Contact: Catherine Davis, 678-381-1058

SELMA, Ala., June 18, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ --  Efforts to bring Dr. Samuel C. Lett's illegal abortion operation to a close continue this Juneteenth weekend with pro-life leaders from across the nation gathering in one of Alabama's most historic cities for The Selma Project.

This coalition of leaders includes many prominent members of the black community, including Catherine Davis, Alveda King, Star Parker and others. Declaring that #blackwomenmatter, these and other pro-life leaders will hold a prayer rally Friday night at 7:00 PM at Christ the King Cathedral, followed by a Saturday morning march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge at 9:00 AM.

All leaders will be available for comment at the 9:30 AM press conference directly after the march.

For nearly a year, Alabama citizens have entreated state officials, specifically the Alabama Department of Public Health, to shut down Lett's facility. In July 2014, the ADPH was provided with clear evidence that the Central Alabama Women's Clinic has developed into Selma's "known" abortion clinic, despite having never applied for an abortion provider license.

In the months following, the ADPH made vague claim to an "ongoing" investigation, however, in March 2015 that investigation was closed with no action taken against Lett, and no assurance to the public that he was not performing more than 9 abortions a month, the maximum number allowed by a private physician.

"For more than a year now, Alabama has had an opportunity to meet their gatekeeper responsibility of protecting the women of Selma, and of the state," said Catherine Davis of the National Black Pro-Life Coalition. "It is painfully obvious that the ADPH has abandoned that responsibility, giving Lett a free pass. No agency is currently regulating him and I can't help but wonder why he is allowed to prey on poor, black women – his main clientele."

Fr. Terry Gensemer, Director of CEC For Life, adds, "We have repeatedly contacted the ADPH, the Board of Medical Examiners, and Governor Robert Bentley regarding Lett's illegal abortion operation. No significant disciplinary action has been taken on behalf of women in Alabama, but there seems to be plenty of inaction on behalf of Samuel Lett. The Selma Project was organized to remind these state officials that every citizen's life matters, and no woman in America should be subjected to a back-alley abortionist, like that of Dr. Lett."

A full schedule and full list of speakers can be found at www.theselmaproject.com.