National Right to Life Honors Priests for Life Director

The National Right to Life Committee presented the Proudly Pro-Life Award last night to Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, and Mr. Lawrence Garvey, a businessman from New Orleans who has been a major benefactor of the National Right to Life Committee.

Both honorees spoke in terms of hope for the pro-life cause.

Priests for Life thanks National Right to Life for an outstanding event, held at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel. Archbishop Renato Martino, the Holy Father's Permanent Observer to the United Nations, was present and praised the honorees.

Fr. Pavone spoke about the fact that the pro-abortion leaders "are very much afraid -- and with good reason."

"The days of legal abortion in this country are numbered," he declared. "Public opinion at every level is shifting in our direction, abortion mills around the country are shutting down, abortion providers are leaving the industry in great numbers, and young medical students are simply not replacing them."

Fr. Pavone introduced Norma McCorvey and Sandra Cano, who were the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court's twin abortion decisions Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton. "They are both pro-life, they both say they were used by the pro-abortion forces, and they say they are sorry. They renounce the decisions that legalized abortion."

He also introduced Donato Dalrymple, the man who rescued Elian Gonzalez out of the Atlantic ocean. Donato has become a friend of Priests for Life, and now speaks up for the unborn babies.

While these events were taking place inside the Waldorf, a group of pro-abortion demonstrators gathered outside to denounce Fr. Pavone, Priests for Life, the Catholic Church, National Right to Life, and the pro-life movement. These demonstrators used their usual worn-out accusations about "fostering violence," even while acknowledging that we denounce violence. The National Conference of Catholic Bishops, among others, issued a press release defending the non-violent record of Priests for Life and the pro-life movement.

Priests for Life congratulates the co-honoree, Mr. Lawrence Garvey, and congratulates the National Right to Life Committee and the hundreds of pro-life heroes who were in attendance last evening.