Des Moines Stand Up Rally Attended by Over 200
Posted by Jenifer Bowen (June 21, 2012 at 5:06 pm)
The Des Moines rally was attended by 200+ who enthusiastically responded to the line up of speakers.
Jenifer Bowen, Executive Director of Iowa Right To Life, kicked off the rally by reading a support statement from both Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds (attached), who could not attend the rally in person that day.
Msgr. Frank Bognanno from Christ the King Church in Des Moines, read a statement from Bishop Richard Pates of the Des Moines Diocese, who invited everyone to the Fortnight of Freedom event taking place on Sunday, July 1st about this same issue.
Monsignor Bognanno stated, “Some people say this is an issue that should be between a woman and her doctor. That’s not true. It’s between the woman and the doctor and the one who has to pay. If this mandate goes through, I think it will eventually include abortions. We need to make a stand right now.”
Rev. Mr. Rick Condon was our informative and, at times, humorous MC. Patti Branco, House District #34 candidate spoke about the importance of standing up at every opportunity.
Pastor Matt Floyd, lobbyist for Concerned Women for America in Iowa, as well as Pastor of Calvary Bible Church in Osceola, finished out the event with a history lesson from our founding fathers on religious freedom, and the vital importance to not be silenced. Pastor Floyd then led the crowd in a heart felt acapella singing of The Star Spangled Banner which ended in a huge applause.
The HHS Mandate Fact Sheet was distributed and the crowd lingered a long time talking with each other and the speakers. The Des Moines Register covered the rally, almost fairly.
The Catholic radio stations and Diocese newspaper, and WHO Radio announced the event. Two of our local conservative bloggers and news outlets carried the story after the fact with pictures. It ended up being a great event for Des Moines!
Our New Mexico State Affiliate of Right to Life has been co-opted by the Republican Party to where their main objective is to get Republicans elected even those who are not pro-life. Here is a copy of a letter I wrote to RTL Committee members.
Joseph J. Carraro
Former President of New Mexico Right to Life
Former Republican State Senator
Currently Independent State Senator candidate who is running against pro-choice senator
http://www.senatorcarraro.com
The National Right to Life President felt strongly enough about the issue of embryonic stem cells to single out in her endorsement of Romney speech, that “President Obama authorized taxpayer funding of research that requires killing human embryos.” I would hope that you would change the policy of the New Mexico State Affiliate of Right to Life to use the same language when addressing the candidacy of Republican State Senator John Ryan. Right to Life needs to take a stand regardless of politics.
I am disturbed by a questionnaire that the Right to Life Committee of New Mexico sent out to candidates for office which did not include a question regarding the use of embryonic stem cells for research. It could give the impression that it did not matter whether candidates believed that life begins at conception.
As a former President of New Mexico Right to Life, I believe that life begins at conception which includes embryonic stem cells. Now in my campaign for the State Senate in District 10, I am running against John Ryan who has been the prime sponsor for funding of embryonic stem cell research, and all of a sudden that issue has disappeared from the questionnaire.
When I asked Executive Director Dauneen Dolce why that was done, since state legislators that I have just contacted in other states have stated that their candidate questionnaire was inclusive of that issue, she explained that Ryan hadn’t been able to pass it in three years therefore rendering it a moot issue. Other states still present those questions without a limit on how many times it has failed. The reason it failed so many times, is because the legislators elected were vetted by the pro-life community as believing that life begins at conception. Now we’ve stopped that consideration.
When I asked what happens when those supporting embryonic stem cell research get elected because it is not presented as a factor in determining whether someone is pro-life, and someone like John Ryan presents a bill, she said we’ll have to “manage that situation.”
The issue of the lives of babies isn’t negotiable and decisions should be about life and not politics, but it appears over the years that the Right to Life Committee of New Mexico has become more political. Truly pro-life people need to know all the facts about a candidate’s position on life issues, and to not offer the complete true story because of political pressure and favoritism not only denies the information necessary to make a decision, but chances are will deny the right to life to a child. We have to choose between politics and babies. You can’t have it both ways.
July 18th, 2012 at 9:24 am