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Wisconsin pro-life groups issue statements on on Tiller murder

Pro-Life Wisconsin Deplores Killing of Dr. George Tiller

Yesterday morning late-term abortionist George Tiller was shot and killed in Wichita, Kansas. Pro-Life Wisconsin State Director Peggy Hamill made the following statement:

Pro-Life Wisconsin is appalled by the slaying of Dr. George Tiller Sunday morning. As a peaceful, prayerful pro-life organization, working through educational and legislative means to end abortion, we deplore this act of violence – just as we deplore the killing of preborn children in the womb.

Pro-Life Wisconsin prays for the conversion of abortionists and those involved in the abortion movement. Tragically, George Tiller was denied the opportunity to have a conversion of heart and mind unlike many former doctors and nurses who have left the abortion industry and now work to promote life. We pray for the repose of the soul of George Tiller.

Wisconsin Right to Life Strongly Condemns the taking of George Tiller's Life
Monday, June 1, 2009

Yesterday, Dr. George Tiller was shot to death. In reaction to this tragic act of violence, Wisconsin Right to Life Executive Director Barbara Lyons has issued the following statement:

"Wisconsin Right to Life was deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the death of Dr. George Tiller, who was shot yesterday. We condemn this terrible act of violence and we extend our prayers to the Tiller family. Wisconsin Right to Life has consistently and publicly condemned such acts of violence and those who carry out those acts. Our organization is dedicated to using only peaceful, legal means in building a culture of life our nation."

Pro-Life Wisconsin ads for the new year

Pro-Life Wisconsin is continuing to partner with Virtue Media to show television ads against abortion. The group claims 220 lives were saved as a result of the campaign in 2008.  From their press release:

Two cutting-edge commercials are now running. One is a multi-cultural crisis pregnancy ad and the other uses a vivid 4-D ultrasound image of a beautiful preborn baby to declare a strong personhood message.

Pro-Life Wisconsin – partnering with Virtue Media – was able to get this life-saving media campaign underway. Right now, hundreds of commercials are scheduled to run across a broad viewing area in the Wausau area.

Hamill outlined the True to Life campaign’s necessity – it delivers the truth about the abortion culture in order to affect real change in society, educates Wisconsinites on the sanctity of human life, encourages others to take hope in restoring a culture of life and reinforces the total protection message.

“We are confident these commercials, by directing viewers to a crisis pregnancy hotline or ProLifeWisconsin.org, will save lives,” Hamill concluded.

The multi-cultural crisis pregnancy ad can be viewed by clicking here, and the 4-D ultrasound ad can be viewed by clicking here.

Some dates to keep track of

Pro-Life Wisconsin's Annual Auction Dinner is September 28th at the Country Springs Hotel in Pewaukee*. Milwaukee sportscaster Tom Pipines will be the emcee, and David Bereit of the America Life League will be the guest speaker.

The nationwide "40 Days for Life" campaign begins September 26th.

October 17th is Pro-Life Wisconsin's 15th birthday.

I'm still looking for a suitable listing of upcoming events widget that would allow users to input their own events into the list. If anyone knows of one, I'd really appreciate it. I'm not looking for a calendar, just a chronological list of events.

*If it's a conservative event in Waukesha County, it must be at the Country Springs Hotel.

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Differing views on "morning after pill" mandate

Our friend Dad29 has been following the debate over the mandatory provision of the "morning after pill" at hospitals for victims of rape. He reports that this legislation will not be opposed by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Dad29 lists some objections to the USCCB's position,

Should a woman have been impregnanted by the rape, a pregnancy test would likely not detect it within the first couple of days after the rape, thus taking the morning after pill in such a scenario would cause an abortion even though the pregnancy test had shown no pregnancy.

Dr. John Shea M.D., who has for some years specialized in researching and reporting on life issues, is the medical consultant to LifeSiteNews.com. He notes that since the administration of abortifacient drugs may place an innocent human life at stake, surety is required that the woman in question is not yet pregnant. That absolute certainty cannot be provided by science, he says. He compares the doubt about whether the woman is already pregnant to the classic example of the hunter's doubt about whether a movement behind a bush is caused by deer or a human being. "You can't shoot unless you're certain it's a deer," he says.

Famed Catholic moral theologian Msgr. William Smith, who teaches at St. Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York, concurs. "It's wrong to say, you can use anything that has abortifacient properties. Emergency contraception is double talk ... it's what I call 'verbal engineering'. Catholic hospitals are not free to prescribe or provide anything with abortifacient properties without contradicting their witness."

I checked with Wisconsin Right to Life and received a nice note back from Sue Armacost, Legislative/PAC director for Wisconsin Right to Life,

Regarding SB 129, we wanted to see what the WI Bishops would do on this bill and take our lead from them. After all, it is the Catholic hospitals that would be the ones to have a conscience concern. The bishops are not going to take a position on the bill and neither will Wisconsin Right to Life.

Currently, all Catholic hospitals in WI provide emergency contraceptives to rape victims but only after it is determined that a pregnancy has not occurred. If a pregnancy has occurred, they will not provide emergency contraceptives. The bill, SB 129, does not mandate that emergency contraceptives be provided to a woman if, after testing, it is determined that she is pregnant. Thus, the Catholic hospitals can operate as they currently are. If we were going to have an objection to the bill, it would have been based on violating a hospital's conscience concerns. But that does not appear to be the case with the bill.

Pro-Life Wisconsin is taking a harder line, calling the bill "bad medicine".

“Forcing doctors to immediately provide medication to patients based solely upon their request is simply bad medicine,” said Matt Sande, director of legislation for Pro-Life Wisconsin. “In the case of emergency contraception, such a policy could contradict a physician’s medical judgment as EC could be medically contraindicated for the patient.”

Pro-Life Wisconsin’s primary opposition to SB 129 is based on the abortion-causing action of so-called “emergency contraception.” EC can work in three ways: to suppress ovulation; to inhibit the mobility of sperm, and to alter the lining of the uterus so that a newly conceived child is unable to implant in the womb, thus starving and dying. This last action is pre-implantation chemical abortion.

“There is no truthful person educated in medicine that would deny the possibility that ‘emergency contraception’ may prevent the embryo from implanting in the womb,” said Amy K. Schueckler M.D., a licensed obstetrician and gynecologist from Green Bay. “The clearest analogy is a barefoot toddler clad only in a diaper who wanders outside in the subzero winter snow and is not allowed into a warm home. The child will die. That is the effect of EC on the uterus. The embryonic child will die,” said Schueckler.

Wisconsin law protects the right of hospitals to refuse to participate in morally objectionable practices such as abortion and sterilization. The proposed legislation appears to be in conflict with Wisconsin Statutes 253.09(1) because of the abortion causing effect of so-called emergency contraceptive drugs, as well as with the Wisconsin Constitution which expressly protects the rights of conscience. Under Article 1, Section 18 of the state constitution “any control of, or interference with, the rights of conscience” shall not be permitted. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution further guarantees the right to freely exercise one’s religion convictions.

“Forcing all hospitals to administer ‘emergency contraception’ violates the religious liberty provision of the First Amendment,” said Schueckler. “I urge the Committee to uphold the constitutional rights of medical professionals and reject Senate Bill 129.”

Ziegler update

I wanted to give an update on the pro-life issue with Judge Annette Ziegler's campaign for state supreme court. Campaign manager Mark Graul returned my call last week after the primary and I asked him about the Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund PAC endorsement which Ziegler did not receive. Graul said that the questionnaire was very similar to the questionnairre sent to legislative candidates, and because of the rules governing a candidate running for a judicial office Ziegler felt she could not answer the questions.

I asked Graul about his history with Congressman Mark Green's campaign for governor and Green's failure to get the endorsement of the Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund PAC. He said he asked Matt Sande of Pro-Life Wisconsin to waive the requirement that the candidate support a ban on abortion even in cases where the life of the mother is in danger. Pro-Life Wisconsin refused, and Green could not agree with the organization's position.

Some other notes on the primary:

Graul predicted that because of the size of the margin of victory, Linda Clifford's campaign and it's allies would probably attack earlier than originally planned.

I think it interesting that the pro-life vote in the primary (Ziegler plus Sommers) totalled 73% of the vote.

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Check the endorsement

An interesting question before tomorrow's primary is why the Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund (PLWVF) PAC endorsed attorney Joe Sommers over Annette Ziegler. Despite the ravings of one blogger, the answer is really quite simple, and was easily found out with a phone call to Pro-Life Wisconsin's Legislative Affairs Director Matt Sande. The simple answer is that Annette Ziegler apparently did not seek PLWVF's endorsement, and did not respond when the PLWVF attempted to ask the candidate about her views. Joe Sommers, on the other hand, was a known quantity to Pro-Life Wisconsin, is outspokenly pro-life, was responsive to the PLWVF's board, and lives by a pro-life philosophy.

Ziegler's campaign manager Mark Graul did speak with Matt Sande last week, and Sande said he was assured Ziegler is a strict constructionist. However, Sande pointed out the Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund would be unable to continue the process to determine if they should endorse Ziegler without being able to question the candidate. Sande said, "the door is always open."

A couple of other tidbits.

This is the second statewide race in a row for Republican campaign manager Mark Graul where the candidate did not seek the Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund endorsement. Last election cycle it was former Congressman Mark Green's campaign for governor. (Mark Graul did not return my call.)

The Pro-Life Wisconsin Victory Fund did receive a response from Linda Clifford, who declined to state her views on abortion saying it would be "inappropriate." No word why the other interest groups would be more appropriate.

Update! I forgot I wanted to add WVCY's interviews with the three candidates can be found at their website.

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Those darn extremists

Owen Robinson and Sean Hackbarth offer some advice for bloggers. I would add one piece of advice, every word you type can and will come back to haunt you.

For example, sometimes you feel like a nut:

I thought Sommers was just some crazy guy running a protest campaign. Pro-Life Wisconsin has decided he's a crazy guy worthy of their crazy endorsement. I wonder if it was more contingent on the number of children he has or his "no exceptions" pro-life stance.

Sometimes you don't:
"How is he extreme?

1. He does not support gay marriage, something 60% of Wisconsin citizens agree with.
2. He is pro-life.

When looked at in combination with his extremist rhetoric regarding the marriage amendment, Van Hollen's statement regarding reproductive rights suggests that Roys is on target when she says the candidate is displaying "a callous disregard for the health and privacy of Wisconsin's citizens."

There are many social conservatives who offer principled arguments for changing laws regarding abortion.

J.B. Van Hollen is not one of them. He has placed himself outside the mainstream, and that ought to place him outside of consideration by responsible Republicans.

While this editorial is factually incorrect (none of J.B.'s views make him extreme, and he is by no means out of the mainstream), the CapTimes coming out against this candidate makes me all the more enthused to support him."

Pro-Life Wisconsin, you may remember, endorsed JB Van Hollen for Attorney General in last year's primary.

The lesson: Don't hurt your credibility by sneering at an organization just because they didn't endorse your candidate this time in this election, especially if you defended their principles in the past when they did endorse your candidate.



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