An Informal Hello From Some Friends and Members of The New Pro-Life Movement

Last updated on: November 16, 2016 at 3:06 pm by Michael Pezzulo

An Informal Hello From Some Friends and Members of The New Pro-Life Movement 2016-11-16T15:06:03-04:00 Michael Pezzulo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

seal-1347886_1280

Without getting into the details, there are apparently some weird rumors going around the internet about The New Pro-Life Movement (NPLM). I admit NPLM is pretty new – I had heard the term but I thought it was a generic name, not the name of an organization, much less an organization run a couple of friends, until last week. I noticed I hadn’t been paying enough attention when their Facebook page re-shared one of our posts.

We at Steel Magnificat will probably be writing to you about them again, but last night the oddest thing happened. There were apparently rumors going around on some public Facebook pages to the effect that NPLM was being run in secret by anonymous persons and was “subversive”. “Subversive” of what, no one apparently knows. Also weird was that the rumor mill was aware of NPLM’s Facebook page and didn’t bother to look for the information they wanted there or by contacting the page. A conversation equal parts silly and serious got started and the actual members of NPLM and some of us who know them introduced ourselves, in no particular order or format. Without further ado, let’s cut to the hellos:

“Hi. I’m Matthew Tyson. I’m a writer for Patheos, marketing strategist, and I’m one of the two founders of The New Pro-Life Movement.”

“Hi, I’m Mary Pezzulo. I haven’t had much to do with the NPLM yet, but I approve their message.”

“I’m Michael C. Pezzulo, her husband. I write on the same blog she does and I also haven’t had much to do with the NPLM and I also approve their message.”

“I’m Mary Hammond who just heard of NPLM and I support them as much as any prolife group.”

“Hi, I’m Lillian Vogl and I’m a writer for NPLM. I’ve been committed to helping pregnant women chose life through practical assistance since I was 12 years old and saw what lengths my mom went to in order to help her half-sister-in-law give birth and an adoptive family to her baby. Boyfriend and mother said abort and sent money, she didn’t want to, multiple crisis pregnancy centers offered lecturing but no help, finally they found one that placed her with a family to live with through her pregnancy. (She has serious mental health problems and had already proved too much for our family to handle.) Convert to Catholicism as a young adult, whose sponsor told me to read Fr Sirico. Holy Spirit knocked me down several notches after that and taught me to listen to the whole Gospel, even that crazy social justice stuff I used to scoff at. Was an activist and committee officer in the local GOP for several years until a couple months ago. Resigned after realizing the first priority had become glorifying deadly weapons and the second priority attacking immigrants. Met a Podesta once (Tony). He was wearing a purple suit and lobbying for the casino industry and I thought he was the scuzziest lobbyist I’d ever met. I spend the bulk of my professional hours these days tangling with an overwrought regulation birthed by the more “respectable” Podesta’s organization. Happy to volunteer my personal time on behalf of life and dignity for all.”

“Hi, I’m Rebecca Bratten Weiss, the other founder of NPLM. I’m a writer, lecturer, and eco-grower, as well as a Jewish Catholic…which l guess makes me extra double triple shady.”

“Hi, I’m Anthony S. “Tony” Layne, one of the managing editors of Catholic Stand, and I think I joined. At least, I liked the FB page. This is my first subversive movement. Be gentle with me. (That’s “gentle”, not “gentile”. I’ve already got that covered.)”

“Hi, I’m Kate Cousino, I occasionally blog for The Personalist Project, and I’m pretty darn excited about the NPLM.”

“Hi, I’m Gary Simmons. Loudmouth. Pacifist. Cat enthusiast. New Pro-life all the way.”

“Hi, I’m Rachel Dobbs, a devout Catholic working stiff. I have a master’s in history, two cats, and I’m a fantasy nerd. I’m married to Jeremy Dobbs who is seen around facebook and is interested in this new movement. I’ve been reading Mark Shea, Rebecca Bratten Weiss, and others. They have opened my eyes. I’m fed up with the current form of the so called “pro life movement ” and
I’m thrilled there’s a new movement that’s formed who cares about a wider range of problems according to Catholic social teaching.
Yes, abortion is evil but it’s also a part of a wide range of evils. It’s complex.
The issues I’m very concerned with is racial justice, gun violence, police brutality, prison reform, our foreign policy toward war, refugees, immigrants, and the environment.
So, I’m interested in helping out this new movement and if this is subversive then so be it. Viva la Revolution.”

“Hi, Matthew Jenkins checking in. Logistics Analyst, Aristotelian, nerd of all capacities, and a member of The New Pro-Life Movement.”

I am sure other people will be making similar check ins and declarations, but these are what I saw before the time this was written. It includes clear identification of both founders of NPLM, the link to the organization’s Facebook page and links to the founder’s personal blogs. Beyond that, you have a clear statement about the relationship between Steel Magnificat and NPLM, as well as a random sampling of people willing to step forward and give both their names and their relation to NPLM.

I hope that helps if you were curious.

(Update: I am also informed that NPLM has a blog on Medium.)

(Image via Pixabay.)

abortion

Elsewhere on Patheos

The New Pro-Life Movement

New Pro-Life Movement

NPLM

Personalist Project

Rebecca Bratten Weiss

Suspended in Her Jar

Previous Post

November 15, 2016

Cry of the Captives

Next Post

November 16, 2016 Priests For Life USA Is Now Posting Violence Porn

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Abuse Advent America American Christianity angel angels Annunciation Appalachia apparition apparition chaser apparition chasers apparition culture art art review babies baby baby Jesus Bad Lip Reading bad statue contest bath beauty Bible story blog blogkeeping blood book review Brandon Sanderson breastfeeding bus Catholic catholic conspiracy alarmism Catholic Oppositional Disorder Charismatic Renewal Charlie the Cat chastity Christ Christian idenitity Christianity and Judaism Chronic Illness clean clothing COD piece comedy compassion conscience conspiracy theory conversion cop-on-black violence Crucifixion cry of the poor culture Daesh Daily Saints death death penalty devotional diaconate diaper diapers dirty disability Donald Trump Dorothy Day dream drugs Eastern Catholicism Eastern Christianity education election election update Elsewhere on Patheos empathy environment Fear feminism film review fish flashback fluffy buns food Franciscan University of Steubenville Friendship Room fun Gabriel gardening gospel hair-splitting Heaven hell heresy Hillary Clinton history Holly the Witch Holy Spirit holy war Homeschooling homosexuality horror human dignity humor Icon idol immigrants infection inter-religious dialogue Interpretation of Scripture Islam Jesus Jihad Joseph joy laity and lay vocations lamb dinner laundry lent lgbtq literature love manners Mary Medicine and Science Meditation mercy mess milk misogyny Missouri monasticism monster motherhood mourn with those mourn movies movis music mystery nature neurodiversity New Pro-Life Movement news nonsense nostalgia O antiphons obituary objectification Ohio Valley Ordinary Time ordination Ordo Amoris parable paradox Passover peanut butter personal beliefs pets philosophy Planet Charismatic poetry politics polls poop Pope Francis Pope Leo power in the Church prayer prayer request prayers preferential option for non-violence president presidential election priest primary private revelation pro-life prophecy Public face of Catholicism Pure Flix Q and A race racism random rape rape. sexuality reader's request Reckoners refugee religious trauma ressurrection Right to life Saints saints and celebrations same-sex same-sex marriage satire scandal secular feasts seder Seven Joys Seven Last Words sex sexual ethics sexuality silencing six months skid row slavery social justice Speculative fiction spiritual abuse spoon stain story suffering suffrage suffragette Sunday Gospel temple Tenebrae Responsories Terror the exorcist The Friendship Room The New Pro-Life Movement Things I Learned on the Internet tin cup traffic true story tv review Uncategorized USCCB vice and temptation violence Virtue virtue and vice war Way of the Cross whimsy whole life women's ordination work of mercy Year A

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Jesus feed to the 5,000 people?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Bread and fish Chicken and rice Fruit and cheese Cake and wine