July, 2009:

This page is still under construction, but is being published for the purposes of information and research.

Interestingly, topics in the archive do not reflect "settled" issues.

The Mexico City Policy, for example, first comes up in the archive below around 2001. We fully expect that the next few years will bring back the same battles as the issues and alerts discussed below.

The opposition is persistent, well-funded (abortion is about profit, after all) and has the excess revenue and income to afford well-paid and extensive staff members. There is also its dominance of the media through a variety of means and a decades-long strategy first pioneered by Margaret Sanger and her associates way back in the 1920's. They have had plenty of time to hone their approach and learn how to persuade and manipulate public opinion, and use propaganda as effectively as possible, and frankly, how to deceive people and hide the brutal truth

It is important to document for ourselves and our posterity the history of the prolife movement in the United States and our communities. It is easy for the opposition to dictate that history will be re-written, so that the ideas of the present moment can be re-cast as "progressive" and "new" when in fact they are the same as the defeated schemes of the past, resurrected in a new and malevolent form.

We shall maintain this archive so that a small part of this history will not be swept away, and so we can remember that all of our battles today are so much like the same battles our predecessors had decaeds ago. As the ancient historian once said, "There truly is nothing new under the sun."

It has been said that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. For the prolife movement, it seems that eternal vigilance is also the price of protecting the value and inherent dignity of human life, and each individual human life -- despite disability, age, class, or "convenience," and beyond the economic exploitation of those whose voices are not heard in the debates of our legislative halls.

	.. The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government ..
	From a letter by Thomas Jefferson to the Citizens of Washington County, Maryland, 31 March 1809

About VSHL

Purpose:

Virginia Society for Human Life, Inc., is a voluntary and non-denominational organization united in the belief that the human being in his innate dignity and worth should be safeguarded by law at every stage of biological development. Through education and legislative activity, the Society's purpose is to promote measures which will insure protection for all innocent human life.

With this in mind, we seek:

• To promote public policy and attitudes which reflect the unique value of each human life.
• To support legislation which insures and enhances the right to life of each member of the human family, both before and after birth.
• To seek positive, non-violent solutions to human problems, rather than destructive ones.
• To promote passage of a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

History:

In the United States until the mid nineteen-sixties, Virginia and all states with few exceptions prohibited abortion unless the mother's life was endangered.

Society as a whole regarded abortion as an abhorrence. morally and legally. Even the word, abortion, was unmentionable, so evil and alien it was to the innate dignity and sanctity of human life. No matter society's other failings, the innocent, helpless babe awaiting birth was the most inviolable life of all.

Into this atmosphere, a concerted thrust for radical change was made by dissident elements in the fields of law, medicine, public health and eugenics.

In 1962, the American Law Institute proposed "liberalizing" (i.e., weakening) state abortion laws. Abortion- friendly state legislators were found in various states to sponsor an ALI type bill. In 1966, Colorado became the first state to "liberalize" its abortion law. Also in 1966, a prominent state public health official initiated the first public salvo to expand legal abortion in Virginia.

The year following, 1967, seeing the handwriting on the wall, a handful of concerned citizens founded the Virginia Society for Human Life to defend Virginia's law. It became the first state right to life organization in the country.

However, in 1970, after failing two years earlier, the pro-abortion forces succeeded in changing Virginia's law to permit abortion in case of rape or incest, if a child might be born with a defect, and for reasons affecting the mental or physical health of the mother. By 1972, a total of 17 states had similarly weakened their abortion laws. But now the tide had turned and no additional state changed its law prohibiting abortion.

The abortion lobby then turned to the courts to overturn state abortion laws. This move led to the 1973 Supreme Court legalization of what is tantamount to abortion on demand for the full nine months of pregnancy, an action so radical as to astonish even the most strident abortion extremist. The action in effect invalidated all laws prohibiting abortion in the 33 states that had never liberalized their laws as well as any restrictions still remaining in the 17 states that had changed their laws.

While shocking, the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton rulings galvanized pro-life forces and led to rapid growth in the movement.

VSHL expanded its mission, program, organization and membership. Goals included restoration of the protection of the life of the unborn child in law and public policy and now also covered issues of infanticide, euthanasia, and human experimentation, companion issues propelled into ugly reality by the legalization of abortion.

In additional action, VSHL joined statewide pro-life organizations in other states to form the National Right to Life Committee. Based in Washington, D.C., NRLC is the largest grassroots right to life organization in the country. VSHL is NRLC's state affiliate in Virginia.

Many VSHL members work individually or in groups to serve girls and women involved in problem pregnancies and to alleviate other challenges to the human family that occur throughout life - illness, disability, dependency and poverty.

VSHL pursues its goals through educational, legislative and political action. Speakers, literature and videos are available upon request form VSHL headquarters in Richmond and from the 37 chapters around the state, A bi-monthly newsletter, "the Lifesaver," is mailed to members, and an annual conference is held in the spring.

Presidents, from 1967 to 2008

• 2008 - present, Olivia Gans, Woodbridge
• 2001 - 2007, Brenda D. Fastabend, Lynchburg
• 1995 - 2001, Louise D. Hartz, Richmond
• 1991 - 1995, Larry L. Stine, Herndon
• 1990 - 1991, Eleanor M. Bell, Portsmouth
• 1990 - 1990, Claudia L. Ryland, Williamsburg
• 1989 - 1990, Constance Law, Portsmouth
• 1985 - 1989, Catherine V. Driscoll, Chesapeake
• 1984 - 1985, George J. Seidl, Fredericksburg
• 1981 - 1984, Rev. Lester Messerschmidt, Hampton
• 1980 - 1981, Robert H. Follett, Annandale
• 1978 - 1980, Karen N. Toomy, Waynesboro
• 1976 - 1978, Brenda D. Fastabend, Lynchburg
• 1975 - 1976, Allan Zagrodnik, Lynchburg
• 1974 - 1975, Mary Anne Pierce, Annandale
• 1973 - 1974, Marilyn H. Fanning, Lynchburg
• 1967 - 1973, Alex Williams, Richmond

WHEREAS, non-violent intervention in the operation of abortion facilities, including picketing and "side walk counseling," (non-violent direct action) has become a more widely used method to save unborn threatened by abortion; and

WHEREAS. members of the VSHL, acting as individuals, may choose legal non- violent action as a means to achieve pro-life goals; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Society of Human Life, Inc., was organized for other purposes as defined in the Articles of Incorporation and By Laws:

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT non-violent direct action is not an activity of the Virginia Society for Human Life, Inc. VSHL facilities and publications must not be used for the promotion or reporting of such activity. Individuals who engage in non-violent direct action do so as individuals and not as members of the VSHL.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the VSHL does not encourage or participate in illegal activity of any kind. This prohibition shall extend to officers, directors, committee chairmen and employees of VSHL, whether acting on behalf of the corporation or on their own behalf. This prohibition shall also extend to the chapters of VSHL. Illegal activity includes any intentional or deliberate act, related to the purposes for which VSHL is organized, which is likely to result in violation of a court order; arrest; or citation for violation of the laws or ordinances of the relevant jurisdiction.

Unanimously adopted by the Virginia Society for Human Life, Inc., Board of Directors at their meeting of January 16, 1988. Revised November 19, 1988.

Whereas, Virginia Code Section 18.2-499, et seq., entitled Conspiracy to Injure Another in Trade, Business or Profession, provides for civil and criminal penalties for certain conduct described therein; and

Whereas, the law speaks to "willfully and maliciously" injure another's trade, business or professional reputation; and

Whereas, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that the First Amendment prohibits criminal sanctions for statements of truth; and

Whereas, the Virginia Society for Human Life is dedicated to legal and non-violent action as a means to achieve pro-life goals:

Therefore be it resolved, that in the identification of and references to abortion providers and abortion advocates, VSHL spokespersons, including officers, directors, committee chairs, chapter chairs, and employees, speak only to what they know to be the verifiable truth regarding such persons. This policy shall extend to VSHL publications and statements, including chapter newsletters. Individual members of VSHL who make statements not in accordance with this policy do so as individuals and not as members of VSHL.

Unanimously adopted by the Virginia Society for Human Life, Inc., Board of Director at their meeting of December 10, 1994

Chapters

How you can help

COMBINED CAMPAIGNS & UNITED WAY
Designating Your Contribution Can Help Pro-life Education

A vital part of our work is educating others about the threats to the value and dignity of each human life, and presenting the real story about abortion, euthanasia and infanticide. We are concerned about all those whose lives are affected by inaccurate information and uninformed choices. We are the helping hands of those who can neither speak nor care for themselves.

If you contribute at work to a combined charitable campaign, you can help us greatly by designating all or a portion of your contribution to further pro-life education.

If you are a federal employee contributing to the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), please designate the NRL (National Right to Life) Educational Trust Fund, agency #2844 under Human Service Charities of America. These contributions are a major source of revenue for VSHL’s educational efforts since NRLC designates a portion of your donations for use here in Virginia.

If you are a state employee contributing to the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC), please designate the VSHL Education Fund, code #3873.

Others contributing to the United Way can designate the VSHL Education Fund, P.O. Box 6925, Richmond, VA 23230.

For further information, contact the VSHL office at 804-358-VSHL.

Selected VSHL Call to Action and Lobbying Activities,

2000 through 2006

2006: Real Women's Voices Calling All Pro-Life Women

Concerned Women for America, Eagle Forum, Family Research Council Action, National Right to Life Committee, Silent No More Awareness, and the Susan B. Anthony List are calling pro-life women to Washington, DC in person or “in spirit” to lobby their Senators on key life-saving legislation on Wednesday, April 26, 2006.

House Bill 1524, Delegate Dick Black (R-Sterling) patron, passed the House of Delegates on a vote of 72 yeas, 20 nays and 7 not voting. It has now gone to the Senate and will be assigned to the committee on Education and Health.

It is URGENT that you contact your State Senator immediately and ask him/her to support the fetal pain legislation, HB1524, in the Senate.

The Constitutent Viewpoint Hotline is: 800.889.0229 or 804.698.1990.

You can also find the direct telephone number and e-mail address of your delegate or senator on the General Assembly web page. If you don't know who your legislator is, go to that web page and click on "Who's My Legislator."

The House Vote

YEAS--Abbitt, Albo, Armstrong, Athey, Barlow, Bell, Black, Bryant, Byron, Callahan, Carrico, Cline, Cole, Cosgrove, Councill, Cox, Dudley, Fralin, Frederick, Gear, Griffith, Hamilton, Hargrove, Hogan, Howell, A.T., Hugo, Hurt, Ingram, Janis, Joannou, Johnson, Jones, S.C., Keister, Kilgore, Lewis, Lingamfelter, Louderback, Marrs, Marshall, D.W., Marshall, R.G., May, McDonnell, McDougle, McQuigg, Miller, Nixon, Nutter, O'Bannon, Oder, Orrock, Parrish, Petersen, Phillips, Purkey, Putney, Rapp, Reese, Reid, Rust, Saxman, Scott, E.T., Shannon, Sherwood, Stump, Suit, Tata, Wardrup, Ware, R.L., Weatherholtz, Welch, Wright, Mr. Speaker--72.

NAYS--Alexander, Amundson, Baskerville, Brink, Dillard, Ebbin, Eisenberg, Hull, Jones, D.C., Melvin, Miles, Moran, Plum, Pollard, Scott, J.M., Shuler, Sickles, Spruill, Van Yahres, Watts--20.

ABSTENTIONS--0.

NOT VOTING--BaCote, Hall, Landes, Morgan, Van Landingham, Ward, Ware, O.--7.

Please thank Delegates who voted in favor of the fetal pain bill.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

This is an update from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) in Washington, D.C., issued Wednesday March 25, 2005

The Terri Schindler Schiavo case serves as a warning that in America today, your child, your parent, and your spouse are in danger of being starved and dehydrated to death should they become disabled.

We must recognize that many doctors and judges are likely to believe we would be “better dead than disabled,” likely to believe that is what we would want, and likely to direct denial of food and fluids if we can’t speak for ourselves.

It is therefore vitally important for every member of your family who does not want to be starved to death to make those wishes clearly known. Every state has a law allowing you to state your intentions for food, fluids and life-saving medical treatment should you become unable to make health care decisions yourself, through a legal document most have heard of under the name “living will.” National Right to Life has prepared a pro-life living will, which we call the “Will to Live,” in the proper form for each state. All the state forms are available for download from the NRLC website. So is advice on filling them out, and information about dangers in the “living will” forms available from many other sources.

Help protect your family!

• Remember that Terri Schiavo was an apparently healthy young woman when she suddenly collapsed. None of us like to think about it, but whatever their age or condition, every member of your family is at risk.
• While state laws generally do not recognize legal documents signed by children under 18, it may be wise for those of your children who have reached the age of reason to fill out a Will to Live anyway. It may provide some evidence of their wishes that might help you fight for their lives.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

It is likely that President Bush will have the opportunity to nominate two or more justices of the U.S. Supreme Court during the next four years. Pro-abortion advocacy groups are vowing to do everything in their power to block the President's nominees in the Senate. There has not been a vacancy on the Court for over 10 years, but in recent weeks the press has reported that Chief Justice William Rehnquist is seriously ill.

When President Bush nominates a man or woman to the Supreme Court, that nomination goes first to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which conducts hearings and votes on the nomination. The chairman of the Judiciary Committee will be crucial in shepherding the President's nominees to successful confirmation votes in the committee and in the full Senate.

But what if the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee was himself undercutting President Bush's nominee -- or even actively opposing confirmation of the nominee?

Soon, the Republican members of the Judiciary Committee must decide on who they want as their chairman. Ordinarily, this job would go to the most-senior Republican committee member who does not chair some other major committee. However, in this case, that senior committee member is Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.).

Specter would be a disaster as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Senator Specter has a strongly pro-abortion record, and he is one of the leading champions of human cloning. In 1987, as a member of the Judiciary Committee, Specter played a key role in defeating President Reagan's nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Robert Bork, who was on record in opposition to Roe v. Wade. In 1995, Specter briefly sought the Republican presidential nomination on a pro-abortion platform. In January 2001, Specter complained on a TV program that some nominees for the Supreme Court were reluctant to take clear positions on Roe v. Wade, and he said that he might have to start withholding his support in such cases.

On November 3, 2004, the day after the election, Specter told reporters that he considers Roe v. Wade "inviolate," and indicated that he believes that nominees who do not express support for that ruling cannot be confirmed. Asked if he would support President Bush's judicial nominees, Specter replied, "That obviously depends upon the president's judicial nominees."

On November 4, those remarks were widely reported in the news media as a "warning" to the White House. The same day, Specter issued a statement saying that he had been warning of possible filibusters by Democrats -- but he did not pledge to support President Bush's nominations to the Supreme Court.

Senator Specter assumes he has a lock on the job -- but actually, he does not have an entitlement to the Judiciary Committee chairmanship.

If another Republican member of the committee decides to challenge Specter and gains the support of a majority of Republican members of the committee, then the decision would go before the entire Republican conference, which is the caucus of all of the Republican senators who will serve in the new Congress that convenes in January. In that case, the 55 Republican senators would decide who will be chairman by a secret ballot.

Thus, ultimately, every Republican senator can have a voice on who holds the powerful gavel at the Judiciary Committee.

ACTION ITEMS:

1. Contact Virginia's two Republican U.S. Senators, George Allen and John Warner, with this message: "Senator Specter must not become chairman of the Judiciary Committee. We urge Senator ______ to support any other Republican member of the Judiciary Committee to become chairman -- anyone but Arlen Specter." Their offices can be contacted by telephone through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. E-mail can be sent from the Virginia Senators' web pages using these hot links for Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. Please use both phone AND e-mail.

2. Call the office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tn.) at 202-224-3344, with a message along these lines: "Senator Arlen Specter MUST NOT become chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He would use that position to protect Roe v. Wade and to advance abortion and human cloning. We urge you to do everything in your power to ensure that a pro-life Republican becomes chairman, not Specter." You can also send Sen. Frist a fax at 202-228-1264, and send him an e-mail using the webform at the National Right to Life Legislative Action Center.

   [NOTE: The majority leader does NOT have the power to simply appoint a chairman for the Judiciary Committee. But Senator Frist can be influential in guiding the Republican senators collectively to solve this urgent problem.]

3. If you receive a response from the office of any Republican senator, or see a statement on the matter by your senator in the news media, please forward it to the Federal Legislation Department at National Right to Life at Legfederal@aol.com, or by fax to 202-347-3668, or by phone to 202-626-8820.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

WASHINGTON -- On May 20, 2004, Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.) and Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), with the strong backing of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), introduced a major new pro-life initiative, the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act (S. 2466, H.R. 4420).

"There are numerous laws to prevent cruelty to domestic and wild animals, but no law to prevent well-developed unborn children from suffering excruciating pain as they are torn limb from limb or crushed during abortions," said NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson, who joined Brownback and Smith at a press conference in the U.S. Capitol announcing the introduction of the bill.

Statements endorsing the bill were also issued by the Family Research Council, Christian Medical Association, Southern Baptist Convention (Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission), and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

This bill would require every abortionist to provide, whenever a woman seeks an abortion past 20 weeks after fertilization, specified information about the capacity of her unborn child to experience pain during the abortion, after which the woman must either accept or refuse (by signing a form) the administration of pain-reducing drugs directly to the unborn child. The bill would apply to all abortions past 20 weeks, regardless of the method used.

The pain caused by the partial-birth method has been the subject of testimony during the ongoing trial before a federal judge in New York regarding the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. For example, the Associated Press dispatch reported on April 7: "A type of abortion banned under a new federal law would cause 'severe and excruciating' pain to 20-week-old fetuses, a medical expert testified yesterday … 'I believe the fetus is conscious,' said Dr. Kanwaljeet 'Sonny' Anand, a pediatrician at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. … Anand said yesterday that fetuses show increased heart rate, blood flow, and hormone levels in response to pain. 'The physiological responses have been very clearly studied,' he said. 'The fetus cannot talk . . . so this is the best evidence we can get.'"

The Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act contains a number of proposed congressional "findings" regarding the scientific evidence that unborn children would experience great pain during abortions at 20 weeks (and perhaps earlier). The findings also cite a number of existing federal laws that seek to diminish the suffering even of animals, such as restrictions on how livestock are slaughtered and restrictions on the use of animals in medical research.

In a Zogby poll conducted last month, the public supported "laws requiring that women who are 20 weeks or more along in their pregnancy be given information about fetal pain before having an abortion" by a 77-16 percent margin.

ACTION REQUESTED: Go to the NRLC Legislative Action Center, www.capwiz.com/nrlc/home to send e-mails to your lawmakers, urging them to cosponsor the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act. For those senators and representatives who are already listed as cosponsors, you can send already-prepared e-mails thanking them for their support for this important new pro-life initiative.

The full text of the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act will be posted on the NRLC website as soon as it is made available by the Government Printing Office, along with additional helpful documentation on the issue, at www.nrlc.org/abortion/fetal_pain/index.html.

President Bush signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act on April 1 – legislation marking significant gain for the pro-life cause. Brenda Fastabend of Lynchburg, President of Virginia Society for Human Life, and Geline Williams of Richmond, Chairman of the National Right Life Committee, were among the invited guests in the East Room of the White House for the signing ceremony.

We must now make every effort to encourage Governor Mark Warner to sign into law the two Fetal Homicide bills that were passed overwhelmingly by the Virginia General Assembly. Similar to the federal law, the bills will make it a chargeable crime under state law if an unborn child is killed in an attack on his pregnant mother, recognizing the child himself as a victim of the crime in addition to his mother. This legislation, strongly supported by the Virginia Society for Human Life, now awaits the Governor’s signature in order to become law.

ACTION REQUESTED:

Telephone: (804) 786-2211, Dial “O”, and ask for “Special Assistant”
Fax: (804) 371-6351
E-mail: Use the Governor's Electronic Correspondence Form.

Thank you for your great help!

The U.S. Senate has passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, also known as "Laci and Connor's Law," by a margin of 61-38. Virginia Senators John Warner and George Allen voted for passage of the bill.. A key victory occurred when the Senate defeated the Feinstein single-victim substitute by a vote of 50-49. Senators Warner and Allen both voted against the Feinstein killer amendment, and also voted against a killer amendment by Senator Patty Murray.

Please email your thanks to both Senator Warner and Allen for their votes against the amendments and in favor of the bill. You can do so by going to www.nrlc.org and clicking on the Legislative Action Center. Or e-mail can be sent from the Virginia Senators' web pages using these hot links for Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. Be sure to include your regular mailing address in the text of your e-mails, so that the senators know that the message comes from constituents.

Please also call the district offices closest to you to thank the Senators:

The House of Representatives passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act on February 26 by a vote of 254-163. In Virginia, seven members of Congress voted in favor of the bill: Jo Ann Davis, Ed Schrock, Virgil Goode, Bob Goodlatte, Eric Cantor, Frank Wolf, and Tom Davis. (Congressman Randy Forbes was away because his father had passed away, but he was a co-sponsor of the bill.) Three Virginia Congressmen voted against the bill: Bobby Scott, Jim Moran, and Rick Boucher. You may contact your member of Congress about his or her vote through the Legislative Action Center at www.nrlc.org.

Laci and Connor's Law will next go to President Bush to be signed into law. President Bush has repeatedly expressed his support for the bill; on February 26 he issued a statement saying, "Pregnant women who have been harmed by violence, and their families, know that there are two victims -- the mother and the unborn child -- and both victims should be protected by federal law. I urge the Senate to pass this bill so that I can sign it into law."

This is a congressional alert from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), Federal Legislation Department, issued Tuesday, February 17, 2004. For further information, visit the NRLC Legislative Action Center at www.nrlc.org.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on Thursday, February 26, 2004, on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (H.R. 1997), a bill to allow federal and military prosecutors to bring charges on behalf of a "child in utero" when he or she is a victim of a violent federal or military crime.

In order to pass the bill, it is necessary for the House to first reject the "single-victim substitute amendment" (Lofgren Substitute), a radically different bill backed by pro-abortion advocacy groups (it will be similar or identical to the language of H.R. 2247). The substitute would increase penalties for federal crimes that victimize a pregnant woman if they "interrupt" her pregnancy, but would also write into federal law the doctrine that such a crime has only a single victim.

The House has rejected the single-victim substitute and passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act twice before, in 1999 and 2001. Those bills died without any action in the Senate. Indeed, the Senate has NEVER before considered the issue, but pro-life Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tn.) has indicated he hopes to turn to the issue very soon -- perhaps not long after House passage. In the Senate, the single-victim substitute amendment will be offered by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.). The critical showdown will occur when the Senate votes to choose between the Feinstein Substitute and the Unborn Victims of Violence Act -- and the outcome of that vote is STILL IN DOUBT.

PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS IMMEDIATELY:

1. REVIEW THE 2001 HOUSE VOTES: Review how your U.S. House representative voted on the two bills on April 26, 2001. On these votes, the following Virginia Representatives voted pro-life (i.e., against the Lofgren substitute and for the Unborn Victims of Violence Act): Reps. J. Davis (R-1), Schrock (R-2), Goode (R-5), Goodlatte (R-6), Cantor (R-7), Wolf (R-10), and T. Davis (R-11).
   The following Virginia Representatives opposed the pro-life position (i.e., for the Lofgren substitute and against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act): Reps. Scott (D-3), Moran (D-8), and Boucher (D-9).
   [Note that the 4th District seat was vacant at the time of these votes.]

2. PUT THE SPOTLIGHT ON HOUSE MEMBERS WHO VOTED IN 2001 FOR THE SINGLE-VICTIM SUBSTITUTE: Starting NOW, please call to the attention of local news media and other interested parties any lawmaker who voted for the "single-victim substitute" (3 Va. Congressmen are so noted above) in 2001. Point out that he was voting to say that a federal crime like the Laci-Conner Peterson killing has only A SINGLE VICTIM -- but three national polls in 2003 found that about 80% of the public says such a crime should be charged as TWO HOMICIDES. (Under the substitute, if the mother survives the crime but loses her baby, federal prosecutors would have to tell her, "We're sorry you were assaulted, but the law says nobody died," just as they do under current federal law.) The substitute would increase penalties, but family members who have lost loved ones in two-victim crimes say that this misses the main point -- justice. Sharon Rocha, the mother of Laci and grandmother of Conner, wrote to lawmakers, "The single-victim substitute would be a step away from justice, not toward it. For example, if Congresswoman Lofgren's legal philosophy was currently the law in California, there would be no second homicide charge for the murder of Conner." In a letter to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), she wrote, "There were two bodies that washed up in San Francisco Bay, and the law should recognize that reality." Read Sharon Rocha's letter to Kerry here: www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/RochatoKerry.html.

3. GENERATE E-MAIL AND CALLS TO BOTH HOUSE MEMBERS AND SENATORS: E-mail senators and House members through the NRLC Legislative Action Center: www.capwiz.com/nrlc/home.

   Also, generate phone calls to their Washington offices via the Capitol Switchboard (202-224-3121), or call their in-state offices. Don't use regular mail due to security-related delays on Capitol Hill. Concentrate on urging defeat of the Feinstein "single-victim substitute."

4. KNOW YOUR OWN STATE'S LAW: In lobbying and debating this issue, it is important to know the law of the state you are working in. A feticide bill is currently being considered in the Virginia General Assembly. Currently, 15 states recognize the unborn child as a homicide victim throughout pre-natal development, and 13 others recognize fetal homicide for part of pregnancy. These 28 fetal homicide laws are summarized here.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND LINKS

1. NRLC has created the best resource on the Internet concerning unborn victims of violence and fetal homicide laws, at www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/index.html.

2. On February 5, National Review Online posted an article by NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson that is a good summary of the debate over the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. The essay and links to the documentation are here.

3. Three national polls show that about 80% of the public believes the law should recognize the killing of a "fetus" in a crime as HOMICIDE, and a solid majority believes this should be true throughout pregnancy. To see a table summarizing these three polls, go here.

4. Pro-abortion groups like Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and NARAL are telling lawmakers and editorial writers that recognizing a "child in utero" as a crime victim violates Roe v. Wade. But Roe v. Wade was concerned entirely with the "right" of a woman to abort her own unborn child. Roe did NOT remove the right of legislative bodies to recognize and protect the unborn child outside of the abortion context. Be sure that lawmakers, editorial writers, and reporters know that across the nation, the federal and state courts have rejected every legal challenge to fetal homicide laws. The cases are summarized here.

5. Recently a number of prominent pro-Roe legal experts have also said that fetal homicide laws do not conflict with Roe -- among these, Prof. Walter Dellinger at Duke Law School, who once co-chaired a national commission to defend Roe and who later served as President Clinton's chief legal advisor on constitutional issues. Quotes from Dellinger and the other pro-Roe legal authorities are here.

6. On January 7, 18-year-old Ashley Lyons and her unborn son Landon were murdered in Scott County, Kentucky. Current Kentucky law regards this crime as having only a single victim. But Carol Lyons, mother of Ashley and grandmother of Landon, says: "Nobody can tell me that there were not two victims -- I placed Landon in his mother's arms, wrapped in a baby blanket that I had sewn for him, just before I kissed my daughter good-bye for the last time and closed the casket." Read the full story in "Remember Their Names," by Douglas Johnson, here.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

This is a congressional action alert from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) in Washington, D.C., issued on January 14, 2004. For further information, visit the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/index.html.

WASHINGTON (January 14, 2004) -- NRLC and other pro-life forces are pushing for action in the U.S. Senate early in 2004 on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (S. 1019).

So far, 40 of the 100 senators have cosponsored the bill -- but the outcome remains in doubt, as senators allied with pro-abortion advocacy groups continue to obstruct the bill. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tn.) has said that he will push for full Senate action on the bill early this year. The House of Representatives may also take up the bill in the near future. (The House passed the bill in 1999 and 2001, and will readily do so again -- the real battle is in the Senate.)

The prime sponsor of the bill is Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio). There are currently 39 cosponsors. You can view the always-current list of co-sponsors at the NRLC website (www.nrlc.org) by going to the Legislative Action Center, then to "Current Legislation," then to "S. 1019."

All NRLC affiliates and other pro-life groups and citizens should promptly call their senators' offices and urge immediate approval of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, or "Laci and Conner's Law" (S. 1019).

HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR VIRGINIA SENATORS

Senator George Allen is a co-sponsor of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. Please thank him for his support. Please urge Senator John Warner to support it.

• PHONE CALLS: Senator Allen can be reached at 202-224-4024; Senator Warner can be reached at 202-224-2023. Other senators can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Once connected, explain that you are a constituent, politely convey your position, and ask for a written response explaining the senator's position.
  
  
• FAXES can be sent to Virginia Senator Allen at 202-224-5432, and Senator Warner at 202-224-2023.
  
  
• E-MAIL can be sent to Virginia Senators using these hot links for Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. E-mail addresses for other senators are available from the Senate website at www.senate.gov. Be sure to include your regular mailing address in the text of your e-mails, so that the senators know that the message comes from constituents.

In addition, pro-life groups and citizens should send letters for publication to local newspapers and websites, and call local radio talk shows, to generate public attention to the continued obstruction of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act in the U.S. Senate. Mention in your letters whether the two senators from your state have cosponsored S. 1019 (you can see a current list of cosponsors .

Here are some of the key points to get across:

• The basic argument boils down to this: When a criminal attacks a pregnant woman, injuring or killing her, and also injuring or killing her unborn child -- has he claimed one victim, or two? The Unborn Victims of Violence Act (UVVA) would recognize that such crimes have two victims. But pro-abortion Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.) and other opponents are pushing a phony "substitute amendment" that would recognize only one victim of such crimes -- the mother.
• According to a Newsweek poll released on June 1, 2003, 84% of the public believe that the killing of the unborn child during a crime should be recognized as a homicide (56% throughout development, another 28% after "viability"), while only 9 percent disagreed. According to a Fox News Channel scientific poll conducted this past July, 79% of Americans (including 69% of those who call themselves "pro-choice") agree that when "a violent physical attack on a pregnant woman leads to the death of her unborn child . . . prosecutors should be able to charge the attacker with murder for killing the fetus." For information on national polls on "fetal homicide," see: www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/UnbornPolls110703.html.
• The bill explicitly does not apply to abortion or to legal or illegal acts that a mother commits that affect her own unborn child. Nevertheless, pro-abortion groups like NARAL and Planned Parenthood oppose the bill, because of their extreme ideological position that the law must always be blind to the existence of unborn human beings.
• In numerous decisions, federal and state courts have consistently ruled that unborn victim laws do NOT contradict Roe v. Wade or other U.S. Supreme Court rulings. These rulings are listed and summarized on the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/statechallenges.html.
• The UVVA does not create any new federal crimes. Rather, it would apply the "two-victim principle" to acts of violence that are already defined to be federal crimes -- for example, a bombing, an attack on a domestic partner after interstate stalking, or an attack that occurs on federal property. Other violent crimes will continue to be governed by state laws. (Currently, 28 states have laws that provide partial or complete coverage for unborn victims of violence. These laws are summarized on the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/index.html.)
• Surviving family members of unborn victims of violence, such as Sharon Rocha (grandmother of Conner Peterson) and Tracy Marciniak (mother of Zachariah) are imploring Congress to pass the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, and to reject the "single-victim substitute" (Feinstein Amendment). In a letter to lawmakers, Rocha said that "adoption of such a single-victim amendment would be a painful blow to those, like me, who are left alive after a two-victim crime, because Congress would be saying that Conner and other innocent unborn victims like him are not really victims -- indeed, that they never really existed at all. But our grandson did live. He had a name, he was loved, and his life was violently taken from him before he ever saw the sun."
• For additional information and documents on unborn victims of violence, see "Key Facts on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act" in the January 2004 edition of National Right to Life News, and also posted at the NRLC website at: www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/keypointsuvva.html.

  NRLC Spokespersons Challenge Pro-Abortion Groups
  on Unborn Victims of Violence

  NRLC spokespersons are available for interviews on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, or for broadcast debates with representatives of organizations that are lobbying in support of the single-victim position.

  One such exchange, between NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson and Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Gloria Feldt, occurred on the program "Which Way, L.A.?" on NPR affiliate KCRW-FM in Los Angeles on May 29, 2003. Pressed by host Warren Olney, Feldt finally acknowledged that she believed that "the victim" (i.e., the only victim) in the Peterson murder case was Laci Peterson -- not her unborn son Conner. You can listen to audio file of the exchange on the NRLC website (requires free RealPlayer software) at www.nrlc.org.

  VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

This is a congressional alert from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) in Washington, issued Thursday, July 10, 2003, at 1 p.m. EDT.

On Tuesday, July 15, or Wednesday, July 16, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on an important pro-life amendment. All pro-life groups and citizens should contact their U.S. House members to urge them to support the Smith-Oberstar-Hyde Amendment to the State Department authorization bill (H.R. 1950). A close vote is expected.

At issue is an important pro-life law, the Kemp-Kasten Anti-Coercion Law. The Kemp-Kasten law, which has been in effect for 18 years, prohibits U.S. funding of any organization that "supports or participates in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntarily sterilization." Under this law, the Bush Administration has cut off funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) because of its extensive involvement in China's population control program, which relies heavily on coerced abortions.

Rather than pressuring the UNFPA or China to reform their policies, pro-abortion lawmakers are trying to gut the anti-coercion law. A House committee added to the bill the "Crowley Amendment," which would rewrite the current anti-coercion law to allow funding unless an agency is "directly" promoting coercive abortion -- which is defined so narrowly that the UNFPA would be free to support programs that openly and pervasively rely on coercion. The "Crowley Amendment" would also authorize an additional $25 million per year in U.S. funding for the UNFPA (over and above the $25 million per year the agency would already receive if it complied with Kemp-Kasten).

Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Jim Oberstar (D-Mn.), and Henry Hyde (R-Il.) are cosponsoring an amendment RESTORE the original Kemp-Kasten law and to strip out the $25 million per year increase for the UNFPA.

The message is simple: "Vote for the Smith-Oberstar-Hyde Amendment to prevent U.S. funding of agencies that support compulsory abortion programs in China or elsewhere." All House offices can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-225-3121. Email to Representatives can be sent using the following link: www.house.gov/writerep.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

This is a legislative alert from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) in Washington, D.C., issued Thursday, July 10, 2003.

WASHINGTON (July 10, 2003) -- All pro-life resources should immediately be focused on members of the U.S. Senate to insist that they act THIS MONTH on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (S. 1019).

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tn.) has said that he wants to bring the bill up this month -- before a month-long congressional recess. But so far, Democratic leaders have been unwilling to agree to a "unanimous consent agreement," under which opponents of the bill would not be allowed to filibuster or to bog down the bill with amendments that address entirely unrelated issues.

In a letter to a constituent dated June 12, Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (SD) avoided saying whether he will support the bill, but wrote, "I agree with the Republican Leader that Congress should consider this issue expeditiously." Yet, behind the scenes, Daschle and other key Democrats have been unwilling to agree to allow the bill to come up in an orderly fashion.

All NRLC affiliates and other pro-life groups and citizens should promptly call their senators' offices and urge IMMEDIATE approval of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, or "Laci and Conner's Law" (S. 1019). All senators' offices can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.

The bill is sometimes referred to as "Laci and Conner's Law" in recognition of the much-publicized murders of Laci Peterson and her unborn son Conner. Sharon Rocha -- the mother of Laci and grandmother of Conner -- has written letters to a number of key senators, including Daschle, urging them to enact the bill promptly, and condemning the "single-victim" substitute proposal that is being promoted by some pro-abortion lawmakers and groups.

In a letter to key sponsors of the bill, dated June 16, Rocha also urged the sponsors to ignore those who have criticized linking the bill to the Peterson murder case. "[W]e believe that our case does provide a powerful illustration of why this type of law is absolutely necessary, and we urge you to continue to point [to] that connection," she said. (The letter to sponsors is posted at: www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/sharonrochalettertokeysponsors.html.)

On July 8, the House Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee conducted a public hearing on unborn victims of violence. The subcommittee heard testimony from Tracy Marciniak, a surviving mother whose personal experience was featured in the June 9 Newsweek cover story, "Should a Fetus Have Rights?" The testimony of Tracy Marciniak is posted here: www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/MarciniakTestimony.htm.

The debate over unborn victims of violence is distilled in a powerful photograph of Marciniak and her son Zachariah, which is reproduced in a recently issued NRLC ad posted here (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader): www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/UVVA%20-%20Dont%20tell%20me.pdf.

In her testimony, Marciniak said that lawmakers who vote for the "single-victim" substitute amendment "would be saying to all of the future mothers, fathers, and grandparents, who lose their unborn children in future federal crimes, 'You didn't really lose a baby.' Please don't tell us that. Please don't tell me that my son was not a real murder victim."

Likewise, in a July 7 letter to Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) -- who has expressed support for the "single-victim" approach -- Sharon Rocha wrote that "adoption of such a single-victim proposal would be a painful blow to those, like me, who are left to grieve after a two-victim crime, because Congress would be saying that Conner and other innocent victims like him are not really victims -- indeed, that they never really existed at all. But our grandson did live. He had a name, he was loved, and his life was violently taken from him before he ever saw the sun."

The issue boils down to this: When a criminal attacks a pregnant woman, injuring or killing her, and also injuring or killing her unborn child -- has he claimed one victim, or two? According to a Newsweek poll released on June 1, 84% of the public believe that the killing of the unborn child should be recognized as a homicide (56% throughout development, another 28% after "viability"), while only 9 percent disagreed. But how will the U.S. Senate answer that question -- and when?

NRLC affiliates and other pro-life groups should do everything possible to engender public discussion of unborn victims of violence during the days just ahead, in order to increase pressure on the Senate to act promptly. For example, radio talk shows should be encouraged to schedule interviews or debates on the subject. NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson and other NRLC spokespersons are available for interviews, radio debates, and other media inquiries on the unborn victims issue. Inquiries should be directed by phone to 202-626-8820 or by e-mail to Legfederal@aol.com.

For additional information and documents on unborn victims of violence, visit the NRLC website section on the issue at: www.nrlc.org/Unborn_victims/index.html.

HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR VIRGINIA SENATORS

Senator George Allen is a co-sponsor of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. Please thank him for his support. Please urge Senator John Warner to support it.

• PHONE CALLS: Senator Allen can be reached at 202-224-4024; Senator Warner can be reached at 202-224-2023. Other senators can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Once connected, explain that you are a constituent, politely convey your position, and ask for a written response explaining the senator's position.
  
  
• FAXES can be sent to Virginia Senator Allen at 202-224-5432, and Senator Warner at 202-224-2023.
  
  
• E-MAIL can be sent to Virginia Senators using these hot links for Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. E-mail addresses for other senators are available from the Senate website at www.senate.gov. Be sure to include your regular mailing address in the text of your e-mails, so that the senators know that the message comes from constituents.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

This is an urgent congressional alert from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) in Washington, D.C., on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (S. 1019, H.R. 1997), issued Monday, May 12, 2003.

WASHINGTON (May 12, 2003) -- The terrible murder of Laci Peterson and her unborn son Conner in California have drawn public attention to a degree beyond any previous unborn victim case. As permitted by California law, local authorities have brought two homicide charges in the case -- which 84% agreed with in a nationwide poll of registered voters (only 7% said a single homicide charge was appropriate).

Yet, if this crime had occurred in any of 24 other states, only a single homicide charge would have been permitted.

Moreover, unborn children currently DO NOT EXIST in the eyes of federal or military criminal law. Thus, if Laci Peterson had been a uniformed member of the U.S. armed forces, murdered on a military base, only a single charge would have been possible. Under current federal law, if criminal who commits a violent federal crime (for example, interstate stalking and assault, or a terrorist bombing) that wounds a pregnant woman and kills her unborn child, he is not charged with any loss of human life.

There is one reason that such injustices continue: Pro-abortion groups such as NARAL have blocked unborn victims laws in many states, and they have blocked the federal Unborn Victims of Violence Act since 1999 in the U.S. Senate. (The House passed the bill in 1999 and in 2001, and would readily pass it again.) This bill would allow an appropriate criminal charge to be brought for the harm done to any unborn child during the commission of a violent federal crime.

Now, the U.S. Senate must act.

On May 5, Sharon Rocha, the mother of Laci Peterson and grandmother of Conner Peterson, and five other members of the immediate family, sent a letter to the prime sponsors of the bill, asking Congress to pass it as a "tribute to Laci and Conner . . .in their memory." (See their letter at www.nrlc.org.)

Here's how you can help pass this bill now:

• Please do whatever you can to generate calls, faxes, and e-mails to ALL U.S. senators, urging them to support immediate action to pass the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.
  (VSHL Note: See below for how to contact Virginia Senators.)
• Not only pro-life senators, but also senators who support legal abortion, should be urged to support this bill, because: (1) The bill specifically does not affect legal abortion, but only violent federal crimes that injure or kill unborn children; (2) 26 states already have unborn victims laws and they have had no effect on legal abortion; and (3) many state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have ruled that such laws do not conflict with the Supreme Court decisions requiring legal abortion.
• All senators should be urged to OPPOSE an alternative proposal ("substitute amendment") that will be proposed by opponents of the bill. This hostile amendment would provide an increased ("enhanced") penalty for a federal crime if it interferes with a "pregnancy" -- but without recognizing the unborn child as a legal victim, or allowing any kind of homicide charge on behalf of a murdered unborn child. In their letter to Congress, the family of Laci and Conner wrote: "We have not only lost our future with our daughter and sister, but with our grandson and nephew as well." If senators vote for the "one victim" amendment, they will be saying in effect, "There was no grandson, no nephew, no second body on the beach in California -- because these types of crimes really have only one victim -- the pregnant woman. If she survives the assault, then nobody has really died."
• Send a short letter to the editor of your local newspaper, making the same points. NOTE: It is best to avoid the legalistic term "fetal homicide." The preferred terms are "unborn victims of violence" and "unborn victims laws." The formal name of the bill in Congress is "The Unborn Victims of Violence Act," but at the request of the family of Laci and Conner, it is also now referred to as "Laci and Conner's Law."
• Call the hosts or producers of local talk-radio shows and urge them to schedule interviews or debates on the unborn victims issue. NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson and other NRLC spokespersons are available for interviews or debates on this issue. They should call 202-626-8820 or send e-mail to Legfederal@aol.com.
• Please send any response received from a member of Congress on this issue, or any press report on the position of a member of Congress, to the Federal Legislation Department at NRLC at e-mail address Legfederal@aol.com (preferred), OR by fax to 202-347-3668, or by mail to 512-10th Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20004.

HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR VIRGINIA SENATORS

Senator George Allen is a co-sponsor of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. Please thank him for his support. Please urge Senator John Warner to support it.

• PHONE CALLS: Senator Allen can be reached at 202-224-4024; Senator Warner can be reached at 202-224-2023. Other senators can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Once connected, explain that you are a constituent, politely convey your position, and ask for a written response explaining the senator's position.
  
  
• FAXES can be sent to Virginia Senator Allen at 202-224-5432, and Senator Warner at 202-224-2023.
  
  
• E-MAIL can be sent to Virginia Senators using these hot links for Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. E-mail addresses for other senators are available from the Senate website at www.senate.gov. Be sure to include your regular mailing address in the text of your e-mails, so that the senators know that the message comes from constituents.

Click here to view the NRLC letter to Senators on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.

For much more information on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, see the NRLC website section on unborn victims at www.nrlc.org/Unborn_Victims/index.html.

To view or download the latest NRLC ad on the issue, click on the link below (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader):
www.nrlc.org/Unborn_Victims/UVVA%20-%20Dont%20tell%20me.pdf.

To read the letter from the family of Laci and Conner Peterson, urging Congress to enact the bill in order to deter future such crimes and to bring justice when they do occur, click here: www.nrlc.org/Unborn_Victims/laciandconner.html.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

This is a congressional alert from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) in Washington, D.C., issued Thursday, March 6, 2003.

WASHINGTON (March 6, 2003) -- In response to President Bush's appeal to ban an "abhorrent procedure that offends human dignity," the U.S. Senate is slated to begin debate on the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act the week of March 10.

The legislation (S. 3), sponsored by Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), would ban an abortion method in which a living baby is mostly delivered alive before being killed. The bill has been a major pro-life priority since 1995. It was twice vetoed by President Clinton.

A January Gallup poll found that 70% of the public favors the ban. Nevertheless, the bill still faces fierce resistance from lawmakers closely allied with the abortion lobby. It is not yet known whether pro-abortion senators will attempt to impede the bill with a filibuster. Close votes are expected on crippling amendments, including an alternative measure that pro-life groups refer to as "the phony ban."

For details on the current congressional situation, recently reported statistics on partial-birth abortion, and other up-to-date information, see the memo "Recent Developments on Partial-Birth Abortion," posted on the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org. Also viewable on the website is a series of graphic illustrations of the partial-birth abortion method, recently made available to NRLC.

ACTION REQUESTED

HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR VIRGINIA SENATORS

• PHONE CALLS: Senator Allen can be reached at 202-224-4024; Senator Warner can be reached at 202-224-2023. Other senators can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Once connected, explain that you are a constituent, politely convey your position, and ask for a written response explaining the senator's position.
  
  
• FAXES can be sent to Virginia Senator Allen at 202-224-5432, and Senator Warner at 202-224-2023.
  
  
• E-MAIL can be sent to Virginia Senators using these hot links for Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. E-mail addresses for other senators are available from the Senate website at www.senate.gov. Be sure to include your regular mailing address in the text of your e-mails, so that the senators know that the message comes from constituents.

IMPORTANT REQUEST

If you obtain information on any senator's position (including information reported in the press), please forward it to NRLC by e-mail to Legfederal@aol.com (preferred), or by fax to (202) 347-3668, or by regular mail to NRLC, Federal Legislation, 512-10th Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20004-1401

This can be of great assistance to NRLC's lobbying effort to ban all human cloning. Please, do not assume NRLC already has the information! Often, lawmakers first reveal their leanings in interviews with their home-state news media, or in letters to their own constituents. By promptly forwarding such information to NRLC, you can provide invaluable assistance to NRLC's lobbying efforts.

A short factsheet, "Key Facts on Partial-Birth Abortion," is posted here: www.nrlc.org/abortion/pba/keyfactsPBA.htm.

The most extensive archive of documentation on partial-birth abortion available on the internet, including links to groundbreaking investigations of the subject by journalists, is here: www.nrlc.org/abortion/pba/index.html. Among the documents posted is NRLC's in-depth testimony presented to Congress, with citations to primary sources: www.nrlc.org/abortion/pba/test.html.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

This is a congressional alert from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), issued February 5, 2003.

WASHINGTON (Feb. 5, 2003) – In his State of the Union message, President Bush urged Congress to send him the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act so that he can sign it into law. The legislation will be reintroduced soon in both houses. The House of Representatives is expected to pass the bill by a wide margin. But it faces stiff resistance in the Senate, where close votes are expected on crippling amendments. Pro-abortion senators might also filibuster the bill, which would force the pro-life side to muster 60 votes to "invoke cloture."

Senators -- including those who often vote pro-abortion -- must hear immediately from many constituents, demanding approval of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act without weakening amendments.

HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR VIRGINIA SENATORS

• PHONE CALLS: Senator Allen can be reached at 202-224-4024; Senator Warner can be reached at 202-224-2023. Other senators can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Once connected, explain that you are a constituent, politely convey your position, and ask for a written response explaining the senator's position.
  
  
• E-MAIL can be sent to Virginia Senators using these hot links for Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. E-mail addresses for other senators are available from the Senate website at www.senate.gov. Be sure to include your regular mailing address in the text of your e-mails, so that the senators know that the message comes from constituents.
  
  
• FAXES can be sent to Virginia Senator Allen at 202-224-5432, and Senator Warner at 202-224-2023.

Your message to senators should be along these lines:

President Bush has called on the Senate to pass the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, sponsored by Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.). Please support this bill. I am strongly opposed to the brutal partial-birth abortion procedure. According to a January Gallup poll, 70 percent of Americans believe that partial-birth abortion should be banned. I urge you not to support any procedural obstruction of this legislation, and to oppose all weakening amendments. I am especially opposed to the "phony ban" substitute amendment that has been offered in the past by Senator Dick Durbin (D-Il.) and others. The Durbin Amendment would allow partial-birth abortions without restriction before a baby has provably reached the point of "viability," and even after "viability" based on abortionists' assertions that the mother is at any degree of "risk" of health problems. This amendment is a complete sham, which would allow abortionists to perform partial-birth abortions even on babies who could easily survive independently of their mothers.

Please also take these steps:

• Urge your fellow citizens to communicate with the senators, too. Utilize newsletters, church bulletins, call-in radio shows, and other means to alert pro-life citizens to this crucial fight.
• Write letters or op-ed essays for local newspapers, highlighting the critical votes that senators will soon cast.
• If you obtain information on any senator's position (including information reported in the press), please forward it to NRLC by e-mail to Legfederal@aol.com (preferred), or by fax to (202) 347-3668, or by regular mail to NRLC, Federal Legislation, 512-10th Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20004-1401.

RESOURCES

A good primer on the issue is the testimony NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson presented to a joint hearing of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and the U.S. House Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee in March, 1997, which contains footnoted citations to some of the more thorough journalistic examinations of the issue (including interviews with partial-birth abortionists) and to various primary documents. The testimony is posted here: www.nrlc.org/abortion/pba/test.html.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

This is a congressional alert from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), issued February 5, 2003.

WASHINGTON (Feb. 5, 2003) – President Bush called on Congress to ban all human cloning during his January 28 State of the Union address. The legislation supported by President Bush and by National Right to Life is the Brownback-Landrieu bill in the Senate (S. 245) and the Weldon-Stupak bill in the House (initial number H.R. 234). These bills would prohibit the cloning of human embryos – thereby preventing what President Bush has previously called human "embryo farms" from beginning operations in the United States.

This legislation is strongly opposed by elements of the biotechnology industry, some patients' advocacy groups, and some scientists. Many of these opponents have endorsed competing legislation (S. 303) sponsored in the Senate by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.), and others, that is misleadingly labeled as a "ban on cloning" but that actually would allow the cloning of human embryos to be killed in research. NRLC is strongly opposed to this "clone and kill" legislation.

The House of Representatives passed the true cloning ban in 2001, and is expected to do so again. But so far, neither the true cloning ban (Brownback-Landrieu) nor the phony ban have garnered the level of support needed to pass the Senate.

To help pass the Brownback-Landrieu bill and defeat the phony ban, it is essential that all senators (pro-life or pro-abortion) hear from large numbes of citizens who are opposed to human cloning and human embryo farms.

HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR VIRGINIA SENATORS

• PHONE CALLS: Senator Allen can be reached at 202-224-4024; Senator Warner can be reached at 202-224-2023. Other senators can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Once connected, explain that you are a constituent, politely convey your position, and ask for a written response explaining the senator's position.
  
  
• E-MAIL can be sent to Virginia Senators using these hot links for Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. E-mail addresses for other senators are available from the Senate website at www.senate.gov. Be sure to include your regular mailing address in the text of your e-mails, so that the senators know that the message comes from constituents.
  
  
• FAXES can be sent to Virginia Senator Allen at 202-224-5432, and Senator Warner at 202-224-2023.

Your message to senators should be along these lines:

• Urge them to support the only real ban on human cloning, the Brownback-Landrieu bill (S. 245).
• Tell them you are strongly opposed to the clone-and-kill legislation being proposed by Senators Hatch, Feinstein, Specter, and others, that would permit human embryos to be cloned and require that they be killed by two weeks of age.
• Tell them that so-called "therapeutic cloning" creates human embryos, and that you are opposed to creating human embryos for the purpose of killing them. Tell them that a vote for the Hatch-Feinstein proposal is a vote to permit what President Bush has called human embryo farms, and that you are strongly opposed to this.
• Tell them that you are also opposed to giving the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies the unethical task of making sure that human embryos are killed.

IMPORTANT REQUEST

Please do not assume that NRLC already has the information! Often, senators first reveal their leanings in interviews with their home-state news media, or in letters to their own constituents. By promptly forwarding such information to NRLC, you can provide invaluable assistance to NRLC's lobbying efforts.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

WASHINGTON (Feb. 1, 2003) -- NARAL and other pro-abortion groups are urging senators to filibuster to block confirmation of Miguel Estrada, President Bush's nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. This court is generally considered to be second in importance only to the Supreme Court.

Miguel Estrada was nominated by President Bush nearly two years ago. The American Bar Association's review committee unanimously rated Estrada as "well qualified," but the Senate Democratic leadership blocked his confirmation until they lost their majority.

On January 30, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination on a 10-9 party-line vote. The full Senate will take up the nomination on Tuesday, February 4. Because a majority of senators would vote to confirm Estrada, pro-abortion groups are pushing for a filibuster to block confirmation.

In a January 31 e-mail alert, NARAL said that Estrada "has pointedly refused to answer the Senate's questions on his view of Roe v. Wade."

The pro-abortion group Feminist Majority said in a January 31 alert, "This is the first test of the filibuster strategy -- if we can block this vote, we will be sending a strong message to President Bush, telling him that we won’t stand by while he stacks the courts with right-wing, reactionary judges. Estrada has not demonstrated commitment to women’s rights or civil rights and has refused to answer questions about his commitment to abortion rights or basic civil rights."

If a filibuster does develop, which now seems likely, it will require 60 votes (out of 100 senators) to "invoke cloture" and end the filibuster. Such a vote could occur as early as Thursday, February 6, or at any time thereafter -- perhaps repeatedly.

There are currently 51 Senate Republicans. If all 51 Republicans vote for cloture, pro-cloture votes from nine Democrats will still be required. Therefore, Democratic senators especially -- regardless of their positions on abortion -- should be targeted for phone calls, e-mails, and faxes with messages expressing clear opposition to any filibuster against Miguel Estrada.

Here are the action items:

• Use the zip code finder or state map at the Legislative Action Center (www.nrlc.org) to call up information on your two U.S. senators, then send the recommended e-mail message or a similar message to each of them.
• The profile of a senator on the Legislative Action Center often includes a published fax number (use the tab for "Elected Officials," then the button for "Info" on a specific senator, and then read the "Contact Information"). Where this is available, fax the senator a letter with a message along the lines suggested below.
• Call the nearest in-state office of each senator and register your opinion in support of Miguel Estrada. Phone numbers for a senator's in-state offices are usually listed in a senator's profile information at the NRLC Legislative Action Center (again, use the tab for "Elected Officials," then the button for "Info"), or may be obtained from local information.
• It is also good to call the senators' Washington, D.C., offices. All senators' offices can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, but during big fights the switchboard is sometimes jammed, so it is better to obtain the direct number for each senator's office from the NRLC Legislative Action Center profiles or another source.
• Please e-mail responses received from any senator (especially any Democrat) to Legfederal@aol.com, or fax them to 202-347-3668.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton Supreme Court decisions that legalized abortion through the entire nine months of pregnancy. These decisions were handed down on January 22, 1973 and every year since, there has been a March for Life in Washington, DC to peacefully protest the decisions and demand their reversal. Pro-lifers come from across the country and use the opportunity not only to march, but to call on and lobby their Senators and Representatives in Congress as well.

Virginians are always prominent among the marchers, in part because we live so close to the Nation's Capitol. For this 30th anniversary March, we would hope for an especially large turnout to demonstrate that 30 years is far too long to put up with legalized killing of innocent unborn children.

Many VSHL Chapters are involved in running buses to the March in Washington. In some cases, there is a charge for the bus. Following is a list of who to contact for information on cost, times, pick-up points and reservations. More will be added as plans become firm.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

Please contact your Delegate and State Senator and urge them to support pro-life legislation, and to oppose pro-abortion legislation, in the Virginia General Assembly.

A listing of pro-life legislation and the current status can be found here: General Assembly Bill Status.

When to contact

After a bill has been passed in the House, it goes to the Senate which will then consider the House bill (HB). Similarly, after Senate passage, a Senate bill (SB) is considered in the House of Delegates. To become law, the identical wording must be passed in both the House and the Senate, and be signed by the Governor (or if vetoed, the veto must be subsequently overrided by both bodies.)

How to contact

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

Please contact via phone, e-mail or letter your delegates and senators of the Virginia General Assembly before April 1 with the following message:

HB1541 and SB1205 Partial Birth Infanticide Ban have been amended by Governor Mark Warner. Please contact your delegates and senators and ask them to reject ALL amendments and when the bills are returned to the Governor and (if) vetoed, please vote to override the vetoes. There is never a medical necessity for a health of the mother exception for a partial birth abortion.

HB1402 and SB1124 Parental Consent for Abortion have also been amended by Governor Warner to include striking the notarization of the authorized person. Please ask the delegates and senators to reject ALL amendments and when the bills are returned to the Governor and (if) vetoed, please ask them to vote to override the vetoes. Notary Publics do not read contents of what they are notarizing; they just verify that the person signing is that person, in this instance an "authorized" person.

HB 1406 Choose Life License Plates has been vetoed by Governor Warner. Please ask your delegates and senators to override the veto.

(For details on these bills and the votes taken on them, see Status of Bills Relating to Pro-Life Issues.)

How to contact Governor Warner

• Email: Fill out and submit the Governor's electronic correspondence form.
• Mail: Send a letter to The Honorable Mark Warner, Governor of Virginia, State Capitol, Richmond, VA 23219.
• Fax: Fax a letter to (804) 371-6351.
• Telephone the Governor's office at: (804) 786-2211.

How to contact General Assembly members

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

Please contact Governor Warner and urge him to sign the pro-life legislation passed by the General Assembly. Pro-life bills include those banning partial-birth infanticide, requiring parental consent prior to a minor's abortion, providing "safe haven" for babies after birth, authorizing "Choose Life" license plates, and providing positive information regarding adoption prior to abortion. (For details on these bills and the votes taken on them, see Status of Bills Relating to Pro-Life Issues.)

In the event the Governor should decide to veto, or substantially modify, any of these pro-life bills, Please contact your Delegate and State Senator and urge them to support overriding the Governor's action.

When to contact

How to contact Governor Warner

• Email: Fill out and submit the Governor's electronic correspondence form.
• Mail: Send a letter to The Honorable Mark Warner, Governor of Virginia, State Capitol, Richmond, VA 23219.
• Fax: Fax a letter to (804) 371-6351.
• Telephone the Governor's office at: (804) 786-2211.

How to contact General Assembly members

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

ANDA

CONSCIENCE PROTECTIONS FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS

This is a congressional alert from the National Right to Life Committee in Washington, D.C., issued September 16, 2002. Immediate action is required, because the U.S. House probably will vote on the pro-life legislation described below on September 25 or 26.

On or about September 25 or September 26, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to consider a critical bill to protect the right of hospitals, doctors, nurses, insurers, and other "health care entities" from being coerced into participation in abortion. The Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (ANDA), H.R. 4691, sponsored by Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-Fl.) is necessary to clarify and strengthen a law enacted in 1996 (the Coats-Snowe law, 42 U.S.C. 238n) to protect the conscience rights of those who choose not to cover, pay for, or otherwise participate in the killing of innocent, unborn children.

Since Congress' enactment of the 1996 law, pro-abortion groups have been actively engaged in a concerted campaign to coerce hospitals and other health care providers, both religiously affiliated and secular, to provide, facilitate, or pay for abortions. Although the 1996 law was passed to prevent any "health care entity" from being forced to perform, train, or refer for abortion, it has been attacked by pro-abortion activist groups and narrowly construed by the courts.

Stronger conscience protection is urgently needed. For example,the Alaska Supreme Court has demanded that a private, non-sectarian hospital perform elective late second-trimester abortions, despite the hospital's policy against performing elective abortions. At the behest of abortion rights groups, the New Hampshire attorney general derailed a hospital merger when it became clear that the hospital would no longer perform elective abortions. Pressured by a pro-abortion group, the Connecticut state government refused a certificate of need to a proposed outpatient surgery center because it declined to perform abortions.

Before the House of Representatives can debate and vote on the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act, Members must first pass the "rule" for the bill. (The "rule" determines which amendments may be considered by the House.) A "closed rule" is desirable because it would protect the bill from deceptively worded amendments intended to nullify its effect.

After the House passes the "rule" for ANDA, pro-abortion lawmakers will offer a "motion to recommit," which will be some sort of amendment to gut the bill. A vote to support the "motion to recommit" would be a vote to deny conscience protection for health care workers.

Pro-life citizens should urge House members to vote to protect the bill by (1) voting for the "rule", and (2) voting to defeat the hostile "motion to recommit." A short way to say it: "Please support the bill on all procedural votes, and on final passage."

Action Required

Grassroots pro-life citizens can use the "Legislative Action Center" at the NRLC website (www.nrlc.org) to send an e-mail to any U.S. Representative, urging him or her to support the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act on procedural votes and on final passage. Please include a mailing address and make it clear that you are a constituent.

For Further Information

See also the NRLC letter to House members.

Virginia representatives who are co-sponsoring this bill are Jo Ann Davis (R-1), Ed Schrock (R-2), Randy Forbes (R-4), Virgil Goode (R-5), Eric Cantor (R-7), and Tom Davis (R-11). Please thank them for their sponsorship of this bill. Ask the other Virginia representatives to be sure to support the bill.

To see a list of other cosponsors of ANDA and to follow the progress of the bill, go to the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org within the "Legislative Action Center," under "Issues and Legislation" (www.capwiz.com/nrlc/issues/bills/?bill=208506).

If you obtain feedback from any congressional office on a House member's position on ANDA, please forward it to the NRLC Federal Legislative Department at e-mail: Legfederal@aol.com, fax (202) 347-3668, or phone (202) 626-8820.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

This is a congressional alert from the National Right to Life Committee in Washington, D.C., issued July 23, 2002.

Before August 1, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote to recommend whether the U.S. should ratify a treaty called the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) ("SEE-daw").. The National Right to LIfe Committee (NRLC) strongly opposes ratification of CEDAW because it has been construed by U.N. agencies, by the European Parliament, and by pro-abortion activists in the United States to be inconsistent with any limitations on abortion. Please go to the "Legislative Action Center" at the NRLC website and send an e-mail to each of your U.S. senators, urging them to oppose the CEDAW. In addition, if your senator is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, please telephone him or her immediately. Make it clear that you are a constituent, urge the senator to "Oppose the CEDAW treaty," and ask for a written response explaining the senator's position. For more information on the pro-abortion effects of CEDAW, see the NRLC letter to the Senate.

REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE MEMBERS

DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE MEMBERS

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

HATCH, FEINSTEIN, SPECTER, HARKIN, DASCHLE SPONSORED CLONE-AND-KILL BILL

This is a Congressional Action Alert from the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC). For further information, see the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org.

WASHINGTON (July 11, 2002) -- Senators who support human cloning claim to be within two votes of being able to pass a bill that would give the green light to the establishment of human embryo farms in the United States.

NRLC is strongly opposed to this "clone and kill" legislation, which is being pushed by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.), Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Tom Daschle (D-SD), and others.

Senators who support this bill, and much of the news media, are misleadingly describing it as a ban on "cloning human beings." In fact, this bill would permit the mass cloning of human embryos for medical research -- and then require federal law enforcement agencies to ensure that every human embryo is killed before reaching the age of 15 days.

Under Senate rules, if 60 senators vote to "invoke cloture" on a bill, it usually will pass quickly and without major amendments. Majority Leader Daschle has said he would bring the bill up as soon as supporters believe they have the 60 votes necessary to prevent Brownback or other anti-cloning senators from blocking it by filibuster.

On June 14, Senator Feinstein said, "We are very close today to that 60 vote necessity to move ahead with it." In late June, it was reported that the pro-cloning forces were privately claiming to have 58 senators pledged to support their bill.

In order to prevent the Senate from approving the clone-and-kill legislation, please communicate with your two U.S. senators. Here are the main points:

• Tell them you are strongly opposed to the clone-and-kill legislation being proposed by Senators Feinstein, Hatch, Specter, and others, that would permit human embryos to be cloned and require that they be killed by age 14 days.
• Tell them that so-called "therapeutic cloning" creates human embryos, and that you are opposed to creating human embryos for the purpose of killing them. Tell them that a vote for the Feinstein-Hatch-Specter proposal is a vote to permit human embryo farms, and that you are strongly opposed to this.
• Tell them that you are also opposed to giving the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies the unethical task of making sure that human embryos are killed.

Other Steps to Take

• Please urge your fellow citizens to communicate with the senators. Utilize newsletters, church bulletins, call-in radio shows, and other means to alert pro-life citizens to this crucial fight. Also, write letters or op-ed essays for local newspapers, highlighting the critical votes that senators may soon cast on the issue of human embryo farms.
• Visit the Legislative Action Center at the NRLC website (www.nrlc.org) frequently for updates on this crucial congressional battle. Any pro-life citizen can visit the NRLC website, type in a home zip code, learn who represents him or her in Congress, and send them e-mails on the spot (or obtain information for regular mail, faxes, or phone calls).

HOW TO CONTACT VIRGINIA SENATORS

• Regular U.S. mail to Capitol Hill is often delayed for security reasons. We encourage you to use e-mail, faxes, and phone calls.
  
  
• PHONE CALLS to Virginia Senators: Senator Allen can be reached at 202-224-4024; Senator Warner can be reached at 202-224-2023. Other senators can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Once connected, explain that you are a constituent, politely convey your position, and ask for a written response explaining the senator's position.
  
  
• E-MAIL can be sent to Virginia Senators using these hot links for Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. E-mail addresses for other senators are available from the Senate website at www.senate.gov. Be sure to include your regular mailing address in the text of your e-mails, so that the senators know that the message comes from constituents.
  
  
• FAXES can be sent to Virginia Senator Allen at 202-224-5432, and Senator Warner at 202-224-2023.

  Important Request

  If you obtain information on any senator's position (including information reported in the press), please forward it to NRLC by e-mail to Legfederal@aol.com (preferred), or by fax to (202) 347-3668, or by regular mail to NRLC, Federal Legislation, 512-10th Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20004-1401.

  Please do not assume that NRLC already has the information! Often, senators first reveal their leanings in interviews with their home-state news media, or in letters to their own constituents. By promptly forwarding such information to NRLC, you can provide invaluable assistance to NRLC's lobbying efforts.

  VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

This is an urgent congressional alert from the National Right to Life Committee in Washington, D.C., released on April 16, 2002.

WASHINGTON (April 16, 2002) -- One of the most important pro-life votes ever conducted in the U.S. Senate will occur before May 24. The Senate will vote on whether to ban the cloning of human embryos.

For a detailed report on recent developments, see "In Historic Speech, President Bush Urges U.S. Senate to Ban Human Embryo Cloning," which is posted on the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org.

And, urge your fellow citizens to do the same. Time is short.

ACTION REQUIRED

Because of heightened security on Capitol Hill, regular mail is being delayed for long periods, and SHOULD NOT BE relied on at this time.

Information on how to send e-mails to a specific senator, and in some cases fax numbers, may be obtained at the website www.senate.gov. (Always be sure to include your regular return mailing address in e-mails, so that the senator's staff can see that you are a constituent.) This website will lead you to the home pages of your own senator's, where contact information is available.

Please utilize newsletters, church bulletins, call-in radio shows, and other means to alert other pro-life citizens to this crucial fight. Also, write short letters to the letters columns of local newspapers, highlighting the critical votes that senators will soon cast.

HERE ARE THE KEY MESSAGE POINTS

• Urge the senators to vote for the bill (S. 1899) backed by President Bush and sponsored by Senators Sam Brownback (R-Ks.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) [pronounced "land-rew"]. THIS IS THE ONLY BILL THAT REALLY BANS ALL FORMS OF HUMAN CLONING. A current list of cosponsors of the bill appears below.
  
  
• Don't be deceived by senators who say that they oppose "the cloning of human beings," but support some bill other than Brownback-Landrieu! The Brownback-Landrieu bill is the ONLY bill that bans the cloning of human embryos. Urge the senators to oppose the counterproposals, such as those sponsored by Senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) (S. 1893) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.) and Ted Kennedy (D-Ma.) (S. 1758), or any new proposal that would permit the cloning of human embryos and the establishment of human embryo farms. These bills are falsely labeled as bans on "human cloning," but in reality they allow human embryos to be created by cloning, while making it a crime to allow any such human embryo to live by implanting him or her in a womb. These "clone and kill" sham bills must be defeated before the Senate can pass a true ban on human cloning.
  
  
• If you obtain information on any senator's position (including information reported in the press), please forward it to NRLC by e-mail to Legfederal@aol.com (preferred), or by fax to (202) 347-3668, or by regular mail to NRLC, Federal Legislation, 512-10th Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20004-1401.

HOW TO CONTACT VIRGINIA SENATORS

• PHONE CALLS to Virginia Senators: Senator Allen can be reached at 202-224-4024; Senator Warner can be reached at 202-224-2023. Other senators can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Once connected, explain that you are a constituent, politely convey your position, and ask for a written response explaining the senator's position.
  
  
• E-MAIL can be sent to Virginia Senators using these hot links for Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. E-mail addresses for other senators are available from the Senate website at www.senate.gov. Be sure to include your regular mailing address in the text of your e-mails, so that the senators know that the message comes from constituents.
  
  
• FAXES can be sent to Virginia Senator Allen at 202-224-5432, and Senator Warner at 202-224-2023.
  
  
• REGULAR MAIL can be sent to Senator ___________, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510. BUT REGULAR MAIL IS CURRENTLY BEING DELAYED BY SECURITY MEASURES AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED ON.
  
  
• PUBLIC EVENTS: Senators often visit their home states to participate in public events. Pro-life citizens should take advantage of any opportunities to speak directly with senators about this urgent issue.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Further information on the human cloning issue is available on the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org under "Federal Legislation: Killing Human Embryos" (www.nrlc.org/Killing_Embryos/Index.html).

A number of excellent factsheets on the human cloning issue have been issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. They are available at the USCCB website at www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/bioethic/factsheets.htm.

In addition, "Americans to Ban Cloning," a coalition of anti-cloning groups, maintains an excellent website that contains much useful information: www.cloninginformation.org.

DON'T ASSUME

* On the other hand, do not assume that every pro-life senator will automatically vote for the Brownback legislation. Some are inclined to follow the claims of the biotech lobby and some research advocacy groups that so-called "therapeutic cloning" is necessary to advance medical science. It is important that these senators understand that a vote in favor of a clone-and-kill bill is a vote in favor of human embryo farms and the establishment of a new industry based on the creation and patenting of members of the species homo sapiens for profit.

SENATE SPONSORS OF THE GOOD AND BAN CLONING BILLS

The following 29 U.S. Senators had sponsored the genuine ban on human cloning (S. 1899), sponsored by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.) (in order of state): Shelby (R-Al.), Sessions (R-Al.), Murkowski (Ak.), Hutchinson (R-Ar.), Kyl (R-Az.), Allard (R-Co.), Grassley (R-Iowa), Bunning (R-Ky.), Craig (R-Id.), Crapo (R-Id.), Fitzgerald (R-Il.), McConnell (R-Ky.), Landrieu (D-La.), Lott (R-Ms.), Bond (R-Mo.), Burns (R-Mt.), Hagel (R-Ne.), Ensign (R-Nv.), Gregg (R-NH), Robert Smith (R-NH), Helms (R-NC), DeWine (R-Ohio), Voinovich (R-Ohio), Nickles (R-Ok.), Inhofe (R-Ok.), Santorum (R-Pa.), Enzi (R-Wy.), and Bennett (R-Utah).

Four senators have sponsored the competing "clone and kill" bill (S. 1893) introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). This bill is misleadingly labeled as a "human cloning prohibition," but in reality it would permit so-called "therapeutic cloning" -- that is, it would allow the cloning of human embryos, but forbid these embryos to be placed in a womb. Harkin's cosponsors are Boxer (D-Ca.), Reid (D-Nv.), and Specter (R-Pa.).

In addition, eight senators have sponsored the similar "clone and kill" bill (S. 1758) introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.). The sponsors are, in addition to Feinstein: Boxer (D-Ca.), Miller (D-Ga.), Durbin (D-Il.), Mikulski (D-Md.), Kennedy (D-Ma.), Corzine (D-NJ), and Clinton (D-NY).

On April 9, 2002, Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) introduced a third bill (S. 2076) that would prohibit only the implantation of cloned human embryos but not their creation (thereby, in effect, establishing a "clone and kill" policy). Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) co-sponsored that bill on April 12.

You can obtain up-to-date lists of the cosponsors and status of these bills (or any other congressional legislation) on the congressional website known as "Thomas," at thomas.loc.gov.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

Background

Action

For phone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses, click here.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

WASHINGTON (March 7, 2002) --

ACTION REQUIRED

In addition, pro-life citizens should phone, fax, and/or e-mail the offices of both U.S. Senators for their states.

Because of heightened security on Capitol Hill, regular mail to Senate offices may be delayed somewhat, so phone calls and electronically transmitted messages may be preferable. Senators' e-mail addresses, and in some cases fax numbers, may be obtained at the website www.senate.gov (see below). (Always be sure to include your regular return mailing address in e-mails, so that the senator's staff can see that you are a constituent.)

Please utilize newsletters, church bulletins, call-in radio shows, and other means to alert other pro-life citizens to this crucial fight. Also, write short letters to the letters columns of local newspapers, highlighting the critical votes that senators will soon cast.

HERE ARE THE KEY MESSAGE POINTS:

• Urge the senators to vote for legislation sponsored by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.) to ban the cloning of human embryos (S. 1899).
  
  
• Urge the senators to oppose the counterproposals, such as those sponsored by Senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) (S. 1893) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.) (S. 1758), that would permit the cloning of human embryos and the establishment of HUMAN EMBRYO FARMS. These bills are falsely labeled as bans on "human cloning," but in reality they are worded in a manner that allows human embryos to be created by cloning, while making it a crime to allow any such human embryo to live by implanting him or her in a womb. These "clone and kill" shams must be defeated before the Senate can pass a true ban on human cloning.
  
  
• If you obtain information on any senator's position (including information reported in the press), please forward it to NRLC by e-mail to Legfederal@aol.com (preferred), or by fax to (202) 347-3668, or by regular mail to NRLC, Federal Legislation, 512-10th Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20004-1401.

HOW TO CONTACT SENATORS

• PHONE CALLS to Virginia Senators: Senator Allen can be reached at 202-224-4024; Senator Warner can be reached at 202-224-2023. Other senators can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Once connected, explain that you are a constituent, politely convey your position, and ask for a written response explaining the senator's position.
  
  
• E-MAIL can be sent to Virginia Senators using these hot links for Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. E-mail addresses for other senators are available from the Senate website at www.senate.gov. Be sure to include your regular mailing address in the text of your e-mails, so that the senators know that the message comes from constituents.
  
  
• FAXES can be sent to Virginia Senator Allen at 202-224-5432, and Senator Warner at 202-224-2023.
  
  
• REGULAR MAIL can be sent to Senator ___________, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510 -- BUT REGULAR MAIL MAY BE DELAYED BY SECURITY MEASURES.
  
  
• PUBLIC EVENTS: Senators often visit their home states to participate in public events. Most senators will be in their home states for at least part of the congressional spring recess, which runs from March 22 until April 9. Pro-life citizens should take advantage of any opportunities to speak directly with senators about this urgent issue.

DON'T ASSUME!

On the other hand, do not assume that every pro-life senator will automatically vote for the Brownback legislation. Some are confused by claims by the bio-tech lobby and some research advocacy groups that so-called "therapeutic cloning" is necessary to advance medical science. It is important that they understand that a vote in favor of the Harkin or Feinstein proposals is a vote in favor of human embryo farms and a "clone and kill" policy.

SENATE SPONSORS OF THE GOOD AND BAN BILLS ON HUMAN CLONING

The following 26 U.S. Senators had sponsored the genuine ban on human cloning (S. 1899), sponsored by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.), S. 1899: Shelby (R-Al.), Sessions (R-Al.), Murkowski (Ak.), Hutchinson (R-Ar.), Kyl (R-Az.), Allard (R-Co.), Grassley (R-Iowa), Bunning (R-Ky.), Craig (R-Id.), Fitzgerald (R-Il.), Landrieu (D-La.), Lott (R-Ms.), Bond (R-Mo.), Burns (R-Mt.), Hagel (R-Ne.), Ensign (R-Nv.), Gregg (R-NH), Robert Smith (R-NH), Helms (R-NC), DeWine (R-Ohio), Voinovich (R-Ohio), Nickles (R-Ok.), Inhofe (R-Ok.), Santorum (R-Pa.), and Bennett (R-Utah).

Four senators have sponsored the competing "clone and kill" bill (S. 1893), introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). This bill is misleadingly labeled as a "human cloning prohibition," but in reality it would permit so-called "therapeutic cloning" -- that is, it would allow the cloning of human embryos, but forbid these embryos to be placed in a womb. Harkin's cosponsors are Boxer (D-Ca.), Reid (D-Nv.), and Specter (R-Pa.).

In addition, eight senators have sponsored the similar "clone and kill" bill (S. 1758) introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.). The sponsors are, in addition to Feinstein: Boxer (D-Ca.), Miller (D-Ga.), Durbin (D-Il.), Mikulski (D-Md.), Kennedy (D-Mass.), Corzine (D-NJ), and Clinton (D-NY).

You can obtain up-to-date lists of the cosponsors and status of these bills (or any other congressional legislation) on the congressional website known as "Thomas," thomas.loc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

A number of excellent factsheets on the human cloning issue have been issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. They are available at the USCCB website at www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/bioethic/factsheets.htm.

In addition, "Americans to Ban Cloning," a recently formed coalition of anti-cloning groups, has launched a website that contains much useful information: www.cloninginformation.org.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

FEBRUARY 11, 2002 --

Following is an update on legislation passed, or expected to be passed soon, by the Virginia House of Delegates and sent to the Virginia Senate for action. Please contact your State Senators to support these bills:

Parental Consent

Feticide

Abortion Conscience Clause

Contracts for Embryonic Stem Cell Extraction

Contacting your State Senator

Date of Alert: February 7, 2002

One of the most important pro-life debates ever will occur in the U.S. Senate in March. The Senate will debate whether to approve legislation to ban the cloning of human embryos.

Please urge ALL U.S. senators to support the crucial legislation (S. 1899, sponsored by Senator Sam Brownback) that would truly ban human cloning, and to oppose "clone and kill" legislation that would permit the establishment of human embryo farms (such as Senator Harkin's S. 1893 and Senator Feinstein's S. 1758).

ACTION REQUIRED

Beginning immediately, pro-life citizens should phone, fax, and/or e-mail the offices of both U.S. Senators for their states.
Because of heightened security on Capitol Hill, regular mail is being delayed for long periods, and SHOULD NOT BE relied on at this time.
Senators' e-mail addresses, and in some cases fax numbers, may be obtained at the website www.senate.gov. (Always be sure to include your regular return mailing address in e-mails, so that the senator's staff can see that you are a constituent.)
Please utilize newsletters, church bulletins, call-in radio shows, and other means to alert other pro-life citizens to this crucial fight. Also, write short letters to the letters columns of local newspapers, highlighting the critical votes that senators will soon cast.

HERE ARE THE KEY MESSAGE POINTS:

• Urge the senators to vote for legislation sponsored by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.) to ban the cloning of human embryos (S. 1899).
• Urge the senators to oppose the counterproposals, sponsored by Senators Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) (S. 1893) and Diane Feinstein (D-Ca.) (S. 1758), that would permit the cloning of human embryos and the establishment of human embryo farms. These bills are falsely labeled as bans on "human cloning," but in reality they are worded in a manner that allows human embryos to be created by cloning, while making it a crime to allow any such human embryo to live by implanting him or her in a womb. These "clone and kill" shams must be defeated before the Senate can pass a true ban on human cloning.
• If you obtain information on any senator's position (including information reported in the press), please forward it to NRLC by e-mail to Legfederal@aol.com (preferred), or by fax to (202) 347-3668, or by regular mail to NRLC, Federal Legislation, 512-10th Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20004-1401.

HOW TO CONTACT SENATORS:

• PHONE CALLS to Virginia Senators: Senator Allen can be reached at 202-224-4024; Senator Warner can be reached at 202-224-2023. Other senators can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Once connected, explain that you are a constituent, politely convey your position against cloning HUMAN EMBRYOS, and ask for a written response explaining the senator's position.
• E-MAIL can be sent to Virginia Senators using these hot links for Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. E-mail addresses for other senators are available from the Senate website at www.senate.gov. Be sure to include your regular mailing address in the text of your e-mails, so that the senators know that the message comes from constituents.
• FAXES can be sent to Virginia Senator Allen at 202-224-5432, and Senator Warner at 202-224-2023.
• PUBLIC EVENTS: Senators often visit their home states to participate in public events. Take advantage of any opportunities to speak directly with senators about this urgent issue.

DON'T ASSUME!

Do not assume that pro-abortion senators are necessarily opposed to the Brownback legislation. The proposed ban on cloning human embryos is receiving strong support from a number of organizations that are not pro-life on issues such as abortion, but which believe that human cloning -- including the cloning of human embryos -- must be banned immediately. One pro-abortion senator, Mary Landrieu (D-La.), has already co-sponsored the Brownback bill.
On the other hand, do not assume that every pro-life senator will automatically vote for the Brownback legislation. Some are confused by claims by the bio-tech lobby and some research advocacy groups that so-called "therapeutic cloning" is necessary to advance medical science. It is important that they understand that a vote in favor of the Harkin or Feinstein proposals is a vote in favor of human embryo farms and a "clone and kill" policy.

LISTS OF SENATE SPONSORS OF THE GOOD AND BAD HUMAN CLONING BILLS

As of February 5, 2002, neither Virginia senator has sponsored a cloning bill. The following 18 U.S. Senators had sponsored the genuine ban on human cloning, sponsored by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.), S. 1899: Shelby (R-Al.), Sessions (R-Al.), Hutchinson (R-Ar.), Kyl (R-Az.), Bunning (R-Ky.), Landrieu (D-La.), Bond (R-Mo.), Hagel (R-Ne.), Helms (R-NC), Gregg (R-NH), Robert Smith (R-NH), Ensign (R-Nv.), DeWine (R-Ohio), Voinovich (R-Ohio), Inhofe (R-Ok.), Santorum (R-Pa.), and Bennett (R-Utah).
Four senators have sponsored the competing "clone and kill" bill introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), S. 1893. Harkin's co-sponsors are Specter (R-Pa.), Boxer (D-Ca.), and Reid (D-Nv.).
In addition, eight senators have sponsored the similar "clone and kill" bill introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.), S. 1758. This bill is misleadingly labeled as a "human cloning prohibition," but in reality it would permit so-called "therapeutic cloning" -- that is, it would allow the cloning of human embryos, but forbid these embryos to be placed in a womb. The sponsors are, in addition to Feinstein: Boxer (D-Ca.), Miller (D-Ga.), Durbin (D-Il.), Kennedy (D-Mass.), Mikulski (D-Md.), Corzine (D-NJ), and Clinton (D-NY).
You can obtain up-to-date lists of the cosponsors and status of these bills (or any other congressional legislation) on the congressional website known as "Thomas," thomas.loc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Further information on the human cloning issue is available in this recent NRLC update. Also, information can be found on the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org under "Federal Legislation: Killing Human Embryos."
A number of excellent factsheets on the human cloning issue have been issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. They are available at the USCCB website at www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/bioethic/clonelet121401.htm.
In addition, "Americans to Ban Cloning," a recently formed coalition of anti-cloning groups, has launched a website that contains much useful information: www.cloninginformation.org.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

Date of Alert: February 7, 2002

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the Shays-Meehan "campaign finance reform" bill on Wednesday, February 13.

The Shays-Meehan bill contains multiple provisions that would seriously restrict the ability of NRLC, NRLC affiliates, and other citizen groups to educate the public about what members of Congress are doing on pro-life issues, including alerting citizens to upcoming votes in Congress.

In addition, the bill would place both groups and members of Congress at legal risk for working together towards shared public policy goals.

NRLC today sent a letter to House members summarizing our objections to the bill. As the letter explains, a vote in favor of the Shays-Meehan bill will be scored negatively in NRLC's annual congressional scorecard.

The most recent House vote on the Shays-Meehan bill (a somewhat different version) was on September 14, 1999. Virginia representatives who voted against Shays-Meehan (and thus supported the NRLC/VSHL position) were Reps. Scott (D-3), Goode (I-5), Goodlatte (R-6) and Tom Davis (R-11). Representatives who voted for Shays-Meehan (and thus opposed the NRLC/VSHL position) were Reps. Moran (D-8), Boucher (D-9) and Wolf (R-10). Representatives Jo Ann Davis (R-1), Ed Schrock (R-2), Randy Forbes (R-4) and Eric Cantor (R-7) were not in office at that time.

The bill is opposed by the Republican leadership of the House. But supporters of the measure were able to force floor action by obtaining the signatures of a majority of House members (218) on a "discharge petition." Virginia lawmakers who signed the discharge petition are Reps. Scott (D-3), Moran (D-8) and Wolf (R-10).

House members will have a chance to vote for an alternative bill, sponsored by Reps. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and Albert Wynn (D-Md.). The Ney-Wynn substitute does not restrict the rights of citizens' groups to communicate with the public. House members should be encouraged to vote for the "Ney-Wynn substitute" (pronounced "nay-win") as an alternative to the Shays-Meehan bill.

It is particularly important for Republican House members -- especially freshman members - to hear from key activists, local party officials, and other constituents in opposition to the Shays-Meehan bill. Pro-life Democrats are another key target group. In any case where a Republican or a pro-life Democrat might be considering a vote in favor of the Shays-Meehan bill, telephone trees and e-mail alert lists should be activated immediately.

On this issue and other issues, contacts with House members must be by fax or e-mail (available at www.house.gov) or by telephone (through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121) - not U.S. mail, which is being greatly delayed by security measures currently in effect on Capitol Hill.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

JANUARY 22, 2002 --

House Bill 601, patroned by Delegate Richard Black, on Parental Consent, will be heard on Monday, January 28th, 30 minutes after the close of the House Session, in House Room C. Please try to attend.

Please contact your delegate and ask for his/her support on HB 601.

To find out who your delegate is, and what your delegate's e-mail address is, click here.

The constituent hotline telephone number at the Virginia General Assembly (during session) is 1.800.889.0229. In Richmond it is 698.1990. This line is available from 8:30 to 5 p.m., Monday thru Friday.

Please contact the VSHL office for further information.

Thank you.

Maggie Disney
VSHL State Office
804.358.8745 voice
804.358.8789 fax
804.358.8783 hot line

WASHINGTON (January 9, 2002) -- One of the most important pro-life debates ever will occur in the U.S. Senate as early as February or March. The Senate will debate whether to approve legislation to ban the cloning of human embryos.

Please urge ALL U.S. senators to support the crucial legislation (sponsored by Senator Sam Brownback) that would truly ban human cloning (H.R. 2505, S. 790), and to oppose "clone and kill" legislation that would permit the establishment of human embryo farms, such as Senator Feinstein's S. 1758.

ACTION REQUIRED

Beginning immediately, pro-life citizens should write and phone the offices of both U.S. Senators for their states.
(E-mail may also be used, but be sure to include a regular mailing address in the e-mail. Senators' e-mail addresses may be obtained at the website www.senate.gov.)
Please utilize newsletters, church bulletins, call-in radio shows, and other means to alert other pro-life citizens to this crucial fight. Also, write short letters to the letters editors of local newspapers, highlighting the critical votes that senators will soon cast.

Here are the key message points:

• Urge the senators to vote for legislation sponsored by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.) to ban the cloning of human embryos (H.R. 2505, S. 790).
• Urge the senators to oppose the counterproposal, sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.) (S. 1758), that would permit the cloning of human embryos and the establishment of human embryo farms. The Feinstein bill is misleadingly described as a "ban on human cloning," but it defines "human cloning" in a manner that allows human embryos to be created by cloning, while making it a crime to allow any such human embryo to live by implanting him or her in a womb. This "clone and kill" sham must be defeated before the Senate can pass a true ban on human cloning.
• If you obtain information on any senator's position (including information reported in the press), please forward it to NRLC by e-mail to Legfederal@aol.com, or by regular mail to NRLC, Federal Legislation, 512-10th Street Northwest, Washington, D.C. 20004-1401.

NOTE: Do not assume that pro-abortion senators are necessarily opposed to the Brownback-Weldon-Stupak legislation. The genuine ban on human cloning bill is receiving strong support from a number of organizations that are not pro-life on issues such as abortion, but which believe that human cloning -- including the cloning of human embryos -- must be banned immediately. These groups include the United Methodist Church, the International Center for Technology Assessment, and Friends of the Earth (a well-known environmental organization). Moreover, the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) has taken no position on the issue of banning human cloning.
On the other hand, do not assume that every pro-life senator will automatically vote for the Brownback-Weldon-Stupak legislation. Some might be confused by claims by the bio-tech lobby that so-called "therapeutic cloning" is necessary to advance medical research. It is important that they understand that a vote in favor of the Feinstein proposal is a vote in favor of human embryo farms and a "clone and kill" policy.

HOW TO CONTACT SENATORS

PHONE CALLS can be directed to the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Ask for your senator's office. Once connected, explain that you are a constituent, politely convey your position, and ask for a written response explaining the senator's position.

REGULAR MAIL can be sent to Senator _____________, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510.

E-MAIL addresses for each senator are available from the Senate website at www.senate.gov. Be sure to include your regular mailing address in the text of your e-mails, so that the senators know that the message comes from their constituents. For E-mail to Virginia senators, click here for Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner

PUBLIC EVENTS: Congress is in recess until January 23, and many senators are participating in public events in their home states. Take advantage of any opportunities to speak directly with senators about this urgent issue.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Some biotechnology corporations are working hard to perfect techniques that would allow them to mass-produce human embryos through the use of cloning. In November, one firm, Advanced Cell Technology of Worchester, Massachusetts, claimed that it had successfully cloned several human embryos, who died almost immediately. The biotech corporations wish to mass-produce the embryos in order to "harvest" their stem cells, or to use them as human guinea pigs for various types of laboratory research. While the researchers involved sometimes refer to these practices as "therapeutic cloning," there is nothing "therapeutic" for the embryos, who would be killed in the research. On July 31, 2001, the House of Representatives passed the Weldon-Stupak Human Cloning Prohibition Act (H.R. 2505), which would make it a criminal offense to create a human embryo by cloning. Since then, pro-life Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.) has been pressing for Senate action on that bill or on S. 790, a very similar bill introduced by Brownback. In November, pro-abortion Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), who opposes the ban, reluctantly agreed to allow the Senate to consider the issue in February or March. (See November NRL News, page 12.) However, the Senate will consider not only the Brownback legislation, but also competing sham legislation that would permit human embryo cloning. In order to try to block the real ban on cloning, the powerful Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is backing legislation such as that introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.), S. 1758. This bill is misleadingly labeled as a "prohibition" on "human cloning," but in reality the bill would allow the cloning of any number of human embryos, while forbidding anyone to implant any of these embryos in a womb. "The Feinstein bill, which appears to have the backing of the Senate Democratic leadership and the powerful Biotechnology Industry Organization, would pave the way for the establishment of human embryo farms in the United States," commented NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson. "The Feinstein bill is not a true ban on human cloning, but rather a federal mandate that all cloned human embryos must die in lethal experimentation. The Feinstein bill would even nullify the laws of states that have already passed laws to prevent the cloning of human embryos, such as those enacted by Michigan and Virginia."

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Further information on the human cloning issue is available on the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org under "Federal Legislation: Killing Human Embryos." A number of excellent factsheets on the human cloning issue have been issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. They are available at the USCCB website at www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/bioethic/clonelet121401.htm. In addition, "Americans to Ban Cloning," a recently formed coalition of anti-cloning groups, has launched a website that contains much useful information: www.cloninginformation.org. See "Broad-Based Coalition Opposes Human Cloning," December NRL News, page 6.

SENATE SPONSORS OF GOOD AND BAD BILLS ON HUMAN CLONING

As of January 8, 2002, the following U.S. Senators had sponsored the true ban on human cloning, S. 790, sponsored by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.), which is very similar to the Weldon-Stupak bill, H.R. 2505, that was approved by the House of Representatives on July 31, 2001: Shelby (R-Al.), Sessions (R-Al.), Hutchinson (R-Ar.), Kyl (R-Az.), Bunning (R-Ky.), Bond (R-Mo.), Helms (R-NC), Robert Smith (R-NH), Ensign (R-Nv.), DeWine (R-Ohio), Voinovich (R-Ohio), Inhofe (R-Ok.), and Bennett (R-Utah).
Eight senators have sponsored the competing "clone and kill" bill introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Ca.), S. 1758. This bill is misleadingly labeled as a "human cloning prohibition," but in reality it would permit so-called "therapeutic cloning" -- that is, it would allow the cloning of human embryos, but forbid these embryos to be placed in a womb. The sponsors are, in addition to Feinstein: Boxer (D-Ca.), Miller (D-Ga.), Durbin (D-Il.), Kennedy (D-Mass.), Mikulski (D-Md.), Corzine (D-NJ), and Clinton (D-NY).
You can obtain up-to-date lists of the cosponsors and status of these bills (or any other congressional legislation) on the congressional website known as "Thomas," thomas.loc.gov.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

Senate Action

Environmentalists call for Human Cloning Ban

[Editor's note on 12/4/01: This vote did not take place as expected below. It is now likely that the Senate will not take up the cloning issue until February or March.]

Date of This Alert: November 30, 2001

In light of this week's claim that a Massachusetts bio-tech firm has cloned human embryos, pro-life Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.) and Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott (R-Ms.) are attempting to win Senate approval of legislation to prevent the cloning of human embryos.

Such legislation, the Weldon-Stupak Human Cloning Prohibition Act (H.R. 2505), was already passed by the House of Representatives on July 31, 265-162. However, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) has declared his support for experimental cloning (that is, the cloning of human embryos to kill them, which the bio-tech industry calls "therapeutic cloning"). Therefore, Daschle is currently working to block any measure that would immediately restrict the cloning of embryos. Daschle has previously agreed to allow the Senate to debate the cloning issue next February or March.

This conflict has led to a complicated procedural situation, which will result in an important procedural vote on Monday, December 3, at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Senate is considering a popular bill dealing with railroad pension programs. Senator Lott has offered an amendment, co-sponsored by Senator Brownback, that contains two parts: (1) an omnibus Republican energy bill, and (2) a ban on all human cloning like the bill passed by the House, except that it would expire after six months.

ACTION REQUIRED

Please immediately generate PHONE CALLS to both the Washington and in-state offices of ALL U.S. senators. E-mail may also be used. Regular mail is not useful because of the short time remaining in the session and current difficulties in mail delivery on Capitol Hill. Here are key points that those who call or send e-mails should make:

• They should urge the senator(s) to vote for legislation to ban the cloning of human embryos whenever such opportunities are presented to them, including support for the Lott-Brownback six-month ban AND for the full ban already passed by the House (H.R. 2505).
• They should make it clear that they oppose HUMAN EMBRYO FARMS, and therefore they OPPOSE any counterproposal that would merely prohibit the implantation of any cloned embryo in a woman's womb (so-called "reproductive cloning"). This "clone and kill" proposal (which we expect to be introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein, D-Ca.) would result in the establishment of HUMAN EMBRYO FARMS, where human embryos would be mass produced and killed for the purpose of harvesting their cells, but would make it a crime to allow any such human embryo to live.
• They should urge the senator(s) to vote with Senator Brownback on ALL PROCEDURAL MOTIONS that involve the human cloning issue, including any CLOTURE votes.

Do NOT assume that pro-abortion senators are necessarily opposed to the Brownback-Weldon-Stupak legislation. The bill is receiving strong support from a number of organizations that are not pro-life on issues such as abortion, BUT which believe that human cloning -- including the cloning of human embryos -- must be banned immediately. These groups include the United Methodist Church, the International Center for Technology Assessment, and Friends of the Earth (a well-known environmental organization).

As an example, we are reproducing below a statement made at a November 26 press conference by Brent Blackwelder, the president of Friends of the Earth. NRLC and VSHL do not endorse all of the views expressed therein, but we provide this statement as an illustration of the breadth of the emerging coalition against human cloning -- a story which most of the institutional news media has been slow to pick up on.

On the other hand, do not assume that every pro-life senator will automatically vote for the Brownback-Weldon-Stupak legislation. Some might be confused by claims by the bio-tech lobby that "therapeutic cloning" is necessary to advance medical research. It is important that they understand that a vote in favor of the Feinstein proposal is a vote in favor of HUMAN EMBRYO FARMS and a "clone-and-kill" policy.

If you obtain information on any senator's position (including information reported in the press), please forward it to NRLC at Legfederal@aol.com. Further information on the human cloning issue is available on the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org under "Federal Legislation: Killing Human Embryos."

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

Friends of the Earth
November 26, 2001

Contact: Mark Helm, 202-783-7400

The announcement yesterday that human embryos have been cloned by Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) should be deeply disturbing for anyone who cares for our planet and its people. Friends of the Earth (FoE), has opposed all human cloning because it violates two fundamental principles shared by environmentalists: the precautionary principle, and respect for nature.

We are further concerned that the pursuit of this unproven technology is being driven by entrepreneurial greed and scientific arrogance under the guise of alleviating human suffering. Dangling cures for a host of diseases, ACT -- and others who will surely follow in their wake -- seek to throw open a Pandora's Box of technologies that could easily do more harm than good.

In order to safeguard the environment and human life, FoE calls for the following:

• A ban on all human reproductive cloning and genetic germline modifications, including "designer babies"
• A moratorium on human therapeutic cloning until alternatives are explored
• Safeguards to prevent export and blackmarket distribution of cloned or genetically modified human embryos.

The scientists touting this technology and the bioethicists who rally behind it fail to see the slippery path on which they tread and the grotesque manipulation of nature that they are conducting. They have isolated themselves from the sensibilities of the American public.

For example, two years ago the same company that announced a cloned human embryo put a human nucleus in a cow egg and let it divide. Last year, they tried to clone an endangered species of ox (the Gaur) and it died. Even if it had survived, the creature would have been the genetically engineered product of more than one species and it would have distracted from the pressing need to protect endangered species habitat, rather than generate genetic hybrids as zoo specimens.

The precautionary principle is a cornerstone of environmentalism and it should be applied to the new human genetic technologies. It requires that we have some regard for the consequences of our actions before we carry them out. In this century alone, the list of unforeseen and unintended consequences of modern industrial civilization is enormous; so is the attendant economic and environmental damage. The unforeseen and devastating consequences of the use of CFCs, DDT, and PCBs illustrate the need for this underlying principle. Environmentalists embrace an ethic of respect for nature and strive to demonstrate the interdependence of humans and our natural world.

Proponents of cloning and inheritable modification, on the other hand, extol the virtues of "re-making Eden" -- of "improving" what nature has given us. For example, "designer babies" or the cloning of pets that don't cause allergies will lead us down a slippery slope toward the redesign of the rest of life. Indeed, if society allows the cloning of human beings today, inheritable genetic manipulation of humans and all other species cannot be far behind.

September 6, 2001

Congress will hold the first of three hearings on the issue of embryonic stem cell research this week.

Let your elected officials know that stem cell research that would require the destruction of human embryos is wrong.

Remind them that there are alternatives to such research that promote life and show as much or more promise is finding possible cures for diseases.

ACT NOW!!

Send a Western Union Telegram to your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators, for only $9.99 and tell them you oppose having your tax dollars pay for research that would require the destruction of human embryos.

Call toll free, 1-866-98-4LIFE today.

Let your voice be heard on the Stem Cell Research debate.

A NOTE ON E-MAIL: If you use e-mail to write to a lawmaker, be sure to include your regular mailing address in the e-mail. Otherwise, your representative has no way of knowing whether you are actually his or her constituent. For E-mail to Representatives, you may use www.house.gov/writerep. For E-mail to Virginia senators, send to Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

WASHINGTON (August 8, 2001) - - Congress may decide the fate of many thousands of embryonic human beings by roll call votes that are likely to occur during the months immediately ahead. The outcome of these congressional battles depends on immediate grassroots actions by pro-life citizens nationwide.

Banning Human Cloning

NRLC believes each human life at every stage of biological development is deserving of respect and protection, regardless of the circumstances under which that human life was created. In contrast, biotechnology corporations wish to use cloning to mass-produce human embryos so that they can be used - - and killed - - in medical research.

On July 31, the House of Representatives passed the Human Cloning Prohibition Act (H.R. 2505), sponsored by pro-life Reps. Dave Weldon (R-Fl.) and Bart Stupak (D-Mi.). This bill, which is supported by NRLC and many other organizations, would prohibit the use of cloning to create any human beings, including human embryos.

However, the Weldon-Stupak bill faces intense opposition from the powerful Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), which represents some 1,000 biotechnology corporations, including some that wish to use cloning to mass-produce human embryos in order to harvest their stem cells for medical research, or to subject them to other lethal manipulations. The biotechnology firms refer to this as "therapeutic cloning," but pro-life groups call it "clone and kill."

BIO is now determined to stop the bill in the U.S. Senate. It is expected that BIO-allied senators will try to kill the bill by getting a majority of senators to support a substitute bill -- a measure that would allow the cloning of human embryos to be destroyed for research purpose (the so-called "therapeutic cloning"), but make it a criminal offense to allow any such embryo to grow up by implanting him or her in a woman's womb -- a practice which BIO and its allies refer to as "reproductive cloning."

In the Senate, pro-life Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.) is leading the fight to ban all human cloning, including the cloning of human embryos. He has introduced a cloning ban (S. 790) that is very similar to the bill passed by the House.

Embryo-Destructive Stem Cell Research

In 2000, the Clinton Administration authorized the federal National Institutes of Health (NIH) to begin accepting applications from researchers who want federal money to do research on stem cells that are obtained by killing human embryos, who are usually five or six days old. However, the Bush Administration has blocked any such grants from actually being approved while it reviews the Clinton policy.

As the news media have covered extensively in recent months, President Bush is personally engaged in an intensive study of the issue. NRLC and other pro-life organizations are urging the President to nullify the Clinton guidelines and prevent any federal funding for research that uses stem cells obtained by killing an embryonic human being.

The majority leader of the Senate, pro-abortion Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD), says that if President Bush does attempt to permanently block funding of embryo-destructive stem cell research, Daschle will quickly challenge the President by moving legislation to the Senate floor to mandate such funding. Presumably, that legislation would be some version of a bill proposed by Senators Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) (S. 723), which would authorize federal funding of all stages of embryo-destructive research, including the actual killing of human embryos.

Thus, it is critical that both senators and U.S. House members hear from constituents who oppose federal funding of embryo-destructive research. In a national poll conducted in early June by International Communications Research, the public opposed federal funding of stem cell research in which "live embryos would be destroyed in their first week of development," by a margin of 70% to 24%.

Fortunately, stem cells may be obtained for medical research without killing human embryos. Researchers have obtained stem cells from adult fat, blood, and bone marrow, and also from umbilical cords and placentas. In the early June poll, the public supported the funding of these ethical alternatives to embryo-killing research, 67% to 18%.

On June 7, Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced the Responsible Stem Cell Research Act (H.R. 2096), to authorize expanded federal funding of research using stem cells from these sources.

Actions Requested

*** Also, urge the lawmakers to oppose Senator Specter's S. 723, which would authorize federal funding of research in which human embryos would be killed in order to obtain their stem cells.

The address for all U.S. Senators is:

Senator ____________ U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510

*** Please write to your U.S. House member. Urge him or her to oppose federal funding of any stem cell research in which human embryos are harmed. Encourage the representative to support the Responsible Stem Cell Research Act (H.R. 2096), sponsored by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), which would expand federal funding of research on stem cells obtained from adults and from umbilical cords -- without harming human embryos.

Also, check the roll call votes that the House conducted on July 31 on the issue of banning human cloning, which can be accessed through the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org, and which also are to be published in the August issue of National Right to Life News. Commend or admonish your representative, as appropriate, for his or her votes on that issue.

[VSHL Note: The following Representatives voted FOR the cloning ban (the Weldon-Stupak bill): Jo Ann Davis (R-1), Ed Schrock (R-2), Randy Forbes (R-4), Virgil Goode (I-5), Bob Goodlatte (R-6), Eric Cantor (R-7), Frank Wolf (R-10), and Tom Davis (R-11).
The following Representatives voted AGAINST the cloning ban: Bobby Scott (D-3), Jim Moran (D-8), and Rick Boucher (D-9).]

The address for all members of the House of Representatives is:

The Honorable _______________ U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515

A NOTE ON E-MAIL: If you use e-mail to write to a lawmaker, be sure to include your regular mailing address in the e-mail. Otherwise, your representative has no way of knowing whether you are actually his or her constituent. For E-mail to Representatives, you may use www.house.gov/writerep. For E-mail to Virginia senators, send to Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner.

***Send a short letter to the letters column of your local newspaper(s), encouraging citizens to contact their senators to urge support for banning all human cloning, in order to prevent the use of cloning to mass-produce human embryos for research that will kill them. Check with the paper first to find out the paper's length limit - - generally, about 250 words.

***You can greatly assist NRLC's lobbying efforts by sending a copy of any response from a lawmaker, and any local press report or editorial dealing with these issues, to:

National Right to Life Committee
Federal Legislative Office
419-Seventh Street, Northwest
Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20004
Phone: (202) 626-8820
Fax: (202) 347-3668
E-Mail: Legfederal@aol.com

Resources

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

INVOLUNTARY EUTHANASIA

(COMPULSORY "MERCY KILLING")

From: Thomas (Burke) J. Balch [balch@erols.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2001 5:01 PM
Subject: ALERT: Oppose involuntary euthanasia bill: contact U.S. Senators!

• Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) has introduced a bill that would open the door to involuntary euthanasia by authorizing health care providers to deny life-saving treatment against the express will of the patient or patient's family.
• Title VI of the Health Care Assurance Act (S. 24), while requiring health care providers to withhold treatment from those who do not wish it, does not require them to provide lifesaving treatment to those who want treatment, if it is "under prevailing medical standards, either futile or otherwise not medically indicated." Tragically, a significant shift in medical ethics has expanded the meaning of the term "futile" to include not only treatments which are physiologically ineffective, but also those which, in the health care provider's opinion, do not result in a quality of life beneficial to the patient.
• Once life-saving treatment is denied, while the legislation directs transfer to another provider, it does not require the unwilling provider to provide treatment pending transfer. Those with disabilities or long-term illnesses would be made vulnerable to the judgments of others who deem them "better off dead" than alive because they consider them to have a low "quality of life."
• Contact your senators and representatives. Urge them to oppose the Health Care Assurance Act unless amended to protect patients and their families who choose life!

  A NOTE ON E-MAIL: If you use e-mail to write to a lawmaker, be sure to include your regular mailing address in the e-mail. Otherwise, your representative has no way of knowing whether you are actually his or her constituent. For E-mail to Virginia senators, send to Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. For E-mail to Representatives, you may use www.house.gov/writerep.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

July 26, 2001

Human Cloning

Greenwood Clone-and-Kill Bill

This is a top priority congressional alert. Please forward this alert immediately to all appropriate e-mail lists and activate telephone trees. For further information, see www.nrlc.org or contact the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) Federal Legislative Office, Legfederal@aol.com, (202) 626-8820. See also NRLC Letter to House on Greenwood clone-and-kill bill.

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on one of the most important pro-life issues ever within days -- probably on Tuesday, July 31.

The House will choose between two radically different approaches to the issue of human cloning.

One choice, backed by National Right to Life and other pro-life groups, is the Weldon-Stupak bill (H.R. 2505), which would ban the cloning of human embryos to be killed for experimentation -- a policy supported by 8-to-1 margins in recent polls.

The other choice, pushed by Rep. Jim Greenwood (R-Pa.) as H.R. 2608, paves the way to a near future in America when human embryos would be mass produced as medical commodities, and in which it would be a federal crime to allow a cloned human embryo to live.

The Weldon-Stupak bill (1) DOES NOT restrict the practice of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in any way; (2) DOES NOT deal with the important but separate issue of whether the federal government should fund stem cell research on human embryos who were created through IVF and who are currently in frozen storage; and (3) explicitly ALLOWS the use of cloning methods to produce any "cells other than human embryos," or to produce tissues or organs.

In order to pass the Weldon-Stupak bill, it is first necessary to defeat the Greenwood "clone and kill" measure, which will be voted on first as a "substitute amendment." The Greenwood bill would provide for federal approval for bio-tech firms to set up what pro-life groups call "human embryo farms" or "human embryo production lines" during the years just ahead -- for the sole purpose of killing the embryos for medical purposes. The firms refer to this practice as "therapeutic cloning" or "research cloning," but pro-life groups call it "clone and kill." The Greenwood bill would actually make it a federal crime for anyone to try to save the life of any cloned embryo by implanting him or her in a womb.

Between now and the vote, waves of lobbyists from the wealthy bio-tech industry will descend on Capital Hill to try to win approval of the Greenwood clone-and-kill substitute amendment.

ALL House members -- including those who support legal abortion -- must receive massive numbers of phone calls from constituents. The message is simple:

"I urge Congressman _________ to vote AGAINST the Greenwood clone-and-kill substitute amendment, and in favor of the Weldon-Stupak bill (H.R. 2505). The Greenwood clone-and-kill amendment provides federal approval for bio-tech firms to set up human embryo farms, where human embryos would be mass produced only to be killed and used as medical commodities. The clone-and-kill bill would make it a federal crime to allow any cloned embryo to live."

Calls should go to the congressman's Washington office -- the Capitol Switchboard number is (202) 225-3121 -- and also to his local office(s).

If a congressional office gives a definite response on how the congressman will vote on the Greenwood clone-and-kill substitute and/or on the Weldon-Stupak bill, please report that response to NRLC by e-mail (Legfederal@aol.com) or phone (202-626-8820).

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

Date of This Alert: July 22, 2001
Date of Anticipated House Vote: As early as July 31, 2001

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. House is expected to vote between July 30 and August 3 on H.R. 2505, a bill to prohibit the creation of human embryos by cloning.

Researchers already have cloned sheep, monkeys, and some other mammals, but so far there is no confirmed report of any researcher successfully using cloning to create human embryos. However, the urgent need for enactment of the Weldon-Stupak legislation was demonstrated by a report in the July 12 Washington Post that a major biotechnology firm, Advanced Cell Technology of Worcester, Massachusetts, already has a project underway to mass-produce human embryos by cloning, in order to use them in medical experimentation that will kill them. The head of the firm told the Wall Street Journal (July 13) that actual human cloning will begin "soon." It is believed that other firms are engaged in similar efforts.

The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote on Tuesday, July 24, on the Human Cloning Prohibition Act (H.R. 2505, successor to H.R. 1644), sponsored by pro-life Reps. Dave Weldon (R-Fl.) and Bart Stupak (D-Mi.). This bill, which is supported by NRLC and many other organizations, would prohibit the use of cloning to create any human beings, including human embryos. The Bush Administration has endorsed such a ban.

The Weldon-Stupak bill faces intense opposition from the powerful Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), which represents biotechnology corporations that wish to use cloning to mass-produce human embryos in order to harvest their stem cells for medical research or to subject them to other lethal manipulations. The biotechnology firms refer to this practice as "therapeutic cloning" or "research cloning," but pro-life groups call it "clone and kill."

A June, 2001 International Communications Research poll found that 86% of Americans said "no" when asked, "Should scientists be allowed to create a supply of human embryos to be destroyed in medical research?"

The "clone and kill" approach is embodied in a bill (H.R. 2172) authored by Congressman Jim Greenwood (R-Pa.). The Greenwood bill would ALLOW mass production of cloned human embryos, but would also REQUIRE each cloned embryo to be killed (by seeking to block implantation of any such embryo in a woman's womb).

A close vote is expected in the Judiciary Committee on July 24, but it appears that the committee will reject the clone-and-kill approach and approve H.R. 2505. If so, the House Republican leadership may schedule H.R. 2505 for action on the House floor during the week of July 30 -- which is the final week before a month-long congressional recess. On the House floor, Rep. Greenwood will seek to offer his "clone and kill" (or "human embryo farm") measure as a "substitute amendment" -- that is, as a replacement for the Weldon-Stupak bill. The critical roll call vote will be on the Greenwood substitute.

ALL House members -- regardless of their position on abortion -- must IMMEDIATELY be contacted by as many constituents as possible. Do not assume that a House member will vote for the Weldon-Stupak bill simply because that lawmaker has an anti-abortion voting record, because some anti-abortion lawmakers may be swayed by the argument that the bill would interfere with "medical research." Others might be fooled by the efforts of Rep. Greenwood and bio-tech lobbyists to "sell" the Greenwood bill as a "ban on cloning of human beings" (or as a "ban on reproductive cloning"). By these misleading terms, they merely mean that the Greenwood bill would seek to prevent any cloned human from actually being born -- but the bill would accomplish this by requiring that every cloned human embryo must be killed! Also, do not assume that all pro-abortion House members will oppose the Weldon-Stupak bill. A complete ban on cloning of human embryos has been endorsed by various organizational and individual supporters of legal abortion, including the United Methodist Church, feminist health writer Judy Norsigian, and the Council for Responsible Genetics.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

*** Please generate PHONE CALLS to each U.S. House member -- regardless of his or her position on abortion. The number of the U.S. Capitol Switchboard is (202) 225-3121. It is also very helpful to place calls to the LOCAL office(s) of U.S. House members. The basic message: "Support the Weldon-Stupak bill, H.R. 2505, to prohibit the creation of human embryos by cloning. Oppose the clone-and-kill substitute proposal that will be offered by Congressman Jim Greenwood. A vote for the Greenwood substitute is a vote to allow 'human embryo farms' or 'embryo production lines', which would mass-produce human embryos for the sole purpose of destroying them in medical experimentation."

A NOTE ON E-MAIL: When e-mail is used to write to a lawmaker, the writer's regular mailing address must be included in the e-mail. Otherwise, the lawmaker's staff has no way of knowing whether the e-mail actually comes from a constituent or an organization representing constituents. For E-mail to Representatives, you may use www.house.gov/writerep.

*** Send a letter of 250-300 words to the letters column of your local newspaper(s), encouraging citizens to contact their U.S. House members to urge support for the Weldon-Stupak bill (H.R. 2505) to ban the cloning of human embryos, in order to prevent the beginning of "human embryo farms."

*** Please assist NRLC's lobbying efforts by reporting any response from a lawmaker's office, and any local press report about a lawmaker's position, to the NRLC Federal Legislative Office at 202-626-8820, fax 202-347-3668, e-mail: Legfederal@aol.com.

To read the text of the Weldon-Stupak bill, H.R. 2505, or the Greenwood clone-and-kill bill, H.R. 2172, go to the "Thomas" congressional website at thomas.loc.gov.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

This is a congressional alert from the Federal Legislative Office of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), (202) 626-8820, Legfederal@aol.com.

WASHINGTON (July 13, 2001) -- Congress may decide the fate of many thousands of embryonic human beings by roll call votes that are likely to occur over the weeks and months immediately ahead. The outcome of these congressional battles depends on immediate grassroots actions by pro-life citizens nationwide.

Banning Human Cloning

NRLC believes each human life at every stage of biological development is deserving of respect and protection, regardless of the circumstances under which that human life was created. In contrast, biotechnology corporations wish to use cloning to mass-produce human embryos so that they can be used -- and killed -- in medical research.

As early as the period of July 30-August 3, the U.S. House of Representatives may consider the Human Cloning Prohibition Act (H.R. 1644), sponsored by pro-life Reps. Dave Weldon (R-Fl.) and Bart Stupak (D-Mi.). This bill, which is supported by NRLC and many other organizations, would prohibit the use of cloning to create any human beings, including human embryos.

However, the Weldon-Stupak bill faces intense opposition from the powerful Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), which represents biotechnology corporations that wish to use cloning to mass-produce human embryos in order to harvest their stem cells for medical research, or to subject them to other lethal manipulations. The biotechnology firms refer to this as "therapeutic cloning," but pro-life groups call it "clone and kill."

The clone-and-kill approach is embodied in a bill (H.R. 2172) introduced by pro-abortion Congressman Jim Greenwood (R-Pa.) as a hostile alternative to the Weldon-Stupak bill. Supporters of the Greenwood bill misleadingly claim that it would "ban the cloning of human beings," but they mean to exclude human embryos from the class of "human beings."

In reality, the Greenwood bill would permit the use of cloning to specially create human embryos for lethal research, and would discourage only the placement of any such embryo in a woman's womb (which some call "reproductive cloning"). Thus, the Greenwood bill would amount to a federal legal mandate that any human embryo created by cloning must ultimately be killed. NRLC is strongly opposed to Greenwood's "clone and kill" legislation.

In the Senate, pro-life Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.) has introduced a bill (S. 790) identical to the Weldon-Stupak bill.

Researchers have cloned sheep, monkeys, and some other mammals, but so far there is no confirmed report of any researcher successfully using cloning to create human embryos. However, the urgent need for enactment of the Weldon-Stupak-Brownback legislation was demonstrated by a report in the July 12 Washington Post that a major biotechnology firm, Advanced Cell Technologies of Worcester, Massachusetts, has acknowledged that it has an active project underway to try to create cloned human embryos for destructive research.

The article also revealed that the corporation has put together a team of consultants that is considering inventing a new term to describe the embryos that they intend to create, in an attempt to soften what they anticipate will be adverse public reaction to their project. Some of the consultants believe "it would be useful to call the cells something less inflammatory than an embryo," the article explains.

Embryo-Destructive Stem Cell Research

In 2000, the Clinton Administration authorized the federal National Institutes of Health (NIH) to begin accepting applications from researchers who want federal money to do research on stem cells that are obtained by killing human embryos, who are usually five or six days old. However, the Bush Administration has blocked any such grants from actually being approved while it reviews the Clinton policy.

As the news media has covered extensively in recent weeks, President Bush is personally engaged in an intensive study of the issue. NRLC and other pro-life organizations are urging the President to nullify the Clinton guidelines and prevent any federal funding for research that uses stems cells obtained by killing an embryonic human being.

The majority leader of the Senate, pro-abortion Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD), says that if President Bush does attempt to permanently block funding of embryo-destructive stem cell research, Daschle will quickly challenge the President by moving legislation to the Senate floor to mandate such funding.

Presumably, that legislation would be some version of the Specter-Harkin bill (S. 723), which would authorize federal funding of all stages of embryo-destructive research, including the actual killing of human embryos.

Thus, it is critical that both senators and U.S. House members hear from constituents who oppose federal funding of embryo-destructive research. In a national poll conducted in early June by International Communications Research, the public opposed federal funding of stem cell research in which "live embryos would be destroyed in their first week of development," by a margin of 70% to 24%.

This is a congressional alert-update from the Federal Legislative Office of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), sent Wednesday, July 11, at 10 p.m. Eastern Time.

On Thursday, July 12, the U.S. House of Representatives will debate the Shays-Meehan "campaign finance reform" bill. In past letters to the House and grassroots alerts, NRLC has urged opposition to the Shays-Meehan bill. In the letter below, sent to House members on July 11, NRLC urges the lawmakers to support an alternative bill known as the "Ney-Wynn substitute amendment," and announces NRLC's intent to "score" the roll call on the Ney-Wynn substitute -- that is, to include the roll call in NRLC's scorecard of key congressional votes for 2001. Please immediately urge all House members, including those who are already committed to vote against the Shays-Meehan bill, to vote YES on the Ney-Wynn substitute amendment. The text of the new NRLC letter follows.

Dear Member of Congress:

The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) has urged you to vote against the Shays-Meehan bill in a number of past communications (most recently our letter of July 9), on the basis of multiple provisions that would greatly restrict both our freedom of speech to communicate with the public, and our right of association to work with like-minded members of Congress on issues of concern to our members.

We have now reviewed the proposed revisions that Reps. Shays and Meehan filed with the Rules Committee in the form of a Manager's Amendment, which we understand may be considered by the House as a series of separate amendments. Even if the revisions proposed by Reps. Shays and Meehan were adopted in total, it would correct none of the objectionable provisions described in NRLC's previous communications.

In view of the failure of the authors of the Shays-Meehan bill to correct the most objectionable provisions of their bill, NRLC strongly urges you to vote for the Ney-Wynn substitute amendment.

Moreover, because adoption of the Ney-Wynn substitute would erase the Shays-Meehan bill and thereby nullify the grave threat that the Shays-Meehan bill poses to the lobbying and advocacy efforts of NRLC and NRLC's affiliates, NRLC intends to include the vote on adoption of the Ney-Wynn substitute amendment in the NRLC scorecard of key roll call votes for 2001.

If the Ney-Wynn substitute fails, NRLC will also score the roll call on final passage of the Shays-Meehan bill, as stated in previous letters. If, however, the Ney-Wynn substitute amendment is adopted, NRLC will maintain a neutral posture on the final passage of the bill.

Contrary to some misrepresentations being circulated by advocates of the Shays-Meehan bill, the new revisions proposed by the authors make only cosmetic changes to the bill's pernicious provisions dealing with "coordination" between members of Congress and citizen groups such as NRLC. The proposed Shays-Meehan language repudiates the current case law on "coordination," and directs the FEC to issue regulations which "shall not require agreement or formal collaboration to establish coordination." Under this language, an advocacy group and a member of Congress could be deemed to have engaged in illegal "coordinated" activity, for example, if the group distributed printed literature publicizing the results of a candidate questionnaire or "pledge" on one or more issues. In contrast, the Ney-Wynn substitute amendment does not disturb current law on "coordination."

In addition, the authors of the Shays-Meehan bill have proposed no changes to the bill's extensive restrictions on constitutionally protected issue advocacy (Sections 201, 203, and 204). They would retain the ban on a citizen group (other than a federal PAC) sponsoring TV or radio ads that mention a "candidate" (including any member of Congress) for 30 days before a primary and 60 days before a general election. Nor have they proposed any modification of the "Specter Amendment" language in Section 201, which applies to any broadcast ad -- at any time of any year -- that "promotes," "supports," "attacks," or "opposes" a "candidate," and that is deemed to be "suggestive" of a vote for or against a "candidate."

The Ney-Wynn substitute contains reporting requirements for issue advocacy that we believe are inconsistent with First Amendment case law. However, the Ney-Wynn substitute does not contain the draconian prohibitions on the freedoms of speech and association of citizens' groups, such as NRLC and NRLC affiliates, that are contained in the Shays-Meehan bill.

Thank you for your consideration of NRLC's position on this legislation.

Sincerely,

David N. O'Steen, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Douglas Johnson
Legislative Director
(202) 626-8820
Legfederal@aol.com
www.nrlc.org

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

July 5, 2001

PLEASE HELP!

Your help is urgently needed to gather as many signatures on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act Petition to the U.S. Senate as possible! On April 26, 2001, the House of Representatives passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and now we must call on the Senate to do the same! See the Petition, as well as other materials and activities you can assist with on the NRLC web page, www.nrlc.org! Please pass this information along to as many pro-lifers as possible! Take a stand today, and help make a difference!

Following is an action alert from Geline Williams, VSHL Representative to the Board of the National Right to Life Committee, and also its Board Chairman, on the vital subject of human embryonic stem cell research.

July 5, 2001

Please call the White House today or as soon as possible with an urgent message for President Bush. Ask President Bush to please continue the prohibition against federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research. Such research requires the killing of a human embryo and dissecting it for harvesting its stem cells. Public funds should never be used to pay for killing a human being, no matter how small and no matter the age or stage of life. Even use of discarded embryos who might die anyway is no excuse for deliberately killing the human embryo.

Instead, public funds should be used to fund adult stem cell and umbilical cord stem cell research, a process that does no harm to the subjects involved and at the same time is already producing at a rapid pace remarkable new discoveries for cure and control of disease.

History is rife with tragic examples of barbaric cruelty and man's inhumanity to man when respect for human life and the equal dignity and sanctity for every human life have been thwarted by national policy and practice.

Your call to President Bush today is crucial because of the pressure being exerted upon him at this moment to cross the bar of public protection for the youngest stage of human life by authorizing public payment for his destruction.

The White House telephone number is : (202) 456-1414

Please follow your call to the president with a call to both Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner. Ask them to oppose and vote against the Specter-Harkin bill, S. 723. This bill would authorize federal sponsorship and funding of research that kills human embryos for the purpose of dissecting them to obtain their stem cells.

Telephone Numbers: Sen. Allen, (202) 224-4024. Sen. Warner, (202) 224-2023.

Thank you!

Note: The following e-mail addresses may also be used:

For President Bush: president@whitehouse.gov

For Senator Allen: Use web page allen.senate.gov/email.html

For Senator Warner: Senator@warner.senate.gov

PLEASE HELP!

Your help is urgently needed to gather as many signatures on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act Petition to the U.S. Senate as possible! On April 26, 2001, the House of Representatives passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and now we must call on the Senate to do the same! See the Petition, as well as other materials and activities you can assist with on the NRLC web page, www.nrlc.org! Please pass this information along to as many pro-lifers as possible! Take a stand today, and help make a difference!

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the Shays-Meehan "campaign finance reform" bill next week -- most likely on Thursday, July 12 or Friday, July 13. This bill contains multiple provisions that would seriously restrict the ability of NRLC, NRLC affiliates (such as VSHL), and other citizen groups to educate the public about what members of Congress are doing on pro-life issues, including alerting citizens to upcoming votes in Congress. In addition, the bill would place both groups and members of Congress at legal risk for working together towards shared public policy goals. The Senate has already passed the very similar McCain-Feingold bill (S. 27).

We are reproducing below a letter that NRLC sent today to members of the House, which explains NRLC's objections to the bill. As the letter explains, a vote in favor of the Shays-Meehan bill will be scored negatively in NRLC's annual congressional scorecard.

House members will be presented with an alternative bill, drafted by Congressman Bob Ney (R-Ohio) [pronounced "nay"] (H.R. 2360). While NRLC does not endorse the Ney bill, neither do we oppose it; the Ney bill is vastly preferable to the Shays-Meehan bill, and House members should be encouraged to vote for the Ney bill as a replacement for the Shays-Meehan bill (it's called a "substitute amendment"). The Ney bill is attracting support from some Democrats who had previously supported the Shays-Meehan bill.

The House is in recess this week for the Fourth of July. Many House members will be making public appearances in their districts -- for example, for Independence Day events. Please make every effort to have constituents speak to pro-life House members OF BOTH PARTIES this week in opposition to Shays-Meehan. It is particularly helpful for Republican House members to hear from local party officials and key activists. In any case where there is a danger that a Republican incumbent or a pro-life Democrat may vote for the Shays-Meehan bill, telephone trees and e-mail alert lists should also be activated immediately. Thank you!

The text of NRLC's July 2 letter to the House of Representatives follows:

RE: In opposition to revised Shays-Meehan "campaign finance reform" bill (H.R. 2356)

Dear Member of Congress:

During the week of July 9, the House is expected to take up the Shays-Meehan bill, the latest version of which was introduced yesterday (H.R. 2356). The revised bill retains nearly all of the elements of the Senate-passed version of the McCain-Feingold bill (S. 27) to which the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) has previously expressed strong opposition.

Because the Shays-Meehan bill contains restrictions that would greatly impair the rights of NRLC and its affiliates to effectively inform the public about legislation in Congress, and would place both such organizations and members of Congress at legal risk for engaging in constitutionally protected communications regarding public policy issues, NRLC strongly urges you to oppose this legislation. NRLC will include any vote on final passage of the Shays-Meehan bill in the NRLC scorecard of key congressional roll calls for 2001.

NRLC's negative assessment of some key provisions of the Senate bill, which have been retained in the Senate bill, finds support in the commentary of many independent analysts. Washington Post columnist David Broder wrote that "the authors of the Senate bill have gone way too far in restricting freedom of speech." Syndicated columnist Mike Kelly called the bill "a reeking mess . . . an unsupportable, unconstitutional assault on the rights to speak and associate freely." Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer concluded, "It is hard to think of a more frontal assault on the First Amendment." The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (June 24) editorialized: "What many well-meaning supporters don't realize, however, is that the McCain-Feingold bill that passed the Senate is deeply flawed and a serious threat to free speech. Does the nation need campaign finance reform? Yes it does -- but not at the risk of censoring the speech that is the lifeblood of a democratic election campaign. When the House takes up campaign finance reform after the July 4 recess, it should make sure it removes the blatantly unconstitutional provisions in the Senate version of the bill. . . . that broad ban on electioneering amounts to a twin-pronged attack on the First Amendment and the democratic process. We don't want to destroy our system of free elections in order to save them."

Among the most objectionable provisions of the bill are those dealing with issue advocacy and "coordinated" activity.

With respect to issue advocacy: Sections 201, 203, and 204 of H.R. 2356 retain the Senate bill's unconstitutional restrictions on broadcast issue ads. The net effect of these provisions is to ban NRLC, NRLC affiliates, and all other 501(c)(4) advocacy corporations (but not PACs) from funding TV or radio ads that even mention the name of a local member of Congress for 30 days before a state's congressional primary, and for another 60 days before the general election (or a runoff election). This restriction applies to any ad that "can be received" by 50,000 or more "persons," including minors, within a district -- which covers nearly any TV or radio ad, since few persons do not possess TVs and radios.

For example, if the House takes up a bill dealing with unborn victims of violence on March 4, 2002, NRLC would be prohibited from running ads the week before the vote on Christian radio stations in the districts of House members in California, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas, urging, "Please call Congressman [name] and ask him to vote for the bill to protect unborn victims of violence."

Please note that a limited "exception" (the "Snowe-Jeffords" provision) in the original 2001 McCain-Feingold bill to allow 501(c)(4) advocacy groups to sponsor such ads, using funds raised from restricted and publicly identified donors, was effectively nullified by adoption of a Wellstone amendment that has been retained in H.R. 2356 (Section 204). Thus, the House bill does not permit non-PACs to sponsor such ads while requiring "disclosure" -- rather, it bans them outright.

It is noteworthy that even Common Cause deputy legislative director Matt Keller admitted the ad restriction in the Senate bill was "problematic" and "probably overboard," adding, "But we'll take our chances in the Supreme Court." (National Catholic Register, April 22)

If the ban on issue ads is struck down as unconstitutional, Section 201 contains a "backup" provision, based on a Specter amendment, that in some respects is even worse. The backup provision is not limited to pre-election time periods, but would apply all year-round to any broadcast ad that "promotes," "supports," "attacks," or "opposes" a "candidate," and that is "suggestive of no plausible meaning other than an exhortation to vote for or against a specific candidate." Under this sweeping and vague standard, running a radio ad today -- 16 months before the next election -- in which the statement was made, "Congressman Jones is pro-life," could subject an organization to a costly investigation by the FEC as to whether listeners who heard the ad would understand the term "pro-life" to be "suggestive" that they should vote for Congressman Jones, etc.

The sections on "coordinated" activity (Sections 211 and 214) would create a web of tripwires that would place incumbent lawmakers and advocacy groups at great legal risk for engaging in cooperative or parallel activities in support of common legislative goals. "Coordination" is broadly defined to include "any general or particular understanding" with a candidate which is associated with any later activity (not just broadcast ads) deemed to be "in connection with" a candidate's election -- a phrase which the U.S. Supreme Court has held is impermissibly vague and overbroad (Massachusetts Citizens for Life v. FEC, 1986).

Moreover, the bill (Section 214) explicitly repudiates current law by specifying that any FEC regulations issued to enforce the anti-coordination provisions "shall not require collaboration or agreement to establish coordination." Under this language, an advocacy group and a member of Congress could be deemed to have engaged in illegal "coordinated" activity, for example, if the group distributed printed literature publicizing the results of a candidate questionnaire or "pledge" on one or more issues.

Detailed legal analyses of the provisions of the Senate-passed bill, most of which are replicated in H.R. 2356, are available at the website of the James Madison Center for Free Speech at www.jamesmadisoncenter.org. Additional information on how such provisions would adversely affect NRLC, NRLC affiliates, and other citizen groups are found at www.nrlc.org.

Thank you for your consideration of NRLC's position on this legislation.

Sincerely,

Douglas Johnson
NRLC Legislative Director

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

WASHINGTON -- The Clinton Administration set up a program to begin funding research in which human embryos would be killed to obtain their stem cells for medical research. However, the Bush Administration has stopped action on approval of any such research grants while it reviews the issue. Many powerful voices, including Hollywood stars and biotechnology groups, are urging the Administration to let the Clinton program go forward. However, President Bush has said, "I oppose Federal funding for stem-cell research that involves destroying living human embryos."

Do No Harm: The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics (www.stemcellresearch.org) has set up an on-line petition to President Bush, urging him to revoke the Clinton program, and to support ethically acceptable alternatives to embryo-destructive research. To read or sign the petition, use the above link, or you may also use the link that appears at the top left of the NRLC home page at www.nrlc.org.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

WASHINGTON (June 11, 2001) -- Congress may vote this summer on two issues relating to the protection of human embryos. Many members of Congress are under pressure from powerful special-interest groups, including the biotechnology industry, to allow the creation and killing of human embryos for research purposes. It is vital that lawmakers hear from constituents in opposition to the killing of human embryos.

Embryo-Destructive Stem Cell Research

However, some researchers wish to obtain federal funds for research in which human embryos, created in infertility laboratories by the process of in vitro fertilization, would be killed to harvest their stem cells. Stem cells are cells that have the capacity to turn into various types of specialized tissue, such as nerve or muscle tissue, which may be useful in treating many diseases.

Therefore, sometime this summer when the House of Representatives considers the HHS appropriations bill for fiscal year 2002, anti-life forces will probably seek to prevent renewal of the Dickey Amendment. A close vote is expected in the House on this question.

In addition, Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Congressman Jim McDermott (D-Wa.) have introduced anti-life legislation (S. 723, H.R. 2059) that would actually require federal funding of embryo-destructive stem cell research.

Thus, it is important for lawmakers to hear from constituents who support extension of the current ban on federal funding of embryo-destructive research. In a national poll conducted in early June by International Communications Research, the public opposed federal funding of stem cell research in which "live embryos would be destroyed in their first week of development," by a margin of 70% to 24%.

Fortunately, stem cells for medical research may be obtained without killing human embryos. Researchers have obtained stem cells from adult fat, blood, and bone marrow, and also from umbilical cords and placentas. In the early June poll, the public supported the funding of these ethical alternatives to embryo-killing research, 67% to 18%. On June 7, Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) introduced The Responsible Stem Cell Research Act (H.R. 2096), to authorize expanded federal funding of research using stem cells from these sources.

Human Cloning

It has been proposed to create human life through cloning for the purpose of destructive experiments on those human beings, resulting in their deaths, and for the purpose of scavenging the bodies of those human beings to obtain tissues and organs, resulting in their deaths.

NRLC believes each human life at every stage of biological development is deserving of respect and protection, regardless of the circumstances under which that human life was created.

The Human Cloning Prohibition Act (H.R. 1644, S. 790), authored by Senator Sam Brownback (R-Ks.) and Congressman Dave Weldon (R-Fl.), would prohibit the use of cloning to create any human beings, including human embryos. NRLC supports this bill, on which the House of Representatives may vote this summer.

However, the powerful and well-funded Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) opposes this legislation, because they wish to allow biotech corporations to use cloning to mass produce human embryos, who would then be killed to obtain their stem cells and for other research purposes.

Opponents of the Brownback-Weldon bill intend to offer substitute bills that would enact a "clone-and-kill" policy. These clone- and-kill bills would permit the use of cloning to create human embryos to be used in medical research, but would prohibit the implantation of any such embryo in a woman's womb. Thus, such a bill amounts to a federal legal mandate that every cloned human embryo must be killed. NRLC strongly opposes such clone-and-kill legislation.

In early June, International Communications Research conducted a national poll which asked, "Should scientists be allowed to use human cloning to create a supply of human embryos to be destroyed in medical research?" By a margin of 86% to 10%, adult respondents said "no."

In view of public opinion, then, it is not surprising that advocates of the clone-and-kill bills are using misleading language to persuade lawmakers to support these bills -- for example, by saying that they would "ban cloning of human beings" or "ban reproductive cloning."

In reality, these bills would do neither, because once a human embryo has been created, "reproduction" has occurred, and a member of the species homo sapiens -- a human being -- exists. The clone-and-kill bills would allow researchers to "reproduce" any number of human beings -- just as long as every one of them is killed prior to implantation in a woman's womb.

Supporters of the clone-and-kill substitute measures also say that they would allow cloning only for "therapeutic" purposes. But this language merely cloaks an ugly reality: the bill would allow human embryos to be specially created, through the cloning process, for no purpose other than lethal medical experimentation.

Actions Requested

* Please write to your U.S. House member. Urge him or her to support extension of the 1995 ban on federal funding of any research in which human embryos are harmed (the "Dickey Amendment"). Also, encourage your representative to support The Responsible Stem Cell Research Act (H.R. 2096), which would expand federal funding of research on stem cells obtained from adults and from umbilical cords -- without harming human embryos,

In addition, urge the representative to co-sponsor the Weldon bill, H.R. 1644, to ban all human cloning. Ask the lawmaker to oppose any substitute measure that would allow so-called "therapeutic cloning," because this term really means that human embryos would be created in large numbers simply to be killed in medical research ("clone-and- kill").

The address for all members of the House of Representatives is:

The Honorable _______________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

* Write to your two U.S. senators. Urge them to support Senator Brownback's S. 790, to ban all human cloning, and to oppose any substitute measure that would allow "therapeutic cloning," because this term really means that human embryos would be created in large numbers simply to be killed in medical research ("clone-and-kill").

Also urge the lawmakers to oppose Senator Specter's S. 723, which would authorize federal funding of research in which human embryos would be killed in order to obtain their stem cells. Tell them that you support the current law that bans federal funding of research in which human embryos are harmed (the Dickey Amendment).

The address for all U.S. Senators is:

Senator ____________
Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

A NOTE ON E-MAIL: If you use e-mail to write to a lawmaker, be sure to include your regular mailing address in the e-mail. Otherwise, your representative has no way of knowing whether you are actually his or her constituent. For E-mail to Representatives, you may use www.house.gov/writerep. For E-mail to Virginia senators, send to Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner.

* Send a letter of 250-300 words to the letters column of your local newspaper(s), encouraging citizens to contact their senators to urge support for banning all human cloning and/or for protecting human embryos from being killed in medical research.

* You can greatly assist NRLC's lobbying efforts by sending a copy of any response from a lawmaker, and any local press report or editorial dealing with these issues, to:

National Right to Life Committee
Federal Legislative Office
419-Seventh Street, Northwest
Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20004
Phone: (202) 626-8820
Fax: (202) 347-3668
E-Mail: Legfederal@aol.com

Resources

For additional information on these issues, see the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org, under "Federal Legislation: Killing Human Embryos." For extensive additional information on both ethical and non-ethical forms of research involving human embryos, see the website of Do No Harm: The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics, at www.stemcellresearch.org.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

Date of Alert: May 10, 2001

The vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on the "Mexico City Policy," originally expected to occur on Thursday, May 10 has been postponed until Wednesday, May 16.

On May 16, the House will resume debate on the State Department authorization bill (H.R. 1646). Currently, the bill contains language sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Ca.) that would overturn President Bush's pro-life "Mexico City Policy" (the policy that prohibits U.S. funding of overseas organizations that perform abortions, lobby to legalize abortion, or otherwise "actively promote abortion as a method of family planning").

House members should be urged to support the Hyde-Barcia-Smith-Oberstar Amendment, which would remove the pro-abortion provision from the bill.

As explained in our Legislative Alert of May 5, a close vote is expected on the amendment. Supporters of Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups are hitting some House members' offices hard with phone calls urging opposition to the amendment. Various newspaper editorial boards are also weighing in with editorials urging opposition to the Mexico City Policy, which they like to call "the international gag rule."

In a written statement of Administration policy released on May 8, the White House said, "If the bill were presented to the President in its current form, he would veto it principally because it overturns the Administration's family planning policy (commonly known as the 'Mexico City' policy) and would allow taxpayer funds to go to international organizations which perform abortions and engage in abortion advocacy."

WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW ARE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS CIRCULATED BY THE U.S. HOUSE PRO-LIFE CAUCUS IN SUPPORT OF THE MEXICO CITY POLICY

Vote FOR the Hyde/Barcia/Smith/Oberstar Amendment
Mexico City Policy: Fact & Fiction

What is the Mexico City Policy?

The Mexico City Policy -- named for an international conference in 1984 -- prohibits U.S. taxpayer funding of the international abortion industry. To be precise, it prohibits U.S. population assistance funds from going to foreign organizations that "perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning." The Mexico City Policy was in force from 1984 until 1993. In January 1993, then-President Clinton reversed the policy. On January 22, 2001, the Mexico City Policy was reinstated by President George W. Bush. At last week's markup of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act (HR 1646), the International Relations Committee narrowly adopted an amendment by U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Ca.) that would take away the President's power to implement this pro-life policy. During floor consideration of the legislation an amendment (Hyde/Barcia/Smith/Oberstar) will be offered to strike the Lee amendment.

• The Mexico City policy does not take a penny away from the $425 million the Administration has requested for global population assistance. On the contrary, it strengthens these programs, by ensuring that U.S. funds are directed to those groups that provide family planning -- which is something entirely distinct from abortion -- but do not perform or promote abortion as a method of birth control.
• The most outrageous claim made by proponents of the amendment is that it somehow interferes with efforts to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This claim is simply false. The U.S. currently spends more than a half-billion dollars per year on fighting AIDS ($482.5 million in direct U.S. expenditures in FY 2001, plus many million more in contributions to organizations such as WHO and UNDP, part of which funds anti-AIDS programs). The President's Mexico City Policy has absolutely no application to these funds. It only applies to population assistance, which is a different set of accounts from HIV/AIDS programs. The proponents of the Lee amendment argue that this population assistance has an incidental effect of reducing exposure to the HIV virus, because it pays for condoms. Again, this argument misses the whole point of the Mexico City policy. The policy does not reduce population assistance by one penny. The same amount of money will be spent on AIDS-reducing contraceptives -- the only difference is whether we hire abortionists or non-abortionists to distribute them. So the claim that you have to oppose the President's pro-life policy in order to support efforts to eradicate AIDS is false.
• Advocates of international abortion rights have once again dredged up the tired old argument that the Mexico City policy is a "gag rule" that violates the right to free speech. Even if U.S. constitutional provisions applied to foreign organizations doing business on foreign soil, the first amendment would not give these organizations a right to receive federal tax dollars.
• Supporters of the Lee amendment also argue that U.S. family planning grantees should be allowed to perform and promote abortion so long their abortion-related activities were carried out with "their own" money rather than the U.S. grant money. But this is nothing more than a bookkeeping trick. It ignores the fact that money is fungible, and that when we subsidize an organization we inevitably enrich and empower all of its activities -- as well enhancing the domestic and international prestige of the organization by giving it an official U.S. seal of approval.
• If the Lee language were in the legislation presented to the President it would cause the bill to be vetoed. This legislation is about providing a strong American foreign policy for the 21st Century -- not about funding abortionists and abortion lobbyists. Chairman Hyde urges a YES vote on the amendment to strike this misleading and counterproductive language.

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

ACTIONS REQUESTED:

(1) Generate letters to U.S. Senators in support of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (H.R. 503), as passed by the House of Representatives on April 26. Urge senators to co-sponsor the Senate companion bill, S. 480, introduced by Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio). Urge them to oppose the "one-victim" substitute legislation being pushed by opponents of the bill, because the law should recognize that when a criminal injures a pregnant woman and her unborn child, he has claimed two victims, not just one. For further information on this issue, see www.nrlc.org.

(2) Send letters of 250-300 words to the letters column of your local newspaper(s), explaining the bill and encouraging citizens to contact their senators to urge support for the bill. Letters should explicitly criticize the "one-victim" counter-proposal, because that approach tells the women who have lost their babies in criminal assaults that nobody has really died in such crimes.

(3) Editors of sympathetic publications can publish the story of Tracy Marciniak, along with the powerful photo of Tracy holding her dead son Zachariah, who was killed in a criminal assault. The story and photo can be downloaded from the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org.

The address for all U.S. senators is:

Senator ____________
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Note: E-mail to senators is useful only if it comes from constituents within their own states, and such e-mails must include a mailing address for a response by U.S. mail in order to be counted as real "constituent mail." For E-mail to Virginia senators, send to Senator George Allen and Senator John Warner.

(3) You can greatly assist NRLC's lobbying efforts by sending a copy of any response from a senator, and any local press report or editorial dealing with this issue, to:

NRLC Federal Legislative Office
419-Seventh Street, Northwest
Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20004
phone: (202) 626-8820
fax: (202) 347-3668
E-mail: Legfederal@aol.com

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

On Wednesday, May 9, or Thursday, May 10, the U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on whether to overturn President Bush's pro-life "Mexico City Policy." A close vote is expected.

BACKGROUND: On January 22, President Bush ordered the restoration of the pro-life "Mexico City Policy." Under this policy, U.S. foreign aid for overseas "population assistance" or "family planning" programs (over $400 million a year) can only be given to private organizations that sign a contract promising not to perform abortions (except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incest), lobby to change the abortion laws of host countries, or otherwise "promote abortion as a method of family planning."

On May 2, during debate on the State Department authorization bill (H.R. 1646), the House International Relations Committee adopted (26 to 22) an amendment offered by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Ca.) that would overturn the Mexico City Policy.

When H.R. 1646 reaches the House floor on May 9 or 10, Congressman Henry Hyde (R-Il.), the chairman of the International Relations Committee, will offer an amendment to strike the Barbara Lee provision from the bill.

All U.S. House members should be urged to "vote for the Hyde Amendment in order to protect President Bush's pro-life Mexico City Policy."

For further information on the Mexico City Policy, contact the NRLC Federal Legislative Office at Legfederal@aol.com or (202) 626-8820.

It is especially important that the following House members receive encouragement to support President Bush's Mexico City Policy (in order by state):

Ross (D-Ark.),
Lewis (R-Ca.),
Bono (R-Ca.),
Miller (R-Fl.),
Foley (R-Fl.),
Shaw (R-Fl.),
Isakson (R-Ga.),
Ganske (R-Iowa),
Cooksey (R-La.),
Moakley (D-Mass.),
Upton (R-Mi.),
Bereuter (R-Ne.),
Gibbons (R-Nv.),
Wilson (R-NM),
Skeen (R-NM),
McNulty (D-NY),
Sweeney (R-NY),
Hobson (R-Ohio),
Kaptur (D-Ohio),
Regula (R-Ohio),
Walden (R-Or.),
Borski (D-Pa.),
Toomey (R-Pa.),
Matheson (D-Utah),
Tom Davis (R-Va.),
Nethercutt (R-Wa.),
Dunn (R-Wa.),
Capito (R-WV).

VSHL is the Virginia affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

On April 4, the U.S. Senate passed the McCain-Feingold bill (S. 27), which would place unprecedented restrictions on free speech. The vote was 59-41. For a detailed account of the Senate's action, including the roll call, visit the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org/Federal/Free_Speech/index.html.

Focus Shifts to House

[You can see the 1999 roll call on the Shays-Meehan bill by going to the government website called "Thomas" at thomas.loc.gov, under "Roll Call Votes, House, Previous Sessions, 106th Congress First Session (1999), Roll Call No. 422."]

[VSHL Note: In the 1999 vote, the following Virginia Representatives voted against the Shays-Meehan bill:

Bobby Scott (D-3)
Virgil Goode (I-5)
Bob Goodlatte (R-6)
Tom Davis (R-11)

Jim Moran (D-8)
Rick Boucher (D-9)
Frank Wolf (R-10)

Representatives Jo Ann Davis (R-1), Ed Schrock (R-2), and Eric Cantor (R-7) were not in office at that time. The Fourth District seat is currently vacant due to the recent death of Rep. Norman Sisisky.]

McCain-Feingold Restrictions

As approved by the Senate, the McCain-Feingold bill would prohibit organizations (other than heavily regulated federal political action committees) from funding TV or radio ads that even mention the name of a local member of Congress for 30 days before a state's congressional primary, and for another 60 days before the general election (or a runoff election). The bill defines such lawmaker-naming ads as "electioneering communications."

Johnson explained, "For example, if the House of Representatives takes up a pro-life bill on March 4, 2002, NRLC and NRLC affiliates would be prohibited from running ads the week before the vote on Christian radio stations in California, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas, asking listeners to call congressman so-and-so to urge him to vote for the bill."

The bill originally contained the "Snowe-Jeffords provision," which banned such so-called "electioneering communications" by most groups, but which also contained a partial exception to allow groups that are incorporated under 501(c)(4) of the IRS code to sponsor such ads under certain burdensome restrictions. However, the Senate adopted an amendment offered by Senator Paul Wellstone (D-Mn.) that extended the ban to the category of 501(c)(4) groups as well, which includes NRLC and most NRLC state affiliates.

The Senate also adopted an amendment, sponsored by pro-abortion Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), to provide that if federal courts strike down the 30/60-day pre-election bans, a different restriction would spring into effect that would restrict, at any time of the year, any broadcast ad that "promotes" or "attacks" a member of Congress or other "candidate," if the ad is deemed "suggestive" of a vote for or against a candidate.

In addition, a last-minute amendment added by Senator McCain would place year-round restrictions on lobbying groups communicating with the public about members of Congress if those communications are are deemed to be "in connection with" an election, even when the sponsoring groups are acting without any "collaboration or agreement" with a candidate. This restriction would apply to print communications and telephone calls, as well as broadcast ads.

(For further information on how the McCain-Feingold bill would interfere with the right of citizen groups to communicate with the public about what members of Congress are doing, see www.nrlc.org/Federal/Free_Speech/index.html.)

The bill also would prohibit political parties from accepting so-called "soft money" contributions -- that is, contributions of unlimited size from individuals, corporations, or labor unions. Currently, these contributions cannot be used to expressly advocate the election or defeat of a federal candidate, but they can be used to promote issues and for party-building activities. Under the bill, parties would be able to accept contributions only from individuals, and these would be limited.

The Senate rejected a fundamentally different approach to "campaign finance reform," offered by pro-life Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Ne.). Hagel's amendment did not restrict speech by citizen groups, and it capped but did not ban "soft money" contributions to political parties. NRLC did not object to the Hagel amendment. A similar bill (H.R. 1039) has been introduced in the House by Congressman Lee Terry (R-Ne.).

How to Contact U.S. House Members

While letters should be in your own words, the key point is that the McCain-Feingold bill severely restricts the right of citizen groups to collect and spend money to inform the public about what members of Congress are doing in Washington, including alerting citizens about upcoming votes on key issues in Congress.

By mail: You can write to any member of the U.S. House at:

The Honorable ____________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

By telephone:
You can call any member of the U.S. House through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121. If you are not sure who represents you in the House, just give your postal zip code to the Capitol Switchboard operator. In addition, calls to the in-district offices of House members are very helpful. You can get your congressman's local office number from local telephone information.

By e-mail:
Members of Congress do not place much importance on e-mail, since they receive many thousands of mass-generated e-mails from outside their own districts. Therefore, regular mail is much more effective. However, if you use e-mail to your own congressman or senators, be sure to include your postal mailing address in your e-mail.

Another Way You Can Help

The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on Wednesday, April 25, on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (H.R. 503), a bill that would legally recognize unborn children as victims when they are injured or killed during the commission of federal crimes of violence. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), is strongly backed by the National Right to Life Committee and other pro-life groups.

This will be the first congressional vote on a right-to-life bill since the election. In order to pass the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, it will first be necessary to defeat a substitute amendment, offered by pro-abortion lawmakers, that if adopted would destroy the bill. A very close vote is expected on this "killer substitute."

On April 4, House members returned to their districts for a "home district work period." They will not return to Washington until April 24 -- the day before the vote. Therefore, pro-life leaders must make contact with lawmakers back home during the recess regarding this vote. [A list of Virginia lawmakers appears at the end of this alert.]

TWO VICTIMS OR ONE VICTIM?

(1) "Please OPPOSE the killer substitute amendment (the Lofgren Amendment) to the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. The Unborn Victims of Violence Act would recognize that when a criminal injures or kills an unborn child while committing a federal crime, he has claimed two victims. The crime against the woman herself can already be punished under the 68 federal laws covered by the bill -- but current federal law does not recognize that the unborn child can also be a victim. The Lofgren amendment would impose additional punishment on a criminal who interferes with a 'pregnancy,' but it would recognize only one victim in such a crime. A vote for the Lofgren 'one-victim' amendment is a vote to say that when a criminal brutally assaults a woman and kills her unborn child, there has been no loss of life."

(2) Twenty-four states already have laws that recognize unborn children as crime victims, and the federal courts say that such laws do not violate Roe v. Wade because they do not restrict abortion. (For a factsheet on state unborn victim laws, see www.nrlc.org/Whatsnew/sthomicidelaws.htm)

(3) Pro-abortion groups object to the bill's references to "unborn child" and "child in utero," defined as "a member of the species homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb." But on July 25, 2000, the House by a vote of 417-0 passed a bill that contained the same definition of "child in utero." That bill, the Innocent Child Protection Act, said that no state or federal authority may "carry out a sentence of death on a woman while she carries a child in utero. . . .'child in utero' means a member of the species homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb." Thus, for most House members, you can point out to an undecided congressman that he has already voted for the same legal definition.

PLEASE NOTE: Further details on the bill, including additional information on how to respond to arguments on the issue, are found in NRLC's March 12 letter to House members, the factsheet "Key Points on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act," and other documents posted on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act section at the NRLC website at: www.nrlc.org/Unborn_Victims/index.html

The complete text of the bill is also available at that site in the popular PDF format (requires free Adobe Acrobat software).

HISTORY OF THE LEGISLATION

WHAT THE BILL DOES

The bill does not cover legal abortions or harmful acts committed by a woman on her own unborn child (for example, illegal drug use). Nevertheless, the bill is opposed by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL), the ACLU, and other pro-abortion groups. For example, in a March 21 statement, PPFA President Gloria Feldt said the bill would "erode the foundation of Roe v. Wade." Many pro-abortion members of Congress have embraced the same viewpoint. For example, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) said the bill's premise is "at odds with the holdings of the Supreme Court and the Constitution."

But pro-life lawmakers point out that the Supreme Court has based its pro-abortion holdings on a supposed "right of privacy" held by the pregnant woman, which has no application in the case of a violent assault. They also note that in the 1989 case of Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, the Supreme Court said a Missouri law that declares "the life of each human being begins at conception" and that "the unborn child at every stage of development [holds] all the rights, privileges, and immunities available to other persons" was unobjectionable -- so long as Missouri did not use this law to restrict abortion.

Bill supporters also emphasize that 24 states have already enacted unborn victim laws, and that courts have upheld these laws against all legal challenges, since they do not apply to legal abortions. (The federal bill would not replace or supersede these state laws, since it would apply only in cases in which an unborn child is harmed during the commission of a federal crime.)

THE KILLER SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT
(Lofgren Amendment)

(The 1999 roll call on the Lofgren Amendment is available at the invaluable government website called "Thomas," at thomas.loc.gov. See House roll calls, 106th Congress First Session, roll call no. 464. The vote on final passage of the bill was 106th Congress First Session roll call no. 465. Or, you can check to see how the House members from a given state voted by going to the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org, push the button for "Voting Records," and refer to roll call numbers 16 and 17 in the 106th Congress House scorecard.)

When the House Judiciary Committee considered the new bill on March 28, Lofgren again offered her substitute proposal. The gutting amendment was defeated on a party-line vote, but Lofgren is expected to offer the "one victim" substitute again when the bill reaches the House floor on April 25.

NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson heralded the Judiciary Committee's rejection of the Lofgren one-victim amendment, saying, "This bill simply puts federal law behind the common sense recognition that when a criminal attacks a pregnant woman and injures or kills her unborn child, he has claimed two human victims. Any lawmaker who votes for the 'one-victim' substitute is really voting to say that when a criminal injures a pregnant woman and kills her unborn child, there has been no loss of human life."

Some pro-abortion Judiciary Committee members objected to the bill's use of the terms "unborn child" and "child in utero." But on July 25, 2000, the House by a vote of 417-0, passed a bill that contained the same definition of "child in utero." That bill, the Innocent Child Protection Act, said that no state or federal authority may "carry out a sentence of death on a woman while she carries a child in utero. . . .'child in utero' means a member of the species homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb." (The House roll call in favor of the Innocent Child Protection Act is available at thomas.loc.gov under House roll calls, 106th Congress Second Session, roll call no. 431.)

HOW YOU CAN HELP ENACT THIS IMPORTANT PRO-LIFE BILL

(2) Generate letters to lawmakers' D.C. offices, making the same points (House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515).

(3) Send a letter of 250-300 words to the letters column of your local newspaper(s), explaining the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and encouraging citizens to contact their representatives to urge support for the bill without any weakening amendments.

(4) As the April 25 date for House floor action nears, utilize telephone trees, e-mail alert lists, call-In radio shows, and other methods to encourage phone calls to the local offices of U.S. House members, and to their Washington offices at 202-225-3121, in support of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.

(5) Try to interest local newspaper reporters, columnists, editorialists, talk-radio show hosts, and other media in covering the bill and the local House members' positions on the bill. NRLC staff persons are available for interviews by calling NRLC Department of Media Relations at (202) 626-8825.

(6) You can greatly assist NRLC's lobbying efforts by sending a copy of any response from a lawmaker, and any local press report or editorial dealing with this issue, to:

National Right to Life
Federal Legislative Office
419-Seventh Street, Northwest
Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20004
Phone: (202) 626-8820
Fax: (202) 347-3668
E-Mail: Legfederal@aol.com
Internet: www.nrlc.org/Unborn_Victims/index.html

VSHL NOTE:

When the House last considered the Unborn Victims of Violence Act on September 30, 1999, the following Virginia Representatives voted for the Act:

Virgil Goode (I-5)
Bob Goodlatte (R-6)
Frank Wolf (R-10)
Tom Davis (R-11) (but see below)

Reps. Bobby Scott (D-3) (see below)
Jim Moran (D-8)
Rick Boucher (D-9)

11th District residents should note that Rep. Tom Davis voted FOR the Lofgren Amendment. He should be strongly urged to show genuine support for the Unborn Victims of Violence Act this time by voting AGAINST the substitute amendment. A vote for the "one-victim" substitute is a vote to say that when a criminal attacks a woman and kills her unborn baby, there has been no loss of life.

Rep. Bobby Scott voted against the Lofgren Amendment but he then also voted against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. Rep. Scott should be urged to vote pro-life on BOTH votes this year. The Unborn Victims of Violence Act does NOT create any new federal crimes. It merely recognizes that the unborn child may be the victim of the crimes of violence already covered by 68 existing federal laws.

Representatives Jo Ann Davis (R-1), Ed Schrock (R-2), and Eric Cantor (R-7) were not in office at that time. The Fourth District seat is currently vacant due to the recent death of Rep. Norman Sisisky.

The following letter was sent to U.S. Senators by the National Right to Life Committee at 2:30 p.m. Monday, April 2, 2001.

April 2, 2001

RE: How Amendments Worsened the McCain-Feingold Bill

Dear Senator:

The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) urges you to vote no on the final, amended version of the McCain-Feingold bill (S. 27). The adoption of the Wellstone, Specter, and McCain amendments resulted in a final bill that is considerably worse than the bill as introduced. Thus, NRLC will include the vote on final passage of S. 27 in our scorecard of key votes for the 107th Congress. Among the major problems are the following:

As amended by the Wellstone Amendment, the bill bans NRLC, NRLC affiliates, and all other 501(c)(4) advocacy corporations (not PACs) from funding TV or radio ads that even mention the name of a local member of Congress for 30 days before a state's congressional primary, and for another 60 days before the general election (or a runoff election). [The Wellstone Amendment modified the Snowe-Jeffords provision of the original bill, which seriously restricted, but did not flatly ban, 501(c)(4) groups from sponsoring such ads.] For example, if the House of Representatives takes up a bill to ban partial-birth abortions on March 4, 2002, NRLC would be prohibited from running ads the week before the vote on Christian radio stations in the districts of "swing vote" House members in California, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas, urging, "Please call Congressman _______and urge him to vote for the bill to ban partial-birth abortions."

If the Snowe-Jeffords-Wellstone ban on "issue ads" described above is struck down as unconstitutional by the courts, the Specter Amendment adopted on March 29 (see S 3119-20) would spring into effect -- and it would impose an even more sweeping restriction.

The Snowe-Jeffords-Wellstone provision would apply during pre-election blackout periods, but the Specter Amendment standard would apply all year round. The Snowe-Jeffords-Wellstone provision applies to ads that name or depict a "candidate," but Specter's trigger-clause provision would apply to any broadcast ad that "promotes," "supports," "attacks," or "opposes" a "candidate," and that is "suggestive of no plausible meaning other than an exhortation to vote for or against a specific candidate." Under this sweeping and vague standard, a radio ad run today -- 19 months before the next election -- that simply said, "Congressman Jones is pro-life," could subject an organization to a costly investigation by the FEC as to what audience was targeted by the ad, whether the term "pro-life" is "suggestive" that listeners should vote for Jones, etc.

The last-minute McCain Amendment rewrote the bill's "coordination" section, but the amendment did not change the objections NRLC previously voiced to Section 214. Under the McCain Amendment, "coordination" is still broadly defined to include "any general understanding" with a candidate, which could include such activity as submitting and returning a questionnaire on a range of legislative issues. The McCain Amendment specifically repudiates current law by dictating that no "collaboration or agreement" is required "to establish coordination."

Moreover, under the amendment, a prohibited coordinated communication includes any "disbursement made . . . in connection with a candidate's election, regardless of whether the . . . disbursement is for a communication that contains express advocacy." [emphasis added] The phrase "in connection with" is both sweeping and vague. Indeed, in 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Massachusetts Citizens for Life v. FEC that the phrase "in connection with" an election was unconstitutionally vague and overbroad, because it covers commentary on political figures that enjoys core protection under the First Amendment ("issue advocacy").

Thus, under the McCain Amendment, a group could be subject to debilitating FEC investigations and penalties merely for communicating with a member of Congress regarding his positions on certain legislative issues, and then disseminating that information to the public through grassroots lobbying alerts, voter guides, or other communications, including printed literature, broadcast ads, or telephone calls. In addition, the bill would require a senator to report all such "coordinated" activity by the organization in question, even though he may have had no knowledge of the specific activities involved.

Sincerely,

David N. O'Steen, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Douglas Johnson
Legislative Director
National Right to Life Committee

(202) 626-8820

More detailed materials on the McCain-Feingold and Shays-Meehan bills are available at www.nrlc.org/Federal/Free_Speech/index.html

The following letter from the National Right to Life Committee was transmitted to U.S. Senate offices Thursday evening, March 29. Subsequently, a final vote on passage of the McCain-Feingold bill was scheduled for Monday, April 2. at 5:30 p.m.

March 29, 2001

Dear Senator:

The amending process on the McCain-Feingold bill has produced a bill that would violate the constitutional rights of our organization, our affiliates, and our members to an even greater degree than the bill as introduced. Therefore, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) urges you to vote against final passage of the bill. Because the bill would greatly impair our right to effectively inform the public about events in Congress, and would place both our organization and members of Congress at legal risk for engaging in constitutionally protected communications regarding public policy issues, NRLC will include the vote on final passage of S. 27 in our scorecard of key votes for the 107th Congress.

Among the most objectionable provisions of the amended bill are those dealing with issue advocacy and "coordinated activity."

As amended by the Wellstone Amendment, Section 201 of the bill bans NRLC, NRLC affiliates [including VSHL], and all other 501(c)(4) advocacy corporations (not PACs) from funding TV or radio ads that even mention the name of a local member of Congress for 30 days before a state's congressional primary, and for another 60 days before the general election (or a runoff election). For example, if the House of Representatives takes up a bill to ban partial-birth abortions on March 4, 2002, NRLC would be prohibited from running ads the week before the vote on Christian radio stations in the districts of "swing vote" House members in California, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas, urging, "Please call Congressman _______and urge him to vote for the bill to ban partial-birth abortions."

The section on "coordinated activity" (Section 214) would place both incumbent senators and advocacy groups at legal risk for engaging in cooperative or parallel activities in support of common legislative goals. A single communication to the public by an organization that reflected a "general or particular understanding with a candidate" would establish an irrevocable condition of "coordination" between the organization and the senator for an entire six-year term. Any subsequent activity by the organization deemed to be "of value" to the senator would constitute an illegal campaign "contribution." Moreover, the bill (p. 30-31) would require the senator to report all such "coordinated" activity by the organization, even though he may have had no knowledge of the activity.

Sincerely,

David N. O'Steen, Ph.D.
Executive Director

Douglas Johnson
Legislative Director
National Right to Life Committee

(202) 626-8820

More detailed materials on the McCain-Feingold and Shays-Meehan bills are available at www.nrlc.org/Federal/Free_Speech/index.html

On Monday, March 19, the U.S. Senate will begin a wide-open, two-week debate on the McCain-Feingold "campaign finance reform" bill (S. 27), which is strongly opposed by NRLC and many other citizen groups. A final vote on the bill is expected on or about March 30.

Please take immediate action to encourage calls and e-mails to all U.S. senators -- and especially, to Republican senators -- in opposition to the McCain-Feingold bill.

The leading opponent of the bill, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), says that he expects the Senate to vote on numerous amendments to the 38-page bill. However, the odds are very high that at the conclusion of the amendment process, the bill will still contain highly objectionable provisions -- and it may be even worse than the original bill! Therefore, your focus should be on the simple message: "Vote NO on the McCain-Feingold, because a vote for the bill is a vote against free speech about politicians."

All available means of activating grassroots networks should be utilized to galvanize citizen activity on this issue, including telephone trees, church bulletins, call-ins to appropriate radio talk shows, and letters for publication in local newspapers.

At a March 1 press conference on Capitol Hill, NRLC joined numerous other groups in opposition to the bill. Other groups expressing opposition at the press conference included the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, Business-Industry Political Action Committee, National Association of Business Political Action Committees, National Right to Work Committee, National Rifle Association, and American Civil Liberties Union.

Why This Bill Should Be Rejected

• provisions to make it illegal for a group to discuss with an elected representative his "message" -- for example, how to best promote a pro-life bill -- and then discuss the same subject in communications to the public within his state or district (by defining such communications as illegal campaign "contributions");
• language to ban many types of groups from sponsoring TV or radio ads for one month before a primary and two months before a general election, if the ads even mention the name of a member of Congress (for example, an ad that says, "Please call Senator Jones and urge him to vote for the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act"), and to allow certain other groups to purchase such ads only under an array of restrictions, including requiring public identification of anyone who contributes $1,000 for support of such ads; and
• provisions that in effect require a political group to provide advance notice before urging the public to support or oppose a federal politician, thereby allowing powerful incumbent politicians to take advance measures to block speech they don't like -- for example, by pressuring broadcasters not to accept ads.

Additional material on the ways in which the McCain-Feingold bill would harm NRLC and other pro-life groups is available on the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org/Federal/Free_Speech/index.html. In particular, please see the new analysis of the bill entitled "The Speech-Restrictive Provisions of the McCain-Feingold 'Campaign Reform' Bill (S. 27)" which has just recently been issued by NRLC. The NRLC website also contains a detailed analysis of the ways in which the McCain-Feingold bill violates First Amendment rights to free speech and free association, prepared by the James Madison Center for Free Speech. For more information on the work of the Madison Center, see www.jamesmadisoncenter.org.

How to Contact Senators

All senators' offices may be contacted through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. In addition, calls to senators' in-state offices can be especially helpful. Virginia Senators' e-mail addresses are as follows:

• Senator George Allen: Senator_Allen@allen.senate.gov
• Senator John Warner: Senator@warner.senate.gov

What About the House of Representatives?

Representative ___________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Washington offices of all U.S. House members can be called through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121. Calls to the in-state offices of representatives are especially helpful. In most cases, the e-mail address of a House member follows this simple format: firstname.lastname@mail.house.gov. The e-mail addresses of House members may be confirmed by calling their offices, or through the website www.house.gov/writerep.

Another Way You Can Help

SB 1211, patroned by Senator J. Randy Forbes, on Informed Consent - A Woman's Right to Know, has been referred to House Courts of Justice Committee.

HB 2570, patroned by Delegate Robert F. McDonnell, on Informed Consent - A Woman's Right to Know, has been referred to the Senate Courts of Justice Committee.

At this time we do not know when these bills will be on the dockets of the Senate/House Courts of Justice Committees. The 2001 session of the Virginia General Assembly ends February 24th, so it will be soon.

Please contact your Delegate and ask that he/she support SB 1211 without any amendments.

[Click here for Delegates' E-mail Addresses]

Please contact your Senator and ask that he/she support HB 2570 without any amendments.

[Click here for Senators' E-mail Addresses]

If you have any questions, please contact the VSHL office.

Thank you,
Maggie Disney
VSHL State Office
804.358.8745 voice
804.358.8789 fax
804.358.8783 hot line
vshl67@aol.com
http://www.vshl.org

FEBRUARY 6, 2001 --

Separate bills on Informed Consent - A Woman's Right to Know, have now been passed in the Virginia House of Delegates and the State Senate. Action is still needed. Before a bill can become law, the same bill must be passed with identical wording in both the House of Delegates and the Senate.

SB 1211, Informed Consent

This morning the Senate passed SB 1211, Informed Consent - A Woman's Right to Know, patroned by Senator J. Randy Forbes, by a vote of 24-16. There was discussion on the floor for over an hour, during which one amendment was offered by Senator Edwards. This amendment was to rerefer the SB 1211 back to the Senate Education and Health Committee and was rejected by a vote of 15-25.

Please contact your Senator in regard to his/her vote on SB 1211.

If your Senator voted for passage, please thank him for his support and vote.

For passage: Bolling, Chichester, Colgan, Forbes, Hanger, Hawkins, Martin, Maxwell, Miller,K.G., Mims, Newman, Norment, Potts, Puckett, Quayle, Rerras, Ruff, Stolle, Stosch, Trumbo, Wagner, Wampler, Watkins and Williams.

If your Senator vote against passage please contact him/her and let him/her know how your feel about his/her vote.

Against passage: Barry, Byrne, Couric, Edwards, Houck, Howell, Lambert, Lucas, Marsh, Marye, Miller, Y.B., Puller, Reynolds, Saslaw, Ticer and Whipple.

[Click here for Senators' E-mail Addresses]

SB 1211 now will be sent to the House where it will be assigned to a committee. Please call your delegate and ask that no amendments be added to this bill and to see that it gets out of committee and onto the floor of the House for a vote.

[Click here for Delegates' E-mail Addresses]

HB 2570, Informed Consent

HB 2403 Murder of a Human Fetus

Please contact the VSHL office with any questions.

Many thanks for all that you are doing.

Thank you,
Maggie Disney
VSHL State Office
804.358.8745 voice
804.358.8789 fax
804.358.8783 hot line
vshl67@aol.com
http://www.vshl.org

FEBRUARY 5, 2001 --

This afternoon in the Senate, SB 1211, Informed Consent - A Woman's Right to Know, patroned by Senator J. Randy Forbes, was on the floor of the Senate for the 2nd reading. Thirteen amendments were offered, two of which were ruled not germane, the other 11 were rejected. The third reading (for passage) on this bill will be on Tuesday, Feb 6.

HB 2570, Informed Consent - A Woman's Right to Know, patroned by Delegate Robert F. McDonnell, was passed out of the House on Saturday and now is being sent to the Senate.

HB 2403, Murder of a Human Fetus, patroned by Delegate Terry G. Kilgore, passed the second reading in the House today. This bill will be up for third reading in the House tomorrow, Tuesday, Feb. 6. Please contact the VSHL office for further information.

JANUARY 31, 2001 --

SB 1211, Informed Consent - A Woman's Right to Know, patron - Senator J. Randy Forbes, was heard this afternoon in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee and was passed out of Committee on an 8-7 vote. The following Senators voted yes: Stolle, Trumbo, Quayle, Norment, Williams, Forbes, Mims and Rerras. Please contact them and thank them for their support.

Now SB 1211 will go to the floor of the Senate, possibly tomorrow for the first reading. Please contact your senator and ask for his/her support for this bill, with no amendments.

HB 2570, Informed Consent - A Woman's Right to Know, patron Delegate McDonnell, should also be on the floor of the House tomorrow for its first reading. Please contact your Delegate and ask for his/her support for this bill, with no amendments.

For information on contacting your State Senator or Delegate, click here: Virginia Legislature - Introduction (Home)

Following are the e-mail addresses of the members of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee that supported SB1211:

Forbes, J. Randy district14@sov.state.va.us
Mims, Bill district33@sov.state.va.us
Norment, Thomas K., Jr. district03@sov.state.va.us
Quayle, Frederick M. district13@sov.state.va.us
Rerras, Nick district06@sov.state.va.us
Stolle, Kenneth W. district08@sov.state.va.us
Trumbo, Malfourd W. district22@sov.state.va.us
Williams, Martin E. district01@sov.state.va.us

The constituent viewpoint hotline number is 1-800-889-0229 or 1-804-698-1990. This hot line is answered from 8:30 a m to 5 pm each day the assembly is in session.

Thank you to all the folks who were able to attend the Senate Courts of Justice Committee this afternoon. Your presence does make a difference.

JANUARY 26, 2001 -- URGENT:

Thanks to your efforts the Senate Rules Committee met on Thursday, Jan. 25, and referred SB 1211 to the Senate Courts of Justice Committee.

It is URGENT that the members of the Senate Courts of Justice Committee be asked to support SB 1211, A Woman's Right to Know - Informed Consent, patron Sen. J. Randy Forbes. Please contact the committee members by e-mail, phone, letter, in person, etc. It is vital that the senators hear from you.

Senate Courts of Justice Committee: Membership: Stolle (Chairman), Saslaw, Trumbo, Marsh, Quayle, Norment, Howell, Lucas, Williams, Edwards, Reynolds, Forbes, Mims, Puller, Rerras.
The Committee will meet on Wednesday, January 31 at 2:00 p.m., Senate Room A.
Please make every effort to attend this meeting.

Mailing address for Senate members during session is: Honorable____________, General Assembly Building, Richmond, VA 23219.

SENATOR'S E-MAIL ADDRESSES:

Edwards, John S. district21@sov.state.va.us
Forbes, J. Randy district14@sov.state.va.us
Howell, Janet D. district32@sov.state.va.us
Lucas, L. Louise district18@sov.state.va.us
Marsh, Henry L., III district16@sov.state.va.us
Mims, Bill district33@sov.state.va.us
Newman, Stephen D. district23@sov.state.va.us
Norment, Thomas K., Jr. district03@sov.state.va.us
Puller, Linda "Toddy" district36@sov.state.va.us
Quayle, Frederick M. district13@sov.state.va.us
Rerras, Nick district06@sov.state.va.us
Reynolds, W. Roscoe district20@sov.state.va.us
Saslaw, Richard L. district35@sov.state.va.us
Stolle, Kenneth W. district08@sov.state.va.us
Trumbo, Malfourd W. district22@sov.state.va.us
Williams, Martin E. district01@sov.state.va.us

The constituent viewpoint hotline number is 1-800-889-0229 or 1-804-698-1990. This hot line is answered from 8:30 a m to 5 pm each day the assembly is in session.

Thank you for all that you are doing - if your have any questions, please call the VSHL office at 804-358-8745.

JANUARY 16, 2001 -- URGENT:

Please contact the members of the Senate Rules Committee, listed below, and ask that they accept to vote on the referral of SB 1211, patroned by Senator J. Randy Forbes, to the Senate Courts of Justice Committee. SB 1211 addresses the issue of informed consent, also known as "A Woman's Right to Know." (See the VSHL Fact Sheet and Talking Points on A Woman's Right to Know: Informed Consent About Abortion.)

SB 1211 at present has been referred to the Senate Committee on Education and Health, the committee which has killed the bill in previous years. It needs to be in the Senate COURTS OF JUSTICE Committee. The Senate Rules Committee has the authority to change committee assignments.

SENATE RULES COMMITTEE:

E-Mail Addresses for members of Senate Rules Committee:
Barry, Warren E. district37@sov.state.va.us
Chichester, John H. district28@sov.state.va.us
Colgan, Charles J. district29@sov.state.va.us
Hanger, Emmett W., Jr. district24@sov.state.va.us
Hawkins, Charles R. district19@sov.state.va.us
Houck, R. Edward district17@sov.state.va.us
Marye, Madison E. district39@sov.state.va.us
Miller, Kevin G. district26@sov.state.va.us
Norment, Thomas K., Jr. district03@sov.state.va.us
Quayle, Frederick M. district13@sov.state.va.us
Saslaw, Richard L. district35@sov.state.va.us
Stolle, Kenneth W. district08@sov.state.va.us
Stosch, Walter A. district12@sov.state.va.us
Trumbo, Malfourd W. district22@sov.state.va.us
Wampler, William C., Jr. district40@sov.state.va.us
Williams, Martin E. district01@sov.state.va.us

The constituent hotline number is : (800) 889-0229 or (804) 698-1990. This hot line is answered from 8:30 a m to 5 pm each day the assembly is in session.

Please contact the VSHL office for additional information (804.358.8745)

JANUARY 12, 2001 -- Below you will find information on SB 1211, patroned by Sen. Forbes, and HB 2570, patroned by Delegate McDonnell.

Also you will find the list of the Senators on the Senate Education and Health (E & H) Committee and the Delegates on the House Courts of Justice Committee.

Please contact your senator and the senators on the Sen E & H Committee and ask them to support SB 1211.

Please contact your delegate and the delegates on the House Courts of Justice Committee, listed below, and ask for their support on HB 2570.

See also the VSHL Fact Sheet and Talking Points on A Woman's Right to Know: Informed Consent About Abortion.

Below are summaries and status of the bills, and committee members.

SB 1211 Abortion, informed written consent as a prerequisite; penalty.

Summary as introduced:

Full text

Status:
01/10/01 House: Presented & ordered printed, prefiled 01/10/01 011950424
01/10/01 Senate: Referred to Committee on Education and Health

Senate Education & Health Committee

Membership: Warren E. Barry (Chair), John H. Chichester, Richard L. Saslaw, Benjamin J. Lambert, III, R. Edward Houck, L. Louise Lucas, H. Russell Potts, Jr., Janet D. Howell, Frederick M. Quayle, Stephen H. Martin, Stephen D. Newman, John S. Edwards, Emily Couric, Bill Bolling, Frank M. Ruff.

House Courts of Justice Committee

Membership: Howell (Co-Chair), Almand (Co-Chair), McClure, McDonnell, Albo, Griffith, Kilgore, Rust, Harris, McQuigg, Black, Nixon, Weatherholtz, Drake, Johnson, Jones, J.C., Melvin, Armstrong, Deeds, Watts, McEachin, Moran, Joannou
Meets: Thursday 45 min. after adj. & Friday at 10:00 a.m. in House Room C. Tuesday 45 min. after adj. Subc. #1 in House Rm. C, Subc. #2 in House Rm. 4

HB 2570 Informed written consent for abortion.

Patron - Robert F. McDonnell (all patrons)

Summary as introduced:

Full text

Status:
01/10/01 House: Presented & ordered printed, prefiled 01/10/01 010713836 01/10/01 House: Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice

JANUARY 11, 2001 -- Beginning as soon as late January, the U.S. Senate will deal with two issues of key concern to the pro-life movement.

The first of these is President-Elect Bush's nomination of former Missouri Senator John Ashcroft as Attorney General. The second is possible Senate consideration of the McCain-Feingold "campaign finance reform" legislation that could severely restrict the right of NRLC and other pro-life groups to communicate with the public about the actions of those who hold or seek federal office.

It is important for all senators to receive communications on both issues. However, in general, it is particularly important that Democratic senators receive large numbers of letters and calls in support of the Ashcroft nomination, and particularly important that Republican senators receive letters and calls in opposition to the McCain-Feingold bill.

All available means of activating grassroots networks should be utilized to galvanize citizen activity on these issues, including telephone trees, church bulletins, call-ins to appropriate radio talk shows, and letters to the editor of local newspapers.

The information below provides basic information on these two issues. For further information and updates on these and other federal issues, see the NRLC website at www.nrlc.org under "Federal Legislation."

Ashcroft Nomination

President-Elect Bush has named pro-life former Senator John Ashcroft of Missouri as Attorney General. A large coalition of organizations has vowed to defeat Ashcroft in the Senate, with Ashcroft's strong pro-life views at the top of their list of objections. The anti-Ashcroft coalition includes the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL), the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), the National Abortion Federation, and other pro-abortion groups.

"We're going to spend whatever it takes," send NARAL President Kate Michelman. PPFA President Gloria Feldt said, "Our activists will oppose the nomination of this ant-choice extremist and will do everything in their power to prevent the approval of his nomination."

The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin hearings on the nomination on Tuesday, January 16.

It is especially important that Democratic senators receive large numbers of letters and phone calls urging them to vote in favor of Ashcroft's nomination. While most Republican senators are expected to support the nomination, they too need to receive encouragement to actively work for Ashcroft's confirmation and to resist the well-funded pressure campaign by the anti-Ashcroft coalition.

While letters should be in the writers' own words, here are some key points:

• As a former state attorney general, former governor, and former member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, John Ashcroft is exceptionally well qualified to serve as Attorney General of the United States.
• John Ashcroft is known as a man of strong integrity, whose deep religious convictions are shared by many millions of Americans.
• John Ashcroft will enforce the laws that Congress has enacted. In 1996, Ashcroft said, "I oppose unlawfully barricading or otherwise curtailing access to legal abortion clinics. I condemn violence regarding this issue by individuals either in favor of or against abortion."
• President Bush has a right to have an Attorney General who shares his positions in support of the right to life.

McCain-Feingold Bill

Senator John McCain (R-Az.) has indicated that he and Senator Russell Feingold (D-Wi.) will seek to force Senate action on some version of their so-called "campaign finance reform" legislation during the early weeks of the new congressional session.

The latest version of the McCain-Feingold bill has not yet been revealed. However, past versions of the bill have contained provisions that would restrict the right of groups such as NRLC to communicate with the public regarding the positions and voting records of those who hold or seek federal office. Such restrictions, if enacted, would further enhance the power of the institutional news/entertainment media to control what citizens are told about right-to-life issues and about the actions of federal politicians on those issues.

Please encourage letters and calls to all U.S. senators -- especially Republicans and newly elected Democrats. Urge them "to oppose the McCain-Feingold bill and any other campaign reform bill that would restrict the right of citizen groups to spend money on ads or publications that comment on the positions of politicians on specific issues."

How to Contact Your Senators

The mailing address for Virginia's U.S. senators is:

Senator George Allen or Senator John Warner
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

All senators' offices may be telephoned through the Capitol Switchboard, 202-224-3121.

Another Way You Can Help

Please send a copy of any letter received from a senator, or any report in your local press regarding the position of one of your senators on these issues, to:

National Right to Life / Federal Legislative Office
419-Seventh Street, Northwest, Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20004
fax (202) 347-3668
Legfederal@aol.com

A vote on Pain Relief Promotion Act (H.R. 2260) is scheduled to take place on either Friday, September 15, or Monday, September 18, 2000. The Pain Relief Promotion Act would allow physicians to aggressively treat the pain of terminally ill people by using controlled substances while at the same time banning those substances from being used for assisted suicide or euthanasia. Because of the number of effective medications and advancements that are available to those who are ill, we have the ability to help people in a truly compassionate way.

Preceding the final vote there will be a procedural vote to invoke "cloture" to stop Sen. Ron Wyden's (D-OR) threatened "filibuster." A "filibuster" is a procedure that is commonly used in the U.S. Senate to kill legislation. "Cloture" refers to the procedure to stop the "filibuster."

It is urgent that you call both Senators, John Warner 202-224-2023 and Charles Robb 202-224-4024, with this message:

"Senator Warner/Robb, please vote 'yes' to invoke cloture on the Pain Relief Promotion Act (H.R. 2260) and support this much needed legislation."

Or, if you prefer, you may send an e-mail message to Senator Robb and Senator Warner.

Please contact both of our Senators and urge them to vote to end debate and to support the Pain Relief Promotion Act. Let's kill the pain, not the patient.

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