State circuit and appellate courts had rejected arguments by Wixstrom, the governor and others that a guardian was needed for the fetus of the woman known as J.D.S., who became pregnant by rape. J.D.S. suffers from severe retardation, cerebral palsy and autism. Her daughter was born healthy in August.

"The governor believes this was a tragic case and continues to believe that in specific situations like this, it is important and necessary to have a guardian for the unborn child," said Jacob DiPietre, a Bush spokesman. "We will be looking at legislative options in the upcoming session."

UNBORN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE ACT PASSES OUT OF COMMITTEE 
The U.S. House of Representatives will soon have a chance to vote on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (H.R.1997), a bill that would recognize as a victim an unborn baby who is killed or injured during the commission of a federal crime. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Melissa Hart (R-PA), was voted out of the House Judiciary Committee last week by a vote of 20-13. Rep. Hart and Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH), the Senate sponsor of the bill, say they have a commitment from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) that the legislation will be brought forward in the Senate this year. House passage is virtually assured but the Senate is a different matter, where pro-abortion liberals are likely to stage a filibuster in order to stop it.

NOTABLE QUOTES FROM THE MARCH FOR LIFE 
Thanks to Life Advocacy Briefing (1/26/04) for compiling several quotes from Members of Congress who appeared on stage with Nellie Gray at the 31st March for Life on January 22nd, two of which we share with you:

Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN) — "Before you leave Washington today, I hope you will go to visit our memorials but most especially to the one that I look at over your shoulders today. Because in the Jefferson Memorial, there are words on a wall that I can’t help but feel that the founder spoke by the grace of God to us who labor in this movement. For on the walls of the Jefferson Memorial, these words are written: ‘God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are a gift from God? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just and His justice cannot sleep forever.’ Let us seek his justice until we achieve that day when the sanctity of human life is again the supreme law of the land."

Congressman Steve King (R-KS) — "Our founding fathers didn’t put [our inalienable rights] in the order of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness by accident. That was a well thought-out order. And that order says that in your pursuit of happiness, you must not infringe on someone else’s liberty, and in the pursuit of liberty, you must not infringe on someone else’s life. So, Life is paramount, and it is the measure itself against which all other things are weighed . . . .