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Home » News » Pro-Life This Week – September 4, 2026

Pro-Life This Week – September 4, 2026

Week in Review

If Not Us, Who? Hugh Brown Challenges Young Men at Ave Maria

ALL’s executive vice president, Hugh Brown, recently addressed the St. Joseph’s Men’s Group at Ave Maria University, speaking to roughly 200 young men as part of a broader effort to reach and call Catholic men on college campuses to lead with virtue. 
 

Brown’s message was direct and urgent: “If not us, who?” Catholic young men, he said, carry a tremendous and grave responsibility to first lead their families then to lead within their circles of friends and communities. Leadership, he emphasized, begins with witnessing for Christ without fear, hesitation, or apology. 

“Be unapologetically the man God intends you to be,” Brown told the group. “Be kind, be humble, and be loving. But tap into the ferocity that the Lord gifts to men to be strong, fearless, and an unflinching warrior for Christ.” 

The world, he argued, needs strong, faithful men who lean hard on the sacraments, pray the rosary, and build an “economy of grace” in their lives. Only then can they battle the wickedness and snares of an evil world without fear. 

Brown framed the moment as both an invitation and a charge because no one else will fill the gap. The work of forming families, friendships, and communities in Christ belongs to the men in the room. 

“If not us, who?” he repeated. “No one is coming. It’s you. Be ferocious for Christ.” 

This talk is one piece of ALL’s larger outreach to young people, aimed at forming leaders who combine humility and charity with courage and strength.  

American Life League Launches New Resource to Educate Idaho Voters on Abortion Initiative

Idaho recently approved a deadly abortion initiative that will appear on voter ballots this November. This is why American Life League has created another free ballot flyer resource for voters in Idaho to learn more about this initiative and help Catholics understand why they must vote NO to Prop. 1.

Our ballot flyer breaks down what the language in this act calls for as it seeks to expand abortion, IVF, and contraception throughout Idaho. The flyer also provides references on Church teaching as to why Catholics cannot vote in favor of so-called reproductive freedoms.

As we reported in July, the “Idaho Proposition 1, Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act Initiative” seeks to override the current abortion restrictions in the state by proposing that Idaho law should allow abortion through fetal viability for any reason and protect those who commit and coerce women to obtain abortions. This act treats fetal viability as a subjective gestational point determined by the “physician’s good faith medical judgment.”

If passed, Idaho Prop.1 would also allow lawmakers to restrict abortion in the third trimester (Note: lawmakers do not have to restrict abortion in the third trimester) but would require an exception for killing the preborn child due to “medical emergencies.” The subjective and seemingly deceiving language in this act is really calling for abortion-on-demand in the state of Idaho. Additionally, Prop. 1 defines contraception and IVF as “right[s] to reproductive freedom.”

ALL wants to educate and equip our fellow Catholics in the states that are facing measures that could severely impact preborn children and their mothers. Right now, Idaho, Nevada, and Virginia are all facing serious ballot measures in the fall. If you live in Idaho, we encourage you to spread the word about the abortion initiative by sharing this ballot flyer within your churches, communities, and with friends and family. Additionally, ALL will be contacting the Diocese of Boise to see how we can help.

This flyer is free and available for download on our website. As Catholics, we are called to protect and defend the innocent and most vulnerable in our society, which especially includes the preborn child in the womb. Therefore, Catholics must vote NO to Prop 1 on/before Nov. 3.

Note: Early voting in Idaho begins October 13.

 

From the Research Department: BJ’s Wholesale Club’s Stance on Life and Family

BJ’s Wholesale Club no longer boasts about its LGBTQ+ support, but it has in the past. In 2016, it “proudly announced” that it received a perfect score for its policies and practices related to “LGBT workplace equality,” which included insurance coverage for transgender procedures and public LGBTQ+ advocacy. It has also had a “Pride” BJ’s Team Member Resource Group dedicated to LGBTQ+ employees, partnered with LGBTQ+ organizations, and mandated employee training on LGBTQ+ and racial issues. BJ’s may also cover IVF costs for employees.

Today, BJ’s doesn’t publicly share whether it continues these policies. It is unclear if it has ended its support for LGBTQ+ causes or simply keeps its advocacy quiet to avoid backlash. 

ALL in the News

This week, the bimonthly Wednesday STOPP Report was published. Read the latest updates on Planned Parenthood here.

Susan Ciancio, editor of Celebrate Life Magazine and director of the Culture of Life Studies Program, recently published an article discussing the beauty and value of every person’s life. It was published with LifeSiteNews. She also published an article in Catholic365 on the influence that saints can have on our children’s lives.

Katie Brown Xavios, ALL’s national director, regularly posts updates about American Life League and its important work on social media channels X and LinkedIn. Follow her accounts to stay up to date.

Twice a week, Judie’s commentaries are distributed to an expansive media list. The list contains over 100 media outlets such as Fox News, The Federalist, Breitbart, and The Daily Caller, among others. Judie’s commentaries are each featured on the front page of ALL.org.

Pro-Life Education

Culture of Life Studies Program

Pro-Life Citizenship equips high school students to think critically about political issues, form a well-informed moral conscience, and understand their responsibility as citizens and future voters. Through thought-provoking real-world scenarios, students learn how faith, reason, and moral principles can guide their civic decisions. This resource gives teens the foundation they need to navigate the political process with confidence and live out their pro-life convictions in the voting booth. ORDER HERE

 

ALL’s Education Materials

Fulton J. Sheen Spiritual Adoption Prayer Card: Join a powerful prayer movement that has been giving hope to mothers and preborn children for generations. Inspired by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s beautiful “spiritual adoption” prayer, this 3″ x 4″ prayer card invites you to pray for a baby in danger of abortion, entrusting that child to God’s loving care and asking for protection and strength. Whether prayed privately or with your parish community, this simple prayer is a meaningful way to make a difference for a child you may never meet. Keep one with you, share one with a friend, or provide them for your parish prayer group and invite others to join this life-saving spiritual commitment. SHOP NOW

Pro-Life Social Media

The Internet Rallies around Team Iron Will

Early this week, Team Iron Will petitioned social media for prayers. Young Will Daub, the inspiration behind Team Iron Will—the Down syndrome outreach and education organization—was in the hospital with a serious infection.

What followed was nothing short of spectacular.

The post went viral, prompting an outpouring of prayers and positivity for Will.

“We are humbled by and inexpressibly appreciative of each second spent on his behalf, each spoken intention and prayer of supplication and healing, and each note of support and encouragement. It reminds me why the ‘Team’ in Team Iron Will is such a powerful and critical element of the organization’s identity,” said Andrew Daub, Will’s dad.

The outpouring of love and support for Will reminds us that the world—even social media—is still full of God’s people.