N E WS L E T T E R

Spring 2010 The Quarterly Newsletter of the Ohio Right to Life Society

Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery in Ohio

In This Issue

• Human Trafficking
• Director’s Letter
• Ohio Cultural Index
• Legislative Day 2010
• Health Reform
• New Bill Introduced
• Oratory Contest Results
• Life Solidarity
• Ohio Life Wire
• Chapter News
• Alveda King Speech Students at The Ohio State University march in the “Parade of Tears,” to raise awareness about human trafficking in
Ohio. This march was part of the Price of Life Invitational, put on by Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, which benefited
• Option Line organizations like Gracehaven. Photo by Elyse Putnam

• Planned Giving By Erin Cain, Intern issue in America.
In 1863, Human trafficking, also known
• Memorial Donations
President as “modern day slavery,” occurs
Abraham when a person is forced into
L i n c o l n un- performing a highly exploitive
derstood that act, against their will, for the
slavery was financial gain of another person.
wrong. For This happens around the world
our nation and is very real, especially to
to truthfully those who are most vulnerable.
boast of life, liberty, and the pur- Some girls as young as five, are
suit of happiness for all, people bought, sold and forced into
couldn’t be masters of other hu- prostitution for the profit of
man beings. their abusers. Trafficking subjects
We have come a long way from young women to horrific abuses
that time many years ago, but and also puts them at great risk
unfortunately slavery is still an for forced abortions.
Ohio Right to Life • 665 East Dublin-Granville Road, Columbus, OH, 43229 • (614) 547-0099 • www.ohiolife.org
This tragic issue reached
national news last October when
52 children were rescued during
Operation Cross Country.
Seven of those rescued were
found in Toledo, Ohio. The
FBI calls Toledo one of the top
recruiting locations for underage
prostitutes; it is ranked fourth
in the nation for investigations,
arrests and rescues of children
forced into prostitution.
According to a report this
year by the Ohio Attorney
General’s office, an estimated
1078 minors in Ohio are
involved with “Domestic Minor
continued on page 6

Executive Director’s Report
By Michael Gonidakis
2010 has leaders are lending a hand to
been a help Ohio Right to Life in this
whirlwind critically important state. For
of progress this, we are very thankful
for Ohio On the legislative front, we
Right to held our first legislative day
Life. Since, at the Ohio Statehouse with
January over 100 pro-life advocates
when we lobbying our government.
announced What an amazing experience
Governor Sarah Palin’s visit, to see so many of our
our staff has worked non- members travel to Columbus
stop. Our efforts, through and promote life! We also
Christ, have guided us to so advocated for the passage of
many exciting new beginnings our Umbilical Cord Blood
including outreach to the Af- bill, which UNANIMOUSLY
rican American community, passed in the legislature, with
our Church leaders, pregnancy the Governor signing the bill
centers and grassroots advo- shortly thereafter. We are
cates. continuously making progress
Whether it be Sarah Palin for Life.
or Mike Huckabee, pro-life One of our 2010 goals was to
N E WS L E T T E R
strategically expand our social
networking and technological
capabilities. Currently, we
are meeting and exceeding
these goals with our new and
exciting Ohio Life Wire site.
Please take the time to visit
this site and utilize this multi-
media tool to promote life
within your own communities.
As most of you know, the
2010 elections are crucial
to our movement. The
apportionment board races
(Governor, Secretary of
State & Auditor of State)
will determine if Ohio
continues to have a pro-
life government for the next
TEN YEARS! It is imperative
for all of our members and
families to learn more about
our endorsed candidates by
visiting our PAC web site
www.ohiovotesforlife.org.
By doing so, you will be
better equipped to vote pro-
life in November. Nothing
is more important than the
2010 elections. Please join us
to ensure success on Election
Day.
Your continued prayers and
financial support are needed
now more than ever as we
continue to grow our grassroots
and effectuate positive change.
Thank you for all that you do
for us and more importantly
for Life, born and unborn.
P.S. – please stay tuned for
exciting news about upcoming
events! You won’t want to miss
out.

Poll Confirms Ohioans Oppose Tax-Payer Funded Abortions

By Elyse Putnam “These results demonstrate
A recent that a majority of Ohioans, Agree or Disagree: Ohio Taxpayers’ Money Should
poll released consistently do not want to
by Ohio see their tax dollars funding Be Used to Pay For Abortions
Right to Life abortions,” said Public
shows that a Relations Manager Elyse
majority of Putnam. “We believe that 5%
Ohioans do many Congressional leaders 9% Strongly disagree
not support who have not listened to
tax-payer this majority will find that Somewhat disagree
f u n d e d elections do have consequences
abortions. 15.2%
this November.” Not sure
More than 70.7 percent of This poll was conducted in 63.8%
Ohioans said they disagree a telephone survey of 777 Somewhat agree
with tax-payer funded Ohioans by Wenzel Strategies. 6.9%
abortions, while only 14 The poll carries a 95% Strongly agree
percent said they favored it confidence interval and a margin
(see figure to the right). This of error of +/- 3.49 percentage
position has consistently points. These results and the
been reflected with every poll full length Cultural Index are
conducted by Ohio Right to available in their entirety at Poll conducted by Wenzel Strategies.
Life since July 2009. www.ohiolife.org.
page 2
Ohio Right to Life • 665 East Dublin-Granville Road, Columbus, OH, 43229 • (614) 547-0099 • www.ohiolife.org
 N E WS L E T T E R
Legislative News: National Health
Legislative Day a Success Reform Response
By Stephanie Krider
The Ohio
Right to
Life 2010
Legislative
Day with
Heartbeat
Interna-
tional and
the Ohio
Adolescent
Health As-
sociation By Mark Lally
was a great success! Nearly 100 par- State Representative Bill Batchelder shares with participants at Legislative Day. On March 21, the U.S. House
ticipants representing all three orga- of Representatives voted 219
nizations came to the event and met board members were present, Executive Director Mike to 212 to pass H.R. 3590,
with more than 70 legislators and including the Reverend John Coats Gonidakis spoke on behalf of the Senate Health Care bill.
staff members to advocate for life. II, who opened the luncheon with Ohio Right to Life highlighting President Obama signed the
Participants did an excellent job of an inspiring word of prayer. House our recent activities and priorities, bill on March 23. Nine Ohio
educating their legislators regard- Minority Leader Bill Batchelder and Virginia Cline of Heartbeat Members of Congress voted
ing the pro-life work being done in gave a moving keynote address on International and Catherine Wood in favor of this pro-abortion
their districts, whether through our the importance of advocating for of OAHA spoke about their bill – thus providing the votes
chapters, local pregnancy centers, the unborn and shared the history respective organizations and the necessary for its passage. They
or the education of local teenagers. of the pro-life movement during good work they are doing across are: Steve Driehaus; Charlie
Many of Ohio Right to Life’s his time in the Legislature. the state. Wilson; Marcy Kaptur; Dennis
Kucinich; Marcia Fudge; Betty
Parental Consent Bypass Reform Bill Introduced Sutton; Mary Jo Kilroy; John
Boccieri; and Tim Ryan.
By Mark Lally rental consent requirement if she been held constitutional by the Although President Obama
On March can convince a juvenile court ei- U.S. Supreme Court); issued an Executive Order
17, 2010, ther that she is sufficiently mature 2) that the judge must inquire supposedly preventing abor-
Sen. Tim and well enough informed to de- about the minor’s understanding tion funding under the bill in
Grendell cide intelligently whether to have of the possible physical and order to obtain the votes of
(R, Ches- an abortion or that the abortion is emotional complications of some of these legislators, the
terland) and in her best interests. abortion and how she would Executive Order will not pre-
Sen. Karen There are concerns that some respond if she experienced such vent the pro-abortion effects
Gillmor judges are giving virtual rubber- complications; and of the bill. As National Right
(R, Tiffin) stamp approval to these judicial 3) that the judge must inquire to Life stated:
introduced bypass requests. A 2003 Akron about the extent that the minor The executive order “changes
S.B. 242, a Beacon Journal survey found a had been “prepped” about how nothing. It does not correct
bill to revise the process of judi- bypass approval rate of between to answer questions and what any of the serious pro-
cial bypass under Ohio’s Parental 86% and 92%. S.B. 242 would testimony to give at the bypass abortion provisions in the bill.
Consent for Abortion statute. address this problem by requiring: hearing. The president cannot amend
Under federal court rulings, pa- 1) that the minor must prove S.B. 242 has been assigned to a bill by issuing an order, and
rental consent statutes must per- her case by “clear and convincing the Ohio Senate Judiciary- Civil the federal courts will enforce
mit a minor to “bypass” the pa- evidence” (use of this standard has Justice Committee. what the law says.”
page 3

Ohio Right to Life • 665 East Dublin-Granville Road, Columbus, OH, 43229 • (614) 547-0099 • www.ohiolife.org
 N E WS L E T T E R
Chapter News:
Rachel Brown Wins 2010 Oratory Contest Visits Otterbein
By Gillian Stechschulte
Rachel
Brown, of
Holmes
C o u n t y
won the
2010 Ohio
Right to
Life Oratory
Contest held
at Otterbein
College. She will compete at the
annual National Right to Life
Oratory Contest to be held in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The
contest was co-sponsored by the
Otterbein Students for Life group.
“We are very proud of Rachel
and all the participants in this
year’s oratory contest,” stated
Mike Gonidakis, Executive
Director of Ohio Right to Life.
“The students did a wonderful
job and we are looking forward
to having the state of Ohio
represented at the National
Oratory Contest. The judges
Life Solidarity Conference Brings Real Change
By Gillian Stechschulte
On Thursday, April 22, church
leaders, pregnancy center
directors, community leaders
and students met in Xenia,
Ohio to address the most critical
issue of our time: abortion.
Reverend Arnold Culbreath,
Urban Outreach Director of Life
Issues Institute in Cincinnati,
and Greg Koukl, Founder and
President of Stand to Reason in
California, both gave engaging
presentations with explanations
as to why abortion is wrong and
unacceptable and how it has
page 4
Ohio Right to Life • 665 East Dublin-Granville Road, Columbus, OH, 43229 • (614) 547-0099 • www.ohiolife.org
Dr. Alveda King
had a difficult decision in trying
to rank so many deserving high
school students,” said Gonidakis.
The nine eligible high school
juniors and seniors, each of
whom won their local Right
to Life Chapter contest, wrote
an original speech on abortion,
embryonic stem cell research,
infanticide, or euthanasia.
As the winner of the state
affected the African-American
community.
After lunch, Carl Hayes of
the High Impact Leadership
Coalition in Washington D.C.,
addressed many critical issues
that threaten families and our
nation.
At the end of the day there were
small group discussions and a Q
& A session with the speakers.
This gathering was a step towards
achieving a better understanding
of the impact that abortion has on
our communities, specifically the
African American community.
competition, Rachel and a guest
will receive an all-expense paid
trip to the national contest to
be held during the National
Right to Life convention in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this
summer. The winner of the
national contest will receive a
$1,000 scholarship. To read a
copy of Rachel’s speech visit
www.ohiolife.org.
Ohio Right to Life was proud
to have co-sponsored this event
and produced the toolkit that
was distributed to all who
attended. This toolkit will be
used to help church leaders
start pro-life ministries in their
communities; it will also soon be
available for Ohio Right to Life
supporters to use in the future.
Through more events like Life
Solidarity 2010 and an increase
in dialogue about the issue, we
hope that we can remove the
barriers that restrict us from
achieving real change.
By Elyse Putnam
On April 8th Dr. Alveda King,
niece of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr., shared her story and
passion for the unborn at
Otterbein College. The event
was co-sponsored by Otterbein
Students for Life and Greater
Columbus Right to Life.
Dr. King passionately
explained that a woman does
indeed have a right to choose
what she does with her own
body. However, Dr. King
correctly pointed out that
the unborn child is not a part
of that woman’s body and
therefore must have the right
to life.
Ohio Right to Life had the
privilege of attending this event
and was encouraged by all of
the students who supported
Dr. King. It’s events like this
that help to ignite the passion
for life and we’re grateful for
Dr. King and all who came
together to host such an
inspiring evening!
For more on Alveda King and
her life-affirming work, visit
www.kingforamerica.com.
 N E WS L E T T E R
Are You Wired? New Pro-Life Site is Released
By Elyse Putnam
In case you
missed it -
Ohio Right
to Life recent-
ly unveiled
our new mul-
timedia web-
site: the Ohio
Life Wire.
Inspired by
the thousands
of youth who have renewed
the momentum of the pro-life
movement, the Ohio Life Wire
was created so pro-lifers can take
that energy and interact with
one another in new and creative
ways. Take advantage of this op-
portunity to become inspired
and motivated for the pro-life
movement. Visit the Ohio Life
Wire today at:
www.ohiolifewire.org.
This website does not replace
our current website, www.
ohiolife.org, but is instead a new
interactive home for multimedia
(videos, podcasts and our blog).

Shelby County Holds Annual New Member Meeting

Shelby County Right to Life
recently hosted an inspirational
membership meeting in Sidney
to encourgage those in their local
community to join their chapter
in their life affirming work.
The event, emceed by Kevin
Schmiesing, co-director of Shelby
Co. RTL, featured presentations
from 2009 Ohio Right to
Life Oratory Contest winner
Elizabeth Trisler, author Connie
McEldowney (pictured left), an
area nurse, and board members.
Gillian Stechschulte and Elyse
Ohio Right to Life • 665 East Dublin-Granville Road, Columbus, OH, 43229 • (614) 547-0099 • www.ohiolife.org
Putnam, also attended the event
and updated the chapter on
Ohio Right to Life activities
and explained the importance
of membership in right to life
organizations.
The evening concluded with a
summary of the organization’s
accomplishments in 2009: 1,800
visitors to the chapter’s downtown
thrift shop; 25 individuals referred
to the Sidney Women’s Center;
and 200 students and adults
reached through educational
programs.
page 5

Option Line Uses Technology to Save Lives
By Erin Cain
Option Line is a life-
affirming organization which
has the capacity to turn pain
and tragedy into a life-saving
and life-changing experience.
Through Option Line, women
are able to find pregnancy help
centers where they can have
an ultrasound and have their
questions answered truthfully
by other women.
The organization serves as an
entry point for these women
to a network of resources.
Heartbeat International
operates the Option Line
hotline alongside Care Net,
another pregnancy resource
network.
Option Line serves as a 24/7
call center where women can
call, email, instant message,
or text a trained pregnancy
consultant to ask questions
about their pregnancy.
Option Line opened in
Columbus in February of 2003.
N E WS L E T T E R
It now serves women from all
over the nation and Canada.
They also offer consultation in
Spanish.
“Last year, we had over
250,000 calls, our highest year,”
said Joe Young, Vice President
of Operations at Heartbeat.
“In seven years, we’ve had one
million contacts.”
They are also currently
developing a new web site
that’s set to open in mid July
which will include more
modern features—including
video chat.
If you know someone who
is struggling with a present
or past pregnancy, please tell
them about Option Line.
Web site:
www.optionline.org
Phone:
1-800-395-HELP (4357)
Two program assistants demonstrate the phone line system at the
Option Line office.

Life Resources: Human

By Erin Cain
Trafficking Continued
Both Dayton Right to Sex Trafficking,” (DMST).
Life and Right to Life In Columbus, there are an
of Greater Cincinatti estimated 60-90 girls forced into
Chapters have created trafficking. At Ohio Right to
excellent pro-life web Life, we believe that trafficking
sites that not only those is a tragic violation of the right
from their communities to life. We are pleased to see
can take advantage of, that work has already begun
but YOU can as well! in reaching out to help these
Check them out at: victims.
Gracehaven, founded in
w w w.daytonlife.org 2008 by concerned leaders,
is a Christian non-profit
w w w. a f f i r m i n g l i f e . o r g
organization working in central
Ohio to raise awareness about
page 6
Ohio Right to Life • 665 East Dublin-Granville Road, Columbus, OH, 43229 • (614) 547-0099 • www.ohiolife.org
human trafficking. “The number
of organizations in the U.S. that
focus on DMST is four. There
are none across Ohio,” said
Dr. Jeffrey Barrows, founder of
Gracehaven. There are currently
only 49 beds available for human
trafficking victims across the
nation.
Gracehaven hopes to provide
shelter to victims of this abuse.
They plan on providing an
additional 10 beds to the national
number when they open a home
this fall. The girls that will live at
this house will all be minors who
need shelter alongside emotional
and spiritual support. A majority
of them are wards of the city,
Barrows said. “Typically, they’ve
tried foster care, and it didn’t
work. So then they’ll come to
Gracehaven.”
Gracehaven is in the process of
raising funds to support the cost
of opening the home.
To learn more about their
organization and the life-saving
work that they do, please visit
www.gracehavenhouse.org.

Estate Giving:
Do You Have A Plan? Memorial Donations
By Jim Schroeder
When one of the richest men
in American history died, John
D. Rockefeller, it is said that
someone asked his accountant,
“How much money did he
leave?” The reply: “He left all of
it.”
Followers of Christ – much
more than others – should be
aware that earthly treasures are
fleeting. God’s Word frequently
reminds us that our hopes and
expectations should be centered
on heaven, where we will enjoy
the fruits of whatever good we
did while here on earth. However,
while many Christians regard
themselves as careful stewards of
God’s gifts during their lifetime,
many have forfeited their greatest
opportunity to impact the
Kingdom of God by not having
a plan for their estate. How can
this be?
It has been said that the average
American will spend 40 years
accumulating assets, about 20
years preserving those assets but
not even two hours to plan the
Ohio Right to Life • 665 East Dublin-Granville Road, Columbus, OH, 43229 • (614) 547-0099 • www.ohiolife.org
N E WS L E T T E R
In Honor of...
Made By...
Melody and Rick Fairchild
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Feldman
Frank Gorrasi
Mr. John Durham
Johanna Marbaough
Mrs. Mary Lou Guilbault
Dee Tatar
final distribution of their worldly
Mrs. Doris R. Mullins
possessions. The unfortunate
reality is that while everyone Mary VanderKay
may indeed acknowledge “you
can’t take it with you,” a majority Mr. and Mrs. Harry R. Tabor Jr.
of Americans have nevertheless
Darlene Zeiher
failed to make values-driven
plans for all they will leave Grey Havens, LLC
behind.
Estate planning is not just for
millionaires. Many middle class
Americans leave valuable assets
January 2010 - April 2010
behind at their death. Things
like life insurance policies,
real estate, stocks, jewelry, and
collectibles. Do you have an
estate plan? Does it reflect your
deepest values? Will you make
Be Our Friend
the government your biggest
charity, or will you share your
estate with a life-affirming
organization like Ohio Right to
Life, extending your generosity
to future generations?
If you would like more Become a fan or follower of Ohio Right to Life
information on estate planning,
contact our Donor Relations on Twitter or Facebook and receive our latest
consultant Jim Schroeder at updates and action alerts today!
(614) 547-0099 or by e-mail at:
jschroeder@ohiolife.org.
page 7
 Non Profit
Postage
Society

PAID
Columbus, OH
Permit #60

665 East Dublin-Granville Rd., Suite 200

Columbus, OH 43229-3245

N E WS L E T T E R

2010 Legislative Day

Ohio Right to Life • 665 East Dublin-Granville Road, Columbus, OH, 43229 • (614) 547-0099 • www.ohiolife.org