Research on Virtue Media ads shows effectiveness

Here is some research on Charlotte, North Carolina, which appears to indicate the effectiveness of pro-life ad campaigns in reducing  abortion rates:

North Carolina is heavily Democratic and its legislature is socially liberal; unlike Pennsylvania, no pro-life legislation is brought before the legislators. Charlotte’s population was estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to be 709,441 in 2009, while the Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009 population of 1,745,524.^[1]

The median age of Charlotte residents is 34, and median family income is $59,452. The population is 55% White, 35% African-American, and 11% Latino. On religion, 69% of those in North Carolina reported in 2008 that “religion is very important in their lives,” and 49% say they attend religious services at least once a week.^[2]

In 2006-07, North Carolina Right to Life targeted the Charlotte metropolitan area, where about a third of North Carolina’s 30,000 abortions a year are performed, with a three-week media campaign by Virtue Media, entitled Heart to Heart. The $66,000 campaign was a measurable success; in 2006-07, the most recent year for which North Carolina RTL has figures, there was a decrease of 1,853 abortions over the previous year’s 11,000, a reduction of over 16%; only one other region in the state had a decrease in the abortion rate; the others had an increase in abortions.[3] They are persuaded that their media campaign made the difference.

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[1] Data is taken from “Charlotte, North Carolina,” in Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte,_North_Carolina#cite_note-uscensusbureau1-1): "Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008". U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/popest/metro/tables/2008/CBSA-EST2008-01.csv. Retrieved 2009-09-29.

^[2] “How Religious Is Your State?” a part of the June 2008 U.S. Religious Landscape Survey of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (http://pewforum.org/How-Religious-Is-Your-State-.aspx)

[3] From the Ex. Dir.’s conversations with Barbara Holt, President of North Carolina RTL, November 2009 and September 23, 2010.

Vision for Life - Pittsburgh gets 501(c)(3) status!

The IRS informed us by letter yesterday that we have 501(c)(3) status, meaning that we can give tax-deductible receipts for donations. This will make fund-raising much easier, and reassure donors that they can deduct their donations from income in their income tax filings.

40 Days for Life Kickoff

I attended the kickoff of the 40 Days for Life prayer vigils at the abortion mill on Liberty Avenue, downtown, on Saturday. There were somewhere between 70 and 100 people there, including 5 or so anarchist counter-demonstrators. With Nikki Bruni's blessing, Edith and I handed out envelopes to everyone there, including Helen Cindrich, Fr. Joe Codori, Deacon Alex Wroblicky's father, a priest of the Byzantine Catholic Church, and the many people who organized the kickoff. Let's hope that word of the campaign leads to more donations.

Orthodox Clergy Association contributes to Vision for Life

Fr. John Abdalah, my priest, just let me know by phone that at the local Orthodox Clergy Association meeting, they voted to donate $100 to VFL. They don't have a big budget, but Fr. John suggested going to the Web site of the Standing Conference of Orthodox Bishops of America and downloading all of the contact info for clergy in the Pittsburgh area. We could then call, tell them about the Clergy Association's donation, and ask them if they would be willing to distribute envelopes in their churches, ask their parish councils for donations, etc. Thanks, Fr. John and your fellow clergy!

Publish Post

Chris's article on Vision for Life has appeared in the Orthodox magazine The Word

I wrote an article for our church's monthly magazine, The Word, the September issue. It describes Vision for Life and invites donations and volunteer help. Check it out! It's on page 30.
September issue of The Word