Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Digital Library Collections This is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections. Collection: Blackwell, Morton: Files Folder Title: Ad Hoc Committee in Defense of Life Box: 1 To see more digitized collections visit: https://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library To see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library inventories visit: https://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection Contact a reference archivist at: [email protected] Citation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing National Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/ The Ad Hoc Committee in Defense of Life, Inc. 605 - 14th St. N. W. , Suite 302, Washington, D .C. 20005, Telephone (202) 347-8686 Chairman September 15, 1982 J. P. McFADDEN New York, New York Mr. Morton C. Blackwell Sponsoring Committee Special Assistant, Membership Groups The White House THOMAS A. BOLAN, ESQ. New York, New York Washinggon, D.C. 20500 DANIEL G . BUCKLEY, ESQ. Washington, D.C. Dear Morton, PRISCILLA L. BUCKLEY Sorry I didn't correctly understand your Sharon, Connecticut question on President Reagan's statement on EDWARD A . CAPANO the three month premature birth the other day. Westfield, New Jersey The material I sent over was with regard to WILLIAM L. DRAKE,JR., M .D survi vors of abortion, as I thought you were St. Louis, Missouri making reference to a three month old survivor DON FARRELL of an a bortion. Vail, Iowa MARY ELLEN FITZGIBBONS However, I might recommend that the White Chicago, Illinois House has readily available (and one of its own JOHN N . HACKETT, M.D. Reaganites) in Dr. C. Everett Koop, the Surgeon La Grange, Illinois General, the best medical advice on such issues. ALICE H . MAIER, M .D . Dr. Koop is the most knowledgeable doctor I have Pascagoula, Mississippi ever met on neo-natal care, abortion, infanticide, THOMAS E . NIX, JR., M .D . etc., questions and is a wealth of knowledge in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma these areas for future reference. JOSEPH R . STANTON, M .D. Boston, Massachusetts PHILIP F. SHEATS Baltimore, Maryland 0 JOSEPH SOBRAN Kingston, New Jersey ROBERT J. WALSH, M .D. New York, New York GRACE S . WOLFF, M.D. Miami, Florida Special Counsel JOHN P . MACKEY, ESQ. Washington, D. C. LIFELETTER•s 2 ~11 ©1982 by The Ad Hoc Committee in Defense of Life, Inc. 'Pro Choice' Filibuster Puts Off Big Abortion Showdown; Baker Acts for Quick Breakthru Vote Baker said he hopes to get the clo­ Cloture Encounter Set for ture vote as soon as Sept. 9, but others Sept. 9; White House Aide doubted the Senate would act that Refusing Crucial Support swiftly because some senators will be on foreign trips. But they added that "support would increase" to break the JESSE MARSHALS TROOPS filibuster because the debt bill must pass Congress by Sept. 30. While Packwood held up the abor­ Asks Anti-Aborts to Mount tion debate, Weicker offered a pro­ Nationwide Effort; Teddy posal to "reaffirm" the power of federal Joins Pro-Abort Cabal courts "to enforce the Constitution" no matter what provisions might be passed by the Senate. The members did Will He Win Again? From Impeccable Informants not vote on Weicker's proposal, but a WASHINGTON, August 24: The move to table it failed, 59 to 38. PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN has re­ peatedly called upon the Congress to long-awaited Senate showdown Helms Adds New Thrust on abortion was stalled again on take action against legalized abortion in this session; now anti-abortion lead­ Aug. 16 by a "Pro Choice" fili­ In mid-week, Sen. Helms finally . revealed the text of his anti-abortion ers are asking him to help break the buster lead by GOP maverick "SuperBill" and, in a controversial filibuster that is preventing such action. Sen. Robert Packwood. move, added new provisions that that prayer, busing or abortion - any Packwood, the Senate's acknowl­ would in effect restore state powers of the limitations that the right-wing edged pro-abortion leader, took the over school prayer. wants to pass - will go anywhere in floor immediately after Sen. Jesse The "SuperBill" provisions remain this session." But Helms' aide James P. Helms rose to introduce his anti­ similar to those in Helms' Human Life Lucier countered that the pro-abortion abortion amendments to the "must Bill, except that the "life begins at con­ leaders just "want to kill [the social ception" section would become a "find­ pass" debt ceiling bill. Packwood issues] without voting," adding "You ing" of the Congress while the stronger don't filibuster if you have the votes." began reading from a pro-abortion anti-funding provisions would perman­ book. ently end any federal funding of abor­ No Help from White House Week-long efforts to break the fili­ tions except when a mother's life is Even pro-abortion Capitol Hill buster failed as Packwood was joined endangered. insiders concede that Helms may well by Sen. Lowell Weicker and other pro­ Both the changes and the school­ have more than the simple majority abortion senators in preventing the prayer additions are seen as intended to needed to pass his new "omnibus" mea­ Senate from choosing to vote on gain maximum support for the bill. ln sure. Both sides agree that the real test Helms' amendment before adjourning addition, most observers consider that will come on the September cloture on Friday for the Labor Day recess. the new version, if passed, could virtu­ vote, and that White House support ally force the Supreme Court to recon­ could become the crucial factor. Baker Asks Cloture sider its original Roe v. Wade legaliza­ Although the filibuster battle was As the session ended, GOP Majority tion of abortion on demand, and would taking place simultaneously with the Leader Howard Baker filed a cloture certainly "expedite" the Court's pend­ Reagan Administration's successful petition to end the filibuster soon after ing review of state anti-abortion laws. effort to pass its controversial "tax members return to Washington Sept. 8; After his successful filibuster, Sen. reform" bill, it was clear that key White 18 senators immediately signed the pe­ Packwood jubilantly claimed a major House legislative aides were not apply­ tition which must be approved by 60 victory against all the so-called "social ing the same pressure in support of the members to take effect. issues," saying "there is no chance now anti-abortion measures. THE BARE FACTS SIMPLY DON'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY -- but it's all so complicated that you can't blame the newsmen for leaving out much that is necessary to understand what really happened in those five tumultuous days last week. Indeed, Lifeletter's own far-flung net­ work of sources and informants have been providing some conflicting information -- and very different interpretations -- throughout the whole drama. Herewith our own effort to sort it all out and provide a coherent picture of the new situation. •First off, while more time has been lost, the anti-abortion forces have not suffered any serious defeat (as Packwood &Co. are claiming): the showdown battle has yet to be joined. And if the filibuster "succeeded" (as we pointed out, stalling just before a recess is a pretty sure thing), it also demonstrated that a lot of strengths anti-aborts were counting on are there. E.g., Howard Baker was as good as his word: he tried to get the debate go­ ing Aug. 16 as promised; more, he worked hard to get the "unanimous consent" agreement that could have avoided the filibuster. And, when that failed, he was quick to move for that vital cloture vote. Nor was anybody much surprised that his efforts "failed": nobody ever expected Packwood not to filibuster if he thought he'd lose, and he obviously did think that last week. As pro-abort Columnist Beth Fallon put it while the battle was still on (see the New York Daily News, Aug. 20): "If Helms' opponents did have the votes, they would be glad to use them." The only "deal" Packwood would accept was to sidetrack the Helms bill entirely, in favor of a "free-standing" abortion debate during which he would have tried to shift the vote to Sen. Orrin Hatch's "Federalism" constitutional amendment, which he's sure does not have anything like the two-thirds majority needed for passage. And even then, if things had gone "wrong" he would simply have filibustered at the end, not the beginning, of the debate. So anti-aborts may have lost a tactical skir­ mish but won a strategic victory: i.e., if cloture does in fact become the first order of business in September, Packwood et~ could lose the war. •That is why the "school prayer" addition could turn out to be decisive. Helms evidently surprised many (and no doubt angered some) by joining the abortion-prayer efforts -- and, of course, if the strategy fails he'll get the blame. But nobody should have been sur­ prised. As Lifeletter has been reporting for months, Baker always promised a debate on both. By linking them, Helms may well have doubled his chances for winning on cloture, without jeopardizing the long-awaited up-or-down vote on abortion alone -- the roll-call that will tell the voters where their senators really stand. The scenario could go like this: when the Senate re-convenes, the vote will be on stopping Packwood's "current" fili­ buster; if successful -- and the chances will be maximized then -- the Senate will vote on abortion alone; if successful, the next vote would be on prayer and abortion, and it should be a) much easier to break a filibuster and b) easier to win as well.