LifeLines
March 2003
Rochester Area Right To Life
LifeLines |
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Rochester Area Right To Life |
LifeLines is the newsletter of the Rochester Area Right to Life Committee, Inc., Education Fund. Older, complete issues in print are available in the Rochester, NY, office. These articles have been selected from the issue in print. An index for this issue and previous issues for the last couple of years is available.
Information and news you can use to protect and defend lives threatened by abortion and euthanasia
Volume 31; Issue 3; March 2003
The Rochester Area Right to Life Committee, Inc.’s Education Fund is a not-for-profit organization, which, as a service to pro-life donors, is listed on the United Way Donor Option form. Although we are "eligible to receive" United Way donor-designated contributions, we are not a "United Way Impact Area Provider." That term is strictly reserved for organizations that routinely account to the United Way for the use of funds received, characteristics of people served and program outcomes.
To enable us to benefit from your United Way donation, less fund raising costs, you must request the Donor Choice Designation Form. On that, look in the section entitled "organization not subject to United Way review" to find our name, e.g. Rochester Area Right to Life Committee, Inc. Education Fund; ID # 1087. Completion of the Pledge Form with this information is required to designate the RARTL Education Fund to receive your gift. In some cases, the Designation Form is not routinely distributed. Should that be the case, request it from the United Way solicitor at your place of work or call the United Way at:
Rochester/Monroe County 242-6400
Genesee & Eastern Orleans County: 598-6455
Livingston/Wyoming Counties: 343-8242
Wayne County (315) 331-2773
Ontario County: 394-6550
Please note that the United Way Campaign this year will have different dates in our area.. Solicitations in area counties will be:
March 1 – May 31: Ontario
March 15 – May 15: Wayne
April 1 – May 15: Monroe, Livingston, Wyoming
September 15 – November 15: Genesee & Eastern Orleans
If you plan to make a donation to RARTL Education Fund, please keep the information shown above as we will not be able to reprint it during the campaign times.
Should you have any questions about making a donation to RARTL Education Fund or wish to discuss how your donation would be used, call our Executive Director, Pat Amato at 585-621-4690.
Accomplishments and Plans
Feet are made for walking. At least, yours and mine are. But some feet are intended to be worn on lapels or collars. Precious Feet pins, the size and shape of the feet of a 10-week fetus, bear mute witness to the human status of the unborn baby.
Thanks to you, the RARTL Education Fund was able to place 1,400 of these pins into the hands of fascinated fair-goers this year. With your help, we were able to take our pro-life message on the road.
For those who were interested, we had not only the pins, but fetal models, bumper stickers, and tons of literature about abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia as well as related issues such as stem cells.
For those who stayed carefully far away from us, we had, high overhead, pictures celebrating life and its beauty. Anyone with open eyes saw our message.
If only one of every 10 fair-goers wanted a pin, you can congratulate yourself that you made pro-life information available to 14,000 people. Not bad!
This year we went to the Monroe County Fair, the Annual Health and Fitness Fair at the Dome Arena, and health fairs at MCC, SUNY Brockport, Brockport High School and St. John Fisher College.
Next year we would like to double the number of events to which we take our pro-life "show."
We would like to make this newsletter bi-monthly instead of only 4-5 times per year. Educating oneself is hard work and the newsletter helps a lot!
We would like to start an educational advertising campaign.
And of course we'll continue to maintain our educational website, to stock our library with the best information we can find, to supply materials and speakers for classroom presentations and churches, and to invite and welcome students of all ages to use our library for research for projects.
With some help from our friends, we'll do it!Democratic candidates for abortion
Twenty months before the next presidential election, there are already six declared Democratic presidential hopefuls. Although they disagree on who is the best candidate, they agree that abortion must be protected.
On 1/22/03, Naral Pro-choice America, formerly known as NARAL, gave the six candidates 4 minutes each to address the 1,300 at their dinner in Washington. The 1/23/03 Pro-life Infonet provided the following details.
Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt, pro-life until 1986 after 10 years in Congress, acknowledged his Baptist upbringing taught him abortion is morally wrong. He said he changed his position because women who had abortions convinced him it was their choice to make with God.
Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) and Gephardt stressed the importance, to them, of passing a federal law to guarantee abortion rights, even if the U.S. Supreme Court does overturn the Roe v Wade decision. Edwards said that the "right to choose is an essential ingredient" in realizing full equality in America. Both Edwards and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman have voted, as have the other dinner speakers, against bills to ban partial-birth abortions.
Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean and Massachusetts’ Senator John Kerry spoke of their opposition to limiting abortion here and abroad and criticized President Bush for so doing. Kerry cheered himself for trusting women to make their own decisions. Dean, a physician and former Planned Parenthood Board member, called abortion a decision for a woman and whomever else she chooses to include.
Civil rights activist, Rev. Al Sharpton, who has never held elective office, declared his support for abortion in a fiery speech. It drew the loudest applause.
Not all of the possible Democratic presidential contenders spoke at the Naral Pro-Choice America event. The 2/17/03 issue of Time brought the number of probable candidates to 8. In "A Chamber Full of Candidates," reporter Karen Tumulty noted the forward motion of Florida’s Bob Graham, an abortion supporter. He has remained interested, despite recent heart surgery; his decision is expected to be announced on March 1st.
In the same article, Tumulty summarized the political assets of Connecticut’s Senator Christopher Dodd. In addition to being "good on television," Dodd also has support coming from his time in the position of Democratic Party Chairman. Dodd is reportedly evaluating the cost of a run to his Senate career and role as father of an 18 month old daughter.
Thus far among probable candidates, only Senate Minority Leader, Tom Daschle, has decided not to run for president. Thus, the present total of probable Democratic Party presidential candidates is 8 with 100% of them being pro-abortion.
Often the Democratic Party leadership, with some exceptions, has made life difficult for pro-life Democrats. That may change with the efforts of Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) to "pull" the party toward the pro-life position.
DFLA has recently established a Washington office and hired Kristen Day as Executive Director. DFLA participated in the March for Life. Day said: "People have expressed surprise that any Democrats are marching in support of life." She continued:
"We are here to dispel the myth that pro-life Democrat is an oxymoron."
Day reported DFLA numbers have been growing and its voice becoming stronger. She reported DFLA has begun a membership drive to identify and unite pro-life Democrats opposed to abortion, and supportive of abortion alternatives and pro-life Democratic Party members seeking elective offices. Attempts to work with the Democratic National Committee (DNC) have been disappointing. Day said the DNC has ignored attempts from DFLA to provide a hyperlink to their website despite the Party’s claim of recognizing members’ ideological differences.
For more information or to join DFLA, contact
Kristen Day: Executive Director: DFLA, Inc.
1667 K Street, N.W., Suite #520
Washington, D.C. 20006
Phone: (703)281-3781 Fax: (703)281-3782
DFLA Board of Directors President is Rochesterian, Carol Crossed.
About the information on legislative issues:
| Contacting Lawmakers Address and other contact information for Senators Hillary Clinton & Charles Schumer, see below. To contact any Member of the U.S. House of
Representatives: For addresses and other contact information for our area NY State Senators and Assemblypersons best to call your County Board of Elections for identification and local office addresses. To write to them in Albany, use these: Honorable ___ Honorable_____ |
You are highly encouraged to keep this information; much of the it will be useful over the coming 2 years.
In both Washington and Albany, Legislative Sessions run for 2 years, e.g. 2003-2004. Bills, once introduced, can be considered in committees or on the floor anytime during the session. If defeated in a committee, it is unlikely it will get to the full floor for a vote. If defeated on the Senate/Assembly floor, it’s been killed for the session.
The summarized Federal and State bills may see action at any time during 2003-4. Cut and keep the sheet to have a bill guide; it will help you track the action
Want a printer-friendly version?
Cloning is a form of reproduction attempted in laboratories. Cloned animals have been born, e.g. "Dolly" but all claims of cloned human beings have been unsubstantiated. Attempts have been made to clone human beings by injecting male genetic material into an egg to stimulate the egg to begin embryonic development. Two rationales for doing this exist.
The first, almost universally rejected, is "reproductive" cloning. Some people want to produce infants as "copies" of living or deceased people.
More subtle and divisive is "therapeutic" cloning. It would be done to create new humans to then be destroyed to obtain "stem cells" to use to treat diseases. To date, use of embryonic stem cells has successfully cured nothing.
There is today great promise coming from use of adult stem cells. Also, stem cells from umbilical cords, bone marrow and other sources have already proven successful in treating some diseases..
Federal Legislation
In the House of Representatives:
On February 12, 2003, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill to prohibit the creation of human embryos by cloning . By a 19-12 vote, the Weldon-Stupak Human Cloning Prohibition Act (H.R. 534) was approved.
The Judiciary Committee rejected amendments to permit human embryos to be created by cloning and allowed to live for short times for harvesting stem cells or to be used experimentally. Proposals of these amendments e.g. Hatch-Feinstein Bill (S 303), are expected when the bill goes to the full House in the week of 2/24/03.
Since the House previously passed a ban of human cloning, it is expected the ban will again be passed there.
In the Senate:
The Brownback-Landrieu bill (S.245), similar to H.R. 534, awaits Senate action. In the last session, Democratic Majority Leader Tom Daschle did not place the bill on the agenda for action. Now Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist will call S.245 for a vote. Despite the current Republican majority, 51-48-1, the GOP probably lacks the 60 votes needed to end debate and vote on the bill.
Action - Although both of our Senators favor cloning, they must be asked to vote for S.245.
Hon. Hilllary Clinton
Hon. Charles
Schumer
United States Senate
United States
Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510
202-224-4451
202-224-6542
For e-mail addresses + more information
http://clinton.senate.gov/
http://schumer.senate.gov/
BANNING PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION INFANTICIDE
In a partial-birth abortion, a doctor removes the unborn child, feet first, through the birth canal. When the child’s head becomes accessible, the doctor uses scissors to penetrate the child’s skull, drain its contents and thus creates a dead baby. Because the baby is partially delivered before being killed, this practice is now being recognized as both abortion and infanticide.
Congress passed PBA bans in 1996 and 1997; both were vetoed by then President Clinton. That has changed as President Bush has given public assurance of his belief in the need for such a bill and his willingness to sign it.
Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) has introduced H.R. 760, a bill to ban partial-birth abortions with a bipartisan list of over 100 cosponsors. House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) said GOP leaders hope to get it passed by the full House before the Easter break.
In the Senate’s 2001-02 session, Majority Leader Tom Daschle did not allow a vote on it. Senator Bill Frist now the Majority Leader, has said the bill will be called for a vote. It will face resistance, e.g. a filibuster by pro-abortion senators. Then 60 votes will needed to "invoke cloture," i.e. end the filibuster. Optimism exists.
The frequency of PBA abortions is also getting increaseed attention. In 1996, the Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) estimated that "about 650" such abortions were performed annually in the U.S.
A January, 2003 AGI survey showed the reported number of partial-birth abortions more than tripling over the past 4 years. National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) Legislative Director, Douglas Johnson, said:
"Either the number of partial-birth abortions is increasing rapidly, or the news media was mistaken in accepting the 1996 figure, or both. … there is good evidence that even the new figure of 2,200 is much too low."
Action
Messages to both NY Senators, including any of the above information, should also state:
Phone calls are best; postal mail is slow. E-mail messages are abundant. Include your name and address and ask for a response to your letter or e-mail.
2003-4 New York State Legislative Session Pro-life Bills
It is an established, scientific fact that the unborn, prematurely born and newborn of the human species are highly complex, sentient, functioning individual human beings. It is also well established that unborn and newly born humans respond to stimuli. Their responsiveness to pain can be demonstrated well before birth.
Over the years, EKGs and EEGs, through ultrasonography and fetoscopy, have clearly shown the remarkable responsiveness of unborn humans to pain, touch and sound. By conservative estimates, the unborn can feel pain at 20 weeks. In fact, some elements of the pain conveying system begin to be assembled at 7 weeks. By 12 – 14 weeks, some pain perception is likely.
S.1278, sponsored by Senator Raymond Meier and Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, would require a physician to give fetal pain information to a woman requesting abortion of an unborn child 20 weeks or older. The physician scheduled to do the abortion would be required to request the voluntary and knowing consent of the pregnant woman for the administration of an anesthesia or analgesic to alleviate fetal pain during the abortion.
This bill, S.403, was introduced in the NY State Senate. It was sponsored by Senator Serphin Maltese and co-sponsored by 20 Senators, included our area’s Senators Libous, Maziarz, Robach and Volker. In the Assembly it was introduced by Assemblyman Peter Rivera, named A693 and co-sponsored by our area Assemblymembers Burling, Errigo, Hayes, Kolb, Nesbitt, Oaks.
Presently, if an unborn child is killed or injured as a result of actions taken against the pregnant mother, the offender may not be held criminally responsible for the harm caused to that child unless it had been born alive. If the child is not born alive, the offender may only be held criminally responsible for harm or injury caused to the mother.
S.403/A693 would establish that if an unborn child is injured/killed during the commission of an already-defined state crime of violence against a pregnant woman, the assailant may be charged with a second offense on behalf of the unborn child, the second victim. This proposal would not cover the assaults done to unborn children in "lawful abortion" or during normal medical treatment. These proposals define "person" to include any human being who is born and is alive or an unborn child at any stage of gestation
Ban on Partial-birth Abortions
Sponsored by Senator Serphin Maltese and Assemblyman Patrick Manning, this bill would place a state ban on partial-birth abortion. It focuses on the procedure being more like infanticide than abortion because it kills a late term, partially delivered baby.
A Woman’s Right to Know, i.e. "informed consent"
The Senate bill, S.141, is sponsored by Senator Serphin Maltese; the Assembly companion bill is sponsored by Assemblwoman Catharine Young. S.141 would require physicians to provide women considering abortion with information about risks of abortion, its alternatives and nonjudgmental, scientifically accurate medical facts about her unborn child’s development before making the abortion decision.
Since the Federal law does not require that human cloning be done, states have opportunities to pass laws on such topics for themselves. Thus, Senator Raymond Meier has introduced S206, which is con-sponsored by Rochester area’s Senator Maziarz, McGee and Robach.
S206 would prohibit the use of human cloning technology to create human beings for both research and reproductive purposes.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Health Committee; the Assembly version has not yet been introduced.
Restriction of Medicaid Funding of Abortion
Under NYS Social Services Law 365 only "medically necessary" abortions qualify for Medicaid reimbursement to the doctors. The NYS Department of Health reported that in the year 2000, 44,874 abortions, i.e. 37.5% of the total or 125,146 abortions done in the state were paid with Medicaid tax dollars.
Money to pay for Medicaid abortions is put in the state budget by Governor Pataki. The NYS Legislature has the right to vote for the budget contents. Whether by a bill or a budget amendment, there will be efforts to stop the Medicaid abortion funding in New York state.
Christian attorney; now full time Mom
Appeared on
Good Morning America,
CNN’s Talk Back Live & CBS NewsFeatured in Glamour
Magazine, Marie Clair Magazine & Extra
One of Feminists for Life’s 10 "Remarkable Pro-Life
Women" and featured on their college campus ads
She will give her dynamic presentation: Daughter of Rape/Child of God at the invitation of the Leo Holmsten Human Life Committee, a sub committee of the Rochester Area Right to Life Committee, Inc. Education Fund
Thursday, April 3 @ 7:30 PM; Reception following
#135: Basil Hall: St. John Fisher College; Parking Lots A or B
3690 East Avenue; Rochester, NY
Friday, April 4 @ 10:30 AM Roberts Wesleyan College (call for specifics - see
below)
2301 Westside Drive;
Rochester, NY
@ 2:00 PM ; Intervarsity
Christian Fellowshio (call for specifics - see below)
River Campus; University of Rochester
@ 7:30 PM: Reception
following; Browncroft Community Church
2530 Browncroft Blvd;
Rochester, NY
Saturday, April 5 @ 9:00 AM; St. Anne Church Community Center
1600 Mt. Hope Avenue; Rochester, NY Light refreshments available
Sunday, April 6 @ 10:30 AM: St. Bridget’s Church; 14 Mark Street; Rochester,
NY
Presentation to begin at 10:30 Mass end; Dialogue, refreshments follow.
Additional presentations are being discussed. For schedule updates and
Roberts Wesleyan and University of Rochester building, room and parking information, call (585)
266-2266.
All of her presentations will be open to the public at no charge; free will
offerings will be accepted
This is a presentation not to be missed.
Tuesday, March 25th; 9 AM-5 PM
NYS Legislative Office Building
Hearing Room B; Albany
NYS Sen. Raymond Meier will discuss Fetal Pain
Dolores Grier, Ph.D. will discuss Parental Involvement
Meetings will be scheduled with your representatives
For more details and to learn about possibly car pooling, call
NYSRTL office: (518)-434-1293 or
RARTL Ex Director Pat Amato
(585) 621-4690
Pro-abortion position weakening
The Alan Guttmacher Institute’s January/February edition of Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health reported a drop in the number of abortions. The 29.3 per 1,000 women, aged 15 to 44, having abortions in 1980 became, in 2000, 21.3 per 1,000. Of the many explanations offered, two writers took provocative and differing stands.
Kathleen Parker, Democrat and Chronicle, on 1/22/03, wrote that the explanation might be found in education and technology. She opined that advances in photography and working directly with "fetuses" in utero made people less likely to see "a developing human as a ‘cluster of cells." Parker referenced the pro-life enthusiasm for ultrasound, technology so disliked by "pro-choice advocates."
No wonder, given Parker’s statistic that 90% of women who see their babies via ultrasound imagery change their minds about their abortion plans.
Parker conceded that it has now become undeniable that abortion ends a life. She sees prevention as a "solution to abortion," with education the key.
Peggy Loonan, Founder/Executive Director of "Life and Liberty for Women," writing about the weakening "pro-choice" position was described in "Poor Choice of Words," Our Sunday Visitor; 2/9/03. Loonan believes the "pro-choice" movement has moved too far to the right.
She takes issue with the pro-abortion strategy of emphasizing "choice" rather than abortion "rights" to woo moderate voters. How the pro-abortion strategy wheel has turned. Drs. Lawrence Lader and Bernard Nathanson, leaders of the efforts to get abortion made legal, felt emphasis on "choice" was the key to their success.
Remarkably, Loonan recommends honesty in saying that legal abortion kills "pre-viable" human life which should not take precedence over the rights of women.
Loonan encouraged her fellow pro-abortionists to be unafraid of challenging "rhetoric and pictures of what appear to be aborted fetuses." She was chagrinned that these give the public feelings of shame about abortion. She reported and sighed about a pollster’s statement that young voters would not now know the meaning of a coat hanger, the symbol to represent illegal abortions.
It is somewhat encouraging to read of pro-abortionists conceding pro-life progress in protecting unborn human lives. This supports our long held belief that education about the humanity of the unborn is a key.
Fathers bond with their unborn babies
For pro-abortionists, women are prime. Little attention is given to their unborn babies and even less attention goes to the fathers of their babies.
Cherine Habib at Monash University studied fathers in the first 3 months of their partner’s pregnancy. He found that first time fathers’ attachment to babies does exist, even in the first 3 months. This bonding was evident even before the baby had any observable movements.
The study results also found fathers considering their "domestic" role ahead of their "worker" roles. Some were unsettled by the pregnancy. Habib saw this reflecting insecurity and anxiety about how they would be as fathers and a sign that fathers also sometimes need support. Farah Farouque; The Age; 2/12/03
Please become a prayer partner. Spend 5-10 minutes daily in prayer about life issues to provide a 24-hour prayer shield over our area. Join in the following monthly prayer themes that
March: Our nation resume believing that all children,born and unborn, healthy or
handicapped, are gifts from God;
April: The celebration of Easter’s promise of new life leads us to work for
the protection of new life in the womb;
May: We recognize the unborn child is not "owned" by mother, parents or
state; Scripture says: "Whether we live or whether we die, we are the
Lord’s." (Romans 14:8b).
 IN MEMORIAM Lois DeRycke
|
 IN
PRAYERRaymond BuonemaniMary DuBose (Sister of Patricia Amato) George Green Lois Hamilton (Mother of Judy Wheeler) Faith Hubbel and her family IN HONOR
|
Kay Dianetti and the many who volunteered their wonderful baking skills to provide countless items for a Baked Food Sale at St. Jerome Church; East Rochester; Super Bowl Sunday. Sales receipts and donations benefit the RARTL Education Fund. Kay and friends do this annually.
June and Dick Zicari
who donated a car to Charity Funding and designated RARTL Education Fund as the recipient of a percentage of the proceedsAll donors
of new and used books on topics important to the RARTL Library with many coming in and going out on the same day.ORATORICAL CONTEST
NEW YORK STATE RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE EDUCATIONAL TRUST
5-7 minute pro-life speech on Abortion, Infanticide or Euthanasia
Contest is for home schooled/high school Juniors & Seniors
Rochester Area Right to Life Committee will hold a contest on Saturday, March 29th
Winner of our area contest will receive expenses for going to Albany to compete in the NYSRTL Educational Trust Oratorical May 10, 2003
| RARTL Office Hours Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 8 AM – 4 PM & by appointment Always good to call before you come. |
The NY State contest winner will represent NYSRTL at the Jane B. Thompson Oratory Contest at the NRLC Annual Convention July 5th, 2003 – St. Louis. First prize winner will receive transportation and expenses for him or herself and an adult companion.
State Contest Prizes: 1st - $1,000 2nd - $500 3rd - $200.
For area contest information and entry forms, call Pat Amato: RARTL: 585-621-4690
New twist on abortion being considered a "Catholic issue"
When seeking to downplay opposition to abortion when it was legalized in 1973, pro-abortionists discredited opponents by focusing on Catholicism as a primary abortion opponent. Ironically, some well known Catholic legislators e.g. Kennedy, Leahy, Dodd, Drinan, Moynihan, Cuomo, have been high profile abortion supporters.
Abortion fans continue to dismiss abortion opposition as a "Catholic issue." The Roman Catholic Church does clearly oppose abortion. In January, 2003, the Vatican issue a document restating the obligations of Catholic politicians. Pope John Paul II reiterated that those who are involved in lawmaking bodies have a "grave and clear obligation to oppose any law that attacks human life."
Yes, abortion is a "Catholic" issue. It is also a moral issue on which other denominations and the Roman Catholic church take the same position, i.e. opposition to abortion.
The media has paid much attention to Sacramento Bishop William K. Wiegand. He told California Governor Gray Davis to renounce his support of abortion or refrain from receiving communion. The media coverage has focused on the governor’s refusal to give up either his abortion support or receiving communion. Bishop William Wiegand has been overwhelmed by the volume of positive support his action generated.
Meanwhile, two prominent Congressional leaders, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, both Catholic, are also both strongly pro-abortion. They are not the only pro-abortion Catholics holding public office in the U.S. and the state legislatures.
Although some Catholic legislators disgrace themselves and their church, there are also many pro-life Catholic legislators holding elective offices.
In 9 of the states having close and contentious U.S. Senate elections, a Zogby poll showed:
The pro-life advantage for candidates in general was 12%
About the envelope you found in your paper version of this newsletter
Inside Life-Lines you did not find space to use for sending an In Memoriam donation or a new subscription.
For your convenience and to provide more space to cover the life issues news, we are now including an envelope with each newsletter. Please use it to request a subscription, make an In Memoriam/Prayer donation or a freewill donation.
All are appreciated.
ROCHESTER AREA RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE INC. Education Fund
Suite 3; 675 Ling Road; Rochester, NY 14612 585-621-4690 Fax: 585-621-6966 www.righttoliferoch.org
WELCOME