April 17, 2013 / Maria News

Barbara Willke, Godmother of Modern Pro-Life Movement, Passes Away

Stand with Truth -Barbara Willke, who was often considered the godmother of the modern-day pro-life movement, has passed away.

Willke, along with her husband Jack, a medical doctor, crisscrossed the nation in the 1960s and 1970s teaching people about the fight for life and helping set up some of the first state and local Right to Life groups combating abortion before and after the infamous Roe v. Wade decision.

With great sadness, Cincinnati Right to Life and pro-life advocates across the country are mourning her loss today. Willke served as co-founder along with her husband and as chairman of the organization for 28 years. She died peacefully Sunday night at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, after suffering a severe head injury due to a fall. Funeral arrangements are pending.

“Mrs. Willke was a woman of courage and intelligence whose lifelong commitment to preserving the sanctity of human life is a moving legacy,” said Paula Westwood, Executive Director Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati. “No one can fill her shoes.”

Barbara Willke was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and internationally known author, lecturer, and expert in human sexuality. She held B.S. and R.N. degrees from the University of Cincinnati, College of Nursing & Health, plus graduate studies at University of Dayton.

Mother of six, grandmother of 22, foster mother of several teenagers, Barbara headed the Department at the College of Nursing for five years before her full-time career as wife and mother.

Her husband, Dr. John Willke, is past president of National Right to Life, president, Life Issues Institute and president emeritus, International Right to Life Federation. They would have been married for 65 years this June.

With Dr. Willke, Barbara co-authored twelve books on human sexuality and abortion. Together they created audio and visual materials that were proven to be basic teaching tools throughout the world. Their materials have been translated into 30 languages on all five continents. She and Dr. Willlke frequently appeared on radio and TV shows. They have spoken in 64 different countries.

“Barbara was always a joy to be with, and the work she did in the movement helped lay the foundation for decades of life-saving activity,” said Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life. “We will miss her, but we will carry her spirit with us and build on her work!”

Mrs. Willke was awarded honorary doctorates from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College and, along with Dr. Willke, Cincinnati’s Xavier University.

Congressman Henry Hyde’s words bring to mind Barbara Willke:

When the time comes, as it surely will, when we face that awesome moment, the final judgment, I’ve often thought, as Fulton Sheen wrote, that it is a terrible moment of loneliness. You have no advocates, you are there alone standing before God — and a terror will rip your soul like nothing you can imagine. But I really think that those in the pro-life movement will not be alone. I think there’ll be a chorus of voices that have never been heard in this world but are heard beautifully and clearly in the next world — and they will plead for everyone who has been in this movement. They will say to God, ‘Spare him, because he loved us!’

Funeral Information

The viewing for Barbara Willke will be Thursday, April 18^th at Hodapp Funeral Home in College Hill from 4-8 PM.

Address: 6041 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati, OH  45224.

Funeral Mass will be Friday, April 19^th at St. Clare Church in College Hill at noon.

Address: 1443 Cedar Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45224.

The Willke family has asked that donations in memoriam of Mrs. Willke be made to Life Issues Institute or Cincinnati Right to Life.

Please send all condolences to J.C. Willke M.D. 7634 Pineglen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45224

Read More: http://standwithtruth.com/blog/2013/04/17/barbara-willke-godmother-of-modern-pro-life-movement-passes-away/

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October 30, 2012 / MariaNews.com 

Rick and Karen Santorum on Becoming a Voice for the Voiceless

By Catholic Online

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) – Sadly, the view that every human life has value and should be treated with dignity is no longer upheld in some realms of today’s culture.  How have so many strayed from such a fundamental belief?

For example, we see this in the area of medicine. The tradition of medicine has moved away from a covenant between physician and patient based on the Hippocratic oath of “first do no harm.” Medical students today are unfamiliar with what this long-standing commitment says because most medical schools have eliminated it altogether, or have stripped it down to an unrecognizable oath of polite niceties.

In its place, a philosophy of utilitarian bioethics has emerged which fails to recognize the dignity of every human life at every age and stage. Alleging they are seeking to do the “greatest good for the greatest number”, some medical and policy professionals have asserted the authority to determine whose life has value and whose life does not.

Some lives are defined as not worth living at all, others are classified as more valuable if sacrificed for those deemed to be of “greater value.”  Individuals with special needs become expendable as they need justification to receive scarce healthcare resources.

We now live in a time where matters of life and death really are being decided for us.  While these may seem like remote concepts — matters appropriate for academics, physicians and lawyers – how we view the most vulnerable of our fellow humans actually affects us all.

Some experience this reality more directly than others, like our family.  First, with the loss of our son Gabriel, and then later with the birth of our daughter Isabella who has a severe genetic disorder.

Deliberations in the ivory towers and decisions in the halls of Congress matter to life and death issues. Policies and ideas really do trickle down to everyday families as they struggle making ethical end-of -life decisions while caring for elderly parents, or navigate the social support network while trying to find much needed services for a child with special needs.

A recent University of Montreal study found that despite the dire warning health care providers give to families with children born with the genetic disorder Trisomy 13, their parents reported overwhelmingly that their lives were happy and rewarding despite the challenges and short life spans of their child.

Notably, their child was happy, too, in their short life.  The families interviewed for the study, published in Pediatrics, reported that they felt the medical professionals too often viewed their disabled children in terms of a diagnosis and not as a unique baby.

We can learn from these families.  It is in the home where we understand and appreciate the value of the individual person.  It is the family, the community, and the body of faithful believers who bear witness to the exceptional dignity of the lives of every one of our loved ones.

And so we recognize the importance of bioethics with a foundation that values and protects every human being. We need those without a mistaken “greatest good for the greatest number” calculus to stand in the gap.

We must work for rigorous and fact-based science – and for progress in truly ethical biotechnologies and medical therapies that honor and affirm the value, worth, and dignity of every individual member of the human community.

And we must speak expressly for those at the “edges of life” who have no voice.   And among those who need a voice more than ever are the unborn.

Throughout Rick’s career in public service we have supported legislation and initiatives that support scientific research without destroying human life.

That is why we are proudly working on the Give Cures campaign with The John Paul II Stem Cell Research Institute (“JP2SRI”).  JP2SRI is a non-profit organization with a mission to create faster and more streamlined processes in regenerative medicine research. This institute recognizes the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception to natural death.

The Institute does not support or conduct human embryonic stem cell research and does not perform therapeutic cloning or somatic cell nuclear transfer. The Institute has created a new research model to accelerate the process to find ethical treatments and cures.

It uses a variety of adult stem cells – and induced pluripotent stem cells obtained from adult stem cells - to find cures and therapies. Its research respects the dignity of every human life.  The truth is that great science is being conducted in the field of bioethics that affirms the dignity of life. It further affirms life by targeting help to those in need-from those fighting disease to the disabled.

We also proudly work with crisis pregnancy centers around the country who put their hands and feet to the march for life to get their message out that young girls and women are not alone and have real options in bringing a beautiful new life into the world.  The support is there for people who want to affirm life.  You can find your closest pregnancy crisis center to volunteer and support them here.

Planned Parenthood facilities deceptively advertise online as Crisis Pregnancy Centers – while at the same time they – and other abortion proponents – sue authentic Crisis Pregnancy Centers. They are trying to force them to “warn” women that they don’t provide abortion services.

It is up to us to be a voice and a practical support to truly life affirming Crisis Pregnancy Centers. We must aid them in their critical and heroic efforts to help women and save babies.

As we travelled around the country, we met parents affirming life outside of the spotlight day in and day out.  We witnessed compassionate healthcare professionals, families, and caregivers affirm life in their everyday work.

We saw the affirmation of life from those assisting in crisis pregnancy centers, caretakers assisting the disabled as if they were their own child, and those assisting the elderly nearing the end of their precious life.

These are the voices and lives that inspire us.  These are the heroes and voices which we need to lift up in America.  It is our honor to stand with these heroes who dedicate their lives to affirming the dignity of every human life.

—–

Rick Santorum is a former Republican candidate for President, former Congressman and Senator from Pennsylvania – and champion of the fundamental human right to life. He and his wife Karen, also a pro-life champion, are the co-founders of Patriot Voices, a grassroots organization committed to fighting for faith, family, freedom & opportunity in America.

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April 14, 2012 | MariaNews.com 

FOXNEWS.com – A prayer campaign launched by a California Planned Parenthood affiliate has angered pro-life groups who claim the counter-campaign mocks their own “40 Days for Life” effort.

Officials at Six Rivers Planned Parenthood (SRPP) in Eureka, Calif., launched “40 Days of Prayer” last month and has offered up daily prayers for pregnant women and clinicians who perform abortions.

“Today we pray for women for whom pregnancy is not good news, that they know they have choices,” read the prayer for Day 1.

Day 18 offers prayers for “staff at abortion clinics around the nation,” while Day 38 calls for a “cloud of gentleness to surround” every abortion facility in the country.

The campaign, according to Liberty Counsel, an Orlando-based pro-life litigation group, is another “desperate attempt” to regain positive public attention and funding by mimicking a pro-life campaign.

“Planned Parenthood’s prayer crusade is an attempt to mock and marginalize the highly effective ’40 Days for Life,’ which has unified half a million voices for the cause and saved at least 5,838 lives,” the organization said in a statement. “As a direct result of this prayer event, 22 abortion clinics have closed and 69 doctors have stopped performing abortion.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/13/planned-parenthood-affiliate-launches-40-days-prayer-angering-pro-lifers/#ixzz1s3gjkD8Y

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April 4, 2012 | MariaNews.com 

“Humility is the key to unity in the pro-life movement”

LifeSiteNews.com -  The ‘Lex Vitae’ or Law of Life Summit which took place at Ave Maria School of Law on the weekend, saw a flurry of activity including a personhood debate, talks from pro-life leaders, the Terri Schiavo Memorial Mass, a pro-life race for life, the closing ceremony for 40 Days for Life, and the second annual ‘vitae fest’ complete with a bounce house, dunk tank and pony rides.

Pro-life leaders who gathered for the summit at the Catholic law school on Friday stressed that unity in the pro-life movement requires humility from all those involved.  Discussion noted that the wide variety of initiatives in the pro-life movement can be a source of division if those involved in particular measures deem their activities all-important while belittling the different works of others.

The key, said several leaders present, is to be humble enough to respect that initiatives different from one’s own are nevertheless also geared to protecting life.  Should there be disagreement over tactics, apart from gravely harmful approaches, concerns should be passed along privately without public detraction.

The Law of Life Summit saw leaders represent many such initiatives, including personhood, legal strategies, fundraising, graphic images, political lobbying, voter registration, education, side-walk counseling, pro-life media, picketing, prayer vigils, anti-euthanasia efforts, and more.

Read full story: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/humility-is-the-key-to-unity-in-the-pro-life-movement-say-leaders-at-lex-vi

Learn more about the Law of Life Summit at LawLife.org

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March 27, 2012  |  MariaNews.com 

Pro-Life Family Festival this Weekend in Naples, Florida! 

NAPLES, FL –  This weekend is being dubbed the ‘Vitae Action Weekend’ –  Vitae is latin for ‘life”.    The Pro-Life Action weekend is being planned by students at Ave Maria School of Law.

Lex Vitae Society the (law school pro-life student organization) is planning their 2nd Annual Vitae Festival on Saturday, March 31, 2012.     “This is truly going to be something for everyone” said one of the event organizers.

Activities at Vitae Fest include, a petting zoo, pony rides, a bounce house, a dunk tank, food, drink, games and more!

Vitae Fest is a fundraiser to help send students to the March for Life in Washington, D.C.

2nd Annual Vitae Fest:

WHEN: Saturday, March 31

with a 5k Pro-Life Run starting at 2:00 pm

Vitae Fest will run from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm

WHERE: Ave Maria School of Law, in Naples, FL (1025 Commons Circle, Naples, FL 34119)

Admission is free for children.

Admission for Adults is $10.

Here is a flyer for Vitae Fest:   VitaeFestActivitiesFlyer

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November 19, 2011 | 40 Days for Life

(Shawn Carney) - On Monday night’s Breakthrough webcast, we announced the results of this fall’s 40 Days for Life campaign:

* Over 135,000 participants from 4,000+ churches

* 301 cities across the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia, Argentina, Germany, England and Spain

* 8 abortion workers quit their jobs

* 300+ news stories (including Fred Barnes’ excellent front page story in last week’s “Weekly Standard,” see: http://goo.gl/Jf4Bj )

* And 732 babies were spared from abortion during this fall’s campaign, bringing the cumulative total of lives saved to more than 5,000 since 40 Days for Life began four years ago (5,045 to be precise!)

As much as your prayers and efforts have accomplished, there is still much more work to be done … and today, you can DOUBLE the impact of this work!

A few generous donors (who wish to remain anonymous) put forward a matching challenge that will DOUBLE any gifts given to 40 Days for Life before midnight next Tuesday, November 22 — up to $101,200!!

40 Days for Life only ask for funds twice a year so we can focus on this work and not fundraising. So we don’t want you to miss this opportunity to double your gift.

We’re more than halfway through the week-long matching period, and thus far, we’ve received one-time gifts and monthly pledges amounting to $58,600 — a great start, but only a bit more than half.

We certainly don’t want to miss out on the amazing generosity of the donors who put forward this challenge by not hitting the match!

REMEMBER: Every gift given to 40 Days for Life between now and midnight next Tuesday, November 22 — up to the $101,200 amount — will be instantly DOUBLED!

Make a tax-deductible ONE-TIME GIFT now: http://40daysforlife.com/donate.cfm?selected=onetime

The annualized amount of every monthly pledge (multiply the monthly amount by 12) made between now and midnight next Tuesday, November 22 will also be DOUBLED!

Make a tax-deductible MONTHLY PLEDGE now: http://40daysforlife.com/donate.cfm?selected=monthly

And if you itemize on your taxes, 40 Days for Life is a 501c3 non-profit, and your contribution DOES qualify for a deduction.

Please help TODAY, if at all possible — and thank you to everyone who has given already.

The best is yet to come!

For Life,

Shawn Carney

Campaign Director / 40 Days for Life

PS: Missed the Breakthrough webcast? The transcript of the entire event is now posted at: http://goo.gl/hreYV

November 13 | MariaNewsTV

(Naples, FL — Filmed on 10/20/11) — MUST SEE VIDEO, this is the raw, uncut and unedited filming of AMSL’s Insider.

Director of Development for Ave Maria School of Law, John Knowles interviewed co-founder of 40 Days for Life David Bereit for the weekly show “Insider” at the law school campus in Naples, FL.

Mr. Bereit was in Florida to help raise money for Sunlight Home, a faith-based maternity residence located in Naples.

Sunlight Home was founded in June of 1994 to help break the cycle of poverty and abuse for pregnant women and teens through a Christ-centered environment.

Over 100 distinguished guests from the SW Florida community came to the law school campus for an Interfaith and Pro-Life Mixer to benefit Sunlight Home. The event raised over $3,000 with just under 3 weeks to put-it together.

During his visit Mr. Bereit also visited with the Fort Myers and Naples 40 Days for Life Campaigns.

The Fall 2011 40 Days for Life International Campaign was the largest mobilization of the pro-life movement in history. There were campaigns in over 300 cities around the world. Over 500 children were scheduled for abortions and are alive today because of this year’s 40 Days for Life Campaign.

Every week John Knowles interviews a special guest and friend of the law school on the AMSL Insider show.

To learn more about Ave Maria School of Law visit www.AveMariaLaw.edu
Also check out: www.40DaysForLife.com and www.SunlightHome.org

November 13, 2011 | PersonhoodUSA

(Denver) – On 11/10/11, Personhood USA  announced the achievement of a major milestone for the pro-life group: one million total signatures collected in support of personhood. The signatures are a result of the grassroots, citizen-initiated petition drives and the online petitioning efforts of the organization.

“In just the last 24 hours thousands of people have pledged to work towards legal protections for every person from the beginning of our lives. In Mississippi’s effort to do just that, they have raised an awareness of the plight of the preborn that has been truly astounding,” said Keith Mason, President of Personhood USA.

Mississippi voted on Amendment 26 Tuesday night, a measure that would have defined the word “person,” as used in the state constitution, to include every human being. Over 340,000 Mississippians voted in favor of the measure according to results published on Wednesday.

“Win or lose, Personhood USA and millions of pro-life Americans are prepared to dedicate our lives to this cause,” explains Mason. “William Wilberforce spent most of his life advocating for the rights of human beings who were considered non-persons, and so should we. We will lose some battles, but the injustice of abortion cannot last in a society upholding our highest ideals.”

On the heels of the vote, Personhood USA has released a new video titled “A Day to Advance.” The transcript reads in part: “Personhood is the new Civil Rights movement for the 21st Century. It is the fulfillment of our potential as people. It has reinvigorated the culture of life in our society.”

“People understand personhood for what it is—a shift in the pro-life movement to recognize the most basic of the human rights of preborn children,” Mason continues. “Personhood is front and center in the battle for their lives. This new paradigm is literally activating and mobilizing thousands of people who, up until now, have sat it out or previously believed that their annual vote would be enough.”

Learn more about Personhood USA at www.PersonhoodUSA.com