week sticks in my mind as their thoughts and observations were so memorable and provided strong testament on Relevant Radio. Each time those announcements run on the station it brings e back to that day.
~ Jim

I had to young Ladies approach and say, "I want to know were I can obtain an adoption. They change their minds because they had supporters. Someone who can help them do what was right.

Thanks to everyone...
~ Don

What is amazing to me is to see so many people who have come forward to participate in this worthwhile cause. It is encouraging to see the dedication and love that we share for life and for the unborn babies. We are their voices and we have to say no to the culture of death. Praise be to God.
~ Kathy

Since participating in the 40 days vigil, I've spent more time praying for women who are pregnant and are not thinking of motherhood. I've felt a greater sense of who I am as a Catholic, and feel part of a greater community who loves God. I've also gained a greater sense of who I am and what I believe, and have been able to be more public about my beliefs in general. I am not afraid.
~ Laura

This experience has brought me in contact with some really wonderful people! Since I participate in the early morning hours before the clinic is open, I have time to pray and fellowship with my fellow prayer warriors! I've learned about the Knights of Divine Mercy and the Chesterton groups here in Madison and what Father Rick did < in Cross Plains> to ameliorate a place of ill repute out there. I'm also relearning the Divine Mercy Chaplet and praying that outside of my time in front of PP. My mom has entered the efforts in participating at the Appleton/Grand Chute location.

God is moving in spectacular ways and is heightening my awareness of all the brokenness in this world. May His mercy reign down on us always and forever and rally us all to continue praying and demonstrating our belief that His righteousness shall overcome the evil in this world.

ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA!!!!!
~ Rebecca

It is AMAZING, and oh, so encouraging for me, to meet face to face my fellow prayer warriors. Often one feels out numbered and alone in this battle to save innocent lives. Because of this 40 day Vigil, I now realize I am numbered among God's LEGIONS of Angels and many brave souls who love Life.
~ Beth

My Brother Knights are telling me about meeting other Knights on the sidewalk from up-state Wisconsin.
~ Bob

While praying on a bright sunny Sunday afternoon at the Vigil, I looked up into the sky & 3 times I saw the clouds shaped liked a baby in the womb. Seemed appropriate to see those little babies floating over the abortion center.
~ Joanne

People come out and come together.
~ Jerel

A woman drove up to us and stopped to thank us and give us fresh drinking water. It was great to meet new people and share the experience of prayer with them!
~ Raye

God has introduced us to so many faithful Catholic and Christian friends through 40 Days for Life. If has given us new life in the spirit of following Jesus with many more companions along the way! Sometimes in our day to day life we feel that we are isolated and are only one of a very few people trying to remain faithful, but through this vigil we have encountered people of all different ages and backgrounds who are willing to stand up for the teachings of our faith. We have learned not to be afraid, like Jesus said, and to be a visible sign of his love to all from conception to old age--He loves us all and longs to gather all of us into his loving presence. It is truly an experience that has strengthened our faith and that gives us hope. What a blessing!
~ Peter & Paulette

Last week I was able to pray for a young lady who had brought her friend for her first appointment at Planned Parenthood. Her friend was pregnant and considering an abortion. The young lady I spoke to did not approve of abortion but wanted to be her friend. I asked her if I could pray for her friend and she said yes. So we prayed for her on the street. Then I asked if I could pray for her and she asked if I could pray that she would be able to convince her friend not to have an abortion. So we prayed together. Afterwards I encouraged her that interviews with post-abortive women have shown that if even one person had said they'd stand with them if they chose to have the baby that they would not have had an abortion. I hope this really encouraged her to stand by her friend.
~ Dave

For us it was an overwhelming realization of the horrific fact that abortions do occur at the Planned Parenthood clinic on Orin Street in Madison. It is a very non-descript clinic setting so NO ONE on the outside truly knows what goes on. Walking the area for the two-hour stint and praying the rosary, we felt that the Holy Spirit would touch someone's life through this! The experience made this an actuality, where before, since we lived 100 miles away, it never seemed real. Sad to say, but now it does. Thank you!
~ Pete & Marcia

In telling a friend about going to PP for the vigil, she revealed to me she had a Medically necessary abortion at PP. She said it was a terrible experience because there were so many young girls there giggling and laughing. She said there were postcards on the ceiling saying Hi I am on vacation since I had my abortion and having a good time. She said for her and her hsb who were grieving over this loss of a serious birth defect this atmosphere made it terrible. I was able to refer her to Care Net and Rachels Vineyard.
~ Ruth

The greatest accomplishment that I witnessed was that I was invited to speak at a local public high school debating someone from NARAL about abortion. When I left the school after 3 hours of debate, I saw the students very aware that abortion is the killing of a human being. They made the important shift from thinking in abstract about a "choice" to realizing the concreteness of "killing". I pray that what they felt to be the truth during that debate will accompany them throughout life and guide their choices.
~ Sr Raffaella

How neat it was to pray a Rosary with complete strangers, yet feel the common bond that brought you together.
~ Ann

It has been interesting that while praying the Rosary in the middle of the night, sometimes in the cold and the rain, and always with my mind only half awake, I have had some of my deepest insights into the mysteries of the Rosary. It is reasonable to expect such consolations while at Eucharistic Adoration, but I was surprised by that grace received in the presence of such evil. It is truly the workings of the Holy Spirit.
~ Greg

Wow! God is good!
~ Bridget

The best positive thing I can think of since I haven't yet gone to Madison (I am today) is that this is my third pregnancy and have never had the chance to have an ultrasound aside from the baby being between 8 and 10 weeks. That is exciting but all you see is just a tiny little thing and the heart beating. This time around I got to have an ultrasound at 19 weeks. Oh my goodness what an awesome thing to see!!!
~ Katie

On my noon shift this Wed. I was praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet when a young lady headed for the front door of Planned Parenthood. I held the Crucifix of my rosary up facing the lady asking our Lord to "turn her away" from the abortion mill. She stood at the front door for a few seconds, abruptly turned around, and drove off. Small miracle?-------Maybe not so small!
Praise be to God!
~ Patrick

1) Found encouragement from brothers in Christ
2) Seen the profound sacrifice others are making to pray for the protection of the unborn
3) Realized in my own life the power of prayer, especially in the form of a "vigil."
~ John

The Lord hears our prayers and answers them! So whether you can see it or not, lives are being changed and saved!
~ Maria

I have been enjoying your updates for the 40 Days for Life vigil in Madison. Recently I got a message that was sent out to all the Seminarians here at SHMS in Detroit. Basically it shows that our efforts here in Detroit (and even in Madison in someway) are truly worth the cause. I wanted to share this news and links that Nate sent me with you and others that are in your "40 Days for Life" group. Please share this if you want to. Remember, my prayers are with all of you each day and the works that you all do. Wish I could be there.
~ Jason

When we were at the mill, it was closed, but I thought that it was "amazing" that some college girls came all the way down from Stevens Points to pray for the babies and their mothers.
~ BobiBeth

I was struck by several things:

1) People have to be buzzed into the clinic. If there is nothing wrong with what goes on in the clinic, there would be no need to buzz people in.
2) Life goes on around the clinic. Is anyone paying attention????????? A nurse came back from McDonald's with her lunch. Students rush by and cross the sidewalk so as to not come near us. Do they understand what is going on behind closed doors? It makes you want to scream at the top of your lungs, "Children are dying! Does anyone care?"
3) The body language/actions of those entering the clinic speaks volumes. I saw one young lady RUN to her car after leaving the clinic. Few people entering or leaving the clinic will make eye contact with those of us who are praying.
4) I prayed 2 Sundays when the cleaning lady was there. It just gave me a new perspective on the variety of people affected by the clinic.
5) I couldn't help but notice the falling leaves and how symbolic they are. They are torn away from the tree of life just as the babies are torn from their mothers' wombs.
6) It was awesome to meet so many other Catholics who are staunchly pro-life and are willing to give of their time to pray and be a visible sign that abortion is wrong.

*Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this experience! Each day I left the clinic, I felt God's presence and joy.
~ Andrea

One of my Evangelical friends was stating how neat it was that the Catholic church is so vocal in the pro-life movement. She came to the vigil to pray with me one day so I wouldn't be alone, then came on her own several times. What a beautiful testament to the Catholic faith!
~ Alissa

***

Please feel free to leave comments, with your thoughts, stories, etc! God Bless you all!

Thank You!

2007-11-09T08:02:00.000-06:00

A huge thank you to all of you who came out to participate in 40 Days for Life here in Madison! May all of you who helped this effort, whether by coming out for many hours of prayer in the cold or rain, by promotion, by monetary contributions, etc., we offer our deepest thanks. May the Lord bless you all!

As our simple way of thanking you, please join us if you are able for a showing of the movie Bella. We will be meeting for the 10:15 a.m. this Saturday, if you can make it, please email us at 40daysforlifemadison@gmail.com for more details or to confirm.

Also, please click here for audio coverage of the closing ceremony for 40 Days for Life. Photos will be available on the website soon.

Knights of Divine Mercy Gather to Pray

2007-11-04T07:40:00.000-06:00

We have some photos up on the website from All Souls Day, November 2nd. A great men's Catholic group, the Knights of Divine Mercy, gathered in prayer from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. for a candlelight vigil. A special thanks to the group, as their members have taken a large number of the late night and early morning hours throughout the entire Vigil.

Don't forget that 40 Days for Life ends in Madison today (Sunday) at 5:30 p.m. Please join us for the closing prayer service!

A Couple Other Prayer Vigils

2007-11-02T18:57:00.000-05:00

Two additional prayer vigils going on tomorrow in addition to 40 Days for Life off of Stoughton Rd. in Madison.

* Saturday, starting at Midnight for a 24 hour UNITY vigil in Beaver Dam at their local Planned Parenthood (96 Stoddart Street) Just show up or call Ginny (920) 885-2224 or mobile (920)319-0383

* Saturday, 10am-2pm (416 W. Mifflin Street) UNITY vigil downtown Madison. Just show up or call Andrea (813)393-0232

Vote now to show your support for pro-life hero Scott Southworth!

2007-11-02T12:52:00.000-05:00

Pro-Life Wisconsin sent out this today.

You can help a pro-life hero!

Scott Southworth, the district attorney of Juneau County and a longtime supporter of Pro-Life Wisconsin, has been nominated for an award by CNN. The voting is done online and ends Monday, November 5, 2007 at 12 p.m. ET. Vote now and show your support for a fellow pro-lifer! All votes are anonymous and do not require registration.

According to the CNN description of Southworth, “In 2003, while in Iraq, Maj. Scott Southworth volunteered at the Mother Teresa Orphanage in Baghdad. There, he befriended Ala'a, a 9-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. Two years later, Southworth arranged to bring Ala'a to the United States. In June, he was granted legal adoption and the two officially became father and son.”

Go to this website to vote : http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/cnn.heroes/

If Southworth wins his category, he faces the winners of five other categories in an online vote. The race is sure to be close, with Southworth currently in the lead by one percent.

The overall winner goes to New York for a special show in December, during which Southworth hopes to promote the adoption of special needs children like Ala'a. The winner also receives $25,000, which Southworth would use in part to pay for medical equipment, a stair lift, and legal bills for Ala'a.

“As a Christian man I couldn’t walk away from this little boy,” Southworth said. “It’s so cool to be able to promote God on CNN on national television and talk about our faith and give it a pro-life perspective.”

A vote for Southworth is a vote for adoption – a cause the pro-life community supports. Southworth also talked about the importance of adoption and its role in Christianity.

“The idea of special needs adoption and how many children there are… People need to step up and adopt them. These children give back so much joy… it’s not about me, Scott Southworth, and the award, but everything else we can do with this,” he said.

Several of the Pro-Life Wisconsin staff have had the pleasure of meeting Ala'a, and one can see Ala'a truly loves his father. Forward this on to friends and family!

Scott is a true hero for the cause of life, and has a huge heart. It would be great for him to win this and bring awareness to his effort at finding homes for children in Iraq. Please go to CNN to vote!

Closing Prayer Service

2007-11-01T09:40:00.000-05:00

We will conclude our 40 Days for Life vigil with a Closing Prayer Service at 5:30 p.m. next Sunday the 4th at the vigil site. (3706 Orin Road) Please include an announcement in your church's bulletin. Also if possible during church have a specific intention of thanksgiving for 40 Days for Life mentioned during this next weekend.

Bella

2007-10-28T07:25:00.000-05:00

Although I have not seen this yet and it is sometimes hard to promote something one has not seen, this seems like it will be very good. As part of 40 Days for Life here in Madison, we definitely encourage you to see this if you get the opportunity.

Relevant Radio, along with the Diocese of Madison, will also be promoting Bella when the movie comes to Madison from November 9 until November 11 and are giving away free tickets. Please go to either website (linked) for more details.

Thoughts from Planned Parenthood on 40 Days for Life

2007-10-28T00:10:00.000-05:00

To get an idea of what the abortion industry is thinking about 40 Days for Life, here is a recent email from Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards regarding 40 Days for Life. It is sometimes difficult to get an understanding of what an organization like Planned Parenthood is thinking based on such communications, since to a certain extent, these type of emails/letters are written to get supporters excited, and to raise money. However, although the primary purpose of the email is to raise more money for Planned Parenthood, it is interesting nonetheless, as it provides some insight into what they are thinking about this "crisis."

It's pouring here at Planned Parenthood.

Specifically, right this minute, it's pouring in
Kansas, where a particularly venomous district attorney
has just filed 107 baseless charges against Planned
Parenthood in court. And today, the anti-choice fringe
is asking Congress to suspend $300 million in federal
funding for our affiliates' health care services until
the case is settled.

Unbelievable. Please help.

Today's news comes on the heels of an unprecedented
series of attacks on Planned Parenthood.

Last week, the rain fell on us in Washington, DC, where
one U.S. senator called us out by name in an amendment
that would have limited birth control funding for
health centers like ours.

Throughout this month, the anti-choice fringe is
showering our clinics with protesters during its "40
Days for Life" campaign, which our own Emily X is
documenting in painfully vivid pictures and videos.

And then, there's President Bush's appointment last
week of an anti-birth control hardliner to be in charge
of U.S. family planning policy. And let's not forget
our epic fight in Illinois last month to open our
Aurora health center.

This unprecedented storm -- these attacks on Planned
Parenthood and the women we serve -- are relentless,
and are on the move across the country with no signs of
stopping.

We've been at this work for more than 90 years, and if
there's one thing we've learned, it's when to ask for
help. And it's now. We need your help right now.

Sometimes we ask you to take action, sometimes to
volunteer. Today, there is only one way to help: with
money.

We need to fight the 107 charges the local district
attorney has filed. We need to keep Congress from even
considering cutting $300 million in our funding. And we
need to do it fast, so that we can shut down this
outrageous effort before it gains any more momentum.

You can see and hear more from workers at clinics being
targeted by the anti-choice "40 Days for Life" campaign
on the blog posted by Planned Parenthood employee Emily
X. It's some tough but inspiring reading. She has been
signing her blog posts like this: I am Emily X. I am
Planned Parenthood.

You know what? You are Planned Parenthood, too.

Thank you for being there for us today. We'll keep you
posted about how you can help as this crisis evolves.

Sincerely,

Cecile Richards
President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Letters

2007-10-26T08:07:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple Letters to the Editor that were published in the Wisconsin State Journal this week:

Praise for Goldberg's thoughts on abortion

Thanks for columnist Jonah Goldberg 's insightful thoughts on abortion on the Oct. 18 Opinion page, summed up in one question: When does life begin? The only one with the true answer to this question is God, and only God has access to our hearts to help us bring about change in ourselves and in our world.

Thousands of people are now joined in prayer in 89 cities (four in Wisconsin) across the nation in the largest and longest simultaneous pro-life mobilization in American history -- 40 Days for Life. Through prayer and fasting, participants believe that abortion, the choice against women, will come to an end in our country.

So we will continue to pray for these victims and for those who profit financially from their conditions, especially the employees of Planned Parenthood, Madison. Find more information at www.40daysforlife.com. Thanks again for helping bring the abortion issue to the hearts of many.

-- Nick and Kay Ringelstetter, Prairie du Sac

...and also this one:

Bishop 's leadership inspires at vigil

A historic event in our country is now half over. Madison is one of 89 cities where Americans have been present -- day and night -- outside of abortion facilities to pray and fast for an end to abortion. The prayerful witness will continue through Nov. 4.

The Madison Abortion Clinic on Orin Road is the site of Madison 's 40 Days for Life vigil. Bishop Robert Morlino joined the prayer vigil from Sunday night to Monday morning. I am grateful beyond words to the bishop for his moral leadership, and invite those who believe Americans can do better than abortion to join the vigil.

I truly believe God will hear the blended prayers and sacrifices being made after 33 years of legalized abortion and bring it to an end.

-- Rebecca Sande, Cambridge

More Thoughts on Monday's Prayer Service

2007-10-25T08:12:00.000-05:00

Some additional reflections this morning from Bishop Morlino on the prayer service from last Monday:

I want to share how meaningful it was to stand in front of the Planned Parenthood Clinic from midnight until 1 a.m. last Sunday. To be with people who are praying and fasting during this 40 day vigil to end abortion is to be uplifted and given new hope.

As we quietly and peacefully prayed, I especially prayed for the unborn, for women who are tempted to abortion, for those women who think that their dignity is increased by the freedom of choice - not understanding that their dignity as women is really taken away by the freedom of choice, for those women who are hurt by the tragedy of abortion, that they will be healed and that they will have hope, and for those who perform these procedures that they will see the truth about them and come to the light.

I prayed for all of those who have kept and who will keep vigil during the 40 Days for Life, with thanksgiving for all that they give and for the sacrifice that they make.

The Scriptures each Sunday of this month have given us much to ponder on life issues. This coming Sunday's readings are especially pointed. The Pharisee thanks God that he is not like the rest of humanity, sinful and fallen. The tax collector simply says, "O God, be merciful to me a sinner."

Sometimes, I fear that people who have been part of an abortion see pro-life people as the Pharisees. Instead, we all need to pray as the tax collector does. We need to be the ones who humble ourselves so that others will see that they can be forgiven. We need to open our arms to the wounded, so that they will come for healing.

In the Responsorial Psalm we hear these words of comfort: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves." Reach out to those you know who are hurt and brokenhearted. Invite them to speak to any of our priests. Let them know that no sin is unforgivable, that our God is Love and that we, humble people who follow Christ, welcome them.

MJS Follow Up

2007-10-25T00:36:00.000-05:00

Patrick McIlheran from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has comments on his blog this week about the positive response he has received from his Sunday column on 40 Days for Life.

Heavens: I write with some sympathy about why people would stand outside an abortion place even in the middle of the night -- and I get overwhelmed with email.

A number of people who lauded me said it must have taken courage, the daily press not being particularly sympathetic to their cause. Well, no: My boss wants me to write stuff he disagrees with. It's in the job description. So I don't need any credit for that.

Especially since -- and this is by actual count -- the email was running 4-73 in favor of the column. I mention this only because I have never gotten 73 emails on anything I've written before, much less 73 emails -- the great majority from women, by the way -- liking it. People don't often bother to write unless they're ticked off.

Or insanely grateful. That's the other theme running through these emails: All sorts of people, many of them taking part in other 40 Days vigils around the country, saying thanks for not kicking them in the teeth. "So often," writes one woman, "people standing for life are portrayed as religious fanatics, extremists, woman-haters, violent, and screaming maniacs. ... Most people who give up their time to stand outside of an abortion clinic are peaceful, prayerful, concerned, heartbroken people." Others said they felt grateful just to hear their views presented, as one said, "without caveats."

Which is how you get, I guess, when you find yourself showing up in pop culture only as a standard bad-guy caricature. I've seen "Law and Order" maybe twice. Both times, it turns out, the bad guy was some spiral-eyed nut-case pro-lifer trying to blow up women. Or maybe it was any of a dozen other shows on which the label "pro-life" is presumed to be a cruel hypocrisy. Pro-lifers' relationship with the news and entertainment media seems to have degenerated to something like an abused spouse -- they flinch at the approach of a camera or a reporter.

So it was cheap grace on my part. All I had to do was listen to them, hear what they were saying, and I got emails like the one from a Mr. M'Mwirichia in Michigan, who wrote, "It's been a blessing praying in the cold, sometimes wet conditions and muscling through a fatigued work day is a small sacrifice compared to what is going on in that building. Thank you for your piece and may the work of your hands continue to be blessed."

It's a pretty cool job when you get to do things that lead people to bless you. I'm humbled.

Hey, as pro-lifers, I think it is okay to laugh at ourselves from time to time. Yes, it is tough being pro-life sometimes, as the media portrays us as being either anti-woman bigots, mentally disturbed persons, hypocrites, or any other number of false labels. But it is reassuring there are people like McIleran out there, may God Bless him, even if he thinks his column was not that important.

Midnight Prayer Service at Planned Parenthood

2007-10-23T07:47:00.000-05:00

Thank you everyone who came to our little past mid-way prayer service for 40 Days for Life Madison on October 22nd! Bishop Robert Morlino (pictured above) led the faithful in praying the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, with about 100 others who came to join him in prayer outside of Planned Parenthood. What a blessing, to have so many praying for life at midnight, especially considering so many of those there had to go to work or school later that day!

To listen to the bishop's comments from the prayer service, please click here.

After the bishop left, Fr. Eric Sternberg from Waunakee led those remaining (about 50) in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. The weather was surprisingly warm for this time of year, but it was great to have so many people there. The crowds began to disperse at about 1:00 a.m.

Some other photos are up on the website from the midnight prayer service, please check them out by clicking here.

Pulling on a lever you can't see

2007-10-21T08:23:00.000-05:00

Great article on 40 Days for Life this morning from Patrick McIlheran of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"You guys are nuts!" shouted a woman driving past the Farwell Ave. sidewalk where Francis Dantzman stood.

She was right, in a way. A slight, retirement-aged man in red-plaid flannel, Dantzman rode his bike from his home in Mequon on a day of rain and tornado watches. He was going to ride it home. If he's not nuts, he's at least daring.

In between, around 3:45 on a momentarily sunny afternoon, he was holding a sign reading, "Abortion kills children." He was also holding a rosary, a big, folk-arty wooden one, praying for an end to the abortions taking place in the building behind him. He was praying silently, and he did not interact with anyone going in or out, other than simply to be seen.

So in a purely materialist sense, the notion he'd have an effect on the atrocities happening nearby was kind of nuts.

Dantzman, standing alone, wasn't really alone: He was part of 40 Days for Life, a series of prayer vigils that people opposed to abortion are holding in about 90 cities nationwide, including Appleton, Green Bay and Madison. The vigils began Sept. 26. So far, say organizers, at least here, there's been someone present every moment, except for one 15-minute stretch.

Yannick Ratnayake, 33, was in front of the building in a light drizzle much earlier in the day - about 5:15 a.m. With him were three other men, all about the age where they'd have to head off for work shortly thereafter, as Ratnayake would. Some held rosaries; all were praying. The signs were stacked nearby. At that hour, there would be practically no one to see them anyhow.

Being prayerful and present was as much the point as being seen, said Ratnayake. A father of four, he feels abortion not only ends a human life, it inflicts lasting harm on the women who undergo it and on the society that permits it. Prayer, fasting, repentance, giving up some sleep - "There's so much redemptive power in that," he says.

The Milwaukee vigil's been drawing about as many women as men, say organizers, though the men predominate during the night. For fathers particularly, says Ratnayake, it's a chance to show some moral leadership. If one looks for some sense in why the men would stand in front of a building that no one would enter or leave for hours, that might be a reason.

And praying seems to be what the pro-life movement can do these days. From the standpoint of politics, things are cloudy. Presidential front-runners in both parties favor legalized abortion. One of them, New York's Republican ex-mayor Rudy Giuliani, was in town that day, not a quarter-mile south. He probably didn't see the vigilists.

Ratnayake says the vigil is the first time he's protested anything. Other men said the same. One mentioned how he was moved by the emotional devastation still wracking a friend years after her abortion. Another, Jim Wassel, 51, of Merton, said he felt called to the issue when he rejoined the Catholic church a year ago.

"You can't just sit at home and not do anything," he said.

So, he was in front of the again-empty building at 9:30 p.m., as the rain held off and concert-goers took a smoking break in front of Shank Hall. A few came to talk now and then, said another late-night vigilist, David Prado. Mostly, said Wassel, the men were praying for the souls of the children killed that day and for the souls of the people who killed them. Prado said one evening, a woman walked up, said she'd had an abortion and asked if she was doomed to hell. No, Prado told her. They prayed for her, too.

Which tells us why it makes sense to just stand and pray. If one believes that abortion is a terrible evil, if one fears that, as Pope John Paul II put it, we're trapped in a "culture of death," and if one believes in the reality of a loving God, then repenting and praying and standing in front of an empty building make sense. They amount to pulling on a very powerful lever that can't be seen.

As John Paul also said, "In the designs of Providence, there are no mere coincidences."

Once, there were eight abortion clinics in Milwaukee, Dantzman points out. Now, there are two.

Patrick McIlheran is a Journal Sentinel editorial columnist. His e-mail address is pmcilheran@journalsentinel.com

Testimony from a 40 Days Participant

2007-10-17T19:32:00.000-05:00

Testimony from Valerie Eilers, a 40 Days for Life participant.

I never thought in a million years that I would do something as bold as praying in front of an abortion clinic. I first heard about the 40 Days for Life campaign two months ago, and since that time, I questioned myself almost daily as to whether I’d be able to do it. During this time of discernment, my husband and I miscarried our fourth baby. Through the times of mourning, sadness, grief, and depression, I honestly hoped that God would exonerate me from participating in the vigil. By September 26, I could think of no reason not to participate except for fear.

Before getting married to my husband, my exposure to sex was one based on ignorance, sinfulness, and perversion of its true value. This is not the description one would expect of a person whose “education” about sex began in fifth grade and continued almost yearly throughout my public school career. To be truthful, I was not ignorant of the mechanics of sexual reproduction or of the anatomy of both male and female bodies.

What lacked in my sexual education was “the theology of the body.” I describe this as the soul’s connection to the physical act of sex. Without the soul, mankind would lack a feeling of purpose and completion; likewise sex without soul lacks purpose and integrity.

I may never know why sex was not addressed to me by my parents. Perhaps they, like the public school system, assumed that it was sufficient for me to learn about body mechanics, birth control, and disease prevention. The only thing I know for sure is that, by the time I had learned that abstinence was an option, it was already too late. At 16 years old, surrounded by what seemed at the time to be a unanimous majority of peers who were sexually active, I waited only for a person who I had a “long-term” relationship with (for appearance’s sake.) This was the devil’s sex- prompted by lust and an adolescent’s desire to fit in socially.

Having sex became to me a way to “purchase” affection, attention, and companionship during some of the loneliest, darkest, saddest years of my life. It was, like bulimia, drugs, and alcohol, a medicine I used to temporarily assuage the pains of my heart, soul, and mind. Whatever sanctity I may have inherently attributed to sex became tarnished more and more over time.

If poor self worth was the cause of my “prostitution,” each use and (especially) abuse exacerbated the horrible way I felt about myself.

Somewhere inside me, I knew that sex was only meant for the person I would marry. Yet everyone else, including my family who had taken me to the gynecologist for birth control at age 16, seemed to be saying the very opposite- if only by omitting that abstinence was an option.

Eight years ago, inevitably, I became pregnant out of wedlock, and it was again my sister who I told first. As was her habit, she interfered and told my mother about the pregnancy before I could. I remember sitting in that wingback chair facing the sofa where my irate mother and sister sat and issued the only choice I had, “Get an abortion, or you’re out.” I was an unwed and pregnant twenty-one year old woman. I wasn’t ready, but I wanted to do whatever was necessary to get ready to be a mother to the baby I thought of as my daughter Hunter. But, for me, there was no “choice” involved. I aborted Hunter, and no one ever talked about it.

Again, it seemed the devil’s choice was the only one: doing what was wrong and against my conscience for the sake of appearances and to comply with outside pressure. I went with a friend; I can’t remember if a family member even offered to go with me. As with every other trauma I’ve suffered in my life, I stuck a metaphorical sock in my mouth (probably food, alcohol, and drugs) so that my grief would be quiet enough not to disturb anyone.

From that time, I continued to plummet downward mentally and emotionally until, five years after the abortion, I finally reached rock bottom in my life. On August 23, 2004, I called out to God. I really didn’t know much about Him, except that He was the only one who could help me. I found out that being a Christian and/or believing in Christ carried with it a responsibility on my part. Like any other relationship, it required communication and openness to trust. To me, unlike relationships with human beings, this was neither burden nor risk. Perhaps the best part of my relationship with Christ was that it was intimate without being sexual. By this time in my life, “sexual” meant shame, sin, filth, and feeling robbed and violated.

God heard me, and He has healed me in many ways from the filth I’d accumulated from living contrary to His will. But, the culture of death has left its mark on me, and I’ve prayed so hard for God to put an end to the distortion I have about love, sex, and trust.

During the first year of my conversion to Christ, I relied heavily on my own reading of the Bible, as I’d been told that “all the answers are in the Bible.” Truthfully, I did find most of the inspiration and guidance I needed in there. However, for the healing and restoration I needed, and to stop repeating the same sins over and over again, I found redemption through the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist.

Lately, I’ve been struggling and asking God, “How can sex be redeemed- to go from an unholy act to a beautiful and sacred act? It will take an erasure of all of the lewd, perverse, and harming images and experiences of my fallen past.

40 Days for Life was His answer and gift to me. Over the years since 1999, I often wished that there had been someone who reached out and revealed that abortion was not the only “choice” I had. I am sure, though, that my conversion was helped by the prayers of compassionate souls who prayed for women like me and for the end of abortion. I can’t go back and change what happened in my life, but I can pray for others and ask God to show the same mercy he showed to me. I can beg Him to call them also to repentance and new life. Thanks to 40 Days for Life, I can also stand up for what’s right and oppose the evil that robbed me of so much.

* * *

The first time I went to the vigil site, I prayed for one hour while the clinic was closed. Nothing but grace can account for the near absence of fear I felt during that hour. I’ve gone back, not out of guilt or obligation but to pray empathetically and to show love for the people inside. I’ll never know the result of my prayers, but I trust that God hears them and will help the people who are hurting, lost, and deceived by the evils of abortion.

The next time I went was a Friday, and the Planned Parenthood was open. Knowing that Fridays are the days on which abortions are performed, it was heart-breaking to see the women and couples going inside. Being familiar with the atmosphere and what goes on in such places, it was even more upsetting. A very young girl came with her mother, and it made me sad to think of how much destruction this “choice” may cause in that family.

In the end, grace has abounded in my life during these 40 Days for Life. I feel newfound peace, and I think Hunter not only forgives me but is also proud that I’m standing up for other unborn babies and showing compassion to their young parents. My husband and I have met new friends, and we no longer feel so alone or isolated. Our relationship has deepened, as well as our faith lives. Through prayer, fasting, and community outreach, I’m confident that the lies and works of the culture of death are being put to death on a cross. When we cast aside what is evil, it is put to death, and new life rises from the ashes. I can testify that it’s true.

Mid-Way Prayer Service

2007-10-17T19:28:00.000-05:00

Please join us, if possible, next weekend Sunday, October 21st (arrive around 11:50 pm) to mark the little over midway point of the 40 Days for Life vigil. We will have the privilege of having Bishop Robert Morlino join us in vigil from Midnight-1am (Sunday night going into Monday morning, Oct 21-22)

Rosary at the Capitol

2007-10-12T17:40:00.000-05:00

And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."
-Apocalypse 12:1

Saturday, October 13th marks the 90th Anniversary of the Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima.

An organization called "America Needs Fatima" is organizing Rosary Rallies throughout the country this Saturday. At 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 13th, there will be a Rosary offered outside the Wisconsin State Capitol, at the State Street enterance. While this is not part of '40 Days for Life', this seems like a worthwhile endeavor. The scourge of abortion will not end in America unless we have recourse to the Lord Jesus, through his Mother.

Two Weeks...

2007-10-11T01:04:00.000-05:00

An image of the Divine Mercy of Jesus stands across from the Madison Planned Parenthood.

We have now passed two weeks of continuous 24 hour a day prayer outside of the Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Madison, Wisconsin. Laus tibi, Christe! May Our Lord continue to touch hearts and bring about a renewed reverence for the gift of life!

We also certainly had some very encouraging stories from last week. Here is what one of the vigil participants told us about their experience praying outside the abortion center:

This morning a lady who had walked into the Planned Parenthood Clinic while we were praying came back out, looked at us, and said ‘I didn’t.’

I’ve been praying through Psalm 119 as a prayer for all who support abortion, that that they would turn and follow God’s laws. Today I stopped at verse 175 and prayed this for the unborn being brought into the clinic by their mothers, ‘Let me live that I may praise you.’

Another vigil participant on a different day mentioned that a young woman who went into Planned Parenthood for pregnancy testing came out to talk to those praying. She thanked them for being out there, and said their prayers worked. May the Lord be with both of these women.

***

In a recent story about 40 Days for Life in the Capital Times, one of the abortion center staff remarked, "If they want to waste their time standing out there that's their business." The problem with Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, is that they have an incomplete understanding of reality, for they fail to see the importance and power of prayer. Only God has access to hearts, and only He can bring an end to abortion in America. Without prayer and without recourse to the Mercy of God, abortion will never come to an end in our country.

So we will continue to pray, especially for Madison's abortionist, Dr. Dennis Christensen.

Praying for Life: At Planned Parenthood clinic's doorsteps

2007-10-06T09:01:00.000-05:00

The Catholic Herald has a lot of good articles this week about respect life month and 40 Days for Life. If you are able, please try to pick up a copy!

Here's their article on 40 Days for Life by Mary Uhler.

MADISON -- Thousands of people are praying for life on the doorsteps of Planned Parenthood facilities at 89 different locations in 33 states around the United States, including Madison.

They are joining in 40 Days for Life from September 26 to November 4. "This is the largest and longest simultaneous pro-life mobilization in American history," said David Bereit, national director of the campaign.

In an interview on his visit to the Madison vigil on September 27 and 28, Bereit explained how this campaign got started. Planned Parenthood built a clinic in College Station, Texas, where Bereit lived. A friend of his called and told him that 10 babies had been terminated at the clinic. "It hit me that I had to do something. The light went on."

He talked with his wife, Margaret, and two weeks later quit his job in the pharmaceutical industry. "God made it clear that I didn't have a choice in the matter. It's been a journey in faith but we wouldn't change a thing," he said.

Bereit became director of the Coaliton for Life in College Station, where he worked for four years. He encouraged people from 60 churches to stand and pray outside the local abortion clinic.

In the fall of 2004, he planned the first 40 Days for Life in College Station. It included prayer, fasting, and community outreach with volunteers visiting 25,000 households with pro-life literature.

"We saw a continual drop in abortions," he said, up to 28 percent the year of the 40-day vigil. "Planned Parenthood labeled us the most anti-choice place in America."

The 40 Days for Life spread to Dallas, then Green Bay, Wis., Houston, and other cities. "It is astounding how God has worked," said Bereit.

He encourages people to participate in the vigil. "Ultimately it falls on each of us. Our example speaks louder than words."

Respect Life Mass

2007-10-06T08:54:00.000-05:00

As part of 'Respect Life' month, Bishop Robert Morlino from the Madison Diocese will be offering a Respect Life Mass on October 7th at 11:00 a.m. at St. Patrick's Church in downtown Madison.

For those interested, there will also be a Rosary March at Holy Redeemer Church (off of State Street) on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Photos from the Vigil Launch

2007-10-06T08:40:00.000-05:00

Check out the Photos on the 40 Days for Life Madison website for the opening prayer vigil on September 26th.

National Plug

2007-10-06T08:32:00.000-05:00

Nice, our blog got a plug from a national pro-life website. Jill Stanek, who is covering the events in Aurora, IL (they are now open, despite the courageous efforts of good people of faith down there), talks about the influence of blogs in shaping the debate surrounding Planned Parenthood's deception. Planned Parenthood used lies to get the city to get an abortion centered opened there, and while media coverage was originally favorable towards the pro-abortion side, eventually the non-conventional media helped get the word out about the dishonesty of Planned Parenthood.

Vigil Launch

2007-09-29T08:39:00.000-05:00

We are already on day 4 of the Madison 40 Days for Life Vigil. Praise be to God!

The Vigil began with a prayer service at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 26th. Father Rick Heilman of the Knights of Divine Mercy, and Dave Konkol from the House of Prayer, presided over the service, with about 60 others uniting with them in prayer.

Media coverage up to this point has been surprisingly fair. The Badger Herald (The UW's primary newspaper) had a very good article in Thursday's edition:

Pro-life group begins 40-day vigil
by Andrea Berg
Thursday, September 27, 2007

Anti-abortion rights activists gathered outside a Madison Planned Parenthood Wednesday evening to mark the beginning of a 40-day vigil to pray for women entering the clinic.

The 40 Days for Life campaign began three years ago in Texas, and this year, more than 90 groups will be participating in the 40 days of prayer and fasting throughout the nation.

The Madison event took place in front of Planned Parenthood at 3706 Orin Rd. The program stresses peace and the power of prayer and God.

“We just hope that more clinics end up closing down through the power of prayer,” said Steve Marshall, a participant in the vigil.

The opinions expressed by Marshall were echoed by many of the other people in attendance. Although those praying during the event do not intend to speak directly with people entering the clinic, they do hope their presence will be felt.

One of the speakers at the event, Tom Lang, discussed the effects he thinks the groups’ presence will have at this clinic.

“When we hear the statistic of 60 to 80 percent of women being coerced to have an abortion, these 40 days here will have a profound effect on women who are having second thoughts,” Lang said.

Lang and many of the other people present at the vigil hope to inform people about the options besides abortion. Group supporters also wish for legal action against abortion, but they are currently focused more on changing people’s personal feelings about it.

“We all pray for legal change, but it also has to be a conversion of hearts,” Lang said during an opening ceremony.

The presence of religious leaders was strongly felt at the kickoff for the campaign. Multiple religions had representation at the event and two of those leaders spoke during the opening prayer ceremony.

One of them, Pastor Dave Konkol, expressed his opinions on abortion and his views on the importance of prayer. Konkol also offered a message to unborn children who may be aborted.

“We cry out tonight for the innocent, unborn children who are unwanted, and we say to them that you are wanted,” Konkol said.

The organizer for the event, Amy Hying, said she has always felt strongly about abortion. Hying, like the many other people in attendance, believes that God has given them this event to begin the process of changing people’s minds about abortion.

Abortion, Hying said, is actually killing two people: the unborn child and the mother, who dies spiritually.

“So many women have had abortions and are in pain,” Hying said after the opening proceedings.

However, according to Lisa Boyce, vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood, the campaign’s outreach efforts are counterproductive.

“If they were really interested in reducing the incidences of abortion, they would instead put their efforts towards enhancing women’s reliability on clinics to prevent unintended pregnancies,” Boyce said.

Boyce added the campaign has never deterred people from entering the clinic in the past.

“It only delays women from seeking out treatment and puts her health at risk,” Boyce said. “It puts off exams that could potentially reveal cervical cancer or a sexually transmitted disease that could then be passed on if not caught right away.”

The Madison Capitol Times also had a good story on the vigil in Friday's newspaper:

Abortion foes begin 40-day clinic protest
Hannah Young
Correspondent for The Capital Times — 9/28/2007 11:52 am

For the second time this year, anti-abortion activists are gathering outside the Madison Abortion Clinic for a 40-day demonstration, which so far has been peaceful, according to a staffer at the clinic.

The protesters holding vigil outside the Madison Abortion Clinic at 3706 Orin Road are part of a national campaign called 40 Days for Life, which organized sit-ins outside abortion clinics in 89 cities across the nation. The demonstrations all began Wednesday at midnight.

According to a press release from Wisconsin Right to Life, activists will spend 40 days outside abortion clinics praying and fasting.

The campaign's Madison coordinator, Amy Hying, said there are currently around 200 people signed up. She said the average shift lasts three hours, and at least two people will be at the site praying throughout the 40 days.

"We just come here in prayer and peace and love because we know that our society is being hurt by abortion," Hying said this morning in a phone interview. "We come here as ambassadors of joy."

Hying said the demonstrators were excited Thursday because David Bereit, the national campaign director for 40 Days for Life, was in Madison to visit the site and participate in the vigil.

Kim, an employee at the Madison Abortion Clinic who declined to give her last name, said the protesters have been peaceful. She added that protesters are not anything new for the clinic and that they typically have a couple a week.

"If they want to waste their time standing out there that's their business," Kim said of the 40 Days for Life protesters. "We haven't had any incidents."

In Wisconsin, 40 Days for Life vigils are also being held in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Grand Chute.

David Bereit, the nationwide coordinator for 40 Days for Life, stopped by the pray with the Madison faithful outside the Planned Parenthood on Thursday.

Continue to pray that God may use this vigil to convert hearts and minds!

Vigil Begins at 6:00 p.m. Tonight

2007-09-26T00:07:00.000-05:00

Please join us at 6:00 p.m. tonight! We will begin the Madison Prayer Vigil outside of the East Side Planned Parenthood.

Update Out of Aurora

2007-09-20T19:01:00.000-05:00

The Prayer Vigil has already hit 40 days, and continues down in Aurora. The Planned Parenthood, which would have been the largest abortion center in the country and was scheduled to open this week, remains closed. Here is an update from ABC News:

By TARA BURGHART
Sept. 20, 2007

A federal judge Thursday refused to order Aurora officials to let Planned Parenthood open a clinic where abortions would be performed while authorities investigate whether the organization broke any laws when it applied for building permits.

U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle rejected Planned Parenthood's request for a preliminary injunction, which would have allowed the suburban clinic to open as early as Friday.

He said Planned Parenthood needed to provide more proof that Aurora officials are treating the clinic differently than it has similar businesses engaged in permit or zoning debates. That's something the organization's attorneys could do in future filings, the judge said.

"By no means is this case over. By no means," Norgle said.

The 22,000-square-foot, $7.5 million building in Aurora, about 35 miles west of Chicago, stands finished but empty. It was supposed to open this past Tuesday, but Aurora officials would not provide the necessary occupancy permits.

The chapter that will run the facility -- Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area -- applied for various local permits under the name of a subsidiary called Gemini Office Development.

Planned Parenthood officials and attorneys say that decision was made to protect the clinic's staff and construction workers from the types of protests happening outside the clinic now.

City of Aurora attorney Lance Malina argued to Norgle that the city has a right to investigate whether local laws were followed during the permit process, and to make sure the city was not defrauded.

The city of Aurora commissioned an outside review last month, but two attorneys were let go over potential conflicts of interest. The city is now awaiting an investigation and advice from the Kane County state's attorney.

Christopher Wilson, representing Planned Parenthood, said if the medical facility was a place where dentists or dermatologists were going to work, Aurora officials would not be holding such an in-depth review.

He said the clinic is being targeted for extra scrutiny because abortions will be performed there.

Catholic Herald Article

2007-09-20T18:57:00.000-05:00

Article from this week's edition of the Madison Catholic Herald

Forty Days for Life: Begins September 26 in Madison
MADISON -- This fall, from September 26 to November 4, Madison will be uniting with more than 80 cities in 32 states for the largest simultaneous pro-life mobilization in history - the nationwide 40 Days for Life campaign.

Madison will join together with Milwaukee, Appleton, and Green Bay in Wisconsin to hold a 24 hour a day, seven days a week prayer vigil outside of local abortion centers to pray to God for an end to abortion.

Some leaders are saying that, with God's help, this effort could mark the beginning of the end of abortion in America. Forty Days for Life is a focused pro-life campaign that has generated measurable lifesaving results in every community where it has been implemented. Some cities have reported as much as a 28 percent drop in local abortion numbers.

What is 40 Days for Life? It is a vigil based on peaceful prayer and fasting, using the biblically significant time period of 40 days. The 40 Days for Life campaign is made up of three key components:

Prayer and fasting: inviting people of faith throughout the city to join together for 40 days of fervent prayer and fasting for an end to abortion.
Those participating pray for their preborn brothers and sisters who are in danger of loosing their lives in their earliest moments. They pray for those women who feel trapped and alone, and feel abortion is their only option. They pray for those women and men who have already chosen abortion, and are in such need of healing because of their decision. They also pray for abortion doctors and abortion center staff, for they too are children of the same God who loves them and who longs for their conversion.

It could very well be that abortion is one of those society-wide devils that require people to humble themselves through a disciplined and simultaneous period of fasting. What does it mean to fast? While there are many different methods, fasting ultimately involves saying "no" to oneself. By denying oneself of those legitimate things to which one may have an inordinate attachment, whether it be food or other material goods such as television, persons allow God to work within them more actively and unimpeded.

Peaceful vigil: standing for life through a 40-day peaceful, prayerful vigil giving public witness outside the local abortion facility, Planned Parenthood, 3706 Orin Rd., Madison.

Community outreach: taking a positive, upbeat pro-life message to every corner of the city through media efforts, church presentations, flyers, petitions, and public visibility.
People are encouraged to join in the vigil next Wednesday, Sept. 26, outside Planned Parenthood on 3706 Orin Rd., off of Highway 51 in Madison at 6 p.m. for the beginning prayer service for 40 Days for Life. People will be gathering together to begin 40 consecutive days of prayer, keeping a peaceful presence every hour of the day. People are encouraged to come out as often as possible during the prayer vigil to be a witness for life.

For more information, visit Madison's vigil Web site at www.40daysforlife.com/madison For more information regarding the campaign in Wisconsin, visit www.40daysforlifewi.com or call 1-877-LIFE-360.

Today we are 8 days from the begining of 40 Days for Life nationwide

2007-09-18T20:33:00.001-05:00

Let us pray,
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Come, Father of the poor!
Come, treasures which endure!
Come, Light of all that live!

Come, O Blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, fill us with devotion to God alone. In the Risen Christ, we welcome You, O Spirit of truth, whom the Father sends in Jesus' name. Wash clean the sinful soul, and rain down your grace that we may be one in fidelity to our Lord Jesus, Christ. Amen.

9 Days Out

2007-09-17T21:35:00.000-05:00

With nine days before the nationwide vigil begins, please join us in praying to the Holy Spirit for the success of this vigil. We'll be posting a brief prayer here each day until the Vigil begins.

Let us pray,
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Holy Spirit, Lord of light,
From Your clear celestial height
Your pure beaming radiance give

Almighty and eternal God, send forth Your Spirit, who brought order from chaos at the beginning of the universe, and peace to the Lord's disciples. Grant that we, as your creation, baptized in your Spirit, may be filled with the seven gifts so that we may forever do your will and renew the face of the earth. Amen.

Final Meeting

2007-09-14T20:42:00.000-05:00

Our final planned 40 Days for Life Meeting will be held at St. John the Baptist Church in Waunakee, located on 209 South Street. The meeting is Sunday from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. If you have not had the chance to come to any of our other meetings, please join us! We will once again air Being Human, and will talk about praying outside an abortion center.

If your Church or pro-life organization would like any of the 40 Days for Life Madison Team come to speak to you, please contact us at 40daysforlifemadison@gmail.com and we will be happy to do so!

40 Days for Life in Aurora

2007-09-13T22:22:00.000-05:00

For those interested in following the ongoing 40 Days for Life in Aurora, Jill Stanek has an excellent blog, following the vigil.

In her most recent blog, she quotes an email from Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards sent to her supporters.

Planned Parenthood is under attack.

To be absolutely clear: the largest anti-choice protest we've seen in a very long time is happening at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora, Illinois, at this very moment.

It's easy to ignore if you don't live there or aren't a woman trying to seek health care services at the clinic. But I hope you won't ignore it, because what's happening in Aurora is what's happening to all of us who care about choice in America.

We are facing no less than the most emboldened protest by the most radical anti-choice people I've ever encountered. They've made our brand new health center in Aurora ground zero in their fight against women's access to health care. And they are determined to keep our clinic from ever opening.

If there was ever a time for us to ask for help from our pro-choice friends and family - this is it.

First, take a simple action that demonstrates how much support Planned Parenthood and the women we serve have from all over the country. Click here to tie a hot-pink ribbon at the clinic - one ribbon for every supporter.

Then, tell your circle of friends and family what's happening in Aurora and what it means for access to reproductive health care and choice for all of us.

If you know people in the Chicago area, encourage them to put up a lawn sign or volunteer.

The protesters are determined to stop us, it's true. But we're taking this battle into our own hands - and into YOUR own hands. We're determined to open this clinic any day now, and with more warmth, more strength, and more solidarity with our supporters across the country than ever before.

Thank you for doing your part today.

Sincerely,

Cecile Richards
President, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

P.S. Thank you for your action today - if you can, we'd be grateful for your financial support as well. Any amount will help.

Planned Parenthood is taking 40 Days for Life very seriously. Their fear alone should be enough of an incentive to get involved here in Madison, or at any other of the 89 vigil sites for that matter.

40 Days for Life starts September 26th

2007-09-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

Great article by Gordon Govier from allgodspeople.com. The article talks about the Madison vigil, and also our fearless leader.

Amy Hying, an accountant for a local trucking company, uses a lot of spreadsheets. But one in particular is very important in her life right now. It's the one she's using for the 40 Days for Life campaign that begins September 26th.

The spreadsheet has 960 spaces, one for each hour of each day between September 26th and November 4th. At least two volunteers will be signing up for each of those hours, to pray in front of the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic at 3706 Orin Road on Madison's east side. Madison is one of 89 cities in 33 states involved in the 40 Days for Life campaign. Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Appleton vigils are the other Wisconsin cities involved.

Amy says the campaign has the backing of both Wisconsin Right to Life and ProLife Wisconsin. And Madison churches are starting to get behind the movement. "It's a big thing to bring all the denominations together," she says.

Madison was once the home of at least three abortion clinics, and the scene of some large-scale prolife demonstrations two decades ago. Now with only one clinic, there have been fewer demonstrations in recent years. There are still people who go to pray in front of the clinic though, something that Amy has done on a weekly basis for the past several years. "It isn't always easy," she says.

Sidewalk counseling is not part of the plan for the 40 Days for Life campaign. In fact volunteers are being asked to sign a "statement of peace" that includes the assertions:

I understand that graphic images and profanity are not allowed on any clothing or signs.
I will not threaten, physically contact, or verbally abuse the employees, volunteers, or customers or anyone using the facility
"It's all about prayer and fasting," Hying says. So far about 30 volunteers have signed up for shifts of varying links. Right now she is trying to connect with some men's ministries, who might be interested in taking night shifts.

The leaders of the campaign note that 40 days is a significant time period for major changes to take place.

Noah experienced a transformation during 40 days of rain.
Moses was transformed by 40 days on Mount Sinai
The spies were transformed as a result of 40 days in the Promised Land
David was transformed by Goliath’s 40 day challenge
Elijah was transformed when God gave him 40 days of strength from one meal.
The city of Nineveh was transformed when God gave them 40 days to get their act together.

The disciples were transformed after 40 days with Jesus following His resurrection.
An organizational/training meeting will be held tonight (Sept. 10th) at Madison's International House of Prayer, 1714 Eagan Road. Another meeting will be held on the west side Thursday night, Sept. 13th, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 602 Everglade Drive. For more information, contact Amy Hying: 40DaysForLifeMadison@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 698-3877. And check out the local website at http://www.40daysforlife.com/madison/.

Of course, it is very beautiful to see those spreadsheets filled by people committing to come out and pray, so please check out our calendar and let Amy know if you can come for an hour or more!

Meetings This Week

2007-09-10T07:17:00.001-05:00

Just a reminder, 40 Days for Life Madison will have two meetings this week, one on the east side and one on the west side of Madison. No need to come to both.

The first will be Monday, September 10th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the House of Prayer, located at 1714 Eagan Road, near the Princeton Club next to West Towne Mall. We'll be talking about our mission of prayer and will be showing the documentary 'Being Human'.

The next meeting will occur at St. Thomas Aquinas Church on Thursday, September 13th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. St. Thomas Aquinas is located at 602 Everglade Dr.

Yes, we know it is the first Monday Night game tonight, but it is a double header, so it is okay to miss one game.

So How Much is One Human Life Worth?

2007-09-08T17:54:00.000-05:00

Very Tragic...here are the prices for abortions at our local Planned Parenthood. Seems it costs a little more the older the baby. Very sad.

Medical Abortion: RU486- $495.00, Methotrexate- $495.00

Surgical Abortion:
Pre-Abortion Counseling/Ultrasound- $100
up to 12 weeks LMP- $395
13 & 14 weeks LMP- $495
15 & 16 weeks LMP- $650
17 & 18 weeks LMP- $825
19 & 20 weeks LMP- $1050
21 & 22 weeks LMP- $1350
23 weeks LMP - $1750
More than 23 weeks LMP- $2250

Let us pray that, through this vigil, the Holy Spirit softens the hearts of all those working in the abortion industry.

Extremist protesters are on the horizon!

2007-09-08T17:47:00.000-05:00

It seems as if 40 Days for Life is causing no small amount of consternation for abortion rights supporters, as evidenced by this notice put out by the Houston area Planned Parenthood, which has already experienced one 40 Days for Life Vigil.

At least one can say that Planned Parenthood is never boring!

Pro-life vigil: Shows importance of praying in spirit of peace

2007-09-04T18:58:00.000-05:00

Bishop Robert C. Morlino talks to the crowd gathered on the sidewalk outside the Planned Parenthood Clinic on Madison's east side during the pro-life vigil for an end to abortion. (Catholic Herald photo by Kat Wagner)

The following article appeared in the August 30, 2007 edition of the Madison Catholic Herald, regarding the Diocese of Madison Seminarian's annual Respect Life Vigil.

MADISON -- The vigil outside the eastside clinic where abortions are performed was as peaceful a witness to the desire to end abortion as the silent reminder on the billboard opposite the clinic that reads "Defend Life."

People entering the Planned Parenthood Clinic either stared at those gathered for the vigil, especially during the talk by Bishop Robert C. Morlino and the rosary that followed, or they avoided eye contact. Occasionally passing drivers would heckle, beep their horns, or offer crude gestures.

But those at the vigil, some sitting in lawn chairs and others standing or kneeling, simply held their beads or pro-life signs and continued in the spirit of prayer.

"We're not here in a spirit of human combat," Bishop Morlino said. "We're here in a spirit of spiritual combat, which from our point of view is always a spirit of peace."

The vigil was organized by intern Scott Emerson with the Diocese of Madison Office of Vocations and associate director Tom Nelson of the Office of Justice and Pastoral Outreach.

The prayer outside the clinic off of Stoughton Rd. was held simultaneous with Eucharistic Adoration at nearby St. Peter Parish and a prayer walk from Holy Redeemer Parish downtown, which was organized by pro-life members of that parish.

Still solidly pro-life
This year is the fourth year the vigil was held, but, unlike previous years when the vigil would span the course of the night, it was planned for the daylight hours over two days.

The crowd was at least 40 thick for more than an hour during the second day and included not only 12 priests and several seminarians but also laypeople of all ages from around the diocese. They squeezed onto the public space of the sidewalk and the grass beside the road in order to hear the bishop's talk and pray the rosary with him.

At other times the vigil crowd was sparser, though there were always at least two seminarians present to carry on the prayer.

The vigil, said Msgr. Jim Bartylla, director of the Office of Vocations, was an opportunity not only to be faithful, but also to bring the crime against the unborn at Planned Parenthood and the Catholic belief in the dignity of life to the forefront of people's thoughts.

Especially with the bishop present, it provided a symbol to strengthen people to continue the fight, he said: "I think it helps people to know the church is still solidly pro-life, and we're going to remain visibly committed to that."

The vigil also served as an opportunity to train the seminarians, he said. "The concrete nature of watching people go in and come out of the clinic . . . it's a very pastoral moment for seminarians to see the pain and death that goes on daily in society."

Society of violence
"More and more people are tending to solve their anger or their disappointment of the failure in their life by killing somebody," Bishop Morlino said in his talk. "When we do that, we create a society of incredible violence."

"I really believe that it all started with abortion," he said. "Because death was invisible, because the massacre was invisible and we didn't see it, we took it for granted and that's the start of the slippery slope."

Abortion, the bishop said, hurts women because it turns the womb into a tomb.

"It's death-dealing to the baby, but it's also death-dealing to the mother, insofar as she is a woman, because it deprives her of her womanhood and creates a mind-body split," he said.

"So let's pray for the women who are tempted to abortion and who have abortions today in a special way," the bishop said, "not seeking to condemn, but hoping that they would be invited to grow in truth of their own womanhood and hoping that, if they have had an abortion, they would never hesitate to turn to the loving mercy of God."

Members of 40 Days for Life Madison participated in the Vigil, covering the night hours when the Seminarians were not present.

It would seem the Vigil had some positive fruits. A couple of the 40 Days for Life crew were present at the abortion center before it opened during the 7:00 a.m. hour on August 16th. Although no signs were being held and vigil participants did not aggressively engage the young women entering the Planned Parenthood, one couple did stop by the center before it opened, as they had a morning appointment to schedule an abortion.

After about 15 minutes of waiting, the young man who drove to Planned Parenthood with his girlfriend left his car and came up to those of us who were praying outside the abortion center, asking about why we were out there. After talking with the young man for a few minutes, he revealed that they had drove from out of town to schedule an abortion. He did not really want to go through with the abortion, but his girlfriend thought they should.

Although we were a little unprepared, we did have a good conversation with young man, and we talked to him about the nearby CareNet Pregnancy Center. He seemed excited to hear about alternative care that was available outside of an abortion, so he and his girlfriend left the facility, apparently intending to go to CareNet for service instead. We later received confirmation that a young couple did stop by CareNet that morning.

Of course, it may not be possible to know the ending of this story. But we trust in the love and mercy of God. We hope there will be many more stories like this during the 40 Days for Life throughout the country. Sometimes, just being there for someone to talk to in a peaceful and non-judgemental way, can make a huge difference in helping a young couple handle what is certainly a very difficult situation, and not make a decision they will later regret.

Seminarian Vigil for Life

2007-08-27T23:49:00.000-05:00

Some comments made by His Excellency, Bishop Robert Morlino, at the Diocese of Madison Seminarians annual vigil for life, held outside the Madison Planned Parenthood earlier this month.

Madison Vigil Calendar

2007-08-24T08:02:00.001-05:00

The Madison 40 Days for Life Vigil Calendar is up and running!

There is also a link to our vigil calendar on the right side of the blog, under Wisconsin Pro-Life groups. Please take a look at this when you have the opportunity.

40 Days for Life Madison is attempting to have at least two people praying outside the Planned Parenthood abortion center for every hour of the day during the vigil, which will start on September 26 and end on November 4. For those time slots listed on the calendar as 'filled', we already have at least two people committed to come and pray during that hour. If it says "1/2 filled", that means we have only one person committed at the present time, and need an additional person.

Please take a look and consider committing to come out and pray during a time slot not already filled. Please send us an email at 40DaysforLifeMadison@gmail.com, or call (877) Life-360 for questions or to sign up.

Chicago Pro-Lifers Launch Massive Effort to Stop New Abortion Clinic from Opening - 40 Day Vigil

2007-08-23T20:00:00.000-05:00

As 40 Days for Life Madison and other communities prepare for the nationwide vigil on September 26, please keep this effort in your prayers.

AURORA, Illinois, August 20, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A massive pro-life press conference and rally was held near the newly-constructed facilities of a mega Planned Parenthood abortion mill on Thursday. The event was part of a full-scale campaign launched by pro-lifers from the Chicago district to prevent the clinic’s scheduled opening this fall.

About four hundred people attended the pro-life rally that was held at the Prisco Community Center in Aurora. Pro-life flyers, little plastic figures of foetuses and other information and promotional material lined the tables inside the building.

Jim Sedlak of STOPP Planned Parenthood, one of the keynote speakers during the day’s events, encouraged the pro-life campaign, mentioning another case in which protesters stopped a facility by raising legal challenges. At the rally Sedlack encouraged pro-lifers to continue their fight against Planned Parenthood because it “can” be beaten.

Ohio Right to Life director Denise Mackura also pumped enthusiasm into listeners, members of Families Against Planned Parenthood, saying, “We fight with you to stop this kind of poison that's going to flow into the city of Aurora when this facility opens up. Mackura, who will be discussing various legal options with lawyers and advisors next week, described specific practical ways to stop the clinic from opening.

Jason Craddock of the TMS Pro-Life Law Centre spoke enthusiastically about people’s rights and freedom of speech, and finally, Elizabeth Earl explained the “40 Days for Life” Prayer Vigil, which is being held outside the clinic this month. At the end of the rally, Pro-Life Action League Director Eric Schiedler, the Master of Ceremonies, invited people to participate in a candlelight vigil outside the abortion clinic. Here about 60 people sung hymns and prayed for an end to abortion.

The new Planned Parenthood facility, is nick-named the “Abortion Fortress” because of its high brick walls, bullet-proof glass and security cameras. Built under the name “Gemini Medical Office,” the 22,000 square foot building at Oakhurst Drive and New York Street will offer contraceptives, pregnancy tests, counselling and testing for sexually transmitted diseases, the Daily Herald Reports. According to president and CEO of Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area Steve Trombley, abortions will comprise about 10% of patient care.

Outside the abortion facilities that are scheduled to open on September 18, pro-life witnesses held pictures of babies and signs that said, “Mommy, let me live.” They planted dozens of small white crosses in the ground with the words “John Doe baby” written across the front.

A group of pro-choice protesters also showed up outside the Center during the rally, but they did not have a permit to picket and were confined to a sidewalk along one side of the building.

Referring to the abortion site, Scheidler stated, “Planned Parenthood snuck into town.” He continued, “They were nearly finished building this place before we learned about it. We haven't got much time to stop them, but we're doing all we can.”

In a last minute, full-force effort to halt the clinic’s opening, the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League, supported by scores of pro-lifers from the area, launched a massive “40 Days for Life” campaign. Since 8 a.m. on August 9, they have been constantly praying, fasting and holding a 24-hour vigil outside the abortion site. Pro-lifers from all different Christian denominations in the Chicago area have joined the effort, begging God to stop abortion and keep the clinic from opening.

Local pro-lifers are hopeful, for the “40 Days for Life” Campaign has proved tremendously (and many say miraculously) successful throughout the United States. In areas where the prayer campaign has been launched, abortion clinics have closed and many other major victories for the pro-life movement have been won. The largest “40 Days for Life” Campaign is scheduled to take place in cities across the nation starting on September 26 (See http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jul/07072602.html).

“This is the most powerful grassroots pro-life effort I've ever seen,” said Scheidler. “We can scarcely keep track of the prayer pledges coming in. The people of Aurora and their neighbors in nearby towns do not want an abortion clinic here. Period.” Scheidler declared, “Whether it's 40 days or prayer or 40 years of effort, we will shut down the Abortion Fortress of Aurora.”

Pro-lifers are encouraged to attend a massive pro-life demonstration in front of the Planned Parenthood facility next Saturday morning, August 25 from 9 to 11 a.m.

For more information about the fight against Planned Parenthood in Aurora and to sign-up for the 24-hour prayer vigil outside the Aurora abortion clinic visit: http://familiesagainstplannedparenthood.org/

Being Human

2007-08-23T00:32:00.000-05:00

The documentary "Being Human", which recently aired on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), explains exactly what 40 Days for Life is all about. If you have not already had the chance, please feel welcome to view this important program at your convenience. It talks about the motivations behind the original 40 Days Campaign down in Texas, and how the vigil involved people from all walks of life, most of whom were never even active in the pro-life movement before the vigil.

"Being Human" will air again on EWTN on September 3rd. The program will air at 2:00 a.m. central time (if you are up that early!) and will air again at 5:30 p.m.

40 Days for Life Madison

2007-08-21T23:54:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the 40 Days for Life Madison Blog! This blog will serve as a resource for persons in the Madison area who are concerned about the tragedy of abortion and want to stand for the cause of life.

Starting September 26th, 2007, pro-life citizens throughout the country will be praying in solidarity for forty consecutive days outside of abortion centers across America. Together we will raise our voices to the Lord, that he might help us re-establish a culture that values the sanctity of all human life, from conception to natural death. This will be done by prayerful witness and fasting during these forty days, ending on November 4th.

Madison area pro-lifers will be gathering outside of the Planned Parenthood located at 3706 Orin Road, off of Highway 51. Many unborn children have lost their lives at this abortion center, and we will pray that the Lord will bring an end to this tragedy here in Madison, and that He will bring healing to those women who have been victimized by Planned Parenthood.

For more information on the National 40 Days for Life Campaign, please take a few minutes to visit their website, at http://www.40daysforlife.com/.