I started reading about people of great accomplishment . . . and it dawned on me suddenly that the person who has the most to do with what happens in your life is you. - Dr. Ben Carson
On this first anniversary of the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Supreme Court decision, which overturned Roe vs. Wade, I write to you from Pittsburgh, where the National Right to Life Committee is hosting its annual Convention. In her welcome remarks, NRLC President Carol Tobias relayed a number of media requests she’s received as this date approached, from both national and international media. “We really shook the world,” she said of the ruling.
State leaders from across the country are here, justifiably touting bills they’ve been able to pass in the last year and inspiring attendees with staggering statistics of clinic closures, fewer abortions, jaw-dropping anecdotes about allied governors and increased support for pregnancy resource centers. As a Massachusetts resident, it’s impossible to listen and not shake my head, again, at the cultural and political disparity among the states when it comes to this issue. It’s also tempting to feel unproductive comparatively, like we’re trying to pedal our pro-life message across the state while riding a stationary bike.
But then Carol acknowledged the tireless and determined pedaling within states like ours, where people like you are “working to persuade others of the beautiful choice which life is.” Her comment prompted me to stop pedaling, take a deep breath and recall the last year and MCFL’s many accomplishments, achieved in partnership with you and thousands of others across Massachusetts.
10 MCFL wins since Dobbs
1. Launched the Pregnancy Care Alliance of Massachusetts (PCAll) - Founded by women, for women, PCAll aims to build public awareness about pregnancy resource centers and serve more women in need. Check out our #ThereForMe testimonials and our companion page, where a zip code search will direct women to the nearest Massachusetts PRC. The response to PCAll? One staffer from Reproductive Equity Now recently told the media that: “We know that they’re organized. We know that they’re a serious threat here in Massachusetts.” Darn right!
2. Testified against proposed local ordinances designed to ban PRCs.
3. Drafted and filed four life-affirming bills with bipartisan support, providing testimony as those bills came up for hearings on Beacon Hill.
4. Introduced our Legislative Action Center to mobilize our supporters and lobby legislators.
5. Designed and distributed fetal development booklets to teens statewide.
6. Hosted nationally-renowned speakers at free in-person and virtual educational events.
7. Recruited hundreds of new members.
8. Displayed the indisputable humanity of the unborn child to millions of drivers in Springfield, Foxboro and Worcester.
9. Informed people of all ages about Abortion Pill Reversal and the thousands of lives saved worldwide because of this “second chance at choice.” Read MCFL Board member Paul DeBeasi’s magazine article from our summer issue.
10. Engaged and established relationships with young adults at our new Young Adult Meetup series.
Phew! Quite an exhilarating ride. Thank you for being with us on the trip this past year. None of our wins would have been possible if not for you. And I am deeply grateful, if a tad presumptuous, though humbly so, for what you will do to generously support our work in the months ahead. As Dr. Carson rightly points out, you and I are the ones who have the most to do with what happens now. It’s up to us to make abortion not illegal but unthinkable.
Enjoy your weekend and your Dobbs 1st birthday celebration.
Myrna Maloney Flynn
President, Massachusetts Citizens for Life
P.S. - Speaking of Ben Carson, reserve your seat at our 50th Anniversary Gala to hear his inspirational story and how he believes we will win the fight for life.
