Now that conservatives are gaining some power in Washington, the battle over abortion is being reignited. Pro-lifers could do very little to stop the pro-choice forces while so-called liberals controlled nearly every level of government. But times have changed. And that means those who fight for the unborn are even more dangerous to the pro-abortion Left. Here are a list of their top ten enemies.
It is important to note that this list is meant to be for today and not all time. It is a look at the current top ten enemies of the pro-abortion Left. There are other huge leaders in the history of the pro-life movement that won’t be found here. (For a list of 30 leaders in the first 30 years of pro-life movement go here.) Our list is a revelation of those most likely found right now on the dart boards of groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL.
Depending on your familiarity with the pro-lifers, the names may be enlightening. One thing that might surprise you about this top ten is that there are only three men included. Usually when the Pro-Abortion left argues their case to the American people, they present the battle as men versus women. The spin is that evil men are keeping women from their reproductive rights. But in reality the top enemies of the pro-choice groups are primarily women. And that is because, with some exceptions, women are the key leaders of the pro-life movement.
And now the top ten enemies the pro-abortion Left fears:
10. Jill Stanek
Jill Stanek is a leader in the pro-life movement today and a very popular speaker. However, she used to be a nurse at Christ Hospital in the Chicago suburb of Oak Lawn. In 1999 Stanek realized her hospital was not only involved in abortion, but they were leaving babies that survived induced labor abortion in a utility room to die. In other words, these weren’t just abortions, the hospital was involved with infanticide.
Stanek first unsuccessfully worked to get things changed from the inside as a nurse, but eventually had to quit and try to use the courts and legislation. She helped get some laws in Illinois changed and later, President Bush would sign the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act into law. At the signing Bush publicly recognized Stanek for her contribution.
Stanek gained even more notoriety in 2008 as a leading pro-life voice against Barack Obama’s run for President. Stanek went public to reveal that Obama had voted against an Illinois Born-Alive act multiple times. Obama had basically supported infanticide and Stanek wasn’t going to let that go unnoticed. Of course this made her a top enemy of the Left.
Besides being a popular speaker, Jill now writes for World Net Daily and has her own blog which is the top ranking pro-life blog in the United States. She has become the internet voice of the pro-life movement. The Left recognized that on June 4, 2009 when Keith Olbermann named her the worst person in the world that day and called her readers “crazy people”. He even said that if this were “a just world” then Stanek would “be put in jail for the rest of (her) life”. . . .
For being the leading voice for Life on the internet, and central in some political battles, Jill Stanek finds herself as the tenth biggest enemy of the pro-abortion Left.
9. Father Frank Pavone
The role of the Roman Catholic Church in the battle over abortion cannot be overstated. The RCC was the first and remains the strongest advocate and defender of the unborn. Long before there was even such a thing as a social conservative, Catholics were speaking up for innocence in the womb. While there are countless liberal Catholics who are pro-choice (especially in politics), the Church itself remains staunchly pro-life. And in America, the Priest who leads the anti-abortion charge is Father Frank Pavone.
Frank Pavone is the national director of Priests for Life. Priests for Life exists to inform the clergy and the people of the RCC how to fight the culture of death. The organization speaks out strongly against both abortion and euthanasia. Priests for Life supplies literature for activism and is also known for providing pictures of aborted babies as a way to show just how horrid the practice of abortion is. They believe strongly that “America will not reject abortion until America sees abortion.”
Father Pavone was a major player in the Terry Schiavo case. He is also a member of Dr. James Dobson’s Focus on the Family Institute which is one of the leading Protestant organizations against abortion. Father Pavone’s influence stretches wide. Even Norma McCorvey, “Jane Roe”, called Fr. Frank “the catalyst that brought me into the Catholic Church.”
Pavone believes strongly in Priests standing for life and not being afraid of politics. He vehemently attempts to convince Catholics to stop voting for pro-choice candidates. Also, if he can get Priests to be bold in promoting a culture of life then possibly the number of pro-choice Catholics will begin to decrease and that could really damage the pro-abortion Left.
The Catholic Church is the biggest fighter against abortion, Father Pavone is a leader on that issue, and therefore he will continue to be a top enemy of the pro-abortion Left.
8. Jay Sekulow
Jay Sekulow is one of the top dogs in the Christian Right. And Sekulow is, without a doubt, the head lawyer of the Christian Right. While Sekulow battles many issues that are related to Christianity and religious freedom, he has long been a major player on the issue of abortion. Considering the Christian Right is probably the most hated group to the Left, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Sekulow made this list.
Sekulow is an attorney but also a media figure for the right, hosting his own radio and television programs. He is both a frequent guest on many news programs and a major player in Supreme Court battles. Some of those court cases were vital battle grounds in the fight over the womb. And Sekulow is now the Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ). The ACLJ was founded by Pat Robertson to be the Christian Right’s answer to the ACLU.
The pro-abortion Left has a lot of reasons to both hate and fear Jay Sekulow. Not only is he a smart legal mind that often beats them in court. Not only does he represent so much of what the Left despises. But Sekulow is a friend to Justice Antoni Scalia, and Sekulow is rumored to have been a key figure in getting Chief Justice John Roberts into the Supreme Court. . . .
The Left knows it faces more future losses in the abortions wars. And many of those losses will be connected to Jay Sekulow.
7. John Boehner
There are a lot of pro-life politicians that the pro-abortion organizations hate. But politicians are largely ineffective in pushing pro-life legislation (and sometimes they stab life advocates in the back i.e. Bart Stupak). So no politicians made the top ten list except John Boehner. Why?
Boehner is especially feared by the Left because of his new found power as Speaker of the House. Boehner is now third in power in all of American government. He is Republican, conservative, passionate, and pro-life. And to make matters worse for the abortionists, Boehner had declared the abortion industry is one of his targets.
Boehner recenently told Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life that he is determined to be the most “pro-life speaker in history”. This has the abortion industry so upset they are spending big money to go against him. NARAL just announced a new campaign to stop Boehner and his pro-life agenda.
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL, said that Boehner is set to the launch the “fiercest attacks” on abortion “in decades.”
“Americans did not give Boehner and his cronies a mandate to interfere in our personal, private decisions. We will turn the Boehner Bait and Switch into the Boehner Backlash, as the new speaker learns that his anti-choice agenda is out of step with our country’s values and priorities.” – Keenan
One of the top priorities of the Pro-Abortion Left is to stop Boehner from pushing pro-life legislation. They even created a website to gain support against him. It promotes taking an oath against Boehner’s agenda.
Boehner is clearly a primary target of the Pro-Abortion Left. They understand the laws of the land are going to be greatly shaped by what the Speaker pushes the next couple of years.
6. Dr. Charmaine Yoest
Dr. Charmaine Yoest is President and CEO of Americans United for Life (AUL). The AUL is the first national pro-life organization in America. They are mostly a team of legal strategists who have been involved with every case on abortion that has gone before the Supreme Court since Roe v. Wade. Their focus is helping the pro-life cause in court rooms, helping politicians with legislation, and educating the public. Their work is vital to the abortion battle in courts, congress, and living rooms. That makes them a top enemy of pro-Abortion group and that makes their leader, Charmaine Yoest, a top ten target.
The AUL is the right hand man for any pro-life politician. They provide them models of legislation and educate them on the issues. The are the brains behind the work of those in politics who want to protect the unborn. The AUL is also typically the #1 resource for those doing battle in the courts over abortion. And the AUL is often sought out by the press as a voice to represent the pro-life side of hot debates, and Yoest is the face of the organization.
Dr. Yoest worked in the Regan administration, worked in Universities, was VP of the Family Research Council, and was a major adviser to Mike Huckabee in his 2008 bid for President. She has spoken before congress and on countless news shows. AUL is the legal arm of the pro-life movement and Yoest is their leader and spokesman. This fact was seen clearly during the debate over both Kagan and Sotomayer as new Supreme Court justices. . . .
To put it simply, any time abortion groups are in a battle, if you look across the table at their opposition you will usually see Charmaine Yoest and AUL.
5. Marjorie Dannenfelsor
Last November the American people elected 72 new pro-life members of the House, new pro-life senators, and gave Boehner the largest pro-life majority in the House since Roe v. Wade. One of the groups who should get a lot of credit for those results is the Susan B. Anthony List. And their President and Chairman of the Board is Marjorie Dannenfelser.
Dannenfelser helped start the SBA-List as a way of getting pro-life leaders, especially women, into office. Dannenfelser got frustrated in the early 90s watching so many of the women going into politics being pro-choice. She made it her goal to change that situation. Now when you look at conservatives in politics, the most exciting names are usually women.
Under Dannenfelser’s leadership, the SBA-List has spent millions promoting pro-life candidates. Since 1996 they have outspent the pro-choice National Organization for Women in every election. The organization’s success rate has had its best results the last couple of years. When you think of names like Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, and Nikki Hailey; realize that SBA-List played a big role in their success. Politico even reported that Sarah Palin will only endorse candidates who support the Tea Party and have the support of the SBA-List.
The Left has attempted to silence Marjorie Dannenfelser on many occasions. She and her group have become the most effective organization in getting passionately pro-life people into office. In the political battle for abortion, Dannenfelser is extremely dangerous to the pro-choice power hold in Washington.
4. Lila Rose
For years Planned Parenthood has been presented as a positive and helpful place for women to go for reproductive health issues. The organization has been able to get government money and receives funding from regional offices of beloved groups like United Way and Susan G. Komen. However, pro-lifers have long believed the organization to be harmful to women, unethical, and maybe even involved in illegal activity. Yet it was hard to prove Planned Parenthood was shady until Lila Rose showed up.
Lila Rose is head of the pro-life activist group Live Action. Rose has gained notoriety in the abortion battle over the last year by releasing sting videos on their YouTube page. The young looking 20 year old was able to easily pass herself off at Planned Parenthoods in multiple states as a pregnant thirteen to fifteen year old. Rose would use hidden video cameras that often revealed counselors trying to help Rose cover up statutory rape and break parental consent laws.
Live Action’s videos have garnered Rose and her cause a lot of media attention. She is a master of utilizing new media and will most likely remain a major player in the abortion battle for years to come.
Rose’s work has been damning and damaging to Planned Parenthood. The organization has had to fire long time employees and defend itself against ongoing investigations in multiple states. Rose is not simply a pebble in the show of America’s largest abortion provider. She may just bring them down.
3. Crisis Pregnancy Centers
The number 3 enemy of the pro-abortion Left differs in that can’t be represented by a single person. In fact, it can’t even be represented by one single organization. Crisis Pregnancy Centers are pregnancy resource centers all over the world. They are run by many different groups, but the major ones are Care Net, Heartbeat International, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), and Birthright International.
CPCs are typically run by pro-life Christian volunteers. Their goal is to give free care to women with crisis or unplanned pregnancies and provide them alternatives to abortion. The centers often offer counseling, literature, free ultrasounds, adoption information, and many of them will help young mothers and dads with education and supplies for caring for their new babies. Some CPCs even offer counseling for women who have had abortions and are struggling with and regretting their decision.
Why does the pro-abortion Left hate a group that is actually helping women? The simple answer is money. Abortion is a lucrative industry. Clinics like Planned Parenthood make millions and millions of dollars convincing women to let them abort their babies. CPCs take a lot of that business away by showing women how they can have their babies and get help. There are over 4,000 CPCs in the United States but only around 750 abortion clinics. The abortion mills will do whatever they can to turn those numbers around.
A lot of money has been spent by groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL to try to shut down or silence CPCs. Leftist politicians in New York, California, Texas, Maryland, New Jersey and other states are constantly trying to pass laws censoring Crisis Pregnancy Centers. Many politicians receive campaign funds from abortion groups and then are encouraged to pursue ways to get rid of CPCs. One example can be seen here.
With all the money spent to attack CPCs, the organizations are clearly a major enemy of the pro-abortion Left.
2. Alveda King
It would be fair to consider Alveda King the number one enemy of pro-choicers. She is greatly feared for many reasons, most of them center around the fact that the woman is such a powerful symbol as the niece of Martin Luther King Jr.
The Left loves to portray the ‘anti-abortionists’ as white, angry, men. King can get angry at times I’m sure, but she destroys the image being pushed by the pro-abortion crowd. She is a strong black woman with a past that included having two abortions and being a staunch Democrat, even once holding office as a Congresswoman in Georgia’s 28th district from 1979 to 1981.
At some point in her life, King became a strong advocate for the unborn. She believes that it is babies in the womb who most need civil rights now. They deserve the right to life. And now King is one of the most well known pro-life advocates.
Alveda King makes the Left ring their hands in anger. They know she gives legitimacy to groups and people they despise. For example,the so-called liberals reacted with horror when King spoke at Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally last August. (Read the Huffington Post’s angry blog on the topic.)
Another reason the Left fears Alveda King is because she points out how the abortion industry specifically seems to target and harm the black community. King has worked with Priests for Life to point out:
“Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in America. 78% of their clinics are in minority communities. Blacks make up 12% of the population, but 35% of the abortions in America. Are we being targeted? Isn’t that genocide? We are the only minority in America that is on the decline in population. If the current trend continues, by 2038 the black vote will be insignificant.”
If Alveda King had remained a pro-choice Democrat she would be a hero and champion of the Left. But because of her work for the unborn, she remains a top enemy.
1. Abby Johnson
Many of those most hated by the abortion industry are despised because they are former members of the abortion industry. When people wake up to the horrors and dangers of abortion in America, they often become strong pro-life advocates and leaders. That makes them major targets of the Left. The last thing they want is people giving credibility to former pro-choice advocates.
In the past the pro-life movement has been blessed with many converts. Norma McCorvey, the original Roe in Roe v. Wade became an advocate for the unborn in 1995. Bernard Nathanson co-founded NARAL but completely changed his views around 1979. Today’s most feared convert to the abortion industry is also the number 1 overall enemy of the pro-abortion Left: Abby Johnson.
Lila Rose was featured on this list for revealing so much of the unethical and apparent illegal behavior of Planned Parenthood. But Abby Johnson is feared because she has revealed much about Planned Parenthood and will soon reveal much more, moreover she has the credentials to do it.
Johnson was a volunteer or employee for Planned Parenthood for eight years and even became the director of a clinic in Texas. On October 6, 2009 she suddenly quit her job. Why? In September of that year Johson was assisting in an ultrasound guided abortion on a 13 week old baby in the womb. It was the first time she ever saw an abortion take place from an ultrasound. She watched in horror as the little baby tried to avoid the probe inserted into the womb to destroy the baby. The unborn child died and Johnson fled the industry. She saw some people praying for life outside of the clinic and knew that is who she needed to turn to.
Almost immediately Planned Parenthood sought to put Johnson under a gag order to keep her from revealing damaging information. The full “restraining order of disclosure” only held until it was put before a judge in November of 2009 who recognized it as bogus. The next day Johnson was on Bill O’Reilly and has been a sought after speaker ever since. Her main argument is that Planned Parenthood has aggressively sought to promote abortions to raise profits, and she has been sharing her story to all who will listen.
On January 11th of this year, Johnson’s book revealing her Planned Parenthood experience will be released. The Left is quaking in fear and is hoping for dismal sales. And so at this very moment, Abby Johnson is the top enemy of the pro-abortion Left.
Hopefully all of these champions for life will continue to get the word out on the truths of abortion and the industry behind it. Even those who aren’t pro-life advocates should support the freedom of speech of these warriors for those without a voice. As the abortion battle heats up with this new congress, leaders like these need a chance to speak to the American people.
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Paul Cooper is a husband and father above all else. With a wife and 2 daughters he could use a dog, but sadly he only owns a cat – a female cat no less. Paul is also a pastor, blogger, and business owner. Find him on Twitter.
NewsReal Blog is the team blog of the David Horowitz Freedom Center.
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