October 22, 2013 // Local

Right to Life dinners

Todays Catholic

Abby Johnson, Bishop Rhoades speak at ‘Life is Precious’ dinner

SOUTH BEND — Abby Johnson, a former director of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic and now a pro-life speaker, was the keynote speaker for the “Life is Precious” dinner hosted by the Saint Joseph County Right to Life on Oct. 10.

Johnson, as well as Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, addressed the 602 registrants of the dinner.

Bishop Rhoades spoke of the abortion industry’s abuse of the meaning of freedom. He quoted from Blessed John Paul’s encyclical, “The Gospel of Life,” pointing out that true freedom’s “meaning and purpose are found in its orientation to the true and the good.”

“When freedom is exalted to such a degree that it becomes an absolute, when it becomes the source of values, the results are devastating. Freedom to kill an innocent human being isn’t true freedom,” Bishop Rhoades said.

He prayed for the gift of hope that “good can triumph over evil … to build a culture of life and a civilization of love.”

Abby Johnson opened her talk with the question, “What kind of person runs an abortion clinic?”

Johnson grew up in a good Christian home, and yet, as an adult, she helped facilitate an estimated 20,000 abortions. She said, “It happened just a little bit at a time. That’s the way sin works.”

Johnson had an abortion while attending Texas A&M University. Later she was drawn to a Planned Parenthood job fair booth at the student center. Johnson bought all the talking points of the professional Planned Parenthood recruiter and starting volunteering. About a year later she had a second abortion.

After college and a master’s degree Johnson started working for Planned Parenthood.

“I really believed I was helping women,” she said. All the eight years she worked for Planned Parenthood she went to church every Sunday and thought of herself as a good Christian.

This was only possible, Johnson explained, because there is a very deep, strong disconnect inside the abortion clinic. The workers cannot see the humanity of the unborn child.

What dramatically turned her life upside down was one day a visiting abortionist asked her to hold the ultrasound instrument so he could guide the suction tube to the baby who was three months along. On the screen she could see the suction tube approaching the child. The child jumped and started to flail its arms and legs, trying to move away, and then the child was destroyed before her very eyes. Johnson was already hardened to this.

What jolted her conscience awake was that she simply stood by and watched it happen and did nothing to intervene. It was that day that Johnson resolved she had to get out of the abortion business, the day that led to her eventually becoming a dynamic pro-life activist.

Johnson said that the main reason abortion is still legal after 40 years is apathy on the part of Christians. She said, “I believe abortion would end overnight if the Body of Christ came together and said, ‘Not one more!’”

Last year, 554 children were killed at the Women’s Pavilion in South Bend. Emcee Heidi Meier concluded the dinner with an exhortation, “We are too quiet, Michiana. We have voices that must be heard! … It is time to speak up!” she urged on. “It is time to end the deadly silence and speak with open hearts!”

Attendance surged from last year’s 450 to 602 this year. Tom Gill, president of the board of directors, speculated that for more people, abortion has become a greater priority.

“Pro-lifers are beginning to recognize the urgency of the issue,” Gill said. “Not only are they starting to see the benefits of being more active — lower abortion rates, more abortion clinics closing, and a growing pro-life majority — but they’re also beginning to recognize the increasing threats from government and culture.”

A key factor for the increase in saved lives in South Bend has been dedicated and trained sidewalk counselors such as Alyssa Rosselli of LaPorte, who received the organization’s Annette M. Macknick Courage Award for her efforts.

Roger Blaine was presented with the Pillar of Life Award for his many years of volunteer service at the Saint Joseph County Right to Life office and praying at the abortion clinic.

Abigail Kirk of Bethel College and Aleshia Faulstich of the University of Notre Dame were both honored for their multiple pro-life initiatives and were awarded Brother John Lavelle, CSC, scholarships.

Banquet for life celebrates adoption, the ‘loving option’

FORT WAYNE — “Celebrating Adoption” was the theme for the 16th annual Banquet for Life, which was sponsored by Allen County Right to Life, hosted by Don and Mary Kay Ehlerding, and attended by area-wide proponents of life. The Grand Wayne Center in downtown Fort Wayne was filled to capacity for the annual dinner on Monday, Oct. 14.

The crowd was warmly welcomed by Dr. Peter Scaer, president of the organization, who told them, “We are gathered together to speak for the little ones who cannot speak for themselves.” And he underscored the evening’s pro-life theme of “adoption, the loving option.”

Dynamic keynote speaker for the event, Ryan Bomberger, gave emphasis to Scaer’s words with his own life story. His biological mother, who had been raped, found the courage to continue her pregnancy, give him life and put him up for adoption, he said. He was taken as a baby into a loving Christian family that grew to include 12 additional siblings of various ethnicities and backgrounds, giving him a true appreciation of diversity. He said he believes he has disproved the myth of the “unwanted” child by being adopted, loved and ultimately successful.

Self-described “creative agitator” and founder of the life-affirming Radiance Foundation, he and his wife Bethany are themselves adoptive parents of four children. They recently gained notoriety by creating a pro-adoption themed billboard/web ad campaign aimed at the black community, which he says is disproportionately impacted by the current culture of death. With fully 79 percent of abortion clinics located in black neighborhoods, “abortion is the No. 1 killer in the black community,” he pointed out. Their website, Too Many Aborted.com, promotes adoption as part of the solution to that problem.

Winner of the annual Daniel Award for excellence in pro-life public policy was Third District U.S. Congressman Marlin Stutzman for “his strong commitment to life during his years in the Indiana Legislature and for continuing to be a voice for the unborn in Washington,” as outlined in the evening’s program. By introducing House Resolution 206, he called on the U.S. House of Representatives to review public policies that led to illegal abortion practices, such as those of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion provider.

This year’s winners of the coveted Telemachus Award were Evelyn and Dean Witte, ardent pro-life proponents and sidewalk counselors at the local abortion clinic. The award recognizes persons who advocate for life like the fourth-century monk who was killed protesting the senseless slaughter of gladiators in the Roman forum. Each year it is bestowed on someone who contributes in a special way to the pro-life cause. In addition to their personal commitment, the Wittes recently were instrumental in recruiting IPFW Students for Life and others to join them in counseling and prayer support.

A crowd pleaser was the Pro Life Auction of 11 raffle items including gourmet dinners, Notre Dame football, Komets hockey and Tin Caps baseball tickets and a Mackinac Island, Michigan, weekend getaway, which garnered more than $21,000 for the pro-life cause.

Another highlight of the evening was Allen County Right to Life Executive Director Cathie Humbarger’s annual summary of the organization’s victories and visions. One important event was the opening of Women’s Healthlink, which provides pro-life health services in Allen County. Another was a press conference held by Shepherds United, a group of pastors united for life, which pledges support for traditional marriage and religious freedom. The annual March for Life and Silent No More events drew large crowds, and the semi-annual 40 Days for Life campaigns drew attention to pro-life activities. The Friends for Life trip to Washington D.C., to protest Roe v. Wade in January and Friends for Life Boot Camp in July were well attended by scores of young people. A September Links Fore Life golf tournament attracted many participants and in October, a Memorial for the Unborn commemorated those lost to abortion. And Senate Bill 371, the comprehensive abortion regulation bill, was passed in the 2013 Indiana legislative session, giving pro-life advocates a major victory in the ongoing campaign.

Humbarger was pleased to announce the latest salvo in the fight against the local abortion clinic, with nearly 500 consumer complaints being filed with the Allen County prosecutor against practices of Dr. Klopfer, its abortionist. Audience members also signed petitions that will be presented along with those complaints. “United we’ll make a big noise,” said Humbarger with enthusiasm.

The entire evening was devoted to the pro-life cause and the loving option of adoption. Keynote speaker Bomberger summed it up with a poignant observation, “We’re all wanted by someone.”

Banquet for life celebrates adoption, the ‘loving option’

FORT WAYNE — “Celebrating Adoption” was the theme for the 16th annual Banquet for Life, which was sponsored by Allen County Right to Life, hosted by Don and Mary Kay Ehlerding, and attended by area-wide proponents of life. The Grand Wayne Center in downtown Fort Wayne was filled to capacity for the annual dinner on Monday, Oct. 14.

The crowd was warmly welcomed by Dr. Peter Scaer, president of the organization, who told them, “We are gathered together to speak for the little ones who cannot speak for themselves.” And he underscored the evening’s pro-life theme of “adoption, the loving option.”

Dynamic keynote speaker for the event, Ryan Bomberger, gave emphasis to Scaer’s words with his own life story. His biological mother, who had been raped, found the courage to continue her pregnancy, give him life and put him up for adoption, he said. He was taken as a baby into a loving Christian family that grew to include 12 additional siblings of various ethnicities and backgrounds, giving him a true appreciation of diversity. He said he believes he has disproved the myth of the “unwanted” child by being adopted, loved and ultimately successful.

Self-described “creative agitator” and founder of the life-affirming Radiance Foundation, he and his wife Bethany are themselves adoptive parents of four children. They recently gained notoriety by creating a pro-adoption themed billboard/web ad campaign aimed at the black community, which he says is disproportionately impacted by the current culture of death. With fully 79 percent of abortion clinics located in black neighborhoods, “abortion is the No. 1 killer in the black community,” he pointed out. Their website, Too Many Aborted.com, promotes adoption as part of the solution to that problem.

Winner of the annual Daniel Award for excellence in pro-life public policy was Third District U.S. Congressman Marlin Stutzman for “his strong commitment to life during his years in the Indiana Legislature and for continuing to be a voice for the unborn in Washington,” as outlined in the evening’s program. By introducing House Resolution 206, he called on the U.S. House of Representatives to review public policies that led to illegal abortion practices, such as those of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortion provider.

This year’s winners of the coveted Telemachus Award were Evelyn and Dean Witte, ardent pro-life proponents and sidewalk counselors at the local abortion clinic. The award recognizes persons who advocate for life like the fourth-century monk who was killed protesting the senseless slaughter of gladiators in the Roman forum. Each year it is bestowed on someone who contributes in a special way to the pro-life cause. In addition to their personal commitment, the Wittes recently were instrumental in recruiting IPFW Students for Life and others to join them in counseling and prayer support.

A crowd pleaser was the Pro Life Auction of 11 raffle items including gourmet dinners, Notre Dame football, Komets hockey and Tin Caps baseball tickets and a Mackinac Island, Michigan, weekend getaway, which garnered more than $21,000 for the pro-life cause.

Another highlight of the evening was Allen County Right to Life Executive Director Cathie Humbarger’s annual summary of the organization’s victories and visions. One important event was the opening of Women’s Healthlink, which provides pro-life health services in Allen County. Another was a press conference held by Shepherds United, a group of pastors united for life, which pledges support for traditional marriage and religious freedom. The annual March for Life and Silent No More events drew large crowds, and the semi-annual 40 Days for Life campaigns drew attention to pro-life activities. The Friends for Life trip to Washington D.C., to protest Roe v. Wade in January and Friends for Life Boot Camp in July were well attended by scores of young people. A September Links Fore Life golf tournament attracted many participants and in October, a Memorial for the Unborn commemorated those lost to abortion. And Senate Bill 371, the comprehensive abortion regulation bill, was passed in the 2013 Indiana legislative session, giving pro-life advocates a major victory in the ongoing campaign.

Humbarger was pleased to announce the latest salvo in the fight against the local abortion clinic, with nearly 500 consumer complaints being filed with the Allen County prosecutor against practices of Dr. Klopfer, its abortionist. Audience members also signed petitions that will be presented along with those complaints. “United we’ll make a big noise,” said Humbarger with enthusiasm.

The entire evening was devoted to the pro-life cause and the loving option of adoption. Keynote speaker Bomberger summed it up with a poignant observation, “We’re all wanted by someone.”