By J. Russell Capps
Christian Action League
May 13, 2019
When governing bodies are in session to work on legislative proposals, many times there are important waiting periods to assess the potential vote of the members. Never has there been a more important waiting period than that currently experienced in the North Carolina House.
Both the House and Senate passed extremely vital legislation known as the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivor’s Protection Act.” The legislation passed both the House and Senate and became law, only to be vetoed by the Democrat, politically driven, Governor Roy Cooper.
The Senate quickly voted to override the Governor’s veto, with all Republicans and one Democrat voting, by a vote of 30-20. In a veto vote, the requirement is a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. The vetoed measure now resides in the House waiting for a few Democrats to join with all the Republicans to reach the two-thirds vote requirement.
In any other time in history, it would be absolutely unbelievable that a bill to protect precious babies who survive an abortion botch would not have 100% support.
Pro-life advocates staged a well-attended vigil and rally on Tuesday evening of last week at the Legislative Building. The purpose was to urge support of the veto override in the House. There were several powerful speakers, including 31-year-old Claire Culwell from Texas.
Culwell has for many years traveled the nation sharing her account of how her mother at the age of 13 was pregnant and had an abortion. Her mother suffered complications after the botched abortion only to discover, that while the abortionists killed and extracted one baby, she was still pregnant with a twin in her womb.
Claire Culwell was the survivor baby, and while suffering some medical problems at first, became one of the hundreds of examples of babies who survived botched abortions and were taken care of to become growing healthy citizens.
Liberals, with moral blinders such as Governor Cooper, use the excuse for their wicked decision that there are none, or few, such survivors. This they tout is the reason the “Born-Alive Abortion Survivor’s Protection Act” is unneeded.
One of the outstanding speakers at Tuesday evening’s vigil and rally mulled the information that Governor Cooper had had back surgery. “I didn’t know he had a spine,” the speaker said.
We know he has exhibited no backbone by his action vetoing this bill to protect the precious lives of the most innocent of all citizens, newborns who deserve life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness as much as any human being.
It is very clear that Governor Cooper has played politics, along with many in his Democrat party, with the most abhorrent decision to not support this most important legislative issue of this session.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp
As a result, Cooper must live with this as his legacy. How different from that of Georgia Governor Brian Kemp who has just signed into law a bill that bans abortion after a heartbeat is detected, recognizing a fetus as a natural person. “Georgia is a state that values life,” Kemp said as he eagerly signed the bill. What a clear difference the legacy of the Georgia Governor compared to that of Governor Cooper.
At the time of this writing, the House is still waiting for a few Democrats to decide for life and join the entire Republican House membership in voting to override Cooper’s veto.
Much rests with the leadership of the Shepherds of the flocks in our church congregations. Most members do not comprehend the role they have in responding to such issues. In the Biblical parable, “The Good Samaritan,” it was the Priests and Levites who passed by on the other side of the road while the Samaritan stopped to offer aid. It was pointed out at the vigil and rally that there are 5,000 churches between Charlotte and Raleigh. If the congregates of those churches were properly informed on such issues there would be no waiting to get enough support to correctly solve such vital moral issues as that before us at this time. Abortion is murder and needs to be addressed so, without a waiting period.
J. Russell Capps served in the N.C. House from 1994-2006. Capps has had a wide-array of professional experiences, but among them he says that he highly values his service on the Board of Directors of the Christian Action League of North Carolina.