How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. - Anne Frank
Cleaned out my closet a couple weeks ago and saw a cardboard box shoved into the back. Inside, I found small glories of the ‘80s and among them, a 35mm with a roll of Fuji film still inside. I posted the find on Facebook, figuring I might as well share it with friends who’d relate to the oddity of discovering not only a long-forgotten point-and-shoot camera but a Sony Walkman and mix tape as well.
“I’m terrified to develop the pics,” I wrote. “But with courage provided by artists on said mix tape, I plan to develop the film tomorrow to peek inside the time capsule.” My friend Amy* was the first to comment.
“Can’t wait!!!!”
I smiled. We met when we were 12. Amy knew everyone, and everyone loved Amy. She spread contagious joy and consistent energy. Later, she was the most popular girl in our high school and a courageous, effective leader.
Breast cancer took the life of one of our classmates when we were in our 30s. Working toward a cure became Amy’s full-time “job” as she started her own family and tragically watched Anne depart from hers. Even as she mourned, Amy didn’t wait to keep working. She knew there was work to be done, with lives on the line. Without a doubt, Amy’s efforts advanced breast cancer awareness.
Last Friday, Amy lost her own life to breast cancer, just days after she commented on my Facebook post. No one knew how sick she was. Halted by disbelief, frozen in shock, all I could do was return to her comment. This time, I didn’t smile when I read it. I woke up.
"Can’t wait!!!!"
Amy served her unique purpose. You and I can’t wait to fulfill ours. This day, like you, Massachusetts Citizens for Life celebrates the end of Roe vs. Wade and mourns more than 64 million lives lost because of its beginning 50 years ago. One look at the 2021 Massachusetts numbers, the most recent available, and it’s clear that the truth, the humanity of the unborn, remains concealed from too many women around us. There’s work to be done, with lives on the line – in America, one life every 30 seconds.
A small group of determined men and women incorporated MCFL 50 years ago this week, just four days after the Supreme Court decided Roe. They couldn’t wait, and neither can I: Rather than introducing them next month, as I’d intended, I share with you today the golden anniversary initiatives and events we’re planning for this year.
In doing so, I would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank MCFL’s founders, who are featured on page six in the magazine article linked above. Without a doubt, their conviction and mettle established the unshakable foundation for this organization. Because of them, and because of those like you, who supported its evolution, MCFL has informed and opened the hearts of Massachusetts residents, saving countless lives.
Educational Events
Throughout 2023, we will host a number of in-person and virtual events, designed to inform and inspire young and old alike. From Young Adult Pro-Life Meetups to a Virtual Speaker Series, featuring Dr. George Delgado, Ryan T. Anderson & Alexandra DeSanctis, to a Student Summer Academy, our Convention, featuring a stellar lineup of national pro-life heroes, our Massachusetts March for Life and 50th Anniversary Gala – there is something for everyone! Visit our events page often, as we’ll update it throughout the year.
Legislation
On Friday, MCFL filed the following four life-affirming bills in partnership with State Representatives Jeffrey Turco (D-19th Suffolk) and Colleen Garry (D-13th Middlesex) who sponsored them, and co-sponsors Joseph McKenna (R-18th Worcester) and Alyson Sullivan (R-7th Plymouth):
- HD 1381 An Act relative to Securing Parental Consent for Human Sexuality Education
- HD 1383 An Act relative to Abortion Pill Reversal, Informed Consent
- HD 1393 An Act relative to Down Syndrome
- HD 1840 An Act Protecting the Health of the Mother and a Born Alive Fetus after the Second Trimester
Now that our bills are filed, we’re excited to launch a digital constituent mobilization effort soon, which will allow us to better inform not just our members but the public, too, about the status of our bills, legislative updates, which state legislators to contact, and also how to submit written or verbal testimony at committee hearings. Watch for details.
Life-Affirming Initiatives
- Last fall, it was in Foxboro. For four weeks, starting tomorrow, look for the billboard above on I-290 heading eastbound toward Worcester from Auburn. As Central MA college students return from winter break, this is one of the first things they will see!
- 10,000 fetal development booklets arrived at our office last week! We’re working with ambassadors across the state to strategically distribute them to teens, ensuring that the contents are not just read but understood.
- In conjunction with our legislation, MCFL will create a comprehensive print and digital awareness campaign to educate women about abortion pill reversal, a safe “second chance at choice” that has already saved thousands of babies’ lives around the world.
- I need to keep two special, more complex, projects under wraps until early spring but, like other happenings outlined here, and our 50th anniversary, they are golden opportunities to fight for and defend unborn life.
Every donation we receive supports each of these projects. If you have made a gift to MCFL, then these are your accomplishments, too; you are building a culture of life here. Thank you! If you've not yet made a gift to MCFL, join us today in our work. I promise it will be memorable, meaningful, and joyful. I don’t just look forward to our collaboration. I . . .
“Can’t wait!!!”
Enjoy your week.
Myrna
Myrna Maloney Flynn, President, Massachusetts Citizens for Life
*Not her real name