October 2025: From the President

Violence, violence, violence everywhere! I write today with a heavy heart. The past month has been filled with violent, unspeakable acts towards God’s human creations. In the past few months there have been many attacks on the human person. The vicious killing of a young Jewish couple in Washington DC – just because they were Jewish. The Minneapolis shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church while children were praying in church – 2 children dead, seventeen injured. The shooting and killing of former State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband from Minnesota and then the wounding of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife; also from Minnesota. The disturbing video which shows the actual stabbing and death of a young women, Iryna Zarutska, on a light rail, while those around her did nothing – not even go to her aid after the killer fled. Night after night, you see the numbers of humans shot or stabbed in our large cities – many die and many lives will never be the same due to their injuries. On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, whose love of God, family, country, and the preborn child, made him a target by his enemies. On that same day, another school shooting in Colorado: a 16-year-old shot two students critically then took his own life.  He was radicalized by an extremist network. The following day was the anniversary of 9/11.  We watched the commemoration of that day. We had visual reminders of that day. The horrible images showed us again how almost three thousand humans’ souls were lost that fateful day, because of evil.

There are feelings of hopelessness, anger and despair. When I saw and heard the disrespectfulness in Congress from the left toward Charlie Kirk, I was disgusted. They would not even pray across the aisle for his soul. Their vile voices shout out, trying to stop the prayer – it makes one wonder what kind of people are running this country? How do we stop this trajectory that is destroying our country from within? Extinction of our Republic, and the destruction of the Constitution is the goal of many. Take God out of our schools, destroy the family, divide us into little groups, get us fighting amongst ourselves – violence is part of the plan. What has happened to civility in Congress? Now in the halls of Congress, some lawmakers use violent words, and some have called for violent acts against their opponents. This all must stop, and you and I need to be a part of that change. Write to your representative and let them know – if they are a part of these disruptive actions, plead with them to cease their rhetoric.

People have expressed shock about the events of these past few months. They have questioned; how did this happen to our country? Why is it that differences between people are no longer solved through debate, persuasion, and words, but the destruction of that person?

My answer has been consistent for fifty-five years since the pro-life movement began. In this time and place in history, if you want to start curbing violence, you need to start in the womb. There has been violence in the world since the beginning of time. Since Cain and Able, generation after generation have experienced violence. The cause for this violence is due to many factors, but what I want to address today is what I believe is one of the biggest factors of violence in United States today: ABORTION!  Once you allow the killing of the most innocent, the most vulnerable, the child in the womb, one will be able to rationalize the killing at all stages of life.  The sublimated message given to over two generations of young people, is that, if a person is unwanted (for any reason), he or she may be destroyed. This type of rationalization has opened the door to allowing (by law) this violent act of abortion as a normal act, even though it kills human beings. It is only common-sense that this violence in the womb would eventually extend outside of the womb. Extend it did! People outside the womb are being brutally killed and exterminated because they are unwanted or they are getting in the way of someone’s ideology. ABORTION has been, in part these past fifty-five years, the reason for the decline in the moral fiber and the soul of our country. 

Mother Teresa, addressing the United National General Assembly said: if you want peace, it must start in the womb.

Each of us plays a part in what and how we want our society to behave. We must never allow the anger, hate, and violence of these past months stop us from our pro-life work. I am concerned, due to fear for self or our loved ones, that many will no longer want to speak out for truth, especially on life issues; if we do this, the enemy has won. LIFESPAN members will and must continue to be vocal and speak out against the enemies of human life. LIFESPAN will continue our projects that are in the public square.  We will and must continue to promote the pro-life cause and speak for TRUTH. LIFESPAN will continue to sponsor the Life Chain, our buses will go to Marches in Lansing in November and to DC in January, our Billboards will be visible, our Legislative Breakfast will educate, our Celebration of Life Dinner will continue, with joy, to celebrate the human person. Our work with the Youth, to speak out and work on Life issues, will continue with enthusiasm and purpose.

WE MUST NEVER GIVE UP! 

WE MUST DO OUR PART TO STOP THE VIOLENCE! It begins with each of us individually.

The voice of Edmund Burke is as true today as the day he spoke these words, “In order for evil to exist, good men do nothing”.

May God give us the courage and fortitude to continue our most vital work no matter how fearful it may be.

May God Bless all of you! May He bless our pro-life work, as well the pro-life work of so many others throughout our country. 

Diane Fagelman, President of LIFESPAN