Late Tuesday, the Republican Women of Central Iowa (RWCI) hosted a pro-life event at the Ames Public Library.

At the event, the “abortion industry” and pro-life campaigns were discussed. 

RWCI was founded in 2017, it was established to “counter the prevailing media misconception that conservative causes hurt women,” according to their website.

RWCI is a member-based organization that hosts monthly “Coffee and Conversation” events, along with guest speakers and a member of the State and National Federation of Republican Women, which welcomes both men and women to their events.

Laura Carlson, president of RWCI, said they host educational events that they believe in and that follow the Republican Party.

Guest speakers Martin Cannon and Sue Thayer joined the conversation about pro-life policies.

Cannon is a senior litigation counsel at the Thomas More Society who represented Gov. Reynolds in the defense of the 2018 Heartbeat Bill to the Iowa Supreme Court.

Cannon talked about his experiences in defending pro-life policies in state and national courts. 

“I have tried and won significant cases in many different states on [the] subject of abortion,” Cannon said. 

Thayer is a member of the organization “40 Days for Life.”

The group “40 Days for Life” is a Christian not-for-profit organization that organizes campaigns against abortion through prayer and fasting. 

Thayer spoke of her years of working for a Planned Parenthood in Storm Lake, Iowa. 

Thayer worked at Planned Parenthood for 17 years until she said she was fired due to her questioning a new procedure. 

“I spoke up against the webcam abortions and ended up getting fired,” Thayer said.

Thayer shared her story of how she led a “40 days for life” in her town that consisted of 480 hours of prayer in front of their local Planned Parenthood.  

Thayer said doing the “40 Days for Life vigil” was a big deal for her and her community. 

The room opened up to discussion of action and organizations that support pro-life policies. 

“[We] need to invigorate and encourage the legislature,” Cannon said.