"ONE NATION, UNDER (whose?) GOD..."

As you may have heard, the House of Representatives overturned the President's veto of their bill that banned certain late-term abortions.  In order for that procedure to be prohibited, the Senate must also vote to override.

The Senate will vote shortly before the fall elections and this vote is predicted to be close.

The House vote to deprive women of some of their reproductive choices was not even close. 296 - 132, 10 MORE THAN THE TWO/THIRDS MAJORITY NEEDED. 77 Democrats joined 219 Republicans.  Even the Minority leader, Richard Gephardt of Missouri, was one of the 77 Democrats.

Find out how your Representative voted and write to her/him, either to thank or to let her/him know you are going to vote for pro-choice candidates who keep their word.  [liznote]

Contact your two Senators and tell them your viewpoint. You may be sure the anti-choice people will.

Over the last few years, many Reps have been swayed by the lies and constant haranguing of those who claim to be for life.  But, as was pointed out in the House debate by Rep Nita Lowey, D. NY, they do not support women's life and they consistently vote for the death penalty.

Flush from their overwhelming vote to overturn the President's veto, the House turned it's attention to nibbling another bite out of our reproductive choices.

This time they were attempting to make it a crime for anyone to act as a "Good Samaritan" -- one who aids another human being in trouble.

Specifically, the bill is aimed at those who would help a young woman get out of her state and into another that allows a legal abortion without a parent's consent.  This would criminalize help given by grandmothers, sisters, friends and concerned others.

Parental consent for a minor sounds innocuous enough, but there are many young women who cannot go to their parents because of the violence they would be subjected to.

While this debate was going on, Rep Chris Smith, R. NJ tried to get an amendment added that would fix by law HIS RELIGION'S opinion of when life begins.

We've all heard the arguments and opinions: Life begins at conception; at implantation; at this stage or that stage, or at birth.

His motion might have carried save for an fantastic speech by Rep Nancy Johnson, R. CT. When she sat down, she was applauded from both sides of the isles.

Quietly, but with strong conviction, she decried the "level of intrusion" this amendment would mean.  She cautioned the House against, "imposing your judgment and beliefs on others."

The amendment went down to defeat but there will be others as the conservatives draw the noose ever tighter and tighter around the throat of our reproductive choices.  Events harmful to women happen everyday that we seldom hear about until some fluke puts them in a light strong enough for the media to briefly notice.

Like last week when a woman nearly died because of the time it took for her to be transported to a hospital in another State.  

SHE HAD BEEN REFUSED ADMITTANCE TO THE ONLY HOSPITAL IN HER COMMUNITY BECAUSE SHE DESPERATELY NEEDED A LATE TERM ABORTION IN ORDER TO SAVE HER LIFE.

The ONLY hospital in her community was owned by a foreign government which refused to allow doctors to do ANY kind of abortion procedure -- even those that are legal.  Even to save a woman's life.

The network-news program went on to report that this sort of monopoly exists IN 76 COMMUNITIES, IN 26 OF OUR UNITED STATES.  No mention of which States and no follow up.

Don't wait until there is an emergency.
Find out now.  Is one of those States yours?  The 76 Catholic hospitals are owned and managed by the Vatican.  It sets the rules of treatment that all practicing doctors must obey or lose hospital privileges.

They have a legal right to do this.

Is one of those hospitals in your community?  Is it the only hospital in your community?

Twanda@ConnRiver.net

1998-031