Top 7 Pro-Life Reasons to Be Thankful

Don’t get us wrong…we’re very thankful for stuffed turkey, pumpkin pie, and that weird side dish your aunt brings every year that is just delicious. But we’re also incredibly thankful for the accomplishments the pro-life movement has made for LIFE this year, in our state and nationwide.

So as we sit down with family, friends, and loved ones to celebrate Thanksgiving, let’s not forget this year’s…

Top 7 Pro-life Reasons to be thankful:

 

 

  1. The 45th Annual March for Life makes history

The 2018 March for Life in Washington D.C. was one to be remembered. President Donald Trump became the third sitting U.S. President to address the annual March for Life, and the first to do so via satellite, in its 45-year history. This follows the 44th March for Life, at which Vice President Mike Pence became the first Vice President to speak at the March, making history as well. To the hundreds of thousands of passionate pro-lifers who gathered in Washington D.C., President Trump stated:

“Today, we focus our attention on the love and protection each person, born and unborn, deserves regardless of disability, gender, appearance, or ethnicity.”

By presidential proclamation, January 22, 2018 was made National Sanctity of Human Life Day.

  1. The Supreme Court Rules in favor of pregnancy resource centers

In the case, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) v. Becerra, a new California law that was designed to destroy the life-saving work of pregnancy resource centers was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court! Specifically, this law forced all pregnancy resource centers in California, regardless of their life-affirming missions, to advertise the state’s abortion services to their clients.

This decision was such a big deal, for two reasons. First, it emphasized that pregnancy resource centers, which exist to care for women and their babies, are protected by the First Amendment from being forced to subvert their missions and advertise for abortion. Next, this decision could very well impact how the courts handle the lawsuits filed over SB 1564 in Illinois (the Illinois law that forces all pro-life doctors, pharmacists, and pregnancy resource centers in the state to refer clients for abortions and talk about its “benefits.” The Illinois lawsuits filed against SB 1564 will continue to be litigated in light of this new Supreme Court ruling, which is a great boost to our argument.

To read more about this decision, click here.

  1. Judge Brett Kavanaugh is nominated and confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court

We were very proud of President Trump’s decision to nominate Judge Brett Kavanaugh as the next Supreme Court Justice. Judge Kavanaugh (now Supreme Court Justice) carries with him a strong professional record that displays a dedication to upholding the constitution and, inherently, the right to life.

In August, Planned Parenthood launched a “six-figure ad campaign” to fight the Senate confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh. They knew the confirmation of Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court would be a monumental blow to their business of abortion. The possibility of protections being restored to unborn human beings would become real, and Planned Parenthood was willing to spend top dollar in order to protect their cash cow: abortion.

Now that Justice Kavanaugh has joined the Supreme Court, it is our hope that as successor to Justice Anthony Kennedy, he will bring a much needed voice, upholding the value and dignity of human life, to the Supreme Court.

To read more about Judge Brett Kavanaugh, click here.

  1. Planned Parenthood clinics drop to their lowest number yet, nationwide

For quite some time now, Planned Parenthood has been closing clinic doors. According to their latest annual report, Planned Parenthood has dropped to just over 600 clinics nationwide, which continues a steady decrease of roughly 250 clinics since 2007. According to the “Planned Parenthood Facilities Report” released by the American Life League, the abortion giant has closed 32 of its facilities in 16 states, and opened just five facilities in five states.

In Illinois, there are 18 Planned Parenthood clinics. At the same time, there are 670 other comprehensive care centers located all throughout the state that provide the same services as Planned Parenthood (excluding abortion)…and then some! That means that for every one Planned Parenthood facility in Illinois, there are 37 alternatives.

  1. Illinois abortion clinic stops doing surgical abortions

Here’s a pro-life victory for our own state of Illinois.

Women’s Health Practice in Champaign, IL has in fact stopped doing surgical abortions. This clinic, as documented on our page WomensHealthComesFirst.com, is not licensed or inspected by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Based on 2014 FOIA request information, no health and sanitary inspection has been conducted on this clinic since 1998.

Since the release of our Women’s Health at Risk report citing such dangerous neglect like this statewide, the Illinois Department of Public Health has performed health and sanitary inspections on certain, licensed women’s clinics. However, many Illinois clinics still remain unlicensed, have not been inspected at all, or have gone years without a health inspection by the IDPH. Discrepancies in Illinois law have allowed these clinics to go uninspected, leading to gross and abysmal oversight which could jeopardize women’s health.

Therefore, we are now calling upon the Illinois General Assembly to address the discrepancies in the law by requiring the Department of Public Health to conduct routine health and sanitary inspections on these clinics, increase transparency by informing women of unsafe clinics, and treat women’s clinics equally by holding them to reasonable standards of care.

  1. We’re so thankful for our pro-life lawmakers

We are beyond grateful for our Illinois legislators who have remained vigilant to the pro-life cause and worked to protect life in Illinois, amidst an extreme pro-abortion political culture. They are our warriors for life in Springfield, which is truly a battleground in the state in which we live. Every year, Illinois Right to Life Action gives pro-life ratings to our legislators based on surveys, voting records, and other research. You can see how each of our legislators are rated by going to their website at www.VoteProLifeIllinois.org.

We know the battle for life in Illinois is tough, and we thank our pro-life legislators, who are serving office now or have served in the past, for their courage and commitment to the cause for life.

  1. Illinois abortions hit their lowest level yet!

The latest abortion statistics released from Illinois Department of Public Health reveal that abortions in Illinois have reached their lowest level since the legalization of abortion in 1973.

In 2016 (the latest year with data reported) there were 38,382 abortions, down from 39,856 in 2015, a 3.7% decline – 1,474 less abortions. The greatest decline came from abortions on high school age girls moving into college, decreasing by 408 abortions (11.9%) on girls ages 15 through 19. Abortions also declined in the two counties that historically have the highest rate of abortions: Cook County and Dupage County. In these counties, abortions declined 5% and 5.9 % respectively.

With over 100 pregnancy resource centers in Illinois, maternity homes, and grant programs like Project Love, we are building an effective system of support for women in unplanned pregnancies. With this, alongside increased educational efforts, like our Heart2Heart Educational Program, we and the rest of the Illinois pro-life movement are working toward our goal of making abortion unthinkable.

For more information, click here.