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June 4, 2012
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Recall elections tomorrow -- Don't forget to vote!


Recall elections will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, June 5. The PLW Victory Fund political action committee (PAC) has proudly endorsed four candidates in the recall elections: Governor Scott Walker, Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, State Senator Scott Fitzgerald and State Representative Jerry Petrowski.

Scott Walker, Rebecca Kleefisch and Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau are incumbents running to defend their positions while Jerry Petrowski of Marathon is running to fill the Wausau-area senate seat vacated by former senator Pam Galloway who resigned earlier this year. All four have worked hard to build a culture of life in Wisconsin.

Democrat gubernatorial challenger Tom Barrett has a long pro-abortion voting record and Democrat lieutenant governor challenger Mahlon Mitchell is pro-abortion. Both Barrett and Mitchell have been endorsed by Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, the state's number one abortion provider.

NOTE: The recall elections for governor and lieutenant governor are separate elections. The Republican incumbents (Walker/Kleefisch) and Democrat challengers (Barrett/Mitchell) are NOT running on the same ticket. You must vote for these seats separately.

Plan to exercise your right to vote tomorrow, June 5, and encourage your family and friends to do the same. Vote for life, and may God bless Wisconsin!

Griswold established birth control as a right; now being enshrined as an entitlement through HHS


Commentary by Peggy Hamill

June 7 marks the 47th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court Griswold v. Connecticut decision. Griswold set the precedent for the bogus claim that the U.S. Constitution grants individuals the right to privacy in matters of sexual practices. In 1965, in an orchestrated act of civil disobedience, Estelle Griswold (director of Planned Parenthood League of Connecticut) and Dr. C. Lee Buxton opened a birth control clinic. To their delight, they were arrested and fined for selling birth control which was illegal in Connecticut. They succeeded in taking their (civil disobedience) case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. As intended, the Griswold ruling paved the way for Roe v. Wade through the so-called right to privacy.

When Pro-Life Wisconsin was founded 20 years ago, we recognized that the deadly spiritual, physical and judicial connection between contraception and abortion is all too real. Our campaign against the contraceptive mentality has always been seen by the right-to-life establishment as defying their silence on birth control. Consequently, here we are, in 2012, reaping the fruit of their silence. What Griswold succeeded in establishing as a "right" is now being enshrined as an entitlement through the Health and Human Services birth control mandate.

We must not cooperate should the mandate withstand court challenges. Image: The line of attendees at the March 23 "Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally" in Milwaukee stretched for blocks.

In fact, Cardinal Raymond Burke discussed the gravity of what we are facing, in an interview with Catholic Action Institute. Cardinal Burke describes the HHS mandate as, "... contrary first of all to the fundamental human right, the right to the free exercise of one's conscience, and at the same time, to the very foundation of our nation."

As a true shepherd guiding his flock, Cardinal Burke challenges employers to defy the mandate. He decries compliance, stating, "It is not only a matter of what we call 'material cooperation' in the sense that the employer by giving this insurance benefit is materially providing for the contraception but it is also 'formal cooperation' because he is knowingly doing this, making this available to people. There is no way to justify it. It is simply wrong."

True to form, Pro-Life Wisconsinites in record numbers are challenging the birth control mandate, standing up for the rights of conscience and the lives of tiny embryonic children. We will continue our public advocacy the week of June 7, the 47th anniversary of Griswold v. Connecticut. Our affiliates will rally and pray outside family planning centers across Wisconsin. We will recommit ourselves to combat not only the birth control mandate, but the entire contraceptive mentality. We will mourn the loss of the untold millions of babies lost to abortifacients. We will pray for the Church, for employers, for individuals and for ourselves, asking God for the courage to stand strong in rejection of the HHS mandate.

How ironic it is that in 1965, it was agents of the culture of death (Griswold and Buxton) who engaged in civil disobedience in order to legalize birth control. In 2012, pro-lifers are on the brink of being driven to civil disobedience to simply adhere to the gospel of life.

Join us as pro-lifers from across the state mark the anniversary of the Griswold v. Connecticut U.S. Supreme Court decision, which decriminalized birth control. We need your prayers and support. Together with God, we press forward in this battle for life.

PLW affiliates to observe Griswold v. Connecticut


Join communities across the state in marking the 47th anniversary of the Supreme Court Griswold v. Connecticut decision, which decriminalized birth control, led to the pseudoscientific redefinition of pregnancy from conception to implantation and paved the way for Roe v. Wade and abortion on demand.

In addition to our local Griswold events, PLW co-sponsored American Life League's "The Pill Kills 2012 National Symposium" on June 2. Watch the webcast panel of nationally renowned experts on the medical, cultural, and spiritual impact of the birth control pill here.

List of PLW Griswold observances:
Pro-Life Wisconsin affiliates from Ozaukee and Washington counties will gather at the West Bend Planned Parenthood on Thursday, June 7 from 7-8pm. PLW's Virginia Zignego will speak. An ice cream social will follow.

PLW Milwaukee County will gather on June 7 from 5-6p.m. at Planned Parenthood on Hwy 100 and Lincoln Ave in West Allis. An ice cream social will follow.

Watertown Catholic Pro-Life Group / Jefferson County will gather on Thursday, June 7 at the Planned Parenthood in Johnson Creek at 6:30 p.m.  An ice cream social will follow at Culvers at 7:00 p.m.

PLW Juneau County will gather at the Juneau County Courthouse in Mauston from 3-4 p.m. on Sunday, June 10 for prayer and scripture reading.

PLW Fond du Lac will gather on June 7 from 4 - 5 p.m. at Planned Parenthood, 333 n. Peters Ave., Fond du Lac.

PLW Marathon County will gather on June 7 at 3 p.m. at Family Planning Health Services, 719 North 3rd Avenue, Wausau.
 
PLW Dodge County will gather June 7 at 6:30 p.m. with a prayer vigil in front of Planned Parenthood, 96 Stoddart Street, Beaver Dam.  

Vigil for Life will gather for a prayer vigil on June 7 at 6 p.m. at  Planned Parenthood, 3706 Orin Road, Madison.

PLW Calumet, Outagamie and Winnebago Counties will gather on June 7 at noon at Planned Parenthood, 508 West Wisconsin Avenue, Appleton.

PLW Portage County & Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe will hold a prayer vigil on June 4 at 4:30 p.m. at the Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin Rapids. An additional vigil will be held June 6 at 5:30 p.m. in Stevens Point at the Family Planning Health Services on Division St.

PLW Kenosha and PLW Fond du Lac also held observances this past Saturday, June 2.

Komen Race for the Cure registrations down 25 percent in Madison


WI State Journal:
Registrations for Saturday's Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Madison are down 25 percent from last year, raising concerns that fundraising figures will drop, too.

Race officials say they don't know how much blame to place on a controversy involving Planned Parenthood, noting that a difficult economy has hurt many fundraising efforts.

The national Komen organization announced in January it would no longer fund breast cancer-related services provided by Planned Parenthood. It quickly reversed itself after a national outcry.

"It's really hard to say what the impact has been in our community because we don't have any money funding Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin," said Michelle Heitzinger, executive director of the South Central Wisconsin Komen affiliate.

Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin did not apply for Komen grants, so none of the three Komen Wisconsin affiliates is currently funding the organization, Heitzinger said. She was among affiliate officials who opposed the national Komen organization’s decision to defund Planned Parenthood.

Read the rest here.

A quick Google search turned up a similar situation across the country — Seattle; Washington, DC; Minnesota; Salt Lake City, Utah; Tuscon; and others. Some of these cities — Madison and Seattle, for example — are notably more liberal (and more apt to support Komen in wake of the Planned Parenthood funding fiasco) than others, such as Tuscon, AZ.

VIDEO: Planned Parenthood's 'Margaret Sanger' clinic in NY welcomes sex-selection abortion


From LifeSiteNews:
 An employee at the flagship abortion clinic of Planned Parenthood in New York has been caught on tape telling a woman how to be sure of her unborn baby's female sex in order to abort her in a second undercover video released Thursday, May 31.

The footage shows the undercover investigator, walking past a sign on the wall that reads "WOMEN COUNT," meeting Planned Parenthood social worker Randi Coun at the Margaret Sanger Center International on Bleecker St.

Coun walks the investigator through obtaining a CVS test to determine gender as early as the first trimester, but assures the potential patient that it would be just as safe to obtain an abortion as late as 24 weeks.

"Yeah, so, you know, with—an abortion at any stage up to 24 weeks is considered a safe procedure. Um, the biggest difference is that after 16 weeks, the procedure becomes a 2-day procedure, rather than a procedure that’s done just on one day," says the social worker. "It's just there's more steps involved and it's just a little more complicated."

Unborn children younger than 16 weeks are aborted by either dilation and curettage (D&C) or dilation and evacuation (D&E), in which the body is cut into pieces to ease removal from the womb. After 16 weeks a saline abortion can be used, in which a strong salt solution is injected into the amniotic sac. This kills the baby by burning its outer layer of skin and poisoning it when the solution is swallowed, a process that takes around an hour. Labor to expel the body normally sets in naturally within 24 hours, completing the abortion procedure.

Coun tells the investigator that Planned Parenthood would not question her sex-selection motivations. "I can tell you that here at Planned Parenthood we believe that it's not up to us to decide what is a good or a bad reason for somebody to decide to terminate a pregnancy," she said.

Click here to read the rest.

Pro-life news wrap-up


- Abortionist who fed aborted baby girls to dogs arrested, license may be suspended. Read more here.

- Rain or shine: Pro-life activist counsels women outside abortion facility every day for 33 years. Read more here.

- Sacha Baron-Cohen’s unexpected moment of truth about sex-selective abortion. Read more here.

Courtesy announcements


Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rallies: On June 8, tens of thousands of faithful citizens will be gathering in prayer and public witness in towns and cities across the United States to oppose the HHS Mandate and Stand Up for Religious Freedom. Join rallies across Wisconsin and say NO to the Health and Human Services Mandate that forces all employers  - including catholic charities and ministries - to provide contraception, abortion inducing drugs, and sterilization free to all employees through their healthcare plans or face crippling fines. The very existence and continuation of our religious institutions, hospitals, educators and ministries are at stake!
- La Crosse: Friday, June 8 from noon - 1 PM at the corner of 4th and State Streets in La Crosse. For info and to help please contact Elizabeth Garibaldi at 608-769-4014 or lizzdemos@yahoo.com.
- Milwaukee: Friday, June 8 at noon -- Mass and Rosary at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 1711 S. 9th St., Milwaukee. The celebrant will be Fr. Norman Schwartz.
- Stevens Point: Friday, June 8 at noon at 1320 Main Street in Stevens Point (US Post office).
- Madison: Friday, June 8, at noon at the Kastenmeier Federal Courthouse (120 North Henry Street) in Madison. 
- Green Bay: Friday, June 8 at noon at the Brown County Courthouse in Green Bay.

Practicing NFP or using contraception: "Same Difference"? Dr. Michael Kloess, a family practice physician and the Executive Director of Our Lady of Hope Clinic (in Madison, WI), will give a presentation on NFP, with Question & Answer Session.
The talk will be June 14 at 7pm at St. John the Evangelist Parish, 8500 W. Cold Spring Rd., Greenfield, WI, in the Church Hall. For more information, please contact Kathy at 414‐329‐0991.

Come celebrate life with Pro-Life Wisconsin Ozaukee County in our Cedarburg July 4 parade unit! Meet at Fireman's Park prior to the 10 am start for decorating and fun! Families are welcome to use bikes, wagons, strollers, etc. on this one-mile route through historic downtown Cedarburg. Help carry a banner or distribute candy... and don't forget to wear your red PLW t-shirt or borrow one at the park. Please join us as we walk in gratitude for God's precious gift of life all around us, as we look toward the day when living in this "land of the free and home of the brave" can by enjoyed by all! For additional information, contact Charmaine Herbert at ozaukee@prolifewisconsin.org.

Men of Christ 5k Run: Join us for the first annual Men of Christ 5K Holy Hill run on June 16! You can download the race flyer here. Proceeds will benefit 40 Days for Life of Milwaukee.

Missionaries to the Preborn will have a pro-life picket on Saturday, June 16 from 11:30am to 1:00pm in West Allis, WI at the intersection of W. Greenfield Av. (Hwy 59) & S 108th St. (Hwy 100). Any questions call (414) 462-3399 or email defendbabies@missionariestopreborn.com.

Witness for Life: Each Thursday, St. Mary Catholic Church in Kenosha will offer 8am Mass, followed by a Rosary procession to the nearby Planned Parenthood. St. Mary's is located at 7307 40th Avenue, Kenosha. For more information call Monica at 262-515-3132 or Laura at 262-358-0705.

 The Wausua 40 Days for Life group will continue their prayer vigil by meeting the first Thursdays of the month, May through August. We will meet at Family Planning Health Services, 719 N 3rd Avenue in Wausau at 3 pm. Please join us in prayer to be a public witness for the unborn and for mothers to make the right choice.

Kneel for Life: Capitol Campaign meets Wednesdays at the Capitol from 1-2pm. We try to precede with Mass at St. Patrick's at 12:10, then we walk over from there. Our purpose is to be a peaceful, joyful presence praying to tear down the evil strongholds present there and be an encouragement for the pro-life legislators/staff. We pray the Rosary, Chaplet of Mercy and St. Michael prayer as we walk in twos or independently, throughout the Capitol.

The third Monday of every month All Saints Catholic Church in Berlin says a Rosary for life at the church's monument for the unborn after a 5:15p.m. Mass. Everyone welcome.

The pro-life group at St. Frances Cabrini Parish meets to pray every Thursday evening from 6-6:30 p.m. at the West Bend Planned Parenthood, 532 Shepherd’s Drive, West Bend, WI. Located on the West end of town, approximately 1-1/2 miles west of Hwy 45 on West Washington Street (aka: Highway 33) in West Bend. It is in a shopping mall on the north-side of the street. We are on the sidewalk.

Holy Hour for the Unborn: St. John the Evangelist Parish, 8500 W. Cold Spring Rd., Greenfield, Wis. We come together every fourth Wednesday of the month from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. to pray for the end of abortion. The church has 24 hours of Adoration seven days a week. Contact Kathy Knaack with questions, Kathy.knaack@gmail.com.

Cenacles of Life meets every Saturday morning at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Cambridge at 8:30 am to pray two rosaries for an end to the culture of death.

Cenacles of Life meets at St Mary’s Good Shepherd Chapel, 108 McHenry St, Burlington, WI every Wednesday at 6 p.m., and recites the second oral Rosary in the main body of the church, finishing at 7:15 p.m.

Cenacles of Life meets every Saturday morning at 6:45 a.m. to pray two Rosaries for pro-life intentions before the 7:30 a.m. Mass at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Pine Bluff, west of Madison.

The Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe has a prayer vigil every Monday at 4:30 p.m. in Wisconsin Rapids on 8th St. by the Shopko mall to pray for the closing of the Planned Parenthood. If you have any questions contact Will Goodman at (608) 698-7443.

The Servants of Our Lady of Guadalupe has a prayer vigil every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in Stevens Point in front of the strip mall next to Family Video to pray for the closing of Family Planning Health Services. If you have any questions contact Jen Dunnett at (715) 340-2779.

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