file: /pub/resources/text/ProLife.News/1993: PLN-0307.TXT ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Life Communications - Volume 3, No. 7 March, 1993 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Pro-Life Newsletter is intended to provide articles and news information to those interested in Pro-Life Issues. All submissions should be sent to the editor, Steve (frezza@ee.pitt.edu). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) FOCA FACES COMMITTEE VOTE The Senate's Labor and Human Resources Committee is planning to vote on FOCA (Freedom of Choice (Also known as the Mandatory Abortion on Demand) Act. You may want to lobby the Senators from your state (if any) that are in the Committee to vote against it. A list follows; look for their phone numbers in the Federal government listing in the phone book. Jeff Bingaman D-NM Dan Coats R-IN Christopher Dodd D-CT Dave Duremberger R-MN Judd Gregg R-NH Tom Harkin D-IA Orrin Hatch R-UT James Jeffords R-VT Nancy Kassebaun R-KS Edward Kennedy D-MA (Chair) Howard Metzembaum D-OH Barbara Mikulski D-MD Clairborn Pell D-RI Paul Simon D-IL Strom Thurmond R-SC Paul Wellstone D-MN Harris Wofford D-PA Note that both of Minnesota's senators are in the committee. There is also a FOCA Hotline of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, (800) 847-2727. This will get you on a list of people to help educate people concerning FOCA in your area. - Nelson Caro ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) NOTES ON RU486 - MARCH 1993 With President Clinton taking office there has been renewed pressure for approving the abortion pill in the U.S. In fact, two days after taking office, he told the Secretary of Health and Human Services to "promote the testing, licensing and manufacturing" of the abortion pill in the U.S. (1) The FDA began applying pressure on Roussel-Uclaf, the French manufacturer of the pill, to apply for its approval here.[2] It appears that Roussel-Uclaf is giving in to the pressure and will permit clinical trials in the U.S. in the next few months.[3] You can write Roussel-Uclaf as follows[4]: Edward Sakiz, CEO Roussel-Uclaf SA 35 Boulevard des Invalides 75007 Paris, France The most effective approach is probably to express appreciation for its reluctance to expand the availability of RU486 (it has agree to distribute the pill in only three countries - France, Britain. and Sweden - and only under official pressure[1] ). Then urge them to continue resisting the pressure from the U.S. You might point out that one of the conditions it has been operating under for introducing the pill into a country (that there be a public consensus that pregnancy termination is tolerated by society) is not met in the U.S. It appears not generally known that Roussel-Uclaf has a German parent company. Hoechst AG owns 54% of Roussel-Uclaf[4]. It is this control that has kept RU-486 from being more widely available. Hoechst's chairman has written: "It is my conviction that Hoechst should not market RU-486. Commercialization of a drug facilitating - and easing - abortion is against Hoechst's corporate credo."[1] Hoechst did not know of the drug until Roussel-Uclaf applied to license it in France. It then had Roussel-Uclaf withdraw the application. However, the French government ordered Roussel-Uclaf to market the drug anyway.[1] You can express appreciation to Hoechst for its opposition and encourage it to continue opposing the marketing of the drug by writing[4]: Dr. Wolfgang Hilger, Chairman Hoechst AG Postfach 80 03 20 D-6230 Frankfurt am Main 80, Germany [1] Wall Street Journal 2/22/93 [2] Wall Street Journal 2/26/93 [3] Wall Street Journal 3/16/93 [4] Moody's International Manual ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) ACROSS THE POND - POLAND Thursday, March 11th's NYT, p.3 stated: "The new law limiting access to abortion...permits abortions in cases in which the pregnancy threatens the life or 'seriously threatens' the health of the mother, there is 'serious and irreversible malformation of the fetus,' or the pregnancy results from 'criminal' action like rape or incest. Those provisions are threaded with restrictions to make sure that they are not loosely applied." - Chris Newburn ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) NEW FFL CHAPTER IN BUFFALO NY A new group of Feminists for Life was launched in Buffalo, NY, on March 8th (International Women's Day). Our first action was to donate three copies of _Different Voices: Pro-Life Feminism_, edited by Gail Grenier Sweet, to the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library; more copies are planned in future, as funds permit. We also took out an ad containing a feminist statement against abortion in a local paper. The blizzard interfered with our plans to participate in the International Women's Day events on March 13th, which dealt with women's health. - Anne-Marie Kinsley, coordinator V070Q5UG@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) A NYT EDITORIAL SUBMISSION: To the Editor: [Submitted to the NYT March 14, 1993] As a pacifist and a pro-lifer, I am saddened by the murder of Dr. Gunn. It marks a loss of innocence for our movement for peace and justice. However, I am not surprised. Given the violence against non-violent pro-life demonstrators by the police (Los Angeles police were brutalizing pro-life demonstrators before the Rodney King incident, for instance) and unjust prison sentences (for instance, jailing protestors for praying in front of an abortion clinic in Cincinnati), it was only a matter of time before someone decided that if he would be punished as a violent criminal for non-violent civil disobedience, he might as well be violent. Just as the lynchings of abolitionists produced John Brown, injustice to pro-lifers produced Michael Griffin. The "ideological certainties" decried by Anthony Lewis (OP-ED, March 12, 1993) as inimical to democracy are of the same force as those possessed by abolitionists, civil rights protestors, and anti-war activists during the Vietnam War. All these movements had violent and non-violent wings. Violence against the non-violent by authorities was largely responsible for creating the violent wings. "If you want peace, work for justice," which would begin by treating non-violent pro-life demonstrators (by far the majority) like any other non-violent practitioners of civil disobedience. Sincerely yours, Daniel Lieuwen New Providence, NJ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) READER RESPONSES Re: v3n6 Editorial "No woman wants an abortion as she wants an ice cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal caught in a trap wants to gnaw off its own leg." Dean's editorial disagrees with this statement. I used to work as a counselor in a crisis pregnancy center (one of the older ones!). I would say that the first sentence is certainly true. No woman wants an abortion like an ice cream cone, etc. There are a few women who want an abortion for an amazingly trivial reason (eg. to keep her figure). Most actually do feel trapped into it. Of course, most I talked to were not repeaters though some were. At the same time, I do believe that women need to take more responsibility *before* they get pregnant... - Liz Allen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) READER QUESTIONS On an OR Tactic: I was talking to some pro-choice friends [March 15th]. Anyway, my friends said that Operation Rescue in some states is writing down license tag numbers of women going in for abortions and then calling their homes to tell their parents or whoever else is there that the woman had an abortion. My friends thought this was awful -- saying it caused some women to commit suicide and the like. This tactic doesn't sound like a good one, but I'd first like to know if this is true... What's the real story? - Liz Allen One Response: I have participated in several Rescues and what I can tell you is that this tactic, as far as I know, has NEVER been used against one of the victims- i.e. the woman. Rather, it has been used against the doctor. The tag number of the doctor is used to identify where he lives or other places of work besides the abortion clinic. Activists may then picket his place of work, or outside his home in order to let others know that "this doctor profits from abortion." This is done to call attention to the abortion profiteer in hopes that they will not victimize more women and kill more children without the public knowing about it; after all, they like to keep their work secret. You would be surprised how many people object to dealing with abortionists. At every single Rescue I have been to we have been instructed to leave the woman alone. Special counselors are trained to offer concrete help; financial, emotional, spiritual help to the woman. These counselors are exclusively women themselves. In two instances that I have seen, these women have had abortions themselves. As for the woman, I beg you, let your friends know- OR does everything humanly possible to show compassion towards the woman. We are instructed that every action, in word and deed, shows patience and kindness toward the woman in this terribly difficult situation. She is a victim; scared confused and usually under tremendous pressure by parents, friends and "lover's" to abort. OR has raised money for these women, babysat, purchased food, diapers, cribs, etc.. People who Rescue give up a lot to be there, to be mocked, harassed, arrested, misrepresented by the press, and misunderstood by other pro-lifers. Most of my Rescue experience came when I quit an engineering job to spend a year volunteering in a shelter for runaway pregnant teens (NYC), and was involved in Rescue. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but rather to point out that like what I did in volunteering for a year, there are many good pro-life people who are willing to give of themselves to prevent more women from becoming victims of abortion. - Karl Dresen ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote of the Month: "The issue of protecting unborn human life is the defining issue of our generation...[The abortion issue] is very much like the slavery issue was in 1860. It is an issue that tests our basic value systems...Without life, all other civil rights are meaningless and irrelevant." - Robert Casey(D) Governor of Pennsylvania +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Credits: | | 2 - This article is Copyright (c)1993 by Tidings, Box 4632 SFA Sta., | | Nacogdoches, TX 75962. Permission is granted to reprint or repost | | this sheet provided it is done in its entirety. Many thanks to reader | | Reynolds Griffith. | |QOM- From the Feb. 1993 Newsletter of Pennsylvanians fo Human Life, Wyoming | | Valley Chapter, 201 South Main St. Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 Many thanks | | to reader Andy Sicree. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Anyone desiring information on specific prolife groups, literature, tapes, or help with problems is encouraged to contact the editor.