Hooray for Arlene Sawicki!

Mrs. Sawicki, whom I’ve known for several years, is quite the Catholic and pro-life activist. She co-founded Vote Life America and served on the board of directors of the Chicago Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women as Chairperson for Family Concerns, Morality in Media and Legislation.

Earlier this month, she wrote about her Catholic high school alma mater in Chicago planning to honor two alumnae who are pro-abortion politicians: Maria Antonia Berrios, Ill. State Representative, and Patti Solis Doyle, senior advisor to Hillary Clinton. The awards were to be given out at the school’s major fundraising event on May 12.

Rep. Berrios “has consistently voted for abortion … She has also steadfastly supported so-called ‘gay’ rights, voting for the ‘gay’ rights bill that passed into law in 2005. She was a co-sponsor of HB-317, a bill to overturn parental notification of abortion. She is a co-sponsor of HB-5615, which codifies Roe v. Wade, making it a violation of law to put any limitations on abortion; thus, it would reverse the right of conscience for medical personnel and require the teaching of comprehensive sex education in the schools. Berrios was a ‘Yes’ on HB-1732, which allows people to change their gender on their birth certificates simply by taking ‘medical treatment’ (hormone shots).”

Mrs. Doyle “has been considered the chief architect of an expensive and potentially risky strategy to build a list of thousands of donors to back Hillary’s presidential campaign. She is the youngest of six siblings to Mexican immigrant parents … Her oldest brother, Daniel, is the president of the Chicago City Council. Mrs. Clinton gave a reading at her marriage ceremony [her second marriage] to Jim Doyle, a Harvard Law grad who worked for William Daley, Mayor Daley’s brother, while he was Commerce Secretary during the Clinton Administration….”

Thankfully, it appears said politicians won’t be honored after all.

According to an April 26 update on the matter from Mrs. Sawicki:

‘Notre Dame High School for Girls has heard our protests. They have decided against honoring two pro-abort alumnae at their upcoming Celebration of Light fundraiser May 12. 

‘We are thankful to Cardinal Francis George and Bishop Thomas Paprocki who played a big part in convincing the planning committee of this event that this action would be counter to the social teachings of the Catholic Church and the U.S. bishops, who have discouraged honoring those who take positions in defiance of sound doctrine.

‘I would like to thank those of you who had taken the time to write or phone Notre Dame High to support this protest. We would also ask prayers for Notre Dame alums Patti Solis Doyle and Maria Antonio Berrios, who have apparently lost their way. Both women are Latinos and should hold true to the faith of their ancestors. Instead, they have chosen the wrong path. May the Lord help them to find their way back.’

(Matt C. Abbott is a Catholic columnist with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication, Media and Theatre from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, and an Associate in Applied Science degree in Business Management from Triton College in River Grove, Ill. He has worked in the right-to-life movement and is a published writer focused on Catholic and social issues. He can be reached at mattcabbott@<NOSPAM>gmail.com.)