Thursday, May 20, 2010

The Paralegal Goes to Washington!



I was thrilled to be invited to a briefing hosted by the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus to celebrate Mother’s Day by honoring the work of pregnancy centers across the nation. As an adoptee, mother of three, and a long-time pro-life advocate, I relish these rare opportunities to see my passions shared and expressed by elected officials in Washington, D.C.  And, this event definitely did not disappoint!

Source: The Architect of the Capitol

As I walked the hallowed halls of the Cannon House Office Building for the first time, I pondered the activities of the representatives as I passed the marked doors. Texas … Oklahoma … California (my home state) …and I finally arrived at room 210.

I entered to find a small (for that building) committee meeting room. Several large tables formed a rectangle surrounded by chairs on all sides. In the center of the room stood a small podium and an overhead projector screen. The décor was “modern meets conservative” - large flat screen TV’s intermixed with solemn paintings of historic famous congressmen.

Approximately 25 people were in attendance. There were men and women of various ages and backgrounds, some in suits and others more casually attired. Some were furiously taking notes while others were multi-tasking by texting on their Blackberries.

Representatives Joe Pitts (R – Pennsylvania) and Michelle Bachmann, (R – Michigan) were the the featured speakers. This was my third opportunity to hear Ms. Bachmann speak regarding her passions, and I found her yet again to be articulate and energetic. She praised pregnancy centers for lovingly serving women in their communities.

Speakers included those from national pro-life groups: Care Net, NIFLA, and Heartbeat International, along with representatives from Option Line, pregnancy centers, and a maternity home. They spoke to the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus staff members and other attendees on the impact that life-affirming ministries throughout the country are making on reducing abortion and serving women during their time of deepest need. For complete details on the topics covered during this briefing, visit the Care Net website

Melissa Macy is a paralegal at Care Net.  She can be reached at mmacy@care-net.org.  

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