Dear Amy,
In Illinois, why don’t pro-life people feel a profound sense of defeat?
The previous governor lied to us and initiated (I don’t exactly recall) a giant leap forward for abortion in Illinois. The current governor is brutally pro-abortion and signed into law the state’s most pro-abortion law ever. Planned Parenthood is building new abortion facilities to take advantage of strict abortion laws in border states.
In the ’80s, the pro-life Illinois legislature passed pro-life bills into law on a regular basis. Times have changed for the worse. Is there any hope in Illinois?
–Concerned in Chicago
Dear “Concerned” —
Is there any hope for Illinois? In a word, YES. Here’s why:
Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time traveling around Illinois getting to know pro-life citizens and learning where the pro-life movement stands. I’ve learned several things:
- Illinois is not a pro-abortion state at its heart. There are thousands upon thousands of pro-life citizens who want to protect the most vulnerable.
- Many pro-life citizens are not fully aware of just how radical our state is when it comes to abortion. They are shocked and want to take action when they learn.
- The reason that Illinois is so pro-abortion and has shifted so far to the left with other issues lies largely at the feet of one organization: Personal PAC, which works to elect pro-abortion legislators to the Illinois statehouse. Their motto is, “Pro-Choice, No Exceptions” and that is exactly what they mean. They will only support candidates who will support abortion on demand, without apology, throughout all nine months of pregnancy. With their millions of dollars, they have elected supermajorities of pro-abortion radicals to our legislature and gained a stranglehold on Illinois politics. Like our pro-abortion laws, many Illinois pro-lifers are unaware of Personal PAC and the power they weild in our state.
How do pro-lifers stand up to the power of the abortion industry in Illinois? By taking a page from the playbook of our adversaries: Personal PAC.
This organization was founded in the early 1990’s, but didn’t see their first victory until 2017, when Governor Bruce Rauner expanded Medicaid funding of abortion. Personal PAC was patient, strategic, and worked hard to make our pro-life state a haven for abortion extremism. They tenaciously followed a long-term strategic plan to achieve their deadly goals.
The pro-life citizens of Illinois must also be strategic. We must think long-term. We must realize that winning Illinois for life will not be easy or happen overnight. Our success in the short term must be saving as many lives as possible as we work towards the future when innocent life is once again protected in our state.
Illinois Right to Life has a plan to win our state back for life. The first step is education. We must let the people of Illinois know that our laws are so radical a majority of people who consider themselves “pro-choice” don’t eve support them. We must make Illinoisans aware that a handful of pro-abortion radicals control our state. We must educate so a growing number of Illinois residents will take action to stop the pro-abortion madness in our state.
We will also support our friends at pregnancy resource centers as they work to establish new clinics in areas of the state, including the city of Chicago, where abortion clinics outnumber PRCs. We will also continue expanding our Project Love program which provides financial assistance to pregnant women and young families facing financial crises so they can choose life and parent confidently.
In 2023 and beyond we will expand our educational efforts as well as our legislative efforts. We know that, with patience and perseverance, we can change our state, but we can’t do it without the help of Illinois’s pro-life citizens. We need financial support. We need volunteers. We need prayers. I pray that every person reading this column will commit to helping us win our state for life.
I also urge you and everyone reading this column to attend one of our Ground Zero Tour stops in 2022. There you will learn more about our strategic plans as well as how you can help win our state for life. Our next tour stops will be announced In January.
Thank you for your question! I implore you not to be discouraged. Together we can and we will win Illinois for life!