E-Gram for Life
Winter 2007
North Carolina Pro Life Democrats
"I'm pro-life because I believe it gets to the heart of who we are and believing that every single human being on this planet has intrinsic value. The right to life was endowed by the creator."
Who said that? Don't you wish it was a Democratic candidate for president? Unfortunately for the Democratic Party, it was presidential candidate Mike Huckabee who said those words in a speech delivered in Asheville this past Saturday evening. However, I hope you are as hopeful as I am that one day we will have a Democratic presidential candidate who will say those words. To that end, we keep doing whatever we can to remind our party that a large percentage of Democrats believe that unborn life is not an inconvenient problem but rather a sacred gift to be protected.
Party Platform
Next year as an even numbered year, the North Carolina Democratic Party will again review and revise our party platform. The NC Pro-Life Democrats Board sent a letter on November 12th to Chairman Jerry Meek asking that at least one pro-life Democrat be assigned to the platform committee. As was stated in the letter, "If our party platform were only a meaningless document, then it would not concern us. However, our party platform is our statement of shared philosophy. It defines our values, our goals, and our dreams. While we are proud of the greater part of our platform, we ask you, should this platform ignore those loyal Democrats who through conscience do not agree with taxpayer-funded abortion-on-demand?" To this point in time, we have received no response from Chairman Meek.
To review, the following is the language now on our party platform: WOMEN: We believe that every woman should have access to prenatal and postnatal care and appropriate counseling, as well as access to information and counseling regarding all choices related to pregnancies. We believe that a woman's decisions regarding pregnancy should be her own choice and not that of the government. We believe that we should focus on preventing unintended pregnancies and reducing the need for abortion through increasing access to family planning services, access to affordable birth control - including emergency contraception - and by providing comprehensive age-appropriate sex education. Furthermore, abortion must be safe, legal, accessible to all North Carolina women regardless of ability to pay; therefore, the State abortion fund should be fully funded and accessible to indigent women.
No doubt we will be asking all pro-life Democrats to contact their elected party officials, talk with their Democratic neighbors and to write letters to thier local newspapers statewide about this issue. I hope you will support us and that in a respectful way, we can continue to press this issue until abortion language is removed from the party platform.
ACTION ITEM: Why not go to our State Party website at NCDP.org and leave a post under Mike McIntyre telling him how much you appreciate him as a pro-life Democrat in North Carolina. He has served honorably and with distinction.
SENATOR CASEY INTRODUCES PREGNANT WOMEN SUPPORT ACT
From DFLA National:
Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced S. 2407, the Pregnant Women Support Act in the U.S. Senate. The legislation is part of the DFLA 95-10 Initiative. Similar legislation, H.R. 3192, was introduced by Congressman Lincoln Davis (D-TN) earlier this year.
This bill calls for making adoption tax credits permanent, provides grants for low-income parenting college students, fully funding the federal WIC program, increased funding for domestic violence programs, provides free home visits by registered nurses for new mothers, and calls for banning the discriminatory practice against pregnant women in the health insurance industry by removing pregnancy from all "pre-existing condition" lists in health care. The PWSA will help reduce abortions in this country by aiding mothers who feel trapped and by soothing the social problems that lead to abortion. This is a perfect example of the way that we, as pro-life Democrats can effectively fight the culture of death by doing what good Democrats do: help those who are in most need of help. On the Senator floor yesterday, Senator Casey stated,
"I believe there is more common ground in America than we might realize. If only we focus on how we can truly help and support women who wish to carry their pregnancies to term and how we can give them and their babies what they really need to begin healthy and productive lives together." (read more)
If any of these links do not work, please go to democratsforlife.org
Our thanks to Jonathan Lucci, Director of Chapter Development at North Carolina Pro-Life Democrats for sending us this information.
Right to Life March Raleigh
For those interested in attending the Right to Life Breakfast and March from the Charlotte area, there is a bus leaving on the 12th. There will for the third year be representatives from North Carolina Pro-Life Democrats at this event.
Subject: FW: January 12th Bus to Raleigh Pro-Life Events
To: Charlotte Area Pro-Life Leaders
Re: 9th Annual Prayer Breakfast and March for Life Transportation
From: Seth Dobson, North Carolina Right to Life
First Departs:
Calvary Baptist Church
2200 Ashley Rd. US 74 W (Wilkinson Blvd.) and Ashley
Approx. 3 hours in transit
Arriving:
09:30 a.m. - Breakfast
10:00 a.m. - Program with Dr. David A. Prentice
01:00 p.m. - The Nash Square Rally
03:00 p.m. - In route back to Charlotte
Advice notice is required for the bus, $5.00 per person. Please provide the name(s) of those traveling along with a contact phone number. Call 704-293-7741 to discuss special needs.
Breakfast tickets are available locally or visit http://www.ncrtl.org for cost and registration information. The event is well attended and seating is limited.
Pro-Life Women's Group Announces Early 2008 Candidate Endorsements
It is my deepest wish that one day we will have a pro-life Democratic woman who will represent us in North Carolina. That day will come.
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A leading pro-life group dedicated to building the number
of pro-life women in Congress has announced its early 2008 candidate endorsements.
The Susan B. Anthony
List Candidate Fund has a history of outperforming its pro-abortion counterpart Emily's List despite a
significant funding disadvantage. Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the group, told LifeNews.com
that her organization "is proud to endorse these dedicated pro-life leaders who need our support more
than ever to represent all Americans, born and unborn, in the halls of Congress." While SBA endorses as
many pro-life women as possible, the group also works to defeat pro-abortion women Emily's List supports.
One of the first faces of the political season comes in Ohio where pro-life candidate
Robert Latta faces pro-abortion candidate
Robin Weirlauch in the Fifth Congressional District. SBA List has also endorsed a handful of incumbent
pro-life members of Congress, including Reps. Sue Myrick of
North Carolina, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida,
and Jean Schmidt of Ohio. The group is also backing
Melissa Hart, who lost her bid for re-election to her
western Pennsylvania congressional seat in 2006 and Jim Ryun,
who is running for his old seat in Kansas.
Read the complete story
Bella
According to all reports I have heard, a wonderful film has been made which addresses the agony and ecstasy that life decisions often presents us. Here is a good review by Joan Frawley Desmond from the http://www.insidecatholic.com website:
Human life appears most precious when it is under the gun. At such times, we affirm the greatness of one soul by acting decisively to protect it. Or do we? Modern life produces a multitude of justifications for moral disengagement from our own dark choices and those of friends and strangers.
In Bella, a new, award-winning independent film, a pregnant woman bent on an abortion quakes before the enormity of the decision within her grasp. The acquaintance who shepherds her journey out of darkness has problems of his own. The film depicts the confluence of their past, present, and future in a single day that pulls them both in a new direction.
Unflinchingly pro-life, Bella is not a crude propaganda vehicle for the anti-abortionist movement, though it may well be used to help provoke a reassessment of Roe v. Wade. Rather, it constitutes a meditation on the gentle grace that comes from our need for others, and the transformative power of relationships anchored in truth rather than sentimentality.
Sound a tad controversial? Remarkably, Bella won the People's Choice Award at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival, has been an "official selection" of numerous other film festivals, and officially opens in a limited number of theaters today. Its backers hope word of mouth, generated by religious and pro-life groups, will result in wider distribution of the film throughout the nation. (for more on this film go to http://www.insidecatholic.com
The Henderson/Bumcombe Right to Life Group will be promoting this film in Henderson County in January. It is coming to the Flat Rock Cinema at that time. If you would like to attend a showing with fellow pro life citizens, please let me know at .
I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible at The Right To Life March in Raleigh on January 12th.
Yours for Life,
Eva
Legislative Alert
NC Pro-Life Democrats support HB 263, Victims of Unborn Violence Act
We ask that every pro-life Democrat please contact your representative. For more information:
Contact your representativeLifeNews: North Carolina Needs Unborn Victims Law...
Please call the speaker of the NC House, Joe Hackney, at (919) 733-3451 and the President Pro-Tempore of the NC Senate, Marc Basnight at (919) 733 6854 to ask them to allow the citizens of our state the opportunity to purchase a "Choose Life" license plate. The money raised by the sale of the plate would help fund crisis pregnancy centers.
Upcoming Events
Event: North Carolina Right to Life 35th Anniversary Dinner
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2008
Time: 6:30pm
Place: Greensboro, NC
Note: Please join NC Pro-Life Democrats at the NCRTL's 35th
Anniversary Dinner. Special Guests: Wanda Franz, Ph. D and Sentor Elizabeth Dole. For more info, visit: http://ncrtl.org
Past Events
Thanks for joining us at...
Event: State Executive Committee Meeting
Date: Saturday, January 26, 2008
Time: 10:00pm
Place: Hamlet, NC
Note: We will be petitioning for the passage of HB 263, Victims of Unborn Violence Act and the "Choose Life" license plate. For more info, visit: http://ncdp.org
North Carolina Pro-Life Democrats is just one chapter in a large collective of pro-life Democrats.
We are proud affiliates with the national Democrats for Life effort. Find out more about the nationwide effort by going to democratsforlife.org.