Author Archives: maria

By Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director

I was captivated by a baby girl I saw recently in church. Her eyes were filled with wonder, taking in everything within her environment.

This chance encounter made me reflect upon the development of an unborn child. At just 19 days after conception, the eyes begin to develop. Imagine that.  Less than three weeks after egg and sperm have united, the birth of sight begins. It is truly incredible.

By the 9th week after conception, the preborn child will be able to squint–a quite human response.

If we could look her in the eyes at that point, would any of us say that abortion is a rational option?

The fact is, the humanity of an unborn child is established from the start. A cycle of growth and development has begun which, if uninterrupted, will lead to birth. Think of the other milestones within a preborn child’s life cycle: the heart beats at 24 days after conception…arms and legs are forming at 28 days…the skeleton is complete at 42 days.

If we could look into that child’s eyes…at any point in her mother’s womb…would we say she is undeserving of life?

It is true that much of the development of the unborn child is hidden from us most of the time. But technological breakthroughs such as 4D Ultrasound have given us a window to the womb, allowing us to see the unborn child as never before. We know so much more now than the Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court did in 1973, when they issued their tragic ruling Roe v. Wade. 

Let us look at all preborn children with the eyes of love, knowing that they are as deserving of protection as each one of us.

By Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director

2018 was a year of accomplishment for the pro-life movement in Pennsylvania–despite incredible odds.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Teens Reached–The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation achieved the magnificent milestone of reaching more than 600,000 teenagers through our innovative partnership with the website TeenBreaks.com. In a number of cases, TeenBreaks connected teens with local pregnancy resource centers which could meet their needs.
• Media Presence Expanded–The Pennsylvania pro-life movement expanded its reach to Pennsylvania citizens through hundreds of online articles, radio commentaries, and podcasts.
• Pennsylvania abortions dropped to their lowest level on record. While even one abortion is too many, we rejoice that abortions have reached a record low in the Keystone State.
• Social Media Presence Blossomed–We now post regular daily updates not only on the social media platforms Facebook and Twitter, but on Instagram and Pinterest as well. This has allowed us to reach a whole new audience with our life-affirming message.
• Down Syndrome Protection Act passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives by an overwhelming bipartisan majority. The bill would have banned abortion for the sole reason of a Down syndrome diagnosis. Unfortunately, the PA Senate never voted on the bill, but there is always hope for next year.
• Pro-life majorities maintained. Despite an especially challenging election year, Pennsylvania maintains pro-life majorities in the state House and state Senate.

With these achievements, there’s no telling what we can accomplish in 2019!

By Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director

As 2018 draws to a close, the New Year remains a mystery in many ways. Still, 2019 can be a year of encouraging progress on the pro-life front. Here are some of the events and activities that are in store for the year ahead:

• The March for Life is of great importance–this year and all years. The March steps out in Washington, D.C. on January 18th. Hundreds of thousands of dedicated individuals–many of them high school and college students–are expected to flood the streets of the nation’s capital in a peaceful, prayerful show of solidarity for pregnant women, babies, and fathers.
• Judges will still be key. President Donald Trump has promised to nominate judges to the federal bench who will uphold the Constitution and who will not be activists, such as those who claimed a false “right” to abortion in Roe v. Wade in 1973. In Pennsylvania, voters will have the opportunity to cast ballots for judges for the Supreme Court, the Superior Court, and Commonwealth Court.
• Local chapters will bring the pro-life message to their communities. Local chapters of National Right to Life and the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation will be proclaiming the sanctity of innocent human life at fairs, festivals, and other events in their counties.
• Students will be engaged and energized through pro-life contests. Both National Right to Life and the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation sponsor essay contests for students. You can find details here and here. In addition, high school students can take part in the National Right to Life Oratory Contest if they have won a statewide contest, such as the Pennsylvania Pro-Life oratory competition mentioned here.
• Social Media will be buzzing with pro-life news and information. You can find both National Right to Life and the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. You can also become part of the regular online discussion by sharing spectacular pro-life videos and articles with your friends and followers.

Working together, we can make 2019 a year of growth and significant accomplishment for the pro-life movement–and save lives and change hearts in the process. Happy 2019!

By Maria V. Gallagher, Legislative Director

As we come upon the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling which legalized abortion, here are 46 reasons for hope for the decision’s ultimate demise:

1. Statistics show the number of abortions in the U.S. are on the decline.
2. Polls show the Millennial Generation is more pro-life than young people of generations past.
3. The iGeneration, those born after the Millennials, are also largely pro-life.
4. President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order barring taxpayer funding of organizations that perform and promote abortions overseas.
5. The White House supports no federal funding for abortion giant Planned Parenthood.
6. Vice-President Mike Pence has been outspoken in his defense of innocent human life.
7. The Trump Administration is a pro-life administration.
8. The President has vowed to appoint Supreme Court Justices who will not legislate from the bench, hastening the day; when Roe v. Wade will be overturned.
9. The annual March for Life continues to attract huge crowds, largely made up of young people.
10. Pregnancy resource centers are reaching out to pregnant women everyday with compassion, love, and support.
11. The number of pregnancy resource centers in the U.S. far outnumber abortion facilities.
12. Abortion centers are closing all across the country.
13. The U.S. Senate is dominated by strong defenders of life, as are many state legislatures throughout the nation.
14. 4D ultrasound technology is showing babies smiling in their mothers’ wombs.
15. Women who regret their abortions and who want to help other women avoid similar heartache have found their voice in organizations such as the Silent No More Awareness Campaign.
16. Healing retreats such as those of Rachel’s Vineyard are bringing hope to women scarred by abortion.
17. A number of Planned Parenthood workers have left their jobs in the abortion industry and have become powerful spokespeople for the pro-life cause.
18. Abortion survivors such as Melissa Ohden are speaking out about being targeted for abortion when they were preborn babies.
19. A number of men are taking responsibility for pressuring their wives and girlfriends into having abortions.
20. Scientific research supports the pro-life contention that abortion hurts women physically, mentally, and emotionally.
21. The blogosphere is filled with pro-lifers willing to share their knowledge.
22. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter enable the pro-life movement to get accurate information out into cyberspace.
23. Nurses who work with premature infants are sharing their experiences about the fragility of human life.
24. A number of abortionists have stopped doing abortions and now promote life instead.
25. College students are organizing and motivating their classmates to support pregnant women on campus.
26. Teens for Life are finding innovative ways to promote life in their communities.
27. Local chapters of National Right to Life are educating people about the life issue at area fairs and festivals.
28. State affiliates of National Right to Life are passing pro-life laws and changing hearts and minds about abortion.
29. Campaigns to legalize doctor-prescribed suicide have failed much more often than they have succeeded.
30. Popular culture is recognizing the humanity of the preborn child by sharing Ultrasound videos and praising “baby bumps.”
31. People with Down syndrome are showing why it is inhumane to abort a child diagnosed with a disability in the womb.
32. New attention is being focused on the brutal practice of dismemberment abortion, where a child is torn limb by limb from a mother’s womb.
33. An increasing number of people are questioning the practice of sex selection abortions, in which babies are aborted just because of their sex.
34. The gruesome practice of partial-birth abortion, in which a baby is partly delivered, then killed, has been outlawed.
35. A number of members of Congress are determined to shine a spotlight on allegations of baby body part harvesting in the abortion industry.
36. Public opinion polls continue to show most people oppose most abortions.
37. Polls also indicate that the vast majority of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortion.
38. Polls demonstrate that most Americans oppose late-term abortions.
39. A number of states have passed laws ensuring that no taxpayer funding of abortion can occur in the health insurance exchanges created by Obamacare.
40. Many individuals want to make the Hyde Amendment, which bars taxpayer funding of abortion except in rare cases, permanent.
41. A distinguished counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway, spoke at the March for Life.
42. Women across the country are courageously stating that Planned Parenthood does not speak for them.
43. People with disabilities are leading the fight against doctor-prescribed suicide and euthanasia.
44. Some people who joined the pro-life movement way back in 1973 continue to serve the cause with dignity and honor.
45. A number of celebrities, such as actress Patricia Heaton, are bucking the Hollywood trend and boldly proclaiming their pro-life views.
46. The end of Roe v. Wade is in sight, given the changes in our society.