Think ahead to the next six months. What could you do to help fight abortion during that time? Be specific about what action you could take and why it would be helpful.

And the winner of the $1,000.00 scholarship? Julianne Winkle. Have a read. It think you’ll agree she did a splendid job. Congratulations, Julianne!

Second place, a $500.00 scholarship, went to Theresa Simeo. Her essay follows Julianne’s. Well done, Theresa!

Most would probably say that teaching abstinence is “unrealistic”, that it doesn’t work, and that schools should instead be teaching so-called “comprehensive” sex education.

A big part of the reason why so many people believe abstinence education is ineffective is because its opponents — which include Planned Parenthood, NARAL, NOW, and other major pro-abortion groups — have relentlessly tub-thumping for years trying to convince people that it is so, such that it’s now one of those things that “everybody knows”.

And most mainstream media outlets have gone along with getting this message out there.

So ingrained in popular consciousness is this idea that when the Washington Post reported on a “landmark” study released Monday that demonstrated remarkable comparative effectiveness of abstinence education vs. so-called “comprehensive” sex education, they couldn’t bring themselves to fully admit what the research showed.

The study, led by Dr. John Jemmott of the University of Pennsylvania, involved 662 black students in four urban public middle schools. It revealed that about 33% of students who went through an abstinence program had sex within 2 years, as opposed to 52% who were only taught only “safe sex”.

“Abstinence-only programs might work, study says,” read the headline. “The findings are the first clear evidence that an abstinence program could work,” read one sentence.

“Might work”? “Could work”?

This study shows abstinence education does work. And—again, contrary to what the Washington Post article says—this is not “the first clear evidence”.

Still, it’s very encouraging that this particular study is receiving so much attention, and it certainly calls into question the Obama administration’s decision to cut more than $170 in federal funding for abstinence education programs.

It’s also interesting to note the reaction of the so-called “Comprehensive” Sex Education establishment to the study.

The WaPo article quotes James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, whose response was essentially a shrug: “There is no data in this study to support the ‘abstain until marriage’ programs, which research proved ineffective during the Bush administration.”

What “research” is Wagoner referring to?

I had a suspicion it was the April 2007 study conducted by Mathematica Policy Research [PDF], which, since its release, has often been cited by opponents of abstinence education programs as the definitive evidence of their ineffectiveness.

And a check of the Advocates for Youth website confirmed my hunch. Attempting to distinguish between the program studied in the Jemmott research and Bush-era abstinence programs, AfY notes:

The program goal was to help early teens avoid sex until they are ready—a totally different objective than the federally funded abstinence programs already proven ineffective by the long-term Mathematica study “which showed no impact on teen behavior”.

The Mathematica study contains some huge flaws that were pointed out within days of its release.

Among other things, it studied children as young as 3rd grade—not exactly the average age for abstinence programs and/or sexual activity—and researched only four (4) programs—a ridiculously small sample of the several hundred federally funded abstinence education programs.

Bearing this information in mind, Wagoner’s comments are nonsensical.

With any luck, though, maybe the buzz surrounding the Jemmott study will prompt the mainstream media to take a new look at abstinence education—and maybe even start asking questions about the Mathematica study that they should have asked three years ago.

If they did, they might discover that the groups that have been hiding behind it and other flawed studies are part of a movement that simply cannot be trusted to have children’s best interests at heart.

These are just some of the comments that sum up the reaction of the 130 teens and adults who attended TeenSpeak 2010 on January 30. This was not only the largest crowd we’ve ever had at a TeenSpeak conference, but without a doubt the most enthusiastic as well.

The day began with a compelling talk by Live Action’s Lila Rose titled “Undercover at Planned Parenthood”.

In her talk, Lila told about her experiences at Planned Parenthood abortion clinics across the country, where time after time, posing as a 13-year old impregnated by her much-older boyfriend, she has exposed statutory rape cover-up at Planned Parenthood.

The audience found Lila’s talk very eye-opening and inspiring. Finoy Lukose, a sophomore at St. Ignatius College Prep, commented, “This talk really opened my eyes to what truly goes on at an abortion clinic, something I was unfamiliar with.” And Alexie Gillespie, a junior at Lake Zurich High School, noted, “I was so inspired by Lila by start a pro-life group in my own community.”

At the conclusion of Lila’s talk, she received a standing ovation—clearly, the conference was off to a great start!

Since the theme of the conference was “Pro-Life Teens Take ACTION,” the next segment was devoted to three presentations that focused on specific ways teens can become more involved in the pro-life movement.

John-Paul Deddens and Alicia Torres discussed involvement opportunities with Students for Life of Illinois, The Women’s Center’s Katie Reidy talked about volunteer opportunities at pregnancy resource centers, and Pro-Life Action League Associate Jeff Eschbach encouraged teens to consider sidewalk counseling.

All three presentations were well received. As sophomore Mia Rocha remarked, “I learned a lot from all of these talks, and they really helped me understand more about abortion.”

After lunch, members of three active pro-life clubs gave brief presentations about their groups. Chrysan Tefft and Katie Wall of Rosary High School’s Lifesavers Club showcased the T-shirts they recently designed, and noted that some of their members are now part of the Teen Board for Waterleaf Women’s Center, a pregnancy resource center in Aurora that opened last fall. Katie also recommended to other teens who were interested in starting a new pro-life club that they should get a copy of GFL’s Pro-Life Curriculum.

Kim Dawid and Joan Dodaro of Riverside-Brookfield High School related their experience of starting a pro-life club in their public school, and told how they have collaborated with other like-minded clubs for some of their events.

Lastly, several members of Lombard-based Crusaders for Life sang a pro-life song they came up with at the March for Life—”It’s a Life”, sung to the tune of Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life”.

With enthusiasm high, my co-worker Matt Yonke gave a short talk titled, “The Anatomy of a Pro-Life T-Shirt,” in which he dissected the most common styles of pro-life T-shirts. Matt’s talk served as a great jumping-off point for TeenSpeak’s Pro-Life T-Shirt Workshop.

Attendees were divided into 20 groups, and each group was given a T-shirt, a set of fabric markers, and 45 minutes to create their own pro-life T-shirt. To ramp up the competition factor, the teams were told that the winning design would be professionally printed and sold on ChristianShirts.net, and that each member of the winning team would receive one.

The competition proved stiff, but in the end the judges selected this design by Angela Habisohn, Hannah McHugh, Matalyn VanderBleek, Charlotte Seidel, and Michelle Ryan as the winner:

Last but not least, the TeenSpeak Essay Contest winners were announced: Second place went to Theresa Simeo of Glen Ellyn, and First Place went to Julianne Winkle of Aurora. (Look for their essays to be posted last this week.)

Many people—both teens and adults—commented that this was the best TeenSpeak they had been a part of, and they’re looking forward to next year.

So am I!

Related

• See a slideshow of pictures from TeenSpeak here.

Huge.

There is always a massive crowd at the March, but several people I talked to thought that the crowd this year even larger than it usually is.

Of the many signs I saw today, I think this one was my favorite:

I’ve posted other pictures from the March here.

If you’ll be there, join us! Generations for Life will be marching together with other members of Youth Life Alliance in a show of unity among national pro-life youth organizations, and I would like to invite you and your group to march with us.

Here are the details:

• WHEN TO MEET: 12:00 noon on Friday, January 22
• WHERE TO MEET: Madison Dr. NW, just west of 4th St.
• WHAT TO LOOK FOR: The Generations for Life banner

I hope you’ll be able to join us at the March, but if you can’t make it, you can still be a part of the Virtual March for Life.

How can we start a revolution though…aren’t we just young adults trying to make sense of our lives, not to mention love? The authors say that we don’t have to have fantastic speaking skills or a mesmerizing personality because the revolution will start in our hearts and lives before it moves outward: “You just have to believe what God says about sex and live out what you’re talking about.” (p. 41) As they put it, it is a revolution of one that begins in us first before moving outward.

The authors describe how the first sexual revolution started in the ‘60’s and resulted in our over-sexed culture, which believes that sex comes without a price tag. In the 60’s a small group grew and changed the culture’s views on sex. If they did it, so can we!

If we want to understand God’s rules about sex, we need to see God behind them since He cares for us, and we need to join the “revolutionary” view of sex the book provides. I.e. do we look at sex as one of God’s gifts, a sacred, soul-changing, emotional experience not to be enjoyed outside of marriage, or do we see it as a way to satisfy carnal desires?

Of course, Sex 180 gives the usual tips like “dress modestly,” “don’t lust,” etc., but it goes deep into the “whys” of the rules God has placed on sex. Are we going to do sex Hollywood’s way, with the physical first and spiritual last, or God’s way, with the spiritual first and the physical last?

“Sex is a heart issue, one that our culture has made purely physical. The only time the heart is mentioned is when we’re trying to justify the physical….” (p.30). That is, we justify they physical with excuses like, “But we love each other!”

I really liked what a boy named Bobby had said in the book:

“You have to stand up and be proud that you’re going to abstain, that you have a reason. There are so many good kids out there who just don’t know about not having sex before marriage. That is why Christians have to take a stand.” (p.38)

The authors put it a good way again: “God gave us wonderful and beautiful bodies. They were not intended for manipulating others.” (p. 77) “…before you can live out this 180, you have to grasp an important element of sex: it’s selfless. What you think about sex and how you live it out isn’t just about you.” (p. 100)

The authors remind us that God is the only one that can give us perfect love–a human isn’t capable of perfect love as popular culture expects. You can’t have such high expectations of people.

Being friends before having a romantic relationship is “the best way to guard your heart and someone else’s.” (p. 106). As I mentioned the physical is kept last, or as one boy said pertaining to getting physical with your bf/gf: “It’s like you’re going down a hill–the faster you go, the quicker you fall.”( p. 123) Tim Walker said: “Love isn’t just romance; it’s honoring the other person.” p.114

As friends, you get to see how a person lives out his life and treats family and friends. Does he/she “walk the walk”?

“Respecting the other person as a brother or sister means recognizing that his person is not an object, or a play toy. He or she is a human being, someone God considers valuable–so valuable that he sent his Son to give his life for that person.”( p. 127) Thus, we start to think of the person behind the looks or great body, to see them as people with history and a life. And if we spend time with the family, then we will see how poor decisions will not only affect our love interest, but the whole family as well.

Guys and gals need to help each other do the Sex 180:

“You [guys] can be a leader in your relationships now by stepping up and not putting your girl in a situation where you know you’re both going to be tempted. Just like girls can help you out by watching what they wear, you can help a girl out by protecting her and not manipulating her though situations and emotions.” (p. 131)

As followers of Christ, we are called to live a radically different lifestyle and be a light to others.

“Imagine a relationship with a person of the opposite sex in which you became good friends, treated each other as brother and sister, and wanted the other person to walk away, no matter what happened, saying, ‘You know what? Nothing romantic happened like I kind of secretly hoped, but because of my relationship with you, I’m more like Christ.” (p. 149) We can have the best relationship when it is built on a strong spiritual foundation and respect for the other person.

For those that catch the “love bug” a lot, this book is helpful since one chapter explores the difference between love vs. infatuation. For example: “Love takes time to grow. Infatuation explodes in an instant.” (p. 161)

So what are the benefits of abstinence and sex 180? They are:

“If you stay sexually pure, then you can expect to have better sex in your marriage.”

“If you stay sexually pure, then you can expect your relationships to add to your life, not take away from it.”

You’ll avoid STDs.

“If you stay sexually pure and look for a potential mate who lives by the same values, then you can expect that when you marry, you will remain faithful to each other.” (all from p. 182)

“Live out this revolution and telling others about it has nothing to do with people seeing how great or how pure you are–it’s about seeing how awesome and loving God is. How he created sex. And how he desires to give it to you–with the right person at the right time in the right place.”( p. 210)

God wants us to have the best sex possible, but we can only attain it if we follow the rules he has set for us and remain pure.

“We’re going to do relationships in ways that quit using and manipulating people. We’re no longer going to leave a trail of debris behind us. We’re going to stop living with regrets. Relationships are no longer about us–what we can get from the other person emotionally and physically. They’re going to be about what we can give to someone else–spiritually.” p. 214

God will give us the opportunity to stand up and make a difference. We need to be revolutionaries and change our culture. This book will equip you to do so–just don’t take as long as I did to get through the book!

(all page references from copyright 2005 by Chip Ingram)

If you haven’t yet made plans to attend the March for Life in Washington, DC, there’s still time, but not much. It’s just over two weeks away, on January 22.

If you’re going to the March, join us! Generations for Life will be marching together with other members of the Youth Life Alliance in a show of unity among national pro-life youth organizations.

We’ll be posting more details soon.

This is the one comment that has always stuck in my mind. On a sunny day in Hawaii, as our pro-life group stood along the highway holding signs to protest abortion, a woman biking by said this statement as she passed us and after I had smiled at her.

The thing I always remember though, when I recall this comment, is that there is no better thing to protest. Abortion is the killing of innocent human beings–children never given the chance to live. What is more important than defending a human life?

Surely, activating for animal rights can’t be more important. Green issues may be important to many people, but even the entirety of the “go green” movement cannot account for the value of a single, eternal human soul.

We cannot be passive. Abortion is a great evil, and one of the best things to protest, along with protesting euthanasia–abortion is legal in the USA and euthanasia is now legal in three states. If we don’t stand up for these helpless groups, who will and what will be the future of our country, or of the world?

Pro-lifers: we are the future, and only we can affect the needed change in our culture by spreading the message. We must fight for the cause, even if it means that we will get flak for it, such as people buying into the belief that a fetus is a part of a mother’s body and that there are more important things to protest. Abortion SHOULD be protested, and if we don’t, then the battle will never be won.

If not, here’s a great gift idea: Bryan Kemper’s new book, Social Justice Begins in the Womb.

It will be available in print next month, but pre-orders are being taken now.

I’ve known Bryan for a few years now, and he’s a great guy. His 18+ years working in and helping found the modern youth pro-life movement give him some great perspectives and insights that he shares in this book.

So far, it’s gotten rave reviews:

Ryan Dobson, Son of Dr. James Dobson from Focus on the Family

“For Bryan Kemper social justice isn’t a new way to raise money, it’s not a fad or a trend it’s in his DNA. This is a way of life. You’re not going to want to put this book down and if you let it, it will become a part of your DNA too. It has for me.”

Jeff Gilbert from the band Kutless

“I encourage anyone in the belief of pro-choice to read this book. You won’t find a more loving and intellectual debate on the courage it takes to choose an alternative to abortion. Absolutely impacting from life changing into life renewing.”

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life

“Social Justice Begins in the Womb by Bryan Kemper provides the reader with an overview of the pro-life position and with effective responses to pro-abortion assertions. I am grateful to my friend Bryan for his pro-life leadership and for this contribution to a key theme: that social justice cannot be divorced from the right to life.”

Bobby Schindler, Brother of Terri Schaivo

“I first meet Bryan when he came to Florida during my sister, Terri Schiavo’s, two-week dehydration death in March of 2005.

Bryan freely provided my family with much needed help during that horrible time. Since then, Bryan and I have stayed in touch and have become good friends. The account of Bryan’s struggle and subsequent journey to Christ is one that we should all know.

Through Bryan’s personal story, you will not only realize how important it is to never lose hope in the grace of God, but more importantly how Bryan has turned a potentially tragic situation into a ministry that is now using that grace to protect the value and dignity of our most vulnerable.

Bryan is a devoted father, a friend, and a witness to how God’s unconditional love for all of us is never-ending.”

Pre-order it today!

A few months ago, April Kesterton, the director of Tulare-Kings Right to Life in Visalia, California wrote us to say:

Thank you so much for the Pro-Life Curriculum. It is totally awesome, and I know if will be a big help to students around here. The thought of starting a pro-life club can be intimidating. Your resource is so thorough and just walks them through the process and provides everything they need to be successful.

Theresa Williams, a high school student from Illinois, wrote to tell us:

I just wanted to say thank you for putting together the amazing Pro-Life Club Curriculum. It is exactly the approach I need totake to present a persuasive argument to my class. It also solidified once again my pro-life stance. Thank you very much for your efforts in creating such a binder with every possible fact, rebuttal, and pro-life alternative.

If you don’t already have our Pro-Life Curriculum, you can order one here.

And if you do already have one, please tell your friends about it and encourage them to a get a copy for themselves.

You’ll also notice on our Curriculum page that in addition to being able to download the first three chapters, we’ve also added a new Life Topic Supplement on the Morning-After Pill. If you already have the curriculum, you can print it out and include it in the Supplements section.

This is the first new Life Topic Supplement we’ve added to our site, and we’re planning to add a new one each semester.

I would appreciate your suggestions on what Life Topic Supplement we should add next, so if you have any thoughts, please let us know.

When we were writing our Sharing the Pro-Life Message handbook at this time last year, one of my jobs was to make sure the information in the “Life in the Womb” section was accurate. As for the question of when the embryo’s heart begins to beat, I came across various sources that indicated this happens between 18-24 days from conception. I can’t remember seeing any source that listed anything outside this range.

That’s why it’s so ridiculous that the Planned Parenthood employee would say that “heart tones” — and not a “heartbeat” — don’t start until 7 weeks, and that a heartbeat doesn’t start until “17 or 18 weeks”.

Nurse and pro-life blogger Jill Stanek has more on this.

I’m sure Live Action’s Lila Rose will have a lot more to say about this video at our TeenSpeak conference next month. Register now!

Previous

• Live Action in Alabama
• New Videos from Live Action
• Tennessee Planned Parenthood Covers Up Sexual Abuse of Underage Girl
• Indiana Planned Parenthood Covers Up Sexual Abuse of 13-Year Old Girl
• Another Indiana Planned Parenthood Covers Up Sexual Abuse of 13-Year Old Girl
• Planned Parenthood Threatens Student with Lawsuit
• Show Me the Money!
• Show Me the Money! Part 2

Each year on the Saturday before Christmas, we visit abortion clinics in Chicago to sing Christmas carols, gathered around a life-size “empty manger”, which symbolizes both the empty space
left behind by abortion and the hope born with every child, even in difficult circumstances.

This year’s Caroling Day is Saturday, December 19, and we’ll be conducting TWO different caroling tours — one in Chicago and one in west suburban DuPage County.

You can get all the details, including maps and schedules, here.

If you don’t live near Chicago, how about doing your own “Empty Manger” Caroling Day at abortion clinics or Planned Parenthood offices in YOUR area? Pro-life groups all over the country have taken up this idea, and babies have been saved when their mothers heard the caroling.

To make it easy, we’ve prepared a caroling song sheet [PDF] you can copy and pass out.

If you do your own Caroling Day, send us some pictures and let us know how it goes!

Every year around this time, we receive numerous e-mails from high school and college students across the country who are seeking information on abortion for research papers they’re working on.

We expect this number to continue to grow in the next few weeks of December—a peak time for term papers.

When we receive e-mails like these, we first recommend that students check out our Q & A section.

We also offer to mail a complimentary student packet, consisting of a wide variety of pro-life literature.

If you would like one of these free student packets for yourself or for someone else, fill out our contact form, and we’ll be happy to send you one.

This was our first time going to an NCYC, and we’re really glad we came! We had a booth in the Thematic Park, and we were thrilled at the response we got from everyone who stopped by.

We gave out all 1,000 Precious Feet pins we brought, as well as hundreds of pro-life stickers provided by Stand True, and pieces of pro-life literature provided by Human Life Alliance. We also had some great conversations with several teens who are interested in starting their own pro-life clubs.

Everyone we talked to said they were having a great time at the conference. Two things in particular we heard a lot of great comments about were the Eucharistic Procession through the streets of downtown Kansas City and Jason and Crystalina Evert’s “Romance without Regret” talk.

I’d also recommend you read Bishop Jaime Soto’s excellent homily from the closing Mass on Saturday night.

We’re already looking forward to being at the next NCYC two years from now in Indianapolis.

We’ll be at booth 500 in the Thematic Park, and we’ll be giving away lots of pro-life literature, stickers, and Precious Feet pins.

If you’re one of the 20,000+ teens who will be there, I hope you’ll stop by and see us!

Just yesterday, on Jill Stanek’s blog, I found out about a particular act of love by a teenage girl that ended up playing a role in Abby’s conversion:

As a teen Elizabeth often prayed in front of Abby’s mill, and she tried to befriend Abby. Once Elizabeth even brought Abby flowers. Abby’s friends inside the mill dissuaded her from retrieving the flowers but when they weren’t looking, she did anyway. Abby always kept the card, which said something about Jesus caring for her, in her office.

Elizabeth (McClung) is now the director of Austin Coalition for Life. Thanks in part to her act of love for Abby years ago, and for her continued prayers, Abby left the abortion industry and is now pro-life.

Other people who used to work in the abortion industry — including former abortion clinic guard Mark Bomchill and former abortion clinic owner Carol Everett — have also talked about loving acts of kindness shown to them by pro-lifers that, more than anything, helped give them the final push they needed to get out, and to become pro-life.

(Bryan Kemper, who spoke at our TeenSpeak conference this year, tells a similar story of kindness shown to him by a Christian doctor at a very low point in his life. And although he wasn’t part of the abortion industry, he candidly admits that the way he was living at the time was definitely not pro-life, and it was the love shown him by that Christian doctor that helped him turn things around and give his life over to God.)

We can’t remind ourselves enough that our enemy in the battle against abortion is not women who have abortions, or the men who allow (or even force) their wives or girlfriends to have abortions, or even the people who are actually in the abortion business.

No, our battle is “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world” (Eph. 6:12). For those here on earth who are — for whatever reason — deceived by the devil or his demons into thinking there is nothing wrong with abortion, we can’t ever hope to win them over to Jesus Christ by hating them.

The only way we can hope to convert them is by loving them.

This was the fifth ever 40 Days for Life campaign. Before it started on September 23, more than 1,561 babies had been saved by abortion at 40 Days for Life vigil sites. Now that number is over 2,000.

In addition, eight workers in the abortion industry quit their jobs—including Abby Johnson, the former director of the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Bryan, Texas!

Her story is amazing, because her conversion started when she actually witnessed an abortion on ultrasound!

And as you can imagine, the Planned Parenthood where she used to work isn’t happy:

If you took part in a 40 Days for Life vigil, God bless you! But whether or not you did, I still hope you’ll consider going out to an abortion clinic to pray on a regular basis from now on.

The next day, my friend Bryan Kemper of Stand True, which sponsored the Day, wrote this:

I know that I am going to hear about babies being saved every year, but I still get choked up as I start to read the stories. I am writing this report about 24 hours after getting the first stories back and we have already heard about 27 babies lives saved from our efforts yesterday. Think about that: 27 precious human beings who were scheduled for death will now live their lives.

Two of those stories were unique to accounts from any of the other years; I heard back from one girl who talked her mother out of aborting her own sibling by showing her our website. Another girl was able to convince her teacher not to kill her child because her willingness to take this stand at school. I was truly in tears when I read these stories

Not only were 27 lives saved yesterday, but we know that many lives will continue to be saved because of the stand you took yesterday; I received countless stories about hearts being changed from pro-choice to pro-life. The fact is, the results of yesterday’s outreach will continue to add up for years to come.

They definitely will. In fact, less than an hour ago, Bryan updated his Facebook page to say that the number of babies saved — and again, these are only the ones we know of — is up to 45!

There are many other stories here, and you can see a slide show here. If you have your own story about Silent Day, you can submit it here.

Unfortunately, some students who gave up their voice were treated horribly. One of the most shocking stories I saw was about a girl in Wiarton, Ontario named Jennifer Rankin.

She came to school Tuesday morning with red tape over the mouth and the word “LIFE” written on it, and was told by her principal — who had already called police — that she would have to spend the day apart from the rest of the students.

Jennifer told the Peterborough Examiner newspaper, “I wasn’t allowed to speak with or see any other students and students were not allowed to come and see me and I was isolated in that room for the entire day. I felt very discriminated by it. I don’t think it was right at all what happened.”

Bryan said — and he’s right — that Jennifer is a “true hero who should be applauded for her courage and willingness to sacrifice.”

I'll go on and explain the entire situation—including the deception going on here—in a moment, but first let me deliver this urgent action item:

Please call and e-mail the aldermen on the Planning and Development Committee and tell them not to approve Planned Parenthood's parking expansion request.

When you call, give three reasons for the committee to reject the parking scheme:

1. The zoning ordinance requires 10-foot-wide parking spaces, but PP's spaces are only 9 feet wide.
2. The zoning ordinance requires a 35 foot setback for parking spaces, but PP only has 30.
3. Planned Parenthood's stated reason for the new spaces, "security," is a total sham: we are peaceful and law-abiding.

Here's the contact information for the P & D Committee:

• Alderman Mike Saville, Chair (6th Ward): 630-896-9895 | e-mail
• Abby Schuler (1st Ward): 630-710-0331 | e-mail
• Rick Mervine (8th Ward): 331-452-5136 | e-mail

Now, to fill in all the details . . .

Pro-life investigaton begins

I was tipped off to this expansion plan back in August by a friendly council-watcher, and immediately began watching the city permitting process closely to try to figure out what was up.

Why would Planned Parenthood be seeking additional parking? We've got people out there all the time, so we know they haven't been overflowing their existing parking lot. What was really going on here?

To dig up some answers, my assistant Matt and I began monitoring Aurora Planning Council and Aurora Planning Commission meetings and demanding relevant documents from the City through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

Our first interesting discovery was the number of additional parking spaces Planned Parenthood was requesting: 27—exactly one more space than we're alleging Planned Parenthood is short in Frachey v. Planned Parenthood, the zoning case moving forward in DuPage county court.

Why exactly 27 new parking spaces?

According to our reading of the Aurora Zoning Ordinance (AZO), Planned Parenthood built their abortuary with 26 fewer spaces than required—one of nine AZO violations cited in the suit. Now they're asking for 27 spaces. Just coincidence?

I think not—especially in light of the fact that on October 23, the court will hear arguments on a Motion to Dismiss filed by Planned Parenthood. If they lose that motion, they'll have to answer for the serious flaws in their parking lot and all of their zoning violations in the suit.

Of course, Planned Parenthood isn't going to admit that they're concerned about violating Aurora's zoning laws. They're citing a completely different—and totally outrageous—reason for the additional parking spaces.

Planned Parenthood cites "security" concerns

Through my FOIA requests, I uncovered a document in which Planned Parenthood gives their reasons for adding parking space: the "Explanation of Project Needs" submitted by Tim Dutton of McAdam Landscape Inc.

Planned Parenthood's stated reasons for the extra parking: "security." Dutton claims, "Our staff and patients are being constantly harassed by the protesters." (You can find the whole document in the response to our first FOIA request here [PDF].)

The one and only example of such harrasment Dutton cites is an "assault" alleged to have taken place in October of last year outside Dominicks. But the authenticity of this allegation is extremely doubtful.

Fearmongering over doubtful assault allegation

Planned Parenthood claims that on October 1, 2008 an employee walking towards Dominick's on her break was approached by a pro-life protestor who made derogatory comments about her work and "grabbed" her arm.

But here's what's fishy. There's no mention of any such incident in the police blotters printed in the Aurora Beacon that month. Even more strangely, the first we ever heard of this alleged incident was in press release [PDF] from the Aurora Police Department on January 5, 2009—a full three months later.

Aurora Beacon and the Chicago Tribune carried stories about the search for suspects in the case. I found it strange the police would go so far as to issue a police bulletin without ever picking up the phone and giving me a call about the situation.

If they were so eager to find a suspect in this "assault" by a pro-life protestor, wouldn't the logical first step of their investigation be to contact the leader of the protests? They didn't bother.

We'd had constant problems getting the police to take assaults against pro-lifers out there seriously, but here they were going to bat for Planned Parenthood by sending out an urgent alert for a three-month-old case.

I knew back then this alleged assault was nothing but a setup—and now I finally knew what for. Planned Parenthood was looking for cover, and they turned to their most tried and true tactic: demonizing pro-lifers as violent and dangerous.

Planned Parenthood's absurd smokescreen

But Dutton didn't stop with this dubious assault at Dominicks. He went on to cite the "killing of the Doctor in Kansas and another double murder in southern Michigan"!

Dutton's reference to the killing of abortionist George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas was outrageous enough—he even said in an e-mail it was "only a matter of time before what happend in Kansas happens here"—but his reference to the Michigan murders was simply absurd.

Dutton was obviously refering to the murders of Jim Pouillon—a pro-life activist—and Mike Fuoss in Owosso, Michigan on September 11. Their killer admitted he objected to Pouillon's pro-life activities; why he killed Fuoss is as yet unclear.

It's breathtaking how far Planned Parenthood will go to obscure the truth—not only do they try to link the exemplary pro-life presence in Aurora with the deranged killed of George Tiller, but they go so far as to cite the murder of a pro-life activist as a reason for their urgent security need!

These claims also defy plain logic. How exactly would the addition of parking spaces enhance security at Planned Parenthood? I've waded through pages and pages of discussion on the parking project without any hint of an answer to this question.

That's why I'm convinced this project has nothing to do with security. That it's really all about the zoning case is further suggested by how frantic Planned Parenthood is to rush the project through.

Planned Parenthood demands special treatment

From the communication I have obtained between Planned Parenthood and the City of Aurora, it is clear that Planned Parenthood has become increasingly impatient to get going with construction. Are they staring down that October 23 hearing in state court?

In e-mails to city staffers, Dutton repeatedly asks why things are taking so long, brings up the specter of violence and even insinuates that Planned Parenthood is being discriminated against because of the nature of their business.

This is a strange accusation for Dutton to make, considering how the City rubber-stamped the Gemini/Planned Parenthood project from the first.

Significantly, the City almost admits they have given Planned Parenthood special treatment in the past. Consider this statement in an e-mail to city staffers by Aurora Corporation Counsel Alayne Weingartz:

I have no problem assisting people as quickly as we can PROVIDED THAT we are correctly following every single procedure we have with no shortcuts, no assumptions and proper documentation on every single aspect. Every aspect of this will be scrutinized, as I am certain I don't need to tell you all, so again, every procedure must be followed to the letter please. [Emphasis in original.]

(Find the whole exchange in our second batch of FOIA documents here [PDF].)

So what goes on when there isn't scrutiny of how the city approves development projects? How would things have been done differently in the first place if Planned Parenthood hadn't come into town under the cloak of Gemini Office Development?

Planning Commission takes up Planned Parenthood request

For weeks I monitored the agendas of the Aurora Planning Commission, waiting for the Planned Parenthood matter to come up. The Planning Commission is an appointed board of Aurora citizens tasked with making recommendations to the Planning and Development Committee. They normally meet on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month.

But on September 30—the fifth Wednesday—Matt found a Planning Commission meeting posted on the City of Aurora website, with Planned Parenthood on the agenda. If we hadn't been keeping such a close eye on things, we'd have missed it.

Matt and I attended the meeting, along with attorney Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society, which is handling the zoning case. Tim Dutton was there, too, to try to get Planned Parenthood their 27 spaces.

The Planned Parenthood item began with a presentation by Zoning Administrator Ed Sieben. He outlined the developments so far, including mentioning that "the only contact with the public on this" was "two Freedom of Information Act Requests"—an interesting remark given that members of the public were barred from speaking on this agenda item.

Dutton pitches Planned Parenthood's lies

After Sieben's introduction, Dutton got up to speak. He repeated all of the falsehoods about Planned Parenthood needing more parking and we pro-lifers being prone to violence. Matt took a video of his remarks:

The Commission then began to ask questions about the project of both Sieben and Dutton. Peter Breen stood up and attempted to address the question of why Planned Parenthood really wants the precise number of 27 spaces, but he was not allowed to speak.

They wouldn't let me speak either, when I tried to ask an important question of Dutton. He had once again raised the issue of abortionist George Tiller's murder in Kansas as a reason for adding parking spaces. I asked, "Does the doctor park at Blockbuster?" The Chairman told me I'd have to leave if I spoke out again. (You can read the whole transcript in our third batch of FOIA documents here [PDF].)

Sieben told the commission that the City Staff recommend Planned Parenthood only be allowed 11 of the 27 spaces they wanted. The other 16 spaces would require building into a city easement, and would bring Planned Parenthood that much closer to the residences that back onto their property.

It's curious that the City of Aurora has suddenly become concerned about the impact of Planned Parenthood on the community—and even more curious that no public comment was invited on this issue.

The Commission voted 9-1 to approve the staff recommendation that Planned Parenthood be allowed to add 11 more parking spaces. Now the matter goes to the Planning and Development Committee at their October 15 meeting.

While we were glad to see 16 of Planned Parenthood's parking spaces denied them—dropping their total to 81, well below the 96 our zoning case says they should have—we resolved to continue fighting Planned Parenthood's expansion.

So what's the big deal about 11 parking spaces?

So why are these 11 parking spaces such a big deal? Is the configuration of the parking lot at Planned Parenthood really all that significant when you consider that they're killing dozens of unborn babies every week?

The first problem with the parking expansion at Planned Parenthood—regardless of the number of spaces—is the reason Planned Parenthood is giving: that their clients and staff are unsafe because of the pro-life presence there.

The City of Aurora has accepted this explanation at face value. At no point has any city staff member, appointee or elected official ever questioned Planned Parenthood's allegations.

We have got to set the record straight: Our pro-life prayer, protest and counseling effort at Planned Parenthood over the past two years has been peaceful and law-abiding. We have never harassed or threatened anyone out there.

Secondly, Planned Parenthood's request for more parking provides an opportunity to reexamine the botched process by which Planned Parenthood came to town. The problems with Planned Parenthood's parking lot—spots too few, spots too narrow, setback too short—point to a big picture of fraud and error.

Planned Parenthood made significant mistakes putting together their development plan—on top of the fraud and deception underlying the entire project. Let's expose those mistakes to the public and the City Council.

Finally, any expansion at Planned Parenthood should be opposed. They cannot be allowed to pretend they're just another business, adding a few parking spaces, moving a few trees. Planned Parenthood shouldn't be operating this abortuary in our community in the first place, in violation of our zoning laws and the will of the citizens of Aurora.

You can help stop Planned Parenthood's expansion

On October 15, the Planning and Development Committee will vote on Planned Parenthood's request for additional parking.

Please call and e-mail the aldermen on the Planning and Development Committee and tell them not to approve Planned Parenthood's parking expansion request.

When you call, give three reasons for the committee to reject the parking scheme:

1. The zoning ordinance requires 10-foot-wide parking spaces, but PP's spaces are only 9 feet wide.
2. The zoning ordinance requires a 35 foot setback for parking spaces, but PP only has 30.
3. Planned Parenthood's stated reason for the new spaces, "security," is a total sham: we are peaceful and law-abiding.

Here's the contact information for the P & D Committee:

• Alderman Mike Saville, Chair (6th Ward): 630-896-9895 | e-mail
• Abby Schuler (1st Ward): 630-710-0331 | e-mail
• Rick Mervine (8th Ward): 331-452-5136 | e-mail

I also encourage you to join me at the P & D Committee Meeting at 4 p.m. on October 15 in the 5th floor conference room at City Hall, 44 E. Downer Place in Aurora (map).

Stay tuned for developments on this controversy. Our next step will depend on what the P & D Committee decides.

And mark your calendar for the hearing later this month on the Motion to Dismiss in our zoning case in state court. That's October 23 at 1:30 p.m. at the DuPage County Judicial Center, 505 County Farm Road in Wheaton (map), Courtroom 1003.

[Cross-posted from Families Against Planned Parenthood]

According to Sex 180, Hollywood’s way of finding love starts with the physical, goes to emotional, next to social, then to psychological, and lastly to the spiritual.

In Twilight, Bella and Edward’s relationship starts out with the physical and their chemistry. She can’t keep her eyes off of this mysterious and gorgeous teenager, and ogles him. Even she can sense that this is bad:

“I couldn’t allow him to have this level of influence over me. It was pathetic. More than pathetic, it was unhealthy.” p. 74

Yet, Bella completely ignores all of the warning signs about her infatuation with Edward. He warns her that she should stay away, but she does not listen. She believes that he is “bad”–but not “dangerous.” She doesn’t fear that she is Edward’s “heroin”–her smell matches his exact taste for blood.

Moreover, they test their limits by kissing frequently and they sleep together, although they do not have sex. Yet their relationship is very physical, and some of theses actions are very sensuous and would normally lead to “going to far.”

You see the emotional in their relationship. She falls “irrevocably” in love with him, even though she barely know him.

According to Sex 180, the social is meeting friends and family. Bella meets Edward’s family, all of who accept and love her except for Rosie, and Bella finally reluctantly introduces Edward to her dad.

In the psychological stage, they question their relationship and Edward thinks it would be better if they did not see each other. By the end of the book, they’re still together, but this relationship if sure to come up with more serious problems.

The Spiritual phase is when God is finally part of their relationship–according the Sex 180–usually the wedding. I read that in the Twilight saga, they will not be married until the fourth book. But, even in the first book, there is a troubling aspect: Bella totally loves Edward and wants to become a vampire like Edward, even if it means losing her soul.

Let me repeat: Bella totally loves Edward and wants to become a vampire like Edward, even if it means losing her soul. No one is worth giving up your spiritual life for. It shows how unhealthy such relationships can be.

In Sex 180, our relationships should be the opposite–a correct triangle with the largest part (the base) on the bottom. Our relationships should be founded with the spiritual first then the Psychological, social, emotional, and–lastly–the physical. This is God’s intention for our relationships, because if God is not holding our love life together, nothing will.

This is meant to show how our culture thinks our relationships should be. If you are a Twilight fan, please don’t be offended, but take a closer look at Bella and Edward’s relationships to evaluate if such a relationship would be pleasing to God. On a second look it might appear that vampires, our culture, and God’s laws do not equal true love and God’s plans for sexuality.