2008 Award Winners

Friday, January 23, 2009
National Museum Building, Washington, DC

American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG)

Dr. Donna Harrison, M.D.,
President of the Board of Directors

The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or AAPLOG, is a professional voice reaffirming the unique value and dignity of individual human life in all stages of growth and development from conception onward.

Strong voices within the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, or ACOG, espouse elective abortion on demand as the standard care for unwanted pregnancies. AAPLOG, one of the largest physician groups within ACOG, exists to reaffirm the humanity and worth of the individual human life and remind their colleagues of their professional duty to both mother and unborn child.

To that end, AAPLOG members engage in physician education, dissemination of information about the harmful effects of abortion on women, and provide pro-life professional testimony at the Federal, State, and local levels.

Dr. Harrison practiced private medicine and served as Associate Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan. She retired from clinical practice in 2000 to pursue a more active role in public policy work, serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Americans United for Life and now as President of the Board of AAPLOG. [Watch Video]

Richard Doerflinger

Richard Doerflinger is Associate Director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities. Commonly described as a "walking encyclopedia," Richard has published dozens of articles, testified numerous times before legislative bodies, and served as a chief researcher and drafter of many important statements issued by the U.S. Bishops' Conference.

He has closely advised the Senate, the House, and the White House on bioethical issues, and has played an important role in every major pro-life policy debate in the last 25 years. In 2004, the National Journal called Richard one of the few experts whose ideas are shaping the national debate on biotechnology.

In 2008, Richard received the William Wilberforce Award from the National Lawyers Association. This award is given to those who dedicate their lifetime to a just cause.

Though much of his work is behind the scenes, Richard has nevertheless done more to educate policy makers, the media, and the general public about assisted suicide, embryo research, and human cloning than any other single individual in the movement today. [Watch Video]

Margaret "Peggy" Hartshorn

Margaret "Peggy" Hartshorn Margaret H. (Peggy) Hartshorn, Ph.D., answered the call to become involved in the pro-life movement when she heard Roe v. Wade announced on the radio, January 22, 1973.

Peggy and her husband Mike began housing pregnant women in their home and then established a pregnancy resource center in Columbus, Ohio. After 20 years as a college English and Humanities professor, Peggy left her career to lead Heartbeat International, a pregnancy services affiliation organization which is now the most expansive network of life-affirming, volunteer ministries in the world with 1100 affiliates in 43 countries.

She has also served on several Commissions and Boards and as an Advisor to the Reagan Administration in the Office of Population Affairs.

Peggy has traveled all over the United States, and in Canada, Mexico, Australia, Eastern and Western Europe, Africa, and Asia, helping people start and strengthen ministries providing alternatives to abortion.

Her many awards include the J.C. Penney Golden Rule Award, the Sanctity of Human Life Award from Care Net, the Cardinal John J. O'Connor pro-life award from Legatus International, and the Patrick Cardinal O'Boyle Award from the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars.

Peggy has been married for 39 years, has two children, adopted as infants, and four grandchildren. [Watch Video]

Jill Stanek

Jill was a registered nurse in the Labor & Delivery Department at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois when she discovered that babies who survived abortions were being left to die without medical care. She urged hospital administrators to stop this practice, and when they refused she went public with the scandal and was fired.

Since that time Jill has become a national figure in the effort to protect both born and pre-born infants. She has appeared nationwide on numerous television and radio programs and in newspapers and magazines. She has testified laws to protect abortion survivors. President George W. Bush publicly thanked Jill at the signing of the Born Alive Infants Protection Act for her help on this important legislation.

In 1993, World Magazine named Jill one of the 30 most prominent prolife leaders in the movement over the past 30 years.

Jill writes on pro-life issues as a weekly columnist for the top-ranked independent Internet news site WorldNet Daily and also oversees her own blog, www.jillstanek.com, the top ranking pro-life blog in the United States.

Jill is wife to Rich; mother of Michael, Timothy, and Daena; and grandmother to four grandsons. [Watch Video]

Lila Rose

Lila Rose is a pro-life, student activist at UCLA who has dedicated her life to ending abortion. At fifteen years old, Lila founded Live Action, a growing nonprofit with several chapters in California. It conducts student-led investigations and releases the findings through Live Action Films, The Advocate (Live Action's quarterly student magazine), and other independent media.
 
Lila has launched several successful undercover investigations exposing racism and sexual abuse cover-ups by Planned Parenthood. Her brave work has revealed new evidence to build a strong case against the abortion industry.
 
During her freshman year at UCLA, Lila launched the student magazine The Advocate, for which she serves as Editor-in-Chief. The Advocate approaches right-to-life issues from unconventional angles and publishes the results of Live Action Films' evocative student investigations and educational pieces. The most recent issue was the first to expand its reach beyond UCLA, with students disseminating copies on over a dozen college campuses across the nation.
 
Lila is a frequent guest on radio and television programs, including The O'Reilly Factor, Hannity's America, and The Laura Ingraham show. Numerous newspapers and blogs have also printed articles about her investigations. Her efforts have bought attention to human rights issues well beyond the students on the UCLA campus. [Watch Video]

Kay Coles James

Kay Coles James and her husband, Charles James, have worked to advance the pro-life cause for three decades. As founders of a pregnancy resource center and Black Americans for Life, they were pro-life pioneers in the African- American community.

Kay has brought her pro-life advocacy to the highest levels of government. Among her key positions, she served as Director of the Office of Personnel Management under President George W. Bush and as Secretary of Health and Human Resources under Virginia Governor George Allen.

Kay is a frequent commentator and lecturer, has appeared on several national news and talk programs, and her editorials have been featured in newspapers across the country. In addition, she is the author of three books, including her award winning autobiography Never Forget.

She is 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. The Institute utilizes lessons learned from the civil rights movement, including a recognition that the first civil right is life itself. [Watch Video]