First of all, the phrase “Recognizing the diversity of opinion among members of our party” plays into the hands of those at the national level who want “tolerance” language inserted into the pro-life plank in Philadelphia.

Secondly, who doesn’t “prefer” childbirth to abortion? Even pro-abortion leaders don’t say they “prefer” abortion over childbirth! We may “prefer” chocolate to vanilla ice cream. We may “prefer” sunshine to rain. We may “prefer” the beach to the mountains. But this is about life and death! The Indiana language falls far short of what can be called a statement of principle on the fundamental right to life. Let us hope and pray that GOP convention delegates in Indiana will improve on the statement by offering a real pro-life resolution on the floor of their convention. Whether or not that happens, let there be no misunderstanding about the intentions of pro-life leaders at the Republican National Convention. We intend to seek re-adoption of the 1996 pro-life principles stated in the 1996 Republican National Platform. We are pleased that George W. Bush has repeatedly stated his support for that goal. Attempts by liberal Republicans to weaken the language would lead to acrimony and disruption at the National Convention.

Delegate/Alternate Pro-Life Pledge 
Call our Alton office at 618/462-5415 for copies of the RNC/Life Delegate/Alternate Pledge. The Pledge, to be signed by candidates for National Delegate or Alternate to the 2000 Republican National Convention, commits them to “vote for the re-adoption of the 1996 pro-life plank in the Republican National Platform,” and to “vote only for the nomination of a vice-presidential running mate who, along with the presumptive nominee of our Party George W. Bush, publicly endorses these principles and the re-adoption of the 1996 pro-life plank.”

If the national Delegates from your state have not yet been selected and you live in a state where they are elected either by primary ballot or in Congressional District caucuses, you can use the Pledge very effectively. Submit it to the candidates. Pro-life voters can feel comfortable supporting the people who sign the Pledge.

If your Delegates have already been chosen, call your state Party headquarters and ask for the list. Submit the pledge to the Delegates and Alternates who will represent your Congressional District. Tell them you want their commitment on the plank and the running mate before they go to Philadelphia.

Please let us know the results of your efforts.

China Policy 
A House vote on giving the Peoples Republic of China permanent normal trade relations status is scheduled for the week of May 22nd. You will note that the semantic acrobats have been at work again. What was formerly referred to as “Most Favored Nation Status” has been changed to the above language in order to make our appeasement of the communist Chinese thugs sound better.

China is not free. China is communist controlled. The Chinese people are forced into slave labor. Chinese Christians are persecuted. The United Nations Committee Against Torture issued a report on May 9, 2000 finding that China practices torture of her people. China has an infamous coercive “one child” and forced abortion policies. China has intercontinental ballistic missiles targeted on the United States. The list goes on.

Sadly, many Republican leaders and Members of Congress want to go along with Clinton on this one. Why should China be rewarded with evading the annual congressional review of its trading status with us? The only reason appears to be the profit margins of the big multi-national corporations who make so much money onthe labor of millions of Chinese who work in U.S. owned factories for next to nothing creating products that are bought by American consumers for greatly inflated prices.

Please call your Member of Congress right away and ask for a vote against permanent normal trade relations for Communist China. (Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121)

Cardinal O’Connor’s Legacy Lives On 
Some politicians will stoop to anything. They will even sometimes use a person’s funeral to gain some perceived political advantage. This week they did just that. Bill and Hillary Clinton, Al and Tipper Gore, Governor of New York George Pataki, and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, all pro-abortion advocates, trooped into the front rows of St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the funeral mass of John Cardinal O’Connor, Archbishop of New York. Bill and Hillary must have thought they’d get some political mileage with the Catholic voters in New York for Hillary’s race against Giuliani for the U.S. Senate seat. The same applies to Al Gore - every presidential candidate seeks the “Catholic” vote. Pataki has his eye on becoming Bush’s running mate. Giuliani was there in his role as Mayor, but according to Catholic teaching, has excommunicated himself from the Church by his support of unrestricted legal abortion.

When Bernard Cardinal Law, Archbishop of Boston, said in his eulogy, “He [O’Connor] preached most powerfully by his example, the necessity of seeing in every human being — from the first moment of conception to the last moment of natural death, and every moment in between, particularly in the poor, in the sick, in the forgotten — the image of God to be loved and to be served. What a great legacy he has left us in his constant reminder that the Church must always be unambiguously pro-life,” the 3,500-member congregation rose to its feet and erupted in a three minute ovation, causing great embarrassment to the Clintons, the Gores, Giuliani and Pataki, who remained seated. As the applause continued on, they slowly and grudgingly managed to pull themselves to their feet. A unique moment. Thank you, Cardinal O’Connor.

Texas GOP Features Baby Shower at Convention 
For the second time the Republican Party of Texas State Convention will host a baby shower to benefit pro-life women’s centers around the state. Delegates are asked to bring items suitable for newborn babies. The brainchild of Texas GOP chairman Susan Weddington, this year’s shower is expected to be even more successful than the first one held in 1998.

Abortion Lobby to Launch Campaign to Dismantle Abortion Funding Restrictions 
An April 14, 2000 press release by the Alan Guttmacher Institute revealed that a new so-called “grassroots public health initiative” will be launched this month to remove congressional restrictions on taxpayer funding of abortions for Medicaid recipients. Under the current Hyde Amendment language, taxpayers foot the bill for abortions in cases of rape, incest and when the woman’s life is threatened by “a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself.” Current policy does not allow for funding of abortions due to the threat of mental health disorder, injury or illness.

The abortion lobby wants taxpayer-funded abortions with no restrictions. They want to dismantle the Hyde Amendment and force all of us who pay taxes to pay for even more of something we find morally abhorrent. They call their newest effort the “Campaign for Access and Reproductive Equity.” This must be opposed while equal and opposite pressure is applied to free us from complicity in the practice of abortion!

Will pro-life leaders and Members of Congress fight fire with fire? The American people should not have to pay for even one abortion! The Hyde Amendment should be amended to prohibit taxpayer funding of abortion — period. (Capitol Switchboard - 202-224-3121)