PLAGAL: Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians

Komen to Stop Grants to Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz | LifeNews.com

2012-02-01T09:34:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know about the great news. It seems that Komen is stopping grants to PP. The official statement from Komen is as follows:

At Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the women we serve are our highest priority in everything we do. Last year, we invested $98 million in community health programs, which included 700,000 mammograms. Additionally, we began an initiative to further strengthen our grants program to be even more outcomes-driven and to allow for even greater investments in programs that directly serve women. We also implemented more stringent eligibility and performance criteria to support these strategies. While it is regrettable when changes in priorities and policies affect any of our grantees, such as a longstanding partner like Planned Parenthood, we must continue to evolve to best meet the needs of the women we serve and most fully advance our mission.
It is critical to underscore that the women we serve in communities remain our priority. We are working directly with Komen Affiliates to ensure there is no interruption or gaps in services for women who need breast health screening and services.

To read the full article from LifeNews.com
http://www.lifenews.com/2012/01/31/komen-to-stop-grants-to-planned-parenthood-abortion-biz/

ACTION: Contact Komen for the Cure to thank it for stopping grants to Planned Parenthood at
http://ww5.komen.org/Contact.aspx

Cecilia

March for Life 2012

2012-01-22T18:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Members and Friends of PLAGAL,

Sorry for this late update about the March for Life. Both Jackie and I have been diligent on trying to put together a PLAGAL contingency for the March. Unfortunatly due to circumstances out of our control neither Jackie or I am able to attend the March. I have attached information on other groups that are friendly to PLAGAL and are willing to have PLAGAL members march with them.

Consistent Life

Meet up with us between 11:30 and noon in front of the Sculpture Garden on Constitution Ave. NW near 7th St. Archives is the nearest Metro station. After noon, we will head towards the rally site. If you miss us, you can try calling 301-943-6406 or 570-817-1952, but such large events sometimes overwhelm the cell phone system. After the rally, we will march to the Supreme Court with the rest of the crowd. You can let us know you plan to join the contingent by emailing info@consistent-life.org.

CL will hold an open-house style gathering both during and after the Rock for Life Rally at St. Aloysius Church, 19 I (letter I) St NW. Call the above phone numbers or just follow us there!

Secular Pro-Life

Monday, January 23: All are welcome to march under the Secular Pro-Life banner in the March for Life in Washington, D.C. We will meet at 399 Pennsylvania Avenue (near the intersection with 4th St. NW) at 1:00 p.m. Look for our bright blue banner, which says "For the embryology textbook tells me so."

For those who attend the March for Life please go to our facebook page and share pictures and or your experience.

Opportunity to make your voice heard

2011-09-29T09:25:00.000-04:00

Dear Members and Friends of PLAGAL,
As you know HRC takes a pro-choice stance when it comes to the issue of abortion. The HRC has even hired leadership that has worked for organizations that support abortion on demand. PLAGAL believes that this is counter productive to the LGBT fight for equality. In the past HRC has refused to support a candidate who is supportive of LGBT equality but happened to be pro-life.

We have an opportunity for pro-life LGBT voices to be heard. The HRC is doing a survey at this time. Please take the opportunity to take the survey and in the comments box please let your voice be heard. Let them know that they HRC cannot claim to represent all LGBT people when they chose to take a pro-choice stance. Ask them to become neutral on the issue of abortion.

The survey can be found at

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surveymonkey.com%2Fs%2F2PWTFBD%3Fc%3D2306419&h=KAQAJHxzXAQC9DKegCtW5tpqqfinOhEuT41l7W17mMvm58Q

Also don't forget to check us out on Facebook.

Cecilia Brown
President

March for Life January 24, 2011

2011-01-21T02:28:00.001-05:00

Dear Members and Friends of PLAGAL,

Due to issues out of our control neither Jackie nor I will be able to lead the PLAGAL contingency at the March for Life this year. Our annual meeting will be postponed until June around the time of Capital Pride. I have included information from allied pro-life groups whom gladly will accept our members to march along with them.

Cecilia Brown

Consistent Life Contingent

Meet up with the Consistent Life contingent between 11:30 and noon in front of the Sculpture Garden on Constitution Ave. NW near 7th St. Archives is the nearest Metro station. After noon, we will head towards the rally site. If you miss us, you can try calling 301-943-6406, but such large events sometimes overwhelm the cell phone system. After the rally, we will march to the Supreme Court with the rest of the crowd. You can let us know you plan to join the contingent by emailing info@consistent-life.org or, for Facebook members, signing up at the CL contingent event page.

Consistent Life- After the March

After the March, you are invited to join us in the Cory Conference Room at William Penn House, 515 E. Capitol St. SE, just a few blocks east of the Supreme Court. There will be a labeled buzzer for you to ring to be let in. We expect people to drift in, so be patient if you're on the early side. We have reserved the room from 2:30 PM to 7 PM. We will use this opportunity to get to know each other and to share experiences and ideas informally. We are suggesting a “core time” of 3:30-5:30, in which we hope to include discussion of local/area organizing and actions (both general ideas for implementation anywhere and steps to take in the DC metropolitan area). We probably will either order in some food or go out to eat together at some point. All those who support or who are curious about the consistent life ethic are welcome. We hope to have people participating from several CL member groups. You can let us know you plan to join the contingent by emailing info@consistent-life.org or, for Facebook members, signing up at the gathering event page.

Note: William Penn House also has limited hostel-type accommodations. Check their Web site if interested in inexpensive lodging while in Washington.
Democrats for Life
Democrats for Life of America is holding a roundtable discussion from 10 AM to Noon at the Holiday Inn Washington-Capitol, 550 C St. SW. Cost is $25.

SecularProLife

On Saturday, we'll be ditching the computers and hitting the streets of DC, engaging the residents of our nation's capital in pro-life outreach. If you are interested in joining us, please email PhilVegEdge@gmail.com.We will be having a meetup Saturday night at 10:30 pm at T.G.I. Friday's. The address is 2100 Pennsylvania Ave NW (at 21st St) and is just two blocks from the Foggy Bottom/GWU metro station. The meetup is open to anyone, but please let Phil know beforehand so we can have a rough estimate of how many people are coming.

For Monday's march, we will be meeting up at 12:00 pm on the north side of Constitution Ave NW, between 3rd and 4th st. We will have a SecularProLife.org banner and signs. If you plan to be there, email PhilVegEdge@gmail.com ahead of time, and we'll send you a phone number just in case you have any trouble finding us.

Cecilia to represent PLAGAL on 98.3 Valaraiso

2010-11-04T08:38:00.001-04:00

Cecilia to represent PLAGAL this morning at 9:20 cst on WVLP-LP
98.3 Valparaiso with other nontraditional Pro-lifers on the topic of debunking myths and stereotypes of Pro-Life people and the Pro-Life Movement. Listen live at http://www.wvlp.org/

PLAGAL at Gainesville Pride

2010-09-30T21:59:00.002-04:00

PLAGAL will have an information booth at Gainesville Pride in Gainesville FL. On October 23, 2010. The festival is from 2:00 pm until 9:00 pm. We are looking for individuals who can help run our infomation booth. Contact Cecilia at
president@plagal.org if you can help

Is your peaceful prolife speach in jeopordy?

2010-09-30T21:16:00.005-04:00

Life News posted on their website and article titled Obama Admin Targets Pro-Lifers in FBI Training Forum With Pro-Abortion Orgs. It is a very interesting article that anyone who is involved with side walk counseling, demonstrating or picketing a clinic should be very interested in. To read the full article check out http://www.lifenews.com/nat6740. Among the materials passed out was a list of Prolife Groups and their web addresses. PLAGAL was among the list.

24 hour challenge from iGive to raise money for PLAGAL

2010-09-28T19:35:00.001-04:00

‎24 Hour $1 Challenge. Your supporters can help Pro-Life Alliance of Gays And Lesbians at no cost to you or to them. 24 Hour $1 New Member Challenge Starting at noon (Chicago Time) on Wednesday, September 29, 2010 iGive.com will be donating $1 for each new member who joins to help Pro-Life Alliance of Gays And Lesbians and other causes. The Challenge ends when we've given away $5,000, or at noon (Chicago Time), September 30, 2010.

Participation is easy. Just send your friends, supporters, and colleagues this link Wednesday morning: http://www.iGive.com/welcome/warm_reg_promo.cfm?c=3636

Cecilia Brown to represent PLAGAL at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

2010-09-27T22:06:00.002-04:00

Cecilia Brown will represent PLAGAL with her speech Lesbian, Liberal and Prolife at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Lecture Information
Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Building and Room number: Union 2410

This event is sponsored by Carolina Students for Life

For more info contact Cecilia at president@plagal.org
or Carolina Students for Life c/o Carrie Faur cafaur@gmail.com

PLAGAL at Ocala Pride

2010-09-12T17:51:00.003-04:00

Save the date Saturday October 2, 2010 PLAGAL will have an information booth at Ocala Pride. Volunteers are needed to pass out information and answer questions. If you can give an hour or so of your time please contact Cecilia at president@plagal.org

October 2 2010
Where: College of Central Florida Klein Center
3001 SW College Rd
Ocala Florida 34474
Time: 12:00 pm until 7:00 pm
Contact Cecilia at 352-680-1153 or at president@plagal.org

PLAGAL at Baltimore Pride

2010-06-16T07:25:00.000-04:00

PLAGAL will be participating in the Baltimore Pride Festival on June 20 from 11am - 6pm.

Volunteers are needed to help with staffing the booth. If you can give an hour or two of your time to sit at the booth, talk with visitors, and hand out materials, please send an e-mail to pride@plagal.org. A PLAGAL board member will also be at the booth at all times.

If you are unable to volunteer, please stop by the booth and show your support!

The Birth Control Riddle

2010-05-08T11:36:00.001-04:00

This Mothers day the pill will be 50 years old and still despite all the options on the table for birth control half of all pregnancies are unplanned, half of those did not use birth control at all. This is an interesting article from the wall street journal. http://www.globenews24.com/EN/news,the-birth-control-riddle

PLAGAL at Georgetown University

2010-04-13T20:34:00.001-04:00

Jackie Blum will be speaking at Georgetown University on Wednesday, April 14 at 8:15pm. For details, including directions, please contact Jackie at pride@plagal.org.

My take on the heath care debate and abortion,

2010-03-20T10:20:00.001-04:00

Many people have asked “Where does PLAGAL stand on the issue of health care reform?” My answer has been, “like many other pro-life groups, our membership and our board are divided on the issue.” I have remained silent on the issue because I wanted to sit back and watch, listen and analyze all that I heard. It was disheartening to see prolifers fight over this debate. It angered me that one prolifer would think that another was not “pro-life” enough because they saw the solution differently and supported the health care bill. It angered me that one group would discredit another because they did not see the same issues in the health care bill that another did. You think I would be used to it by now because it has happened to PLAGAL members many a time over the years. Still, I am not used to it and it saddens me. Through all this debate I have come to the conclusion that the pro-life movement is made up of many genuine people who want to end abortion. The problem is that they have the approach that their way is the only way and everyone else is wrong. We forget that the pro-life community is a mix of people from all walks of life. They see the world from different sets of eyes. These different sets of eyes are based on life experiences and how they see the world around them. They bring different solutions to the table based on those life experiences. The one size fits all approach is wrong and a detriment to the movement. I have long said that nontraditional pro-life groups reach people that traditional groups could not reach and visa versa, which brings us to the health care debate.

The argument about the health care bill is if it pays for abortions or not. I personally don’t know if it does and it does not really matter to me if it does or not and here is why. My question is... Will more unborn be saved because of health care? Will this remove the obstacle that some women have when they find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy? Many people don't realize that there are many insurance companies and some states (with tax payer’s money) that already pay for abortion. It is my belief that we should focus on making abortion unthinkable by finding the root causes of abortion and dealing with those issues. Health care is one of the issues that many women, especially for the poor and working class, by not having it may push them to have an abortion. I have been called a communist and a socialist from many a pro-lifer because I have long advocated health care. Not just any health care mind you, but universal single payer health care, you know, the stuff run by the government where everyone is covered. This has made me unpopular among many pro-lifers even among some PLAGAL members. But my eyes see things differently than many others.

Until five years ago I have lived in the inner city of Cleveland Ohio. Now I live in a semi rural area of Ocala Florida. I have always lived in working class neighborhoods where I had to watch people make hard choices when it came to what they could pay for. Health care was one of those hard choices. It is a choice many times I had to make. Pay health care or utilities. Pay for health care or child care. It was always the most immediate need that won out. Even when I had health care many times I could not use it because I could not pay for the copay, or the deductible, so what good was it? I currently have fabulous health care from my employer (being PLAGAL president is not my job, I do that as a volunteer) but not without a cost and sacrifice. I spent ¼ of my income last year on health care between premiums, deductibles and co pays. I endured a Florida summer without air conditioning because I had to choose between dr visits, tests, surgeries or the electric bill and other utilities. I personally know of someone who died last year because they could not get the ongoing care they needed for high blood pressure. They were not fortunate to have an employer that offered health care. The monthly doctor visits cost him way too much. The doctors receive more from self pay individuals than they do from the insurance companies for the same service. They know that the insurance is going to negotiate a lower rate and they will take it from the insurance company but not from a self pay individual. How sad is that? I have met women who had abortions because they did not have health care and did not think they qualified for Medicaid. Then they worried what would happen after the pregnancy. It is these types of issues that have helped shaped the eyes I see out of.

What set of eyes do you see out of? Have you been fortunate enough that you have not had to make those tough choices? Have you been fortunate enough that you make enough money that this is not an issue for you? Are you fortunate enough that you have not had to go without health care because you always have had an employer that has offered health care at an affordable rate? Before you attack my stance on the issue, think about the set of eyes I am looking out of. What my life experiences have been. The things I have seen on my life’s journey.

I won’t ask you to contact your legislature and encourage them to vote one way or another. I do encourage you though to look at the issue and try to see it from the eyes of another and give them they respect even if you don’t agree. I ask that you read the legislation for yourself and draw your own conclusions. I ask that you contact your legislature and let them know your vision of the issue even if it is different than mine. Get involved.

Cecilia Brown
President
PLAGAL
For those who want to read the Senate Health care bill, the budget committees report on the health care bill check out this website http://www.rules.house.gov/

Topic of forced abortions on Private Practice

2010-01-22T17:36:00.003-05:00

If you did not get to see the January 21, 2010 episode of Private Practice I suggest you do. Many people when talking about the abortion debate seldom mention a dirty little secret of forced abortions. In this episode of Private Practice, one character who is very pro life finds out her teenage daughter is pregnant. She loses her head and tries to force her daughter into an abortion that is not wanted by the daughter. It was a great episode. If nothing else it is a great conversation starter on the issue of forced abortions.

On the issue of forced abortions, there is only one group that I know of that is taking on the issue head on. The Elliot Institute is working on a campaign called,

Abortion the unchoice
unwanted, unsafe, unfair

You can check out their website at www.theunchoice.com

March For Life January 22, 2010

2010-01-11T07:38:00.002-05:00

Jackie Blum will be heading up the PLAGAL contingency for the March for Life to be held on January 22, 2010. The march takes place on the mall at noon. We will meet at 11:30 in front of the National Archives. To get there by metro take the green or yellow line to the Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn quarter station. Jackie will be bringing brochures to pass out so all you will need to to is dress warmly and bring a homemade sign that says you are part of PLAGAL. Any questions contact us at plagal.org, Cecilia at 352-680-1153 or Jackie at 717-825-6705

PLAGAL to participate in Ocala Pride

2009-09-13T14:17:00.002-04:00

PLAGAL will be having an educational booth at the Ocala Pride Fest on October 3rd and 4th. Ocala Pride Fest will be held in Ocala Florida. Volunteers are needed to staff the booth. If you can participate please contact Cecilia at president@plagal.org

Obama Science Advisor Denies He Backs Forced Abortion, Population Control

2009-07-25T12:43:00.002-04:00

Obama Science Advisor Denies He Backs Forced Abortion, Population Control http://www.lifenews.com:80/nat5257.html Obama Science Advisor Denies He Backs Forced Abortion, Population Control

This is an update from LifeNews on the issue of John Holdren and his beliefs on Population Control.

Obama Science Advisor Called For “Planetary Regime” To Enforce Totalitarian Population Control Measures

2009-07-23T10:01:00.001-04:00

This came across the Florida Greens list serve. It is pretty scary stuff. Even prochoicers are concerned about this.

www.infowars.com
Source: www.infowars.com
Paul Joseph Watson In 1977 book, John Holdren advocated forced abortions, mass sterilization through food and water supply and mandatory bodily implants to prevent pregnancies.

Cecilia Brown on Prolife Unity Radio

2009-06-28T08:07:00.003-04:00

On June 20, 2009 Cecilia Brown, President of PLAGAL, was on Prolife Unity radio. You can here portions of the interview at http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/audio.aspx?v=ydaGeu2GZu

PLAGAL now on myspace and facebook!

2009-06-25T19:30:00.000-04:00

Do you connect with people on myspace or facebook? Well now you can connect with PLAGAL too. PLAGAL has finally set up an account on facebook and myspace. Check us out.

On facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/York-PA/PLAGAL-The-Prolife-Alliance-of-Gays-and-Lesbians/99136188374?ref=ts

On Myspacehttp://www.myspace.com/prolifegaysandlesbians

Capital Pride June 14 Volunteers needed

2009-06-05T08:25:00.001-04:00

On June 14 PLAGAL will be participating in Capital Pride in Washington, DC. We will have a booth set up with information for individuals attending Pride and we are looking for volunteers to help staff the booth.

Capital Pride starts at 11:00am and will continue until 6:00pm. A board member will be present at all times, so there is no need to worry about being left alone at the booth.

Please contact Jackie Blum by phone or e-mail with times that you are available to help at the booth. Even one hour of your time is greatly appreciated!

For life,
Jackie Blum
Exec Vice President
pride@plagal.org
(717) 825-6705

Cecilia Brown to represent PLAGAL at Wellesley

2009-04-30T08:17:00.003-04:00

Cecilia Brown will be representing PLAGAL with her speech "Lesbian, Liberal and Prolife" on
Monday May 4th 2009 at 7 pm. in Pendleton Well (first floor lounge). PLAGAL members and friends are invited and encouraged to attend.

Wellesley is located at 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481

Directions: Turn into Wellesley College at the lights on the 135 main entrance to campus. Take your first right and park in the parking garage to your right (free visitor parking). See attached map to get to Pendleton Well (1st floor lounge) where the talk is being held or visit http://www.wellesley.edu/CampusMaps/ (no more than a 5min walk from the garage). There is a drop off area (and handicap parking) close to the building if needed. There are a few other parking areas on the map but parking isn't guaranteed in those locations. E-mail questions to Dee at dgarraha@wellesley.edu or call 703 408 8129.

PLAGAL Sightings on the web

2009-04-22T10:08:00.002-04:00

From time to time I look for new articles, blogs and such on the web that mention PLAGAL to put in our archives. So I figured I would compile a list so others can see as well. These are from January until the present. Happy Reading.

PLAGAL: The Gay Christian Right?
SEARCH. Proclamations of the Red Queen. 16th March 2009 ... anti-abortion group, PLAGAL (the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians), I was shocked. ...gaynz.com/blog/redqueen/archives/555 - 25k - Cached - Similar pages -

I had no idea what this said so I went to google, put in the website and had it translated.
Udalosti svet.týždeň (predplatné) - Bratislava,SlovakiaOd roku 2003 však s nimi pochodujú aj členovia spolku PLAGAL (Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians) a po počiatočných nezhodách s hlavnou organizátorkou ...

Just a Girl in short shorts talking about whatever: Pro Choice Pro ...By Becky C. Although I follow what they are up to, I have never joined the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL). Probably this is because it was not a real enjoyable experience when I was publicly excommunicated from NOW, for persisting ...Just a Girl in short shorts talking... - http://girlinshortshorts.blogspot.com/

PLAGAL
Catholic University Bans Pro-Life Gay Org. From Sponsoring ...Catholic University of America The Tower - Washington,DC,USA“Of course I‘m frustrated,“ said Cecilia Brown, president of PLAGAL in an interview with The Tower, “I‘m tired of being treated like this by Christians…even ...

"Gays Against Abortion?" Its at: http://abortionabout.com/aablog/2009/01/25/gays-abortion/

1/24 SF Gay Community Mostly Absent from Pro-Abortion March : Indybay
1/24 SF Gay Community Mostly Absent from Pro-Abortion March. by ... of the gay community and their friends, by definition also a pro-abortion ...www.indybay.org

http://www.turntheclockforward.org/2009/01/catholic-university-bars-plagal-from-students-for-life-conference/#comments

Catholic University Owes PLAGAL an ApologyCatholic University of America The Tower - Washington,DC,USAIf you do not know what I am talking about, then please engage directly with PLAGAL members and they will tell you about the many ways that LGBT phobia is ...

GLBT CATHOLICS CHALLENGES THE INTEGRITY OF CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF ...Out In America - Columbus,OH,USAPLAGAL has historically sought to convince pro-life Christians of its gay rights ... Objecting to PLAGAL participation based on the Church's Teaching on the ...

MAS - Catholic U. Bars Pro-Life Gay GroupStudents for Life, the campus group coordinating the conference, was told by school administrators that PLAGAL's mission statement goes against the teachings of the Catholic Church. According to PLAGAL's blog, its mission is to "bring ...MAS - http://masteradriannl2.multiply.com/

Letters from War: Catholic University Doesn’t Need Help From LGBTsThe Catholic University of America said, "Thanks, but no thanks" to the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL) who wanted to co-sponsor an on campus pro-life conference. Apparently PLAGAL's support for civil rights within the ...Letters from War - http://thelettersfromwar.blogspot.com/

Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians barred from Students for ...In the past PLAGAL has participated in the Students for Life conference at Catholic University with an overwhelmingly positive response from the students. It has been an opportunity to see and hear the pro-life message presented in a ...Latest Activity on Atheist Nexus - http://atheistnexus.ning.com/

Gay Rights - Change.org: The 50 Spot: Catholic University Rejects ...The group, Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL), were told by CUA officials that their mission statement "goes against the teachings of the Catholic Church," because while they tow the line on abortion, they advocate for ...Change.org's Gay Rights Blog - http://gayrights.change.org/

Catholic University Rejects Campus Activity by Gay Rights GroupCatholic Online - Bakersfield,CA,USAThe Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL) advocates the right to life as the basis of all other human rights. But the organization’s support for ...

Catholic U Denies Homosexual Rights Group Request to Co-Sponsor ...“We need a unified front in the fight against abortion, and PLAGAL has an important place in the pro-life movement. Nevertheless, CUA is a public witness to the Catholic faith, and its first obligation is to its students. ...LifeSiteNews.com Headlines - http://www.lifesitenews.com/

Gay Religion: news of religion and GLBT folks: Catholic University ...By Tom Jackson "CUA made a difficult but admirable decision in restricting PLAGAL's activity on campus," said Patrick Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. "We need a unified front in the fight against abortion, and PLAGAL has an important ...Gay Religion: news of religion... - http://gay-religion.blogspot.com/

http://www.cuatower.com/2009/02/16/banning-gay-group-was-right-choice/

http://www.cuatower.com/2009/01/29/catholic-university-owes-plagal-an-apology/

PGN-The Philadelphia Gay News. Phila gay news. philly news - The source ...
... during the 2009 Northeast Regional Pride Conference, an annual gathering ... NERP is a geographic subdivision of InterPride, an international association of ...www.epgn.com

I have a question about abortion and Gay rights.? - Yahoo! AnswersSource(s): http://www.PLAGAL.org (prolife alliance of gays and lesbians) http:// groups.yahoo.com/group/nonlethala... 39 minutes ago ...

Highlights of University Miami Engagement

2009-04-21T08:29:00.006-04:00

I really enjoyed the students from University of Miami Respect Life. What a diverse group they are and it was wonderful to see. Attached are a few links that offer some highlights of the event.

1. Video clips of my speech Lesbian, Liberal and Prolife

http://www.freewebs.com/umrespectlife/apps/videos/

2. Article published by the University Newspaper

http://www.themiamihurricane.com/2009/04/19/speaker-shares-experiences-as-a-pro-life-lesbian/

If you want more information about University of Miami Respect Life you can go to their website at www.freewebs.com/umrespectlife. Kelsey Hazzard who serves as president of UM Respect Life is starting another group called Secular Prolife which will also be a group that will be nontraditional in its approach to the abortion debate. You can reach that group at http://www.secularprolife.org/. Upon opening the website's Mission page you are greeted with a quote from our very own founder Tom Sena.

Cecilia To Speak at University of Miami

2009-04-13T08:48:00.002-04:00

Cecilia will be representing PLAGAL at the University of Miami with her speach Lesbian Liberal and Prolife.

April 16th 2009
8:30 pm
At the University Center ballroom D
The UC is on 1354 Stanford Drive, Coral Gables, FL.

Crisis pregnancy manual for LGBT community- Survey Included

2009-03-08T21:00:00.002-04:00

Dear PLAGALites,
We need your help to develop a much-needed manual on crisis pregnancy in the LGBTQ community. To gather up your wisdom, we are offering this survey.

However, of course, it is entirely up to you whether or not you choose to answer any particular question, or to take this survey at all. Your individual answers will be kept confidential unless you give permission for them to be reprinted in the manual. And if you wish for your individual answers to be printed in the manual, you have the choice to do this under your real name or anonymously.

If you have any questions or suggestions about the survey, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Please return all surveys in Word format to Cecilia Brown or Mary Krane Derr by April 1, 2009.
We truly appreciate what only you can contribute to this unique and much needed service to the LGBTQ community.

Thank you very much!
Cecilia Brown, President, Pro Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians, president@plagal.org
Mary Krane Derr, Editor, Nonviolent Choice Directory, editor@nonviolentchoice.info

Draft Outline of Manual

Crisis Pregnancy in the Queer Community: A Helpful Guide for LGBTQ People & Allies A joint project of PLAGAL and the Nonviolent Choice Directory

Introduction (Why this manual. Its intended audiences: LGBTQ persons at risk for or currently experiencing crisis pregnancies; their families and friends; helping professionals & volunteers such as pregnancy counselors, LGBTQ health center workers, or youth caseworkers; LGBTQ people & allies who wish to make a difference on this matter).

The Lifesaving, Life-Affirming Power of Acceptance (Acceptance by others and one’s self as a preventive for suicide, substance abuse, sexual abuse, unprotected and risky sex, & other problems with a bearing on the incidence of crisis pregnancy & abortion. Some “how to’s” for achieving acceptance.)

Crisis Pregnancy: A neglected Problem Among LGBTQ Persons (Research & personal stories establishing crisis pregnancy risk among LGBTQ people. Those at risk include, but are not limited to, youth conflicted over their sexual identities; street youth involved in sex work for purposes of survival; and bisexual people who do not get encouragement and support in their sexual and reproductive needs from either the straight or gay communities.)

Prevention (LGBTQ-friendly and unborn child- & mother -friendly sex education. LGBTQ-friendly education on preventive methods & safer sex—here can make room for different perspectives such as pro contraception & pro natural methods. But the subject cannot be ignored, especially since education on prevention is so overwhelmingly geared to heterosexuals.)

When Crisis Pregnancy Happens: Abortion Alternatives (Emotional reactions to crisis pregnancy; awareness of one’s own strengths; existence of options other than abortion, such as help to get through the pregnancy, then making decisions about adoption, foster care, guardianship, or other care arrangements.)

Making a Difference (Ways to help relieve the problem of crisis pregnancy & abortion in the LGBTQ community. Will cover, among other things, crisis pregnancy aid, adoption, foster care, and guardianship, advocacy for maternal/child assistance after birth.)

THE SURVEY ITSELF

Audience & Content of Manual
1. What organizations and kinds of organizations would you like to have and use this manual? (Please give contact information if you have it.)
2. What do you feel is most important to include in the manual?

Acceptance
What are some practical ideas and resources (such as websites, organizations, publications, etc.) for promoting:
3. Self-acceptance among LGBTQ people?
4. Acceptance of LGBTQ people in their/our own families?
5. Acceptance of LGBTQ people among straights/heterosexuals?
6. Acceptance of LGBTQ people in the prolife community, especially crisis pregnancy workers?
7. Acceptance of LGBTQ prolifers in the wider LGBTQ community?
8. Acceptance among more prochoicers that there could be better answers than abortion to crisis pregnancy among LGBTQ people?

Crisis Pregnancy Among LGBTQ Persons
9. We would like to include in the manual as complete as possible a bibliography of materials on the subject of LGBTQ crisis pregnancy (from any vantage point on abortion, whether, for example, prolife, prochoice, or neutral). Please tell us about any materials that should go on this list—for example, research studies, articles, websites, films, or books.
10. Do you have a story you would like to share as an LGBTQ person who has personally experienced crisis pregnancy, whether as a pregnant woman or her male partner? (If you so choose, please tell us as much or as little as you would like.)
11. If you do have such a story and want to share it, what would you like other people most to learn from your story?
12. What are some friendly places, if you know of any, where LGBTQ people dealing with crisis pregnancies can turn?
13. If you can think of any such places, what precisely makes them friendly?

Prevention
How do you feel that sex education can be made more friendly:
14. For LGBTQ people?
15. For unborn babies and pregnant women?

16. How do you feel that prevention services can be made more friendly for LGBTQ people?
17. Please recommend some practical ideas or resources for sex education and prevention in these areas.

Making a Difference
18. Do you have a personal story you would like to share of making a difference for LGBTQ people who are facing (or might otherwise face) the dilemma of crisis pregnancy? (Examples might include, but are not limited to: being a sexuality educator; adopting, fostering, or guardianship; directly helping pregnant individuals; working, volunteering, or advocating for maternal/child health and welfare services and programs.)

19. Please recommend some practical ideas or resources for anyone who wants to help alleviate the issues of crisis pregnancy among LGBTQ people.

About You
20. Do you give permission for quotations from any of your survey answers to be used in the manual?
a. Yes b. No
21. If you do give permission, which of the following would you prefer?
a. Identify me only as “Anonymous.”
b. Just use details that do not include my name. (Example: “Bisexual African American, age 32.”) Include the following details: _________________________________________________________
c. Only mention my first name. My first name is: _________________________________
d. Use my whole name. My whole name is: ____________________________
e. I have different preferences for different answers. These are:______________________________
22. What is your gender?
23. Sexual orientation?
24. Age?
25. Nationality?
26. Race/ethnicity?
27. Religion? (If none, you can identify yourself as, for example, “Freethinker,” “Atheist,” or whatever else may apply.)
28. Political Affiliation?
29. Is there anything else you would like us to know about you?

Thank you very much for helping to make the best manual we can!

Media Release: Catholic University Denies Event Sponsorship

2009-01-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY DENIES EVENT SPONSORSHIP BY LGBT ORGANIZATION

On Saturday, January 24, 2009, hundreds of students will come to Catholic University in Washington DC to participate in a conference by Students for Life of America. Booths by sponsoring organization will be lined up to provide information to these students. But missing this year will be the booth staffed by the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL).

In the past PLAGAL has participated in the Students for Life conference at Catholic University with an overwhelmingly positive response from the students. It has been an opportunity to see and hear the pro-life message presented in a unique fashion and conference attendees have been eager to engage PLAGAL members in discussion about issues they may have never considered before.

This year, however, students will not have that opportunity. Officials at Catholic University are denying PLAGAL the opportunity to sponsor a booth. They maintain that they have a right to accept or deny sponsorship to any group coming onto their campus that is not consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Although there has been a great deal of communication between PLAGAL board members and Catholic University, the university continues to deny PLAGAL access to booth space at the 2009 conference.

The mission of PLAGAL has always been concerned with preserving the life of the unborn and caring for the mothers of these children. While PLAGAL gears their message toward the LGBT community, it is a message that college students are more willing to hear today than ever before. “The gay community is more pro-life than ever before and the younger generation is more pro-gay than ever before. Now is a time for us to come and work together towards a common goal, not to point out our differences and isolate ourselves,” states Jackie Blum, Executive Vice President of PLAGAL.

Unfortunately, focusing on our differences and not how we can work together is exactly what Catholic University has chosen to do. Abortion affects the lives of thousands of individuals per day. We can no longer afford the luxury of isolation. We must be willing to put aside our differences and take care of those among us who are the most vulnerable – the unborn and their mothers.

###

The Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL) was organized in 1990 to advance the pro-life message within the lesbian and gay community. PLAGAL is a 501(c) (3) Massachusetts-based corporation with nation-wide membership and active groups in several major cities in the United States.

Help needed to produce manual addressing issues of crisis pregnancy and abortion among the LGBTQ youth

2009-01-18T10:08:00.003-05:00

Dear PLAGALites,
Happy New Year, and good luck with all the good work you are hoping for!
I mentioned to Cecilia B. my idea for a manual that specifically addresses the issue of crisis pregnancy and abortion among LGBTQ people. She thought it was a good idea. I hope you all do, too. I’d really like to develop such a manual with PLAGAL. There is such a need. A draft outline follows this note.

I envision a manual that could be made available online for free through PLAGAL & through the Nonviolent Choice Directory, and publicized to crisis pregnancy organizations, youth centers, LGBT groups, and the like.

I’m a freelance writer as well as a former social worker in the area of crisis pregnancy and other reproductive counseling, and now editor of the Nonviolent Choice Directory (http://www.nonviolentchoice.info/), a gay-friendly, global listing of abortion-reducing resources. So that’s what I bring to the table. And you all have to offer your diverse insights and experiences with this issue in your own community, which in the end will really be what gives this manual its compassion and moral credibility.

I hope this is a project you all wish to take on!

With love and gratitude,
Mary Krane Derr

Crisis Pregnancy in the Queer Community: A Helpful Guide for LGBTQ People & Allies
A joint project of PLAGAL and the Nonviolent Choice Directory

Introduction (Why this manual. Its intended audiences: LGBTQ persons at risk for or currently experiencing crisis pregnancies; their families and friends; helping professionals & volunteers such as pregnancy counselors or youth caseworkers; LGBTQ people & allies who wish to make a difference on this matter).

Chapters:
--Crisis Pregnancy: A Neglected Problem Among LGBTQ Persons (Research & personal stories establishing crisis pregnancy risk among LGBTQ people, especially youth conflicted over their sexual identities.)
--The Lifesaving, Life-Affirming Power of Acceptance (Acceptance by others and one’s self as a preventive for suicide, substance abuse, sexual abuse, unprotected and risky sex, & other problems with a bearing on the incidence of crisis pregnancy & abortion. Some “how to’s” for achieving acceptance.)
--Prevention (LGBTQ-friendly and unborn child- & mother -friendly sex education. LGBTQ-friendly education on preventive methods & safer sex—here can make room for different perspectives such as pro contraception & pro natural methods. But the subject cannot be ignored, especially since education on prevention is so overwhelmingly geared to heterosexuals.)
--When Crisis Pregnancy Happens: Abortion Alternatives
--Making a Difference (Ways to help relieve the problem of crisis pregnancy & abortion in the LGBTQ community. Will cover, among other things, crisis pregnancy aid, adoption, foster care, and guardianship, advocacy for maternal/child assistance after birth.)

Catholic University denies PLAGAL sponsorship of Students for Life conference

2009-01-18T09:59:00.000-05:00

The mission statement of PLAGAL- the Prolife Alliance of Gays and Lesbians is as follows: "Gays against Abortion" was founded in 1990 by Tom Sena. In 1991 the name was changed to the current name PLAGAL- The Pro-life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians. What started out as one voice within the glbt community for the unborn is now over a thousand strong and continues to grow. Plagal works to bring the pro-life message to the glbt community while at the same time tries to set up working relationships with those within the traditional pro-life community. PLAGAL members work very hard to accomplish our mission.

In the past we have been attacked at Pride events and asked to leave. Our members have been spit at, sworn at, flipped off, called traitors and spies, and told that we did not belong equally at both pride events and prolife events. We have been threatened with arrest and even arrested at prolife events. PLAGAL members have not been detoured. Our members persevered because they believed in the mission of PLAGAL. Our hard work paid off or so it would seem.

We’ve been able to participate and bring our message to various pride events with very few problems. There are those in the LGBT community, especially our youth, who have been more receptive to the prolife message. The youth don’t link abortion rights with LGBT rights like older members of the community do. They see a clear distinction between the two issues. This is why we participate in the DC youth pride. We have made major headway in our own community.

In the prolife community is where we still see most of our problems. This is because they cannot get past religion. Religion drives them in the movement. They forget however that religion is not what brings a great number of people to the prolife movement. They forget that there are groups out there that religion is not the basis for why they are opposed to abortion. They don’t look outside the box and see what those in other nontraditional groups can bring to the prolife table. PLAGAL often is one of their targets. The youth within the prolife movement are more willing to work with nontraditional prolifers. They see that there are many different angles that the issue can be worked from. This is why we participate in the Students for Life conference. Our past president Moses Remedios served as president for their organization while he was in college. Current board member Rick Hoffman was also involved with them while he was in college. Other members of PLAGAL too have been affiliated with the group when they were in college.

PLAGAL had plans to participate in the Students for Life conference that is to be held at Catholic University on Saturday January 24th. This year however, instead of participating as we have in the past, I received this from Kristan Hawkins, executive director of Students for Life:

I have some unfortunate news to share. Per our contract with Catholic University, they have the right to review our list vendors every year to give final approval. Yesterday, they told me that they will not approve PLAGAL’s sponsorship. I spoke with my liaison at the University last night who told me that the University could not allow an organization on its campus whose part of its mission statement goes against the “teachings of the Catholic Church.”

I am very, very, very sorry about this action. It has never been a problem before this year.

My question is this to Catholic University, our mission statement is against Catholic teachings how? This is exactly why we have so much trouble getting prolife members of the LGBT community involved in the prolife movement. LGBT prolifers don't want to get involved because religion is thrown into the mix. What about the human rights aspect of the issue? Does the university think that when these prolife students are out in the world or on campus bringing their prolife message that they will appeal to everyone on a religious basis? If they are thinking that, they are sadly misguided. Most of these students go to a university where there is a Gay and Lesbian student group. There are members of these student groups who are prolife or receptive to the prolife message. Prolife students need to be able to reach those individuals. They will not be able to do this by pushing religion that will only push them away. There is a rise in unplanned pregnancies among the youth of the lgbt community for a variety of reasons. These young people need reached out to. Who better to reach them than our youth within the prolife movement? They will only scare them away if they go at it from a religious point of view. Remember, much of the animosity that the LGBT community has toward the religious community is based on the treatment that they have received in the name of God. You will not be able to reach them if you use religion as the reasons they should support life. PLAGAL offers the way to reach our LGBT youth. We have been successful. We have been doing it for years.

With the new president elect soon to take office, you would think that those in the prolife community would welcome nontraditional prolifers into the mix. After all, it will be those groups who will most likely make the biggest impact because they will be looking at the issue from a different perspective, one that maybe the new administration will be more willing to listen to.

Currently Cecilia has a call into the University. Hopefully this misunderstanding can be rectified and PLAGAL will be able to participate in the conference. As more information becomes available we will pass it on.

Cecilia Brown to give workshop at Pride Coordinators March meeting

2009-01-11T15:51:00.001-05:00

Cecilia Brown, the President of PLAGAL, will be presenting a workshop entitled “It’s My Pride Too” during the Northeast Pride Coordinators annual meeting (NERP), March 14, 2009, in Philadelphia.

Interpride is the International Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Coordinators which is responsible for annual gay pride events throughout the world, mostly in the month of June. NERP is a smaller component, and is comprised of the pride coordinators from Northeastern United States (Washington D.C. to Maine) and covers a lot of small celebrations, but does include rather larger ones in Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston. NERP’s annual meeting is being hosted this year by the Philly Pride.

This is an excellent opportunity to expose gay pride coordinators to the prolife segment of the gay community which is too often overlooked or ignored. Chuck Volz, a PLAGAL member and senior advisor to the Philly gay pride group, will be moderating the workshop. “As someone with two adopted children, who as a lawyer has represented hundreds of prolifers arrested in rescues at abortion clinics, and who has administered a home for crisis pregnancies for ten years, I am always disappointed by the self-stereotyping of the gay community which portrays us as all ‘pro-choice.’ We are certainly not. And I am happy that we can sensitize my other gay pride coordinators to elements of their community which they may overlook.”

If PLAGAL members want to stop by and support Cecilia at the conference, they are welcomed to do so. Just contact Cecilia at president@plagal.org so that she can let Chuck know.

More PLAGAL INK

2009-01-11T15:05:00.002-05:00

Every now and then when I get a break (usually when my grandson is taking a nap), I get the opportunity to go on some search engines and find articles that mention PLAGAL. Many times it is not in the article itself but in the replies that follow the article that PLAGAL is mentioned. It leads to some interesting reading and even sometimes I find myself shaking my head in disbelief of some of the things that are said. Here are a few of these articles and the strings of replies.

Hit & Run > New at Reason: Steve Chapman on the Case for Gay ...
For an alternate perspective, see the Web site of the Prolife Alliance of Gays and Lesbians, http://www.plagal.org/. Rob Midro December 1, 2008, ...www.reason.com/blog/show/130326.html - 76k

Jill Stanek - ARTL crashes NRLC's party
I might add that there is a prolife same-sex organization called plagal (prolife alliance of gays and lesbians) who's motto is ...... archives. January 2009 ...www.jillstanek.com/archives/2008/07/artl_crashes_nr.html - 263k - Cached - Similar pages

Warren Throckmorton » Anti-violence group expresses concerns over ...
The task force is slated to report findings at the August, 2008 annual ... Agnostic Pro-Life League, Prolife Alliance of Gays and Lesbians and many others. ...wthrockmorton.com/2008/07/14/anti-violence-group-expresses-concerns-over-apa-abortion-task-force/ - 40k - Cached - Similar pages -

Yahoo! Answers - What is the most common reason for a woman to ...
Member since: 30 May 2008; Total points: 619 (Level 2) .... provided by groups like The Prolife Alliance of Gays and Lesbians ( http://www.plagal.org ) and ...sg.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080621134147AAlnFz1 - 74k - Cached - Similar pages -

Notice of Annual Meeting and Proxy Vote

2009-01-09T09:52:00.000-05:00

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING
January 9, 2009

To all Members:

On Saturday January 24th, 2009 at 7 pm at the Dignity Center the annual meeting of PLAGAL will be held for the purpose of electing Directors, and such other business as may lawfully be conducted. The Dignity Center is located on Capitol Hill in Washington DC at 721 8th St. SE. The closest metro stop is Eastern Market station and it's a three-block walk from there.

Thirty percent (30%) of all PLAGAL members (a “quorum”) must be present, in person or by Proxy, at the meeting in order for any business to be conducted. It is therefore VERY IMPORTANT that you either attend or provide a Proxy.

A Proxy is for the purpose of appointing another person to vote for you in the event that you might not be able to attend the meeting. If you appoint a Proxy and later decide you will be able to attend the meeting in person, you may withdraw your Proxy when you register at the meeting.

Attached is the proxy and issues up for vote. Since it is in Word format it is easy to just fill in and send back to me at president@plagal.org.

Again, please be sure to either attend the annual meeting or submit a proxy. Thank you for your assistance in conducting the business of PLAGAL.

Cecilia Brown
President

PRO-LIFE ALLIANCE OF GAYS AND LESBIANS PROXY

The undersigned hereby appoints (check one)

a) _______ Cecilia Brown President of PLAGAL (or)
b) ___________________ (if you check b), Print in the name of your proxy

as my/our proxy with full powers of substitution, for and in the names, place and stead of the undersigned, to appear, represent and cast votes upon any matters on behalf of the undersigned at the adjournment of the annual meeting of PLAGAL to be held at noon on Saturday, January 25, 2009, at the Dignity Center, 721 8th St. SE, Washington, DC, and any adjournment thereof.

BALLOT FOR ELECTING DIRECTORS
Vote for no more than nine (9) candidates. * denotes re-election

___ David Styers* currently serving as Treasurer
___ William Crow* currently serving as Assistant Treasurer
___ Rick Hoffman* currently serving as speakers bureau chair
___ Kenneth Teise* currently serving as Vice President
___ Jackie Malone* currently serving as Executive Vice President and Pride committee chair
___ Cecilia Brown* currently serving as President and newsletter editor
___ Maria Krasinski* currently serving as Vice President
___ Steven Cook* currently serving as Vice President
___ Daniel Hughes* currently serving as Vice President.

BALLOT ON REMAING PART OF CONSISTENT LIFE

Should PLAGAL remain a member of Consistent Life? Every year our members decide if we remain a member organization of Consistent Life. Consistent Life’s mission statement is as follows:

We are committed to the protection of life, which is threatened in today’s world by war, abortion, poverty, racism, capital punishment and euthanasia. We believe that these issues are linked under a ‘consistent ethic of life’. We challenge those working on all or some of these issues to maintain a cooperative spirit of peace, reconciliation, and respect in protecting the unprotected.

With talking with Rachel Mc Nair Director of Consistent life member organizations do not have to work on all these issues. They just cannot be working against any of them. Example would be working to end abortion but at the same time working to support the war in Iraq. Then we could not be part of the organization. Since PLAGAL is single issue we are able to be part of the network.

________ Yes
_________ No

Date________________ Initials _________________

This proxy is revocable by the member and is valid only for the meeting for which it is given and any lawful adjournment. In no event is the proxy valid for more than ninety (90) days from the date of the original meeting for which it was given.

January 2009 Activities for PLAGAL

2009-01-09T09:42:00.002-05:00

On January 22, 2009 PLAGAL will once again be participating in the March for Life. We will be meeting at 1pm at the Navy Memorial fountains. The Navy Memorial is located at: 701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW. Washington, DC 20004. There is a metro stop there. Then, we will go as a group to the march. The rally for the March for life this year is located on 7th Street between Jefferson and Madison Drive. For those of you who cannot meet us at the Navy memorial, just look for the PLAGAL banner in the vicinity of the rally. We will try to find and meet up with other organizations such as FFL, DFL and Consistent Life if possible. If all else fails and you have still been unable to find PLAGAL you will find us at some point at the Constitution Avenue entrance to the Russell Senate Office Building where we will stop marching and hand out flyers calling for inclusiveness in the struggle to help women and their unborn children until the end of the March.

On January 23, 2009 PLAGAL members will meet up to visit our own legislatures to share our personal views on the issue of abortion and give them PLAGAL information. For those who are interested in visiting your representatives we will meet up at Union Station at 11am and go together as a group. Please bring info on your representative such as office they are located at and maybe a letter (not in an envelope) to express your views. It is unlikely that they will be in the office to receive you. It is helpful if you know where your representative stands on the issue of abortion and word your letter accordingly.

On January 24, 2009 PLAGAL will have an information booth at the Students for Life Conference. The conference is located at the Pryzbyla Center, Catholic University of America Washington, D.C. 620 Michigan Ave., N.E. Washington, D.C. 20064. The closest Metro stop is the Brookland-CUA station on the Red line Help is needed to give out information to the students who participate. PLAGAL will have a booth from 8 am until about 5 pm. If you can volunteer please contact us at plagal@plagal.org before January 20, 2009

On Saturday January 24, 2009 at 7 pm at the Dignity Center the annual meeting of PLAGAL will be held. We will be electing our board of directors as well as discussing other business of PLAGAL. It is also a great time to get together for light refreshment and meeting other members and friends of PLAGAL. The Dignity Center is located on Capitol Hill in Washington DC at 721 8th St. SE. The closest metro stop is Eastern Market station and it's a three-block walk from there.

“Respect the Woman in Every Woman”: Maria Elżbieta Zakrzewska, Prolife Lesbian and Pioneering Feminist Physician

2009-01-04T15:38:00.002-05:00

This just goes to show you that there is a history of those in the Lesbian community that did not support abortion and worked to improve the lives of single mothers and their children.

This article is By Marysia from the Nonviolent Choice Directory and Blog, http://www.nonviolentchoice.info and http://nonviolentchoice.blogspot.com

Although born in Berlin, Germany, Maria Elżbieta Zakrzewska (pronounced roughly “Zak-chevf-ska,” 1829-1902) belonged to a Polish family who had lost their wealth and land to Russian occupiers. All her life, Zakrzewska, a religious freethinker, was acutely conscious of the ways that power could be abused or applied for good. She received excellent midwifery training in Europe and then, in 1853, immigrated to the United States to seek a medical education. At first, prejudice against her as a Polish immigrant and as a woman with professional skills and aspirations was so intense that she could at first only find ill-paid work as a seamstress.
Zakrzewska became friends with Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first US woman of any race or ethnicity to achieve the MD degree. Blackwell encouraged her to brave the overwhelmingly male environs of the medical school at Cleveland’s Western Reserve University. Zakrzewska earned her MD in 1856. She specialized in obstetrics and gynecology. She returned to New York City and with Blackwell sought to rent rooms where they could set up medical practice. They were refused time after time by landlords who mistook them for abortionists. The two doctors did not appreciate the confusion. Like Blackwell, who considered abortion violence against female and fetal life, Zakrzewska strongly opposed abortion. (1)
When the two friends sought to challenge Madame Restell (Ann Trow Lohman), New York’s most famous abortion provider, a lawyer told them to stop because Restell was a “social necessity” defended by the rich and powerful and therefore beyond any challenge. (2) But like Blackwell, Zakrzewska continued to challenge abortion through radical measures that made it less of a “social necessity.”

Zakrzewska worked with Elizabeth Blackwell and her sister Emily, also a physician, to start the New York Infirmary for Women and Children in 1857. The first entirely female-staffed US hospital, it was later chartered as a women’s medical college. The Infirmary focused on service to the indigent. Elizabeth Cushier, a staff surgeon and Emily Blackwell’s life partner, noted that the Infirmary was at the time the only safe haven in the city for single pregnant women. (3) Elsewhere, while their babies’ fathers were not called to account, single mothers themselves were moralistically deprived of aid before and after they gave birth, and even when they were in labor. Many ended up in prostitution because they had no other means of survival. The Infirmary was up against a widespread prejudice that anyone who helped single mothers was aiding and abetting immorality—sometimes even on the part of people who inveighed against the practice of abortion but did nothing to help women avoid it. (4)
Zakrzewska moved to Boston and founded the New England Hospital for Women and Children in 1862. She headed it until retiring in 1899. Zakrzewska made maternity services for the poor and single an integral part of its services. She also created the Temporary Infant Asylum. The New England Hospital graduated several generations of women physicians and was also a pioneer in the professional training of nurses, including Mary Eliza Mahoney, the first formally educated African American nurse (1879). (5)
Zakrzewska drew much strength for her prejudice-dismantling, abortion-preventing, reproductive justice work from her domestic partnership with Julia A. Sprague, club historian of the New England Women’s Club, and from their circle of pioneering professional women, many of whom were also lesbian couples. (6) In early feminist circles, such “Boston marriages,” as they were called, were openly accepted and not uncommon before the rise of eugenics and its branding of LGBT persons as “perverts.” As the vast majority of early feminists opposed abortion, there was no dangerous and utterly misplaced confusion like there is today of LGBT justice with any right to abortion.
Zakrzewska was also moved by her own vivid memories of living as a poor immigrant herself. Although she eventually had a comfortable home, Zakrzewska never lost her “remarkable insight and sympathy” that allowed her to understand the lives of poor patients “from their own standpoint.” She believed that instead of do-gooder charity, “it is justice to one another” that “we should cultivate and practice.” (7) A suffragist and abolitionist, Zakrzewska called for an end to the sexual double standard. She warned the Moral Education Society of Massachusetts against consigning any women to “a class of animal women” who are treated as “legalized merchandise…I say, therefore, that one of the laws of our moral code should be, “Respect the woman in every woman.” (8) Zakrzewska herself practiced those ethics throughout her life, in her work against abortion as much as in anything else.

1) Marie Zakrzewska, A Woman’s Quest, ed. Agnes Vietor, New York: Appleton, 1924, p. 180. See also Elizabeth Blackwell, “Look at the First Faint Gleam of Life” as well as the accompanying biographical discussion, pp. 36-39 in Mary Krane Derr, Rachel MacNair, and Linda Naranjo-Huebl, ProLife Feminism Yesterday and Today (Feminism & Nonviolence Studies Association, 2005)
(2) Zakrzewska 1924, p. 180.
(3) Elizabeth Cushier, “Autobiography,” pp. 85-95 in Medical Women of America, ed. Kate Campbell Hurd-Mead, New York: Froben Press, 1933.
(4) Derr, MacNair, and Naranjo-Huebl 2005.
(5) Along with Zakrzewska’s autobiography, the hospital’s annual reports (available from “Women Working, 1800-1930,” Harvard University Open Collections, ) document these activities.
(6) Lillian Faderman, To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done for America—A History, Houghton Mifflin, 1999, pp. 257-258.
(7) Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska: A Memoir. Boston, MA: New England Hospital for Women and Children, 1903, pp. 17-18
(8) Zakrzewska 1924, pp. 420-421.

Action Alert: Share your vision with the Obama Administration

2009-01-04T14:28:00.003-05:00

This action alert comes from two sources Consistent Life of which PLAGAL is a member organization and Democrats for Life. It is important that Obama hears from those prolifers who are nontraditional in their approach to the prolife cause. We encourage all PLAGAL members and friends to contact President elect Obama with your thoughts.

The first action alert is from Consistent Life

The Obama Administration's transition website includes a section where you can "Share Your Vision."

Wouldn't a consistent-life vision be a marvelous one for them to hear about from plenty of people?

http://www.change.gov/page/s/yourvision

========================

Given the abortion-reduction rhetoric that is the incoming administration's only mandate (because it was what was publicly known during the campaign), here is current information on a couple of pieces of legislation that connect solutions to abortion and poverty:

1) The Pregnant Women Support Act An initiative of Democrats for Life, it has a goal to reduce abortion by 95 percent over a 10-year period. Representative Lincoln Davis and Senator Bob Casey are planning to reintroduce it in the next session. This bill would:• Establish a toll-free number to direct women to places that will provide support during and following their pregnancy.• Provide child care to low-income and student parents.• Provide parenting education in maternity group homes.• Make the Adoption Tax Credits permanent.• Ensure that pregnant women are not denied health care by insurance companies and that coverage is continued for newborns.• Codify the regulation that extends coverage under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to low-income pregnant women and unborn children.• Increase funding for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program.• Provide grants to institutions of higher education to fund pregnant and parenting student services.• Provide new mothers with free home visits by registered nurses.

2) The Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Act of 2007,
An initiative of Feminists for Life, a member group of Consistent Life, this was co-sponsored by U.S. Representatives Marcy Kaptur and Sue Myrick in the House and Elizabeth Dole and Ben Nelson in the Senate. If re-introduced in the 111th Congress, it would provide funding for college and university campuses to provide needed services for pregnant and parenting students to enable them to remain in school. These provisions are also in the Pregnant Women Support Act, which is clearly more comprehensive, and we are unaware of whether there are plans to re-introduce this one.
Text of H.R. 1088 can be found at: http://www.feministsforlife.org/ECS/HR1088.pdf
Text of S. 915 can be found at: http://www.feministsforlife.org/ECS/S915.pdf
=========================

The second is from Democrats for Life

Call to Action! Share Your Vision! The Obama Administration's transition website includes a section where you can "Share Your Vision"(http://www.change.gov/page/s/yourvision). Please take a moment to complete this section thoughtfully and to urge President-Elect Obama to:

1.) pass the Pregnant Women Support Act which will drastically reduce the abortion rate in this country;
2.) allow funding only for stem cell research that does not involve the destruction of human embryos;
3.) listen to and work with pro-life Democrats and people who have differing opinions on abortion before making any major policy changes; and
4.) do not sign or promote the Freedom of Choice Act.

Action Alert: Contact Merck about the production and sale of its monovalent vaccines

2009-01-04T14:08:00.002-05:00

As a pro lifer who is raising a grandchild vaccines have been a very aggravating experience for me. Many do not realize that many vaccines are now made from the cell lines of aborted children. Unlike many people who can refuse to get vaccines for their children based on conscious clauses I do not have that luxury. The state of Florida requires those who get government assistance such as relative as caretaker (which I receive) must be vaccinated. The monovalent vaccines are the only option for those who are pro life and must get vaccines. Without these I will have no choice but to have my grandson vaccinated with a vaccine that goes against my conscious. Please act today and follow the link below for more information and how to contact Merck.

This post originally was seen on the LifeNews.com Pro-Life News Report Thursday, January 1, 2009.

Merck Stops Producing Vaccines Without Cells From Babies Killed in Abortions Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A leading pro-life group is worried about a new decision from the pharmaceutical giant Merck. The company has decided to stop producing some vaccines that are not made based on fetal cells from abortions. Merck & Co. Inc has stopped the production and sale of its monovalent vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella. Instead, the company will focus on combination vaccine, MMRII, which accounts for 98 percent of the company's sales of the vaccines targeting those diseases. "Merck's separate dose for rubella, Meruvax, uses aborted fetal cell lines and taints the entire MMR II vaccine," Debi Vinnedge of the pro-life group Children of God for Life tells LifeNews.com. "The separate doses of Attenuvax (measles) and Mumpsvax (mumps) use chick embryo. Without these separate doses for measles and mumps, there will be no moral alternative for parents." Merck spokeswoman Amy Rose said the decision to eliminate the monovalent vaccines was made for both financial and health reasons. ACTION: Contact Merck and express your desire for the company to reverse its decision and make the non-abortion vaccines available. Contact Richard Clark, CEO, Merck & Company, One Merck Drive P.O. Box 100, Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889-0100. Call 908-423-1000 or find more information at http://www.merck.com/contact Full story at LifeNews.com

Did PLAGAL Get Ink?

2009-01-04T13:47:00.002-05:00

When anything appears in the lesbian and gay media or blog discussing the Pro-Life movement, or in any media discussing PLAGAL, Please, PLEASE send it to us so that we can post it for all to see. We do not have -- and cannot afford -- a clipping service or subscriptions to the multitude of lesbian and gay media. We are always discovering -- sometimes months after the event -- that we were mentioned somewhere. As has become our custom, we would also like to remind our readers that PLAGAL needs the names (and addresses, voice and fax numbers, and now e-mail addresses) of local gay and lesbian media.

In the mean time PLAGAL was mentioned in the following blogs

Plagal http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/showthread.php?t=120957 By Ashley-Cooper Unfortunately, the last time PLAGAL tried marching in the annual March for Life, the leaders of the march had them placed under arrest. Apparently, bigotry means more to the pro-lifers than the lives of the unborn. ...TheologyWeb Campus - http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/

Nonviolent Choice: LGBT Phobia Leads to Crisis Pregnancy and AbortionBy Marysia This post originally appeared on the blog of PLAGAL, the Pro Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians. It appears here with the blessing of its author, Cecilia Brown, current PLAGAL president and a woman who has firsthand experience with the ...Nonviolent Choice - http://nonviolentchoice.blogspot.com/

Sophia's Call: Homophobia Leads to AbortionBy Sophia Because of this experience I have become active in the pro life movement and have gone on to become president of PLAGAL- The Pro life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians. So Rick Warren and others like him, who give "pro-life" a bad name by ...Sophia's Call - http://sophiascall.blogspot.com/

Conservative Lavender: same-sex marriage is up way too loud...By nissa_amas_katoj Queer Conservative · "Honest" Being The Key Word... 2 days ago. i must decrease · same-sex marriage is up way too loud. 3 days ago. PLAGAL: Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians · Study: Lesbian teens at higher pregnancy risk ...Conservative Lavender - http://conservativelavender.blogspot.com/

Study: Lesbian teens at higher pregnancy risk

2008-12-18T08:26:00.002-05:00

When I was young I knew I was different than everyone else. The only thing I ever heard when I was growing up was how “queers were *&%#*& perverts”. I spent my time trying to pretend I was someone else, straight. As a result I ended up not with just one unintended pregnancy but two. One ending in abortion that almost ruined my life and the other the birth of my daughter. Because of this experience I have become active in the pro life movement and have gone on to become president of PLAGAL- The Pro life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians. I share my story of how homophobia led me to pregnancy, abortion and how I came to the pro life movement to college campuses across the United States and parts of Canada. I have always known that pregnancy in the LGBT community was more wide spread because when I share my story many come forward to share theirs. For most of these individuals the only alternative to dealing with unplanned pregnancies that was ever mentioned was abortion. Abortion causes another bad can of worms to be opened up. If sexuality were discussed in homes and in school for what it really was, suffering of so many would be eliminated. Finally I discover that someone else has been looking at the issue other than myself and has published their findings. To read the article that appeared in 365gay.com just click on the link below.

http://www.365gay.com/news/study-lesbian-teens-at-higher-pregnancy-risk/

Pro-Life speaker differentiates gay rights and abortion rights

2008-11-22T11:31:00.001-05:00

On Tuesday, Drew Students for Life hosted a pro-life speaker President of the Pro-Life Alliance of Gays and Lesbians (PLAGAL) Cecilia Brown to create a better understanding of the pro-life community. Brown's lecture, titled "Lesbian, Liberal, and Pro-Life," covered her abortion, her path to the pro-life movement as a liberal lesbian, and the founding, history and future of PLAGAL. To read the complete article click on link below.

http://www.drewacorn.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&uStory_id=cdd8e0c3-49e7-4536-9619-aa29e1c81b98

Free Ways to Help PLAGAL

2008-11-22T11:26:00.003-05:00

The holiday season is closing in on us. If you are like me I hate the crowds and like to shop on line to save me time and money. Why not consider helping PLAGAL at the same time? Every time you shop at any of 700+ online stores in the iGive network, a portion of the money you spend benefits PLAGAL. It's a free service, and you'll never pay more when you reach a store through iGive. In fact, smart shoppers will enjoy iGive's repository of coupons, free shipping deals, and sales. To get started, just create your free iGive account by going to the PLAGAL home page and click on the Igive link at the bottom of the page. And when you search the web, do it through iSearchiGive.com where each search means a penny (or more!) to PLAGAL. Start iGiving at: www.iGive.com & www.iSearchiGive.com

Action Alert: Help Abused Women who are Pregnant & Help Prevent Unintended Pregnancies

2008-11-10T19:37:00.002-05:00

This action alert that came our way from Marysia contributor of the Nonviolent Choice blog spot. In a previous blog that was posted called Facts on Induced Abortion Marysia pointed out that "Abortion is often part of a whole cycle of intimate-partner and family violence" and has forwarded an action alert from the Family Violence Prevention Fund "Help Abused Women who are Pregnant & Help Prevent Unintended Pregnancies". The Family Violence Prevention Fund is drawing attention to the fact that in January 2006, President Bush signed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Included in this legislation is a new program to fund public education and awareness campaigns around violence against women during pregnancy, and other programs to train health care providers to recognize and help patients who are experiencing violence. But Congress has not funded these programs. This is a critical mistake.
Violence often escalates during pregnancy. Murder is a leading cause of traumatic death for women who are pregnant or just had a baby. Through the health programs included in VAWA, including the public awareness campaign around violence and pregnancy, we can help women and their health care providers recognize signs of abuse, understand how it affects their health, and prevent unintended pregnancies and abortions. Most importantly, we can save the lives of many young mothers who would otherwise be at risk for being killed by abusive boyfriends and husbands.

New Study Documents Sharp Rise in Pregnancy Discrimination Complaints

2008-11-10T18:22:00.003-05:00

It is 30 years since the passage of PDA Pregnancy Discrimination Act which outlawed discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions. We should be celebrating, and taking a moment to be grateful that pregnancy-based discrimination is a thing of the past. The National Partnership for Women & Families recently released a sobering report that shows in fact, there has been a sharp increase in pregnancy discrimination complaints. The report does not mention coercion of abortion from employers or the fear that some women may have had of loosing their jobs if it were discovered that they were pregnant. I would venture to say that since we are seeing a rise in discrimination of pregnant women in the work place then there is probably a rise in on the part of employers to coearce women to abort as well.

The National Partnership for Women & Families is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy group dedicated to promoting fairness in the workplace, access to quality health care and policies that help women and men create a balance between work and family responsibilities. Their press release

New Study Documents Sharp Rise in Pregnancy Discrimination Complaints Driven by Discrimination Against Women of Color can be viewed at http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=newsroom_pr_PressRelease_081029 ,

the complete copy of their report can be viewed at http://www.nationalpartnership.org/site/DocServer/Pregnancy_Discrimination_Act_-_Where_We_Stand_30_Years_L.pdf?docID=4281

PLAGAL at Drew University

2008-11-10T17:59:00.004-05:00

PLAGAL President, Cecilia Brown will represent PLAGAL with her speech Lesbian, Liberal and Prolife at Drew University on 11/18/2008. PLAGAL members and friends who live in the area are invited and encouraged to attend.

Drew University
36 Madison Avenue
Madison, NJ 07940

Day: 11/18/08
Time: 7 PM
Place: Learning Center Room 28 (underneath library)

OCALA PRIDE A SUCCESS!

2008-10-04T22:44:00.002-04:00

What makes a booth at pride a success? Is it the number of people that stop by? Maybe the number of people that sign up for our mailings, or maybe it is a success because you just made it through the day with no mishaps. For me what constitutes success is the quality of the discussions that take place at the table and the contacts that you make.

The Ocala pride is a very small pride event compared to other events that PLAGAL has participated in. I would venture to say that it is probably the smallest pride event that we participate in. Despite it's size Ocala pride is probably where I have had the most serious discussions on the issue of abortion and where I have made the most contacts than at any other pride event that I have participated in. I am not saying that everyone I talked to shares my belief on the issue of abortion, because they don't. However, there is a greater willingness to put aside differences here so that we can work together to help women than at any other event that PLAGAL has participated in. This year PLAGAL Ocala has added two more very important contacts to our list of groups that could work with us to help women and thier unborn. One was with someone who works with domestic violence victims. We talked at great length about the number of women who her group services that are pregnant. We talked about the leading cause of death of pregnant women and how when pregnancy is put in the mix the rate of abuse goes up. The other was with an HIV/AIDS education and awareness group and we talked about pregancy and HIV/AIDS. We talked about treatements for women who are pregnant and the better outcome for thier children than is past years. Both of these groups service women who could very easily fall victim of abortion through corhearsion or out of a lack of knowledge of all resources available to them. Maybe if we form working relationships with these groups we can help women together so that they can have life affirming choices.

I would say this was a great pride event.

PLAGAL to participate in Ocala Pride

2008-10-02T07:43:00.002-04:00

PLAGAL will have an information booth at Ocala Pride fest where we will share our prolife message from a LGBT perspective. Volunteers are needed. If you can volunteer for this event please contact Cecilia at president@plagal.org

OCALA PRIDE DAY
Pride Day Location:
Copa Nightclub and Tropix Restaurant
2330 So. Pine Avenue
Ocala, Florida
Event Date & Time
October 04, 2008
2:00 p.m. – Midnight (we will stay until 10 pm)

Facts on Induced Abortion

2008-10-01T09:26:00.002-04:00

The Alan Guttmacher Institute recently released the newest information that they have available on induced abortion. For those that are unaware of the Alan Guttmacher Institute their mission statement is as follows "Advancing sexual and reproductive health worldwide through research, policy analysis and public education" In reviewing the information of particular interest for me was the section on contraceptive use. 54 % having abortion used contraceptive the month they conceived, of those 76% of them were inconsistent with their use. 46% had not used birth control the month they conceived. 8% never used birth control. For me personally this is aggravating. It is basically like they are using abortion as birth control since they are not using birth control at all or haphazardly if they do. There is no excuse for this in today's society.

PLAGAL's stance is that life begins at conception thus the slogan HUMAN RIGHTS START WHEN HUMAN LIFE BEGINS. We recognize that it's members have different thoughts on the issue of birth control and take no official stance on the issue thus letting our membership form their own beliefs on the issue. We do however as a group do not support abstinence only education until marriage. One reason is that members of the LGBT community cannot get married so that would be hypocritical for us to even ask others to do what we cannot. You can view this publication at http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html

The Prolife & Pro LGBT Group PLAGAL Joins the Blogosphere

2008-09-27T21:54:00.002-04:00

PLAGAL was mentioned in a blog from Nonviolent Choice. You can read the blog at
http://nonviolentchoice.blogspot.com/2008/09/prolife-pro-lgbt-group-plagal-joins.html

Welcome to the PLAGAL Blog

2008-09-16T01:15:00.000-04:00

Dear Members and Friends of PLAGAL,

It is time for a change. Like most 501(c)3 organizations we are faced with the challenges of communicating more efficiently with our membership. We also receive many inquiries about our organization about who we are and what we do. At the 2008 annual meeting a solution was found that would meet both of these needs. We are excited to introduce to you: the PLAGAL blog.

The blog will replace our newsletter, the Memorandum. News will be added as it happens. Speaking engagements will be posted; pride events and other group activities will be placed on the blog in advance allowing those who wish to participate to have all the info they need. Pro-life articles written by board members will be added as well. When PLAGAL is mentioned in an article, another blog, a book etc the link will be placed on the blog for all to see. There will also be an opportunity for individuals to respond to the various articles posted.

We are excited about this change and look forward to a greater participation of our membership and a growth of our organization.