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January 2026, Volume 31, No. 1:
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE FOR LIFE
Announcing First Luncheon of 2026!
Happy New Year to the membership of Business and Professional People For Life! We wish you all a wonderful 2026 and look forward to seeing you again very soon. The last time we met, you may recall that Archbishop Michael McGovern had been our invited speaker but was unable to attend due to a last-minute flight delay. The Archdiocese of Omaha graciously substituted their Vicar General, Fr. Scott Hastings, as our speaker and on very short notice, he did a tremendous job! Archbishop McGovern suggested that we give him some time to get to know our community before rescheduling him, so we will look forward to having him as our speaker sometime later this year.
In the meantime, the Nebraska Legislature has been in session as of January 7, and we would like to be as informed as possible regarding pro-life legislation in the state. For our first luncheon of 2026, we've invited the Nebraska Catholic Conference to speak on pro-life issues in the Unicameral, and they've very kindly agreed! We will look forward to having either Marion Minor, Associate Director of Pro-Life & Family Policy, or Tom Venzor, Executive Director, as our next luncheon's speaker. Both Marion and Tom have been great friends of BPPFL and the pro-life cause, and we are very excited to welcome one of them as our speaker! Please note that the luncheon date is Thursday, March 5th.
Be sure to RSVP as soon as possible, no later than Tuesday, March 3rd. RSVP information is provided at the end of this letter. This luncheon will be hosted at the German-American Society at 3717 S. 120th St. in Omaha, with social time beginning at 11:30 and lunch at noon. Please note that our luncheon will be in the north hall.
"Abortion does not kill a potential human person, it kills a human person with great potential." (Anonymous)
Treasury Update For Business and Professional People For Life
It should be noted that BPPFL does not receive any monetary benefit from our luncheons. The charge paid by our members exclusively covers the cost of the meal, venue, tax, and gratuity. We also do not have an annual membership fee nor a joining fee. We rely on the generosity of our members to continue our ministries, such as our memorial, A Haven For Healing. With this ministry, we help to cover the cost of engraving memorial stones for preborn lives lost to miscarriage or abortion.
At this point our treasury funds are low ($673), and we are seeking your generosity to assist in such worthwhile endeavors. If you are called to consider a donation, please send your check to our treasurer: Deacon Bill Hill, 2708 Liberty Lane, Papillion, NE 68133. Thank you in advance for your thoughtfulness and generosity!
"If the unborn is not a human person, no justification for abortion is necessary. However, if the unborn is a human person, no justification for abortion is adequate." (Greg Kouki)
We're Told That Chemical Abortions Don't Count
The establishment press likes to report that abortions have fallen to historic lows -- and to the press that seems like a bad thing. However, even when reported statistics do suggest fewer abortions are being committed than previously, the most relevant abortion fact is completely ignored. The statistical reviews only count surgical abortions and, this is important to note, that aggregate number comes from the abortion businesses themselves. And those businesses have repeatedly shown to severely under-report the numbers. Why? Well, in the case of America's largest abortion company, Planned Parenthood, they under-report the numbers for public relations purposes. Wanting to present itself as a responsible charitable organization, Planned Parenthood takes great pains to hide their true intentions; namely, to sell abortions. And they sell a lot...way, way more than they desire the public to realize. But the second and most important truth relevant to the reportedly decreasing number of abortions is that the numbers of preborn children killed by poisonous drugs is soaring to unimaginable highs. Indeed, the most conservative estimates suggest that 60-70% of all abortions in America are via chemicals like RU-486 and the "morning after" pill. And that's not even adding to the horrific total those preborn kids whose lives are ended by the abortifacient properties of the tragically misnamed birth-control pill. No, none of the children destroyed by these lethal poisons are being counted by health officials.
America's downward trend in the surgical abortion rate over the last two decades involves several factors: the effects of pro-life laws, the spread of pro-life education, the increased awareness of fetal development through ultrasound and fetal surgery, the compassionate work of pro-life pregnancy aid centers, and a greater spirit of compassion towards the innocent among today's youth. But, let's face the truth, the primary reason the abortion statistics are down is because those numbers are cooked. The abortion industry (and its friends in the old guard media) are manipulating the math by ignoring altogether the means by which the majority of abortions now are committed. This not only provides cover for the chemical abortion industry, I'm afraid that it also provides false comfort to pro-life advocates. The sad, alarming fact is that our culture (as a whole) is no more interested in genuinely defending the sanctity of life than before the Dobbs decision. What do we then do? Pray harder, light more lamps of truth to penetrate the ignorance and indifference of modern society, and keep working to provide compassion and justice so that abortions are understood by more and more citizens to be immoral, selfish, and cruel acts of violence against innocent preborn babies -- whether the murder weapon be curette, suction machine, or poison pills.
"I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born." (Ronald Reagan)
A Special Moment at A Haven For Healing in St. Mary Magdalene Cemetery
Last August we added a special stone at A Haven For Healing to clarify the memorial's purpose. This new stone indicates that the memorial is "dedicated to preborn lives lost to miscarriage or abortion." This clarification was needed because the pre-existing Rachel statue's inscription only references abortion. An amazing thing happened shortly after this new stone was placed. At our annual memorial prayer service, a husband and wife whom we didn't recognize arrived to pray with us. It turned out that this couple had placed a stone at the memorial 10 years earlier but had never returned because their loss was due to a miscarriage and the Rachel statue's inscription only referenced abortion. Ten years later, they returned for the prayer service to discover our new stone mentioning miscarriage, having just been placed maybe a week before. I get goosebumps thinking of the incredible timing! And even more mysterious was that a little blue spinner had been placed next to their baby's stone, which welcomed them upon their return so many years later. They never knew the sex of their baby, but maybe the mysterious spinner could be an indication! More goosebumps! I truly believe God is working through the people around us!
"The first feminists were pro-life. Elizabeth C. Stanton called abortion 'evil.' Sarah F. Norton called abortion a 'crime.' Susan B. Anthony called abortion 'child murder.' Alice Paul called abortion the 'ultimate exploitation of women.' " (Lila Rose)
President's Message to the Membership
Dear Brothers and Sisters in BPPFL,
We are beginning a new year in the on-going war against abortion, the ultimate abuse of a human being in the womb. This is not just a medical disagreement between persons; it is an absolute fact that abortion is the death of a child. The counter argument is that the intentional taking of the baby's life is for some other more important consideration. Arguments for abortion rights place other matters at higher value than the baby's life. Some also contend that the termination of a baby's life is part of a woman's rights.
Much progress has been made in reducing this evil of abortion, but much more remains to be done until some glorious future day when abortion is eliminated. The battle has now shifted to the state level, but each of us in BPPFL and the pro-life movement, as well as all people of good will and common sense, must do their part in making known the value of all human persons.
We now go forth in 2026, and for as long as it takes, to do our unique part in the battle, showing by word and deed how important this issue is in our human environment. Thanks to each of you for the part you have done, and will continue to do, to help make abortion a thing of the past and to be able to celebrate God's loving creation forever.
God Bless You All,
John H. Kellogg, Jr., BPPFL President
The pro-life quotes in this newsletter are provided by vitalsignsministries.org (visit for additional quotes)
Luncheon Details for March 5, 2026
Please email your reservations to clairemariehartford@gmail.com or call 402-341-8886 on or before Tuesday, March 3. Please include your name or names for each person. More luncheon details:
Where: North Hall of the German-American Society, 3717 South 120th Street, Omaha
When: Thursday, March 5th with social time at 11:30 AM and lunch at noon
Cost: $25.00 per person (includes meal, venue, tax and gratuity)
THANK YOU FOR MAKING AN EARLY RESERVATION!
