Member DeeDee Dorrington describes each point in our law removed by the "R.O.E." Act. This bill would directly erase medical safeguards for women and infants in Massachusetts, and promote late-term abortion access for any reason over the safety of our daughters and our women. Watch the video below, and share with your friends! Pro-life and pro-choice voters agree: "R.O.E" is a a huge NO because it would permit infanticide, remove 3-day long grueling late-term abortions from the hospital setting, and and remove parental consent and judicial supervision of our underage daughters who might be at-risk for abortion.

Watch here.

Call the Judiciary Committee and tell them you expect them to reject "R.O.E" (S.1209/H.3320) by or before November 12th!

Chair Claire Cronin: (617) 722-2396

Vice Chair Michael Day: (617) 722-2396

Today, the ROE Act threatens children like Hope and women like Keisha Atkins. It not only threatens them and the unborn, it specifically targets the marginalized and underrepresented members of our society, and it substitutes an abortion lobby's special interests for respectful, loving care.

Not even voters who consider themselves pro-choice think it’s a good idea to remove parental consent and adult supervision for 12-year-old girls entering abortion centers. Nor do they agree that it’s safe for women to undergo dangerous, late-term abortions in unregulated outpatient clinics.

That's why we will stop the ROE Act before it goes any further. This dangerous bill has had its reporting deadline EXTENDED to November 12, despite the legislative session's close on July 31st.

Legislators need to hear that you do not support this radical bill. 

WE NEED YOU TO CALL YOUR LEGISLATOR AND THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE EACH WEEK UNTIL NOVEMBER 12.

√√ Use this main State House number (617) 722-2000 to request your legislator. Next call (617) 722-2396 to reach Chair Rep. Claire Cronin and Vice Chair Rep. Michael Day at the offices of the Judiciary Committee.

√√ Share this call-to-action with your friends and family. Forward it with a personal invitation to join you in calling the State House today.

√√ Get on social media and share the State House number and this easy to use call script with key dangers included in the "ROE" Act. 

Please shoot us an email with any questions or needs.  

I'm calling personally with you each week -- for my fellow women, our preborn people, and our children endangered by the "ROE" Act. 

Live joyfully,

C.J.

It was not a regular day in front of the Boston abortion facility run by Planned Parenthood. For one, it was day 120+ since the COVID pandemic required mass masking, and shut down the busy hustle and bustle on Commonwealth Avenue Hub residents are so accustomed to. But additional to that, something new was going on in front of the abortuary.

Under the glare of sun reflected off the multi-storey layer of glass windows, beside the triangular pop-up signage stating, We care! Abortion care available here! a crowd of young women had gathered.

They weren't ducking into the facility. They weren't in baggy sweats, or darting glances over their shoulders as they dashed for the door.

They held sidewalk chalk buckets, and their eyes above their masks crinkled with smiles.

What does it look like to oppose, change, and replace the abortion business? What does it mean to put women's health over profit? How do you let girls know that  their worth isn't based on a choice that kills their child?

How do you save the women who are trafficked, and the expose the criminals who cover their crime by forcibly killing the child who is evidence of the abuse?

Simple.

Chalk it out.

Abuse can't survive exposure. We need love and respect, not power and abortion. But we also don't need words so much as we need actions -- and that's what these young people proved on Saturday.

You are loved.

A woman who is loved: What can she not do?

A woman who is supported and respected: She does not take the life of her unborn child. 

"This morning we stood as advocates for mother and baby, offering hope and help outside Planned Parenthood," said Abigail Young, MCFL Board member and staff at Students for Life. "We even changed the mind of one passerby who cheered us on thinking we were pro-choice, came back to clarify our position, and returned a third time wanting to learn more! She was surprised to hear that we were not there in judgement and could actually offer tangible resources to women. She continued her run after thanking us for being there and willing to talk with her."

SUPPORT MCFL'S LIFE-SAVING OUTREACH HERE

Everybody Can Serve:

What MLK Can Teach Us About Grassroots Organization

By Sonja Morin, Communications Intern

Early this month, the Supreme Court's crucial decision in the June v. Russo case reaffirmed what has been echoed throughout the past several months: now is the paramount time in the fight against abortion and its ill consequences for women, the pre-born, and society as a whole. The fight is a worthy one, that when successful, will ensure the safety, protection, and empowerment of people everywhere. This fight can simultaneously seem imposing and insurmountable, with many not knowing where to start in their activism. How does one change hearts and culture when they are so firmly set on abortion?

In the past, we have reflected on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s activism. His example of compassion, firmness, and nonviolent demonstration led the civil rights movement by leaps and bounds during the twentieth century and beyond. Dr. King aimed to shape hearts and minds, because through it comes the change necessary to shift culture. Now, more than ever, does it seem appropriate to look back to his example, so we may move forward with daring for the sake of life and liberty. This and the following two posts will examine elements of his activism, to pinpoint strategies that are most helpful to the cause for life and women’s empowerment. 

The first clear element of Dr. King’s activism was grassroots organization. This type of institution is one where its members are composed of the local community, and aim to improve the conditions of said community in regards to a particular issue. Individuals first come together out of shared concern over an issue. They decide to work together to actively spread the word about the issue, as well as promote and practice solutions for it. Individuals are united against issues that attack the humanity of a person or group, not because they are the same as the attacked persons, but because they share humanity. This shared status is reason enough to be angered by the injustice, and encourages the motivation to reverse the injustice.

Grassroots organization is incredibly effective by nature in its ability to identify and solve local issues. Dr. King worked within the communities to identify the issues applying to civil rights within each area, so that change could be demanded within those areas. In the same way, pro-life grassroots movements can find the issues within each community that need to be addressed through action or help. For example, if there is an area lacking resources for women facing unexpected pregnancies, resources could be pooled to ensure that these women feel secure and supported in their decision to choose life. If there is a law in a city that makes abortion even more unsafe than it already is, the community within that city can call for it to be repealed.

Grassroots organization also encourages the changing of hearts and minds like no other form of movement. Discrimination is the result of disordered, prejudiced thinking, which breaks relationships between people. Grassroots movements are based in communities, which are uniting forces. They rely on actions between persons, rather than large entities against each other. This interpersonal nature of their activism appeals directly to the heart. The community is able to witness the positive change the organization accomplishes, as well as witness the respect the organization gives to the dehumanized. Eventually, these actions will move the community to accept these dehumanized persons as the organization has. The impact of the grassroots movement grows, not because of large actions, but rather because of interpersonal foundation and efforts. 

It is not to say that top-down organizations, such as political parties, cannot create or implement change. However, especially in situations where discrimination and dehumanization are involved, it is all too easy for such groups to generalize the situation. This generalization not only leads to incomplete solutions, but also expediencies that do not solve the root issues. Grassroots movements respond to these flaws by speaking to individual and smaller-community needs, thus allowing their solutions to work through and with people on an ever-growing scale. With each person’s contribution comes a newer and more diverse understanding of the situation, as well as a better way to help. 

Dr. King’s utilization of grassroots organization caused the civil rights movement to reach countless hearts throughout the United States, and help improve conditions for African Americans in all spheres of life. If we participate in pro-life grassroots movements, like our own MCFL, we are entering into the same kind of culture-shifting, interpersonal work that he and many movements before undertook. It is through this type of organization that will create positive change for the pre-born and women we strive to defend every single day.

For those interested in taking part in grassroots efforts in Massachusetts, join MCFL today! We are a MA-based grassroots organization with chapters in all parts of the state. Get in contact with your chapter's leader here: MCFL Chapter List

For those already part of MCFL: Consider your own activism efforts. How are you currently contributing to the cause? In what ways could you improve or grow your efforts?

Giving Tuesday typically takes place on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving. On that day, consumers are encouraged to support nonprofits like Massachusetts Citizens for Life, who often see a decline during the holidays. This year, the nonprofit world celebrates Giving Tuesday a little early, today in fact, due to the significant impact the pandemic has had on most nonprofit fundraising efforts.

I hope you are able to make a gift to MCFL now to help us during our participation in Giving Tuesday using this secure link: https://www.masscitizensforlife.org/giving_tuesday_may_2020

While the office may be closed, our staff is working from home and busier than ever focusing on a number of our top priorities. Here are two quick examples:

• Fighting Against the ROE Act: though our outreach efforts may have changed, your MCFL team continues to educate the public and legislators alike on the dangers of the ROE Act.

• Candidate Position Outreach: we are contacting every candidate running for public office to get their official positions on issues we care about on record. The candidate’s responses to our survey will be published, so every voter can make informed decisions in their primaries and on election day.

Unlike some nonprofits who receive government funds, MCFL is completely dependent on the generous gifts of our members who boldly stand up for life. If you would like to support our work during these uncertain times, you can make a donation by clicking here.

Thank you for all you do for life! I wish you good health and peace of mind in the weeks ahead.

We continue witnessing miracles during these challenging. Your generosity and support is one miracle we won't forget.

Will you join us at a Pro-Life Christmas Carol this Saturday?

With just a few days until Christmas, many of us are preparing to celebrate life.

But what you may not know, is that this is one of the biggest business times for the abortion business. New mothers in unexpected or difficult pregnancies ask: Where will I live if I have a child now?  What if she comes home from school with the announcement, "Mom, I have to tell you something..."

Your voice outside the Planned Parenthood can give a small new life a welcome he won't receive otherwise. Your voice will give love and hope to a mother who thinks she has no option. 

Will you do whatever it takes? 

Join us 8am-10am, Saturday, December 21st at 1055 Commonwealth Ave. Boston!

If you cannot come, please seriously consider giving to support our work. Donate now at this this secure link.

Your gift gives us the means to be there, to offer gifts of baby clothes and supplies to mothers approaching the clinic, and to reach out to the clinic workers.

Spotlight on Local Resources for Women in Massachusetts

VISITATION HOUSE

Worcester

FRIENDS OF THE UNBORN

Quincy

ClearWay Clinic

Springfield and Worcester Area

Problem Pregnancy

Worcester

Boston Pregnancy Center

Boston/Brighton

Thank you again for forwarding this to a friend, financially supporting our life-saving work, and doing whatever it takes to protect and respect human lives in Massachusetts. At the end of the calendar year, your support is all the more critical as I look ahead to plan for the new year.

Keep an eye out for photo updates and the report on the event after the holidays!

Sofia Infante, Communications Intern

[Director's note: 40 Days began as a religious campaign, and we invite all of our religious members to join on that basis. But the act of abortion is a human rights issue, not a religious one. Many of our secular advocates also participate, and we encourage everyone and anyone to follow their passionate example of outreach and vigil, with or without prayer, during a 40 Days Campaign.]

This year I am looking forward to participating in my first 40 Days for Life, and am grateful MCFL has sponsored the campaign in Massachusetts.

This mission-based campaign reaches women-in-need at ground-zero, and directs people’s attention to the impact of abortion in their own communities. The 40-day campaign, including vigils and witness at an abortuary, highlight the need and offer a life-affirming solution. Here are five reasons why I am already counting down the days until next year’s 40 Days for Life:

• 40 Days fosters a greater sense of community and a shared feeling of responsibility for our neighbor’s well-being

The director of The Lincoln Forum, our Board Chairman Dr. J. David Franks, considers solidarity through the lens of Dostoyevsky's striking concept of love in The Brothers Karamazov. This, and other readings, are part of our Social Ethics and Pro-Life Solidarity Certificate at MCFL. We welcome you to join the conversation that is creating a more just world, in-person, or remotely. If online, use #ReVitalize and #MassProLife to follow along.

Solidarity

By J. David Franks, Ph.D.

To be truly pro-life means to respond to the claim made on us by the other: to be responsible to and for the lives of others. And, somehow, we must know this without becoming sanctimonious.

This is the summit of wisdom, as Dostoevsky has Elder Zosima express it. He speaks of monks in a monastery, but we must see how this truth transposes to the pro-life sentinels of human dignity. We belong to the vanguard not because we are innocent of all the anguish of the world, but because we cannot escape our implication in that anguish.

by C.J. Williams, Director of Community Engagement, MCFL

A religious faith is not necessary to the individual position that abortion is wrong. But the Christian tenet that human lives are inimitable, imago dei, and irrepeatably precious, certainly seems like a good faith-based foundation for it. 

So what are many good apparently faith-rooted ministers doing opposing pro-life laws, and speaking out in favor of taking a vulnerable human life?

This is one great puzzle our Board Chairman explores in his recent article published in The Society of Saint Sebastian.