December 11 report from City Hall
Posted by Eric Scheidler on Tuesday, December 11th, 2007
A couple of developments from the Aurora City Hall today:
1. Parental Notice Ordinance
Alderman Rick Lawrence appeared before the Government Operations Committee this afternoon to request that they postpone further discussion of the Parental Notification Ordinance until their February 26 meeting. More time is needed to craft an ordinance that will provide real protection for minor children and be enforceable under state law.
This might be a good time to again clarify the distinction between the Parental Notification Ordinance with the Parental Notification Resolution which the Council passed two weeks ago. While the Resolution simply calls upon the state to take action to enforce the 1995 Parental Notification of Abortion Act, the Ordinance would require notification to parents of any medical procedure, regardless of any state law.
2. My reflections before the City Council
After seven visits to the City Council by Families Against Planned Parenthood, I thought it would be appropriate for me to offer some remarks as we turn our attention to the Zoning Board of Appeals hearings.
Here are the remarks I offered to the Council:
Remarks to the Aurora City Council, December 11, 2007
This is the eighth meeting in a row at which I have addressed this council, and I almost feel as if we are old friends—and that when I write my book on composing three-minute speeches I should present each of you with an autographed copy.I’m sure you already know that I am Eric Scheidler, and some may even have memorized my address, but I will state for the record that I live at 839 Garfield Avenue in the 4th Ward with my wife April and our eight children.
I am here today, first of all, to thank this Council for listening, these many weeks, to me and the Aurora citizens it has been my privilege to serve as a leader. I also want to commend you for passing the parental notification resolution at your last meeting.
As the pro-life community turns our civic attention—for the time being—from the City Council to the Zoning Board of Appeals, I thought it might be fruitful to review our time before you.
We spoke out against the deception perpetrated by Planned Parenthood in their permitting and applications process, and called for a full and independent investigation.
We offered a “crash course” in abortion—its destruction of human life, its harm to women and families and the deleterious effect of abortion facilities on the nearby community.
We responded to malicious lies by Planned Parenthood and their agents, when they accused our peaceful pro-life coalition of being violent and dangerous.We exposed numerous zoning violations by Planned Parenthood, most significantly their lack of a Special Use permit.
We denounced Mayor Weisner’s issuance of an occupancy permit to Planned Parenthood in betrayal of his promise to conduct a complete and open investigation of the process.
We highlighted serious flaws in the three reports relied upon by Mayor Weisner and Corporation Counsel Weingartz to justify their peremptory decision to issue the occupancy permit.
We denounced violations of our First Amendment rights by law enforcement officers of this city.
Finally, we begged protection for our minor daughters from medical providers, like Planned Parenthood, so unscrupulous as to perform abortions upon them without informing their parents.
We shared our thoughts, our reasoned arguments, our many deeply personal experiences, our many strong passions. A few may have spoken too harshly, but none was anything but honest and sincere—and I think you know and appreciate that.
It may be that in coming weeks you will see little of us here in the Council Chambers, but do not think we have forgotten you. We will keep a keen eye not only on the progress of the proposed parental notification ordinance, but also any effort to allocate city funds to Planned Parenthood.
I would like to close by thanking you again for your service to this City, and by wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. God bless you all.
Thanks to the pro-lifers who came out to City Hall this evening to help close this chapter in our ongoing campaign to get Planned Parenthood out of Aurora once and for all.
Eric,
I've been following the details of your efforts before the City Council, its committees, & the ZBA from so close but so far (Oak Lawn). You have frequently been in my prayers and thoughts and those of my family although it has thus far been impossible to join you for any of these weekday afternoon or evening meetings.
Without knowing much about the demeanor or personalities of the aldermen or the mayor beyond the pictures you have painted and the behavior of the mayor's police chief and corporation counsel at a couple of the larger demonstrations I believe your summation tonight might truly have been a home run. At the same time the aldermen received a respite from the fantastic lines of articulate pro-life speakers presenting cogent points from an incredible range of perspectives with a modicum of order provided by your suggested focal points you provided a summary which wove a thread through all of the issues that had been presented at the last seven meetings.
Your remarks convert a series of immediate concerns presented to the council into the big picture you & a handful of pro-lifers saw in a heartbeat when Gemini was identified and much of your community and the surrounding communities now see. Tonight, with these remarks in isolation, the aldermen and Mayor Weisner can see and consider how they will have to continue to deal with that big picture — and a community that is growing rapidly in its understanding of the big picture — both presently as council & mayor and also in 2009 and beyond if they expect to be on the municipal ballot or any other ballot. They may even give some thought to how this could impact their personal and business relationships in the community since your non-threatening presentation should make it readily apparent that pro-life is in Aurora to stay.
A quick aside — just as your dad and I have both speculated that Devine Providence may well have had something, or everything, to do with PP attempting to open the first of their super-abortuaries in your home town, I must echo his suggestion that it is certainly good that you begin the substantive discussions before the ZBA on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
John
John Ryan
domer_10305@yahoo.com
708-945-8247
December 12th, 2007 at 2:09 am
Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Tebow Could Have Been a Victim of Abortion
http://lifenews.com/nat3523.html
Mike
December 12th, 2007 at 8:17 am
In a quandry as to what to do with your spare Tuesday evening time slot?—pray,pray,pray
December 12th, 2007 at 10:25 pm