Dublin parents who were advised to abort their daughter are working hard to give their "miracle girl" the best of opportunity of life.
At the 30 week scan, Claire McDaid and Jay Needham were told by doctors that their baby would have no quality of life after it was discovered she had spina bifida. Claire and Jay ignored the advice to abort baby T.J. (named after her grandmothers Tina and Joan) and today she's "the happiest wee girl" according to Claire.
Against all odds, T.J. who is 11-months old is showing promising signs of movement, and her parents want to give her the best opportunity to get as much power in her legs as possible. Mum Claire says: “We were told she would be paralysed from the waist down when she was born, but she can move her legs so we want to give her the best chance. Ireland is very behind in spina bifida equipment and treatment, so we have to go abroad. We’ve only been to see a physio three times, but I’ve been doing as much as I can with her and she’s coming on fine."Â
Claire continued: "She will be in pain if she’s left in a wheelchair, we want her to be able to dress herself, to walk and not waddle, and have her own wee life.
“The treatment and all the special equipment for her costs about €40,000 and we really want to give her the best chance, even if people spared a fiver, it would make such a difference.”
You can donate to the fundraiser for baby T.J here.
Last week, Texas Right to Life in Houston received a bomb threat, forcing pro-life organisation to evacuate its headquarters. The threat was issued in the form of an email, after which a suspicious package was discovered on the office premises. The threat happened just over a week after the new Texas Heartbeat Act came into effect.
Once the package was discovered, police officers immediately called in the Houston Police Department’s bomb squad. Police Chief Onesimo Lopez of the Bellaire Police Department told local media, “We take these kind of threats very seriously. Our Criminal Investigations Division is conducting an investigation into the threats and will follow up on any leads that develop. No other information is available at this time.”
Texas Right to Life has said that ever since the Texas Heartbeat Act went into effect, pro-abortion activists have been threatening the lives and well-being of their employees. The group said it “has taken proactive measures to ensure the safety of our staff since we began receiving violent messages online and by phone slightly before the Texas Heartbeat Act took effect.”
On 1st September, after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last minute appeal from pro-abortion groups to block the new law, unborn babies in Texas are now legally protected from the first detectable heartbeat (around five to six weeks gestation). It represents a major victory for the right to life and shows what can be achieved when pro-life people stay focussed and never lose heart in defending the noble cause of life.Â
On Wednesday, the executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life was interviewed on Newstalk's Pat Kenny Show.
Dr Joe Pojman, told Anton Savage who was guest hosting the programme that his home state of Texas "has decided the life of the unborn child - a life of a child with a beating heart - should be protected by law".
In response to the charge that women seeking abortions will simply travel to neighbouring states, he said: "The State of Texas has 29 million people, and their elected representatives have passed this law." As a state, he said Texas "provide vast alternatives - not just after the baby’s born, but will help with free services for three years after the birth of the child. We have gone to great lengths to protect the unborn child and provide alternatives to abortion for that mother.”
It is a very good and informative interview. You can listen to it here in its entirety.
Newly instated New York Governor Kathy Hochul has called on Facebook to censor pro-life social media posts, citing a very loose definition of “misinformation”.
Ms Hochul has written a letter to Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the matter. Recently, she replaced disgraced New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo after an investigation revealed he sexually harassed a number of women. Soon after the Texas Heartbeat Act went into effect on September 1, she joined a pro-abortion Planned Parenthood rally in Brooklyn and described the new law that protects the lives of unborn babies as “grotesquely unfair”.
In her latest attempt to censor social media posts, she falsely claims that the pro-life articles she has taken issue with “describe horrific procedures that have no basis in reality, cite entirely made-up studies, and purposefully inflate or misrepresent public health data.”
It is a very worrying development the ease and speed at which radical pro-abortion campaigners are succeeding in shutting down the pro-life message. Defending freedom of expression and the right to contribute to public discourse will be one of the leading pro-life battles in the months and years ahead.
Dr Calum Miller, a medical doctor, ethicist, philosopher and effective and eloquent voice for the pro-life cause was the guest speaker at the PLC Network Webinar last Saturday. You can watch his interview with EilĂs Mulroy here
The Future Leaders Programme is an intensive two-month course that will equip you with the skills, arguments and motivation to promote the pro-life vision in the public square.
It will impart skills that will encourage participants to become proactive, organised and to enhance their personal effectiveness as political activists and communicators in the cause of protecting life.
Course content will be delivered by Irish and international experts. The course will take place three times each year.
After completing this course, participants will:
Understand the legal and medical realities surrounding the protection of life in Ireland and the EU
Appreciate the challenges faced by parents with an unplanned pregnancy and be aware of the supports available to them
Be capable of developing logically sound and emotionally compelling arguments aimed at promoting the right to life
Be capable of using both traditional and social media to promote the pro-life message efficiently and effectively
Have experience of debating the pro-life issue in a television or radio studio
Understand the Irish and EU political systems and ways that individuals and groups can influence them
Have an enjoyable experience and create new friendships with those who share the same respect for the right to life
The next course takes place Online commencing on Monday, 20th September 2021 for eight weeks. The course will take place from 7pm – 9:30pm. A day long studio programme in Dublin and a trip to Leinster House will be included (both of these events will happen at a future date when it is safe to do so).
If you wish to apply to attend the course, please complete the form in the link by TODAY and we will get back to you. There are 15 sponsored places available for suitable participants. This is an exciting opportunity designed specifically for young people, aged 18-30, who are committed to the pro-life cause. Please encourage anyone you think suitable to apply!
Community Connect is busier than ever, and there is a great and ongoing need for our help in the Dublin area.
So we have an exciting new job opportunity at our Dublin hub!
We are seeking a van driver to assist in making deliveries to families in need throughout the wider Dublin area. This is necessary in order for us to reach all of the mothers and babies who need our help.You would:
Have a full clean driving licence
Be comfortable driving a van (transit or similar size – note this is covered by a regular car driving licence, so no special licence required)
Be available to work one day per fortnight (likely to be Wednesday)
Be physically able to lift and move items such as cots and buggies
Come to the hub in Tallaght one day per fortnight to load up the van, and then deliver to families in need in and around County Dublin (including city centre), dependent on where the need is that particular week
Collect some donations when required, and return these items to the Tallaght hub
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NB: Access to your own van is not a requirement, as a vehicle can be provided if necessary.
Fuel costs will be fully covered, and training in the policies and procedures of Community Connect will be provided.
If you want to find out more, drop Elaine an email at [email protected]
As you may already be aware, the Pro Life Campaign are running a campaign to make sure that we hold our national broadcaster RTÉ to account for its glaringly one-sided coverage of the abortion issue.Â
We are asking like minded people to send an E-card to RTÉ, asking them to "Stop The Media Bias".
Thousands of cards have been sent already, but we need much much more to make a real impact.
Please help us spread the word by ordering your leaflets today. These can be given to friends, family and community, informing them of the campaign and encouraging them to send a card also.
Would you like to experience working with a pro-active Human Rights organisation?
If you would like, APPLY HERE to our exciting virtual  intern programme for students!
Participants on the programme will have an opportunity to network with other young people and develop skills in advocacy, campaign management and project planning.
Internships run for one-week periods and are suitable for second level (Transition year or older) and third level students.
Each intern will do 4 hours supervised work each day and will be working on areas such as social media, contact with members of the movement nationwide, project planning and contributing to support work for women and their babies.
Internships are not paid, however expenses will be covered.
If you or a family member is interested, please complete the below form and we will be in touch with you presently. Placements are subject to availability.Â
Vital Signs is the e-newsletter of the Pro Life Campaign. We hope you and your families are keeping well in these unusual times. This email is to update you on what we have been working on recently, including news stories, project updates, and details of upcoming events. If you want to get in touch with us please do so by emailing [email protected]
