To commemorate RFFM.org's 15 years of service to the conservative community, we have been conducting a series of monthly interviews throughout 2007 with some of the most influential leaders in the pro-family/conservative movement. RFFM.org's national director, Daniel Zanoza, will conduct Q + A sessions with the aim of educating our readers as to some of the views held by those who work tirelessly to reach their stated goals.
Those previously interviewed include: Sen. Bill Brady, Sen. Chris Lauzen; Catholic Citizens of Illinois Founder Mary Anne Hackett; writer and conservative activist Dan Gura; ILCAAAP (Illinois Church Action on Alcohol and Addiction Problems) Executive Director Anita Bedell; property rights advocate Joyce Morrison; Americans For Truth Founder and President Peter LaBarbera; and Illinois Right to Life Committee Executive Director Bill Beckman. To read any of these interviews, click on "In Their Own Words" under categories on the RFFM.org home page or go to: http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/in_their_own_words/index.html.
The ninth interview in RFFM.org's series continues with Ann Scheidler, Executive Director, Pro-Life Action League.
Mission Statement from the Pro-Life Action League website: http://www.prolifeaction.org/about/
The Pro-Life Action League was founded by Joseph M. Scheidler in 1980 with the aim of saving unborn children through non-violent direct action.
We are doing all we can to stop the killing and the exploitation. Some of our key activities are:
* Abortion Clinic Presence
* Public Protest
* Confronting the Abortionists
* Promoting and Defending Activism
* Broadcasting the Pro-Life Message
* Youth Outreach
Biography:
League Executive Director Ann Scheidler's involvement with the pro-life movement began in 1973 when her husband, National Director, Joe Scheidler began to work full-time in pro-life work. In 1980, she helped found the League.
In 1990, Ann began working part-time at the League as Assistant Director, a position which gradually became full-time. Since 2000 she has served as Executive Director, and is closely involved with all aspects of the League's work, from public relations and development to activism and outreach.
Ann is a frequent speaker on pro-life activism and sidewalk counseling, and has appeared on numerous radio and television programs. She travels extensively conducting sidewalk counseling training sessions.
Ann holds a bachelor's degree from Mundelein College. She is the mother of seven children, including League staffers Annie Casselman and Eric Scheidler.
"In Her Own Words" -- Ann Scheidler
Q. Recently, the Pro-Life Action League won an important legal victory. I don't want to get in to the particulars of the case because there still may be legal issues pending. However, I'd like to ask you what kind of impact this stressful experience had on you, your family and the organization itself. Did the experience change the way you think about the fight against abortion?
A. We won the NOW v. Scheidler RICO case first in January 2003. NOW (National Organization for Women) quite incredibly appealed the U.S. Supreme Court decision, claiming the Supreme Court had not ruled on all the issues. So it went back to the Supreme Court again and we got another, unanimous, victory in 2006. I think the brunt of the stress was really felt more by our children than by us. For the first several years of the case (it was filed in 1986), we really paid no attention to it. We let the lawyers handle it. But once it was certain that the case was going to trial, it became more of an intrusion into our lives and our mission. For one thing we had to try to raise enough money to pay the law firm that Tom Brejcha (lead lawyer) worked for. Americans United for Life took on much of the expense initially, but they were not able to absorb the cost of trial and bowed out when we got to that stage. Tom's firm also finally bailed, leaving him with the choice of continuing to represent us or staying with the firm. He opted to stay the course with our case, which led to establishing the Thomas More Society Pro-Life Law Center.
But back to the kids. Things affect different people in different ways. Some of our kids were more sensitive to the fact that their father's job was pretty controversial and were aware that we was being sued. They weren't sure how their friends would react to the situation, or how they felt about abortion in general. Our own kids have always been strongly pro-life, but some of them are more reticent about discussing it. All of them had to face comments and criticism for what Joe had chosen for his life's work. It is hard to have to be on the defensive so much of the time.
The experience did have an effect on the way we approach the fight against abortion. We know personally the financial cost of having to defend yourself in court and we would not want to ask that of other people. We would want to be sure that anyone who gets involved in pro-life activism is aware of the potential for battles in court, especially now that the FACE Act (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances) is on the books. FACE was a direct result of Operation Rescue and the blockades of abortion clinics, which was a main aspect of the RICO case. We have always believed that it is possible to save lives and impact the culture without being arrested. Since the RICO case experience we are ever more committed to lawful activism--sidewalk counseling, picketing, Face the Truth Tours. We are also determined to preserve our First Amendment Right to protest and speak out against abortion. This will mean filing lawsuits against municipalities that try to restrict our rights, but it is paramount that we confront illicit police action and unconstitutional restrictions on free speech and assembly.
Q. You have been standing for the rights of the unborn for many years. Can you tell RFFM.org readers why you feel so passionately about the subject?
A. Both Joe and I come from large families that value the gift of children. When Roe v. Wade came down in January 1973 I was pregnant with our fourth child, who also turned out to be our first girl. I couldn't believe that America would declare that the baby in my womb had no value unless I chose to give it value. We vowed to get involved and do something to turn things around. At the time, we were naive and thought that all we had to do was show the American people that the unborn baby was a human, and people would rise up in indignation and oppose abortion. That, of course, did not happen. We had no intention of spending the rest of our lives doing pro-life work. I'm not sure when it became apparent that that's what it would take, but certainly since 1980 we have known there would never be any other path for us. That's when we founded the Pro-Life Action League to specialize in activism as opposed to political action or educational efforts--both of which are great, but activism is the grassroots effort to save lives.
Q. Since the Roe v. Wade ruling, handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973 which legalized abortion in America, the nation has certainly become polarized regarding the issue. In what direction do you think the nation is heading? Are Americans coming to the understanding that abortion is the taking of human life or is the pendulum swinging the other way?
A. For many years it seemed the country was headed deeper and deeper into immorality. And, on some fronts, it still seems headed that way. But, on abortion, I think the national psyche is changing. The pro-life movement has kept the issue at the forefront for over 34 years. People know more than they did in 1973. The debate over the partial-birth abortion ban educated a lot of people. The women who speak out about their own abortions are having a profound effect. I believe that, in addition to those who speak out publicly, there are thousands of women who quietly and privately tell their own friends, daughters and nieces that abortion was the biggest mistake they ever made and they advise other women to choose life. That's part of the reason that the numbers of abortions are down. Most people of child-bearing age now have an ultrasound photo of themselves in their baby book. They know that the baby in the womb has a heartbeat and fingers and toes. They can see the baby's eyes in the picture. It becomes much more difficult to call that baby "fetal tissue" and "a glob of cells." Our Face the Truth tours educate thousands of everyday Americans who would never go to a pro-life website or read a pro-life publication. But they see the graphic display of what abortion does to the baby--as they drive down the street--and it can't help but get into their brain that abortion is ugly. That image will be there if they are ever faced with a decision about a pregnancy and they will have to reckon with the truth when they make their choice.
Q. You once told me something which I felt was a challenge to those who think abortion should be outlawed in our country. We were discussing the huge crowds which turn out in Washington, D.C. on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. But you intimated people needed to do more than just show up at annual rallies. You said something to the effect that the big crowds in our nation's capitol were fine, but pro-lifers needed to do more when they went back to their communities. Could you elaborate on that?
A. It is invigorating to go to the March for Life on January 22 in Washington. People feel good about doing it. But they should not feel so good about it that they go home and do nothing else for the rest of the year. It should mark the first thing they do in the year, with a commitment to get more deeply involved in changing the culture. The politicians have gotten used to the annual march. They pay no attention. And, for the most part, the media pays no attention. So we have to do more. Everyone who marches in Washington should follow up by calling and/or writing their senators and their legislators, asking them to sponsor and vote for pro-life bills, asking them to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood and any other entity that commits abortions. They should volunteer for a CPC (Crisis Pregnancy Center), learn how to sidewalk counsel, protest the presence of an abortion clinic in their own community, like what is going on in Aurora, organize or join a respect life committee at their church, hold prayer services and discussion panels on life issues, read Joe Scheidler's book "CLOSED" for a host of ideas on how to spread the message of life, talk to their own family and friends about the value of life and the reality of abortion.
Q. Many right to life supporters believe we are one Supreme Court Justice short of seeing the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Do you think this is true and do you think that day will ever come?
A. I think the Court will ultimately reverse Roe v. Wade because it is bad law. That will probably take a while longer, but it will not erase abortion from the nation. Many states have brought their own abortion laws into line with Roe v. Wade, which will mean that if the ruling is overturned the state law allowing abortion will still be in effect. States like Illinois, New York and California with many, many abortion clinics will become abortion destination states. So we will have years and years of pro-life work ahead even when Roe v. Wade falls. That is why it is important to get restrictions on abortion, things like right to know laws, parental notice laws and 24-hour waiting laws. These don't end abortion, but they assure that the woman seeking an abortion has to think a little longer about it and she will have to know more about it before she goes through with it. The battle will become more localized as pro-life activists and politicos work to restore a respect for life in their own states. I believe the day will come when abortion is unthinkable, but just like with slavery and segregation, which were taken for granted for decades in this country, it will take a long time and a change of attitude on the part of Americans. Anyone in America would be appalled now to see a sign on a drinking fountain reading "Whites Only." In 50 years, I think people will be appalled to see "Abortion Services" on a medical building.
Q. Pro-abortionists have successfully advanced the myth that if Roe v. Wade was struck down, abortions then would be illegal in every state. You briefly touched on this in your last answer, can you elaborate a bit more on this issue?
A. I think I addressed that in the prior question. A Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade would simply return the matter to the states, where it had been prior to 1973. Before the 1973 decision several states had legalized abortion and Michigan was trying to return to the days of prohibiting abortion in the state. Once again, each state would have to legislate abortion. That is why it is so important to elect state representatives and state senators who are pro-life and who will support laws to restrict or outlaw abortion.
Q. Do we have to change the culture before victory can be declared in the fight against the taking of innocent human life or does the fight center around politics? Or are the issues not mutually exclusive?
A. The fight does not center around politics. For every baby whose life is spared by the intervention of a sidewalk counselor or a crisis pregnancy center or by an individual who offers compassion to a friend, Roe v. Wade is essentially null and void. Whether the politicians catch up or not, we can build a culture of life. We can create an environment that welcomes children and supports pregnant mothers and fosters saving sex until marriage. We must strengthen the family. Pro-life families serve as examples in their communities of how a family should be structured. And since pro-life families continue to grow, while pro-abortion folks have few or no children, we are bound to win by attrition if nothing else!
Q. What are your feelings about other right to life issues, including euthanasia? Do you support the death penalty and, if so, could you elaborate on your position?
A. There are many issues that involve attacks on life: euthanasia, assisted suicide, artificial reproductive technology, embryonic stem cell research, homosexuality, sex education and capital punishment. Wherever life is devalued, we must try to enkindle a reverence for life. Many people do not realize that creating human embryos for the purpose of research is an assault on a human life. Many people have no clue that artificial insemination and invitro fertilization are wrong because they take the process of creating new life out of the context of married love and put it in a science lab. It is a challenge to try to educate people on these complex issues and it will take a long time to make the average person understand. Often they think it is compassionate to end the life of a terminally ill person, or to artificially aid the conception of a new life, forgetting that it is God's job to begin and end a life.
As to the death penalty, I think it is moral from a biblical perspective, but in a modern society like the United States it is unlikely that we actually need the death penalty in order to assure the safety of the public, but it is important to make sure that a life sentence really means a life sentence in the case of criminals who pose a serious danger to the public. Our prison system is so deeply flawed it is hard to know how often someone is wrongfully imprisoned, even for very serious crimes. The possibility of executing the wrong person is so disastrous that I believe it is better to choose never to execute anyone than to risk making the wrong move.
Q. During my study of the media for the last 15 years, I have found many politicians who claim to be pro-life hold that position solely for political reasons. With many in the dominant media supporting abortion, the truth about the voting records of elected officials is often hidden. For example, some politicians claim to be pro-life, but their actions are not consistent with their stated views. Obviously, pro-life voters need to know all the facts, in order to make informed decisions about who they're voting for and this takes work. But, as you know, most people do not take the time to look into the record of political candidates. I see this as one of the major reasons why abortion is still legal in America. What are your thoughts on this very complicated subject?
A. For a committed minority the position of candidates on the issue of abortion is the defining issue. But for most voters, it comes down to the politician's likeability, ethnicity or name recognition. We should try to educate voters on the issues, but it will always be an uphill battle because the pro-life movement operates on a shoestring. The bigger challenge is to get pro-life politicians to really understand how to articulate their positions. Too often they are reticent to bring up the issue. They send out position papers to the general public without any mention of abortion and a separate paper to pro-lifers about how they support efforts to restrict abortion. They have to learn to be proud of standing for life. If they would take the time to sit down and talk with actual pro-life activists, they could learn how to do this and would get much more support from the pro-life community. Pro-lifers are willing to work hard for a candidate they are sure is with them, but when a candidate cannot talk intelligently about the issues or turns around and votes against a pro-life initiative for some lame reason, the support vanishes, as it should.
Q. What can people do if they want to get involved with your organization?
A. Go to our website: www.prolifeaction.org to find out what we're all about, make a donation, learn how to sidewalk counsel, order our materials. We can put people to work in the movement.
Q. If people want to send contributions, where can they send them? Pro-Life Action League, 6160 N. Cicero Ave., Suite # 600, Chicago, IL 60646
CONTACT THE PRO-LIFE ACTION LEAGUE
Web site: www.prolifeaction.org
Phone: (773) 777-2900
Address: 6160 N. Cicero Ave., Chicago, IL 60646
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