LOUISVILLE, KY – As the 44th Annual National Right to Life Convention kicks off in Louisville’s historic Galt House, the mood among the diverse group of right-to-life activists is infectiously energetic. First held in Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, in 1971, the annual National Right to Life Convention brings together grassroots leaders of the right-to-life movement to exchange ideas, share information, learn from leading experts, and join together in the common goal of restoring legal protection for all innocent human life.
“Every year we see more faces and younger faces attending the National Right to Life Convention, which is consistent with numerous polls demonstrating that Americans increasingly reject the extreme pro-abortion agenda being pushed by the abortion industry,” said National Right to Life President Carol Tobias. “With over one million unborn children aborted every year in America, the activist ranks are swelling with those who respect our most basic human right: The right to life.”
Tackling and tearing down the “war on women” rhetoric being employed by the abortion industry, the convention begins this morning with a panel discussion moderated by Tobias and featuring National Review Online Editor-at-Large Kathryn Jean Lopez, EWTN radio and television host Joy Pinto, and Lutherans for Life founder Dr. Jean Garton.
“The real war on women is being waged by an abortion industry that cares more about its financial bottom line than it does the women they claim to serve,” added Tobias.
As the convention, themed “Stand for Life,” begins, public opinion polls continue to reflect what the growing crowd already demonstrates: A majority of Americans reject the idea that abortion should be widely available for any reason. A Gallup poll released last month found that just 39% were in favor of the current abortion-on-demand policy with 28% saying abortion should be legal under any circumstances and 11% saying abortion should be legal under most circumstances. A substantial majority, 58%, believe abortion she be legal in only a few circumstances (37%) or illegal in all circumstances (21%).
Saturday morning, the Bluegrass State’s own Sen. Mitch McConnell will rally attendees at a general session. Kentucky Congressmen Brett Guthrie (R-KY2) and Andy Barr (R-KY6) will also speak Saturday morning.
This is the first time that the annual gathering has come to Louisville. The Kentucky Right to Life Association (www.krla.org), the Bluegrass State’s National Right to Life affiliate, is serving as host for this year’s convention. The annual National Right to Life convention features more than 70 workshops, five general sessions, prayer breakfast and closing keynote banquet. A concurrent National Teens For Life Convention is also being held with sessions geared toward nurturing and educating the next generation of pro-life leaders.
Journalists who wish to cover the convention, must receive credentials from the National Right to Life Communications Department. To register for credentials, please contact Tatiana Bergum at the NRLC 2014 Press Office at (202) 642-1675 or email mediarelations@nrlc.org.
ABOUT NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE
Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of 50 state right-to-life affiliates and more than 3,000 local chapters, is the nation's oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. Recognized as the flagship of the pro-life movement, NRLC works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.
ABOUT KENTUCKY RIGHT TO LIFE ASSOCIATION
Kentucky Right to Life Association (KRLA), founded in 1973, serves as the state coordinating body for local Right to Life Chapters representing tens of thousands of Kentucky citizens. The state affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee, KRLA exists to restore legal protection to those members of our human family who are threatened by abortion, infanticide, or euthanasia. Diverse though we are, we hold one common belief: that every human being has an inalienable right to life, a life that is precious and must be protected.
The National Right to Life Committee NRLC, the federation of 50 state right-to-life organizations and more than 3,000 local chapters nationwide, is the nation’s largest pro-life group. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect those threatened by abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and assisted suicide.
