LifeVoice - January / February 2010

Sarah Palin Event Rocks!

On November 6, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin enchanted the 3,400 people who attended a Milwaukee event sponsored by the Wisconsin Right to Life Education Fund.

This was not a political event — Governor Palin is not running for office — and sponsoring her was not an endorsement. Rather, it was an opportunity to showcase a high-profile, highly-sought after, fascinating public figure in the American culture. Not only is Governor Palin bright and unassuming, she is ardently pro-life. And, she delivered in a major way.

Palin’s personal story is familiar. She became pregnant while serving as Governor of Alaska and learned she was carrying a Down syndrome child. Attendees felt as though they were living the experience with her as she detailed what it was like to learn of the surprise pregnancy and then be told her child would have a disability. This personal story grabs the heart of all those who hear it. Palin’s husband, Todd, is elevated to heroism along with his wife for his immediate acceptance of a child most would not deem “perfect” enough to be allowed to live.

Most heartening to the crowd was Governor Palin’s admission that what sustained her at this difficult time were the “seeds of faith” planted in her by the right-to-life movement. With this revelation, anyone who has labored in the battle to protect human life became an instant hero and participant in the birth of this precious child named Trig.

It was an event that will long be remembered by the enthusiastic, cheering crowd. It was an event that rocked!

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett Would Continue
Jim Doyle's Pro-Abortion Legacy

Tom Barrett voted against the right-to-life position 53 times! Among the measures Barrett voted against was a bill to require parental consent prior to a minor’s abortion.

Pro-abortion Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has thrown his hat into the ring as the Democratic candidate in the crucial 2010 race for governor.

After enduring eight long years of consistently anti-life actions by current Gov. Jim Doyle, right-to-life citizens across the state are longing for change. They won’t find it in Tom Barrett.

Barrett served in the State Legislature from 1984 until 1992, first in the Assembly and then in the State Senate, and compiled an abysmal right-to-life voting record. Wisconsin Right to Life rated Barrett’s entire state legislative performance on 55 key votes he took over his years in the Assembly and State Senate. He voted against the right to life position 53 times! Among the array of measures Barrett voted against was a bill to require parental consent prior to a minor’s abortion.

In 1992 Barrett was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served until his election as Milwaukee mayor in 2004. Barrett’s right-to-life voting record remained consistently anti-life. His congressional voting record includes votes against:

The Child Custody Protection Act (a bill to make it a federal crime to transport minors across state lines to obtain abortions)
A ban on performing abortions at military hospitals
The Unborn Victims of Violence Act (recognizing unborn children as victims of crime if they are killed or injured as the result of violence directed toward their mothers)
A ban on human cloning
The Mexico City Policy (a policy which prohibited federal dollars from funding organizations that promote or perform abortions overseas)
and numerous other votes against the right-to-life position

As Governor, Tom Barrett would be a continuation of the current radical proabortion regime of Jim Doyle.

The next issue of LifeVoice will highlight the two right-to-life Republican gubernatorial
frontrunners, Scott Walker and Mark Neumann.

Huge Battle Looms over Government Funding of
Abortion Coverage in Obamacare

The U.S. House and Senate versions of Obamacare have significant differences with one of the most prominent being the role that government will play in subsidizing coverage of abortion on demand. The House version contains the Stupak/Pitts language ( favored by National Right to Life, the U.S. Catholic Conference, Wisconsin Right to Life, and all right-to-life groups) which prohibits the subsidy of abortion on demand except in limited circumstances. The Senate version contains much weaker language accepted by Senator Ben Nelson (D-Ne) and crafted with the assistance of Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa), both of whom claim to be pro-life. The Senate language is a phony “compromise” which attempts to separate private funds from public funds and have the public believe that the government will not be subsidizing abortion coverage.

Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Mi) is not buying the Senate language and has publicly thrown down the gauntlet, telling pro-abortion leadership in both houses of Congress that there will be no Obamacare unless his language prevails in the final version of Obamacare. Stupak states he has 10-12 Democrats who will vote against the final version of Obamacare if he doesn’t get his language. This number of votes are significant since the House bill squeaked through by only a five vote margin.

Amy Gehrke Elected President of Wisconsin Right to Life

On November 23, I was honored to be elected the new president of Wisconsin Right to Life. I’ve had the pleasure of working with WRTL in a number of different capacities for close to 20 years.

In 1990, I joined the media relations department of the National Right to Life Committee in Washington. I was with NRLC until 2000 and, during those 10 years, had the opportunity to work directly with Barbara Lyons and Sue Armacost and was impressed with the tremendous success WRTL had both on the legislative and educational fronts. In 2005, I accepted a position at the Wisconsin State Capitol. There I witnessed, first hand, the tremendous impact Sue Armacost and the staff of WRTL have there. They are truly the voice for life at our state capitol and an invaluable resource to pro-life legislators and their staffs.

I now live in Milwaukee with my husband, Jim, and daughters, Kendall, 12, and Emily, 10. With our current slate of elected officials, these are difficult times for the right-to-life movement. The future is bright for us, though – the number of abortions continues to decline and the number of those who proudly call themselves pro-life continues to rise. I look forward to helping Wisconsin Right to Life elect right-to-life leaders, increase our numbers and spread the right-to-life message throughout our state.

- Amy Gehrke

Wisconsin Right to Life's Veritas Society Television Ads
a Staple in Wisconsin Homes

Veritas Society Ads achieve nearly 68 Million Views.

The positive right-to-life ads seen on television throughout Wisconsin for the past 14 years are a project of Wisconsin Right to Life’s Veritas Society. In 2009, Veritas Society ads achieved almost 68 million ad viewings by Wisconsin residents. The impact is phenomenal in reaching the goal of changing hearts and minds to cherish human life.

Women 18-34 have 80% of Wisconsin abortions. The Veritas Society targets its ads primarily to women 18-34. Although difficult to draw a direct link to Wisconsin’s 36% abortion decrease since this program began in 1995, it would be foolish to dismiss its impact.

Not only are Veritas Society ads targeted to the correct population, messages are carefully researched before ads are produced. Then, ads are aired on programs watched by women 18-34. We estimate that 81,964 babies have been saved, cumulatively, from abortion in Wisconsin since 1995 when the program began.

The Veritas Society reaches teens through key word purchase on powerful search engines. This strategy encourages up to 50,000 unique visits from Wisconsin residents to a right-to-life website at www.teenbreaks.com. No other state in the country has devoted resources to an ongoing media blitz like Wisconsin Right to Life’s Veritas Society. The payoff – more Wisconsin women are choosing to have their babies.

Your Help is Making a Difference!

To whom it may concern, I just wanted to take a minute to tell you guys THANK YOU! You guys were so generous in paying my rent for me for the month of December. Times are very hard and money is very short. Without your help, I do not know what I would have done. Not only did it help me, but also my five year old, and unborn child. Words cannot express how much I appreciate your help. So thank you so much. God bless and have a very Merry Christmas. B.P. - Oconomowoc, WI

A portion of your gifts to the Wisconsin Right to Life Education Fund help fund emergency grants which are awarded to pregnant women in crisis. Contributions are most often used to pay rent for women who have high risk pregnancies or are victims of domestic abuse.

You Are Invited to the Annual Wisconsin Right to Life
Education Fund Dinner & Auction

Thursday, April 29, 2010 - Special Guest Speaker: Sen. Rick Santorum.