The following Letter to the Editor was submitted to, and accepted by, the Charleston Daily Mail. The editor responded saying they will publish the letter, and even better, that the paper will endorse a “YES” on Amendment 1, using the letter’s explanation as to why. The author, Mary Tillman, serves on the state board of West Virginians for Life and is an officer in the WV For Life – Harrison County Chapter. For more information and helpful resources, visit http://yeson1wv.com.
October 5, 2018
Letters to the Editor have been appearing in newspapers around the State, making extreme claims about what the effect of Amendment 1 will be if passed.
It’s time to get the facts. The most common claim is that Amendment 1 will “make abortion illegal in West Virginia.” FALSE. Abortion is legal in West Virginia NOT because of our state Constitution, but because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision (Roe v. Wade, 1973) that decided there was a so-called “right” to abortion under the Federal, or U.S. Constitution. We cannot change that by amending our state Constitution.
Secondly, the claim is made that “women will die” if Amendment 1 passes, because (they say) there are “no exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life of the woman.” FALSE. It is true that the language in the Amendment itself does not spell out those particular exceptions, but if passed, a previous WV law, still on the books, will come back into force. That law, found at WV Code Section 9-2-11, allows for taxpayer funding of abortions in cases of medical emergency, reported rape and incest, fetal anomaly, and threats to the life of the mother.
Finally, the claim is made that the “state has no business in the exam room or the bedroom.” To that I would say, the state then has no business in my wallet to pay for something that I, and millions of others in this country, believe is the taking of innocent human life. The U.S. Supreme Court itself decided in Harris v. McRae (1980) that states are not required to pay for abortions using tax dollars, and only 17 states in the United States still do so. Let’s join the majority of the country and get out of the business of paying for elective abortions. Vote “YES” on Amendment 1.
Mary H. Tillman, J.D.
Lost Creek, WV
Pastors / churches please consider showing this video to help educate your members! Also consider hosting a voter registration drive. Please ‘Vote YES on Amendment 1.’
Please consider joining with our West Virginians For Life county chapters and their supporters/donors as we “foot the bill” for installing large interstate billboards around the state, encouraging West Virginians to vote “YES on Amendment 1” on November 6 to stop tax-payer funding of elective abortions!
Below is a mock-up of a Yes on 1 Billboard about to go up for the month of October, sponsored by the Harrison County Chapter, the Doddridge County Chapter, and the Marion County Chapter. It is be located on Interstate 79 in the heavily-trafficked area near/south of Fairmont, WV, getting lots of eyes along the Clarksburg-Bridgeport-Fairmont-Morgantown corridor.
Also, below is an actual photo of a Yes on 1 Billboard that can already be seen in Morgantown, WV at the intersection of Rt 119 and the Old Cheat Road. This one is sponsored by West Virginians For Life / Mon County chapter. WVU game-day traffic coming in from the I-68 Airport exit will see it on home game Saturdays.
Above is an example of the “YES on 1” frame that you can use with your Facebook profile picture. Just go to your wall, hover over your profile picture, click on Update Profile Picture, and select Add Frame. Then type “Yes on Amendment 1” in the search field and choose the frame at the top of the list. Next select how long you want it to run at the bottom (the one above was customized to run through November 7) and finally click Use Picture Frame. Let’s all do this and show our solidarity.
Share this “YES on 1” Video
Here is a direct link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd7RsvtObZE
WVFL needs donations (tax deductible) to buy more Yard Signs, t-shirts and more!
Click here to donate!
It’s suggested that you call 304-594-9845 to see if we have what you need before you order it.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE YESON1 STORE!
CLICK HERE FOR A MINI-FACTSHEET
For a more detailed explanation of Amendment 1, visit the YESon1wv.com website.
Like and SHARE posts from the Vote YES on 1 Facebook page.
WVFL State Convention is October 20 – Register Early!
URGENT: Ad deadline is Monday, September 17.
Print out the above flyers from the event web page and post wherever possible.
Nancy Valko, RN, ALNC (Advanced Legal Nurse Consultant) at www.valkolnc.com will be the keynote speaker. She writes and speaks on medical ethics around the US from both personal and professional experience. Also speaking will be National Right to Life Political Director Karen Cross and WVFL President Wanda Franz, Ph.D.
Click here for ad contracts, sponsor forms, registration forms, and the flyers pictured above.
 You MUST BE REGISTERED TO VOTE if you want to vote “YES on 1.” Register NOW by clicking here (or on the graphic above). Registration deadline is October 16. |
One of the most important ways to fight breast cancer is to overturn Roe v. Wade. The causation link between abortion and breast cancer is supported by an overwhelming preponderance of evidence, notwithstanding the fake story coming from Planned Parenthood, et al. Watch this video for important facts about this issue:
West Virginians For Life encourages churches in WV to show this video on or near October 15, for the annual “Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day” and to consider receiving an offering for West Virginians For Life, to help continue the crucial work being done. Thank you! PLEASE LIKE & SHARE!
• Parking @ Khol’s on Emily Dr.
• Free Signs @ Chick-Fil-A
• Hold a sign and pray!
There is much to pray about. Please join us as we “cry out” to Jesus!
A couple of years ago, the pro-life organization in which I serve as a volunteer, West Virginians For Life (the statewide affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee) distributed a mailer regarding a then-upcoming election. A seemingly sincere pro-abortion woman, Amanda, sent her response (regarding the mailer) by way of publicly commenting at one of our pro-life websites.
Here is her brief comment and my open reply follows it:
Dear Pro lifers of West Virginia,
I just got your advertisement in the mail today telling me not to vote for Natalie Tennat [sic]. Not only am I voting for Natalie for Senate, but she is the only reason I am going to vote. Your philosophies seem to govern much around religion and your love for the Constitution, but only in so far that they pertain to you. You do not care about the rights of others. The right to an abortion, freedom of and from religion. You do not care about women and how the right to abortion, sex education and birth control is a matter of Public Health.
I believe in your freedom of speech as much as believe in my own. I do not wish anything less, or any ill will. All I ask is you refrain from making laws that do not pertain to yourself. If you don’t want an abortion than [sic] don’t have one, but when you take the access away from women you are causing harm onto them. Also, please refrain from using laws from the Old Testament to define your purpose when you yourself do not follow all the laws. Thank you.
Note: for several points in my reply (below) scholarly support is available in the “40 Years of Roe” symposium video available here.
Dear Amanda
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to the mailer.
Did you know that every time a woman has an abortion, she significantly increases her risk of breast cancer, and significantly increases her risk of future preterm delivery, and significantly increases her chance of a future baby being afflicted with cerebral palsy? Not only does a baby whose heartbeat and brainwaves are detectable lose its life in every abortion (practically all abortions happen after the baby has already reached such a stage of development), but the mother is a victim as well.
Many studies have demonstrated links to not only breast cancer, preterm births, and cerebral palsy, but also depression, suicide, and divorce, just to list a few. In almost all cases, the abortion is done merely for the sake of convenience. Quite often it is done because the mother or father don’t like the gender of the baby, or because they don’t want to raise a child that might have an imperfection or disability (and often the doctors are wrong in forecasting such things). Furthermore, not only do the aforementioned detriments occur, but there is a “dose effect” in that with each repeated abortion, her odds get exponentially worse for having these issues. To watch a free online, scholarly presentation of these issues, click here: http://harrison.wvforlife.com/2013/04/28/40-years-of-roe-recap/
Also, did you know that America’s infatuation with abortion is a result of the racism of the people who conjured this movement? Do you know the real history behind it? Did you know the abortion industry’s biggest player, Planned Parenthood, was once openly known by its earlier name as an American Eugenics organization? Do you know the history and motives of Eugenics? Check out maafa21.com – you can watch a startling documentary for free on youtube.com here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqLyyIsKyCU (or via the maafa21.com site, to watch there, via a free code).
Are you aware that the abortionists use (and have used) targeting of their placement of clinics, and targeting of ads, etc, to increase the abortion rate among ethnic minorities? Did you know that before they got American women to “want” to kill their own children, they took in hand to get policies in place to sterilize American women, and did so, by the many thousands, at times without the women’s consent and sometimes even without their knowledge? And that it was especially targeted against Blacks and native American Indians?
Did you know that abortions also have noted detrimental effects on the fathers of the aborted babies as well?
You seem VERY sincere. Please consider that your accusation that we (as pro-life people) don’t care about the rights of others is simply a mistaken mindset. We care about the right to life, and right to good health, of both the women, the men, and the babies affected by the terrible blight of abortion.
I hope you will take some time to learn more about this crucial topic.
Sincerely,
Pastor Doug Joseph
Clarksburg, WV