Students for Life of Illinois

This Wednesday, we traveled to Springfield for the second annual Catholics at the Capitol and had a great time!  We planned to blog about our trip, but the Pro-Life Action League beat us to it.  Check out the snippet below and read the full post here.

“Next we joined John-Paul Deddens, President of Students for Life of Illinois, along with a group of students in delivering some materials on HB6205 to the Reps on the Human Services committee which is currently holding the bill and is likely to vote on it next week.

We took the sheet that the Catholic Conference of Illinois had provided to participants, highlighted the information on HB6205 and put our signatures on the sheet for a personal touch. Then we hand-delivered them with our group to each Rep’s office, making sure to be clear to the Rep or their assistant which bill we were there about and how we wanted the Rep to vote.

Such an incredible influx of Catholics raising their voices for life and justice had a huge effect on legislators last year and I have no doubt that Wednesday’s lobbying day did the same.”

In related news, we recently received a follow up letter regarding Cupcakes at the Capitol from Senator Bill Brady.   Senator Brady wrote “I am very sorry that I was not available to meet with you but I want to let you know that the work that your organization is doing is not going unnoticed.

Students like yourselves are the future of this country and the future of this state.  It is great to see students rallying together to make a difference.”

We are so thankful for legislators like Senator Brady who join with us in the fight for life!

Join IFI and the rest of the SpeakOut Illinois Coalition in a lobbying session at our state capital as we urge our legislators to stand up for life on Wednesday, March 10, 2010.

While in Springfield you will be briefed on the pro-life and anti-life legislation currently before the Illinois General Assembly. You will have the opportunity to meet with your state representatives and senators to encourage them to cast pro-life votes.

Two buses are making the trip to Springfield:

• NORTH: Departs 6:00 a.m. from Queen of All Saints Church, 6280 North Sauganash Ave, Chicago (map-49 seats available)

• SOUTH: Departs 6:00 a.m. from Willowbrook Holiday Inn, 7800 South Kingery Hwy, Willowbrook (map-37 seats available)

Register Today: To register for the bus with a credit card, complete the secure form HERE.

You may also register with a credit card or by check by calling 773-777-2900.

Each seat on the bus costs $20 and includes lunch. If necessary, you may write “Guest” under “Others I am signing up”.

Questions? Please direct registration questions to the Pro-Life Action League at 773-777-2900.

If you are planning to observe the Lenten season and are not yet sure how, one of SFLI’s summer interns created a great little Lenten calendar that has suggested penances for each day.  It’s a one page sheet that you can print and put in your planner or post by your desk to remind you to offer prayers and sacrifices for the most vulnerable among us.

For Life,

Katy

Download the calendar here: Lent for the Unborn

As we expected, the ACLU has introduced the “Reproductive Health and Access Act,” better known as the “Illinois FOCA” into the Illinois General Assembly again.  The bill came in at the 11th hour right before the deadline last Thursday, Feb 11th while I was in Springfield with pro-life students for our Cupcakes at the Capitol Lobby Day.

This bill is very similar to last year’s bill which means it does nothing to protect mothers and their unborn children. Rather, it continues to protect the profits of the abortion industry through taxpayer funding, removing restrictions on abortion and granting immunity from liability to abortionists who harm women.

Yesterday, the representatives had the day off. Call them today!

Click here to contact your Representatives NOW

Sign the petition here.

If you’re part of a pro-life organization, join the coalition here.

Because a Christian student group at the University of California Hastings requires members and leaders to be Christians, the University has de-recognized the group.  Hastings has an “all comers” policy that requires student groups to allow any students to act as members or leaders, despite ideological differences or the effect that said differences could have on the groups’ activities and message.

The Christian Legal Society and pro-life attorney James Bopp filed legal papers with the Supreme Court in an attempt to overturn a lower court’s decision to uphold Hastings’ policy.  President of Students for Life of America Kristan Hawkins told LifeNews.com that “this decision could have a devastating impact” on pro-life student organizations throughout the country.

Let us pray that the Supreme Court will uphold our First Amendment right to organize and define student groups along ideological grounds!

See the full story at LifeNews.com.