Congratulations for surviving the 2016 Election!
At this time, it appears that the unborn and vulnerable are safer in our country. Now we can be hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court will move in a direction to protect life. Now we can be hopeful that Congress will pass life protecting legislation. We can hope that our president will sign that legislation and begin the process of reversing the deadly effects of Roe v. Wade.
You helped make it happen with your vote.
Pro-life Battle One: You and we won because of your help.
In Illinois of the 45 contested races where our Political Action Committee (PAC) endorsed a candidate, 32 of our candidates won. Overall, 66 of our 79 PAC endorsed candidates were elected. Candidates like Dan McConchie who won his race for the state senate. Dan worked at Americans United for Life and now he is in Springfield fighting for innocent life in the Senate.
Thank you for supporting our pro-life candidates!
Pro-life Battle Two: We need your help right now.
BUT NOW we must turn our attention to the Illinois General Assembly and begin our lobbying efforts once again. HB4013, the Taxpayer Funding of Abortion bill, is in the Illinois House ready for a vote during the Fall Veto Session. The Fall Veto Session is November 15th through November 17th and November 29th through December 1st. House Speaker Mike Madigan lost 4 seats this election and so the pro-aborts are pushing to pass their bad legislation before the new assembly is seated in January 2017. The Illinois Federation will be there pushing back.
Starting in September of this year all of our fundraising efforts were focused on funding our PAC. It was our belief that the election was so important we were willing to risk underfunding our operating/lobbying fund to be sure the PAC was funded. We needed to survey candidates, make endorsements, inform our supporters of our endorsements and assist pro-life candidates.
I believe that it was the right decision; however, we must immediately begin to build up our operating funds to keep our office open and to support our lobbying activities this veto session and the upcoming spring 2017 legislative session.
We suspect that the opposition will introduce an assisted suicide bill in the spring. We must always be ready to defend our Parental Notification law from hostile amendments that would render the law ineffective or from efforts to repeal the law. We must be prepared to fight any and all of the pro-abortion attacks in Springfield.
We fought relentlessly against SB1564 the bill that amended the Illinois Right of Conscious Act in Illinois. The goal of the bill was to close our pregnancy resource centers. As you know it passed and was signed by Governor Rauner. Two lawsuits have been filed – one in federal court and one in state court. The court battle will rage on as valiant pro-life attorneys seek to stop this monstrous law. But a better way altogether would be to prevent costly litigation by stopping destructive legislation before it becomes law.
We celebrate the outcome of the election with you. However, we must honestly and soberly assess our situation in Illinois. We must continue to fight the enemy on all fronts – elections, education and legislation. The Illinois Federation for Right to Life as founded embraces grassroots activists as our partners in this fight for life. To this day we know that you, the wonderful pro-life people throughout this state will be the force that turns this state around.
We celebrate you!
All of our work depends on you - your prayers, your calls, your letters, your visits to Springfield and your financial support. We are here for you and you are there for us. Together we must defeat the forces that continue to create a culture of death in Illinois.
Please consider sending a generous donation now so that we –as partners-can continue the crucial work of saving lives. Click here to make a secure online donation now.
Yours for life,
Dawn Behnke
Pres. IFRL
