Philadelphia, PA (LifeNews.com) -- Pro-life advocates including teachers, school officials and other educators will protest the national conference of the National Education Association. They say that the union group should not be spending time or money promoting abortion or pro-abortion candidates who back a procedure that kills children.

Bob Pawson, who heads up Pro-Life Educators And Students is helping to coordinate the protest and he spoke with LifeNews.com about it.

"It is vital to focus nationwide attention on the pro-abortion activism of this powerful union's leaders," he said, saying the NEA is supposed to be "dedicated to protecting children, as well as teachers' jobs."

Pawson is a member of the NEA and its New Jersey affiliate and teaches computer classes in the Trenton Public Schools.

He said the NEA doesn't realize the loss of life resulting from the more than 1.2 million abortions annually. That's fewer classrooms of children and few opportunities for teaching positions.

"Twenty-five abortions equal one lost classroom, one lost teaching career, and a catastrophic loss to America's future," he said.

NEA officials did not respond to a request for comment from LifeNews.com.

The protests will begin on Sunday at the NEA conference in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center and other pro-life advocates will hold rallies at state capitols across the country to draw attention to the NEA state affiliates.

About 10,000 teachers and delegates from all fifty states will attend the NEA Convention.

Ironically, a recent vote by the Philadelphia city council to officially endorse abortion has prompted dozens of local pro-life advocates to assist in the protests.

"Although Council rescinded the label six days later, the original decision irritated, motivated, and activated many Philadelphia pro-lifers determined to refute and rebuke that obnoxious resolution," said Pawson.

Other pro-life organizations are assisting Pawson's group in the effort, including League of American Families and the Life Education And Resources Network.

"We are taking to task the leadership of America's largest and most socio-politically meddlesome union, for essentially misrepresenting many teachers on the abortion issue," Pawson concluded.

"We teachers and school employees love children. It's insane for our union's leadership to condone, much less promote, the killing of babies in their mothers' wombs," he said.