An Informal Hello From Some Friends and Members of The New Pro-Life Movement

Without getting into the details, there are apparently some weird rumors going around the internet about The New Pro-Life Movement (NPLM). I admit NPLM is pretty new – I had heard the term but I thought it was a generic name, not the name of an organization, much less an organization run a couple of friends, until last week. I noticed I hadn’t been paying enough attention when their Facebook page re-shared one of our posts.

We at Steel Magnificat will probably be writing to you about them again, but last night the oddest thing happened. There were apparently rumors going around on some public Facebook pages to the effect that NPLM was being run in secret by anonymous persons and was “subversive”. “Subversive” of what, no one apparently knows. Also weird was that the rumor mill was aware of NPLM’s Facebook page and didn’t bother to look for the information they wanted there or by contacting the page. A conversation equal parts silly and serious got started and the actual members of NPLM and some of us who know them introduced ourselves, in no particular order or format. Without further ado, let’s cut to the hellos:

“Hi. I’m Matthew Tyson. I’m a writer for Patheos, marketing strategist, and I’m one of the two founders of The New Pro-Life Movement.”

“Hi, I’m Mary Pezzulo. I haven’t had much to do with the NPLM yet, but I approve their message.”

“I’m Michael C. Pezzulo, her husband. I write on the same blog she does and I also haven’t had much to do with the NPLM and I also approve their message.”

“I’m Mary Hammond who just heard of NPLM and I support them as much as any prolife group.”

“Hi, I’m Lillian Vogl and I’m a writer for NPLM. I’ve been committed to helping pregnant women chose life through practical assistance since I was 12 years old and saw what lengths my mom went to in order to help her half-sister-in-law give birth and an adoptive family to her baby. Boyfriend and mother said abort and sent money, she didn’t want to, multiple crisis pregnancy centers offered lecturing but no help, finally they found one that placed her with a family to live with through her pregnancy. (She has serious mental health problems and had already proved too much for our family to handle.) Convert to Catholicism as a young adult, whose sponsor told me to read Fr Sirico. Holy Spirit knocked me down several notches after that and taught me to listen to the whole Gospel, even that crazy social justice stuff I used to scoff at. Was an activist and committee officer in the local GOP for several years until a couple months ago. Resigned after realizing the first priority had become glorifying deadly weapons and the second priority attacking immigrants. Met a Podesta once (Tony). He was wearing a purple suit and lobbying for the casino industry and I thought he was the scuzziest lobbyist I’d ever met. I spend the bulk of my professional hours these days tangling with an overwrought regulation birthed by the more “respectable” Podesta’s organization. Happy to volunteer my personal time on behalf of life and dignity for all.”

“Hi, I’m Rebecca Bratten Weiss, the other founder of NPLM. I’m a writer, lecturer, and eco-grower, as well as a Jewish Catholic…which l guess makes me extra double triple shady.”

“Hi, I’m Anthony S. “Tony” Layne, one of the managing editors of Catholic Stand, and I think I joined. At least, I liked the FB page. This is my first subversive movement. Be gentle with me. (That’s “gentle”, not “gentile”. I’ve already got that covered.)”

“Hi, I’m Kate Cousino, I occasionally blog for The Personalist Project, and I’m pretty darn excited about the NPLM.”

“Hi, I’m Gary Simmons. Loudmouth. Pacifist. Cat enthusiast. New Pro-life all the way.”

“Hi, I’m Rachel Dobbs, a devout Catholic working stiff. I have a master’s in history, two cats, and I’m a fantasy nerd. I’m married to Jeremy Dobbs who is seen around facebook and is interested in this new movement. I’ve been reading Mark Shea, Rebecca Bratten Weiss, and others. They have opened my eyes. I’m fed up with the current form of the so called “pro life movement ” and
I’m thrilled there’s a new movement that’s formed who cares about a wider range of problems according to Catholic social teaching.
Yes, abortion is evil but it’s also a part of a wide range of evils. It’s complex.
The issues I’m very concerned with is racial justice, gun violence, police brutality, prison reform, our foreign policy toward war, refugees, immigrants, and the environment.
So, I’m interested in helping out this new movement and if this is subversive then so be it. Viva la Revolution.”

“Hi, Matthew Jenkins checking in. Logistics Analyst, Aristotelian, nerd of all capacities, and a member of The New Pro-Life Movement.”

I am sure other people will be making similar check ins and declarations, but these are what I saw before the time this was written. It includes clear identification of both founders of NPLM, the link to the organization’s Facebook page and links to the founder’s personal blogs. Beyond that, you  have a clear statement about the relationship between Steel Magnificat and NPLM, as well as a random sampling of people willing to step forward and give both their names and their relation to NPLM.

I hope that helps if you were curious.

(Update: I am also informed that NPLM has a blog on Medium.)

(Image via Pixabay.)