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PA Pro-Life Federation

PA Pro-Life On-Line News

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Pennsylvania Pro-Life Online News from the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation

March 17, 2008
A publication of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation
4800 Jonestown Rd., Suite 102
Harrisburg, PA 17109
717-541-0034

If you have trouble accessing any of these stories, you can find them on our website at http://www.paprolife.org/resources/e_news.html.

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In this issue:

March 24th is Last Day to Register to Vote!
Pro-Abortion Group Gives PA an "F"
U.S. Senate Rejects Parental Involvement in Abortion Decision
The Other Side of the Story
Wanted: Students to Enter our Oratory Contest!
Latest Speaker Training Session Planned for Scranton
Help Us Spread the Pro-Life Word!
Chapter Information from Around the State!

Help us in our life-saving work! Quick, easy online donation now available. Donate by logging onto http://www.paprolife.org/donate.

March 24th is Last Day to Register to Vote!

By Charlene Bashore, Esq., Legislative/PAC Director (bashore@paprolife.org)

An important reminder for all Pennsylvania voters—Monday, March 24 is the last day to register to vote or change one's party affiliation before the upcoming April 22 primary. If you wish to vote in Pennsylvania's primary election, you must be registered as a Democrat or Republican. Those registered as Independents will not be eligible to vote in the primary. The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot is April 15. For more information on registering to vote, please visit www.votespa.com .

Pro-Abortion Group Gives PA an "F"

Normally, earning an "F" is cause for alarm--but when a pro-abortion group is giving out the grades, it's reason to celebrate. The pro-abortion lobbying group known as NARAL is handing out grades for what it calls the status of "women's reproductive rights in the United States." The group gave Pennsylvania an "F," citing the Keystone State's counseling requirements for abortion, its ban on "certain state employees or organizations receiving state funds from counseling or referring women for abortion services," restrictions on insurance coverage for abortion, regulation of abortion practitioners, and other protective legal measures. NARAL notes that while PA has a pro-abortion Governor, the Pennsylvania House and Senate are pro-life.

U.S. Senate Rejects Parental Involvement in Abortion Decision

The U.S. Senate has rejected a measure that would have promoted parental involvement in a minor's decision to have an abortion. Nevada Senator John Ensign's amendment would have authorized funds for the federal government to enforce the prevention of transporting teens across state lines for secret abortions. Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey voted for the amendment; PA Senator Arlen Specter voted against it. For more on this story, visit http://www.lifenews.com/nat3797.html .

The Other Side of the Story

By Maria Vitale, Education Director (vitale@paprolife.org)

When I was a girl, my all-time favorite television program was The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Even though it was a comedy, I took this show very seriously. I didn't just like the main character, Mary Richards. I wanted to be her. I wanted to grow up to work in a newsroom, complete with a flower on my desk, and apologizing whenever I ran into a filing cabinet. By the time I was 26 years old, I was a television producer, just like Mary, trading wisecracks with my fellow news writers, living the journalistic life.

It may sound quaint, given public opinion polls showing widespread distrust of the news media, but I always considered it an honorable profession. I received wonderful training in writing and reporting in college and graduate school, and I feel I was given the tools to succeed in communicating facts to a large audience.

One important part of my training was "getting the other side of the story." In class, it was drummed into me, day in and day out, that I always had to look for the other side of the story and report it as best I could. In other words, if someone was for something, I needed to try to find someone who was against it, in the hope of achieving balance. My professors stressed to me that this was particularly the case when it came to hot-button issues such as abortion. more...

Wanted: Students to Enter Our Oratory Contest

If you're a high school junior or senior who likes to share your pro-life views, consider entering our pro-life oratory contest. Students must compete in a regional contest first; the top two finishers in each regional contest then go on to the state contest in Harrisburg April 20th. Students must deliver a 5 to 7 minute talk on abortion, infanticide, stem cell research, or euthanasia from a pro-life viewpoint. No dramatic presentations are permitted. To enter a regional contest, contact Education Director Maria Vitale at vitale@paprolife.org or by calling 717-541-0034.

Latest Speaker Training Session Planned for Scranton

The latest in the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation's series of speaker training sessions will be held Saturday, March 29th, at the office of the Scranton chapter of Pennsylvanians for Human Life. The session is open to teachers, doctors, nurses, parents, and others interested in doing public speaking on behalf of the pro-life cause. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Education Director Maria Vitale at vitale@paprolife.org or by calling 717-541-0034.

Help Us Spread the Pro-Life Word!

If you've been enjoying what you've been reading in the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Online News, please forward it to your friends and encourage them to sign up to receive our informative e-mail newsletter twice a month. It's more important than ever that those pro-lifers have up-to-date facts on the life issues, and the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Online News is a wonderful way to stay abreast of the latest pro-life information, both in the state and nationwide. Anyone interested in subscribing should send an e-mail to lifelines@paprolife.org with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.

Chapter Information from Around the State

Susquehanna Valley PHL (Lycoming County) will be holding a pro-life breakfast March 29th at 9:30 a.m. at the Elks Ballroom at the Jersey Shore. The speaker will be Debbie Lamos, who has been the Executive Director of the Pregnancy Care Center for the past eleven years. For tickets or for additional information, call Tammy Packer at 570-745-3328.

Bedford County Citizens Concerned for Human Life will hold its 4th annual pro-life dinner and silent auction Saturday, April 5th, at 5:30 p.m. Guest speaker is photographer Michael Clancy, who took the famous "Baby Samuel" picture. To serve as a sponsor or to reserve a seat, call 814-623-1314 by March 27th. For more info, visit www.bedfordcountyprolife.org.

Live in Southeast PA? Contact SE Regional Coordinator Gail Kilby to find out more about joining a chapter in Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, or Philadelphia County. You can reach Gail by e-mail at kilby@paprolife.org or you can call her at 215-884-5805.

Live in the Southwest? If you'd like to become involved in a chapter, contact Southwest Regional Coordinator Bryce McMinn, who recently set up a regional office in Washington County. Here's his contact information: Bryce C. McMinn, Southwest Regional Coordinator; Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation; 74 Oak Spring Road, Suite 101; Washington, PA 15301; Work Phone: 724-228-1162; Cell Phone: 412-835-2812; E-Mail: mcminn@paprolife.org.

More Chapter Info:

The PA Pro-Life Online News is a publication of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation; 4800 Jonestown Rd., Suite 102; Harrisburg, PA; 17109. It is never sent unsolicited. To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to lifelines@paprolife.org.

IN THIS ISSUE: