We wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a New Year full of hope and promise.

House Votes to Hold Hearings on Trafficking
in Baby Bodies and Organs

H.Res. 350 passed the House on November 9 by a voice vote. The resolution, offered by Representatives Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Joe Pitts (R-PA), expresses "a sense of the House of Representatives with respect private companies involved in the trafficking of baby body parts for profit." It directs the Congress to "exercise oversight responsibilities and conduct hearings and take appropriate steps if necessary, concerning private companies that are involved in the trafficking of baby body parts for profit."

When Bill Clinton took office in 1993, he overturned, by executive order, the ban on taxpayer funding of research involving the transplantation of organs and tissues obtained from aborted babies ("fetal tissue") that had been instituted by the Bush administration. On March 11, 1993, Congress codified Clinton's executive order by passing H.R.4, The National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act, by a vote of 283-131. 57 Republicans voted with 225 Democrats and 1 Independent for this law that allows for federal funding of "research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes." The law prohibits any person to "knowingly acquire, receive, or otherwise transfer any human fetal tissue for valuable consideration if the transfer affects interstate commerce," but does not exclude "reasonable payments associated with the transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control or storage of human fetal tissue."

Information acquired by Life Dynamics of Denton, Texas reveals that at least 5 companies are in the business of procuring babies, intact bodies, bones, blood, organs and tissues for profit. One company, Opening Lines of West Frankfort, Ill, published a brochure in which they listed charges for various body parts including $999 for a brain, $500 for a trunk, and $325 for a spinal cord. They claim they are within the letter of the 1993 law which allows for the above-mentioned "reasonable payments." The hearings, which are to be scheduled by Congressman Tom Bliley (R-VA), chairman of the Commerce Committee, are expected in January when Congress returns from its recess. They will look into whether these "tissue retrieval" companies are violating the law.

What Life Dynamics has brought to light is the fact that there is an enormous and growing business of filling orders from researchers for intact, non-fragmented organs and tissues obtained from induced abortions. Evidence is mounting that some babies are aborted alive and then dissected and killed so that researchers may receive the "Perfect specimens" they desire. The research is being conducted in taxpayer-funded facilities such as the National Institutes of Health, public universities and medical schools and by private pharmaceutical companies. Many have long believed that this has become a major reason for the use of the partial-birth abortion technique.

While it is important to hold hearings on whether or not these companies are guilty of selling babies' organs for profit, we urge our friends in the pro-life community to begin legislative action to prohibit the use of fetal tissue derived from induced abortions for research purposes. If a mother suffers a spontaneous abortion, or her baby is still-born and she wishes to donate her child's body to science, that is a different matter and would be consistent with current practice in adult organ donation.

People are going to continue to find ways to make money from the sale of aborted babies' body parts as long as it is legal to conduct research experiments on them. Whether funded privately or by the taxpayers, this practice must be stopped.

We are told that Members of Congress won't attempt to ban fetal tissue research on aborted babies because of the pressures brought by high-powered lobbyists from the pharmaceutical industry and others. They claim it would be futile anyway, because Bin Clinton would veto it.

Well, Bill Clinton is on his way out. As word gets out about these horrible practices, the public will be increasingly outraged. Congress has an obligation to try, win or lose, to do the right thing. Sometimes progress comes as much from the battle as the victory.

If your Congressman holds a town hall meeting during the recess, please take that opportunity to present this information to the gathering, Ask him publicly to support the hearings and to demand an end to research on tissue obtained from induced abortions.

For a 15 minute videotape of the testimony of a woman who has been engaged in the fetal tissue retrieval business and some informational literature, contact:

The Price of Electing RINOs

A RINO is a Republican in name only. A RINO is one of those politicians who runs on the Republican ticket, gets large amounts of establishment money and support, and thumbs his nose at the principles in the Republican platform. There are numerous RINOs or Democrats in disguise currently serving in Congress. On October 21, they joined with pro-abortion Democrats in a disgraceful vote for Senator Tom Harkin's amendment that reaffirmed Roe v. Wade. The Harkin Amendment was attached to the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, so that Senators who wanted to cast a pro-life vote for the PBA ban had to accept the reaffirmation of Roe in order to do so. Penny Pullen of Life Advocacy Alliance and others, to no avail, pleaded with Senator Santorum's office to withdraw the bill so that pro-life Senators would not be placed in such an untenable position. The Harkin Amendment passed by a vote of 51 to 47. RINOs voting pro-abortion were:

Campbell (CO), Chafee (RI) [Senator Chafee passed away on October 24], Collins (ME), Jeffords (VT), Snowe (ME), Specter (PA), Stevens (AK), and Warner (VA). Remember that vote the next time the Republican National Committee or the National Republican Senatorial Committee asks you for money, because if you send them a check they'll use it to support the reelection of these Senators. (Voting Record courtesy of Life Advocacy Briefing, October 25, 1999 - Phone: 888-344-LIFE)

California - We congratulate California parents for their miraculous defeat of a proposal to establish "health clinics" in government schools throughout the state. After an outpouring of parent concern and taxpayer outrage, featuring huge rallies at the state capitol and in other California cities, liberal Gov. Gray Davis (D) vetoed the measure he had been widely expected to sign. "The bill," reports American Family Radio News, "would have given unprecedented authority to clinic personnel to do procedures as intrusive as pelvic examinations on school children without parental consent. Counseling on contraceptives and abortions would also be part of the program."

Michigan - School Board Drops Abortion Coverage - Michigan has a law banning public schools from providing insurance coverage for abortions. Citing a potential loss of state funding, the Chesaning Board of Education has dropped abortion coverage from the contract it recently signed with its teachers' union. The Chesaning Education Association is protesting the decision, but the board felt it had no choice but to amend the contract the 129-member union ratified last month. Superintendent Michael Dewey said, " . . . the district stood to lose 5% of our state aid and violate the law." This is just one of many fine examples of pro-life progress in Michigan -- ideas that other states will hopefully consider in the future.

Massachusetts - Republican Pro-Choice Coalition Organizes - In a state where every one of its 12 Members of Congress and both U.S. Senators are liberal Democrats, the Republican Pro-Choice Coalition has organized an effort to gain support for removing the pro-life plank from the Republican National Platform. They have the help and endorsement of one high-profile Republican, pro-abortion Governor Paul Celluci. In an AP interview on 9/11/99, Colleen Parro, director of the Republican National Coalition for Life said that "the Party cannot win without an antiabortion [make that pro-life] stance in the national platform. 'They're just a loud minority within the Republican Party. We expect they won't succeed at the next convention any more than they have at the last two conventions.'" Please know if you are planning to be a Delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2000!

Zogby Poll Shows Pro-Life Support Growing

A newly-released Zogby International "American Values" poll shows the majority of Americans believe abortion is manslaughter, are opposed to tax-funded partial birth abortions, and that parents should be notified if their minor child seeks an abortion. The "American Values" poll will be conducted quarterly to probe more deeply into what values Americans hold and what values will influence their behavior.

On Abortion: An overwhelming majority of respondents (77.7%) said physicians should notify parents if an underage girl is seeking an abortion. Another majority, (52%) said they personally believe that abortion destroys a human life and is manslaughter, while 36.1% did not believe abortion destroys a human life. On the issue of partial-birth abortions, 56.4% oppose the practice because it is murder, except if the mother's life is in danger, and 31.5% say it's up to the mother to determine. Respondents overwhelmingly oppose (71% to 22.8%) the use of federal funds for partial-birth abortions. (Zogby International Web Site, 8/26/99)

Clearly, this and other recent polls reveal that taxpayer funding of abortions, parental notice or consent, and partial-birth abortions are safe ground for politicians who wish to convey a "pro-life" image. Americans who believe in the fundamental, God-given right to life must not be willing to accept so little in exchange for their votes. Now is the time to push the envelope. Now is the time to stand on the foundation of public support reflected in the polls and work toward the ultimate goal of legal protection from abortion for the unborn. Now is the time to demand pro-life federal and Supreme Court judicial nominees.

Now is the time to require nothing less than firm opposition to scientific and medical experimentation on embryonic babies.

Now is the time!