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.
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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:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2017
For more information contact:
Karen Cross, WVFL Legis. Coordinator (202) 200-1973
Wanda Franz, Ph.D., WVFL President (304) 599-0768
WEST VIRGINIA GOVERNOR JUSTICE SIGNS TWO PRO-LIFE BILLS
West Virginia becomes the 31st state to enact a meaningful Parent’s Right to Know Act. HB 2002, was successfully amended in the Senate and passed on the last day of the session by a 28-6 vote. The House concurred a few hours later by a vote of 82-17. The bill closes a loophole in the 1984 law that allowed for a second doctor to okay a minor girl’s abortion without her parent’s knowledge. The bill still allows for a judicial bypass in abusive situations. Governor Jim Justice approved the bill on April 26.
“We are pleased that the governor agreed with the huge bipartisan majority that parents have a right to know when their minor daughter is having an abortion, an invasive surgical procedure,” said Karen Cross, West Virginians for Life Legislative Coordinator. She continued, “Children don’t understand the long-term emotional, psychological, and physical consequences of making this major life-changing decision.”
Many of these laws have been in effect for decades and have been upheld in the courts. As the Supreme Court has observed, “[t]he medical, emotional, and psychological consequences of an abortion are serious and can be lasting; this is particularly so when the patient is immature.” [H.L. v. Matheson, 450 U.S. 398, 411 (1981).]
Additionally, the Telemedicine Bill, HB 2509, was signed by the governor on the same day after having passed unanimously in the Senate on Tuesday, April 4, and in the House on March 6. The House vote to concur three days later was nearly unanimous.
HB 2509 permits a physician to prescribe certain controlled substances when using telemedicine technologies. Because the Telemedicine Bill would have expanded abortion throughout the state, it was amended in the Senate to prevent long-distance prescription of drugs for the purpose of causing abortion. According to news stories, abortion proponents made it clear that they wanted to use the bill as a means of expanding abortion in West Virginia.
“Because it is irresponsible to prescribe chemicals long-distance for women to abort without medical supervision, West Virginians for Life (WVFL) is elated the bill passed as amended.” said WVFL President Wanda Franz. “These women need the presence of a doctor because chemical abortions trigger an especially intense experience of child birth, which can include severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea with high amounts of bleeding. Women have been traumatized by the experience of delivering their own dead baby. Deaths have occurred world-wide from severe infections, which may be due to suppression of the immune system by the chemicals used in the abortion.”
Both bills will take effect 90 days from passage.
There is an effort currently underway within the American Medical Association (AMA) to abandon its decades-long position opposing assisted suicide and take a neutral stance which only sends a green light to the states that legalizing is acceptable. However, National Right to Life was recently made aware that the AMA will hold an interim meeting on November 13 and 14 in Orlando where a special breakout session will be held on assisted suicide.
Both the national and state medical societies’ opposition to doctor-prescribed suicide have been instrumental in stopping the spread of these dangerous laws. In fact, when the Vermont and California medical societies took neutral positions, it was devastating to the efforts in the legislature to block legalization. Assisting suicide is now legal in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and California, and the practice may have some legal protection in the state of Montana.
ACTION NEEDED!!!
WHO TO CONTACT:
Dr. Andrew W. Gurman, MD, AMA President
Email: andrew.gurman@ama-assn.org
330 N Wabash, Ste 43482
Chicago IL 60611-5885
312.464.5618 ph
312.464.4094 fx
Bette Crigger, PhD, CEJA’s Secretary,
Secretary, Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs
American Medical Association
Email: bette.crigger@ama-assn.org
330 N Wabash, Ste 43482
Chicago IL 60611-5885
312.464.5223 ph
312.224.6911 fx
WHAT TO SAY:
(Select one or more of the following statements and re-word or add your own thoughts.)
The AMA should retain its longstanding position in opposition to the legalization of assisted suicide because:
Note: the following update from Carol Tobias, National Right to Life President, was sent out via email, Friday, January 23, 2015:
Yesterday, the 42nd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, was a day of mixed emotions, a great high and a deep disappointment.
Marches, rallies, and memorial services were held across the nation to remember the 57 million unborn children who have been lost to abortion, along with prayers, thoughts, and concern for the mothers of those children. In the nation’s capital alone, the numbers were surely in the hundreds of thousands.
Yesterday was a day of joy as we celebrated the gift of LIFE. We rejoice as we see so many young people getting involved and taking a stand for life; saying they will be a voice for the voiceless; and promising they will not let this battle end.
Yesterday was also the day we were expecting the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. Unfortunately, a small number of members of the House reneged on previous commitments and launched a campaign that sidetracked the bill, for now.
The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act was a major priority for NRLC. We are pleased the House passed that bill.
If you watch House proceedings on C-SPAN, you may not notice that members use electronic voting cards to cast their vote for or against a measure. In a National Journal article about the “dispute” over the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a reporter related this quote from an unnamed congresswoman who had helped sidetrack the bill: “I think the leadership genuinely feels bad about this… I hope that that will translate into listening to people who have voting cards instead of listening to people who don’t have voting cards.”
This congresswoman hopes that House leadership will listen to her and other members of Congress, not the voters who put them all there.
One of the most famous speeches in American history was President Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. Lincoln memorably concluded that our government was “of the people, by the people, for the people.” I wish I knew who this congresswoman was so I could send her a copy of the speech.
Another surprising aspect was the claim by Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) – who gave numerous media interviews attacking the bill — that passing the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act could hurt the Republican Party with millennials (i.e., persons age 18 to 29 or so) – a claim that some journalists apparently found plausible and amplified.
Yet a November 2014 Quinnipiac University Poll asked:
“As you may know, in 2013 the House of Representatives approved legislation that would ban virtually all abortions nationwide after 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of rape and incest that are reported to authorities. Would you support or oppose such legislation?”
Sixty percent of all respondents supported the legislation, compared to 33% opposed. Among those ages 18-29, there was 57% support for the legislation, with 38% opposed. In what other poll would a 19% advantage be considered a disadvantage?
This incident reminds us that politics is a messy business. But it’s also a necessary one if we are going to protect unborn babies. We remember what happened, we hold elected officials accountable, and we keep on keeping on.
I urge you to contact your representative in Congress– let them know you are disappointed in what happened, and ask that they vote to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
Sincerely,
Carol Tobias,
National Right to Life President
Currently, each year many thousands of late-term babies, many of whom are viable (can survive outside the womb) are aborted — without anesthesia — and it is now known that they suffer excruciating pain as their little bodies are ripped apart, limb from limb. On Thursday, January 22, 2015 (the anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade/Doe v. Bolton decision by the US Supreme Court in 1973, which overturned existing laws regulating abortion and legalized abortion even up to the time of birth without regulation), Pro-Life legislators in both Washington, DC and in Charleston, WV plan to reintroduce the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would stop abortions on preborn babies after 20 weeks, when those babies are known through medical science to feel pain.
Regarding DC’s Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act: The bill is anticipated to pass both houses. President Obama has indicated he will veto this bill. Please contact your congressman and senators and urge an override of such a veto!
Regarding WV’s Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act: Wanda Franz, President of West Virginians For Life, sent the following update on Wednesday, January 21:
Dear Friends,
John Carey, Karen Cross, and I have been to Charleston, and we are working closely with the leadership to write a bill that improves on the older version and which will be certain of passing. Other bills can be introduced, including the one that Dave Perry introduced on January 20. He has introduced last year’s version of the bill. It is not a bad bill and we appreciate the pro-life commitment of the sponsors. However, West Virginians for Life will be working to pass this year’s updated version of the bill. We will let you know as soon as it has sponsors and a bill number.
Wanda Franz,
President
As you may remember, last year West Virginia became the first and only state with a Democrat-controlled legislature to pass a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (similar acts are now law in several other states, but they were all passed by Republican-controlled legislatures), however, after it was passed with overwhelming support (near the end of the session), WV Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, who claimed to be Pro-Life, vetoed the bill. (He delayed until after the session ended to do so, effectively preventing any chance for an override unless a special session was called.) Now that both the WV House of Delegates and the WV Senate are under newly elected leadership majorities, the bill is expected to pass in a manner of timing that would allow an override if the Governor should attempt another veto. We encourage you to contact your representatives in the WV House of Delegates and in the WV Senate and urge them to support the bill, and to override any veto!
