Pro-Life Activists Will Protest Rep. Renee Ellmers, Who Helped Sabotage Vote on Abortion Ban

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jan 22, 2015   |   12:36PM   |   Washington, DC

Leading pro-life activists are planning an afternoon protest at the office of Rep. Renee Ellmers, the congresswoman most responsible for sabotaging a vote today on the bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks.

“Republican Congresswoman Renee Ellmers is behind the shutdown of HR 36, Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which was supposed to be passed in Congress TODAY but has now been scuttled,” the Facebook event page states, “Pro-lifers will peacefully protest Congressman Ellmers’ blockage of a bill to protect babies destined for death by abortion from the age of 20 weeks on.”

UPDATE: Dozens of pro-life advocates protested outside Ellmer’s office, where Students for Life president Kristan Hawkins called Ellmers a “coward.” (photo below)

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Staffers for the Congresswoman eventually blocked pro-life people from entering her office.

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Jill Stanek, a pro-life nurse and writer, is one of the pro-life activists leading the charge. Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.

“Having personally held a twenty-week old abortion survivor for forty-five minutes until he died. I can personally attest to the fact that these babies feel excruciating pain as they die,” she told LifeNews.com. “Congresswoman Ellmers attempt to block a bill to protect these babies is reprehensible. I will be protesting at her office today in memory of the baby I held.”

Stanek is joined by Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition and one of the organizers of the protest.

“This is not a political betrayal, this is a betrayal of human rights and justice,” he told LifeNews of those Republicans who sabotaged the vote.

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“To think that Congresswoman Ellmers has withdrawn support for this ban on abortion shows an utter lack of commitment to women, human rights and social justice. We are going to her office to encourage her to reaffirm her commitment to this bill and announce a national campaign focusing on House Republican women who are withdrawing support for this bill,” he said.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of Susan B. Anthony List is also disappointed by the actions of those handful of lawmakers who sabotaged the vote.

“While we are disappointed that the House will not be voting on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act today, we are pleased that the House is moving forward to stop taxpayer funding of abortion,” she said. “We support Majority Leader McCarthy’s call for a prompt vote on Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act this Congress and we will be working with the House Republican leadership to ensure the maximum number of votes. We will also be working with the bill’s sponsor Senator Lindsey Graham to continue advancing this measure in the U.S. Senate. Both the House Leadership and Senator Graham have assured us they are not backing down.”