By Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation
The more things change, the better they look for the pro-life cause.
This thought came to me after a wonderfully energetic local chapter start-up meeting.
A young mother had felt compelled to become active in the pro-life movement after the birth of her youngest child. As a busy mom and entrepreneur, her time is limited—yet, for the first time in her life, she successfully organized a pro-life event. She had put out an appeal for people interested in forming a local chapter of National Right to Life in her community—and dozens of people had responded enthusiastically to her invitation.
Our technology changes by the day, as do our methods of communication. Groups of women debate the merits of touching base via Facebook versus WhatsApp.
Teens correct their moms on the proper use of texting lingo. Robotics have entered a new stage, filled with promise and possibility.
Our instantaneous communication means that the shockwaves of an event in one state reverberate quickly to another. In Pennsylvania, we are highly attuned to what has been going on in nearby New York, where an insane law signed by pro-abortion Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) means abortion up to the moment of birth and no protections for babies “inadvertently” born during abortions.
As busy as she is, our new chapter leader knows exactly what has taken place in New York on the anti-life front. And she is determined to ensure that her home state does not go the way of the Empire State.
And she is far from alone. A new generation of people—mostly women—crowded a Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, steakhouse this week to learn the logistics of forming a grassroots pro-life organization. They are on fire for life, and they want to ensure that their daughters and sons do not have to deal with the cultural fallout from third-trimester abortions—and all the rest of the mess Roe v. Wade created.
Their county is abortion-free.
They want to keep it that way.
This mother brigade is not so different from the mothers who, in the early 1970s, launched local pro-life groups from their kitchen tables. The venue may be different—restaurant versus home—and the old phone trees have been supplanted by text chains.
But the underlying concept remains the same—mothers reaching out to their local communities, sharing hope, love, and light in the midst of the dark despair of abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia.
Seasoned pro-life leaders warn the newbies about the dangers of overextending themselves—of burning out after a flurry of activity. But something tells me that this new generation of leaders is well-acquainted with the challenges of maintaining balance between the personal and community spheres. They are wisely choosing to focus on one or two major activities this year.
After all, they say, just one of those projects could save a life. Something tells me the late Dr. Mildred Jefferson, the pioneering medical professional who served as National Right to Life President, is smiling down on them from above.