NJ Governor Whitman Vetoes Partial Birth Abortion Ban 
On Monday, June 23, Governor Christine Todd Whitman once again delivered for her feminist, pro-abortion supporters by vetoing a ban on partial birth abortions. In her statement, Whitman said that the partial birth abortion procedure is "horrific", but that "it simply does not follow, however, as a matter of constitutional law or personal conscience, that opposition to abortion requires an extension of governmental oversight into the most intimate sanctum of human life." Whitman remains one of the Republican Party's staunchest supporters of the Sara Weddington/Bill Clinton/Democrat Party position that an unborn child is nothing more than property, undeserving of respect or protection. Republican National Committee Chairman Jim Nicholson said in an April interview on Evans and Novak that he could support Governor Whitman if she were nominated by the Party for President. Party officials would do well to heed the reaction of pro-life voters to Whitman's action, which was summed up by Mike Fichter in his June 25 edition of FAX Lifeline from Indiana Citizens for Life: "If this is what pro-life voters can expect from the GOP leadership of the future, the GOP leadership of the future can expect to find pro-life voters outside of the flaps of their 'big tent' -- guaranteed."

Supreme Court Rules on Physician-Assisted Suicide 
On June 26 the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of states to make physician-assisted suicide illegal. While the unanimous decision was hailed by many as a victory for life, others have expressed concern that the court left open the possibility that states remain free to enact laws allowing physician-assisted suicide. Judie Brown, president of American Life League, said in a statement issued after the opinion was announced, "I cannot explain in rational terms why any court would leave the gate to murder open by suggesting that any legislative body would have the authority to determine whether or not vulnerable human beings could be murdered by their physicians." Janet Folger, Legislative Director of Ohio Right to Life Society, noted in a press release her view that, "While this decision is very good news, Ohio is still one of a handful of states without a law to prevent physicians from becoming executioners. We need to kill the pain, not the patient, she said, and with the major advancements in pain management, this goal is attainable."