Early voting on a proposal to protect unborn children in Albuquerque from late-term abortion ended Friday; those who have not yet voted can go to the polls today. Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, described the vote as "crucial."

"Pro-aborts have resorted to desperate measures to protect their investment in barbaric, dismemberment abortions, illegally hacking the web site of the organization supporting the ban and having a Planned Parenthood phone bank in New York calling voters in New Mexico," he explained. "Those opposing the ban realize that what happens in Albuquerque ... can happen soon in Germantown, MD, Boulder, CO, and in other places where the ‘right’ to an abortion includes the right to tear a human child -- who can feel pain -- limb from limb in the sixth month of pregnancy and beyond. Support is already building to pass this measure in neighboring Valencia County, New Mexico, to prevent Albuquerque abortionists from simply changing their address.”

Father Stephen Imbarrato, who is part of the Priests for Life team as a Priest Consultant, and is founder of Project Defending Life, is in Albuquerque working for the passage of the bill.

“We are facing a well-financed pro-death force,” Father Imbarrato said. “Planned Parenthood has put huge amounts of money into this battle because they know if we win and they lose, this initiative will spread to cities all over the country. We are mounting a true grassroots get-out- the vote strategy focusing on the churches and people of faith.”

Father Pavone urged everyone who has not yet voted for the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act in Albuquerque to make sure they get to the polls today. And he urged every American to join Priests for Life in getting every U.S. Senator on the record about how they would vote on a similar ban on late-term abortion was introduced in the Senate this month by Sen. Lindsey Graham.