Event Reports

Great Feedback from Advertising 
One of the goals of Emily's Voice is "to change the way Australians think on the issue of abortion."  Some very encouraging feed back came to us recently to demonstrate that this was actually happening as a result of our advertising campaigns!

We received a report from a local high school where a classroom discussion came round to the issue of abortion and children with disabilities.  As the discussion progressed, one boy excitedly referred to the Not Born Yet ad on TV that featured Jimmy, the child with Downs Syndrome, saying, "What about that kid on the four-wheeler in the ad? He looked alright." The discussion continued and the class conclusion was that having a disability was no reason to abort a child!
 
Networking with Priceless Life Centre 
Priceless Life Centre is a pregnancy support centre located in Brisbane. They offer help to pregnant women and their families, as well as new parent support and post abortive support through both telephone and face to face counselling.  Emily's Voice is already partnering with Priceless Life Centre as they provide the practical help offered on our websites. 

Priceless Life Centre is seeking to network with individuals and groups in Toowoomba that are offering assistance to those who lack support during pregnancy and early parenting.

There will be a public meeting on Monday, 26th October at Thommy's, cnr Thomas and Neil Streets, Toowoomba at 7:30pm. 

If you are interested in this very practical area of giving support to pregnant women, please come along to this meeting.

House of Nathan and Fresh Hope representatives will also be there.   
 
Further Networking to spread the Pro-Life Message 
Emily's Voice was delighted to join a number of other pro-life organisations around Australia in supporting a recent Australian Christian Lobby initiative.  An advertisement featured in The Weekend Australian on 19th September in response to the cover of the Weekend Australian Magazine from the week before.  The cover read, "For Dear Life.  Babies born at just 23 weeks can now be saved, but they risk severe disability.  Has medical science gone too far?"  The jointly-sponsored ad used similar format to the previous week's cover, but changed the wording to:  "For Dear Life.  Babies born at just 23 weeks can now be saved, but we abort them even older.  Has abortion gone too far?" 
 
Christmas is around the corner 
To celebrate the Christmas Season, Emily's Voice is sending a precious message of life through TV, radio and the newspaper in Toowoomba.  It will be a compilation of the three NotBornYet ads shown this year, giving a Christmas spin to their stories.  The TV ads will feature the familiar scanned unborn image common to the NotBornYet ads, affirming that the best gift of all is life itself. 
 
Annual Report 
Emily's voice has released its very first Annual Report.  It has been mailed to all who have financially supported Emily's Voice during 2008-2009.  If you have not received one but would like to, please contact juliet@emilysvoice.com 

Life Network Australia co-founder and President, Sonja Couroupis, was one of a small number speakers to address a rally against abortion on the steps of the Victorian Parliament last weekend.

             
The rally was organised to mark the first anniversary of the passing of legislation that made many changes to abortion legislation, including access to abortion until birth.
 
Others speakers including leader of the National Party, Peter Ryan and the event's organiser, Bernie Finn, Liberal MP.
 
Each of the speakers criticised the changes and emplored the need for coordinated and unrelenting pressure to improve protection for society's most vulnerable.
 
The invitation extended to Sonja Couroupis by the event's organising committee is recognition of both the positive contribution Life Network Australia has made to informing people of the many issues related to abortion and the prospects of similar legislation being put forward in NSW.
 
The event was supported by over 2,000 people, who marched through the city centre, then gathered on the steps of Parliament to voice their united opposition to the new abortion laws.
 
Mrs Couroupis of Deniliquin highlighted the negative impact abortion has on babies, mothers, fathers and families and that they all deserve better support and options to keep their children.
 
Facebookers can view footage of Sonja at the rally here.