President's Message: Faith, vision, love make prolife movement successful

Our annual fall conference was an event filled with great speakers and faithful affiliate leaders. The conference is always a time for me to reminisce, looking back as we are nearing the end of a year.

Together we have faced years of our nation’s policy of legal abortion. In those years we have also seen our predictions come true: that the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court abortion decisions would lead to a slippery slope of the devaluation of human life.

We have witnessed the infanticide of infants with disabilities; we have battled the proponents of euthanasia and assisted suicide; we have struggled with the utilitarian ethic of killing human embryos for research.

Throughout these 38 years we have experienced great victories and been dismayed by defeats. We have been praised, and we have been vilified for our stance in defense of all innocent human life. But we have remained vigilant and resolved. Never giving in or giving up.

Two examples of that vigilance are in the legislative arena: the ending of state tax dollars for abortion and the ban on partial birth abortions. Both took years to accomplish and both are testimonies to the perseverance of the prolife movement.

It took over 10 years to finally put an end to Michigan tax dollars being used to pay for Medicaid abortions. That effort was successful after numerous legislative attempts and vetoes by the then Governors Milliken and Blanchard. It then took a ballot issue and a judicial battle to finally see success. As a result thousands of babies lives were spared.

Before our state would finally have as state public policy a ban on the horrendous partial birth abortion method, it took 15 years of court battles and vetoes by the then Governor Granholm. Finally, we could proclaim success with Governor Snyder signing the state law on October 11, 2012.The law is a statement that Michigan continues to value and to protect life.

Throughout the years of discouragement in always pushing back at the U.S. Supreme Court’s abortion on demand policies, prolife people have continued the educational work to impact our culture, whether through speaking at local community events, writing letters to the editor or being at a fair booth. Doing all without expecting any rewards for themselves. The following quote expresses this so well:

“We never know what we do in our work that will be remembered, that will be holy. It has nothing to do with our job titles. It has everything to do with the faith, vision and love that we bring to it.” Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin

I am thankful for that faith, that vision and the love that Michigan prolifers bring to our efforts to protect life.

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