PLPS: Born out of Pro-Life Waco

       Pro-Life in the Public Square is an outgrowth of Pro-Life Waco. PLW
began soon after Planned Parenthood Waco commenced baby killing
in 1994. PLW has delivered three decades of Public Square Outreach.
Now with Pro-Life in the Public Square, we will encourage and support
individuals and groups to collaborate and expand the Public Square
Outreach component of their work for the Gospel of Life.

       Our trajectory toward public square outreach began with the annual
one-day sex education conference for Waco youths named “Nobody’s
Fool”. Leading up to the event, our challenge included yard signs,
billboards, newspaper editorials, and radio ads.  On the day of the event,
dozens of pro-lifers protested at the Waco Convention Center site. From
its top level of 700 children attending, Nobody’s Fool declined to less
than 100. Planned Parenthood aborted the program in 2013.

       The biggest episode in the PLW battle with Nobody’s Fool was the
2004 boycott of cookie sales because of local Girl Scout promotion of
Planned Parenthood Waco events. The controversy drew national attention.
JohnPisciotta was interviewed on the Today Show, the 700 Club, and others.
With pressure soaring, the local Bluebonnet Girl Scout Council surrendered
and severed all ties with Planned Parenthood Waco.

       Today, Pro-life Waco is the foundation under Pro-Life in the Public Square. We continue robust Public Square Outreach in Waco. We deliver and learn from five PSO events each month.  This includes the grandfather of PSO events, Life Chain Sunday. Overpass outreach above a major commuter artery is one Thursday each month. We have one event at Planned Parenthood Waco each month.

       Pro-Life Waco’s highest priority since March of 2023, has been challenging CVS and Walgreens pharmacies. One such event is at a double-barrel location with Walgreens on one side of the street and CVS on the other. In November, we pivot to CVS at Waco’s Target store.

       Pro-Life Waco has encouraged and supported other groups to spread pharmacy outreach across the nation. We will continue this effort, now under the banner of Pro-Life in the Public Square. Pharmacy outreach will not be the only support initiative of PLPS. At the launch of Pro-Life in the Public Square, we announced a program to help groups deliver yard-side campaigns to engage pro-life residents and churches and “speak” to the broad cross-section of their communities.