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Virginia Leads Way
By Michael F. Flach
Herald Editor
(Editor's Desk)
The 1999 Virginia General Assembly could produce some strong pro-life legislation with far-reaching consequences.
As reported in the past two issues of the HERALD, Virginia Delegate Dick Black was scheduled to introduce his "Choose Life" license plate bill (House Bill 1464) on Jan. 13. State officials across the country will be keeping a watchful eye on Virginia’s effort. Florida legislators last year approved a similar bill, only to see it vetoed by then-Governor Lawton Chiles.
A Jan. 12 press conference in support of HB 1464 was held at Richmond’s Fourth Baptist Church. Officials from the diocesan Office for Family Life were in attendance to lend their support and encouragement.
"Too often our Church is accused of standing on the sidelines, waiting for others to take the initiative with regard to legislative matters dealing with the lives of our people," said Deacon Ted Ostrom, Family Life director. "This ‘Choose Life’ license plate program is a positive means to alert those carrying a child that it is a human person, and to rid that child from their body is murder."
Ostrom recently sent a letter to each pastor in the diocese, encouraging them to support this bill by either using the petition drive, letters or telephone calls. He said Project Rachel staff members from his office report numerous phone calls from women, saying that they would have reconsidered their decision to have an abortion if they had seen one pro-life sign, one prayerful petitioner in front of the abortion clinic, or one bumper sticker.
"The ‘Choose Life’ license plate will serve as a positive tool in bringing post-abortive men and women out of the denial that abortion takes the life of the child," said Project Rachel Coordinator Gerri Laird. "As this happens, those experiencing post-abortion trauma will be able to begin a healing process — thus moving beyond the grief, shame, guilt and depression, and back into a constructive and peaceful lifestyle.
"These men and women, at the time, thought that there was no alternative but abortion," Laird said. "This is precisely why a ‘Choose Life’ license plate is of concern to abortion advocates. It will be bad for the abortion industry as women and men realize this is a life and death issue."
In addition to the license plate bill, Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall (R-Manassas) said he will introduce House Bill 749 that will require abortion clinics to comply with the same requirements for sterility and staffing that all Virginia out-patient surgery centers must adhere to. "Abortion clinics, unlike the other 23 out-patient surgery centers in Virginia, are not required to have clean equipment, staff who know CPR, or a trained nurse on the premises," Marshall said.
Although this same measure lost by a single vote two years ago, Marshall is hopeful that Virginia lawmakers this year will vote to treat women with at least the minimum amount of public health protection they require for pets in animal hospitals.
"Women getting legal abortions in Virginia have 50 times the abortion complication rate of other states," he said. "Virginia taxpayers and health insurance subscribers are the big losers. We pay for abortion complications from a procedure that is supposed to be safer than pulling a tooth or getting a shot of penicillin," Marshall said.
"The complications to women from legal abortion are the same ones that were prevalent when abortion was illegal in Virginia, including retention of fetal parts, ectopic pregnancy, hemorrhage, infection and perforation of the uterus."
Elected representatives may be
contacted by obtaining information from the Virginia state web site at:
http://legis.state.va.us/vaonline/v.htm
by phone through the constituent
viewpoint line during the legislative session at 1/800/889-0229 from 7
a.m. to 7 p.m. and via mail: House of Delegates, P.O. Box 406, Richmond,
Va. 23218 and Senate of Virginia, P.O. Box 396, Richmond, Va. 23218.
Petitions are to be returned
to ALL, P.O. Box 1350, Stafford, Va. 22555, phone 703/690 2510 or 540/659-2586.
Delegate Black can be contacted at 703/406-2951 or 804/698-1032, or web
site:
http://www.delegateblack.com
This article was published in the Arlington
Catholic Herald,
200 N. Glebe Rd., Suite 607, Arlington, VA 22203; Vol 24, No 2;
page 4, dated Jan. 14, 1999.
E-mail:
letters@catholicherald.com
Fax: 703/524-2782;
Editorial: 703/841-2590;
Advertising: 703/841-2594;
Circulation: 703/841-2565
A note from the Web Master:
It is noteworthy and honorable that some folks are willing to stand up for a ban on Partial-Birth Abortion. Let us not forget that ordinary everyday Abortion is also murder. We must understand that murder is murder no matter the method. Because one method of abortion seems to be horrible does not justify the other methods. We should be horrified and sickened by any Abortion regardless of the method. The Fifth Commandment spells it out clearly: "Thou shalt not kill." A fetus is a person, a human being with a God given soul. Imagine the pain the Lord must feel when any Abortion occurs. Please contact both of your Senators and Representative, via letter or phone, to let them know how horrified you are that Abortions are legal and to stop Partial-Birth Abortions and all other Abortions as soon as possible. (It has become apparent that they do not respond to email therefore you will have more of an impact by writing or telephoning.)
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