| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 16, 2015 |
CONTACT: Ryan Hughes Shirley & Banister Public Affairs 703-739-5920/800-536-5920 rhughes@sbpublicaffairs.com |
“Broken Washington Process” Contributes to Concerns of Pro-Life Leaders |
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| Washington, D.C – Last night, the House of Representatives released the text of the FY 2016 Omnibus. The bill maintains the status quo with current pro-life provisions and adds funds for abstinence education while cutting funds to organizations that support coercive abortions. However the legislation fails to address a number of critical pro-life concerns namely churches being forced to directly pay for abortions through their insurance plans; and taxpayer funding of abortions through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as through the state exchanges.
“We are told that the Republican Leadership fought hard for conscience rights and for that I am grateful,” said Tom McClusky, March for Life Action Vice President of Government Affairs. “However, because of the closed door process, the exclusion of all but a handful of elected officials and the absence of any acknowledgment of this terrible ethical dilemma from Leadership, California churches will continue to be forced to pay for abortions through their own insurance, a violation of federal law. With this spending bill, Congress shoulders the responsibility alongside the Obama Administration for this gross violation of our First Amendment rights. Ironically, the text of this bill came out on the 224th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights.” “Moreover the ultimate problem is that the budgetary process is broken,” Mr. McClusky added. “The most important requirement for our legislators is to implement a structured order to fund the government, which has not been accomplished for over 20 years. And this breakdown is the responsibility of both the White House and Congress, regardless of party control. When Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) accepted the speaker’s gavel, he made a vow to return to regular order, in which the Congress runs by deliberation rather than fiat and lawmakers have more control over amending and shaping legislation. We look forward to working with Speaker Ryan and Members of Congress when they return in 2016 in his efforts to bring order to this current chaos.” The March for Life in Washington, D.C., began as a small demonstration on January 22, 1974, the first anniversary of the now-infamous Supreme Court decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton and rapidly grew to be the largest pro-life event in the world. The peaceful demonstration that has followed on this somber anniversary every year since is a witness to the truth concerning the greatest human rights violation of our time, abortion. |
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| Jeanne Mancini, President of March for Life Education and Defense Fund, is available for interviews. For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Ryan Hughes at RHughes@SBPublicAffairs.com or (703) 739-5920.
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Omnibus Spending Bill Continues to Allow Forcing Churches to Subsidize Abortions
President Codifies Pro-Life Language in Education Bill
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 11, 2015 |
CONTACT: Ryan Hughes Shirley & Banister Public Affairs 703-739-5920/800-536-5920 rhughes@sbpublicaffairs.com |
Every Student Succeeds Act Includes Prohibition on Abortion Funding |
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| Washington, D.C – Today the President signed S. 1177, the Every Student Succeeds Act, a bipartisan education bill that will replace No Child Left Behind. While the March for Life Education and Defense Fund takes no position on the underlying bill we applaud the inclusion of the codification of a new prohibition on abortion funding. S. 1177 permanently codifies an abortion funding prohibition for the entire Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), for the first time adding the education authorization to the programs like the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the Department of Defense that contain permanent pro-life funding protections.
“House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline deserves high praise for taking this initiative,” said Tom McClusky, Vice-President of March for Life Action. “The truth of the matter is that the abortion industry receives taxpayer funding through various parts of the Federal government. Chairman Kline saw the opportunity to stop one of those spigots and he turned it off, to the benefit of all taxpayers. While Americans seem divided on the issue of abortion, a large majority of the country agrees that taxpayers should not be subsidizing the abortion industry.” If this is an example of Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wisc.) vow to let Chairmen have more power over what comes to the House floor we fully support that, especially when Members like Rep. Kline show such pro-life forward thinking.” The March for Life in Washington, D.C., began as a small demonstration on January 22, 1974, the first anniversary of the now-infamous Supreme Court decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton and rapidly grew to be the largest pro-life event in the world. The peaceful demonstration that has followed on this somber anniversary every year since is a witness to the truth concerning the greatest human rights violation of our time, abortion. |
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| Jeanne Mancini, President of March for Life Education and Defense Fund, is available for interviews. For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Ryan Hughes at RHughes@SBPublicAffairs.com or (703) 739-5920.
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Volunteering at an Abortion Clinic, From the Other Side of the Street
Guest Blog Post By By Jill Gadwood
I completely agree with the subtitle of the recent BuzzFeed article on abortion which was posted by a member of their staff on November 4th, 2015: “Anyone who really wants to understand what’s at stake in the debate over abortion should spend some time outside the places where it happens.”
![SWCforwebpage-388x300[1]](https://marchforlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/SWCforwebpage-388x3001.jpg)
Except, don’t be surprised if you show up to an abortion clinic and there are no men screaming at teenage rape victims while the volunteer escorts hand them tissues. While we will assume that this did actually happen at the unidentified abortion clinic where the BuzzFeed staff writer volunteers, it is certainly not an experience that can be generalized. (As a side note, just once I would like to hear someone justify abortion without referring to rape, which reportedly accounts for 1% of abortions nationwide.)
How do I know this? Because here in New York City, along with over 300 other cities across the world, we just completed 40 days of peaceful prayer outside abortion clinics as part of 40 Days for Life. This is a pro-life movement that has been taking place twice a year for the last 8 years, with participation from over 650,000 individuals worldwide.
What we witnessed during the last 40 days at the Margaret Sanger Center Planned Parenthood in downtown Manhattan is typical of what our sidewalk counselors see 365 days a year and what other local 40 Days for Life campaigns experience across the country. Women come to the clinic for an abortion, usually accompanied by a friend, boyfriend or husband. The pro-life sidewalk counselors hand out brochures explaining the many local resources available for pregnant women in need, including: housing; financial, medical and legal support; help with education and employment; and, equally as important, friendship.
Some of the women stop and talk to the sidewalk counselors. While each story is different, the common thread is that these women are afraid. Not afraid of the people praying for them across the street, but afraid of how their lives will change with a baby. Are we really “empowering” women by encouraging them to give in to this fear and abort their child? It certainly doesn’t seem so after spending 40 days watching women leave the abortion clinic hours after their appointment, clutching their abdomen, dejected, crying, barely able to walk down the street (or even worse, carried out on a stretcher and into an ambulance, as we witnessed on October 14th).
The mission of the sidewalk counselors, and the pro-life movement generally, is to empower pregnant women to choose life for their baby and support them with the resources needed to do so. The 40 Days for Life campaign in particular is centered on prayer.
The mission of the sidewalk counselors, and the pro-life movement generally, is to empower pregnant women to choose life for their baby and support them with the resources needed to do so.
Not only do we pray for the men, women and children entering and exiting the abortion clinic, we pray for the clinic staff and the volunteer escorts. We do not hate, we love. We do not scream, we pray. The only people screaming outside the Margaret Sanger Center Planned Parenthood in Manhattan are the passersby who see us praying and immediately react with anger and insults. But we don’t scream back. We keep praying, and we pray for them too.
Super Bowl Champ to Speak at March for Life
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 7, 2015 |
CONTACT: Ryan Hughes
Shirley & Banister Public Affairs |
Baltimore Ravens Football Star Matt Birk will Keynote Rally & Dinner |
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| Washington, D.C. — The March for Life 2016 is fast approaching, and the March For Life Education & Defense Fund is pleased to announce that Super Bowl Champ and pro-life advocate Matt Birk will speak at this year’s March for Life Rally on the National Mall and keynote the 34th Annual Rose Dinner, both of which will be held on January 22, 2016.
As a Center for the Baltimore Ravens, Matt Birk is a 15 year veteran of the National Football League. He was recognized as the 2011 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year, which acknowledges off the field contributions to the community as well as on the field accomplishments. Named to the Pro Bowl 6 times, Matt’s career culminated in February of 2013 in a Super Bowl win for the Baltimore Ravens. Following the Raven’s victory, Matt chose not to participate in the White House Super Bowl celebratory meeting with President Obama because of the president’s support for Planned Parenthood, a decision that received significant media coverage. Matt and his wife, Adrianna, are both actively involved in the pro-life movement, including with their local pregnancy center and past participation in pro-life marches. The couple have 6 children and currently reside in Greenwich, CT. “We are very excited about Matt Birk’s participation in this year’s March for Life and annual Rose Dinner,” said Jeanne Mancini, President of the March for Life Education & Defense Fund. “Matt has been a role model for all Americans by combining his successful football career with his inspiring leadership in his community.” The March for Life in Washington, D.C., began as a small demonstration on January 22, 1974, the first anniversary of the now-infamous Supreme Court decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton and rapidly grew to be the largest pro-life event in the world. The peaceful demonstration that has followed on this somber anniversary every year since is a witness to the truth concerning the greatest human rights violation of our time, abortion. |
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| For more information, please contact Ryan Hughes at RHughes@SBPublicAffairs.com or (703) 739-5920.
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Senate Votes to End Federal Funding of Planned Parenthood
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 4, 2015 |
CONTACT: Ryan Hughes
Shirley & Banister Public Affairs |
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Pro-Life Protections Necessary in End-of-Year Spending Bill |
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