THE ERIE ECHO “voice for life” Vol. XL No. 3 www.peopleforlife.org November 2012 Welcome George Weigel George Weigel, highly-acclaimed author directors of several organizations dedicated to II, in-print in at least 13 languages, Witness to and public policy expert, will be the featured human rights and the cause of religious Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II . speaker at People for Life’s 35th Annual Pro- freedom and is a member of the editorial Pro-Life Breakfast Reservations Life Breakfast on January 19, 2013. board of the journal First Things . He and his The Pro-Life Breakfast will be held for Mr. Weigel is a Distinguished Senior wife Joan have three children and one the first time at the Erie Bayfront Convention Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center grandchild and live in North Bethesda, Center. Reservations (required) are $13.00 in Washington, DC and one of America’s Maryland. for teens and adults and $7 for kids 12 and leading public intellectuals. He has been Mr. Weigel is the author of 20 books, under. Tickets can be obtained at our 1611 awarded ten honorary doctorates, the papal including The Cube and the Cathedral: Peach St. office in Suite 321, through the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, and the Europe, America, and Politics Without God mail, or through www.peopleforlife.org using Gloria Artis Gold Medal from the Republic and the official biography of Pope John Paul a credit card or PayPal. of Poland. He serves on the boards of The Power of the Presidency In the continuing battle to save unborn his tenure and would probably support an Simply put, it is not unlikely that the next children from abortion and to reestablish overturn of Roe v. Wade , is 76. It is not President will appoint three Supreme Court societal respect for all human lives, the known to what extent Justice Anthony justices. President Obama has already president of the United States is by far the Kennedy, also 76, would be willing to change appointed two pro-abortion justices, and it is most influential person in our country. This Roe v. Wade , but he has defended pro-life very clear he will continue to appoint only life and death struggle will not be won or lost laws, even writing the majority opinion that justices that share his extreme pro-abortion in any single election, but a presidential rebuffed a pro-abortion challenge to the views. Three more pro-abortion appointments election can produce breathtaking pro-life current ban on partial-birth abortion. would cement the Roe v. Wade decision in gains or quickly set back our cause by a The replacement of just one pro-life place for the next 30 years and could very generation or more. justice with a pro-abortion justice would easily result in the repeal of hundreds of pro- The road to ultimate pro-life victory (full decisively shift the Court to an life laws, causing abortion rates to skyrocket. protection from all forms of imposed death uncompromising pro-abortion posture. It If the next three justices are appointed by for all innocent human beings throughout the would at the very least make Roe v. Wade a President Romney instead, they are likely to entire continuum of life) will probably be (abortion throughout pregnancy) untouchable be conservative jurists who would be willing measured in decades or perhaps generations. for decades to come, sealing the fate of to reconsider Roe v. Wade and would respect Nevertheless, a president’s policies and actions untold millions of unborn children. At worst, the U.S. Constitution (which contains no can and do have a dramatic impact on it would also result in the repeal of hundreds right to abortion) and the democratically- progress toward long-term pro-life goals and of current state and federal abortion enacted pro-life laws that are now in place. on the near-term objective of saving as many regulations, including laws that prevent Presidential Veto babies as possible as soon as possible. government funding of abortion. These A pro-abortion president, especially one Supreme Court Appointments regulations are arguably responsible for who is beholden to Planned Parenthood and Every president has the power to make saving at least 400,000 lives per year since the rest of the abortion lobby, can be lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court. the mid-90s. expected to veto any and all pro-life These appointments have tremendous Even pro-life laws with strong public legislation that reaches his desk. President ramifications for the pro-life cause. Legal support have survived the Court’s judicial Obama, for instance, would almost certainly abortion on demand was imposed on all 50 review by only the slimmest of margins. The oppose even the most modest, common-sense states by the Supreme Court in the Roe v. Hyde amendment, which prevents Medicaid regulation of the abortion industry. As a U.S. Wade decision. And, as pro-abortion activists from paying for abortions with federal senator, Obama cosponsored the Freedom of know very well, this policy remains in effect money, was narrowly upheld by a 5-4 vote in Choice Act , a bill that would have invalidated only because some members of the Court 1980. The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act , practically every abortion restriction and continue to defend that indefensible decision. legislation that was supported by a large regulation ever enacted, including those that During the next presidential term, three of majority of the American people and large protect the safety and basic rights of the the Court’s nine justices will turn 80 years majorities in both the House and Senate, was woman seeking an abortion. old. Pro-abortion Justice Ruth Bader also upheld by only one vote in a 5-4 decision. Obama could even be expected to veto Ginsberg is already 79, and she was recently That outcome would have been much different legislation that would curtail only the most treated for pancreatic cancer. Justice Antonin if George W. Bush had not recently appointed extreme and outrageous practices. He Scalia, who has upheld pro-life laws during pro-life Justices Samuel Alito and John Roberts. continued on page 2 Page 2 The Erie Echo November 2012 U.S. Senate Bob Casey, Jr. (D) says he is Wiley (D) is pro-abortion. Janet Anderson Election 2012 pro-life. He has a 44% pro-life voting record, (R) leans pro-life. (See below: “PA Senate The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and he voted for ObamaCare. Tom Smith (R) Anderson/Wiley.”) Political Action Committee examined the is pro-life. STATE HOUSE voting records, public statements, and/or Congress PA 3 Mike Kelly (R) is pro-life. District 1 Pat Harkins (D) is pro-life. questionnaire responses of the candidates on (100% pro-life voting record) Missa Eaton District 2 Flo Fabrizio (D) is pro-abortion. the ballot in the General Election on (D) is pro-abortion. (Eaton: “I don’t want a District 3 Ryan Bizzarro (D) is pro-life. Jason November 6 and issued the evaluations situation where the government is involved in Owen (R) is pro-life on abortion. (However, presented below. doctors [sic] office. That should be left to a Owen said he would have to see the specific NOTE Pro-life means that a candidate woman, her doctor...”) legislation before deciding if he would vote supports legislation to protect unborn Congress PA 5 Charles Dumas (D) is pro- against state funding for embryonic stem cell children and supports positive alternatives to abortion. Glenn Thompson (R) is pro-life. research.) abortion. Pro-abortion means that a candidate (100% pro-life voting record) District 4 Curt Sonney (R) is pro-life. would not support legislation to protect PA Attorney General Kathleen Kane (D) is District 5 Jason White (D) is pro-abortion. unborn children; would add so many pro-abortion. David Freed (R) is pro-life. Greg Lucas (R) is pro-life. exceptions to such legislation as to render it PA Auditor General Eugene Depasquale District 6 Brad Roae (R) is pro-life. meaningless; or, in the case of an incumbent, (D) is pro-abortion. John Maher (R) is pro- District 7 Mark Longietti (D) is pro-life. has a pro-abortion record. The following life. District 8 Dick Stevenson (R) is pro-life. candidates are on ballots in northwestern PA. PA Treasurer Robert McCord (D) is pro- District 17 Michelle Brooks (R) is pro-life. President of the United States Barack abortion. Diana Irey Vaughan (R) is pro-life. District 64 The position of Lee James (R) is Obama (D) is pro-abortion. Mitt Romney (R) STATE SENATE unknown. is pro-life. (A flyer comparing the candidates District 21 (includes eastern Erie County) District 65 Kathy Rapp (R) is pro-life. (Rapp on five key human life issues is available at Scott Hutchinson (R) is pro-life. is the primary sponsor of the pro-life www.peopleforlife.org.) District 49 (western Erie County) Sean Women’s Right to Know Act .) FROM PAGE 1 business. Under the Mexico City policy, Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion The Presidency organizations that provide or promote provider. Planned Parenthood opposes any abortion as a method of birth control or that and all restrictions on abortion at any time opposed an Illinois bill that would have campaign for the legalization of abortion in during pregnancy and strongly supports required that infants born alive during an countries with pro-life laws are ineligible to government funding for abortion on demand. attempted abortion be given the same care receive money from U.S.