Victory! For Now…
Posted by John-Paul (April 3, 2009 at 11:06 am)
Here is an email I received this morning from Zach Wichmann of the Catholic Conference of Illinois (CCI). Apparently, the anti-life forces have conceded defeat.
Thank you so much for all of your activism, phone calls, office visits and spreading the word with your friends and family. Your participation in fighting this bill has truly made a difference in building support for life! Thank you for standing up for Life!
We have not won forever, we have won for now. We must remain vigilant.
Hello all:
I write to you today with great news! House Bill 2354 will not be called for a vote before tonight’s deadline. The proponents of the bill (Planned Parenthood and ACLU) were not able to muster the number of votes they needed, so they will not call the bill for a vote. We estimate they were some 10 to 15 votes short of the 60 required.
This great accomplishment would not have happened without your engagement in the issue. Catholics across Illinois participated in email and phone trees, took up petition drives, met with their representatives, and many drove to Springfield to lobby in the halls of the Capitol. We must also note the leadership role assumed by our Bishops and their willingness to speak out and rally our people. All of us came together and did a great thing.
Some people and/or groups are reporting that the bill is dead for the year. Perhaps. However, we must remember that there are many ways to revive legislation, and it will not harm us to remain vigilant. We will let you know quickly if anything stirs.
It will be very important that in the weeks to come we thank those legislators who stood up for what is right and begin to think about how to build this network of opposition to House Bill 2354 into something bigger and more important — a network dedicated to the protection of human life and religious freedom.
But for today, enjoy this well-earned win and take time to thank God. There are certainly more struggles ahead but not here, not today.
Zach Wichmann
Catholic Conference of Illinois
Associate Director for Education