Pro-life – Page 319 – Family Council

The Pro-Life Legacy of Bishop McDonald

Apr 1, 2014JerryLifeLife, March for Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life

The Catholic Diocese of Little Rock announced today that former Bishop Andrew McDonald passed away at the age of 90.

Bishop McDonald served in Little Rock from 1972 to 2000. While he may be remembered for his years of ministry as a Catholic priest and bishop, I want to highlight an important legacy he leaves behind: His pro-life work.

Bishop McDonald stood for life during a time when many believed abortion “on demand and without apology” was inevitable. He organized the Respect Life office at the diocese, and he helped lead the annual March for Life in Little Rock.

Bishop McDonald was also a supporter of the Unborn Child Amendment—now Amendment 68 to the Arkansas Constitution—preventing public funds from being used to pay for abortion. In 1988 I helped lead the effort to pass the Unborn Child Amendment, and was able to start Family Council in part because the amendment campaign succeeded.

(more…)

40 Days for Life Happening Right Now!

Mar 6, 2014JerryAbortion40 Days for Life, Abortion, Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life

40 Days for Life is underway right now in Little Rock and Fayetteville!

This is a great opportunity for pro-life Arkansans to join together in peaceful prayer that abortion will end. From now through Easter Sunday, prayer vigils will take place outside the abortion clinic in Little Rock and the chemical abortion facility in Fayetteville.

40 Days for Life takes place each spring and fall. It is a nationwide movement that has been credited with closing abortion clinics across the country, and it has helped many clinic workers leave the abortion industry.

I hope you will join us for prayer.

To find out about the Little Rock vigils, click here.

To find out about the Fayetteville vigils, click here.

Abortion Decline the Result of Contraceptive Use? Not So Fast.

Feb 17, 2014JerryAbortionAbortion, Guttmacher Institute, Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life

Two weeks ago, the Guttmacher Institute released a study examining why the abortion rate in America is the lowest it’s been since 1973. The study specifically examined the abortion decline from 2008-2011, which came immediately before a nationwide surge in pro-life legislation.

Guttmacher concluded,

“With abortion rates falling in almost all states, our study did not find evidence that the national decline in abortions during this period was the result of new state abortion restrictions. We also found no evidence that the decline was linked to a drop in the number of abortion providers during this period…Rather, the decline in abortions coincided with a steep national drop in overall pregnancy and birth rates. Contraceptive use improved during this period, as more women and couples were using highly effective long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, such as the IUD. Moreover, the recent recession led many women and couples to want to avoid or delay pregnancy and childbearing.”

Now, it certainly is well established that our national birth rate is not as high as it used to be, and it’s no secret contraceptive use is increasingly common. However, Guttmacher’s assertion is, more or less, that people who would have had abortions in years past are now simply avoiding pregnancy altogether.

We decided to test that hypothesis by looking at the abortion and birth rates for Arkansas. The results are not as simple as Guttmacher would have us believe. (more…)