EMC’s Defenders Speak Out on the NY Attorney General...

Dr. John C. Willke, President of the Life Issues Institute:

The [abortion industry’s] attack confirms what [crisis pregnancy] centers have been achieving. They have saved hundreds of thousands of babies and helped their mothers. Keep it up. May your mission continue to expand.

Joe Scheidler, President of the Pro-Life Action League:

Chris: You should be proud to have a pro-abort lawsuit against you! The abortion crowd goes after the pro-lifers who are effective - who are saving babies’ lives. The abortionists know who their serious opponents are - those like you who value life enough to actually do something to save lives!

S.P., Atlanta, Georgia:

Chris: Do NOT be afraid. This is a new and fantastic opportunity to proclaim the truths of who we are and what we do... I only wish I had known about pregnancy centers when I was 18 and pregnant and had no where to turn. I can speak from my own dreadful experience that pregnancy centers are the answer for women in many unfortunate situations, not just pregnancy! So, be encouraged today.

Ken Connor, President, Family Research Council:

The abortion industry wants to put life-affirming crisis pregnancy centers out of business and now it has dragooned New York's Attorney General into the fight. This legal assault will be costly and will drain resources that could otherwise be spent helping women deal with crisis pregnancies. Clearly, NARAL and Attorney General Spitzer are less interested in actually helping women than in advancing the abortion industry's culture of death.

Dr. Alan Keyes, host of MSNBC-TV's Alan Keyes is Making Sense:

The barrage of subpoenas by New York's Attorney General directed solely against pregnancy help centers -- mostly staffed by volunteers, operating on shoe-string budgets, doing nothing but good for women and their unborn children, should alarm friends of life and liberty all across America.

Father Richard John Neuhaus, Editor, First Things:

I sincerely hope that the pro-life community will rally to the support of Expectant Mother Care to defend themselves against this outrageous assault on one of the most urgent and compassionate ministries of our time.

Judie Brown, President, American Life League:

The Crisis Pregnancy Center's of this nation do a tremendous service to women and their babies. The Expectant Mother Care facilities run by Chris Slattery are necessary to ensure the women of New York State receive the truth and compassionate assistance. I urge everyone to come to the aid of these centers that are under attack by the New York Attorney General.

Bishop Henry J. Mansell of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo:

We've seen the attorney general's office in recent weeks going after the crisis pregnancy centers . . . the probe may be part of a national effort to intimidate and harass people who are in crisis pregnancy centers.

S. W., Pregnancy Assistance Center North, The Woodlands, Texas:

Take courage! God is with you. There are many of us at CPCs who are standing with you.

N.C., New York:

Dear Mr. Slattery,

After reading the article, "NY Attorney General Launches Assault on Pro-Life Crisis Centers," I was outraged and decided to call your organization and offer my support. Never expecting to reach you directly, I was honored to speak with you.

In 1984 at the age of 24, I became pregnant out of wedlock. Although I eventually married the father two years later, I was encouraged by just about everyone to consider an abortion. Through my faith and guidance of a Priest, my daughter was born and the good Lord provided all our needs. I would like to offer my story privately to any young woman contemplating abortion.

God Bless you and continue on this mission of life!

C.R., Texas:

I just read about your legal situation on Catholic Exchange. I am an unwed mother who gave up a major career to stay at home with my son, Maximilian Kolbe. It has been very, very hard. I learned first hand how easy it is for a woman to consider abortion, it truly seems like the only option. If I had I would never had been able to look at a child again without deep regret. My child, like all children, is a miracle. You must have somebody scared. You are in my prayers, please keep me in yours. I will send a donation to your address. God Bless.

A.S., Chicago, Illinois:

I'm praying for your situation, and I'm going to send a donation of $100. I hope many, many others pray and sacrifice. I just saw that great write-up about you and your wife in Faith and Family. What an inspiring article. You're doing magnificent work.

S.B., South Carolina:

I am praying that the Lord will use the ACLJ to stop the Attorney General's attack on your center. I am so proud of the Attorney General of South Carolina for taking time to communicate to Eliot Spitzer his thoughts on the value of all CPCs.

Enclosed is a small donation to help fight against this discrimination and harassment. My local CPC literally saved my life as I struggled with a past abortion. Thank God for them.

Hang in there. Our God reigns.

Andrea Close, Australia:

I would like to offer my on-line support from Australia to express my concern about the NY CPC situation. Each day I pray the Rosary for the unborn and attend one hour of Eucharistic Adoration weekly to pray for the unborn etc. If I can email anyone else eg Spitzer's office let me know.

God bless you and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Justin Held, Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania:

Dear Chris,

Just thought I'd send you a note to try to encourage you and your staff in this time of, essentially, persecution by the attorney general's office.

In Scripture, God has plenty to say about the killing of innocent life - it is an abomination to Him. Abortion is not only an offense against the sanctity of life, it's also a pollutant upon the land we live in. By taking the time to counsel women (many of whom I'm sure are very scared and desperate), you and your staff are helping to change the hearts and lives of many of them, which can ultimately change the hearts of many others around each of them as well. This can only improve the environment in which we live.

I think of a statement that I've heard many times before - the number of women that have had an abortion who say that they would have had the baby if just 1 person would have encouraged them to. I'm completely convinced that this is the case with thousands of women that you and your staff have counseled - just by being there and encouraging them, you have helped save the lives of thousands of children that would have otherwise been killed. Your 24-hour hotline may have many times made the difference when a woman who might have otherwise had an abortion had someone to talk to during "non-normal working hours," and convinced her to do the right thing and carry the baby.

Luke 15:10 tells us that the angels in heaven rejoice over one lost sinner who comes to repentance and puts his trust in Jesus Christ. I personally believe that all of heaven also rejoices when even 1 child is saved from abortion, because mercy, love, and justice have triumphed. Keep up the good work and do not lose heart, and you'll reap a harvest (Gal. 6:9). Continue to run with perseverance the race that the Lord has set before you, and remember that all things (including this current harassment) work together for good to those who love Him, and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28).

People are praying for you!

A California Pregnancy Resource Center:

Chris: Thank you for sharing this information (about the Spitzer investigation). We are watching this closely in California as we believe we may be next.

A director of an Ohio Crisis Pregnancy Center:

Hello Chris,

I am the director of the post-abortion outreach at a crisis pregnancy center in Ohio. I have just "signed" the online petition against Elliot Spitzer. I would like you to know that you are in the prayers of thousands of pro-lifers across the nation. This case does not merely cause problems for your centers, but has the potential to reach every center in our country. We are Christ's hands and feet to women have never heard the truth. Be encouraged in your work today. You are not alone. A great multitude stand before you and behind you, urging you to press on.

May the Lord bless you in your endeavors.

From Mark F. Bohne, Milan, Ohio

Dear Mr. Spitzer,

Please read this through to the end.

At a fund-raising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the school's students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question. "Everything God does is done with perfection. Yet, my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is God's plan reflected in my son?"

The audience was stilled by the query. The father continued. "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like Shay into the world, an opportunity to realize the Divine Plan presents itself. And it comes in the way people treat that child."

Then, he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked,"Do you think they will let me play?" Shay's father knew that most boys would not want him on their team. But the father understood that if his son were allowed to play it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging.

Shay's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We are losing by six runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and I'll try to put him up to bat in the ninth inning."

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. At the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the outfield. Although no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base. Shay was scheduled to be the next at-bat. Would the team actually let Shay bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first baseman.

Everyone started yelling, "Shay, run to first. Run to first." Never in his life had Shay ever made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled. Everyone yelled "Run to second, run to second!" By the time Shay was rounding first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman for a tag. But the right fielder understood what the pitcher's intentions had been, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head.

Shay ran towards second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shay reached second base, the opposing shortstop ran to him, turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third!" As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams were screaming, "Shay! Run home." Shay ran home, stepped on home plate and was cheered as the hero, for hitting a "grand slam" and winning the game for his team.

"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face," the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of the Divine Plan into this world."

Mr. Spitzer, you don't know me, and I have only heard about you. I live in Ohio. I can't vote for, or against you in your upcoming election. We only have a common "acquaintance", Mr. Christopher Slattery.

Chris and I have been friends since we were both two. We are as much a part of each other's family as we are to our own. I have watched Chris grow up, fight a cancer in his teens which was supposed to keep him from ever being able to have children of his own. If you know Chris' family, you know that God intervened in his life and gave he and his wife Eileen four beautiful children. Chris has raised them all in New York City.

I watched as Chris left a lucrative career in marketing and advertising (following in the large success of his father J. Desmond Slattery) to pursue this "thing" we call life. His passion has led him to create a support network for those who would give life a chance, if they were only shown the way to get past the "inconvenience" of an unplanned pregnancy. Statistics do show that a majority of women who choose to abort, wish they had given it more thought, and most believe they made a grave error. Unfortunately, hindsight is always 20-20.

Legal battles have drained valuable resources from Expectant Mothercare, resources that could be used to help women in need. Women that really want to give life to their babies. It would seem that while our government would give great support to programs that offer "alternatives" to life, the support for programs to encourage and nurture women through unplanned pregnancies is sparse and left to initiatives like Expectant Mothercare.

I see from your campaign website, that you support programs to protect children. Now I challenge you to extend that to the youngest members of that class, the unborn. I am not asking you to change your philosophy about choice, I am asking you change your philosophy towards those who would choose life.

The opening story showed the compassion of mankind towards one who might be considered a "throwaway" in today's logic. It's easy to justify aborting a disabled child before it is born. However, in the opening chapter of the book of Jerimiah, God tells the prophet that, "I knew you before you were formed in the womb . . . ." I believe God knows us all before we were conceived. I also believe that millions of aborted souls wait for us in the Kingdom of Heaven, Mr. Spitzer. What will we tell them; how will we explain our selfishness to them and to God? How will we explain why we went the extra step to try to crush organizations that would serve to save them from premature death? It would seem that we compound our sin by taking actions to justify our own flawed philosophies.

I see the photo of you with your beautiful family. Imagine life without one of your precious children. Try to imagine the terrible mistake it would have been to erase one of their lives. Millions of women suffer that experience daily because organizations like Expectant Mothercare weren't there to help, guide and give support to them in a time of need.

Please find a way to mediate your philosophy with that of Chris Slattery's. Take this opportunity to put aside political posturing and extend a hand of peace and reconciliation. God will bless you for it, I promise.

M.T., New York, New York:

Oh---that is just awful. Politics can be so, so dirty sometimes. "

A. & D. M., New Haven, Vermont:

Your work is courageous. Though the threat from the pro-abortionists in the New York bureaucracy is ominous, we're convinced that the Lord will prevail through you.

M.Q., Rochester, New York:

I want to encourage all legitimate pro-life agencies to step out of their comfort zones and insist that the Attorney General at least undertake a complete and public investigation of the abortion industry and produce whatever you have been asked to do.

R.G., Crestwood, New York:

You are right that you need to focus all your energy and time into fighting these people who want to close down your very good work and take away the right and the chance to choose life.

M.M., Front Royal, Virginia:

I am proud of you. I will send you some money soon. Look at this attack as Pharoah attacking Moses. The devil always overplays his hand.

A.M., New York, New York

Kick Spitzer's a**. I'll be praying for you.

D. A., Brewster, New York:

It seems to me that a courageous attorney general, in a target state like New York, would be hunting down the kind of international terrorists who killed 3,000 New Yorkers on September 11. Mr. Spitzer’s taste for personal risk being apparently more modest, he goes after unwed mothers instead.

You’re in our prayers as always.

J.K., Baltimore, Maryland:

There are more than 3,000 crisis pregnancy centers across America, all faith based, all non-profit and all of them giving free care and help to mother and child. They neither offer abortions nor give referral to any abortion provider. They are beacons of light in an hour of darkness...

..because (Attorney General Spitzer) long ago promised the pro-abortion activists that he would eliminate their opponents during his tenure in office, he is reaching for more political support from pro-abortionists, in the next election. For the sake of a little power on this earth, albeit corrupt, he is willing to promote the slaughter of babies. His move is purely political.

Rick Kern:

Chris: I am at home checking out your web site and info. Great site and congrats on the 3D sonogram device, what an awesome indictment to people like the AG and great help to troubled expectant mothers who are vacillating. God bless, I'll be in touch... Appreciate your prayers, you certainly have mine.

Marvin Olasky, Editor of World Magazine:

We're seeing in liberal New York how the pointed advice in NARAL's booklet -- "Target: Attorney General" -- works out in practice. New York's Spitzer emphatically supports abortion and has taken campaign bucks from NARAL's political action committee. Earlier this month, he delighted his backers by agreeing to a creative attack on CPCs: accuse them of practicing medicine without a license.

T. B., Harrison, New York:

I guess the only choice for women that is acceptable to Mr. Spitzer is abortion and the only women he is seeking to protect are those who belong to organizations such as NARAL and Westchester Coalition of Legal Abortion who donated $10,000 to his campaign.

J.D.:

I am a Pro-Life Pastor that has been a volunteer in the Pregnancy Center ministry for about 18 years. I have heard of the Attorney General's legal offensive that has been sighted on your and other New York centers. This is a terribly regretful situation and I want you to know that I and my church will be praying for you and the other centers.

K.U., Vista, California:

Even pro-abortion people should be offended by this blatant abuse of power! My thoughts, prayers and righteous indignation are with you!

G.T., Round Rock, Texas:

Keep up the great work and hang in there through this politically motivated legal battle.

R.B., New York, New York:

We just heard the gospel of the First Innocents, killed by Herod 2000 years ago. Prodded by Hillary and Schumer, and in the NY Attorney General tradition of pro-abort Robert Abrams, the persecution now continues today with the new AG…

You have my prayerful support, of course, in fighting these subpoenas; I know of no one more qualified or determined to do so. May the Spirit guide you. In a way, you and the other CPCs are truly blessed.

Andrea Lafferty, Traditional Values Coalition:

Apparently, no tactic is too low for Mr. Spitzer and his NARAL gals.It is clear that the well financed abortion industry will stop at nothing including Nazi-like tactics. Who are these women that Spitzer and the abortion industry consider 'criminals?' These 'criminals' are mothers, grandmothers, nuns and post-abortion women who are simply trying to help their sisters in need by volunteering their time to provide counseling as well as linking these women up with charities that can provide food, clothing and shelter during their time of crisis.

A.R., Arlington, Virginia:

I'm happy to help you in your fight against the NY Attorney General. I'm also including Rosaries each day...

M. & V. H. Albuquerque, New Mexico:

Praise God for your good work. Know that your work is of the Lord and you are making a huge difference.

T.M., Virginia

Chris: Great talking with you. Inspiring story (about your response to Spitzer's attack). Reminds me of Gen McAuliffe at Bostogne in WWII when the Germans demanded him to surrender, he replied: "Nuts."

R.B., New York, New York:

It is the age old technique of the scurrilous, to probe where there may be weakness, always taking the path of least resistance, picking off the good guys one by one...

Liberal or not, Eliot probably realizes by now that he was duped and used. He wants to court and curry favor with the left, but not at the price of stirring up the right. Only a political fool would take on the Cardinal (or Chris Slattery, it seems)!

If this blows over, it really was a blessing in disguise, it galvanized our side, exposed NARAL on a national level, and put an elected in an uncomfortable position.

"Man proposes, God disposes..."