PROMOTING THE CULTURE OF LIFE ESSAY WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Polls show young people are becoming more and more pro-life – a sign of great hope for the future of our movement. A good example is the Helen Donovan Memorial Essay Contest, sponsored by the Northern Virginia Chapter of Virginia Society for Human Life. This year more than 70 students participated in two divisions of the contest: a division for high school juniors and seniors; and another for high school sophomores.
Students wrote essays on the topic: Promoting the Culture of Life. Essays of at least 500 words were to discuss how we can promote and exemplify pro-life principles in the face of today’s moral erosion.
The winner of the main contest for juniors and seniors was Kelly Yanchulis, a student at Paul VI High School in Fairfax, Virginia. The second place winner was Therese Smith, who attends Holy Family High School in Manassas, Virginia; and third place was Elias Naegele from The Heights High School in Potomac, Maryland. Winners were given prizes of $1,000, $500, and $250, respectively. Congratulations to Kelly, Therese, and Elias.
The Helen Donovan Memorial Essay Contest is named in honor of an early active member of VSHL and a founding member of the national Nurses for Life organization. Her work helped inspire many others to get involved in the pro-life movement and helped save countless lives.
Another contest, open to all high school juniors and seniors, will be held in December 2010. For further information, write to the Northern Virginia Chapter of VSHL at P.O. Box 22681, Alexandria, VA 22306, or call chapter treasurer Don Parker at 202-626-8813.
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Saturday, December 19, 2009Derrick Jones, (202) 642-1675 (mobile)
National Right to Life Committee statement on new Reid abortion language
WASHINGTON (December 19, 2009, 2:00 PM EST):
The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of right-to-life organizations in all 50 states, strongly opposes the abortion language contained in the "manager's amendment" filed today by U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nv.) Reid intends to press for Senate approval of the language during the days immediately ahead, without allowing an opportunity for any revisions to be considered.
The following statement may be attributed to NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson:
The manager's amendment is light years removed from the Stupak-Pitts Amendment that was approved by the House of Representatives on November 8 by a bipartisan vote of 240-194. The new abortion language solves none of the fundamental abortion-related problems with the Senate bill, and it actually creates some new abortion-related problems.
NRLC will score the upcoming roll call votes on cloture on the Reid manager's amendment, and on the underlying bill, as votes in favor of legislation to allow the federal government to subsidize private insurance plans that cover abortion on demand, to oversee multi-state plans that cover elective abortions, and to empower federal officials to mandate that private health plans cover abortions even if they do not accept subsidized enrollees, among other problems.
In addition, if the final bill produced by a House-Senate conference committee does not contain the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, NRLC will score the House and Senate votes on the conference report as votes to allow federal mandates and subsidies for coverage of elective abortion. Unless the Stupak-Pitts Amendment is included in the final bill, and the new pro-abortion provisions dropped, a significant number of House members who voted for H.R. 3962 will not vote to pass the final legislation.
A more detailed critique of the new Reid language will be posted on the NRLC website later today at http://www.nrlc.org/ahc
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Manually Reposted on VSHL website on December 21, 2009
LANDSLIDE VICTORY FOR PRO-LIFE CANDIDATES IN SATEWIDE ELECTIONS – MOVEMENT PICKS UP SEATS IN HOUSE OF DELEGATES
The Virginia Society for Human Life celebrates the resounding pro-life victories in this month’s elecetions in races all across the Commonwealth. In a statewide sweep, Virginians elected by overwhelming majorities the pro-life slate of Bob McDonnell for Governor, Bill Bolling for Lieutenant Governor, and Ken Cuccinelli for Attorney General. All three candidates were endorsed by the Virginia Society for Human Life Political Action Committee.
“This election is a great triumph for unborn children and their mothers, as well as the vulnerable of all ages throughout the Commonwealth,” said Olivia Gans, president of the VSHL. “We congratulate Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli for their spectacular victories in today’s election and look forward to working with these stalwart pro-life leaders.” Pro-Life Pick Ups: Five pro-abortion delegates were defeated by pro-life challengers: Greason, Comstock, Anderson, LeMunyon, Villenueva all beat NARAL-endorsed incumbents. READ MORE
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Saturday, November 21, 2009 Derrick Jones, (202) 423-3329 (mobile)
You wanted debate? Now you'll get debate – on government-funded abortion.
WASHINGTON (November 21, 2009) -- The U.S. Senate tonight barely cleared an initial 60-vote procedural hurdle, setting the stage for a 2,074-page health care bill, crafted by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nv.), to move forward to debate before the full Senate. The following statement was issued by the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of right-to-life organizations in all 50 states, and may be attributed to NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson.
As National Right to Life has previously noted, Senator Reid's bill [on page 118] would authorize the federal government to pay for any and all abortions through a huge new federal health insurance program, the "public option," and also to subsidize purchase of private plans that cover abortion on demand. President Obama and Reid know that the substance of these abortion-promoting policies is deeply unpopular, so they seek to conceal the reality with layers of contorted definitions and money-laundering schemes.
Obama and Reid wanted debate – so now they’ll get debate, on their cloaked provisions that would cover abortion on demand in proposed new government-run and government-subsidized insurance plans.
