When I was little, I thought my parents were too strict, too boring, too “old fashioned.” Now that I’ve got a family of my own, I realize all they gave me; how they instilled the moral and ethical compass that I try to live by every day. I owe everything to them. Mom and Dad were lifelong defenders of the unborn. They introduced me to the pro-life cause when I was in junior high and nurtured the foundation on which I have built my personal and professional life. In 2013, my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and passed away 10 months later. In 2017, my father fought progressive heart failure which led to his death, but my siblings and I recognized that, unable to withstand the loss of his wife of 62 years, he simply died of a broken heart. Losing both of them stung. I knew that taking action on their behalf would soothe the pain I felt. Luckily, my parents detailed how they wished their estate to be distributed. A gift in their names was made to Massachusetts Citizens For Life, and I have seen firsthand how that gift propels MCFL’s mission, how it has impacted others, and, most importantly to me, how it has furthered my parents’ legacy. I am so pleased that you've found The ProLife Legacy Society. As a planned giving opportunity, it offers a comprehensive and formal path for you and me, as we look to the future, and the change we hope to make in this world, even after we are gone. When you join the MCFL ProLife Legacy Society, your pro-life legacy will live on for generations. I hope you will consider including MCFL in your plans, and I look forward to learning about how we can help leave a lasting legacy for you and your family. Myrna Maloney Flynn, President

THE NEXT GENERATION NEEDS YOU IN THE FIGHT FOR LIFE

As a member of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, you are part of our ever-growing family. Each of us felt called to do something more, something more powerful than we could achieve on our own. That calling: to speak up for the most vulnerable—the unborn, the elderly, the sick, and the dying—and to end the life-devaluing, deadly practices which threaten them.

We each understand and live what I call the MCFL ProLife Family Value. It’s our mission statement: to restore respect and defend the right to life of all human beings, born and pre-born. This family value is what brought our founders together to form the Massachusetts Citizens for Life family and what keeps you and I together as a family today. Family values keep our ethics and traditions alive.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

When we are gone, we want to ensure that values we hold as a family live on, that our moral compass directs the next generation along the path of truth.

So many Massachusetts Citizens for Life members tell us that they are concerned about the world in which their children and grandchildren will live. What about you and me? What example are we setting for our children and grandchildren? What tools will they have to defend precious lives?

The answer is quite simple: a commitment from you to Massachusetts Citizens for Life will ensure that those who follow after you will always have an advocate to be your voice for years to come. MCFL will make sure that your family narrative and your legacy—your pro-life legacy—live on.

PROTECT OUR SOCIETY’S MOST VULNERABLE FOR YEARS TO COME.

BECOME THE NEWEST MEMBER OF OUR PRO-LIFE LEGACY SOCIETY. 

Did you know that 55% of Americans don’t have a will or estate plan in place? When these individuals pass away, the state can seize the individual’s assets and decide how their hard-earned savings, property and other assets will be distributed, even if they have families. Don’t let this happen to you and your family.

If you want the power to decide how your assets are distributed after you’re gone, having an up-to-date will is critical.

Did you also know that your estate planning can be written in a way that will support both your family and the causes you care about most? Too many individuals think their planning can only take care of their family or noble causes. The fact is, you can do both while also ensuring you have the resources you need for yourself and your spouse.

The good news is you don’t have to be wealthy to start a meaningful philanthropic legacy. In addition to supporting the work of your favorite organizations through cash donations, you can also make impactful gifts through planned giving.

Though it may seem intimidating, our goal at Massachusetts Citizens for Life is to empower you to take control of your estate planning; to determine the legacy you want to leave not only for your children and grandchildren, but also for the pro-life movement to ensure future generations of society’s most vulnerable are valued and protected. All of us at MCFL want to honor you and your legacy and make sure you are remembered by the people you protected, even if you never met them.

WHY JOIN THE MCFL PROLIFE LEGACY SOCIETY?

The Massachusetts Citizens for Life ProLife Legacy Society honors members who have included MCFL in their will, trust or other planned gifts.

Members are committed to defending the right to life of society’s most vulnerable today and for generations to come.

ProLife Legacy Society members will receive a personal representative at MCFL, invitations to special events and, with their permission, receive permanent recognition displayed at MCFL headquarters. Unless you wish to remain anonymous, we want to share your story with others, so they know the impact you make now and after your passing.

By joining our ProLife Legacy Society, you leave a legacy that will ensure someone else’s life may continue.

Planned giving is a win-win approach to philanthropy. It supports Massachusetts Citizens for Life and can benefit you now or in the future. Simply put, “planned giving” is the transfer of assets to MCFL during your lifetime or as part of an estate plan. This forward-thinking approach to giving is “planned,” and gifts are generally transferred via a will or other written means.

It’s easy:

Planned giving is easy to do, and you don’t have to be in the 1% to do it. Whether it is naming MCFL in your will or trust for a modest amount, or designating a gift of house and property, there is an easy option that is right for you.

It can involve assets you may not think of:

A life insurance policy. Real estate. Stocks. Business holdings. A checking or savings account. An IRA or other retirement accounts. These are all assets that can be leveraged in planned gifts.

It can work in tandem with other family priorities:

Planned giving is not an “all or nothing” option. Gifts can exist side-by-side with personal, family priorities that allow you to take care of your family as well as benefiting MCFL's pro-life mission.

It is long-remembered:

Designating a planned gift automatically makes you a member of MCFL’s ProLife Legacy Society. After providing permission, Legacy Society members receive recognition in publications, have their names displayed within our headquarters alongside other Society members, and receive invitations to special events.

WAYS TO LEAVE A PERMANENT LEGACY

Gifts by Will or Living Trust

A bequest through your will or living trust is one of the easiest, yet most effective ways, to make a legacy gift in support of the pro-life mission of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, the largest pro-life group in the Commonwealth.

Your gift to MCFL will not be included in your taxable estate, potentially keeping your life’s savings out of the hands of government officials who might not honor your pro-life intentions.

You can designate all or a specific dollar amount/percentage of your estate to MCFL. You can also name MCFL as a contingent beneficiary, if someone in your will is no longer living at the time of your passing. A bequest could be made by including something like the following language in your will:

“I give to Massachusetts Citizens For Life Charitable Trust (ID# 042-714930), 231 Norfolk St, Walpole, MA 02081 [insert dollar amount or percentage of estate, or description of estate].”

This language can be added to an existing will very easily and at minimal expense. It is recommended that an attorney provide assistance.

Gifts by Account Designation

Did you know almost any account that includes a “transfer on death” option can also be gifted in whole or part to charity? Here are a few of the most common options:

Brokerage and Bank Accounts: Most savings, checking and investment accounts allow you to name a beneficiary upon your death, allowing for a seamless gift to MCFL without the time and hassle of probate.

Retirement Accounts: You can designate MCFL as a charitable beneficiary of your qualified retirement account by requesting a change of beneficiary form from your custodian. In some cases, it may be more tax advantageous to donate your IRA. In addition to possible estate taxes, beneficiaries other than a spouse—such as children—will likely be required to pay income tax on any cash proceeds they receive from your IRA.

Life Insurance: If you’re one of the many people whose life insurance needs have changed over time—for example, your grown children are no longer dependent on you for their needs—you can consider making a charitable gift of all or part of your paid-up policy by naming MCFL a beneficiary of your life insurance policy.

WE STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

Have you ever read a biography or perhaps even an obituary of an individual who was so impactful to society that you found yourself looking up and quietly saying to yourself, “Wow! What an amazing person.” Too many heroic individuals come and go through society unrecognized, and it is only after they have left us that we reflect on the tremendous impact they made.

One such individual is MCFL’s own co-founder and former president, Dr. Mildred Fay Jefferson.

Dr. Jefferson was born in Pittsburg, Texas, to a Methodist minister and a school teacher. Determined from a young age to help people, “Millie” would go on to become the first black woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School and the first female surgeon at Boston Medical. These accomplishments alone are admirable and worth celebrating, but it was what Dr. Jefferson did with her career that made her such a remarkable woman.

After achieving what many would consider great success, Dr. Jefferson’s focus shifted in the late 1960s, when she saw her profession moving from upholding a sacred oath to protecting people to supporting the legal right to end the life of society’s most vulnerable: the unborn.

Dr. Jefferson would spend the remaining four decades of her life using her incredible oratory skills to be a voice for the most defenseless among us—the unborn. She co-founded National Right to Life, where she and others spoke around the country to teach others the value of human dignity and the sacredness of life.

Dr. Jefferson appeared on many broadcasts and news stations. Her case to protect the unborn was eloquent and persuasive enough that one politician, who previously signed a bill liberalizing abortion laws in the state of California, was so converted that he wrote to Dr. Jefferson saying, “I wish I could have heard your views before our legislation was passed. You made it irrefutably clear that an abortion is the taking of a human life. I’m grateful to you.” That politician would go on to become the 40th President of the United States: Ronald Reagan.

For her work, Dr. Mildred Fay Jefferson is an honorary member of MCFL’s ProLife Legacy Society, where we will continue to share her legacy for generations to come. 

We do not know the number of individuals who forever changed their views on abortion because of her work, nor the number of lives she ultimately saved. What we do know is that her stature was small, but her influence and impact were enormous.