Archive for the ‘Community Impact’ Category

Tonight: Live blogging from the Zoning Board of Appeals hearing on alleged Planned Parenthood zoning and permitting violations.

6:45 p.m. The public are beginning to arrive, forty or fifty pro-lifers so far, all wearing red carnations on their lapels in sign of pro-life solidarity. The members of the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) are taking their seats too on the dias.

Attorney Chris Wilson, representing Planned Parentood, is seated at the "Applicant" table just in front of my seat at the right end of the first row.

6:50 p.m. Our attorneys, Peter Breen and Tom Brejcha, have just sat down at the Appelant table. Between them is a table for the City's attorneys, as yet unoccupied. Now Alayne Weingartz takes her seat at the City table.

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Tonight for the first time the City Council will vote on an agenda item of concern to the pro-life community: a non-binding resolution proposed by Alderman Chris Beykirch which calls upon the State of Illinois to do what it takes to enforce the 1995 Parental Notice Act.

As of 3:30 p.m., over 70 people are signed up to speak on this agenda item. I will begin live-blogging the City Council meeting at 6:00 p.m., with help from my assistant Matt.

6:00 p.m. The aldermen are filing in and taking their seats. Corporation Counsel Alayne Weingartz is in position, ready to interrupt every community speaker at the two-minute-and-thirty-second mark.

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Eric has asked everyone to attend Tuesday’s City Council meeting to support Parental Notification. The City Council will vote on a non-binding resolution to be sent to Springfield calling on the state government to finally enforce the 1995 Parental Notice Act. This is the first time we actually have an item on the agenda, and it is important to have as much pro-life support as possible.

The meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers at 44 E. Downer Pl. at 6 p.m., November 27. Please sign up to speak by calling the City Clerk at 630-844-3615, and saying that you want to talk about the parental notice resolution that's on the agenda [PDF].

I’ve posted videos below of pro-lifers speaking on this topic – let’s build upon these and have a strong turnout tomorrow in support of life and parental notification! [Continue reading . . . »]

I'm blogging from the Committee of the Whole meeting, at which the parental notice resolution (not to be confused with the ordinance) will be presented for movement on to next week's City Council meeting for a vote.

5:45 p.m. All twelve aldermen are present. Mayor Weisner is absent—I hear he's on vacation at his luxury home in Florida. The C.O.W. are currently discussing items from the Finance Committee. They have already discussed the Planning and Development Committee items. Government Operations is up next, and the parental notice resolution is the second of their items.

This might be a good point to clarify the difference between the parental notice resolution and the parental notice ordinance.

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As Eric captured in his Tuesday blog, the last City Council meeting addressed concerns over the growing restrictions on Pro-Lifers’ basic rights. With each new event, Aurora officials further erode our freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution – the right to free speech, the right to assemble peaceably – and this issue is now at the forefront of the Planned Parenthood controversy.

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Well, she hasn’t been heard of Since Friday, Nov 1. You know who. She said she only stuck around for Mr. Forty-Days For Life. I tried to tell her he never left. He always was here before too. But as all lies go, they are too exhausting to continue. But we are here…for life. As promised, I, Vita T, will go on as always and forever in the lives of the precious people around the globe who know that the innocent unborn and their mother’s need protection and the choice to live. But I know you’re listening, Emily. And we always welcome your voice again. know some of your last words… [Continue reading . . . »]

Today's "Here for Life" Rally had a huge turnout, despite the cold, overcast weather and threats of rain. People gathered from all walks of life to support the gift of life outside the largest abortion mill in the U.S. What a dichotomy. On one hand, you have a group of people offering FREE help and a real "choice" to women in need, and on the other, you have the "quick and easy", unhappy, unhealthy non-solution for $ALE at PP. [Continue reading . . . »]

The Parental Notice ordinance is an important piece of legislation that affects all of you in a personal way. It supports your rights as parents and protects your children from the predators who would want to keep their deception and harm of your children from you. As responsible adults we must support this ordinance. Let’s get this ordinance passed. When it’s all said and done though we still must remain vigilant against the forces that will harm our children.

If you are following other blogs here, you are aware of the decision by the Portland School Committee in Maine to allow distribution of birth control products in King Middle School in Maine. [Continue reading . . . »]

YOUTH FOR TRUTH

The Archdiocese of Chicago (currently running the Chicago 40-Days For Life Prayer Vigil) invited Youth For Truth to hold a Pro-Life Youth Rally in Chicago.

The Rally will be this Sunday, October 21, 2007, from 1:00-4:00 pm, in Chicago! At 1pm, meet at the Chicago Planned Parenthood (1200 N. LaSalle Street—corner of LaSalle and Division) where we will kick off our rally with prayer. From there we will march from the Planned Parenthood to St. Joseph’s Church (located at 1107 N. Orleans Street, Chicago) where our rally will continue with a band, to lead us in music, and great speakers!

Stand up for life! Be a voice and a witness for the silenced! All youth, Jr. High through College invited! Bring Friends!Wear your pro-Life apparel! All who cannot join us: Please keep us in your prayers!

Parking: You are welcome to park at Holy Name Cathedral (located at 735 N. State Street, Chicago). However you will be walking a distance to the Planned Parenthood from there. If possible, you may want to find a nearby parking spot on the street.

When the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic opened a few weeks back, I’m certain that Mayor Weisner, Steve Trombley and the pro-aborts expected us to go home and consider the case over. Well they couldn’t have been more wrong!

I attended last week’s City Council meeting and was quite honestly surprised to see so many pro-lifers out in force to maintain pressure on the Mayor and to support life. The City Council meeting was once again packed with citizens demanding that the Mayor enforce Aurora laws and shut down the clinic. But the scene outside of city hall was equally compelling, as crowds of pro-lifers gathered to protest the Mayor’s actions and pray for the clinic to close.

With growing limits on citizen speeches during council meetings, I asked those outside if they had any messages for the Mayor… and did they! Many citizens no longer have a voice in Aurora City Council meetings, but they were still eager to send a message, even a small one, to the Mayor.

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