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Missouri Right to Life News
Winter 2001
Pro-Life President George W Bush!!
At 12:00 noon
on January 20, our nation watched as George
W Bush was sworn in as President of the United States, and pro-lifers thanked
God that our country was again in the hands of a leader who respects the
sanctity of life.
President
Busch wasted no time in demonstrating his pro-life credentials. On January
22, the anniversary of Roe v Wade,
he reinstated
the Mexico City Policy that prohibits taxpayer money to fund organizations that
promote or perform abortions overseas. It was Bush's first major policy
action as president.
It reverses the Clinton administration's pro-abortion position and restores the pro-life policy in place during the Reagan and Bush administrations.
President Bush also issued the following message which was delivered to the pro-life advocates gathered in Washington, D.C. for the annual March for Life:
Good afternoon, friends and fellow citizens. Two days ago, Americans gathered on the Washington Mall to celebrate our Nation's ideals. Today you are gathered to remind our country that one of those ideals is the infinite value of every life.
I deeply appreciate your message and your work. You see the weak and the defenseless, and you try to help them. You see the hardship of many young mothers and their unborn children, and you care for them both. In so many ways, you make our society more compassionate and welcoming.
We share a great goal: to work toward a day when every child is welcomed in life and protected in law. We know this will not come easily, or all at once. But the goal leads us onward: to build a culture of life, affirming that every person, at every stage and season of life, is created equal In God's image.
The promises of our
Declaration of
Independence are not just for the Strong, the independent.
or the healthy.
They are for everyone -- including unborn
children. We are a society
with enough compassion and wealth and love to care for both mothers
and their children, to seek the promise and potential in every human
life. I believe that we
are making progress toward that goal. I trust in
the good hearts of Americans.
I trust in the unfolding promise of our country -- an expanding circle of
inclusion and protection. And I trust in the civility and good sense of
our citizens -- a willingness
to engage our differences in a
spirit of tolerance and good will.
All of you marching today have never tired in a good cause. Thank you for your conviction, your idealism, and your courage.
May
God bless you all.
Missouri
Infant Protection Act
Weakened by Court
There was good news and bad news when a state judge recently ruled on Missouri's law to prohibit partial birth infanticide.
Early
in 2000, in response to a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood (PP), the State
filed a lawsuit in state court against PP to define the scope of the law,
especially to define just which procedures are outlawed by H.B. 427. PP
has argued
On December 5, 2000, the state circuit court in St. Louis issued a mixed ruling. The good news was that the judge construed H.B. 427 to prohibit only one abortion procedure, the one sometimes called "D&X abortion," more aptly called "partial birth infanticide." Thus the statute presents far less a burden than the abortionists claim. However, the bad news was that the court construed the statue to imply a health exception within a broader clause in the statute, allowing those charged with infanticide to have all defenses otherwise available by law. Without such an implied health exception, the judge held, it would be unconstitutional under Supreme Court rulings.
Such a health exception means that the law is a dead letter, as any abortion can be label for a woman's "health" by an abortionist.
At this time, it does not appear that the state will appeal the health exception ruling. PP will undoubtedly appeal on other points.
Thought you'd
like to know...
For independent groups
nationally, Planned Parenthood's ad spending for The 2000 election topped tie
list. Their expenditures in support of Al Gore exceeded $1.46 million
on 1,646 spots. This figure does not include ads run to influence Congressional
races, such as those seen in Missouri.
Planned Parenthood
spent a total of $105 million to turn out their votes, up from zero in 1996 when
the group did not have a political action committee. In addition the
National Abortion Rights Action League kicked in more than $7 million to
influence the election, up from $3.5 million in 1996.
-information from USA Today, October 2000
Valadimir Zhirinovsky, the ultra nationalist Russian politician, has cone up
with a solution to the alarming slide in Russia's population. He suggests that
Russia ban all abortions for ten years. He also suggests that the military
should pass regulations recommending that its 1+ million soldiers receive
regular visits from their wives and girlfriends the hope of increasing the
pregnancy rate.
-International Right to Life Federation News, Nov/Dec 2000
-Canada's
Supreme Court refused leniency for so-called "mercy killing" and
ordered the imprisonment of a man convicted of murdering his handicapped
daughter. They rejected the argument that Robert Latimer asphyxiated his 12-year
old daughter, who suffered from severe cerebral palsy, in 1993 out of love and
necessity. "In considering the defense of necessity, we must remain
aware of the need to respect the life, dignity and equality of all the
individuals affected ... The fact that the victim in this case was disabled
rather than able-bodied does not affect our conclusion, " the court ruled
in its 7-0 decision.
-Reuters, January 18, 2001
Doctors
Criticize Searle Warning
Thompson
to review drug
Two doctors from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have assailed drug maker G.D. Searle for trying o dissuade people from prescribing the drug misoprostol to help induce abortion in RU-486 abortions.
The criticism, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, is part of a bitterly emotional debate in the US over the use of the dangerous abortion drug RU-486.
Administration
of RU-486 must be followed by a second drug to cause the deliver of the then
dead unborn child, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recommended
misoprostol, sold under
the brand name Cytotec, for this purpose.
Searle, a unit of Pharmacia Corp, sent a letter to doctors in 2000 warning that misoprostol has been approved only to prevent ulcers caused by aspirin and similar drugs, not to help induce abortion. They warned women would face severe medical problems if the drug was misused as a part of the RU-486 chemical abortion process. It is legal, however, for doctors to prescribe FDA-approved drugs for unapproved uses - so called "off label" use.
Doctors Ralph Hale and Stanley Zinberg criticized Searle's actions in an editorial, saying that because of the firm's letter some hospitals had refused to allow rnisoprostol to be used for abortions.
Meanwhile, new Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson said he would review the recent approval of the abortion pill RU-486, suggestion there may be safety concerns for women.
lf
there are some problems, and somebody has indicated there might be some safety concerns, it needs to
be reviewed, and that's what I will do."
Information on RU-486: www.NRLC.org & www.prolifeinfo.org
Rifle Shot kills unborn baby,
injures mother
LAKE OZARK, Mo. (AP) - A Lake Ozark man is jailed on a seconddegree murder charge after he allegedly fired a rifle into the ceiling of his motel room killing the unborn child of a woman who was steeping in the room above.
Richard A. Hedden was sitting on his bed at the Continental Inn on the Bagnell Dam strip, "playing" with fully loaded Marlin 30-30 rifle, when the gun discharged, according to Miller County Assistant Prosecutor Steve Rives The bullet went through the ceiling and through a bed on which the woman was sleeping, passing completely through the woman's body.
The woman was taken to Lake Regional Hospital, where she underwent several hours of surgery. An autopsy was performed on the unborn child.
Mid-State
Region's Pat
Buchanan Dies
Pat Buchanan, longtime pro-life volunteer at both the Mid-State Region and the state level, died on January 3 following a battle with heart disease. Pat served as treasurer for her MRL region since the mid-eighties, and served on the state board of directors for eight years.
She also taught at Helias High School in Jefferson City in the Business Department for forty-two years. In that role, she conveyed her pro-life beliefs to her co-workers and students, always reminding them of the sanctity of life through both work and example.
Pat will be dearly missed by her many pro-life co-workers and friends.
Another Year, Another
Sad Anniversary
January 22, 2001, marked the 28th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the US Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion on demand for the full nine month of pregnancy for any reason -- or no reason at all.
As always,
Connie Eller, coordinator for the Mo-Ill Life Caravan, commented, "This trip is a dedication of the heart for the hundreds of people who travel to Washington, DC year after year to stand in testimony to the sanctity of life."
Additionally, the anniversary was remembered in communities and churches across the state as memorial services, cemeteries of the innocents, distribution of prolife information and other respect life activities were held.
In Jefferson City, Missouri Right to Life held its annual prayer service at the Capitol Rotunda. After the service, red roses were distributed to all Missouri state office holders and state legislators.
How Much Fun Ts This!!
The Missouri Right to Life Oratory Contest is held each year at part of the state convention. A competition to home the skills of young people to persuasively present the pro-life story, it has two levels of competition: 7th and 8th grade and juniors and seniors in high school.
Last year's Missouri winner, Travis Dunn of Aurora, Mo., went on to give his presentation at the National Right to Life Oratory Contest. We very proudly report that he was awarded third place in the nation. Congratulations, Travis!!
"The 2000 National Right to Life Oratory competition was an experience that rewarded my participation in more than prize money and a plaque," Travis said. "The real reward came from the knowledge that I helped support the American's right to life."
He continued, "I was rewarded with many new friends who were the other contestants from all over the country...We knew, no matter how the competition ended, we were helping others and ourselves realize the horrible truth of abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide."
Again this year, the oratory competition will be presented at the state convention on March 3 at the Ramada Inn in Jefferson City. Convention participants are invited to watch the speakers, who are winners from local competitions, as the present their thoughts and reflections on the dignity of life.
Pro-Life Candidates Win Two Special State Senate Elections
MRL-PAC and Volunteers Instrumental in victories
Missouri Right to Life applauds the results of the January 24 special state senate elections. The wins by new senators David Klindt, 12th district, and John Cauthorn, 18th district, give the Missouri Senate its strongest pro-life majority since the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973.
With the leadership of new President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, a strong pro-life senator from Cape Girardeau, pro-life issues will receive fairer hearing in the upper house of the Missouri General Assembly.
Senator Klindt takes a seat that has been historically pro-life, and Senator Cauthorn assumes a seat that was held by an ardent abortion supporter.
Missouri Right to Life Political Action Committee members worked extremely hard in both races, and MRL-PAC itself sponsored mailings, literature drops at area pro-life churches, and, in the 18th, district-wide radio ads clarifying the position of both candidates.
The importance of the pro-life issue was widely noticed by the media. Both the Joplin Globe and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch acknowledged the importance of the work of MRL-PAC in the victories.
Dave Plemmons, MRL-PAC chairman, said, "We are extremely happy to see both districts now in the hands of gentlemen who respect the sanctity of life. It is satisfying to know that our PAC was able to make such an important contribution to these victories.
John Ashcroft confirmed as U.S. Attorney General. "No" vote from Sen. Carnahan
On February 1, 2001, John Ashcroft was confirmed 58-42 by the U.S. Senate to be the next United State Attorney General. All Republicans and eight Democrats confirmed Ashcroft to lead the Justice Department for President George W. Bush.
Missouri Senator Jean Carnahan (D) joined the 42 dissenting Democrats voting no on the confirmation. Missouri Senator Kit Bond (R) led a noble defense of Ashcroft against a vicious left-wing smear campaign, perpetrated mainly by the abortion industry.