I was not able to get to Albany yesterday because of the death of a close friend, but Mary Beth who works in the office with me was able to go and shared the following with us.
We had a great day in Albany yesterday ! About 500 people walked in front of the State House for the “Candle Light Vigil.” There were quite a few groups walking under the umbrella group NYers for Life. Kathleen Gallagher and her team from the NYS Catholic Conference The folks were terrific, prayerful and peaceful. The only “noise” came from many, many supporters honking their horns as they drove by. There were quite a few young people there which was great to see. We were also fortunate to have a Channel 12 news, Hudson Valley news reporter interview us at the Sloatsburg rest stop on our way up. We made it onto last night’s the Channel 12 news; Ed Mechmann, of the NY Archdiocese Family Life Office and Nora Bucaj a teacher at St. gave great interviews check out the story at http://hudsonvalley.news12.com (scroll down for the story “Pro-life activists rally in Albany”)
A few disappointments to note: It seemed that many of the lawmakers had left for the day prior to us getting there although we did see a few as they headed out, and our candles weren’t too visible as it stayed light for so long! And of course, the terrible news of the bombing at the Boston Marathon saddened us all, we all sent our prayers for the victims and their families.
Ed Mechmann and Sister Lucy Marie emphasized how important it is for all of us to follow up in the coming weeks. We need to be heard in Albany, so please, everyone, look for links on the NY Archdiocese Family Life Office website (http://flrl.org/Oppose_Abortion_Bills.htm) for petitions and information. We can make a difference – let’s stop the expansion of the abortion laws in NYS. Ed noted that NYS is a beacon for all other states seeking to expand abortion laws. What happens here – our example – will be closely watched by both sides of the issue. So please get involved, help change the hearts of our governor and the NYS legislators.
Mary Beth
I think that our best strategy is educating the public so that they understand what exactly it is the Governor is trying to do. Of ocurse, contacting our legislators is also important. While certainly anyone can be converted, Cuomo is and always has been a staunch supporter of abortion and I would not be surprised to find out that he himself is post abortive.
As many of you know I sent him a request for Abortion Recovery Awareness Month, and never received a response, so certainly women who mourn are not among those he is concerned with. It is true that NY would be a test state because the chances of getting this through are so much better due to how liberal it is, but I do believe if people knew the truth they would be as outraged as all of us, so write letters to the editors and educate whenever you can!
