IFRL PAC Announces its Endorsements for the Illinois 2014 General Election

Illinois Federation for Right to Life PAC

Endorsements for the 2014 General Election

United States Senator

James “Jim” Oberweis (R)

Attorney General

Paul M. Schimpf (R)

Congressional Races

Eric Wallace (R) CD2

Daniel Lipinski (D) CD3

Peter Roskam (R) CD6

Larry Kaifesh (R) CD8

Susanne Atanus (R) CD9

Darlene Senger (R) CD11

Mike Bost (R) CD12

Rodney Davis (R) CD13

Randall M. Hultgren (R) CD14

John M. Shimkus (R) CD15

Adam Kinzinger (R) CD16

Bobby Schilling (R) CD17

Aaron Schock (R) CD18

State Senate

Shaun Colin Murphy (R) LD18

Michael G. Connelly (R) LD21

Chris Nybo (R) LD24

Matt Murphy (R) LD27

Karen McConnaughay (R) LD33

Neil Anderson (R) LD36

Tim Bivins (R) LD45

Linda Little (R) LD48

Chapin Rose (R) LD51

Kyle McCarter (R) LD54

State House

Mark Calonder (R)  HD10

Michael P. McAuliffe (R) HD20

Mark Ekhoff (R) HD34

Victor C. Horne (R) HD35

Margo McDermed (R) HD37

Heidi Holan (R) HD46

Patricia R. Bellock (R) HD47

Peter Breen (R) HD48

Keith Wheeler (R) HD50

David McSweeney (R) HD52

David Harris (R) HD53

Tom Morrison (R) HD54

Bill Grossi (R) HD57

Keith Turner (I) HD60

Sheri Jesiel (R) HD61

Rod Drobinski (R) HD62

Steven Reick (R) HD63

Barbara Wheeler (R) HD64

Steven A. Andersson (R) HD65

Michael W. Tryon (R) HD66

John Cabello (R) HD68

Joe Sosnowski (R) HD69

Robert W. Pritchard (R) HD70

Jim Wozniak (R) HD71

Donald L. Moffitt (R) HD74

Jerry Long (R) HD76

Katherine Cloonen (D) HD79

Jim Durkin (R) HD82

Krishna Bansal (R) HD84

Diane Harris (R) HD86

Rich Brauer (R) HD87

Keith Sommer (R) HD88

Tom Demmer (R) HD90

Michael D. Unes (R) HD91

Norine K. Hammond HD93

Randy E. Frese (R) HD94

Wayne  Rosenthal (R) HD95

Sue Scherer (D) HD96

Mark Batinick (R) HD97

Yvonne Bolton (R) HD98

Raymond Poe (R) HD99

Christopher Davidsmeyer (R) HD100

Bill Mitchell (R) HD101

Adam Brown (R) HD102

Chad Hays (R) HD104

Dan Brady (R) HD105

John Cavaletto (R) HD107

Charlie Meier (R) HD108

David Reis (R) HD109

Reginald Phillips (R) HD110

Daniel V. Beiser (D) HD111

Dwight Kay (R) HD112

Melinda Hult (R) HD113

Terri Bryant (R) HD115

Jerry Costello II (D) HD116

John Bradley (D) HD117

Brandon Phelps (D) HD118

Local Races

Mark Curran, Jr. for Lake County Sherriff

This ad is paid for by the IFRL-PAC, connected with the Illinois Federation for Right to Life, Inc. and was not authorized by any of the candidates. Joe Behnken Treasurer. A copy of our report is on file and is available for purchase from the Federal Election Commission, Washington, D.C., and the Illinois State Board of Elections, Springfield, IL.

Students Create Unbelievable Works of Art for National Pro-Life Chalk Day

Yesterday, Students for Life of America (SFLA) and other pro-life groups participated in National Pro-Life Chalk Day at junior high, high school and college campuses across the country.

Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life, said SFLA has encouraged sidewalk chalking on college campuses and public places in the past because its one of the cheapest, most creative and effective ways of getting your pro-life message out to as many people as there is foot traffic.

Hawkins said, “Sidewalk chalking pro-life messages on campus is a critical tool to educate students in schools across the country. With a few pieces of chalk and pro-life slogans, you can leave a lasting impression on hundreds or even thousands of people. With National Pro-Life Chalk Day, we are uniting students from across the country as they make an impact on their campus and their communities.”

As it turns out, pro-lifers are pretty artistic! See some of their artwork below!

LifeNews.com by Sarah Zagorski

5 Hypocritical Pro-Abortion Celebrities

Hollywood celebrities often star in films and TV shows that feature pro-life plot lines. Unfortunately, these pro-life messages don’t follow them out of the studio. These are just a few actors whose pro-abortion views don’t match the encouraging work they’ve produced.

1. Mark Ruffalo

Ruffalo is staunchly pro-abortion. Not only did he deem it “common sense” to support abortion rights, he even claimed he was proud his mother aborted his sibling.

Columnist Kathryn Lopez made an important contrast between Ruffalo’s comments and the movie “Just Like Heaven.” Ruffalo starred opposite Reese Witherspoon in this 2005 film, which Lopez said had an undeniably pro-life message:

“In the 2005 movie “Just Like Heaven,” Ruffalo played a role that tackled the challenges of life, death and modern health care as his character fell in love with a woman in a coma. The storyline was fanciful, but it presented audiences with an underlying — if much debated — understanding: that living bodies, no matter how damaged, deserve consideration and demand respect, as all life does.”

His onscreen respect for vulnerable life unfortunately does not seem to translate to the real world.

2. Dianna Agron

Quinn Fabray was the squeaky clean, devoutly religious cheerleader on “Glee.” That was briefly in season one. Viewers soon found out that Quinn cheated on her boyfriend Finn by sleeping with his best friend Puck. Unsurprisingly, she finds herself pregnant. Unlike many young teenagers today, Quinn doesn’t go to a Planned Parenthood to seek “help.” She chooses life for her unplanned child and gives her up for adoption.

In reality, however, Agron is proudly pro-abortion. Here she is speaking at a NARAL event:

If only Agron would have shared with the audience how Quinn, when faced with a difficult situation, ultimately chose life for her child.

3. Ellen Page

Oh, Juno. This one is pretty obvious. When The Guardian asked Page about the controversy her role as the pregnant teenager Juno caused in 2007, her response would make any pro-lifer shake their head:

“I was like, you know what? You all need to calm down. People are so black and white about this. Because she kept the baby everybody said the film was against abortion. But if she’d had an abortion everybody would have been like, “Oh my God.” I am a feminist and I am totally pro-choice, but what’s funny is when you say that people assume that you are pro-abortion. I don’t love abortion but I want women to be able to choose and I don’t want white dudes in an office being able to make laws on things like this. I mean what are we going to do – go back to clothes hangers?”

In another interview, Page again claimed Juno’s decision was not exactly “pro-life”:

“I think she dealt with it in a democratic way. She goes to the clinic and Juno deals with it in a relatively nonchalant manner and the reason she decides to leave is actually just because of some random, weird reason. It’s about fingernails.”

That interview was seven years ago. I hope an older Page would now realize her comments were baseless. Contrary to Page’s interpretation, Juno’s decision to walk away from the abortion clinic because of fingernails was not a “random, weird reason.” The character understood that at this point in her pregnancy, her baby had her own unique fingernails – a distinctly human feature. With that realization, she couldn’t deny the humanity of her child in the womb. Watch the clip below – it’s still, in my opinion, the best scene in the film:

4. Felicity Huffman

Felicity Huffman’s role as Lynette Scavo on “Desperate Housewives” offered at least one particularly pro-life moment. Speak4life.org highlighted the scene in which Lynette is initially dismayed by her late pregnancy announcement at age 40, questioning if she can manage another mouth to feed. But, after considering the “gift” of being a mom, she quickly changes her mind.

Once again, however, we see the actress’s ideals don’t exactly resemble those of the character she portrayed:

“She was the co-chair of the September 15 NARAL Power of Choice luncheon where the chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama was the keynote speaker. NARAL said Huffman ‘is one of the entertainment community’s greatest champions of a woman’s right to choose.’”

In 2011, Huffman and her husband William H. Macy even performed a cringe worthy duet at a NARAL Pro-Choice America event, in which they mocked Bill O’Reilly and sang lyrics such as, “I’m supporting my parents’ two unpopular wars, so let me decide what goes on in my drawers”:

5. Allison Janney

Janney is best known for her role on the long running series “The West Wing,” but her minor role in “Juno” is what’s worth consideration in regards to her views on abortion. In 2009, Janney voiced her support for pro-abortion President Barack Obama and promoted the efforts of the pro-abortion organization EMILY’s List:

“With Republicans already on the air attacking our candidates and busy distorting President Obama’s accomplishments, every contribution EMILY’s List receives will be put to use right away,” Janney said. “Your contribution will be used immediately to recruit strong, pro-choice Democratic women candidates and build a talented, progressive field for 2010.”

Compare this with Janney’s role in “Juno.” When her daughter reveals that she is pregnant and is giving her child up for adoption, Janney’s character, Bren, is distraught. But, after some reflection, she acknowledges that another couple is going to experience the joy of being parents in an otherwise unfortunate predicament:

“Somebody else is going to find a precious blessing from Jesus in this garbage dump of a situation.”

In a later scene, Bren accompanies Juno to her ultrasound. When she sees the stunning image of her granddaughter, she is visibly emotional and cries tears of joy. What’s more, she defends her daughter’s parenting skills to a rather rude ultrasound technician. The scene is endearing, hysterical and worth watching.

It’s unfortunate these actors can’t realize and appreciate the pro-life messages in their own work. I guess once the scripts are put away and the cameras are turned off, their true agendas get the spotlight.

LifeNews Note: Cortney O’Brien is a Townhall web editor, where this was originally published.

Abortion and suicide: the grim statistics

Pro-Choice groups and organizations such as Planned Parenthood maintain that abortion is beneficial to women. They claim that women do not have emotional problems after their abortions. Planned Parenthood’s slogan “Care. No Matter What” implies that their workers care about women and are dedicated to helping them in difficult circumstances.

On their website, Planned Parenthood claims:

“Research studies indicate that emotional responses to legally induced abortion are largely positive. They also indicate that emotional problems resulting from abortion are rare and less frequent than those following childbirth.”

Unfortunately, statistics tell a different story.

Two studies from Finland (1) show that women who had abortions were 6 to 7 times more likely to commit suicide than women who gave birth. These studies were based on medical records rather than interviews. Researchers looked at the death certificates of women to ascertain how many died by suicide.  Then they used medical records to see how many of these women had abortions. The fact that this study was based on medical records is significant, because of a phenomenon called “recall bias.” Recall bias occurs when women are asked on questionnaires or in person whether they had an abortion. Many times, because of the stigma attached to the abortion procedure, women do not answer this question honestly. This tendency to hide a past abortion often skews the results of such studies. Therefore, studies that are based on medical records rather than interviews are considered to be more accurate.

The study only covered the first year after women’s abortions. Many post-abortion testimonies reveal that grief after an abortion can surface years later; sometimes a wanted pregnancy, seeing ultrasound pictures or photographs of unborn babies, or holding a friend’s baby triggers regret, depression, and suicidal feelings. So in reality, these studies may actually reveal only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to suicidal feelings after abortion.

Other statistics show that women have a higher rate of suicide after abortion. Suicide rates among women of childbearing age are approximately 11.3 out of 100,000.

Postabortion women have a [suicide] rate of 34.7. Interestingly enough, women who have given birth have a suicide rate of 5.9 per hundred thousand. Birth, then, seems to give some protection against suicide. Perhaps women who have children discover they’ve something to live for, or do not want to hurt the children that depend on them by committing suicide. In any case, giving birth seems to be a detriment to suicide – whereas abortion increases the suicide rate.

Shortly after the Finnish studies, researchers in Great Britain conducted their own survey of abortion medical records. They found a similar correlation between abortion and suicide. They found an 8.1 rate of suicide per thousand women who had abortions, and a 1.9 rate of suicide among women who carry to term.

The statistics for teenagers who have abortions are even more disturbing. Teen girls are 10 times more likely to attempt suicide if they have had an abortion in the last six months than girls who have not had an abortion, and 2-4 times more likely to commit suicide after abortion compared to adult women.(2)

A study done by Doctor David C Reardon, and abortion researcher and mental health professional who helps post-abortion women revealed a 154% higher suicide rate among women who aborted.(3) In interviews for his book, “Aborted Women: Silent No More” (Springfield, IL: Acorn Books, 2002), he discovered that up to 60% of women experienced suicidal feelings. Dr. Reardon’s research was done on women who regretted their abortions, so his data may not be applicable to all women who have abortions. However, a 60% statistic cannot be ignored. 28% of the women he interviewed had actually attempted suicide.

Another survey of post-abortion women, which appeared in Women’s World, revealed that 45% (well over a third) of women had suicidal feelings following their abortions.(4).

These are just some of the studies connecting abortion with suicide. Pro-life organizations need to reach out to post-abortion women and give them encouragement, support, and compassion

By Sarah Terzo

Sarah Terzo is a pro-life author and creator of the clinicquotes.com website. She is a member of Secular Pro-Life and PLAGAL. This appeared at liveactionnews.org and NRL News

The Hyde Amendment at 38

Pro-life champion, the late Rep. Henry Hyde

The Hyde Amendment sticks in the craw of abortion absolutists as much as any pro-life law ever enacted. And today marks the 38th anniversary of passage of the law (the “Hyde” is the late pro-life champion, Rep. Henry Hyde), a titanic struggle that represented a major success against federal funding of abortion.

Prior to its passage in 1976, the federal Medicaid program paid for 300,000 abortions a year. 

Conservative estimates are that there are well over one million people are alive today because of the Hyde Amendment.

On this anniversary, there are many things worth remembering. Here are just five.

#1. Pro-abortionists never gave up, and it was not until the Harris v. McRae case, settled in 1980, that the United States Supreme Court agreed the law was constitutional. And even then the Court was split 5-4. National Right to Life filed an important brief in that case.

#2. Pro-abortionists have made a concerted effort to pretend that somehow the Hyde Amendment would prevent ObamaCare from allowing federally-subsidized health plans to cover abortions. This was and is completely erroneous.

#3. Polls consistently show strong majorities against federal funding of abortion. President Obama opposes the Hyde Amendment. No surprise, in either case.

#4. Speaking of never giving up, pro-abortionists still grind their teeth when they speak of the Hyde Amendment. For them the “right” to abortion never meant only the legal right to abort. It required that through Medicaid you and I and every other tax payer fund their abortions.

#5. Because the Hyde Amendment is a limitation provision within an annual appropriations bill, it is a fight pro-abortionists could take up every time the annual appropriations bill of the Department of Health and Human Services comes up. Fairly detailed information on the history of the Hyde Amendment, its demonstrated impact, and related issues is found in testimony presented by NRL at a House hearing in 2011, here: www.nrlc.org/uploads/ahc/ProtectLifeActDouglasJohnsonTestimony.pdf

We have a lot to thank the late Rep. Hyde for. At the top is enactment of the Hyde Amendment.

By Dave Andrusko, NRL News

35 years after its release, Stevie Nicks confirms that “Sara” was about the baby she aborted

Stevie Nicks

I don’t know a lot about Stevie Nicks other than that she has a terrific voice and that she is part of (as they are often described) rock’s “famously fractious family”—Fleetwood Mac—which is on a reunion tour.

But apparently it was an open secret that Nicks aborted a baby she had with Don Henley, who was then the frontman for the Eagles. However until an interview she gave Billboard magazine that appeared last Friday, Nicks had never confirmed that one of her better known songs—“Sara”—was written about that baby. Here is the exchange with Billboard’s Rob Tannenbaum:

That reminds me of a story Don Henley told years ago, about your [Fleetwood Mac] song “Sara.” He said you got pregnant while the two of you were dating, and Sara was the name you gave the unborn baby.

Had I married Don and had that baby, and had she been a girl, I would have named her Sara. But there was another woman in my life named Sara, who shortly after that became Mick’s wife, Sara Fleetwood.

So what Henley says about the song is accurate, but it’s not the entirety of the song?

Right. It’s accurate, but not the entirety of it.

The allusion to Henley’s story was a 1991 interview he gave to CQ:

“I believe, to the best of my knowledge, [that Nicks] became pregnant by me. And she named the kid Sara, and she had an abortion – and then wrote the song of the same name to the spirit of the aborted baby. ….I was building my house at the time, and there’s a line in the song that says, ‘And when you build your house, call me.’”

Ben Johnson explained that Nicks and Henley’s torrid two-year affair had been no secret, and the subsequent abortion had been well-known. According to Eagles biographer Marc Eliot, Nicks “was deeply upset about what she considered his fast and easy consent to her decision. Nicks took it as Henley’s way of saying he wasn’t interested in any type of serious long-term commitment.”

But Nicks had never acknowledged that the song was dedicated to her child until last week, 35 years after its release. The closest she had come was a statement in 1979 that “If I ever have a little girl, I will name her Sara. It’s a very special name to me.”

Here are the key lyrics to “Sara”:

Wait a minute, baby
Stay with me awhile
Said you’d give me light
But you never told me about the fire…

Sara, you’re the poet in my heartNever change, never stopAnd now it’s goneThey say it doesn’t matter what forWhen you build your house, call me…

All I ever wanted was to know
That you were dreaming
There’s a heartbeat
No, it never really died
You never really died

Ms. Nicks has never had any living children.

By Dave Andrusko, NRL News

Make your voice heard: Register to vote!

As this fall’s elections rapidly approach, pro-lifers have reason to be optimistic. We have a real chance of making significant pro-life gains in the United States Senate, perhaps even win enough seats to put control of the Senate in pro-life hands.

But we can’t do it without you. We need your vote. We need every pro-life vote we can get—yours, your pro-life family members, friends, and neighbors.

Each day voter registration deadlines come closer. It seems elementary but if you are not registered, you cannot vote! At the end of this article, there is a link to a site that makes registration in your state very quick and easy.

Please take a moment and make sure you and your pro-life friends and neighbors are registered. The outcome of the election may depend on it.

We were reminded just this summer how important each and every vote is. Consider out of a total of over 70,000 votes cast last month in a congressional primary race in Tennessee, the contest was decided by just 38 votes. Never underestimate how important your vote is.

In Minnesota’s 2008 U.S. Senate race, pro-abortion Al Franken defeated pro-life Senator Norm Coleman by a few hundred votes out of 2.8 million cast. That’s about seven thousandths of a percent or one voter in about every thirteen precincts in Minnesota.

Many races this year are expected to be extremely close. The balance of power in the United States Senate hangs in the balance. If every pro-lifer helped one friend or family member register to vote, we would have a tremendous pro-life impact on this election.

You would be surprised how many people you know are not registered to vote. One volunteer and dear friend of NRLC did a voter registration drive in her church a few years ago and signed 15 people up to vote, including the Pastor and his wife!

Be especially aware of people that are new to your area, maybe having just moved to your state, and young people who have just turned 18 or recently moved away to college. They may be excited to register but may not know how or where to do it—or even that they have to register.

The deadline to register to vote in Illinois is October 7th!  Time is running out, you can register to vote online at the IFRL website at http:www.ifrl.org,

By Elizabeth Spillman, National Right to Life Political Assistant, NRLC

Sandra Cano: RIP

Her case and Roe v. Wade handed down the same day in 1973

The following photo appeared on Sandra Cano’s Facebook page. (Left to right) Ms. Cano, Dr. Bernard Nathanson, one of the founders of the original NARAL and later a pro-life convert, and Norma McCorvey (the “Jane Roe” of Roe v. Wade)

My only meeting with Sandra Cano, and it was very brief, was in June 1989 at the National Right to Life Convention in Minneapolis. Those who spent much more time with her–my then-assistant Leslie Bond [Diggins] and NRLC Convention Director Jacki Ragan—told me that a kinder, gentler woman you will never find.

Unlike Norma McCorvey—the “Jane Roe” of Roe v. Wade—Sandra Cano (“Mary Doe”) was not nearly as well known, although her case—Doe v. Bolton—was decided the same day as Norma’s.

Neither woman—whose cases were instrumental in legalizing abortion on demand nationwide—ever had an abortion. Cano never wanted an abortion. Both felt terribly victimized by the pro-abortion attorneys that used them to undermine the abortion laws of all 50 states.

Cano died September 30. She was 66.

Allan Parker, president of the Justice Foundation in Texas, which represented Ms. Cano for 14 years, said her dying wish was for people to “pray for the end of abortion in America and pray for her family.”

I am reprinting the story Leslie wrote for the July 13, 1989 issue of National Right to Life News. She had interviewed Sandra one-on-one.

At that stage of her life (we were to learn), Ms. Cano was deathly afraid of public speaking. She was seated at the head table at one of the convention General Sessions when she suddenly got up, walked down the risers, and told Jacki she had to go home. But her presence at our convention, however brief, sent a powerful message.

But in the years to come Sandra gave more than a few memorable interviews, including with Tim Drake of the National Catholic Register.

Both Sandra and Norma had lived hardscrabble lives, making McCorvey and Cano just the kind of down-on-their-luck women the elitist pro-abortion attorneys could use unmercifully to gut the protective abortion statutes of all 50 states. Both came to be firmly on the side of life.

When pro-lifers speak of putting a “human face” on the abortion controversy, it is not just to remind people that a human life is lost in every abortion. Abortion exploits vulnerable women, then and now. 

Cano’s and McCorvey’s journey that culminated in an embrace of our Movement is deeply symbolic of a wider cultural shift in our direction.

I asked Jacki if she would write a concluding paragraph. As I knew it would be, her words were perfect.

“We did have a video that we recorded of her when Leslie and I were with her. I still have that. 25 years have passed but we still kept in touch, more so after Facebook. She was a kind, trusting, woman who was reunited with the daughter she placed for adoption (the one the pro-aborts used to help legalize abortion) and I believe was happy and content for the last years of her life. Sandra will be missed. Her gentle smile, her softspoken voice, and her love of the Lord.”

By Dave Andrusko, NRL News