Juli Loesch
Encyclopedia
Julianne Loesch (married name: "Julianne Wiley" or "Juli Loesch Wiley") is a pro-life
activist and former media coordinator for Operation Rescue
in Atlanta, Georgia
.
Born in Erie, Pennsylvania
in 1951, she attended (see http://www.antioch-college.edu/) Antioch College
in Yellow Springs
, Ohio
, where, as an anti-war advocate, she was pursuing an education in non-violent social change. Within 3 months she was in Delano, California
working for Cesar Chavez
of the United Farm Workers
(UFW). She later worked in organizing grape and lettuce boycotts in Detroit and Cleveland in support of agricultural labor strikes in California.
In 1972 Loesch became one of the founding members of the Pax (Peace) Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, joining Sr. Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB, in forming a Catholic feminist peace community. This group, comprising (see http://www.eriebenedictines.org/) Benedictine Sisters and lay associates, was organized more or less on the Catholic Worker
model, combining activism with the Works of Mercy
(soup kitchen, homeless shelter work. etc.) The Pax Center, together with other Catholic antiwar activist groups, soon morphed into http://www.paxchristiusa.org/ Pax Christi USA, the American affiliate of Pax Christi
, the international Catholic peace movement.
In the late 1970s, Loesch became an activist associated with the "Mobilization for Survival", a coalition which opposed nuclear weapons. She became convinced that abortion
and the nuclear arms race
were moral equivalents, and advocated partnership between the peace and pro-life movements. In 1979, she founded the "bridge" organization Prolifers for Survival, which operated until 1987.
Loesch has written extensively on these and related subjects. The larger Consistent Life Ethic
movement grew partly out of her writing and activism.
Her articles or essays (many searchable via "Juli Loesch" or "Juli Loesch Wiley") have appeared in, among other publications, the New Oxford Review, the National Catholic Reporter, the National Catholic Register, Consistent Life, Commonweal, Sojourners, Caelum et Terra, and Touchstone.
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
activist and former media coordinator for Operation Rescue
Operation Rescue
Operation Rescue is a pro-life organization which originated in California and is now based in Kansas....
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
Born in Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
in 1951, she attended (see http://www.antioch-college.edu/) Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
in Yellow Springs
Yellow Springs
Yellow Springs or Yellow Spring could refer to:* Yellow Springs, Ohio* Yellow Springs, Pennsylvania* Yellow Spring, West Virginia...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where, as an anti-war advocate, she was pursuing an education in non-violent social change. Within 3 months she was in Delano, California
Delano, California
Delano's climate is characteristic of the San Joaquin Valley. The weather is hot and dry during the summer and cool and damp in winter. Frequent ground fog known regionally as "tule fog" can obscure vision. Record temperatures range between 115°F and 14°F...
working for Cesar Chavez
César Chávez
César Estrada Chávez was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers ....
of the United Farm Workers
United Farm Workers
The United Farm Workers of America is a labor union created from the merging of two groups, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee led by Filipino organizer Larry Itliong, and the National Farm Workers Association led by César Chávez...
(UFW). She later worked in organizing grape and lettuce boycotts in Detroit and Cleveland in support of agricultural labor strikes in California.
In 1972 Loesch became one of the founding members of the Pax (Peace) Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, joining Sr. Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB, in forming a Catholic feminist peace community. This group, comprising (see http://www.eriebenedictines.org/) Benedictine Sisters and lay associates, was organized more or less on the Catholic Worker
Catholic Worker
The Catholic Worker is a newspaper published seven times a year by the Catholic Worker Movement community in New York City. The newspaper was started by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin to make people aware of church teaching on social justice...
model, combining activism with the Works of Mercy
Works of Mercy
The Works of Mercy or Acts of Mercy are actions and practices which Christianity in general, and the Methodist Church, Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church in particular, consider expectations to be fulfilled by believers, and are a means of grace, which aid in sanctification.The...
(soup kitchen, homeless shelter work. etc.) The Pax Center, together with other Catholic antiwar activist groups, soon morphed into http://www.paxchristiusa.org/ Pax Christi USA, the American affiliate of Pax Christi
Pax Christi
-History:Pax Christi was established in France in 1945 as a reconciliation work between the French and the Germans after the Second World War. In 2007, it existed in more than 60 countries...
, the international Catholic peace movement.
In the late 1970s, Loesch became an activist associated with the "Mobilization for Survival", a coalition which opposed nuclear weapons. She became convinced that abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
and the nuclear arms race
Nuclear arms race
The nuclear arms race was a competition for supremacy in nuclear warfare between the United States, the Soviet Union, and their respective allies during the Cold War...
were moral equivalents, and advocated partnership between the peace and pro-life movements. In 1979, she founded the "bridge" organization Prolifers for Survival, which operated until 1987.
Loesch has written extensively on these and related subjects. The larger Consistent Life Ethic
Consistent Life Ethic
The consistent life ethic, or the consistent ethic of life, was a term coined in 1983 by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin to express an ethical, religious, and political ideology based on the premise that all human life was sacred and should be protected by law. The ideology opposes legal abortion,...
movement grew partly out of her writing and activism.
Her articles or essays (many searchable via "Juli Loesch" or "Juli Loesch Wiley") have appeared in, among other publications, the New Oxford Review, the National Catholic Reporter, the National Catholic Register, Consistent Life, Commonweal, Sojourners, Caelum et Terra, and Touchstone.