Highest crowds ever at March for Life in Topeka & D.C.

a small sample of the Topeka March for Life crowd

The perennial sub-freezing weather has never deterred huge crowds for the annual March for Life, either in Washington D.C. or Topeka. For a story on Friday’s D. C. March, estimated to have engaged 600,000 pro-lifers, see here.

On Tuesday, Jan. 22– the actual date of the infamous U.S. Supreme Court Roe v Wade ruling– approximately 2,500 citizens, young and old–mostly young–attended the annual Kansans for Life Rally for Life in Topeka.  The day included educational workshops, religious services, and a rally at the Capitol steps to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the ruling legalizing abortion.

Pro-life Governor Sam Brownback joined 1,800 Catholic young people for Mass, ate lunch with them and those who attended the Protestant service, and then marched with them all to the south steps of the state Capitol building. Among noted “Marchers” were Catholic Bishop Michael Jaekels of Wichita and Catholic Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas.

Gov. Brownback addressed attendees about the joy found in serving others and the joy of being pro-life. He asked the marchers if they were ever going to quit fighting for life, to which they responded with a resounding NO!

Kansans for Life Development Director, David Gittrich, announced each of the  40 legislators on the steps who slipped out of committee meetings to greet the crowd and receive their applause. (This year an estimated 110 out of 145 Kansas legislators are pro-life!)

KFL Executive Director, Mary Kay Culp, told the audience,  “The cover of the new Time Magazine says that our opponents won a big victory 40 years ago with Roe v. Wade, then says ‘They’ve Been Losing Ever Since.’ Pro-life organizations, pro-life churches, pro-life crisis pregnancy centers, pro-life schools—all represented here today are a major reason they are losing and we are winning, and we thank you!

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Winners of Kansans for Life student poster contest

Sammie Nesslein's grand prize entry

This year’s task in the grade school poster contest was to design a pro-life parade float with the words: Kansans are pro-life. All entrants attend Kansas schools or home-schools. Prize-winning and honorable-mention entries were displayed at the Rally for Life on Monday, where winners received their prize check and a handshake from Gov. Sam Brownback. The top awards went to:

$100 Grand Prize, all divisions:  Sammie Nesslein, Gr. 6-  Prairie Village
$50 1st Place, Gr. 7-8 Division: Molly Muehlebach, Gr. 7- Prairie Village
$25 2nd Place, Gr. 7-8 Division: Madison Masilionis, Gr. 8- Overland Park
$50 1st Place, Gr. 5-6 Division: Clare Sexton, Gr. 6- Leawood
$25 2nd Place, Gr. 5-6 Division: Megan Lynn, Gr. 6- Prairie Village
$50 1st Place, Gr. 3-4 Division: Ethan Northcott, Gr. 4- Kansas City
$25 2nd Place, Gr. 3-4 Division: Catherine Torkelson, Gr. 3- Wichita

12 year-old Cure of Ars student Sammie Nesslein garnered the grand prize for her well- designed  and executed entry.  It featured painted sunflower balloons, hand-drawn characters and 3-d elements, including a battery pack to provide lights in the wheels!  Her poster will be framed for display in the Governor’s office. View the other delightful posters here:

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Youngest-ever Senator inspires 3,000 at State Rally

The youthful “face” of the pro-life movement was on display at the annual Rally for Life Monday at the State capitol in Topeka, organized by Kansans for Life.  Not only was the crowd of approximately 3,000 filled with students, the keynote speaker was the youngest senator ever to serve in the Kansas senate, Sen. Garrett Love (R-Montezuma) –who turned 23 as he began his term last January.

Where did this young Senator get the passion to defend children in the womb? He pointed to the his “little brother” Austin, a 6’5″  local college basketball standout who stood on stage near the podium.  Sen. Love told the crowd, “When Austin was born, he fit in the palm of my Dad’s hand.  Was he fragile? Yes. Extremely.  The most defenseless among us? Yes.  And was he a life that was worth the effort of defending? Of course he was. For my family, that story and those difficult times surrounding Austin’s birth and who Austin is today are all great reminders at both how precious and awesome life is.”

Sen. Love continued, “Most concerning to me was when I learned that that during the time frame between 20-30 weeks gestation, we have more pain receptors per square inch on our body than at any other time in life and that is at the same time that our body’s system of pain suppression is not yet fully operating.  That time frame is when many abortions have been performed in Kansas and also the time frame when my brother was born…. That means babies, at a time that they feel more than at any other point in their life, which we have learned through scientific evidence, are going through the worst kind of pain and our state used to say that was okay.”

This is the kind of appealing advocacy Sen. Love articulated on the Senate floor last April, helping to send the Pain-capable Unborn Child Protection act to the desk of pro-life Governor Sam Brownback, and making Kansas the second state in the nation to secure such pro-life protection.

Sen. Love reminded rally attendants to continue to be the “voice for the voiceless” knowing that, in the words of Thomas Jefferson,“The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government.”

Gov.Brownback also addressed the crowd, with rounds of applause for other pro-life elected officials in attendance: over 50 state legislators, as well as Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, and State Treasurer Ron Estes.

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Abortion supporters on Wed: empty rally, angry rhetoric

Look how few abortion cheerleaders turned out for a very heavily advertised rally at the Statehouse Wednesday– you can get to 24 attendees without counting the 5 reporters. Of course, the mainstream media took tight photos (here and here) to pretend there was a significantly- sized crowd there to justify coverage.

The “rally” was scheduled to last 2 hours, with music, and was organized by 3 KU young women to be featuring ACLU, N.O.W., MAINstream coalition, Planned Parenthood, “Moms for Choice,” and the misnamed “Trust Women” Political Action group (the re-imaged group begun by George Tiller). That works out to about 4 members each…

KFL did not bother to attend, as we had heard enough spin at the earlier public meeting about state health department licensure regulations, particularly, from N.O.W.’s state coordinator, Kari Ann Rinker, known for her unrestrained rhetoric.

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Kansas Gov. Brownback signs 2 pro-life bills

Kathy Ostrowski, Rep. Lance Kinzer and KFL Exec. Director Mary Kay Culp watch Gov. Sam Brownback sign pro-life bills (KHI photo)

Kansas closes a horrible chapter of abortion corruption today, which had caused the state to be referred to as the late-term abortion destination of the nation.

Gov. Sam Brownback has signed into law two measures that

protect the lives of unborn children who are capable of feeling pain and will better prevent pregnant teens from obtaining abortions without parental involvement.

At a Statehouse reception hosted this afternoon by Kansans for Life, legislators and pro-lifers assembled to watch the ceremonial signing of HB 2218, the Pain-capable Unborn Child Protection Act, and the actual signing of HB 2035, the Accuracy in Abortion Reporting & Parental Rights Act.

Pro-life leader and House Judiciary chair, Rep. Lance Kinzer (R-Olathe) authored both bills and was joined by 62 co-sponsors on HB 2035 and 47 co-sponsors on HB 2218. “It’s a tremendous day,” Kinzer said Tuesday. “It’s been a long road for the pro-life movement in Kansas to get to this stage — not just a matter of years but going back decades, quite frankly.”

Both laws use the term “unborn child”

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Only 38 PP supporters at Topeka ‘rally of desperation’

We counted 38 (both presenters & attendees) at today's PP rally/march in Topeka

Planned Parenthood rallied their troops today in Topeka to fight state and federal defunding bans.  But even the 72-degree temperature couldn’t lure more than 38 people, including abortion industry lobbyists.

The desperation is palpable.  Unitarian minister Tom Belote warned the group that women will die of cancer if Planned Parenthood loses tax money.

That was an obvious reference to breast cancer, since the group waved pink signs, referencing the pink-ribbon Komen anti-breast cancer campaign.  However Planned Parenthood does NOT provide mammograms at ANY facility.

There are 1,200 Federally Qualified Health Centers that provide the same care PP does – plus mammograms – along with providing other health care services for the entire family.  These are the kinds of legitimate community health clinics in Kansas that legislators want to fund, especially in these tough economic times.

On Feb. 8, Rep. Lance Kinzer (R-Olathe) offered such a ‘defund Planned Parenthood’ amendment to the current 2010/11 budget and it passed the House 91-26. Gov. Brownback’s proposed budget also defunds Planned Parenthood, which nationally made $1.2 billion in profits last year.

The Planned Parenthood national business report recently released shows the embattled agency did more abortions in 2009 than it has done in any prior year.  The 2009 figures show it provided fewer pregnant women with non-abortion services:

• 97.6 % of pregnant women who went to Planned Parenthood were sold abortions,
• with a 25 % drop in prenatal care clients,
• and a whopping 59 % decline in adoption referrals.

Despite its protestations that

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Wichita landlord sues abortionist; KFL gathering ‘unspun’

Annual KFL Rally for Life

Kansas physician, Mila Means– who works at the Kansas City, Kansas abortion clinic, Aid for Women–is being sued by the landlord of her Wichita medical office, because she plans to begin doing abortions there.

Abortion is not only immoral, it makes a lousy business neighbor.  The landlord’s suit complains that Means’ intended abortion business is driving out other tenants.

According to the Associated Press, Foliage Development seeks a temporary restraining order to keep Means from performing abortions at its office complex in Wichita. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 15.

But while the AP reporter got those facts correct, she ignored specific written info and a phone conversation that proved no malice afoot in the selection of a location for a peaceful prayer meeting scheduled for Friday night, Feb.4.

The facts are that Kansans for Life had contracted for any available east-central venue from the Wichita school district rental services.  It was a bureaucrat (whom KFL named to the press) who chose the specific public school location near where George Tiller was murdered.

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Archbishop, Gov. Brownback lead March for Life in Topeka

An estimated 1500 pro-lifers braved the cold and snow to march through downtown Topeka to the KFL Rally for Life.

The day’s events included workshops and Mass celebrated by Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who gave the invocation to rally attendees. Pro-life lawmakers at the event were introduced to an enthusiastic crowd.

Phil Stacey, of American Idol fame, beautifully sang the national anthem. The KFL 2010 state oratory contest winner, Trisha Herbert, (who placed third nationally) gave her winning speech.

But the stunning difference in this year’s event was that, for the first time ever, a Kansas Governor, Sam Brownback, attended the Mass for Life, proudly marched alongside students and families, and then addressed the crowd from the steps of the Capitol.

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Winners in KFL elementary pro-life poster contest

Grand prize went to Erin Kellerman, gr. 6

Hundreds of posters were welcomed this year from across the state, illustrating the theme, KANSAS IS A GREAT PLACE FOR BABIES TO BE BORN!

Rally for Life attendants today in Topeka viewed the winners and 35 other delightful entries.

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Jan.21 Topeka March, Life Rally includes Gov. Brownback

Gov. Sam Brownback

For over a decade, U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback has marked the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade by addressing hundreds of thousands at the rally prior to the March for Life in Washington D.C.

This year, as Governor of Kansas, Brownback will address pro-lifers in Topeka as keynote speaker at our annual state Rally for Life on Friday, Jan.21.

Following a march from the Topeka downtown auditorium (TPAC), crowds will gather at 11:30 a.m. on the south steps of the Capitol to be inspired by elected officials, clergy, KFL leaders, the teen oratory contest winner, and music.

Workshops on the unborn’s pain capability, end of life issues and the upcoming legislative agenda are scheduled for 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Complete schedule here.  See you there!

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