For Immediate Release
January 12, 2016
Inspirational singer Tony Melendez to
perform at Jan. 22 National Memorial for the Pre-Born
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In 1962, those fighting for the legalization
of abortion rallied around a children’s television host from
Arizona who had taken pills her husband brought back from
Europe. The pills were the now-infamous thalidomide, a drug that
impacted the development of children in the womb, causing
thousands to be born with missing or shortened limbs. The woman
became a cause célèbre, and eventually flew to Sweden to end the
life of her unborn child.
That same year, and with no
fanfare, a young woman in Nicaragua who had been prescribed
thalidomide for morning sickness gave birth to a son with no
arms. Fitted with prosthetic limbs as a child, at 10 he would
shake them off for good because he was more comfortable using
his feet.
That child was Tony Melendez, a guitarist and
songwriter who for more than 30 years has been inspiring
audiences around the nation and world with his talent, his
faith, and his witness.
Melendez will perform Jan. 22
during the 22nd annual National Memorial for the Pre-Born and
Their Mothers and Fathers at Constitution Hall in D.C. The
interdenominational prayer service takes place every year on the
morning of the March for Life, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
“Tony played for Pope John Paul II and sang the National Anthem
to open a World Series game,” noted Father Frank Pavone,
National Director of Priests for Life and President of the
National Pro-Life Religious Council, sponsors of the prayer
service. “He is married and a father. Where other people might
have seen limits, he saw only opportunity. He is the perfect
person to remind our audience – and the world – that every human
life has dignity and purpose.”
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback
will attend the National Memorial to accept the National
Pro-Life Recognition Award on behalf of all the citizens of
Kansas and their legislators. Kansas was the first state to pass
a law to protect unborn children from dismemberment abortion.
The National Memorial is the premier prayer event marking
the tragic commemoration of Roe vs. Wade. For those who wish,
there will be a Catholic Mass at 7:30 a.m. Doors open at 7 a.m.
Admission is free, no tickets are required, and large groups are
welcome.
Organizations co-sponsoring the National
Memorial with the National Pro-Life Religious Council and
Priests for Life include: American Values, Jubilee Campaign Law
of Life Project, Life Issues Institute, Americans United for
Life, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA),
Alliance Defending Freedom and Catholics Called to Witness.
Serving on the Host Committee are: Tony Perkins, President,
Family Research Council; Gary Bauer, President, American Values;
Archbishop Craig W. Bates, Patriarch of the International
Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church; Ernie Ohlhoff,
National Right to Life Committee; Alveda King, Director of
African-American Outreach, Priests for Life; Bradley Mattes,
President and CEO, Life Issues Institute; Charmaine Yoest, Ph.
D., President and CEO, Americans United for Life; Alan Sears,
President, CEO, and General Counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom;
Dick and Sherley Bott, Bott Radio Network, and Rich Bott,
President and CEO, Bott Radio Network.
Constitution Hall
is at 1776 D Street NW, at 17th Street. For more information
about the National Memorial, go to www.NationalPrayerService.com
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