Debbi Canepa, ORTLEF board president
The summer fair season is over, but I remain grateful for the dedication and passion of the hundreds of pro-life Oregonians who gave up hours of their summer to be in a fair booth educating the public about the inherent dignity and worth of each human life. The strength of Oregon Right to Life lies in these dedicated pro-life advocates across the state who selflessly gave their time, talents and energy. They are true pro-life advocates, standing up to defend the most vulnerable in our society.
Why do they do this? Why are their convictions so strong that it causes them to step out of their comfort zone to try to change the minds of their abortion-minded fellow Oregonians? The answer, of course, is that they know the truth of the humanity of each unborn child.
Many pro-life people are religious and look to God and the sanctity of human life for their convictions. However, not all pro-life people are religious. There is a growing number of non-religious pro-life advocates. As Secular Pro-Life states, “You don’t have to be religious to have a problem with killing humans.” What better way to share that truth than in a pro-life fair booth?
As an active member of the Washington County chapter of Oregon Right to Life, I am responsible for finding volunteers for our 10-day county fair. So I am particularly grateful to each of the local pro-life advocates who gave so selflessly of their time and energy to staff our booth. The dedication of our volunteers was demonstrated when I called one at the last minute on a Saturday morning to see if he could substitute for another volunteer. Even though he was in the middle of smoking fish, he dropped everything and was in the booth 30 minutes later.
Many others volunteered for multiple shifts in the booth. That is the dedication of our wonderful volunteers, and I know that dedication extends across all the counties in Oregon. We are blessed with people of conviction, who are not willing to compromise their pro-life beliefs, and I am so grateful for each of you.
