Vote No To Chicago Bubble Zone Law

October 8, 2009 by Lisa Krempasky  
Filed under Action Steps

In a direct attack on 40 Days for Life and the rights of local pro-life sidewalk counselors, the Chicago City Council on Wednesday passed a new ordinance intended to cripple 40 Days for Life and silence pro-life free speech within a 50 foot “Bubble Zone” around abortion facilities.

The new city ordinance will not only block sidewalk counseling and pro-life signs within 50 feet of all entrances to an abortion facility, it would also prevent any pro-lifer from being within eight feet of an abortion customer without getting that person’s permission. Anyone found in violation could be fined up to $500.

The law is such a clear violation of First Amendment Constitutional rights that even the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — no friend of the pro-life movement — sided with local pro-life interests in opposing aspects of the ordinance.

According to observers at the council meetings, a Planned Parenthood representative testified that pro-
life vigils make it difficult for women to reach their “services,” while a representative from a local
late-term abortion facility (that has seen business detrimentally affected by 40 Days for Life) directly mentioned the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil as reason to pass the ordinance.

While this is a setback for the Chicago 40 Days for Life, I want to emphasize that this is NOT merely a Chicago issue. Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry are working aggressively to implement Bubble Zone laws like this across the country.

That’s the bad news. But here’s the good news: ** WE CAN STILL DEFEAT THIS BUBBLE ZONE **

Before this bad law goes into effect, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has to approve it. We have a narrow
window of time to convince the mayor to VETO the Bubble Zone ordinance.

PLEASE call Mayor Daley’s office immediately at 312- 744-3300 to say: “Mayor Daley, please don’t restrict
freedom of speech in Chicago. VETO the Bubble Zone ordinance!”

So many calls have already been flooding into the mayor’s office that they’ve set up an automated
system for the public to speak out on the Bubble Zone. If you get the automated system, here are the
steps to follow:

1.) CALL Mayor Daley’s office at 312-744-3300

2.) PRESS 1 to submit your opinion on the Bubble Zone ordinance

3.) Then PRESS 2 to vote NO on the Bubble Zone

To send the mayor a fax instead: 312-744-8045

If we don’t push back hard against this clearly unconstitutional law, Planned Parenthood and the rest of the abortion industry will feel empowered to
trample on the rights of pro-life free speech all across the country.

Please act now — while there’s still time!

Red Cross in Window for Pro-Life

April 26, 2009 by Lisa Krempasky  
Filed under Action Steps, Uncategorized

As you know, in the first week of April, the White House received more than 2.25 million empty red envelopes. All together the number of envelopes have surpassed 3 million. Washington insiders consider this one of the largest mail campaigns in our nation’s history.

One week after the red envelopes reached Washington, the Department of Homeland Security issued a document outlining the potential threat “right wing extremists” pose to our country. Without giving examples, the document singled out those who were pro-life, as well as a number of other mainstream points of view, as possible threats to national security. I believe this was the first step toward marginalizing mainstream opposition.

I have received a lot of feedback from men and women who participated in the red envelope movement, asking me what we should do next. A great idea was presented to me, by a man named Jeff. He suggested that we put wooden red crosses on our front lawns to signify our stand as pro-life Americans. I have simplified Jeff’s idea, and I think it is easy for you to do.

At the bottom of this email is a red cross with the word LIFE on it.
1. Right click on it, and copy it into a new document. It should paste to fill the page.
2. Print it out in color.
3. Post it in a prominent window in your home, as a sign of your commitment to LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Pass this on to all of those in your circle of friends who sent the red letters, and let’s stand together.

life-cross

It will be a statement that you will not be marginalized, and that you are still committed to the unborn. You are not alone, and you can make a difference.

Thanks for your help!

Warmly,

Christ Otto

I have also created bumper stickers and t-shirts at cafepress. Sale proceeds go to support the Red Envelope and other projects.


Christ Otto, founder
of the Red Envelope Project

Jesus, I plead your blood over my sin and the sin of my nation. God end abortion and send revival to America.

This is post quoted in its entirety from Chris Otto email.

Claire McCaskill Responds to Planned Parenthood Defunding Request

April 24, 2009 by Lisa Krempasky  
Filed under Action Steps

The other day I wrote to Claire McCaskill, among others, reporting the illegal activity of Planned Parenthood in counseling a 14 year old girl to lie to obtain an abortion. My full email is included in that post. Here is her response:

Thank you for contacting me regarding my position on abortion. I appreciate hearing from you, and I welcome the chance to respond.

Abortion should be safe, legal and rare. As your U.S. Senator, I am committed to ensuring that women, especially those victimized by sexual assault or experiencing severe medical complications, have a right to emergency contraception and safe abortions if they so choose. That said, I support placing certain restrictions on partial birth abortion and requiring parental consent for minors under the age of 15.

Instead of criminalizing women and their doctors, we must focus on reducing abortions. I am a strong supporter of the Prevention First Act (S.21). This legislation seeks to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions by expanding family planning education programs and increasing access to emergency contraception. The bill would also help improve women’s access to preventative health care services.

Again, I appreciate you taking the time to share your views with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future regarding other matters of interest or concern to you.

All best,
Senator Claire McCaskill

Of course, like a good politician, McCaskill totally avoids the issue. It is not enough for us to just write once. If we are not satisfied with the answer we get for our elected officials we need to press in and continue. Here is my response to her.

Dear Senator McCaskill:

Thank you for my prompt response to my inquiry. However, it did not even address my question. I specifically asked you to defund the Planned Parenthood in Memphis for its illegal activity in counseling a 14 year old girl to break Tennessee law in order to obtain an abortion. Here is the video I sent you evidencing their activity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMlrAj4v4J4

Now to address the points you did bring up in your email.

First I applaud you for supporting placing certain restrictions on partial birth abortion and requiring parental consent for minors under the age of 15. I would like to see you pushing these matters through the Senate. Will you lead on these issues that you state you are committed to?

If your concerns are primarily for victims of rape and those with serious medical conditions will you support making abortion illegal in all other instances? Though I personally do not agree with those exceptions, I would agree with that political solution. Will you?

The rest of your email I do not find quite accurate. You are not committed to make abortion safe, legal and rare. You are committed to making pregnancy safe, legal and rare. Only your plan is very faulty. You do it by teaching kids that can have sex without restraint. That is a recipe for disaster for both pregnancy and STDs. Your theory simply does not work.

I also disagree with your characterization that pro-life people are interested in criminalizing women. That simply is not true. It is a pro-abortion talking point that has no basis in reality and I ask you, as a Senator of the United States, to quite disseminating specifically false information.

Very Truly Yours

Guys we need to hold our leaders accountable. Follow up, follow up, follow up. Do not let them get away with not responding to you. You are entitled to a specific answer.

I found this point interesting. When I replied to Senator McCaskill’s email my reply bounced back and I had to go back to her website to resubmit my response.

Planned Parenthood Tells 14 Year Old to Break Law to Get Abortion

April 22, 2009 by Lisa Krempasky  
Filed under Action Steps

YouTube Preview Image

See action steps below.

Planned Parenthood is at it again. Their business is to make money. That’s it. Pure and simple. It is about the benjamins. They will do and say just about anything …even illegal things at times to get someone to give them money to kill the baby. This video exposes that they conspire and even encourage a 14 year old to break the law to get an abortion. Tennesse law requires a waiver for an abortion if the father is 18 or older in this situation. The girl clearly told Planned Parenthood that the father was 31 and the Planned Parenthood advisor specifically told her to say he was only 17 and that doing so would keep both of them out of trouble. Lies and crimes!

This morning I wrote the following sample email to Planned Parenthood and urge you to do the same. You can send yours to [email protected]:

“I saw the video posted on YouTube where your staff counseled a 14 year old girl on how to break Tennesse law to get an abortion last July. I am reporting your activity to the DOJ, Tennessee attorney general and Memphis police. Your activities are egregious. I am also writing to my Congressmen demanding that your funding be revoked.

Here is the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMlrAj4v4J4″

I then went to the Department of Justice, Shelby County District Attorney, Memphis police and my congressmen and sent them the following email:

“Please watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMlrAj4v4J4

Planned Parenthood counseled a 14 year old girl on how to break the law so she could get an abortion. I demand full prosecution and loss of federal funding.

Here is their contact information:
Planned Parenthood Greater Memphis Region
1407 Union Ave.
Suite 300
Memphis, TN 38104

Tel: (901) 725-1717 or toll-free (866) 711-1717
Fax: (901) 274-1660
Email: [email protected]

Here are the links to where you can write these agencies. If we all report it maybe Planned Parenthood funding will be revoked or at least reviewed:

FBI You can submit tips anonymously.
Memphis Police [email protected]
Shelby County [email protected]
Contact your senators
Contact your representative

Go get them guys! Go team! Go!

Update 2:30 p.m. I get this email from Shelby County “The District Attorney’s office is not an investigative agency. If you
or the people in the video believe that a state law was violated, you
need to file a report with and submit this video to the Memphis Police
Department for investigation.

Jennifer C. Donnals
Communications Director
Shelby County District Attorney’s Office
Memphis, TN”

I don’t know if I believe them because the Tennesse Attorney General’s office referred me to them initially.

Red Envelope Day Follow Up

April 6, 2009 by Lisa Krempasky  
Filed under Action Steps

Red Envelope Day was a huge success! Well done! Here’s the email I received from the founder. Please note that there were probably millions of other envelopes that were not tracked.

Dear Friends:

Thank you for your feedback and your help in sending red envelopes to the White House. Because of this grassroots effort, 2.25 million empty red envelopes were put in the mail on Tuesday, March 31. This number does not include those sent before or those sent after. Although we may never hear about how the President responded to this effort, I know that this movement has been a success. Here are a few examples:

The director of one of the largest Pro-Life organizations in the country told me that the red envelope movement has done more to unite and encourage Pro-Life organizations than anything he has seen in his experience.
Thousands of young people, including many children, learned about the value of life, and their right and responsibility to speak to elected officials.
Churches from across the denominational spectrum joined hands in prayer and action.
Hundreds of women who have suffered because of an abortion were given a voice.
The faith of thousands was encouraged as they saw God provide funds for envelopes and stamps. Several organizations printed envelopes, and all of them report that they needed to continue to order more.

So what’s next for this movement?

It is important to continue to be LIFE focused. Two great ways are through education and action. I recommend contacting the Life Issues Institute at [email protected]. I also strongly recommend the work of Bound4LIFE under the direction of Matt Lockhart at [email protected].

And most important of all, pray. Pray that God brings more creative, witty, unusual ideas to promote life. From the pro-abortion emails I have received, it is clear that there isn’t much creativity in their movement. With God’s help, we can win in the realm of ideas.

I will be returning to my main mission in the coming days. For the past year I have been laying the ground work for a center of prayer in Boston, Massachusetts. My mission is to create an interdenominational prayer center that will contend for the spiritual heritage of our nation.

In addition to this, I am partnering with a group committed to obtaining the Northfield School, founded by Dwight L. Moody. Northfield was once a center for the Student Volunteer Movement, a movement of young people who committed themselves to foreign missions. The goal is to create ministry base that will care for orphans, be a training center, and be a center for prayer.

If you would like to know more about this, please send a reply to this email with “YES, I WANT TO KNOW MORE” in the subject.

Brian Potter is going to continue with the red envelope idea and he does this with my blessings. If you sent an email though the Redenvelopeday.com site, Brian will be contacting you with future events related to the red envelope project.

Thanks so much.

Warmly,

Christ Otto


Christ Otto, founder
of the Red Envelope Project

Jesus, I plead your blood over my sin and the sin of my nation. God end abortion and send revival to America.

Check out my blog for more information:
belonginghouse.org/wordpress

A Man Tries to Save a Baby at the Library

March 15, 2009 by Lisa Krempasky  
Filed under Action Steps

A few days ago I was at my local library branch in the middle of the day picking up a few books on abortion for a project I’m working on. Most of the people in my local library that time of the day are homeless men escaping the elements.

An older black man walked up to me and said “you don’t have to do this.” Normally I dress pretty casually, but that day I looked like a liberal man-hater, so the mere fact that he approached me was huge. I thought it would be interesting to see where this conversation would go so I told him that I was just wanting to understand the options. In total humility he basically told me that there are no options and that I would regret it if I went through with it. He was strong and persistant, but not at all pushy or offensive.

Of course I then told him it was a project, I would never do that and invited him to join us just a few blocks away on Saturdays in front of Planned Parenthood.

I was blown away that this guy who obviously had no business talking to me laid it all right out there and politely was not going to let the topic go as long as he had the chance. Far too often I’m just way to busy to take those kind of everyday moments that impact a culture one by one. How many chances like this do we miss in an average week? How many days in line at Wal-mart or the grocery store did we have a chance to make a difference and we were just too afraid or too busy or too tired to speak up?

It is those little moments that make the difference. We have nothign to fear. If we speak up what would we lose? Is the person going to slap us right there in line? No, I don’t think so. And if we hit a raw nerve…well you will never see that person again. But what if you are just the angel that person needs? What if you really can affect them? What if your kind words or your prayers are just exactly what they need to get through their trial…or their day? There are so many ways to make a difference in this world and they all start with taking just a little bit of action. So next time you feel that inkling inside of you don’t rationalize it away. Speak up and make a difference.

Obama Proposes Recission of Conscience Clause

March 14, 2009 by Lisa Krempasky  
Filed under Action Steps

On January 20, 2009 President Bush administration enacted rules that would plug holes in the federal Conscience Clause. The Conscience Clause permits doctors to refuse to provide abortions if they are morally opposed to them. The full text of the present federal law can be found at the end of this post.

President Bush extended the conscience clause to all workers in health-care settings — from doctors to janitors — who can now refuse to provide services, information or advice to patients on subjects such as contraception, family planning, blood transfusions and even vaccine counseling if they are morally against it. Health and Human Service (HHS) says they want to rescind the rule primarily to require providers to give information on family planning and contraception.

HHS rescission would apply only to the portions of the rule put in place by President Bush as he was leaving office. The main conscience clause rule can only be overturned by Congress.

Right now President Obama’s decision is up for its required public comment period. This happens with changes in administrative rules and provides a period where concerned citizens can officially tell the government their opinion. You can make your official comment here Click on the bubble beside add comments.

Please remember to be respectful as your comments become an official part of the legislative history of our nation. Here are some ideas of what you can say:

1. The government should not be interfering in the doctor patient relationship by regulating what doctors must say.

2. No person should be required to choose between their profession and their conscience or religious beleifs.

3. Patients can get a second opinion if they do not like what their doctor tells them. There are plenty of places to get this advice and plenty of doctors to provide it. It is even publicly available through libraries and the internet.

4. Patients should have the right to go to and have their family go to health providers that align with their moral and religious beliefs and should not have to listen to advice they do not want. There is presently no opt-out provision so a doctor would be required to speak with your 14 year old daughter about family planning options.

Please comment with other thoughts you have or with your full comment.

CONSCIENCE CLAUSE
TITLE 42 > CHAPTER 6A > SUBCHAPTER VIII > § 300a–7Prev | Next § 300a–7. Sterilization or abortion
How Current is This? (a) Omitted
(b) Prohibition of public officials and public authorities from imposition of certain requirements contrary to religious beliefs or moral convictions
The receipt of any grant, contract, loan, or loan guarantee under the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.], the Community Mental Health Centers Act [42 U.S.C. 2689 et seq.], or the Developmental Disabilities Services and Facilities Construction Act [42 U.S.C. 6000 et seq.] by any individual or entity does not authorize any court or any public official or other public authority to require—
(1) such individual to perform or assist in the performance of any sterilization procedure or abortion if his performance or assistance in the performance of such procedure or abortion would be contrary to his religious beliefs or moral convictions; or
(2) such entity to—
(A) make its facilities available for the performance of any sterilization procedure or abortion if the performance of such procedure or abortion in such facilities is prohibited by the entity on the basis of religious beliefs or moral convictions, or
(B) provide any personnel for the performance or assistance in the performance of any sterilization procedure or abortion if the performance or assistance in the performance of such procedures or abortion by such personnel would be contrary to the religious beliefs or moral convictions of such personnel.
(c) Discrimination prohibition
(1) No entity which receives a grant, contract, loan, or loan guarantee under the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.], the Community Mental Health Centers Act [42 U.S.C. 2689 et seq.], or the Developmental Disabilities Services and Facilities Construction Act [42 U.S.C. 6000 et seq.] after June 18, 1973, may—
(A) discriminate in the employment, promotion, or termination of employment of any physician or other health care personnel, or
(B) discriminate in the extension of staff or other privileges to any physician or other health care personnel,
because he performed or assisted in the performance of a lawful sterilization procedure or abortion, because he refused to perform or assist in the performance of such a procedure or abortion on the grounds that his performance or assistance in the performance of the procedure or abortion would be contrary to his religious beliefs or moral convictions, or because of his religious beliefs or moral convictions respecting sterilization procedures or abortions.
(2) No entity which receives after July 12, 1974, a grant or contract for biomedical or behavioral research under any program administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services may—
(A) discriminate in the employment, promotion, or termination of employment of any physician or other health care personnel, or
(B) discriminate in the extension of staff or other privileges to any physician or other health care personnel,
because he performed or assisted in the performance of any lawful health service or research activity, because he refused to perform or assist in the performance of any such service or activity on the grounds that his performance or assistance in the performance of such service or activity would be contrary to his religious beliefs or moral convictions, or because of his religious beliefs or moral convictions respecting any such service or activity.
(d) Individual rights respecting certain requirements contrary to religious beliefs or moral convictions
No individual shall be required to perform or assist in the performance of any part of a health service program or research activity funded in whole or in part under a program administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services if his performance or assistance in the performance of such part of such program or activity would be contrary to his religious beliefs or moral convictions.
(e) Prohibition on entities receiving Federal grant, etc., from discriminating against applicants for training or study because of refusal of applicant to participate on religious or moral grounds
No entity which receives, after September 29, 1979, any grant, contract, loan, loan guarantee, or interest subsidy under the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 201 et seq.], the Community Mental Health Centers Act [42 U.S.C. 2689 et seq.], or the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 [42 U.S.C. 15001 et seq.] may deny admission or otherwise discriminate against any applicant (including applicants for internships and residencies) for training or study because of the applicant’s reluctance, or willingness, to counsel, suggest, recommend, assist, or in any way participate in the performance of abortions or sterilizations contrary to or consistent with the applicant’s religious beliefs or moral convictions.

Red Envelope Day

March 6, 2009 by Lisa Krempasky  
Filed under Action Steps

Here’s a very easy pro-life thing you can do in 5 minutes.

“Join us on March 31, 2009 in sending Red Envelopes from all over the nation to the White House. We ask that you write on the back of the envelope: “This envelope represents one child who died because of an abortion. It is empty because the life that was taken in now unable to be part of our world.” http://www.redenvelopeday.com/

Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinkos, or at party supply stores. On the front, address it to

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington , D.C. 20500

Pray that God will move on the president’s heart to see the wretched nature of his pro-abortion stance.

Speak Out Against Abortion

March 6, 2009 by Lisa Krempasky  
Filed under Action Steps

Yesterday I was at my local library branch in the middle of the day picking up a few books on abortion for a project I’m working on. Most of the people in my library that time of the day are homeless men escaping the elements.

An older black man walked up to me, looked at my stack of reading materials and said “you don’t have to do this.” Normally I dress pretty casually, but yesterday I looked like a liberal man-hater, so the mere fact that he approached me was huge. I thought it would be interesting to see where this conversation would go so I told him that I was just wanting to understand the options. In total humility he basically told me that there are no options and that I would regret it if I went through with it. Of course I then told him it was a project, I would never do that and invited him to join us just a few blocks away on Saturdays in front of Planned Parenthood protesting abortion.

I was blown away that this guy who obviously had no business talking to me laid it all right out there and politely was not going to let the topic go as long as he had the chance. Far too often I’m just way to busy to take those kind of everyday moments that impact a culture one by one. But what if I had actually been searching for an answer?Would this man’s courage have made a difference? I don’t know. It might have. But one thing I know for sure is that if he hadn’t spoken up he would NOT have made a difference.

We can be polite and bold. We can offer people the opportunity to engage if they want to and be sensitive if they don’t. By doing that we turn strangers into friends. And you never know…you might just be the answer to the person’s prayer. You may be the tool of God in their life. So stand up and speak!