“I’m getting the feeling from some conversations I’ve had here in this room that you people are feeling pretty good about the elections, huh? (loud applause)  Earlier this week our nation decidedly rejected a person who would have been, I believe, the most ardently, vociferously pro-abortion president this nation would ever have had. (more applause)  Mrs. Clinton wanted to turn on the spigot of cash even higher for Planned Parenthood, would have forced us to pay for even more abortions through our federal tax payer dollars, [she was the one who was instrumental in changing the Democratic Party platform calling for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment], and she would have shaped the Supreme Court of the United States for a generation.  So bravo!  Bravo! (loud applause)  She did not get into the Oval Office!”

The Director of Pro-Life Activities for the NYS Catholic Conference, highly-awarded pro-life speaker and Albany pro-life lobbyist went on to describe her important work.

“I’ve been a lobbyist here in the state of New York for almost 34 years.  I see a lot of laws being made, that’s my job.  I try to shape our laws and our policies and our regulations to respect human life and promote true justice and equality.  And you know what they say about laws, they are kind of like sausages.  You don’t want to see them being made. (laughter) You just ate sausages didn’t you?  I didn’t touch my sausages. (loud laughter) It’s really not better to see them (laws) being made here in New York because our state has officially been deemed the most dysfunctional state legislature of any state legislature in the country.” (expressions of dismay)

“I work in a state that is pretty hostile to pro-life issues.  It’s difficult work, its challenging work, and rarely do I see success.  But I plant seeds … planting seeds is a good analogy for my message here today because we find ourselves tending to a very diverse garden of people, don’t we?”

She answered the question, “Where Do We Go From Here?” by citing many recent accomplishments and upcoming challenges for the prolife movement at the state and national level. 

Gallagher introduced positive accomplishments by quoting an excerpt from a 1911 classic book, The Secret Garden.  The book was about a young orphaned girl who was sent to live with her miserable uncle.  She finds a forgotten garden which she helped bring back to life.  There was a delightful song in the Broadway musical version the book called, The Garden Song.  Its chorus went, ‘Inch by inch, row by row, gonna’ make this garden grow; all it takes is a rake and a hoe, and a piece of fertile ground.’ 

“Inch by inch, row by row, with perseverance, we are making the garden grow.  There is already evidence that the garden is blossoming.”  Governor Cuomo’s attempt to expand late-term abortion failed “due to a campaign led by women, doctors and grass roots people.  People said it couldn’t be done.  We did it.  It was a huge, huge victory.”

“Another blossom in the garden sprouted up as the New York State elections did not flip the senate to Democratic control.  This means that the same Republican Party that stopped late-term abortion expansion in 2013, 2014 and 2015 will be squarely in control for the foreseeable future.  Wow!  That is a victory!”   

Other “blossom” accomplishments included the defeat of physician-assisted suicide legislation that involved the successful persuasion of five Democrats to vote against it.  Then there are the recent statistics revealing a huge drop in the national popularity of Planned Parenthood, from 82% in 1989, to 55% in 2012, to 48% in 2016.  PP’s millennial base is increasingly leaning prolife.  On this note, Gallagher cited the surprising title of a cover story of ‘Slate’, an online, pop-culture, left-leaning magazine:  “The New Culture of Life: The Future of Prolife Activism is Young, Female Secular and Feminist”.  She showed a 5-minute video of testimonies to that effect.

A final blossom cited by the speaker is the increasingly effectiveness of pregnancy care centers and homes for unwed moms and their babies.  These strategic organizations provide critical support for women in pain and crisis, meeting them where they are, helping them navigate the many systems they need to navigate, and getting them the practical help they need, the diapers, the cribs, the clothes, the car seats, the referrals, offering them listening ears, open hearts, and open doors.  

Among the challenges facing the prolife movement are the Supreme Court’s recent striking down of a Texas law requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges to a nearby hospital and be subject to the same health and safety regulations as any other health facility.  That decision effectively nullified the groundswell of abortion-restricting regulations enacted by states across the nation. 

“We can only hope and pray that a new Supreme Court of the United States will rule differently in the future.  I know that we have President-elect Trump now who has promised to appoint conservative, strict constructionist justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, and that is a very hopeful sign, but it’s not a cakewalk.  He will still need 60 votes in the U.S. Senate to confirm any appointee that he puts up there and I think it’s going to be challenging, but I am very hopeful for the future of the U.S. Supreme Court.”

“Another example of the darkness is we have more and more states approving physician-assisted suicide.  If you followed the elections you saw that in Colorado the voters there, by a 2-1 margin, approved a referendum allowing physician-assisted suicide.  The District of Columbia has already taken the first step to approve physician-assisted suicide, making it the sixth state/locality that would do that in our country.  There seems to be a train, a locomotive that is pushing, driving this issue.  Unfortunately there are both Democrats and Republicans in the driver’s seat of that locomotive.  We’ve got to put the brakes on that train.”

Returning to her garden analogy, Gallagher stated, “Here in New York State the garden sometimes seems down right God-forsaken.  We still have some of the most permissive abortion laws in the country.  No parental permission for minors, no informed consent for women, no regular inspections of abortion facilities, over-the-counter availability of abortion drugs (now actually being sent through the mail), our state tax dollars fund abortion, on and on and on.  And we’ve still got a governor who doesn’t think those laws go far enough.  For more than three years now he’s tried to expand abortion in New York State, specifically late-term abortion.  And he’s trying to allow non-doctors to perform abortions.”

“We’ve got an attorney general here in New York who agrees with the governor on late term abortion and who’s trying to take away our right to religious liberty.  He’s pushing a proposal that would expand the federal Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, to mandate insurance coverage of a 12-month supply of contraceptives at a time, including emergency contraceptives which can cause abortion.  And he’s trying to force private and religious organizations to pay for that.”

“At the end of the day, the question is, do we really want Governor Cuomo, or Attorney General Schneiderman, or Chuck Schumer, or any politician, or the media, or Hollywood celebrities or Planned Parenthood setting the agenda for how life is treated in our society?

“I think not.  What we want, what we need, are prudent and responsible respect-life leaders to set the ethical framework for this brave new world in which we live.  People who possess reverence for life, strength of character, the courage of their convictions and a commitment 
to improve our culture … leaders who will walk the walk, not just talk the talk … leaders who will wear their prolife beliefs on the outside of their skin like a uniform for all the world to see … leaders who will live their beliefs and by doing so, invite others to share in those beliefs … leaders who are unapologetic in their prolife commitment.”  

“Each one of us doing what we do in our little corner of the garden.  Whether it’s supporting the woman who’s facing an unplanned pregnancy, or preaching about the sanctity of life, or praying outside an abortion clinic, or handing out flyers at the State Fair, or speaking to school students, or contacting your elected officials, each one of us doing what we do in our corner of the garden helps all the others, because wearing the uniform helps cultivate an attitude of respect for life on a broader level.”    

The many challenges notwithstanding, Gallagher chose to sound an optimistic note: “Sure, there are still many weeds trying to choke the life out of the blossoms.  And , yes, the outlook here in New York is still somewhat bleak.  But it has been bleak before.  And we’re still here.  It’s no accident that you’re here right now, in this room, in your seat, at this very moment in time to hear this message.  To know that you are needed in the garden.  To be able to do something to spruce it up - to bring light into the darkness. 

“We are all  gardeners, gardening in God’s garden.  Some of us are weeding, and some of us are raking, and some of us are pruning, but all of us are doing our own thing, intent on finding something beautiful amidst the tangle.  And most importantly, planting seeds. 

“Remember this my friends.  For many people in our society you may be the only Bible they will ever read.  What this world sorely needs are loving acts of tender kindness, acts of compassion, every single moment of every single day, with every single relationship.  Wear your love and compassion and pro-life beliefs on the outside of your skin like a majestic uniform.  Be the Bible that others will read.  Don’t give up, ever, because your inspired pro-life commitment is needed now more than ever.  

“As Teddy Roosevelt once said is, ‘The worst thing you can do is nothing.  Do what you can with what you have, where you are.’  That’s all we’re asked to do.  And in trying, we fulfill God’s command to build His kingdom here on earth.  The victory is ultimately in His hands.  And as Mother Theresa reminds us, we are not called to be successful, we’re called to be faithful.

“So where do we go from here?  We stay the course.  We build our young millennial base.  We continue to shape young minds and hearts.  First, I would urge you to get involved in political and legislative action.”  With regard to legislating morality, “Martin Luther King once said that, ‘It’s true that the law can’t make people love one another, but it can stop them from lynching one another’.” 

“Secondly, I would encourage you to encourage young people to enter politics.  At its core, it’s a noble profession.  It’s about protecting the health and welfare of the people ... we need a whole new crop of young people who hold solid moral values and respect for human life, unapologetically, to go into the field of public service. 

“Third, in order to teach and evangelize we must call things by their proper names.  We can’t call doctor-assisted suicide ‘death with dignity’ or ‘medical aid in dying’… we can’t call an unborn child made in the image and likeness of God ‘a product of conception’ or ‘a mass of cells’.  And we certainly can’t call the destruction of that child ‘women’s health care’ or ‘reproductive choice’.  A wise monsignor once said, ‘All social engineering is preceded by verbal engineering’, and that is oh so true, and we are seeing it more and more in our society.  Other people will buy into the name changes, but we mustn’t.  In order to teach effectively we have to call things by their proper names.             

“Fourth, we need to talk with our neighbors.  The most important thing we can do is talk with our neighbors.”  Gallagher then shared how a simple conversation with a neighbor led to an influential women’s group’s rejection of Governor Cuomo’s request for their help in his attempt to expand abortion.  “This shows the power of talking one-to-one.”

“We have to spread the pro-life message inch by inch and row by row.  And on those days when you get discouraged and you doubt the value of your efforts, always remember that there were gardens before there were gardeners.  The sun, the seed, the soil, it all belongs to God.  And I can assure you that, inch by inch, row by row, someone will bless the seeds you sow.  Someone will warm them from below.  ‘Till rain comes tumbling down.  Thank you.” (hearty applause)  

The event featured a number of splendid raffle baskets, the proceeds of which went to Friends for Life.