Phone your lawmaker and ask him/her to support a veto override
By L.A. Williams, Correspondent
Christian Action League
RALEIGH — A law that could save an estimated 3,000 unborn North Carolinians each year (HB HB 854-Woman’s Right to Know Act) has been nixed by Gov. Bev Perdue, who said rules requiring detailed informed consent, an ultrasound and a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion are “repugnant” and “extreme.”
But bill supporters need just one more vote in each chamber to override the Governor’s veto, and polls show the public favors measures to shed light on the practice that annually kills 30,000 Tar Heel babies and leaves many women dealing with physical and/or psychological trauma. In fact, an April Civitas poll conducted in North Carolina showed that 63 percent of women ages 18 to 44 support the bill. And a national, Rasmussen Poll from March showed that 65 percent of Americans support not just a 24-hour delay, but a three-day waiting period prior to abortion.
“The thing to remember is the legislation doesn’t make a woman do anything except wait 24 hours before having an abortion and requires she be given information about the procedure and alternatives to an abortion,” said the Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League. “She must have an ultrasound, which most clinics already do anyway before the procedure. But this law simply gives her the opportunity to view it should she choose to — an opportunity she will not be afforded without the passage of this bill.”
Creech pointed out that a woman seeking abortion doesn’t have to view the ultrasound or even read the provided literature if she doesn’t want. He said the bill has been misrepresented by its opponents.
“The Governor said its extreme, but we’ve found in our lobbying that many who carefully examined it for what it actually requires didn’t come to that conclusion at all,” Creech said. “So much has been made about the doctor-patient relationship. But the fact is, under the current circumstances, there is essentially no real doctor-patient relationship, just a quick clinical procedure with most women not even knowing the name of the doctor who performs the abortion.”
A 2004 study of post-abortive women showed only 10.8 percent of those surveyed believed they had received adequate counseling before their abortion. The bill’s primary sponsors, Rep. Ruth Samuelson (R-Mecklenburg) and Rep. Pat McElraft (R-Carteret) said they heard from many who were told next to nothing about the developmental stage of their baby or any potential side effects from the abortion. The bill would ensure that they receive basic information, such as the doctor’s name, whether he or she has malpractice insurance and the location of the nearest hospital.
They would also be informed about the risks associated with abortion, the dangers of carrying a baby full-term and about agencies in their area that offer assistance should they choose not to abort. Samuelson and McElraft, as well as others who support the measure, told fellow lawmakers that choice is not true choice unless women have all the facts.
“We are now in a minority of states that require no special informed consent for abortion and that is shameful, especially with a female governor,” Samuelson said. “Having come this far in leadership, Gov. Perdue should have even greater respect for the ability of women to make careful choices when given adequate information. Yet, she made no attempt to work with us in this effort to make abortion safer and rarer, a goal even many abortion advocates support.”
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, North Carolina is one of only 16 states that don’t require specialized counseling before an abortion. Half the states have a mandated waiting period. States with similar informed consent laws have reported up to a 10 percent decrease in abortion.
While the veto is a setback for the bill that North Carolina Right to Life had made its top legislative priority, supporters say chances for an override are strong, especially if lawmakers hear from their constituents.
“There are a couple of lawmakers in both the House and the Senate who didn’t vote on the measure. Moreover, there are others whom I’m convinced wanted to vote for it, but were under such pressure from the opposition that they were intimidated into voting against it,” the Rev. Creech said. “I hope we can convince them to vote their conscience next time. This is reasonable legislation, and any lawmaker who is supposedly pro-life has no good reason for denying its validity and not voting for it.”
The Rev. Creech said Christians across the state should be contacting their lawmakers now and expressing their disappointment that this legislation wasn’t signed by the Governor. A chance to override could come up during the redistricting session set to begin July 13.
“I think that pastors, laypeople, and all pro-life citizens should begin working on this now like 3,000 lives are at stake — because that’s exactly what’s going on,” he said. “Contact your lawmaker in both the House and Senate now.”
Take Christian Action:
Phone you’re Representative in the N.C. House and Senate ask him/her to please support, when given the opportunity, an override of the Governor’s veto of HB 854-Woman’s Right to Know Act.
Phone calls are important in this case. Emails may not be seen or deleted. Your lawmaker needs to hear from you. Lawmakers are not likely to be in their offices at this time. However, you can still call and leave your message with their Legislative Assistant. When you call, be certain that you give your name, address, and telephone number. This way your lawmaker knows it was from one of his own constituents. He or she may want to return the call. If for some reason no one answers the phone, leave a voicemail. But call! It does make a difference.
TREAT THIS LIKE THREE THOUSAND LIVES ARE AT STAKE – BECAUSE THAT’S EXACTLY THE CASE!!!!!!
To phone your lawmaker to vote for an override of the Governor’s veto click here
Note: The telephone number listed in the link above provides the office phone number in Raleigh to the person who represents you in the NC House or Senate. Once you know who represents you, then you may want to call that person at home instead of their Raleigh office. This way you are more likely to actually talk to your lawmaker.
If you don’t know who represents you, click on the link above first.
Once you know who represents you, then you can find home phone numbers on the N.C. General Assembly web site by clicking on “House” or “Senate.” Look to the left margin and see “House Information” or “Senate Information,” then click on “House Member List” or “Senate Member List” and you should find the names of all House or Senate members in alphabetical order. Once you have found your House and Senate member, click on their name and all their contact information should be available.
But just remember that it doesn’t matter so much whether you call their home or their Raleigh office. What matters is that you call them!!!