Right to Life Convention Features Fred Barnes, Abby Johnson

Opinion   |   Luis Zaffirini   |   Jun 9, 2011   |   11:26AM   |   Washington, DC

National Right to Life’s annual convention, “Bringing America Back to Life,” will be held June 23-25, at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront in Jacksonville, Florida.

This year’s convention is hosted by National Right to Life’s Florida affiliate, Florida Right to Life and features over 70 workshops and general sessions featuring expert speakers who will address the broad spectrum of pro-life issues.

Some convention highlights include:

  • The convention will begin with an informal breakfast briefing for reporters by key NRLC leaders.  The briefing will be held Thursday, June 23 at 8:30 am. Please indicate on the media registration form if you will be attending this briefing.

  • The convention kicks off with an opening general session featuring Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard and Fox News Channel contributor.  NRLC President Carol Tobias and Florida Right to Life National Director and NRLC Vice-Chairwoman Hon. Lynda Bell will provide opening remarks.  The session will also feature a tribute to former NRLC President Dr. Mildred F. Jefferson.

  • On Thursday afternoon, the convention will examine “Planned Parenthood: The Hyper-Political, Under-Regulated, Out-of-Control Mega-Marketer of Abortion.”  The session features Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood director as well as NRLC experts Randall K. O’Bannon, Ph.D., director of education and research and Mary Spaulding Balch, J.D., director of state legislation.

  • Abortion survivor Melissa Ohden will address the annual National Right to Life Prayer Breakfast on Friday morning. The Most Revered Felipe Estevez, the recently installed Bishop of St. Augustine, will also make remarks.

  • Also Friday morning, National Right to Life will host a Republican Presidential Candidate Forum.

  • On Saturday, the siblings of Terri Schindler Schiavo, Bobby Schindler and Suzanne Schindler Vitadamo along with Burke Balch, J.D., director of National Right to Life’s Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics, will discuss the current state of health care in America in the aftermath of the Obama Health Care law.

  • Photojournalist Michael Clancy who is best known for his photo of Samuel Armas reaching out from his mother’s womb during an in-utero surgery, will discuss the impact of that photo on his life at the convention’s closing banquet Saturday night.

Recording artist Jaime Thietten will also be on hand throughout the convention providing special music for the annual Prayer Breakfast and closing banquet.  Mrs. Thietten is dedicated to using her career to advance a life-affirming message.

In addition, National Teens for Life (NTL) will hold its 26th annual convention concurrently with NRLC 2011.  The NTL convention will feature workshops and sessions geared toward educating and activating the next generation of pro-life activists.

I look forward to seeing you at this year’s convention.