Jill Stanek (center) speaks with reporters
MOKENA – Mokena resident Jill Stanek has signed on as an advisor on the life issue to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, the campaign announced late last week. According to the published list of 32 of the national movement's most vocal leaders, Stanek alone hails from Illinois.
"I was happy to be asked to be a national pro-life co-chair for Trump. I am literally sickened by the prospect of Hillary Clinton being elected president," Stanek told Illinois Review Monday. "She would be catastrophic to preborn children."
Stanek said there is no question the former First Lady would push wider access and taxpayer funding of abortions – the main reason why pro-lifers need to support Trump.
"Clinton has promised to to give Planned Parenthood more funding, promote the overturn of the Hyde Amendment, which blocks federal funding for U.S. abortions. She has also promised to 'reinterpret' the Helms Amendment, which blocks taxpayer funding of International abortions," Stanek said.
Clinton has also promised to nominate only Supreme Court justices that will uphold Roe v. Wade.
"Of course, there is no way she would sign the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," Stanek said.
Stanek first became involved in the pro-life issue when in 1999, she was forced to leave her obstetrics nursing position at southwest suburban Oak Lawn Christ Hospital after objecting to the facility's policy concerning babies born alive after abortions. The hospital staff was instructed to leave unwanted babies born alive to die on a soiled utility room shelf.
When confronted with the situation, Stanek instinctively picked up and held a 22-week baby for 45 minutes until he died after being aborted by his mother.
Stanek became vocal locally about the practice she considered abhorrent, and then testified in Illinois' and D.C. capitols to protect those helpless newborns. Other nurses, horrified by the practice they had witnessed for themselves, came forward and validated Stanek's claims.
Legislation to protect born alive infants passed at the federal level and was signed into law by President George W. Bush, but Stanek's testimony had opened the eyes of the public unaware as to the radical nature of abortion and its advocates. While the federal protection law passed, in her home state of Illinois, the measure was blocked time and time again - thanks to Illinois' strong abortion lobby, moderate Republicans that sided with abortion supporters as well as the state's Democrats, led by the likes of then-Senator Barack Obama.
Stanek has since become a national spokesman for the Life movement, and now serves as Chair of Susan B. Anthony List – a pro-life effort to counter the abortion movement's political action committee called EMILY's List.
Last week, the Trump Campaign announced that she had joined Trump's list of Pro-Life Coalition's National Co-Chairs, knowing that Trump remains controversial among conservatives.
"Trump was not the first choice of many pro-lifers, but now that the race is between him and Hillary Clinton, there is no other choice, in my opinion," Stanek said. "Trump has promised to defund Planned Parenthood, to sign the Pain-Capable Act and to nominate only Supreme Court justices from two lists of names, which are all sterling."
In addition, Trump has recently added another pledge – to promote enacting the Hyde Amendment into permanent law, which would end the need to approve every year as is currently the law.
Pro-Life Coalition’s National Co-Chairs
Representative Robert Aderholt (AL-04)
Ellen Barrosse, Republican National Committeewoman & Chairman of RNC Conservative Steering Committee
Gary Bauer, President of American Values
Representative Diane Black (TN-06)
Representative Marsha Blackburn (TN-07)
Honorable Ken Blackwell, Former Ambassador of United Nations Human Rights Commission
Governor Sam Brownback of Kansas
Frank Cannon, President of American Principles Project
Senator Steve Daines of Montana
Bill Dallas, CEO of United in Purpose
Bill Donahue, Treasurer of FAMILY PAC
Governor Mary Fallin of Oklahoma
Representative Jeff Fortenberry (NE-01)
Representative Virginia Foxx (NC-05)
Representative Trent Franks (AZ-08)
Day Gardner, President of National Black Pro-Life Union
Representative Vicky Hartzler (MO-04)
Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life
Alveda King, Director of Civil Rights for the Unborn
Ed Martin, President of Eagle Forum
Penny Nance, President and CEO of Concerned Women of America
Representative Kristi Noem (SD-AL)
Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life
Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council
Representative Joe Pitts (PA-16)
Representative Mike Pompeo (KS-04)
Senator David Perdue of Georgia
Ralph Reed, Founder and Chairman of the Faith & Freedom Coalition
Austin Ruse, President of Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM)
Representative Chris Smith (NJ-04)
Jill Stanek, National Campaign Chair of Susan B. Anthony List
Charmaine Yoest, American Values Senior Fellow
