LifeLines - October
Rochester Area Right To Life
LifeLines - October |
|
Rochester Area Right To Life |
LifeLines - October 1999
LifeLines is the newsletter of the Rochester Area Right to Life. Older, complete issues in print are available in the Rochester office. These articles have been selected from the issue in print.
Tuesday,
November 2nd is Election Day VOTE! (See endorsements below.) |
Mrs. Clinton with population control advocates
At the February 1999, United Nations Cairo+5 conference Keynote Speaker Hillary Rodham Clinton said: government "has no place in the personal decisions a woman makes about whether to bring a child into the world" and called for repeal of restrictive abortion laws.
The decision to have a child "should be made freely and responsibly without government coercion."
All women, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, live in countries that ban abortion or not, should have access to contraception and abortion.
Mrs. Clinton was speaking to a convention with population control advocates firmly "in control of a process to promote abortion, contraception and sterilization around the world."
The Wanderer; 2/99Billionaires as misguided as Mrs. Clinton
What do Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Ted Turner, David Packard and George Soros have in common? Yes, they are among the world’s most rich and influential people. They share no traits but have a shared concern. It is the misguided concern that the earth is in an overpopulation crisis. Acting on their concern, population control is the center of most of their philanthropy.
Gates gave $8 billion, the highest charitable gift in history, to his foundation with most earmarked for popu-lation/health programs. Turner earlier gave $1 billion to the United Nations – also mostly for population control measures. Buffett has pledged nearly his total $15 billion fortune for use in population control after his death.
Foundation donations are also favored by other. very wealthy people. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, formed with money earned in the computer revolution, is a "powerhouse donor" in population control. The Rockefeller Foundation gives large grants to Planned Parenthood and Population Action Council.
Ironically, individuals so able to create highly successful enterprises have been so mislead that they have bought into the overpopulation. myth. Update, published by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, is edited by Max Schulz. From his column in the 8/27/99 Human Events:
"The Billionaire Brigade would be wise to study the writings of the late economist, Julian Simon, who pointed out that, far from being drains on the earth, people are the world’s most valuable natural resource. Their minds matter economically, as much or more, than their mouths or hands. More people mean greater contributions to the stock of useful human knowledge. ‘And this contribution is large enough in the long run,’ he wrote, ‘to overcome all costs of population growth.’"India has long been a concern of folks troubled about overpopulation. Recent announcements that India ‘s population was expected to soon exceed one billion undoubtedly caused gnashing of teeth for the population control fans. They might find comfort in a comment from Jim Sedlak of Stop Planned Parenthood International.
"When India reaches its one billionth person, it will have a population density of 788 people per square mile. The state of New Jersey has a population density of 986 people per square mile."
For "population control" for two decades China has had a "one child rule". Couples were limited to one child. Second and subsequent pregnancies brought fines, pressures to abort and forced sterilization
This rule has caused disdain for female infants, e.g. abortion, neglect, abandonment. The result has been 118 males for every 100 females. To reduce the discrepancy, some parents of a female have recently been allowed to try for a male second child. The one-child policy is expected to be changed beginning in 2003.
http://geography.about.com/ education/ scilife/geography/library/weekly/aa092799.htm"Doctors estimate that 1/5 Russian married couples is incapable of bearing a child," according to Tatiana Stutolova, Minister of Health. Many women are infertile or miscarry because of past venereal disease and abortions.
According to Stutolova, abortion is still the most common means of birth prevention in Russia. Two of every three women have health problems from past abortions. Russian women often have 6, 7 or more abortions in their lifetimes. One woman reportedly had aborted 18 babies.
Human Life International newsletter, Summer 1999U.S. Supreme Court trivia far from trivial
If the next U.S. president is in office for 2 terms, he/she could appoint eight of the next nine U.S. Supreme Court justices. That would be a record. A federal judge can retire at age 65 upon 15 years of service. When the next president takes office in 2001, current justices’ ages will be: Rehnquist: 76, Stevens: 80; O’Connor: 70, Ginsburg:67; Scalia: 64, Kennedy: 64; Souter: 62, Breyer: 62, and Thomas: 51
Justices Rehnquist, Stevens and O’Connor have announced their 2000 retirement intentions. Justice Ginsburg was released from the hospital on 9/29/99 after surgery for colon cancer. She worked at the 10/4/99 Court opening.
New York Post 8/31/99:
Maggie Gallagher wrote about Mark Binder. He allegedly "bilked poor women on Medicaid by refusing to perform abortions unless he was illegally paid extra." Gallagher wrote that the NY Department of Health contends Binder pushed back "fetus’ gestational age" to perform illegal, late-term abortions on unborn children generally considered "too far along." This practice is "apparently standard…in the dark underworld of the late-term abortion business."NYS Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (
D-NY) negotiated a deal with Binder. He offered "just five years probation for guilty pleas in two felonies." Questions come about no jail sentence for a man who unlawfully killed late-term babies and took risks with pregnant women’s lives. Spitzer’s "strong pro-choice politics" may hold answers.Gallagher noted that Binder’s behaviors contradict abortion supporters’ assertions "that abortionists are competent, compassionate physicians." To the contrary, "many abortion doctors are more interested in money than women’s rights, or women’s health, or even women’s lives.
Gallagher ended her article by wondering why NY abortion advocates, e.g. would-be Senator Hillary Clinton, aren’t demanding "this butcher’s head."
Ireland remains one of the last countries retaining a constitutional ban on abortion. Its law says:
"The state acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and as far as practicable by its laws to defend and vindicate that right"
Constitution of the Republic of Ireland, Article 40.3.3Abortion is not legal in Ireland, but 5,336 Irish children were aborted. in 1997. The Noonan Abortion Information Act of 1995 allows for referrals of women in Ireland to England for abortions.
Using cases of alleged rape and suicide threats of young teens, abortion advocates successfully planted a wedge in Ireland. Agreement is growing that a referendum about abortion is needed. 60 – 70% of the Irish support having a referendum and a majority oppose abortion in any circumstances.
Our Sunday Visitor; 8/15/99RU-486: a method of ABORTION
"Pro-choice"people continue to seek legalization of RU-486 in the U.S. Ignoring reported complications and serious side-effects possible for women, it is being cheered as non-invasive Pro-life opposition is to the deliberate killing of an innocent human being.
Whether an abortion is done surgically in a hospital/clinic or by drugs in a doctor’s office/woman’s home makes no difference. This was well-said by Msgr. Owen Campion:
Our Sunday Visitor; 8/15/99:"The most distressing change in the abortion debate is not about methods, but the fact that few now deny that abortion indeed takes innocent human life –and so many simply do not care that it does."
| Fleeting Thought: Only 1/7th of your total days on earth are Mondays |
ROCHESTER AREA RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE, INC.
Political Action Committee (PAC)
endorses the following candidates for election to the Monroe County Legislature on Election Day: Tuesday, November 2, 1999
| 1st Monroe County District:
Clarkson Districts. 1 - 5; Hamlin Districts. 1 – 10;Parma Districts: 2 – 5; 8 - 15 *Peter N. McCann (R) |
12th Monroe County District: Henrietta Districts.2, 3, 13, 19,
20, 29, 30 Mendon: Districts.1 - 9; Rush Districts.: 1 – 4; Wheatland Districts.: 1 - 5 *Karla F. Boyce (R) |
| 3rd Monroe County District: Chili Districts 1 to 30 *Tracy L. Logel (R) |
13th Monroe County District: Henrietta Districts. 1, 4
-12, 14 – 18; 21 – 28, 31 - 34 *Robert M. Zinck (R) |
| 4th Monroe County District: Gates Districts. 1 – 6; 8 –
18; 20 – 22, 25, 27, 29 - 35 *Mark W. Assini (R) |
16th Monroe County District :Irondequoit 2, 5, 9, 11, 12, 18, 19,
22,23,26,29,33-37,39,41,43, 45, 48, 50, 52-54, 56, 57, 61 , 65-69 *Peter C. Pecor (R) |
| 6th Monroe County District: 6th City Leg. Districts: 1 – 12 Greece: 6 – 11; 21, 22, 25, 26, 30, 32, 35, 41, 48, 63, 78 *Frederick J. Amato (D) |
19th Monroe County District: Gates Districts.:7,19,23,24,26,28 Greece
Districts: 3,17,18,24 27,29, 33 ,37, 52, 57, 65-67, 69, 73, 77 ,81, 85, 87, 92-94, 97, 100 *William D. Reilich (R) |
| 7th District: Greece: 1 ,2, 16, 31, 34, 38, 43, 44, 47, 49, 50, 54, 56, 58,
71 ,74, 76, 79, 82, 84, 89 ,90, 98, 99, 102, 103 *Douglas B. Dobson (R) |
29th Monroe County District 29th City Leg. Districts: 1 - 25; Irondequoit Districts. 15 - 46 Luis Rivera (R) |
| 11th Monroe County District: Perinton Districts. 4-7;9-11;14,
24-25,30,34,36-38,42-43,47,50,54 East Rochester Districts.:1-7 *Pieter W. Smeenk (R) |
15/29 Monroe County Districts have elections in 1999. RARTL-PAC endorses pro-life candidates in 11of the 15 races with preference given to pro-life incumbents. |
| * = incumbent; D = Democrat; R = Republican |
Candidates shown above are endorsed because they support protection of innocent human life from conception until natural death as shown on their responses to the RARTL PAC questionnaire (below), interviews and positive actions on the issues of abortion, infanticide and euthanasia as public servants or private citizens.
RARTL - PAC QUESTIONS USED IN DETERMINING ENDORSEMENT
| 1. Do you support the concept that a person has the right to
life to life from the moment of conception to the point of natural death? 2. Would you vote for proposed legislation that would prevent abortions other than to save the life of the mother? 3. Would you vote to require parental notification before abortions are performed on minors? 4. Would you vote to prevent the use of tax funds for abortion other than to save the life of the mother? |
5. Would you vote to prevent the use of tissue and organs from deliberately aborted children in transplants or medical experiments? 6. Would you oppose legislation that would allow one to hasten or aid death by:
|
RARTL PAC is unable to screen candidates for other counties, other county offices, city or town offices and thus has no endorsements for any of these races. In races with no endorsements, voters should speak directly with candidates to assess their position on life issues.
If unsure who represents you in the Monroe County Legislature, call the Monroe County Board of Elections @ 428-4550
Authorized & paid for by the Rochester Area Right to Life Committee, Inc. PAC; not authorized by any candidate
Unborn Victims of Violence
Act, H.R. 2436
Passed in House
Now federal law does not allow charging a criminal for harming an unborn child. Under H.R. 2436, an unborn child injured/killed during commission of a federal crime would be recognized as a human victim. The assailant could be punished for manslaughter, murder or another crime of violence. Exempt are medical treatment of the mother, an abortion agreed to by a woman or an act by the mother herself that affects her fetus.
Over Clinton-Gore objections, the full House, by a vote of 254-172, passed H.R. 2436 on 9/30/99.
Area Representatives’ Votes [(+) = protection for the unborn ]
Dist Name HR2436 VoteNo Senate action expected in 1999. In 2000, Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) will introduce the companion bill S. 1673.
Action Needed
Despite pro-abortion voting records, both should be urged to support the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (S.1673). Even "pro-choice" legislators can support this bill as it protects babies who are injured or killed, contrary to their mothers’ choice. Communicate your thoughts in your own words.
For your further information
This bill has been around for at least 2 years in Congress, first as the "McCain-Feingold" then "Shays-Meehan" and now "McCain Lite." All address "campaign finance reform" in fairly similar ways. .
The U.S. House passed the "Shays-Meehan" bill on 9/14/99, by 252-177. Regrettably, area Reps. Walsh, Hinchey, Slaughter, LaFalce, Quinn and Houghton voted for the bill. Rep. Reynolds opposed the bill and should be thanked by his constituents..
In October, 99, the US Senate will vote on one or more "campaign finance reform" bills. Passage of any is unlikely. Proponents lack the 60 votes needed to end the anticipated filibuster.
Isn’t "campaign finance reform" a good law to have? No, it is not what it seems.
These bills attack free speech. Under them, any incorporated advocacy group would be at legal risk if it distributed a print or broadcast communication expressing "support of" or "opposition to" a federal politician. There would be legal jeopardy for communication, e.g. a "legislative alert" informing members about approaching congressional votes.
It would be illegal for all incorporated groups, except PACs, to mention the name of a Member of Congress in any communication for 4 months of each even-numbered year. For example, if the "Hyde Amendment" were coming up for a vote in September, 2000, there could be no mention of it by that name to our members if Mr. Hyde were seeking re-election in 2000.
Action Needed
Partial-birth abortion ban act
About October 20th, the Senate will take up, for the first time in the 106th Congress, S.1692, the partial-birth abortion ban. Sponsor is Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa)
Senators should be encouraged to oppose all amendments and vote for passage. Sen. Moynihan has supported this ban in the past; Sen. Schumer did not support it when he and it were in the House last year.
The House will vote on this early next year.
Tuesday evening, September 14th, nearly two hundred and fifty people met at the Marriott Thruway Hotel to celebrate presentation of the
LHHL award to Thomas R. Sweeney, M.D. and Jeanne D. Sweeney, R.N.The Sweeneys were recognized for their "distinguished and sustained efforts in the protection and preservation of innocent human life." Tom is a highly respected obstetrician/gynecologist in practice in the Rochester area for over 30 years. Jeanne, a registered nurse, working with Tom, established Rochester Area Right to Life Committee, Inc. and Birthright of Rochester in the early ‘70s. Jeanne then spent untold years doing public speaking/debate, researching and writing newspaper and newsletter articles, leading RARTL and helping other pro-life groups across New York state.
The 1998 recipient, David C. Hoselton, presented the award to the Sweeneys. He spoke warmly of his long-term friendship with Leo Holmsten, M.D. for whom the award was named. He reviewed some of the Sweeneys pro-life efforts as he presented the award to them. He also commented on the positive side of remembering Leo by presenting an annual award bearing his name. He said: "It helps each of us to remember the One who grants life and in whose name we seek to both save and honor life through our efforts in this pro-life movement."
The Leo Holmsten Human Life Committee of the Rochester Area presented the award/event Right to Life Committee, Inc. Education Fund. Co-sponsors were:
| Birthright of Rochester | Crisis Pregnancy Services of Rochester | Faith Haven Incorporated |
| Feminists for Life of New York | Greater Rochester Association of Evangelicals | Problem Pregnancy Help Center |
| Pro-Life Planning Committee | Roberts Wesleyan College | Roman Catholic Diocese: Rochester |
| St. Luke’s Medical Association | St. Thomas More Lawyers’ Guild |
During the reception, music was provided by the Research Trio. CDs of the trio’s violin, viola and cello music are available. Call the RARTL office, 621-4690. Cost is $10. with the Trio donating $5 for each sold to the LHHL Committee
.www.righttoliferoch.org is
our Website address. On it you will find
+ a great deal more, e.g. iGive! iGive is on our web page: www.righttoliferoch.org. It provides major
shopping opportunities, good prices, prompt delivery + RARTL gets a donation from
each purchase you make. This is a win – win!
.
http://www.abortionfacts.com/ is a new recommendation "a wealth of data on abortion …a hundred pages of statistics:A special section of Project Rachel’s web site is devoted to fathers who have lost children to induced abortion: http://www.marquette.edu/rachel/fathers.html
"A positive attitude will have positive results because attitudes are contagious." Zig Ziglar
ROCHESTER AREA RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE, INC. ANNUAL MEETING Thursday, October 28th 7 – 9:00 PM Greece Town Hall Featuring |
Warren Beatty reportedly pro-life
On 9/29/99 a star-studded crowd gathered for an award event. Warren Beatty was expected to announce his decision about a pre-sidential run. Beatty spoke of many issues, e.g. global trade, social justice. He also told the audience that he would not run for president because "I like my day job."
| On 9/30/99 the drudge report revealed something Beatty did not tell the elite, liberal Beverly Hills crowd. He omitted an issue now dear to his heart. "Since. having children, I am pro-life," Beatty had told Matt Drudge earlier in the year. Asked why he did not declare his pro-life beliefs publicly, Beatty, at the time of his pro-life admission, quietly said, "I can’t." |
CORRECTION: WARREN BEATTY ANNOUNCES HE IS
PRO-CHOICE
(added to this page 11/19/99)
Early in November, Warren Beatty, speaking at Harvard University, disputed the story that appeared about him in the Drudge Report. That story was included in the October RARTL Life-Lines.
Beatty told a Harvard student, president of Harvard Right to Life, that he and Drudge had discussed abortion at a Hollywood party. Beatty insisted he never said he was pro-life.
Another student described Beatty’s remarks: Warren saw Drudge and went over to talk to him. As Warren told it, Drudge asked him, ‘Now that you have children, do you feel differently about abortions?’. Warren said, ‘It makes you think.’ Beatty said the rest of the conversation did not go as Drudge reported it and that he, Beatty, said, 'I’ve got another child on the way and I’m still pro-choice.' MSNBC 11/8/99
Black women’s pregnancy deaths
In America, the death rate during pregnancy or within 6 weeks after birth was 19.6 deaths per 100,000 live births for black women, compared to 5.3 for white women.
Possible explanations presented in 6/13/99 Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Report :
- black women are less likely to have good prenatal care than whites
- black women are more prone to high blood pressure which, with hemorrhage and blood clots, are the leading cause of death among women
- black women are in poorer health in general.
The article omitted one significant fact. Black women abort three times more often than white women do. Deaths from abortion are included in the articles’ figures.
Los Angeles Times 9/16/99, re-ported Missouri legislators passed the nation’s toughest anti-abortion law. It would apply only to partial-birth abortions.
The law does not refer to "abortion". It names "infanticide" as an action that threatens doctors, as well as expectant mothers, with sentences up to life in prison for causing the death of an "intact child" who is partially or fully born.
In May, Gov. Mel Carnahan vetoed the bill. The Missouri Legislature overrode the veto. On 9/16/99 St. Louis Planned Parent-hood suspended all abortions for one day and announced they would challenge the bill in court. They contend that this law will be used to block more than partial-birth abortions and make women subject to criminal prosecution even for seeking an abortion.
The Missouri law has been put on hold by a federal judge. In its lawsuit, Planned Parenthood said the law is "so broadly and vaguely worded as to put plaintiffs at risk of criminal prosecution for virtually any abortion they perform, regardless of the stage of pregnancy."
Also in September, a federal appeals court ruled that bans on partial-birth abortion in three Midwest states were unconstitutional, according to a Boston Globe report on the Internet.
Abortion backers fear bans on partial-birth abortions will be used to limit a popular second-trimester abortion procedure. Understandably, they have gone to court to block partial-birth abortion bans. According to an undated claim from the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, 19 of then 20 state-passed partial-birth abortion bans have been blocked or severely limited in courts.
| Suggested Prayers Please become a prayer partner by spending 5-10 minutes daily in prayer about life issues. We hope this partnership will fill 24 hours of each day to have a prayer shield over the area. Please join in the following suggested weekly prayer themes for |
Save-a-Baby Campaign Early Bird Winner
Congratulations to Lea Vitello of Pittsford. She was awarded $100 in the first Early Bird contest. There will be another early bird drawing with the final campaign winners identified January 23rd at the Albany state office.
Anyone wishing additional books should call the RARTL office @ 716-621-4690. If office is closed, leave a message; your call will be returned as soon as possible.
This is a campaign in which all donations are voluntary. All donations go to provide support for the local RARTL and NYSRTL programs.
This RARTL newsletter comes to you 5 times a year. It does take time to write and prepare for mailing. It does have printing and postal costs. We believe it provides life-issues information not generally covered by other publications in the Rochester area. Does it serve a purpose for you?
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Please mail to RARTL; Suite 3; 675 Ling Road; Rochester, New York
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Thank you very much for your help
Life-Lines Official Publication: Rochester Area Right to Life Committee,
Inc. Education Fund
Suite 3; 675 Ling Road Rochester, NY 14612 (716) 621-4690 Third-class postage paid
at Rochester, New YorkPermit No. 1931 A non-profit organization Volume 28: Issue 2
Price $10.00 per year
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