Giving Tuesday: Nov 29th

We welcome you to support the culture of life in a financial way.  Ever since the election, Planned Parenthood has been raising funds from more than 160,000 donors.  We want to be ready for whatever they do next.

It's that time of year when non-profit organizations put in a final push for donations.  Lots of organizations target the Tuesday after Thanksgiving as Giving Tuesday.  This lands on November 29th this year.  But you may donate anytime you want.

By donating money, you can help us accomplish some of our initiatives for the year ahead!

• Our largest pro-life promotional effort, which has had good results elsewhere
• Our bus to bring people from Cedar Rapids and Dubuque to the Midwest March for Life
• Update: With the cancellation of the Midwest March for Life, we won't have a bus to that event, but we will quickly try to determine if we organize a bus to a different march or if we do something else in the year ahead

We've been the largest pro-life organization in the Cedar Rapids area for several years, leading 40 Days for Life and other pro-life activities.  We've seen abortions drop by more than 42%, lives saved, and several other positive results.  Our promotional effort is being kept quiet, except to raise funds for it.  It helps us if we can get money for the bus before everyone signs up for the bus, since we have to commit to the bus before most people will end up signing up for it.

Giving near the end of the year minimizes the time between the donation and the tax deduction when filing taxes next year.  We've appreciated the great things so many of our members do.  Would you be willing to contribute to a culture of life?

We now have a way for you to donate online.

Donate Online!

If you prefer to send a check, send it to:

Coalition for Life of Iowa 
PO Box 864 
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406

Ballot Measure Results in 2016

The 2016 General Election included ballot measures in several states that touched on issues relating to the protection of life or the lack thereof.

Physician-Assisted Suicide

• 65% to 35% - Colorado approved Physician-Assisted Suicide

Colorado made it legal for people to become accessories to suicides.  This will continue to grow as an issue.  We need to prepare for this to spread.  It won by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.  It is one of several movements that twist the language with deceiving phrases like "death with dignity."

Death Penalty

• 54% to 46% - California failed to repeal the death penalty (Prop 62)
• 51% to 49% - California streamlined death penalty cases (Prop 66)
• 61% to 39% - Nebraska repealed a ban; this reinstated the death penalty
• 66% to 34% - Oklahoma empowered the state to set methods of execution beyond lethal injection

The death penalty came up in several states, but in different ways.

California hasn't executed anyone since 2006, when a district court judge blocked an execution as a result of federal litigation regarding lethal injection.  Since then a district court judge ruled that it was unconstitutional.  But it has remained in the law ever since.  A vote to repeal it failed in 2012 in a vote 52-48.  It failed by a wider margin this time.  California did pass a measure to streamline the death penalty process and provide more retribution to the families harmed by the convicted criminals.

Nebraska had a much more interesting story.  Their unicameral legislature passed the repeal of the death penalty, but their governor vetoed it.  Then the legislature successfully passed the override of the veto.  For a while Nebraska was free of the death penalty.  But soon after the veto override, the governor led efforts to put the matter to the voters.  So the vote repealed the ban, thus reinstating the death penalty.  The wording can be confusing, since repeal would normally mean the death penalty would be repealed.  But in this case, it was the ban of the use of the death penalty that was repealed.

Oklahoma was one of many states that used lethal injection.  It was the exclusive method of killing inmates.  So the difficulties in getting the right drugs, various mistakes in administering the injections, and legal challenges led Oklahoma to seek other alternatives.  The voters expanded the options by a 2-to-1 margin.

Iowa Needs Foster Families

Hello pro-lifers! While much of our time is spent trying to protect the nation’s most vulnerable–the unborn–we know that ALL human life is precious and deserving of protection. To that end, I wanted to share with you this radical opportunity to show God’s love and mercy to children in desperate situations. Please read the article and consider if you’re called to open your home to these children.

Link to the article:

Iowa now has desperate need for foster families

Thank you for your consideration!

Steve Speirs
Coalition for Life of Iowa Board Member

No Time to Take it Easy

Planned Parenthood of the Heartland was caught off-guard with no clear contingency plan for their political losses.  It didn't occur to them that the presidential candidate they endorsed might not win the election.  They certainly didn't expect that their candidates in the federal House and Senate would not be in the majority.  They knew Nebraska wouldn't turn out in their favor.  But Iowa also surprised them by maintaining a majority of their opposition in the House and now the Senate.  With a governor who is also unfavorable to them, they find themselves facing political challenges they never dreamed they'd have in the years ahead.

They fear being defunded.  Although one of the wealthiest men in the world finances them heavily and lives in the middle of the territory they cover, they have become extremely dependent on government funding.  Unlike lots of charities like Bridgehaven, who operates without government funding, Planned Parenthood gets a considerable percentage of their funding from the government.  Other charities usually depend heavily on donors who recognize the good that they do.  But Planned Parenthood doesn't have enough support to accomplish that.

You see, most Planned Parenthood affiliates only receive funding from:

• Federal Government
• State Governments
• Local Governments
• Corporate Donations
• Other Non-Profit Organizations
• Donors, including some of the wealthiest people in the world
• Clients

With all of these sources, the Planned Parenthood non-profit organizations have annual profits that exceed $100,000,000.  Imagine having a 9-figure annual profit and fearing closures if the government stopped funding your operations.  Well, it's a reality for them.

Have you ever seen an animal that feels trapped or stuck in a corner?  It becomes more vicious.

Have you ever seen the innovation that comes from adversity?  Webcam abortions were among the innovations in killing in Iowa a few years ago.  Planned Parenthood makes a lot of money performing abortions.  When they struggle, they try to spread abortion to more locations in order to build their financial base.  They have already begged their supporters for volunteers and donations.  On top of their direct appeals to their supporters, we have also seen them step up their advertising on social media and websites.  They must be spending a fortune on the ads, because they now appear more often than just about any other ad.  I guess they have lots of money to spend for now.  If they spend enough on ads, they might just need the money they are begging for.

We have seen what happened to the Susan G. Komen Foundation when they announced they would no longer donate to Planned Parenthood.  The foundation was nearly destroyed from cyber attacks and other actions taken by people who wanted other people to fund Planned Parenthood.  We have seen riots and other reactions to the election.  Just imagine what will happen when lawmakers consider defunding them.

Continue to pray.  Continue to make your voices clear to lawmakers.  As I've said in the past, a purely political solution doesn't work.  If a few lawmakers make a change in laws but we don't convert the culture, then the next lawmakers just go in and swing the pendulum back the other way, undoing any progress.  If the culture changes, then we see lasting change.  But cultures don't change without your help.  Each of us needs to do our part to educate people about life affirming options, and help people recognize the value of each human life.  We have resources to help you be more effective.

Event: Please God…Help me with my broken pieces

We promote pro-life events in the area. This Sunday's event witnesses to the wonders and value of life.  Click the title of the event below to access the event's official page.

"Please God…Help me with my broken pieces"

While still newlyweds, Emily and Jordan Meyer were expecting their first child. However, life didn’t go as expected. Born with Trisomy 13, against the recommendations of doctors and against the odds, their son, Bennett, was their little miracle. Come hear Emily share how the power of prayer, the sacraments, and love, transformed her son and her heart.

Speaker: Emily Meyer

Date: Sunday, Nov. 13
Time: 6:00 – 7:30 PM

Place: St. Joseph Catholic Church
Address: 1790 14th St, Marion

Admission: Free, all are welcome!

Free childcare available! A light meal will be served after the talk in the church basement.

Back on the Blog

We used to blog, but switched to having a newsletter. We want to get the blog going again. Check back often for our latest posts.