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October 10, 2011
In This Issue:

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Only a week left to register for Pro-Life Wisconsin's Annual Auction Dinner


Join Pro-Life Wisconsinites from around the state, our staff and board, Bishop Hying, Walter Hoye and pro-life legislators in an evening of pro-life fun.

Bishop Donald J. Hying, the auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, will give the opening invocation at Pro-Life Wisconsin's Annual Auction Dinner on Saturday, October 22. The dinner will be held at Olympia Hotel and Resort in Oconomowoc. Bishop Hying will be in attendance the whole evening.

Silent auction and hors d'eouvres begin at 5pm and dinner begins at 7pm. Join us!

Click here to register online or to print off a registration form.

Walter Hoye will be the guest speaker. Hoye is the founder and president of the Issues4life Foundation and a core member of the National Black Pro-Life Coalition. Hoye, a strong personhood advocate, was jailed for defending his constitutional rights to sidewalk counsel outside abortion facilties. Hoye brought a constitutional challenge to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, widely regarded as the most liberal appeals court in the nation, which recently sided with him in ruling that the City of Oakland’s “bubble zone” ordinance “unconstitutionally suppresses speech based on the content of its message.”

Wisconsin abortion numbers declined in 2010


On Friday, the state of Wisconsin Department of Health Services released its annual report [PDF] on induced abortions in Wisconsin. The total number of abortions in Wisconsin in 2010 was 7,825, down from 8,542 in 2009.

We know from Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin’s own annual report that PPWI performed 612 less abortions in 2010 than 2009.

The decline comes after abortions increased 3.8% between 2008 and 2009. Prior to that, abortions dropped for five straight years. State law requires any facility that provides abortions to report statistics to the Department of Health Services for an annual report.

Pro-Life Wisconsin is working to see the end of abortion in Wisconsin, through the media, pro-life legislation, peaceful activism and prayerful witness.

As we are in the midst of 40 Days for Life, this decrease in abortions is a real boost, and we thank God for the decrease. Our increased presence in front of Wisconsin’s chemical and surgical abortion facilities, whether it’s sidewalk counseling or 40 Days for Life, means that more women are celebrating the births of their children and getting the help they need. Our True to Life media campaign has focused on crisis pregnancy outreach throughout Wisconsin, emphasizing the humanity of the preborn.

Of the 7,591 reported induced abortions among Wisconsin residents in 2010, 73 percent were surgical, 26 percent were chemically induced, and 0.7 percent were surgical procedures following a failed or incomplete chemically induced abortion.  In 2009, these proportions were 72 percent, 27 percent, and 0.6 percent, respectively.

77% of abortions were obtained by women who had never been married.

In line with previous years, 24% of abortions were obtained by black women, even though African Americans compromise just 6% of Wisconsin's population.

Action Alert: Support "Strong Communities... Healthy Kids Act"


Background:
Last session the Wisconsin Legislature and Governor Doyle enacted 2009 Wisconsin Act 134, the so-called “Healthy Youth Act.” The new law prohibits local public school districts from adopting "abstinence-only" human growth and development programs - a freedom and flexibility they enjoyed under previous law. Under current law, if a school district chooses to adopt a human growth and development program it is forced to include in its curriculum instruction on the "health benefits, side effects, and proper use of contraceptives and barrier methods." This ties the hands of local human growth and development advisory committees – a violation of the principle of local control. These advisory committees include teachers, parents, medical professionals, clergy and others, all of whom work very hard to craft curricula that match the goals and values of their local communities. 

Wisconsin Act 134 also removed a common sense provision in previous law that prohibited school-based health volunteers from providing human growth and development instruction in the areas of human sexuality, reproduction and family planning. Current law permits contraceptive or abortion education by school volunteer health care providers, including those from Planned Parenthood. This could involve a referral to the nearest Planned Parenthood clinic where a child could be given contraceptive drugs and devices or directly referred to one of Planned Parenthood’s abortion clinics. Significantly, school volunteer health providers are considered agents of the state and therefore are immune from civil liability. Wisconsin taxpayers should not be assuming legal costs for a civil action brought by the parents of a student who has been referred by a health volunteer to a local Planned Parenthood clinic and there given birth control drugs such as the “morning-after-pill” or referred for an abortion, ending in an adverse outcome.

Strong Communities… Healthy Kids Act:
The “Strong Communities…Healthy Kids Act” (LRB 2088) is legislation co-authored by State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) and State Representative Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) that reverses the contraception education/instruction mandate of 2009, giving public school districts the freedom to adopt abstinence-only human growth and development curricula. Chastity/abstinence is the only message that will protect our children’s bodies and preserve their innocence, and local school districts should be given this option. It also prohibits school-based volunteer health providers from providing instruction in human growth and development. Sexual development is not properly under the purview of a school health room physician or nurse, especially one from Planned Parenthood.

Take Action!
Please CALL or EMAIL your state representative and state senator now and urge him or her to support LRB 2088, the “Strong Communities…Healthy Kids Act.” 

Tell your legislators to:

1) respect local communities by giving them the option of providing abstinence-only human growth and development programs in their public schools, and; 

2) prevent Planned Parenthood nurses and physicians from teaching about abortion and contraception in our public schools.

To find out who your state legislators are, click here for PLW's website and scroll over the Legislative Affairs menu item at the top of the page. A drop down menu will appear. Click on the Speak Up icon and then scroll down the page and click on Who Are My Wisconsin Lawmakers? Type in your street address, city and zip code. The names and contact information of your state senator and state representative will appear.

Once you know who your state legislators are, go back to the Speak Up page and use the links listed under Email Your Government Officials to send your email to your state senator and state representative. That way PLW will receive a copy of your email which will enable us to monitor the activity of our grassroots advocacy campaigns.

If you prefer to leave a telephone message with your state legislator, please call the toll-free State Legislative Hotline at (800) 362-9472. Or call the legislator’s office directly.

Thank you for speaking up for our children! 


True to Life media campaign continues with pro-life bus ads, college newspaper inserts


Since 2008, Pro-Life Wisconsin has partnered with Human Life Alliance to place educational inserts about abortion in college newspapers. So far this fall, inserts have run in newspapers at UW-Madison, UW-La Crosse, Milwaukee Area Technical College, UW-Eau Claire, UW-Whitewater and Marquette University.

A sales executive at UW-Madison's Badger Herald newspaper told us,
I just talked with my managers and…people posted a lot about the insert in our Shout Out section.

Since the article is controversial, there were many different and strong opinions regarding the article. A lot of them were not even published because they were so lengthy. The inserts certainly sparked discussion among the students on campus. A co-worker…said people were arguing about the insert in her class.

Another one of Pro-Life Wisconsin's True to Life media projects is bringing the pro-life message to the streets.

As part of our outreach to women in crisis pregnancies, Pro-Life Wisconsin has placed “Pregnant? Need Help” advertisements on bus shelters in the City of Milwaukee. The same ads are on City of Milwaukee buses (photo, left, seen at the intersection of E. North Ave. and N. Humboldt Blvd.)

The phone number on the advertisements directs women to a 24-hour crisis pregnancy counseling hotline.

These initiatives are part of our ongoing crisis pregnancy outreach, which includes assistance to pregnancy help centers and pro-life billboards in the city of Milwaukee, along with other parts of the state.

Click here to donate to our True to Life media campaign, which allows us to do pro-life advertising such as this. It is through the support of pro-lifers across the state that PLW is able to place life-saving billboards and ads.

Pro-life news wrap-up


- Young pro-life activist, unborn daughter killed in fatal car crash. Read more here.

- ‘Like pigs in the slaughterhouse’: The day Chinese officials brutally murdered my unborn child. Read more here.

- Unexplained divisions: No-fault divorce in the age of contraception. Read more here.

Affiliate activities


Pro-Life Wisconsin Fond du Lac County will have a prayer and public witness outside presence outside the local Planned Parenthood on the days they are open during the fall 40 Days for Life campaign. For more information call Ann at (920) 921-6062 or email fonddulac@prolifewisconsin.org.

Darla Meyers, Pro-Life Wisconsin St. Croix County affiliate, will speak before the Superior Diocese Council of Catholic Women on October 15 at St. Bridget Catholic Church, River Falls. The topic of her talk will be: "Our Gravest Moral Responsibility:  To Convert the Contraception Mentality" whose title is taken from Fr. John Hardon's talk of the same title.

Sawyer County affiliate, Queen of Peace, Protector of Life, will be displaying the "Cemetery of the Innocents" (400 crosses representing the thousands of daily abortions in the USA) at St. John's Lutheran Church, Hwy 27, Ladysmith, WI., Oct. 3rd - Oct. 17th. For more information, contact Bob Ornberg at (715) 699-1287.

Pro-Life Wisconsin Walworth Co. prays at Planned Parenthood in Delavan, WI. Signs are provided. Contact Phil Cullen for info - 262-742-3299.

Pro-Life Wisconsin Juneau County gathers for prayer witness every Monday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Family Planning Health Services, 522 State Road 82 # F, in Mauston. Please call Richard Irwin, (608) 565-6706, for more information. They meet every second Tuesday of the month at the Hatch Public Library in Mauston at 7 p.m. in the Community Room.

Pro-Life Wisconsin Marathon County prays the Rosary once a month on Saturday at 10:45 a.m. at Family Planning Health Services. Call Ron Putzer at (715) 842-5368 to confirm date.

Pro-Life Wisconsin Fond du Lac County prays in front of Planned Parenthood, 333 N. Peters Ave., Fond du Lac, on the second Saturday of the month from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. For information, call Ann at (920) 921-6062. A pro-life Rosary is said at 8:30 a.m. before the 9 a.m. Mass each Saturday at St. Mary's Church, Marquette St. at E. Merrill Ave., Fond du Lac.

Vigil for Life-PLW Dane County have a perpetual presence on the sidewalks in front of Madison's Planned Parenthood abortion facility (3706 Orin Road, Madison, WI 53704). Each day that Planned Parenthood is open for business (every week day), 2 people (at least!) will be scheduled to be present on the sidewalk. The times and days are as follows: Monday-Wednesday: 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.; Thursday 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.; and Friday, 1pm - 3pm. Individuals or groups are needed to sign up for these 2-hour shifts, especially on a monthly basis. You may also "stop by." Those interested should click here to view the online scheduling calendar or contact affiliate leader Laura Karlen at (608) 445-2064 or email laura@vigilforlife.org.

Pro-Life Wisconsin Chippewa Valley prays and gives public witness against abortion and contraception outside the Eau Claire Planned Parenthood (1231 Menomonie St.) every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and the first Saturday of the month at 11 a.m.

Pro-Life Wisconsin Milwaukee County gathers regularly on Saturday mornings at the Affiliated abortion center, 1428 N. Farwell Ave. in Milwaukee, between 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. SIDEWALK COUNSELORS ARE NEEDED! If you can come pray or counsel women entering the abortuary, please contact Peggy Hamill, (262) 796-1111, or e-mail info@prolifewisconsin.org for more information.

Pro-Life Wisconsin Outagamie County invites you to love your preborn neighbor as yourself, by going out to the places where abortions are sold and committed. Please plan to come and sidewalk counsel (beside the driveway), pray and witness with signs at Planned Parenthood Appleton North on 3800 N. Gillett St.

Pro-Life Wisconsin Waukesha County will join other pro-lifers for monthly prayer in front of the Planned Parenthood in Waukesha, 426 W. Main St. Prayer gatherings will be held the fourth Saturday of every month at 10 a.m.

Pro-Life Wisconsin Kenosha has consecrated our fight against Planned Parenthood to Jesus through Mary.  We pray every Saturday at 11 a.m. in front of the Planned Parenthood facility, located at Roosevelt Road and 36th Avenue in Kenosha. Please come and pray the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and other prayers with us. For more information contact Karie Kinzler at kakinzler7@yahoo.com or at (262) 656-0301.

Please join Pro-Life Wisconsin Racine for a prayer vigil every Wednesday from 11 a.m. until noon at the Racine Planned Parenthood, 832 Main St. All are welcome to join with your presence or your prayers.

Rock County Chapter of Pro-Life Wisconsin encourages people to come to the Rockford abortion mill to pray, witness and counsel. The Northern Illinois Women’s Center is located at 10th St and Broadway, Rockford, Ill. Although the abortion facility has been closed by the Illinois Health Department, pro-lifers are encouraged to continue praying here. The Rosary begins at 9:30 a.m. followed by the Divine Mercy Chaplet. For more information please call Mary Jane Stephan (815) 624-2270 or (815) 670-1166. PLW Rock County is also on Facebook!

Courtesy announcements


Healing Vision: Understanding the Aftermath of Abortion. An international conference that brings together experts from diverse fields to share information on the aftermath of abortion as it impacts women, men and others and to explore questions of healing. The conference is open to everyone. Twelve conferences have preceded this one. At the Radisson Hotel Milwaukee West, 2303 North Mayfair Road, Milwaukee. The conference begins the morning of Wednesday, October 26 and concludes at noon on Saturday, October 29. Archbishop Neumann will give the keynote on Friday morning. Day rates available. Call the Project Rachel office at (414) 483-4141 or email vickithorn2011@yahoo.com. Conference website here.

The St. Thomas More Respect Life committee is sponsoring a series of speakers on life issues. St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 1810 N Mcdonald St # B, Appleton, WI; in the Father Faulk gathering area from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. 
- October 10: Dr. John Puchner; he will speak on bioethics, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, in vitro fertilization, and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.  This talk is geared to 9th grade to adults.
- October 17: Dr. Marisa Beffel will speak on quality of life, tube-feedings, end of life issues (hospice care, terminal sedation, durable power of attorney), euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, withholding treatment vs. withdrawing treatment, and the nature of the medical profession with an emphasis on the Hippocratic Oath and the role of the physician.

Bowl for Life: Join the family fun and support Mother and Unborn Baby Care on Sun. Oct. 23rd at 12pm at the Super Bowl on Northland Ave in Appleton. Enjoy bowling, silent auction, raffles, which includes Packer tickets, Packer game on TV, food & refreshment and additional family entertainment. Register soon, lanes filling fast. Call (920) 731-5021 or visit www.fvmubc.org/bowlforlife for more information.

Stem Cell Research: Ethics in the Catholic Moral Tradition: St. John Vianney Catholic Church (1755 N Calhoun Rd. Brookfield) will host a speaker on stem cell research on Thursday, October 13 at 7pm. What is good? What is bad? What we as Catholics Need to know! Event is free and refreshments will be provided.

Missionaries to the Preborn will have a pro-life picket on Saturday, October 15, from 11:30am to 1:00pm in Germantown at the corner of Mequon Road & Squire Drive. Signs will be provided. Any questions call (414) 462-3399 or email defendbabies@missionariestopreborn.com.

The La Crosse area 40 Days for Life campaign will run from September 28-November 5.  We will be praying outside of Gundersen-Lutheran Hospital on the corner of South St. and 7th Ave. S.  To sign up for vigil times or for more information, please visit our website at www.40daysforlife.com/lacrosse or contact Elizabeth
Garibaldi at (608) 769-4014 or lizzdemos@yahoo.com or Marie Allen at (608) 784-5189 or marie.v.allen@charter.net.

Annual White Mass for Physicians and Health Care workers, patients and their families. Sponsored by the Milwaukee Guild of the Catholic Medical Association. Basilica of St. Josaphat, South 6th Street and Lincoln Avenue, Milwaukee, WI. Celebrant: The Most Rev. Jerome E. Listecki, Archbishop of Milwaukee. October 18, 2011, Feast of St. Luke, Patron Saint of Physicians. Mass at 6:30 p.m. Light Refreshments and Speaker to follow in Undercroft of the Basilica No reservations, open to public. Donations gratefully accepted. 

Rachel's Vineyard Weekend Retreat -- offers hope and healing for anyone struggling with the emotional and/or spiritual pain after abortion.  A retreat will be held outside of Madison, Nov. 4 - 6. Confidentiality assured. Call Mary at (608) 221-9593 or (608) 821-3177. Email rachel@straphael.org. Websites: www.rachelsvineyard.org or www.madisondiocese.org/rachel

 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.

Pro-lifers pray the Rosary every Thursday evening at 6 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 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.

If you enjoy receiving the Monday Update every week, please consider donating to Pro-Life Wisconsin’s life-saving work. For your convenience, credit card donations are accepted by phone, (262) 796-1111 or toll-free (877) GOD’S WILL or use our secure online donation form. Thank you for your generosity!