Yesterday, pro-lifers across the country wished Joe Scheidler, founder of the Pro-Life Action League, a happy 90th birthday. Joe has been active in the pro-life movement for 45 years and is affectionately known as the grandfather of pro-life activism. He is the author of CLOSED: 99 Ways to Stop Abortion, which is the iconic activists’ guide to bringing the horrors of abortion to the streets of America. He recently wrote Racketeer for Life, which chronicles his time in the pro-life movement and recounts his outrageous conviction on racketeering charges, including his three trips to the United States Supreme Court to get the conviction thrown out. Joe continues to be very active in the streets and in meetings all across America. He goes to work every day and tries save as many babies as possible through prayer and work. Happy 90th birthday, Joe!
Congress has returned from recess and the next month will see a focus on government spending. The country’s fiscal year ends on September 30, and, ideally, a new budget for 2018 should be in place by then. The House is working on an Omnibus Bill (HR 3354) that will address the funding of a number of federal government agencies. There will be a major effort to take all taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood out of the budget. Now is the time for you to contact your representatives and senators and let them know you want Planned Parenthood funding to end.
In other news this week, an abortion facility in Kentucky is fighting the state’s decision to close it down because it does not have the required transfer agreement with a local hospital. The non-jury trial is expected to end today or Monday. The judge will then review the testimony and issue his decision in the next couple of weeks. We and others are watching this case closely, as this particular abortuary is, at this time, the last operating abortion mill in the entire state of Kentucky. If it loses this case, Kentucky will be the first state to have no abortion clinics.
In a revealing bit of research, the Argus Leader newspaper in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, noted that “President Donald Trump has inspired a few larger demonstrations in Sioux Falls since his inauguration.” Presented with this fact, the newspaper decided to look into all the demonstrations held in Sioux Falls since 2015. In Sioux Falls, if any demonstration expects to get more than 25 people, the organizers must obtain a permit. So the newspaper looked at all the permits issued since 2015 and concluded: “The 45th president is far from the city’s biggest target of protest.”
According to research: “Anti-abortion activists are by far the busiest demonstrators in Sioux Falls, followed by Take Back the Site, which holds memorials for homicide victims.” The article goes on to report: “Not surprisingly, then, Planned Parenthood was also the most popular destination for protesters. By a mile.” The Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls files a dozen or so permits with the city for prayer vigils in front of the Planned Parenthood each year. In addition, O’Gorman High School students, the First Assembly Church of God, and other anti-abortion groups have demonstrated outside Planned Parenthood’s facility.
Congratulations to the Sioux Falls Diocese and all who are witnessing in the streets in front of the last Planned Parenthood facility in the state. We ask all our readers to join in prayer with these faithful pro-lifers and ask God to close this abortion mill as soon as possible.
We also pray that every place a Planned Parenthood center exists will emulate the tenacity of the Sioux Falls pro-lifers and continually protest at Planned Parenthood’s location until it closes its doors and gets out of town.