New Prize Honors Those Who Uphold the Sanctity of Life

Congratulations to all of the innaugural winners of The Gerard Health Foundation "Norinne A. and Raymond E. Ruddy Memorial Pro-Life Prize".

(From their website)
Life Prizes is an annual prize program awarding up to $600,000 for outstanding efforts to awaken the conscience of America to the sanctity of human life through public advocacy, scientific research, outreach and public disclosure activities, legal action and other noteworthy achievements. Life Prizes is an initiative of the Gerard Health Foundation, the private charity foundation of Raymond B. and Marilyn A. Ruddy, long-time pro-life philanthropists.

The purpose of Life Prizes is two-fold: to recognize those on the front lines of the greatest human rights battle of our day, and to encourage and inspire the next generation to accomplish great things for the cause of life.

The total prize amount of $600,000 will be divided among up to 6 individuals and/or organizations chosen as the winners, and the prizes will be awarded at a ceremony on January 23, 2009 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

The innaugural winners (& why they won) are:

1. American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) - Association of pro-life physicians that saves lives by remaining steadfastly committed to life within a stridently pro-abortion profession and which conducts research, writing, and public advocacy especially on the negative impact of abortion on women.
2. Richard Doerflinger - Associate Director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, bioethics expert, consummate researcher, and has been involved in almost every major pro-life legislative initiative since 1980. He has contributed behind the scenes to all major pro-life statements from the Catholic bishops during the last quarter century.
3. Margaret "Peggy" Hartshorn - President, Heartbeat International, a preeminent network of more than 1,000 pregnancy resource centers spread throughout the world that has directly saved the lives of innumerable unborn children and their mothers from abortion through vital pregnancy support.
4. Jill Stanek - Nurse who first publicly exposed infanticide of abortion survivors, Born-Alive Infant Protection Act proponent and chief witness, and prolific writer who uses the media and her popular blog to continue revealing the truth about late-term abortion.
5. Lila Rose - Founder of student pro-life organization Live Action and President of its UCLA chapter. She has launched several successful, undercover investigations that exposed the racism and statutory rape cover-up by Planned Parenthood.
6. Kay Coles James - Founder and President of The Gloucester Institute, an outreach and education initiative for young African Americans focused on developing solutions for the challenges facing communities today, utilizing lessons learned from the civil rights movement, including a recognition that the first civil right is life itself. She and her husband, Charles James, have worked to advance the pro-life cause for three decades as advocates in the highest levels of government, including the Reagan and both Bush presidential administrations and as founders of a pregnancy resource center and Black Americans for Life.

The members of the 2008-09 Life Prizes Awards Selection Advisory Committee were Archbishop of Denver Charles Chaput, the Reverend Dr. Alveda King, Ambassador Raymond Flynn, and Professor Hadley Arkes of Amherst College.

I am sure that they had a difficult time deciding the 6 winners. Actually, the fact that the list from which they were selected came from a group of over 100 nominators tells me that the real winners are the unborn who's lives will be saved as the result of the efforts of all those who are involved with this award, nominator, nominee or prize winner.