It’s February, and we are awash in hearts, chocolates, roses, and the hope of storybook romance.
While we can all appreciate starry eyes and moonlit nights, true love often doesn’t look like a Valentine’s Day greeting card. Sometimes love is messy. Sometimes love requires tremendous sacrifice. Sometimes love is very, very hard.
The pro-life citizens of Illinois know how hard love can be. The brazen callousness of the abortion industry and their deliberate disregard for life in our state are shocking in their evil. But despite the disappointing losses, despite the abuse we sometimes endure when we pray outside of abortion clinics, and despite the ridicule we receive from the media and other elites, we continue our work. Why? Because we love – we truly love – life.
We love the preborn babies who may never get a chance to live. We love their mothers who consider the unthinkable out of fear. We love the young people who have believed the lies of the abortion industry. With or without realizing it, I believe most pro-life advocates understand that something beautiful arises when we love unflinchingly, something that Mother Teresa articulated so well:
“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts,
there can be no more hurt, only more love.”
Love begets more love, and unflinching love is the key to winning Illinois for life. Support for Illinois Right to Life has always been offered by many out of their love for life. In turn, this love of life has made it possible for us to save lives and change minds with our many programs like:
- Project Love, which provides direct assistance to pregnant mothers and young families in need so they can choose life and raise their children confidently. The dedicated Project Love committee works with our friends at pregnancy resource centers to provide payments directly to landlords, utility companies, and other legitimate creditors to alleviate immediate financial crises. Because of our supporters’ generosity, in 2021 alone, we awarded thousands of dollars in Project Love grants. Electa Gibbs, a Project Love grant recipient, told us, “I am so thankful for Project Love! Because of you, I had a place to live while I got back on my feet and now me and my baby are so happy!”
- “We Can and We Will” is the strategic plan of Illinois Right to Life that is being launched in 2022. This three-part plan will educate those on the fence about abortion on just how out of the mainstream our abortion laws are. We will open their eyes to the damage abortion has done to our state and help them realize just how devastating abortion is to preborn babies and their mothers. Margaret, one of Illinois Right to Life’s generous donors, told me: “If I had known about the reality of abortion before I had my abortion, I wouldn’t have ended the life of my child. Illinois residents must know the truth. This plan will save lives, which is why I completely support the ‘We Can and We Will’ strategy.”
- The Ground Zero Tour is allowing us to reach the pro-life citizens of Illinois in person and inspire them to take action against the growing culture of death in Illinois. We are traveling across the state to meet people, tell them about our strategic plan to win Illinois for life, and let them know how they can be an integral part of this effort. Stephanie, who attended a stop on our Ground Zero Tour last fall, said, “This was such great information. Because of the Ground Zero Tour, I know what I must do now to help win Illinois for life. I know that Illinois Right to Life has a plan that I can be a part of.”
These are only a few of the many life-saving programs of Illinois Right to Life. There is also our PregnancyHelpFinder.com website that helps women across Illinois find pregnancy resource centers where they are. There is our Life Chat podcast which brings the message of life to thousands of listeners across Illinois and beyond each month. There is our Heart2Heart pro-life curriculum that is used to educate high school students on life. Finally, there is our WhenDoesLifeBegin.com website which is an incredible resource on the truth of the humanity of the preborn child.
Now, in 2022, the need to spread the message of life and love
is greater than ever before in Illinois!
As we’ve explained to our supporters over the last few months, it is very likely that, later this year, the U.S. Supreme Court will roll back or even overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. While this is good news for America, it is bad news for Illinois.
The pro-abortion Alan Guttmacher Institute recently released some startling projections. Currently, Illinois is home to the closest abortion provider for approximately 100,000 women who live out-of-state. The Guttmacher Institute predicts that, when surrounding states are able to outlaw abortion, the number could jump to 8.9 million women!
What does that mean? Illinois will become an even bigger haven for abortion. Women by the thousands will travel to Illinois to end the lives of their babies. And, because our Parental Notice of Abortion Law has been repealed, teen girls will come to Illinois for abortions without their parents ever knowing!
The only way to stop this coming abortion catastrophe is to spread the truth in love – to increase the reach of our programs and work strategically to change hearts and minds.
Illinois Right to Life has the programs and plans in place to change the hearts and minds of Illinois residents. In order for these programs and plans to grow and reach across our state, we need help from pro-lifers across the state!
Please give generously today so we can spread the message of life across our state, restore protection to the preborn and their mothers, and stop the abortion industry in Illinois!
Pleas consider giving a donation here.
Our mission at Illinois Right to Life is to win our state for life, one heart at a time. With enough hearts and with enough momentum, we will effect a large-scale shift towards life in Illinois by stemming the tide of the abortion industry and bringing back legislation that protects mothers and their unborn children. Through the love of friends like you, I know we can succeed.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Where there is love, there is life.” This is so very true when it comes to our work to save lives in Illinois and beyond.
Love is what will bring respect for life back to our state.
Happy Valentine’s Day!