By Joe Winter
Catholic Herald
St. Croix Countians launch pro-life Web site
HUDSON -- A locally based pro-life Internet campaign, probably the only Catholic effort like it in the country, is drawing national attention. Organizers say the Vote for Life First campaign, which can be reached at www.voteforlifefirst.com, goes further than any other Catholic resource that they are aware of on the Internet.
The group's Web site is meant to be a clearinghouse for information on candidates who are pro-life, especially for people who aren't Internet savvy and clergy concerned about their tax-exempt status.
"I've been working on this for over a year, figuring out how this could work," said Pat O'Malley of St. Bridget Parish in River Falls, one of the organizers. He said that the help of Darla Meyers, of St. Patrick Parish in Hudson, allowed the effort to fall into place. Other prominent supporters in St. Croix County are Charlie Silver of Hudson, Tim Guski of Hammond and Dan and Joan Bruske of Roberts.
Meyers said she initially wasn't comfortable with all the new Internet technology, but that she needed to do whatever she could to get the pro-life message out.
La Crosse Bishop Raymond Burke, who received the same introductory letter as every bishop in the country, responded to Meyers and her counterparts: "I found the materials to be excellent. I hope that they will elicit a good response."
The Web site helps people know the positions of state and federal candidates on pro-life issues, then organize to help them get elected. An example is allowing groups of about 25 people to get behind legislative candidates and help them campaign by passing out flyers at parades and similar events.
Vote for Life First also lets people add the e-mail addresses of friends and family and enable them to receive information.
One of the latest links being arranged is with an African-American pro-life group with an affiliate in Chicago. Links have been established to groups as diverse as Priests for Life, Atheists and Agnostics for Life, Democrats for Life and Lutherans for Life. A link with the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops web page has also been discussed.
About 3,000 people who receive e-mail messages from the Alan Keyes Declaration Foundation and Alliance were sent information about Vote for Life First. Keyes was a Republican candidate in the last two presidential elections.
"Because it really is simple, this is going to work out," O'Malley said. More pages may be added to the Web site in the future, and the group has purchased many domain names that are roughly similar to "Vote for Life First."
In December O'Malley traveled to New Jersey to visit with the leader of Priests for Life, Fr. Frank Pavone, and gained the backing of that group. Vote for Life First may also be promoted on EWTN, a national Catholic cable network.
The Web site will allow small groups to get together locally across the state, then outside the state, to get candidates' names out, O'Malley said. He said that things such as the local effort helped State Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls) unseat Alice Clausing in the hard-fought 10th Wisconsin Senate District race two years ago. State Rep. Kitty Rhoades (R-Hudson) attended one of the local group's organizational events.
© Superior Catholic Herald, 2002