#472 Conference Adventures, Burnout August 2, 2019
DFLA “Pro-Life for the Whole Life” Conference Member group Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) held their annual conference, organized around the theme of “Pro-Life for the Whole Life,” on July 19-20, in Lansing, Michigan. Consistent Life President John Whitehead spoke on the consistent life ethic. Representatives of other member groups, such as And Then There Were None, Feminists Choosing Life of New York, and Secular Pro-Life, also spoke, as did past and present Democratic politicians. Member group Rehumanize International was also present. The conference attracted some notable criticism, as demonstrated by an anti-DFLA billboard ad close to the conference center. The criticism also attracted media attention, however, including two TV news segments (see here and here).
Left to right: John Whitehead of CLN; Brandy Meeks of And Then There Were None; Michele Sterlace-Accorsi of Feminists Choosing Life of New York; Terrisa Bukovinac of Secular Pro-Life
Kristen Day, presenting Louisiana State Representative Katrina Jackson with DFLA's Robert P. Casey, Sr. Whole Life Leadership Award (with Richard and Rosemarie Stith in foreground)
The anti-DFLA sign close to the conference center. To explain the confusing wording, "Go Green! Go White!" is the school team cheer for Michigan State University, where the DFLA conference was being held. The anti-DFLA group was playing off that cheer.
Social Action Summer Institute (SASI) We had our annual exhibit table at SASI (a Catholic event) this past weekend, this year in Salt Lake City. Workshop topics included sex trafficking, understanding trauma, the affordable housing/homeless crisis, and ways in which people and parishes can become better advocates for social justice. Major speeches covered the climate crisis and the need to treat migrants humanely. The PBS documentary “Lindy Lou, Juror #2” was shown; a juror in a 1994 death penalty case talks about how the experience changed her opinion on the death penalty. Many people stopped to get information about us and talk about the importance of spreading the word about the consistent life ethic. We got many new sign-ups for the newsletter and a lot of gratitude for our presence!
Evelyn Brush & Lisa Stiller
Latest CLN Blog Post: Burnout This is Part 2 of 2 responding to a pro-life movement dropout’s essay, but it has plenty of information that will be highly practical for those of us working and making such great sacrifices for peace and the protection of all human life. Rachel MacNair offers: Activists, Beware: Burnout is a Very Real Danger.
Quotation of the Week Ivan Brown, Roy I. Brown, Alice Schippers A Quality of Life Perspective on the New Eugenics Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, pp. 121-126 Genetic counseling is a clear example of the social tyranny of normalcy that supports new eugenics practices. When expectant parents are faced with the possibility or even the certainty that their child will be born with a genetic or physical disability, genetic counseling is typically recommended. Inherent in this recommendation is the stated or unstated concept of what a “normal” fetus should be, and the notion that the parents are victims of a misfortune because their baby will not be “normal.”
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