Posted by Matt Yonke on Thursday, October 2nd, 2008
Today, October 2, 2008, is the first anniversary of the day that Planned Parenthood Aurora first opened its doors. After months of protest, petitioning government, and constant prayer, that was a dark day for Fox Valley's pro-life community.
And while today was a day of mourning for the babies who have lost their lives at the Abortion Fortress and their hurting mothers, the mood of the fifty pro-lifers who gave their lunch hour to pray at the vigil site was also full of hope.
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Posted by Matt Yonke on Thursday, October 2nd, 2008
As we observe the anniversary of Planned Parenthood opening its doors here in Aurora, we thought it would be helpful to post a timeline of all that has gone on from the time we first caught wind of their plans to the present.
- March 1, 2007: First Rumors
- A core group of pro-lifers gathers to discuss rumors of an abortion facility opening in Aurora, presumed to be the re-opening of a facility that had closed in November 2006.
- April 12, 2007: Community Meeting
- The League holds a community meeting with local pro-lifers to discuss an action plan for dealing with abortion returning to Aurora.
- May 12, 2007: Picket at Old Abortion Facility.
- Aurora pro-lifers picket the site of the former abortion facility with signs reading "Keep Abortion Out of Aurora".
- [More Info]
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Posted by Matt Yonke on Thursday, September 25th, 2008
As we were making the final preparations for last night's Candlelight Vigil to kick off the 40 Days for Life campaign here in Aurora, our attorney Peter Breen was before the City's Building Code Board of Appeals to witness the final rubber-stamping of our case there.
At one point in the proceedings, Planned Parenthood's attorney Chris Wilson asked that the record show that none of the appellants were present, as if to imply that the appellants, Eric Scheidler and Fox Valley Families Against Planned Parenthood, weren't interested enough in this case to even show up.
Peter told the board that if they would care to move the hearing to the building under investigation tonight, they would find hundreds of the appellants peacefully praying there. [Continue reading . . . »]
Posted by Matt Yonke on Friday, September 19th, 2008
UPDATE: Eric Scheidler's response to Ms. Sherman's column was published in today's Beacon.
In this morning's Beacon News, columnist Deena Sherman offered some thoughts in the "Common Sense" column about putting aside disrespect and hate in the abortion debate.
Sherman is right to call for civility, but her article makes no advances towards any such thing. In a column ostensibly about Eric Scheidler's libel case against Planned Parenthood, Ms. Sherman addresses everything from Nazism to Mahatma Gandhi.
Everything, that is, except whether whether Steve Trombley lied about Eric and Aurora's pro-life community. "That's not the question I'm asking.", Ms. Sherman said. But she never even answers the question she claims to be asking! [Continue reading . . . »]
Posted by Eric Scheidler on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
This morning on the radio I heard that Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner is undergoing surgery today at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to remove a cancerous tumor from his colon. As the Beacon reports, the mayor was found to be cancer-free earlier this year, after a successful bout with colon cancer last year.
Mayor Weisner has been no friend to us in our battle against Planned Parenthood, but perhaps for that reason he is all the more deserving of our prayers today for a successful surgery and speedy recovery.
No word yet on what impact this recent diagnosis might have on the mayor's plans to run for reelection next year.
Update: The Beacon reports today (9-11-08) that the mayor's prognosis is good after the surgery.
Posted by Eric Scheidler on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
The zoning case against Planned Parenthood is moving forward in state court. Just yesterday Judge Kenneth Popejoy was assigned to the case in DuPage County court, which has reasserted its jurisdiction over the case after a brief haitus in federal court. And tonight we continue the municipal side of the case with an appearance before the Aurora Building Code Board of Appeals.
This hearing gives city officials their third and final chance to seriously address the substance of the case against Planned Parenthood—as they've refused to do in our two appeals to the Zoning Board of Appeals. Corporation Counsel Alayne Weingartz has filed a Motion to Dismiss—even though she was the one who insisted our case had to be brought to this Board in the first place.
Come out to the Fifth Floor Conference Room at City Hall (map) at 5 p.m. for the hearing, or check back here for live reports.
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Posted by Matt Yonke on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
If all you read was the Beacon News headline this morning, you may have gotten the wrong idea about what happened in the hearing in the Scheidler v. Trombley libel case yesterday. Their headline read "Libel suit against Planned Parenthood is dismissed".
What actually happened was that Judge Judith Brawka allowed Planned Parenthood's Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) motion against us, thus dismissing the charges in our previous complaint.
However, she allowed us to file four new charges based on evidence our attorneys uncovered in the discovery process.
For all the back story on this case, Eric Scheidler's blog post from before the last hearing will get you up to speed. [Continue reading . . . »]
Posted by Eric Scheidler on Thursday, August 28th, 2008
Last year on this date, we made our first momentous visit to the Aurora City Council. Over 100 pro-lifers stood up and spoke out against Planned Parenthood, and hundreds more packed the Council Chambers, stairways and courtyard outside City Hall.
It was an amazing day, which led to an investigation into deception by Planned Parenthood, drew major media attention to our fight and switched our entire campaign into high gear—and it was all made possible by prayer. [Continue reading . . . »]
Posted by Eric Scheidler on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
Tonight we return to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to object to the issuance of a Permanent Occupancy Permit to Planned Parenthood—an action taken despite the zoning case we have pending in state court.
On July 1, city officials quietly issued the permit, but we were watching, and immediately took action to appeal the issuance of the permit and hold the city accountable.
Come for the hearing tonight at 7 p.m. at Aurora City Hall (map), or tune in here for live reports.
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Posted by Eric Scheidler on Monday, August 25th, 2008
UPDATE: An editorial agreeing with our side of this case was published in the Beacon News on Tuesday, August 26. You can read the editorial here. Let's hope the Judge agrees.
Last Friday I was joined by more than sixty pro-lifers for a critical hearing in the libel case I've brought against Planned Parenthood and Steve Trombley for declaring that those leading the opposition to their Aurora facility "have a well-documented history of advocating violence".
Trombley repeated these lies in a September 5, 2007 letter to the City Council [PDF] [PDF] and a September 10, 2007 full-page ad in the Aurora Beacon [PDF]. I filed my libel suit on October1, 2007, after Trombley refused to recant his false, defamatory statements.
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