2nd pro-life protest to target Boehner over late term abortion

Pro-life leaders say they have planned a second protest at Speaker John Boehner’s office if there is further delay on a late term abortion ban.

Several local and national pro-life groups say they are organizing the demonstration at the Republican Speaker’s office, if the U.S. House does not pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

Participating pro-life groups include but are not limited to:

CEC For Life
Christian Defense Coalition
Citizens for a Pro-Life Society
Created Equal
Defend Life
Issues4Life Foundation
JillStanek.com
Operation Rescue
Maryland Coalition for Life
Pro-Life Action League
Pro-Life Action Ministries

The protest, planned for Thursday, May 7, follows a demonstration held in front of the Speaker’s offices in late March organized by Jill Stanek, Troy Newman, and Rev. Pat Mahoney.

Eight pro-lifers were arrested March 25th during the sit-in which took place outside Speaker Boehner’s office.

During that protest, Rev. Mahoney of the D.C. based Christian Defense Coalition, said the group was there to ask Speaker John Boehner to simply move the 20 week abortion ban legislation forward.

As he was placed in handcuffs, Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue and co-host of the monthly pro-life TV show, Life Talk, was heard saying, “Yesterday we were told that is the most pro-life House in the last 7 years. And yet, they fail to pass a ban that would stop late term abortions, babies who can feel pain after 20 weeks. This House refuses to pass a bill that would save human lives.”

Pro-life blogger Jill Stanek, founder of the Stanek Report, said that after 16 years with the pro-life movement she had never been arrested until that day.

“As a registered nurse, my purpose for being there has to do with my testimony of holding a 21 week-old abortion survivor until he died. He would have been saved by an abortion ban such as this bill, ” Stanek told Bound for Life just prior her arrest.

“I’m upholding his memory and reminding these Republicans who are dithering for whatever reason – that while they do this, babies are dying excruciating deaths every day. Trying to reorient this discussion to the babies is my reason for talking.”

Stanek told the media at the March 25th sit-in that she wanted to apply pressure to GOP House leaders to get the late term abortion ban passed.

“I held a little aborted human being until he died, 21 weeks, that this bill would have saved had it been in place. This little abortion survivor was the impetus of a bill passed eventually in the state of Illinois called the Born Alive Infants Protection Act that Barack Obama, a state Senator voted against four times. We expect this sort of treatment of abortion from the Democrat side but we do not expect this treatment from the Republican side. And, that’s what we’ve seen here with the 20 week abortion ban,”
Stanek said.

Organizers of both events say that their patience for passage of the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is growing thin and that more than two months have passed since the vote promised for January 22, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, was canceled.

That vote was sabotaged by North Carolina Republican Congresswoman, Renee Ellmers.

In mid March, the Speaker stated that he was committed to passing the legislation, but protest organizers are not convinced and question the length of time it is taking.

Lori Hoye, an African American pro-life activist with Issues4Life Foundation, and the wife of Rev. Walter Hoye, a Black pro-life minister who has been a frequent guest on Life Talk questioned the reason the Congress is stalling on the legislation, “Why are some pro-life Congressmen getting hung up on rape exceptions with this bill? This is a late-term abortion ban. Would anyone actually wait 5 months before deciding to abort a baby conceived in rape?”

Operation Rescue president, Troy Newman, said that there is no excuse for any further delay given that the GOP has the support of the American people for the ban.

“With the majority of Americans in support of banning late-term abortions on babies that are old enough to feel pain, there is no excuse for Congress to continue delaying a vote on the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” said Newman.

“We cannot remain silent since every day of delay is costing innocent lives.”

Protest organizers say that the second protest is planned to coincide with the three-month mark of when pro-lifers were promised the late term abortion ban would be passed. They are hopeful the House will respond with passage before May 7th but remain committed to keeping the pressure on until they do.