Pro-Life Update from Mary Lou

Dear Pro-Life Friends:

 

Included in this e-mail are some very important upcoming activities and facts. Please help in all the areas that you are able - help us to stamp out the sin of abortion.

1. 40 Days for Life

2. Sen Bob Casey votes pro-abortion

3. Women of Character Conference

4. Fox News Special

5. This Pastor has Guts

6. PCUC Banquet and ad book

7. Life Chain 8. HB 288

9. The Marriage Amendment

10. Face the Truth Tour

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1. 40 Days for Life - This fall, 89 cities in 33 states across the nation will unite for a unique pro-life campaign called 40 Days for Life -- an intensive effort designed to raise awareness, save lives, bring healing, and prepare America for the beginning of the end of abortion. The campaign will be conducted simultaneously in all locations from September 26 - November 4.

There are three components to 40 Days for Life...

1. Prayer and Fasting

Want to end abortion? First you pray. Prayer is at the center of 40 Days for Life. During the September 26 - November 4 campaign, we are calling on people of faith across the nation to fall on their knees before the Lord, asking Him to hear our plea and heal our land. Pray at church. Pray outside an abortion facility. Pray at work. Pray in the car. Pray at home with your family. Pray!

People of faith are also invited to fast throughout 40 Days for Life. Christ said there are some demons that can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. A fast is not a Christian diet; it is a powerful means of drawing closer to God by blocking out distractions. Fast from food. Fast from television. Fast from e-mail. Fast from apathy and indifference. Fast from whatever it is that separates you from God.

We believe that when God's people pray and fast with a broken, repentant, and contrite spirit, our heavenly Father will hear from heaven and heal our lives, our churches, our communities, our nation, and our world.

2. Peaceful Vigil

The visible, public centerpiece of 40 Days for Life is a 40-day-long prayer vigil outside Planned Parenthood,933 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh.The prayer vigil is a peaceful and educational presence that sends a powerful message to the community about the tragic reality of abortion. It also serves as a call to repentance for those who work at the abortion center and those who patronize the facility.

3. Community Outreach

During 40 Days for Life, the pro-life message is proactively taken to every possible corner of a community through a focused, grassroots educational effort. A door-to-door petition and education drive reaches out to households throughout a neighborhood or city. Informational flyers raise awareness about the local crisis of abortion. Citizens are invited to sign a petition of support for the sanctity of human life, and people are given the opportunity to visibly show their support for 40 Days for Life. Additional outreach activites can include church involvement, media contact, and campus outreach.

Why 40 Days?

Throughout Biblical history, God has used 40-day periods to transform individuals, communities and nations...

·         Noah was transformed by 40 days of rain

·         Moses was transformed by 40 days on Mount Sinai

·         David was transformed by Goliath's 40 day challenge

·         Elijah was transformed when God gave him 40 days of strength from one meal

·         Nineveh was transformed when God gave the city 40 days to remain faithful

·         Jesus was empowered by 40 days in the desert

·         The Disciples were transformed by 40 days with Jesus following His resurrection

Imagine the transformation God could accomplish in America this fall when individuals and communities unite together for 40 days of prayer and fasting, pulling out all the stops to end the violence of abortion...

You can be a part of that transformation by taking action today!

Benefits of Participating

By participating in a 40 Days for Life campaign you could help:

·         Reduce abortion rates -- by 15%... 20%... 25%... Or more!

·         Recruit and mobilize hundreds -- even thousands -- of new people into effective, life-saving efforts

·         Lead post-abortive women -- and men -- into proven and effective healing programs

·         Develop dynamic new leaders to increase the future impact of pro-life efforts

·         Build church coalitions in an historic display of Christian unity and action

·         Generate enormous buzz by getting prominent news coverage

·         Increase local financial support for pro-life efforts

·         Spotlight the sanctity of human life as a crucial issue in upcoming elections

All of these results have actually been realized in other communities, and -- with God's help -- could happen in participating cities this fall.

see www.40daysforlife.com <http://www.40daysforlife.com/> - for national news www.40daysforlife.com/pittsburgh <http://www.40daysforlife.com/pittsburgh> - for local news Laureen Bodnar is General Chairperson h.724-444-0677 c 412-585-872 bodnar4@zoominternet.net <mailto:bodnar4@zoominternet.net> As you should know, the success of the 40 Days For Life will depend on constant prayer and fasting, as well as the vigils at the Planned Parenthood abortion mill. Sally Brunn is the prayer coordinator for the 40 Days For Life. We are trying to cover the entire 40 days with prayer to end abortion, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We hope to have at least one person praying, at home or in a church, every minute of every hour, 24 hours a day for the 40 Days. You can choose a time that suits you best, choose the amount of time you will devote to prayer, and choose to pray any way that you wish. In other words, "freedom of choice" for good, not bad. If you choose to do this, you will need to e-mail at alsally@hotmail.com <mailto:alsally@hotmail.com> and let me know what time you will be praying and for how long. Your name will go on an official prayer list.Even better, if you can also convince other people (family and friends) to pray, individually or in a group, they can choose their prayer time and you can e-mail their name, or group name, and time to me. Thank you for being a part of the 40 Days For Life.

2. Sen. Casey votes pro-abortion - Senator Bob Casey, Jr. voted to rescind the Mexico City Policy which forbids American taxpayer dollars from funding overseas abortions. But wait a minute! Twenty minutes later he votes to reinstate the Mexico City Policy. But wait a minute: four days later he says he really meant to vote ‘nay’ on reinstatement and wants his official vote changed! Casey votes to fund abortion groups. Did he win the votes of pro-life Pennsylvanians last year under false pretenses?

The question arises now after two extremely puzzling votes that Casey took last Thursday on the foreign operations appropriations bill. At 6:53 P.M., he voted for an amendment by Sen. Sam Brownback (R., Kan.), to preserve the federal government’s so-called Mexico City policy, which prohibits the granting of federal funds to overseas groups that refer and perform abortions.Twenty minutes earlier, however, Casey had voted for an amendment by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D., Calif.) that not only overturned the Mexico City policy, but also increased funding for overseas groups that perform and refer abortions. Certainly, Casey had not had a change of heart in the space of 20 minutes.The contradictory votes received little attention, but certainly neither made sense in the context of the other. This Monday, however, Casey resolved the tension. He went to the floor of the Senate and announced that on the Brownback amendment, “it was my intention to vote ‘nay.’ Therefore, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to change my vote since it will not affect the outcome of that vote.”

Casey’s vote in favor of funding abortion providers has been duly updated on the Senate website. Casey’s view is indisputably different — opposite in fact — from that of his father. Two-term Gov. Robert Casey of Pennsylvania had been revered in the pro-life movement. He was denied a chance to speak at the 1992 Democratic National Convention because he wanted to give a pro-life speech.

The debate on the Senate floor left little room for confusion about what the amendment actually does. “Many who support abortion question whether it should be used for family planning purposes, which these funds are designated to be used for,” Brownback argued. “We should not force American taxpayers to subsidize organizations that perform or actively promote abortion.”

Please consider contacting Senator Casey for an explanation of his vote to rescind the Mexico City Policy and force taxpayers to help fund organizations that perform and make referrals for abortions. Toll free 1-866-802-2833, Pittsburgh 412-803-7370 or write to him thru his web site www.casey.senate.gov/contact <http://www.casey.senate.gov/contact>

Please mark this on your calendar and plan to attend (or have the women in your life attend). We hope to have flyers available next week. If you would like some flyers, please let us know. You can call me for more information or to get flyers. (724-935-6307 or 412-398-5774). Feel free to tell others, copy info, put in church bulletins etc. While this is not a "Christian event" it is to encourage & support women (teens & up). Both ofthese speakers are topnotch.

3. Women of Character Conference - Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 7pm, Carnegie Museum of Art Auditorium $20 Adults, $5 Students w/ID, Reserve tickets at 412-967-9691 or purchase at the door. Reclaim Feminism & self-respect for women About the Keynote Speaker - The author of two groundbreaking books, A Return to Modesty & Girls Gone Mild, Wendy Shalit shatters the popular myth that girls & young women want to be thin, sexy, & promiscuous. After discussing how these lifestyles too often cause anorexia, bulimia, depression, & unhappiness, Ms. Shalit proposes a daring change—a counter-revolution—that will create a culture in which natural, feminine modesty empowers girls & young women to set their own individual courses, making choices that will enable them to build happy, healthy, fulfilled lives. Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Wendy received her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Williams College in 1997. She is the founder of ModestyZone.net, ModestlyYours.net & girlsgonemild.com—three powerful online forums for girls & young women who dare to question the current culture & seek a deeper meaning in their own lives. Amy Scheuring, Local author, speaker and director of Pregnancy Care Center will be emceeing and speaking also.
Sponsored by Commonwealth Education Organization www.ceopa.org <http://www.ceopa.org/>,
Underwritten by Federated Investors Foundation, Inc.

4. Fox News Special - Friends - In case you missed it just click on the you tube link or open the attachment to see fabulous video of the expose presented on Fox news. Very succinct and accurate video. about 4-5 minutes long. Pass this one around. Janice

SIMPLY AMAZING: Fox News Special Details Planned Parenthood Abortion Mill Deception, Concealing Rape etc. by John-Henry Westen September 10, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com <>) - No write-up can adequately describe this Fox News segment from "Hannity's America ". It accurately depicts Planned Parenthood as
money hungry abortion peddlers. It follows the controversy of the largest abortion mill opening in Aurora , Illinois after having constructed the premises under false pretenses. The video plays audio recordings of
Planned Parenthood employees caught on tape covering up statutory rape. See this video and send it to your
friends: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18IKmx6wsYk>

5. This Pastor Has Guts - This is a Prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems Prayer still upsets some people. When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, Everyone was expecting the usual generalities, But this is what they heard: "Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask
your forgiveness and to seek your direction and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have abused power and called it politics.We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from Every sin and set us free. Amen!"
The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India , Africa and Korea . Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received
a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired With the Lord's help! , may this prayer sweep over our nation and whole heartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation Under God." If possible, please pass this prayer on to your friends. "If you don't Stand for something, you will fall for everything."

6. People Concerned for the Unborn Child's annual pro-life banquet - will be on Sat. Oct. 27 at Churchill Valley Country Club with Joe Scheidler from Chicago as our speaker. Reservations are being accepted at 412-531-9272 for $40 each or a table of 10 for $350 - you don't want to miss hearing this great speaker and
meeting your pro-life friends. To support PCUC, a banquet book is being prepared - ads are being taken by sending the info to PCUC, 3050 Pioneer Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15226 - Whole page (8 1/2 x 11) for $150, half page $100, quarter page $65, business card $40 , patron $10 - Please help us with this effort by contacting business, professionals and all who would like us to know of their pro-life commitment.

7. Life Chain - The annual Life Chain is a once a year witness for life to tell the people of our country that we've had enough of the killing of the unborn and mental, physical and spiritual damage to women. We will stand along streets and lanes, on Sunday, October for one hour. For more info, call Mary Catherine
Scanlon 412-781-6550.

8. HB 288 - The PA General Assembly resumed on Sept. 17. One of the pieces of legislation that will be on the calendar is HB 288 - this legislation would require all hospitals and medical personnel to distribute emergency contraception to rape victims. Both the drug manufacturer and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) state that EC can act as an abortifacient by altering the lining of the uterine wall, so a new human being cannot implant. We don't want admendments - HB 288 must be defeated.

9. The Marriage Amendment - A bill may come before the state house which calls for giving Pennsylvania's current definition of Marriage (one man and one woman) constitutional stature in Pennsylvania. Should such a bill pass both houses of the legislature in two consecutive sessions, it would then appear on the ballot
for Pennsylvania's voters to approve or disapprove. In the absence of such a process, Pennsylvania is vulnerable to the type of judicial mischief that imposed marriage between gay couples in Massachusetts,
and mandated a similar law in New Jersey. So, the issue here is whether Pennsylvania will have its marriage laws decided by "the People", or by "the Court". You can assist greatly in this process by finding out where your own state rep, and your own state senator stand on this issue. Please forward that information back to me - once you have confirmed it. Twenty-seven other states have already done so. Are you aware that Pa already allows same-sex couples to adopt? We know that our Defense of Marriage Act is simply not enough to protect us from a judge mandating a redefinition of marriage here in Pennsylvania. We will be outspent, but we have the truth on our side. Would you be willing to serve as the liaison for your group/sphere of
influence so that we can reach as many folks as possible to demand our legislature allow us the right to vote to protect marriage? Our websites are: www.pa4marriage.org <> and www.youranswermatters.com <>
Please take a look. We are launching a very aggressive campaign to create awareness that marriage desperately needs to be protected. Thank you for your prayerful consideration and please forward to your friends. God bless, Eleanor pa4marriage.org 717.576.5253 eross04@comcast.net <mailto:eross04@comcast.net>

10. Face the Truth Tour - I could not cut and paste the info and schedule to this page, so I am forwarding Bob Newman's separately.