Office for Social

Office for Social Ministry e-link The Diocese of San Diego
July 14, 2006 #50 858-490-8323

Dear e-link Subscriber,

Membership for e-link has reached 1,064. We welcome new members, many who have come on board through the quiet and inviting presence of Lisa James, Culture-of-Life Coordinator at St. Thérèse of Carmel Parish in the Carmel Valley neighborhood of San Diego. Thank you Lisa!

We are happy to report that the mini-petition strategy worked very well, with more that 170 subscribers signing petitions in opposition to assisted suicide. The petitions were delivered to California State Senators by OSM staff. More on this success can be found in the "Remarks" and the "Reportback" sections below.

As always, we remind current members and inform new members that past e-link bulletins and this current bulletin can be viewed at www.osmelink.org.

God Bless!

Friday, July 14, 2006 OSM e-link Bulletin #50

Table of Contents

Remarks from Kent Peters on the success of the "mini-petition" strategy

Key Upcoming Culture-of-Life Gatherings/Projects (please join us)

     - Rosaries for Peace Convocation set for Sunday, August 13, 2006, 6:30 p.m.
        at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on the USD Campus

     - Your parish may want to consider participating in "Labor in the Pulpits" on Labor
         Day Weekend, a program of the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice

Short Reports on Office for Social Ministry Related Issues/Events

     - Jim Walsh, Restorative Justice Coordinator, provides a quick update on recent
        activities within the areas of detention ministry and the new Victim/Offender
         Reconciliation Program

     - Sue Lopez shares an update on the 4th-of-July-Weedend "Prayer and Public
        Witness" in front of the Family Planning Associates abortion facility

Advocacy Request X 2

     - Please send e-mails to Senators Feinstein and Boxer in opposition to HR 810,
        a bill that would allocate Federal funds for embryonic stem cell research

     - Please visit the U.S. Catholic Bishops' web site, Justice for Immigrants, to
       learn more about the immigration issue and to send e-mails to your
        U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representative in support of reasonable
        immigration reform

Advocacy Reportback

- Joseph Horejs reports on June's e-link petition delivery

Web and e-mail-based Resources

     - All parents of adolescents should visit a new web site of the Department of
       Health and Human Services, ChooseRespect.org, to learn about relationship
       violence as their children move toward the dating years. This site is also
        great for young people about to begin dating - Don't miss this one!

Local and Regional Events/Gatherings/Projects

     1. The Women's Resource Committee, publisher of the Women's Resource Guide,
           is searching for an executive director - details can be found below

     2. North-County prayer witness at the Carlsbad Planned Parenthood Clinic
        scheduled for every third Wednesday of the month from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m.

     3. Prayerful witness for life at two locations in San Diego County - every
        Saturday at Sixth and Palm in San Diego and every second Saturday of
         the month at Pomerado Road in Poway

4. St. Dismas Guild sponsors two weekly hours of prayer for the unborn in
North County

5. St. Rose of Lima Parish sponsors a regular Thursday Pro-Life Prayer Vigil in
Chula Vista after the 8:00 a.m. Mass

6. St. John the Evangelist Parish in Encinitas Pro-Life Mass and Rosary held on
the first Monday of each month

     7. Most Precious Blood Parish Rosary Prayer Vigils held on Wednesdays each
         week at 8:45 a.m. (Saturday Prayer Vigils have been cancelled)

     8. From the Goretti Group, Promoting Purity in all walks of life - Chastity
         Leadership two-day Training (teachers, youth ministers, parents, etc.),
         July 30 and August 1, 2006, at SDSU

9. From the Goretti Group, Promoting Purity in all walks of life - monthly speaker
development meeting every 2nd Wednesday at St. John the Evangelist Parish

Article/Statement for July 14, 2006

- Essay by Steven Ertelt, Abortions Are Declining Nationwide, Despite Media and
Pro-Life Bashers

Remarks from Kent Peters

Making the move from legislative calls to mini-petitions... so far so good!

Conservative estimates were that only a handful of the more than one thousand e-link subscribers were making the legislative calls to their elected officials. Thanks to a gentle push from Christauria Akong and the Two-minute Survey results, we replaced the calls with online petitions that could be completed on the spot. We were hoping that the convenience would help boost participation. It surely did.

Between the May 31st e-link bulletin request itself and the subsequent "Last Chance" reminder (declaring opposition to assisted suicide in California), about 170 subscribers participated by signing the petition. From a handful to 170... now that's progress.

We want to sincerely thank all those who took the time to express their views on the important issue of assisted suicide and encourage all e-link subscribers to participate in the advocacy efforts found in this bulletin. Please check out the advocacy section below, and know that a last chance reminder will be sent to all subscribers in a few days.

Joseph will give a few more details on the mini-petition story in the "Reportback" section below. We will also provide Ned Dolejsi's press release (Ned is the Executive Director of the California Catholic Conference) on the defeat of the Assisted Suicide bill, AB 651, in the Senate Judiciary Committee in the "Reportback" section.

Thank you and God bless!

Key Upcoming Culture-of-Life Gatherings/Projects

Number 1: Twenty-third Annual Rosaries for Peace to be held on Sunday, August 13, 2006, at 6:30 p.m. at the Jenny Craig Pavilion on the Campus of USD - Bishop Gilbert E. Chavez will preside

You and your family are invited to take part in THE TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL ROSARIES FOR PEACE CONVOCATION.

Bishop Gilbert E. Chavez will preside at this year's celebration.

Service Includes: crowning of Our Blessed Mother as Queen of Peace, Liturgy, sacred music, a Eucharistic Procession, benediction, candlelight procession - Outside, ethnic procession - Inside

‘‘THE FAMILY THAT PRAYS TOGETHER...STAYS TOGETHER.’’

Don’t Miss This Inspiring Event! Admission is Free. Now, more than ever, our world needs Rosaries for Peace!

For information please call : 619-466-9522 or 619-465-3093 or visit the web site at: www.rosaries4peace.org

23rd Annual Rosaries for Peace
Sunday, August 13, 6:30 p.m.
Jenny Craig Pavilion
University of San Diego
5998 Alcala Park (Map)
San Diego

Number 2: Consider highlighting the Catholic tradition of supporting workers this Labor Day Weekend in your parish - participate in the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice's Labor in the Pulpit 2006 Campaign

"As followers of Jesus Christ and participants in a powerful economy, Catholics in the United States are called to work for greater economic justice in the face of persistent poverty, growing income gaps, and increasing discussion of economic issues in the United States and around the world."

A Statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops from Economic Justice for All: A Catholic Framework for Economic Life, 1986

By reading through the Bible and the teachings of the Catholic Church throughout history, we learn that we have a rich faith tradition that calls on us to honor the dignity of all human labor. On Labor Day weekend each year, the Labor in the Pulpits program unites people of faith across the country around issues of working families. We hope that this Labor Day weekend will be an opportunity to rekindle our common bonds of faith, equality, social and economic justice, and the dignity and respect of all people.

(at the left - Fr. Bill Rowland and Deacon Harry Guess participate in an ICWJ action in support of Head Start workers)

Many parishes in our Diocese are already planning to participate in San Diego’s Eighth Annual Labor in the Pulpits program by inviting a worker or a labor leader to speak, or by highlighting what our faith tradition teaches us about the rights of workers in homilies.

Ask your pastor or parish pastoral council about their interest in highlighting labor this Labor Day Weekend.

If your parish–
    • Would like a speaker for Labor Day weekend Masses,
    • Would like helpful resources about Catholic Teachings on the Rights of Workers, or
    • Would like to find out more information about Labor in the Pulpits,

Please contact the INTERFAITH COMMITTEE FOR WORKER JUSTICE by calling 619-584-5740, extension 60, or sending an email to icwj@onlinccpi.org. Please know that if the Labor Day weekend is not convenient for your congregation, the ICWJ is happy to make other arrangements.

Short Reports on OSM Related Issues/Events

Number 1: As a follow-up to Jim Walsh's highlighting of Restorative Justice ministry in the last e-link bulletin, we've asked Jim to update our readers on recent detention ministry and victim offender reconciliation efforts

Detention Ministry Update

The tiny mission church of St. Francis of Assisi in Warner Springs is associated with the Santa Ysabel Indian Mission on Highway 79. Pastor Dennis O’Connor supports the ministry of twelve of his parishioners who are prison ministry volunteers in Warner Springs at the State of California work camp, Puerta de la Cruz.

(Photo at left - Fr. Bruce Orsborn and Jim Walsh visit with inmates at Donovan State Prison)

Last year three parishioners brought Catholic prayer and scripture services to the women detainees of the work camp under the leadership of Father O’Connor and Jim and Madonna Sue Douglas. Last month, Sue and Jim spoke to the assembly at Masses about prison ministry. This month the Diocese of San Diego trained nine new volunteers from this tiny mission church! Only a few of the diocese’s 102 parishes have more active volunteers than St. Francis in Warner Springs!

I was thrilled to drive the 160 miles round trip to train nine new volunteer ministers from one small church! These twelve active and committed volunteers from one parish should cause the rest of our parishes, including my own, to sit up and take notice.

Clergy and lay people interested in learning more about detention ministry please visit our web site at: www.diocese-sdiego.org/detentionministry or call me, Deacon Jim Walsh, at 858-490-8323.

Victim/Offender Reconciliation

Another dozen volunteers have been trained to mediate and facilitate dialog between willing crime victims and their offenders. The Victim/Offender Reconciliation Program (VORP) offers healing, reconciliation and promotes real restitution in cases where victims and/or offenders are carrying unresolved wounds or “baggage” with them. These people and possibly their families are willing to seek resolution outside the court system, which generally leaves the victim out of the process.

(Pope John Paul II visited with his assailant, Mehmet Ali Agca, in 1983)

The VORP process is based on the concept of Restorative Justice, supported and promoted by the U.S. Catholic Bishops in their pastoral statement “Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration – A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice” published in 2000.

If you feel a calling to mediate cases where people are willing to work together for healing, please see www.diocese-sdiego.org/detentionministry or call the Office for Social Ministry at 858-490-8323.

Seek God

Number 2: This past Fourth of July Weekend provided a solemn opportunity for faithful Catholics to both remind their neighbors that not all share the blessings of freedom in the USA and reach out to those who feel trapped by the abortion "option"

A report by Sue Lopez, event coordinator

Thirty faithful pro-life prayer warriors gave a public witness on behalf of Life on Saturday, July 2nd, at the Family Planning Associates (FPA) abortion clinic across from Balboa Park. It was a busy day at FPA with a steady stream of young women arriving at the clinic throughout the morning.

Sue Lopez with husband, Roger, and son, David, in front of Family Planning Associates

One girl, age 17, walked with determination into the clinic while holding her crying mother’s hand. The mother spoke with one sidewalk counselor before entering the clinic and appeared to think that abortion was their only option. A sidewalk counselor later spoke with the teen’s younger sister who explained that her sister was entering boot camp in three weeks and couldn’t be pregnant and still participate. The cost of sticking with her plans – one human life. Tragically, she had no awareness that this may have been her only child and the grandmother’s only grandchild, now discarded as garbage.

Another couple walked past a picture of an aborted baby, the woman broke down crying, yet still entered the clinic. Hopefully she was unable to go through with the abortion. Another young woman, with a 5-month-old baby at home, thought she was pregnant and had miscarried. She was referred to FPA to see if she was pregnant but would need a D&C if indeed she had miscarried. How easy it would be to give a quick abortion once they got her in there if she was still pregnant. The girl was referred to the clinic because the medical care would be free to her there, possibly because they accept Medi-cal patients. The sidewalk counselor gave her information on where she could get free pregnancy testing at a pregnancy care clinic.

These Life-Saving prayer vigils provide an opportunity for the pro-life community, many who may feel somewhat hesitant about coming to abortion facilities, to pray in the comfort of a large group. Several people who have come to these larger vigils have been so moved by the experience that they return on a regular basis. Thank you to all who participated and to all who prayed at home!

Please note: The OSM will be contacting the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives to discuss the the possibility of developing a more compassionate policy in regard to pregnant recruits, for once again, it is feeling like there is no choice that drives young people to the unthinkable "choice" of terminating the lives of their own children. Every institution (universities, businesses, government agencies, etc.) should be in the process of developing pregnancy and family-friendly policies. Anything less constitutes true discrimination against women, born and pre-born.

e-link Advocacy REQUEST X2

Life Request:

Last year, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 810, a measure that would use federal funds to promote the destruction of human embryos for stem cell research. On June 29 of this year, the Senate approved a unanimous consent agreement, approving the consideration of H.R. 810 along with two related bills, S. 3504 and S. 2754. H.R. 810 and the two other bills could be debated on the Senate floor in July. Please take the time to contact your two U.S. Senators and express your opposition to H.R. 810 and support for S. 3504 (a ban on fetal farming) and S. 2754 (support for non-embryonic stem cell research).

Please go to the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment web site:

http://nchla.org/actiondisplay.asp?ID=235

Just scroll down the page to e-mail your Senators to vote No on H.R. 810 and yes on S. 3504 and S. 2754.

Please act by July 17th as the vote these measures may take place on or near July 18th.

A "Last Chance" e-link reminder will be sent out on July 17th.

Thank you so much.

Dignity Request:

The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act (CIRA) of 2006 passed the U.S. Senate 62-36 on May 25, 2006. Since that time, leaders in the House of Representatives have indicated that they are not willing to accept many of the provisions in the Senate bill. House leaders have since announced their intention to hold hearings throughout the country in July and August to hear the opinion of the American people on the provisions in the Senate bill. The first House hearing was held last week in San Diego. In response, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter announced his intention to hold hearings around the country during the same period.

Once field hearings are completed, sometime in late August, it is likely that House and Senate conferees will begin meeting to hammer out a compromise bill, with the goal of enacting legislation prior to the November elections. The next sixty days are vital to convincing our elected officials to enact a bill which the church can support.

Please go to the Justice for Immigrants website to learn more about reasonable solutions to the difficult issue of immigration and to send e-mail messages to your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators.

http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org/action.html

e-link Advocacy REPORTBACK

The Office for Social Ministry is pleased to report that the first experience with the new e-link Advocacy Request process was successful. As was indicated above, there were 170 individual petition signers, and they were evenly divided between each of the four California senators.

Kent Peters delivered petition signatures to Senator Dennis Hollingsworth of District 36 and Senator Bill Morrow of District 38, Linda Arreola delivered petitions to Senator Denise Ducheny of District 40, and Joseph Horejs delivered to Senator Christine Kehoe of District 39. With these four visits we were able to meet with staff members of each of the Senators serving within the Diocese of San Diego.

And now for the good news… The Senate Judiciary Committee reviewed the proposed legislation and voted it down on June 27th with a decisive vote from the Judiciary Chair, Senator Joseph Dunn of Santa Ana. We are thankful also to our own Senator Bill Morrow, a Judiciary Committee member, for his de facto “no” vote. Thanks to the coalition of organizations and countless people of goodwill, our activism and prayers were able to make a difference in efforts to protect vulnerable adults.

We look forward to continuing with the mini-petition process as we face other important issues at the local, state, and national levels. Please be sure to participate next time!

In the Peace of Christ,

Joseph Horejs

And now a word from the California Catholic Conference:

SACRAMENTO – Ned Dolejsi, executive director of the California Catholic Conference, released the following statement today thanking supporters for helping defeat AB 651 (Berg), a bill which would have legalized physician-assisted suicide in California. The bill was defeated June 27 when it failed to pass out of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

“On behalf of ourselves and our partners at the Alliance of Catholic Health Care, we want to humbly thank our fellow members of Californians Against Assisted Suicide for their incredible passion, energy and resolve over the last two years as we fought to stop the passage of this proposed legislation. We are proud to be part of this diverse and committed coalition, including not just ourselves and the Alliance, but the California Disabilities Association, the California Medical Association, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Coalition of Concerned Medical Professionals (CCMP), the Western Service Workers Association as well as many, many other individuals from various disability, hospice, independent living, low income and pro-life groups who tirelessly wrote, called and visited their Legislators.

“We also want to express our thanks to Senator Joseph Dunn not only for his support on this important issue, but for the thoughtful manner in which he ran the committee hearings and the respect he showed to people on both sides of this deeply personal issue. His careful and statesmanlike approach in the face of such intense feelings showed the Legislature at its best.

“All of us in this coalition remain committed to embracing the needs of the terminally ill and doing what we can to make sure they are able to die with dignity.

“Once again, let me extend my thanks to all who worked so diligently to defeat AB 651.”

Web and e-mail-based Resources

The Department of Health and Human Services has developed a web site with videos, games, and loads of information for young and old promoting healthy relationships in dating. It's called ChooseRespect.org

Choose Respect is an initiative to help adolescents form healthy relationships to prevent dating abuse before it starts. This national effort is designed to motivate adolescents to challenge harmful beliefs about dating abuse and take steps to form respectful relationships.

Unhealthy relationship behaviors can start early and last a lifetime. According to recent research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in 11 adolescents reports being a victim of physical dating violence. Even more startling, adolescents who report experiencing dating violence are also more likely to report binge drinking, suicide attempts, physical fighting and current sexual activity.

Choose Respect is designed to encourage positive action on the part of adolescents to form healthy, respectful relationships. Research for the initiative shows most adolescents have positive, healthy attitudes about their relationships with others. Choose Respect seeks to reinforce and sustain these positive attitudes among adolescents as they get older and begin to enter dating relationships by:

- Providing effective messages for adolescents, parents, caregivers and teachers that encourage them to choose to treat themselves and others with respect,

- Creating opportunities for adolescents and parents to learn about positive relationship behaviors,

- Increasing adolescents' ability to recognize and prevent unhealthy, violent relationships, and

- Promoting ways for a variety of audiences to get information and other tools to prevent dating abuse.

Here is a great example of the wisdom displayed within the ChooseRespect web site:

Dating Bill of Rights and Responsibilities

You have certain rights and responsibilities in a dating relationship. Here are some examples. Personalize these for yourself, and make a commitment to stick by them.

Dating rights

I have the right:

To be treated with respect always
To be in a healthy relationship
To not be abused-physically, sexually, or emotionally
To keep my body, feelings, beliefs, and property to myself
To have friends and activities apart from my boyfriend or girlfriend
To set limits and values
To say no
To feel safe in the relationship
To be treated as an equal
To feel comfortable being myself
To leave a relationship

Dating responsibilities

I have the responsibility:

To determine my limits and values
To respect my boyfriend's or girlfriend's limits, values, feelings, and beliefs
To refuse to abuse-physically, sexually, or emotionally
To be considerate
To communicate clearly and honestly
To give my boyfriend or girlfriend space to be his or her own person
To not exert power or control in the relationship
To compromise when needed
To admit to being wrong when appropriate
To ask for help from friends, family, and trusted adults

http://www.chooserespect.org/

Please share this web site with parents, grandparents, teachers, catechists, youth leaders, and of course, young people who are preparing to date.

New Local/Regional Events and Gatherings

If you are planning an event that falls within the mission of social ministry, send the particulars four to five weeks in advance to the Office for Social Ministry via e-mail, osmelink@diocese-sdiego.org. The OSM reserves the right to publish or not to publish any proposed event information. We hope this will assist your local efforts to re-build a culture of life.

1. Women's Resource Committee (WRC) searching for executive director

The WRC, which publishes a comprehensive and up-to-date Women’s Resource Guide for pregnant and parenting women in San Diego, is seeking an Executive Director. The Executive Director is responsible for all aspects of managing the organization, public and private fundraising, board and volunteer development, networking with private and public agencies, identifying and establishing key partnerships with women-centered organizations in other areas and launching the Women’s Resource Guide nationally through a licensing arrangement with other organizations. Excellent public speaking, strategic thinking, coalition building, and writing skills are necessary. Must have strong administrative and management skills and substantial experience in building an organization or business. Experience in writing grants and securing large, private donations and public funding preferred. Must be able to travel. Salary range: $50-70K. Submit resume with cover page to the Women's Resource Committee, PO Box 600381, San Diego, CA, 92160, 619-516-1261 (fax) or womensguide@hotmail.com.

2. North-County prayer witness at the Carlsbad Planned Parenthood Clinic

North County parishioners meet the third Monday of every month from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. to peacefully pray the rosary in front of the Carlsbad Planned Parenthood Clinic. The clinic is located at 1820 Marron Rd. (in the shopping center just west of Plaza Camino Real Mall). For more information contact Jahna White of St. Margaret Parish at 760-586-6356.

3. Prayerful witness for life at two locations (Sixth and Palm in San Diego and Pomerado Road in Poway) in San Diego County

Helpers of God’s Precious Infants weekly rosary prayer vigil from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. every Saturday at Family Planning Associates 2850 Sixth Ave, at Palm, across from Balboa Park. Prayer warriors also needed as early as 7:30 a.m.

Call Sue Lopez 619/990-1341 for more information.

2nd Saturday of the month: 20 decades of the Rosary are prayed in procession past 4 clinics following the 7:30 a.m. Mass, 15546 Pomerado Road, Poway. For more information, call 858-748-2109.

4. St. Dismas Guild sponsors two weekly hours of prayer for the unborn in North County

Join members of St. Dismas Guild for a rosary picket at Womancare, 120 S. Craven Way, San Marcos, (across from Cal State San Marcos), Tuesdays, 9-10 a.m.

The Guild also sponsors prayer (the rosary) in front of PayLess at Mission Avenue and Escondido Blvd. 347 W. Mission on Thursdays, 10:30-11:30 a.m. For information on these prayer vigils, call 760-751-8541.

5. St. Rose of Lima sponsors a regular Thursday Pro-Life Prayer Vigil in Chula Vista

Please join St. Rose of Lima parishioners every Thursday after the 8 a.m. Mass at St. Rose of Lima, Chula Vista, for a pro-life prayer vigil at the clinic located at 261 Church Street, Chula Vista. For more information, call Evangely Aliangan, 619-427-0230.

6. St. John the Evangelist Parish in Encinitas Pro-Life Mass and Rosary held on the first Monday of each month.

The first Monday of every month is designated Pro-Life Monday at St. John the Evangelist Church, 1001 Encinitas Blvd, Encinitas. The 8:00 a.m. Mass will be followed by a Rosary for Life. For more information, please call Helene McIlhon at 858-756-0622.

7. Most Precious Blood Parish Rosary Prayer Vigils held on Wednesdays each week

The Pro-Life Prayer Group from Most Precious Blood sponsors a Rosary Prayer Vigil in front of the Clinica Medica abortion facility at 1550 Broadway, Chula Vista every Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. For more information, please call Shirley Henry at 619-420-7096 or Luis Mendoza at 619-300-5563.

8. From the Goretti Group, Promoting Purity in all walks of life - Two-day Chastity Leadership Training

2006 Chastity Leadership Training: Purity is Hardcore! Starting Friday, July 30th ending Saturday, August 1st at San Diego State University. Learn how to answer the tough questions about sexuality! Register Now! Space is limited. For directions & more info please visit: www.thegorettigroup.org and select the events section on the left side of the page.

9. From the Goretti Group, Promoting Purity in all walks of life - monthly speaker development meeting every 2nd Wednesday

In an effort to strengthen and expand its speakers bureau, the Goretti Group is sponsoring monthly speaker development workshops. The group meets on the second Wednesday of each month to hear one of its speakers and offer constructive feedback. This is an excellent opportunity for speakers to practice and refine their talks! Please come if you are just interested in being a part of the group. You do not need to be a speaker to attend. All are welcome!

Every 2nd Wednesday of the month: ChasteMasters Meeting at St. John the Evangelist, 1638 Polk Ave, San Diego, 7:00 p.m. For directions & more info please visit: www.thegorettigroup.org and select the events section on the left side of the page.

Watch for OSM e-link bulletin #51 around Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Article/Statement for July 14, 2006

Steven Ertelt directs what is perhaps the most informative culture-of-life building media tool in operation. It's called LifeNews.com. A combination of e-mail alerts and a web site, this tool is keeping pro-life leaders all across the country well informed on every facet of the movement. To join LifeNews go to: http://www.lifenews.com/ and look for the sign-up box on the left side of the home page.

Please enjoy this article by Steven Ertelt.

Abortions Are Declining Nationwide, Despite Media and Pro-Life Bashers
by Steven Ertelt

One of the untold stories in the abortion debate today is the significant progress that's been made in reducing the number of abortions.

Thanks to dozens of pro-life laws approved by state legislatures each year, the growth and effectiveness of pregnancy centers, and the popularity of abstinence among teenagers, states across the country are seeing abortions decline. In some cases they've reached their lowest abortion total since Roe.

But, because of politics, researchers and the media want the public to think abortions are increasing because of who works in the White House.

When researcher Gerald Stassen came out with a study just before the 2004 presidential elections claiming abortions were increasing under President Bush's watch, the media went into "gotcha" journalism mode. Surely the president must not be pro-life after all.

Stassen only bothered to look at abortion numbers in 16 states to come up with his analysis.

In Illinois, he used a figure showing abortions up in 2001, ignoring that they went down 10 percent in 2002. In Wisconsin, Stassen said abortions went up, but the state health department said they went down. And in South Dakota, Stassen mistook an increase in the birth rate for an increase in the number of abortions.

After both sides of the abortion debate refuted his claims, Stassen admitted that an analysis by the pro-abortion Alan Guttmacher Institute was "significantly better" than his own.

AGI, a Planned Parenthood partner, said abortions had gone down by a total of 1.6 percent over the years 2001 and 2002.

Recently, the New York Times hoped the nation would buy into the hoax that pro-life laws do nothing to reduce the number of abortions.

The Times looked at even fewer states than the discredited Stassen -- using just six to make assert that somehow laws allowing parents to know about their daughter's abortions or requiring their approval do nothing to reduce abortions.

In a previous article on LifeNews.com, that notion is refuted.

University of Alabama political science professor and statistician Dr. Michael New has conducted extensive analysis on abortion laws and abortion figures and determined that the hundreds of pro-life laws state legislature approved contributed significantly to the 17.4 percent abortion decline during the 1990s.

That abortion decline is continuing into the current decade.

There are no reliable national abortion figures since 2002, but looking at new abortion totals from every state that has reported over the last 18 months shows abortions are on the decline again.

* The number of abortions in Tennessee has dropped to its lowest level in almost 30 years. Not since 1977 has the number of annual abortions been this low. The number of abortions in 2004 dropped by more than 1,000, a 6.9 percent decline.

* New figures in November from the Georgia Department of Health reveal the number of abortions is down more than 5 percent. According to health officials, abortions performed in Georgia fell 5.3 percent from 2003's totals.

* The new Pennsylvania figures show a decline of 2.4 percent in 2004.

* Minnesota's abortion numbers are down to their lowest totals since 1975. The Minnesota Department of Health says there were 13,788 abortions reported in 2004, compared to 14,174 in 2003 -- a decrease of nearly three percent.

* New statistics in the state of Illinois show a whopping 10 percent drop in the number of abortions performed last year. They're at the lowest level since Roe.

* The Michigan Department of Community Health reports 26,269 abortions were performed in Michigan during 2004 compared to 29,540 Michigan abortions in 2003, a decrease of 11.1 percent.

* Abortions on women in Washington state are at their lowest points since the state started collecting data in 1980, according to a May 2005 report.

* Also in May, the state of Wisconsin reported that abortion rates there are at their lowest levels since 1974.

* Abortions in Oregon are down to their lowest levels since 1998, having decreased 20 percent between then and 2004.

* Abortions in Kentucky have been steadily dropping for more than a decade with 3,502 in 2002 and 9,590 in 1991.

* Since 1988, abortions have dropped a whopping 53 percent in South Carolina.

* After peaking at 8,814 in 1991, the number of abortions in 2004 in Mississippi fell to just over 3,000.

* Abortions in Kansas are still on the decline, having dropped again for the fourth year in a row. In 2005, abortions there decreased significantly, with a decline of 8 percent from the previous year.

These declines in abortion are good news and they have been covered extensively by LifeNews.com. We have also extensively covered the debates and passage of pro-life laws in many of these states that have led to the abortion declines.

Even one abortion is one too many and our job is far from over. LifeNews.com will continue to bring you in-depth reporting on all of the pro-life battles we face in our goal to end abortion entirely.