Sunday, April 29, 2012

You are amazing!


  

At 4:10pm we sent out an alert to vote on the Globe article. At that time only 8% of respondents opposed Doctor-Prescribed suicide. Now, at 6:29 pm, 58.8% oppose DPS!

 

No, you cannot vote more than once but you can encourage someone else to vote and you can, please, write a letter.

 

Thank you, thank you!

 

Anne



DPS in the Globe, VOTE IMMEDIATELY and WRITE today


  

Today the Globe Magazine "covered" Doctor-Prescribed Suicide. Before you do anything else, I need you to vote in the poll which accompanies the article. When I voted, the opponents of Doctor-Prescribed Suicide were at 8% (you'll see why when you read the article). Here is the link. http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2012/04/29/death_with_dignity_act/

 

Please vote immediately and spread the word.

 

After you vote, you should read the article and consider writing a Letter to the Editor or posting a comment. The article starts with a picture of the woman who had to get her father well enough to go back to Oregon so he could kill himself. We saw her at the State House and on the Emily Rooney show. I expect she'll be all over TV ads come fall. There are three other pictures in the article. The one of the proponent is a beautiful cameo. The one of our beautiful nurse is so unflattering even those of us who know her well wouldn't recognize her.

 

We need letters to the Editor countering the Globe slant. letter@globe.com  

 

Deb O'Hara Rusckowski, John Kelly, and Mark Rollo make excellent points. You could write reiterating or elaborating on one of their points or you could refute some of the points made by the other side.

 

The box explaining the procedure is noticeable. It stops when the lethal prescription is picked up. That way it doesn't have to deal with lack of safeguards, the indignity involves ingesting 100 capsules, etc.

 

Also, their polls claim everyone supports DPS when, in fact, it has failed to pass at least 125 times in State Legislatures and four times as a ballot question. It has been voted into only two states.

 

Twice they stress that the doctor must judge the person making the request to be competent, but no mention is made of whether the doctor must check for and treat depression.

 

The following links are amazingly helpful. I had planned to send them to you anyway but you will see they are just what we need for responding to the Globe.

 

Please send us a copy of your letter and any letters you can encourage others to write.   This is very important!  letter@globe.com Thank you, Anne


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erzYKNrsx_I  Barbara Wagner with a copy of the letter
http://www.vaeh.org/pages/Links.htm, one of Vermont's ads
http://nodoctorprescribedsuicide.com/2011/10/27/video-washington-ads/  from Washington state
http://www.dredf.org/assisted_suicide/18_Oregon_abuses.pdf, not a video but excellent
http://euthanasia.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000190,
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2005/10/how_does_assisted_suicide_work.html,
http://www.pccef.org/articles/art44.htm, effect on participating physicians

 

And, of course, our favorites, Massachusetts Alliance Against Doctor Prescribed Suicide

http://stopassistedsuicide-ma.com/    

Patients Right Council, http://www.patientsrightscouncil.org/site/


Friday, April 27, 2012

ORATORY CONTEST, WIN TRIP TO DC, CASH PRIZES


 

ORATORY CONTEST FINALS

 

WHAT: The Dr. Mildred F Jefferson Oratory Contest for High School Juniors and Seniors, sponsored by Massachusetts Citizens for Life

 

WHO: Winners from Regional Contests. If there was not a contest in your region, you may participate in the finals anyway.

 

WHERE: St Sebastian's School, Saturday, May 12, 2012, 9:30 am - Noon   

 

HOW to register. 

 

TOPICS:   Each students will research, write and deliver a pro-life speech on abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, or stem cell research. Further instructions.

 

PRIZES:  

 

First: The winner will go with a parent or guardian to Washington DC to attend the National Right to Life Convention and compete against the Oratory winners from other states.                        

 

Second:$300                                                                                                                                                    

 

Third: $100


Monday, April 23, 2012

NARAL has a hissy fit - could they be right about MA?


 

Since you probably don't read NARAL's blog (usually, neither do I), I am sending you the link,   http://www.blogforchoice.com/archives/2012/04/what-would-happ.html. They claim that, if Roe v Wade were overturned, abortion would be illegal in Massachusetts. You will see from the legal article below they have greatly exaggerated. Even though some of Massachusetts' pre-Roe laws have not been repealed, it is doubtful they would stand. It would have been nice if NARAL had been right in this one case... Anne

 

PS Speaking of legal aspects, the Pro-Life Legal Defense Fund Dinner is this Friday, April 27th, at the Marriott in Newton. It is always a fun event.  For more information or reservations, please contact Henry Luthin at luthin525@gmail.com.

 

The legal status of abortion in the States if Roe v. Wade is overruled

by Paul Benjamin Linton


ABSTRACT: This article explores the legal status of abortion in the States if the Supreme Court overrules Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), and Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179 (1973), as modified by Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992). Although an overruling decision eventually could have a significant effect on the legal status of abortion, the immediate impact of such a decision would be far more modest than most commentators-on both sides of the issue-believe.

 

More than two-thirds of the States have repealed their pre-Roe laws or have amended those laws to conform to Roe v. Wade, which allows abortion for any reason before viability and for virtually any reason after viability. Pre-Roe laws that have been expressly repealed would not be revived by the overruling of Roe. Only three States that repealed their pre-Roe laws (or amended them to conform to Roe) have enacted post-Roe laws attempting to prohibit some or most abortions throughout pregnancy. Those laws have been declared unconstitutional by the federal courts and are not now enforceable.

 

Of the less than one-third of the States that have retained their pre-Roe laws, most would be ineffective in prohibiting abortions. This is (1) because the laws, by their express terms or as interpreted, allow abortion on demand, for undefined health reasons or for a broad range of reasons (including mental health), or (2) because of state constitutional limitations. In yet other States, the pre-Roe laws prohibiting abortion may have been repealed by implication, due to the enactment of comprehensive post-Roe laws regulating abortion.

 

In sum, no more than twelve States, and possibly as few as eight, would have enforceable laws on the books that would prohibit most abortions in the event Roe, Doe and Casey are overruled. In the other States (and the District of Columbia) abortion would be legal for most or all reasons throughout pregnancy. Although the long-term impact of reversing Roe could be quite dramatic, the author concludes that the immediate impact of such a decision would be very limited. This article is current through May 1st, 2007.

 

MASSACHUSETTS: The principal pre-Roe statute prohibited performance of "unlawful" abortions. (140) Although the statute itself did not define what constituted an "unlawful" abortion, in a series of cases the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court interpreted the statute to allow abortions for reasons of the pregnant woman's physical or mental health. (141) Pursuant to Roe, [section] 19 of ch. 272 was declared unconstitutional in an unreported decision of a three-judge federal district court. (142) The pre-Roe statute has not been repealed. (143) However, in light of the judicially engrafted exceptions for physical and mental health, it is doubtful that the statute would effectively prohibit any abortions even if Roe v. Wade were overruled. (144) Moreover, regardless of Roe, any attempt to prohibit abortion (at least before viability) in Massachusetts would be barred by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's decisions recognizing a fundamental right to abortion on state constitutional grounds (due process). (145)                                                                                               Issues in Law & Medicine / Summer, 2007

 

 




Friday, April 20, 2012

Correction: Mothers' Day Dinner is May 3rd.


 

We have two exciting dinners coming up! On May 3, the MCFL Mothers' Day Dinner, sponsored by the Pioneer Valley Region, will feature Professor Robbie George from Princeton. The Dinner is at Chez Josef in Agawam. Robbie George comes infrequently to Massachusetts so this is an amazing opportunity! I'm still not sure how Dinner Chair, James Brunault, and his committee were able to get Prof. George, but I am looking forward eagerly to hearing him.   

 

Make reservations, http://pvmcfl.org/calendar/ 

 

On October 19, the MCFL Annual Fund-Raising Banquet will feature Harvard Law Professor Mary Ann Glendon. According to the Chicago Tribune, Prof. Glendon is very busy working with the Romney team on prospective judicial appointments - particularly to the Supreme Court. From the point of view of protecting life, I can't think of a better advisor for Governor Romney.

 

I look forward to seeing you in Agawam. Anne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Guess who's coming to dinner?


 

We have two exciting dinners coming up! On May 10, the MCFL Mothers' Day Dinner, sponsored by the Pioneer Valley Region, will feature Professor Robbie George from Princeton. The Dinner is at Chez Josef in Agawam. Robbie George comes infrequently to Massachusetts so this is an amazing opportunity! I'm still not sure how Dinner Chair, James Brunault, and his committee were able to get Prof. George, but I am looking forward eagerly to hearing him.   

 

Make reservations, http://pvmcfl.org/calendar/ 

 

On October 19, the MCFL Annual Fund-Raising Banquet will feature Harvard Law Professor Mary Ann Glendon. According to the Chicago Tribune, Prof. Glendon is very busy working with the Romney team on prospective judicial appointments - particularly to the Supreme Court. From the point of view of protecting life, I can't think of a better advisor for Governor Romney.

 

I look forward to seeing you in Agawam. Anne

 

Monday, April 16, 2012

October Baby and other news



 

 

April 12, 2012: The Boston Globe reviewer hates October Baby - hates the fact that it is successful enough that he has to review it and hates the fact that it is artistic and effective.

 

April 14, 15, 2012: I received calls from across the state this weekend from people who had seen the movie and are headed for their local theaters to try to bring it there. I know you will enjoy it,

 

I found these two archived Globe articles heartwarming. Hope you get to see October Baby! Anne

 

_____

 

The Boston Globe

July 12, 1996, Friday, City Edition

 

Investment firm shuts to help find girl; 50 employees fly to NYC in search for teen-ager

By Shirley Leung, Globe Staff

 

When Bain Capital Inc. executives learned the 14-year-old daughter of

a business partner was missing, they responded by closing the Boston

company's office and flew about 50 employees to New York City to look

for the girl themselves.

 

Yesterday, in their first day of searching, they pounded the pavement,

plastered the city with 200,000 fliers and quizzed teen-agers at

concerts and parks.

 

But as of late last night, Melissa Gay was still nowhere to be found.

 

"Our children are what life is all about," said W. Mitt Romney,

founder and managing partner of Bain Capital. "Everything else takes a

back seat."

 

Bob Gay, one of 12 managing directors of Bain Capital, last saw his

daughter Saturday. The family lives in Ridgefield, Conn., and Melissa

had been dropped off at the local tennis club around 3:30 that

afternoon.

 

When her mother, Lynette, called the club around 6 p.m. to see if

Melissa had finished playing, club staff said she wasn't there.

Lynette and Bob Gay assumed their daughter had grabbed a bite to eat

with her tennis partner.

 

Bob Gay waited until 2 that night. His daughter never came home.

"That's when we knew something was not right," he said in a telephone

interview last night from New York City.

 

They called all her friends and then called police. They soon learned

that Melissa had hopped a train with several friends to New York

Saturday night to catch the Rock Rave-Fantasia II concert in

Manhattan.

 

Her friends returned to Connecticut without Melissa sometime Sunday.

 

Bob Gay doesn't believe his daughter ran away, because she didn't take

any clothes and had only $ 10 with her. "I believe she fully intended

to go to the concert without telling us, but not stay there in the

city," he said.

 

Ridgefield and New York police are working together. Hospitals have

been checked and arrest records canvassed, Gay has been told.

 

New York police said her friends last saw her at a party at 11 a.m.

Sunday near the Whitestone Bridge, which connects Queens and the

Bronx.

 

Last night, officials from both departments would not comment on the

case, except to say that the investigation is continuing.

 

But Bob Gay just couldn't sit back and watch.

 

On Wednesday he walked the streets of Manhattan looking for his blonde

daughter, who was last seen wearing a blue or red-striped shirt and

baggy tan pants.

 

Gay, who has worked for Bain for eight years, kept his ordeal to

himself, confiding only in Romney.

 

But Wednesday, Romney decided to tell the other 11 managing directors,

and they decided that finding a missing daughter was more important

than operating a $ 1 billion investment firm.

 

The executives decided not only to give their time but their money,

paying all expenses for the search for the fifth of Gay's seven

children.

 

That night, 16 employees flew to New York, turned a function room of

the Laguardia Marriott Hotel into a "war room," and got printing giant

R. R. Donnelly to print 200,000 fliers with a color picture of

Melissa. They also hired a private investigator and set up an

800-number hot line.

 

Another 40 employees caught an early morning shuttle yesterday, and

later were joined by about 250 colleagues from other Wall Street

firms, including Goldman Sachs, Price Waterhouse and Bankers Trust.

 

"Most of us have children," said Stephen Pagliuca, 44, a Bain managing

director with four children. "That's the most important thing in our

lives. It wasn't even a question. We just decided to do it."

  

Anyone with information on Melissa Gay can call 1-800-783-7454, extension 1111.

-----------

Then ... about six months later. 

 

-------------------

The Boston Globe

December 8, 1996, Sunday, City Edition

 

Bain Capital recalls NY search

 

BYLINE: By Peter S. Canellos, Globe Staff

 

Last week, the partners of Boston's Bain Capital Inc. drew up their

annual list of accomplishments: Number one was the week they spent

last July combing Manhattan in search of Melissa Gay, the missing

14-year-old daughter of one of the partners.

 

"It really overshadowed everything we did from a money standpoint,"

said Mitt Romney, the Bain Capital founder who won the 1994

Massachusetts Republican Senate nomination partly on his reputation as

a venture capital wiz. "The days and nights spent looking for Missy

Gay were more valuable than some financial home runs that made the

front page of the Wall Street Journal. I mean, money is just money."

 

The 15 Bain Capital partners chartered a plane to New York to search

for the missing youngster among the thousands of abandoned children

and runaways who congregate in Manhattan.

 

They didn't find her themselves. She turned up in Montville, N.J. The

Associated Press reported at the time that she was dazed from a

disorienting dose of a drug taken at a rock concert.

 

Now back in school and fully recovered, Melissa and her parents are

doing well, Romney said.

 

The partners, however, are still taking stock of their visit to the

dark corners of New York, putting up posters and talking to runaways

outside seedy nightclubs and peep shows. Romney said he can't escape

some of the images he carries with him from his week in the New York

underworld.

 

"It was a shocker," he said. "The number of lost souls was astounding."

 

Romney said one partner still talks about a runaway he spoke with in

search of information about Melissa.

 

"The girl asked, 'Why are you looking for her?' and he said, 'Because

her parents miss her,' " Romney said. "She replied, 'I wish my parents

missed me like that.'


Thursday, April 12, 2012

Press Release: MCFL PAC endorses Romney


For  immediate release, Thursday, April 12, 2012                      contact: John Rowe, 617-242-4199 X 230

MASS. CITIZENS FOR LIFE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE ENDORSES ROMNEY

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Citizens for Life Political Action Committee today endorsed Governor Mitt Romney for President.
As the country's most pro-abortion president, Barack Obama has pursued a radical pro-abortion agenda.
In contrast, as governor, Mitt Romney worked closely with MCFL. He takes a strong pro-life position and is committed to implementing policies to protect the unborn, the medically dependent, the disabled, and the elderly. 
Romney opposes abortion and has called the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, "a big mistake." Romney has expressed his support of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortion.
Romney proposes to repeal the Obama health care law which funds abortion, rationing, denial of of  lifesaving medical care, and slashes conscience rights.
He has promised to reinstate the Mexico City Policy, which prevents federal dollars from going to organizations that perform or promote abortion overseas.
According to John Rowe, MCFL PAC Chair, "As the country's most pro-abortion president, Barack Obama has pursued a radical pro-abortion agenda.  The MCFL PAC urges the voters of Massachusetts to unite behind Mitt Romney for the sake of unborn children, the disabled, and the elderly.
" We are very pleased that every candidate who has run for the Republican nomination for president has taken a strong pro-life position and kept the life issues at the forefront of the race.  We look forward to Mitt Romney's election as our next pro-life president on November 6th."
Founded in 1973, Massachusetts Citizens for Life (MCFL) is the oldest and largest pro-life organization in the state.  MCFL works to protect life from conception to natural death.
Schrafft Center, 529 Main Street, Charlestown, MA,  617-242-4199
Massachusetts Citizens for Life
The Schrafft Center, 529 Main Street
Boston Massachusetts 02129
United States

Victory in Vermont - for sure!



Just in on doctor-prescribed suicide in Vermont: After 2 1/2 hours of debate, some on process, but
most on substance, a vote was taken.  18 - 11.
Our people said, "The proponents arguments failed to persuade"

A win in Vermont for DPS would probably have meant certain passage here.

Our folks in Vermont are amazing. We owe them a huge "THANKS"   

I am going to ask the Vermont leaders to speak at the MCFL Convention on June 9th. We have to do what they did! Anne
 





Wednesday, April 11, 2012

October Baby opening near you this Friday


Matt just let me know that "the popular pro-life movie October Baby is coming to a bunch of Massachusetts theaters opening April 13th. It might be a good idea to spread the word so we can support this great pro-life film so they can make more in the future. More locations might be added later, but here are the current locations." He and I recommend it highly - as do all the others who have seen it. Enjoy, Anne

Bellingham, MA
Bellingham 14
259 Hartford Ave.
Bellingham, MA 00201
 

Danvers, MA 
Liberty Tree Mall 20
100 Independence Way
Danvers, MA 00192
 

Leominster, MA 
Entertainment Cinemas Leominster 1-12
Searstown Shopping Center
Leominster, MA 00145
 

Springfield, MA 
Entertainment Cinemas Springfield 16
Springfield Plaza
Springfield, MA 00110
 

Rave Eastfield Mall 16
1655 Boston Rd.
Springfield, MA 00112
 


The N Y Times needs to hear from YOU on DPS




 There are outstanding articles in the N Y Times on Doctor Prescribed Suicide!

You can find really excellent articles by Rita Marker, Marilyn Golden, and Margaret Dore:  http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/04/10/why-do-americans-balk-at-euthanasia-laws

Please send a letter to letters@nytimes.com  There is a 150 word limit.  Your posted comment or letter could touch on:

1.  You agree with the articles!  (be specific as to which article you agree with and why)
2.  You personally have seen elder abuse (tell a story).
3.  You have read the Oregon, WA, Mass acts, etc. and you agree with a particular point made about the acts in the articles.
4.  Tell a story about someone who lived past his or her deadline                                                                     5. Refute points you feel are faulty in the opposition articles
6.  Look here for more ideas:  http://stopassistedsuicide-ma.com/

This is a great chance for us!  Please write or post. 
Thanks mightily, 
Anne




Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Emergency in Vermont


Just received from Vermont:

.......the DWD folks have attached the assisted suicide bill, in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, to a bill that bans 18 years olds from using tanning machines.......it will be up on notice tomorrow and on the floor for voting on Thursday or Friday.......do pray for us!
-----------------------------------------

DPS debate on Emily Rooney tonight

From our friends at MAADPS:


Greater Boston, Emily Rooney's show on Channel 2 in Boston will feature a debate on Doctor Prescribed Suicide tonight (Tuesday)at 7:00 pm.  Dr Barbara Rockett will represent the Massachusetts Alliance Against Doctor Prescribed Suicide.  Dr Rockett is a past President of the Massachusetts Medical Society and their current delegate to the American Medical Society.  Speaking in favor of DPS will be Marcia Angell, MD one of the original signers of the petition.  She is a former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. 

The proponents of DPS are trying to say it gives rights to individual patients.  A patient can already ask a doctor for a lethal dose.  What the petition would really do is change the law so the doctor would be free to give the lethal prescription.  Just as Wayne Cockfield does, Dr Rockett will talk about "medical abandonment".

The medical field is where this battle belongs.  This is a wonderful opportunity for you to hear the arguments that work!


Saturday, April 7, 2012

Blessed wishes from MCFL!








Blessed wishes from MCFL!



The Board of Directors, the staff, and volunteers at Mass. Citizens join me in wishing you a Blessed Easter and Passover. Each of these prayers seems to speak to our needs and obligations. Please accept my heartfelt thanks for all you do for life - especially at this busy time. Best to you and your family! Anne

 

This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us rejoice and be glad in it. Let those again speak who have been redeemed by our Lord: whom He hath redeemed out of the hand of the enemy, and gathered out of the nations.

 

Lo, this is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in want come and celebrate the Passover with us. May it be God's will to redeem us from all trouble and from all servitude. Next year at this season may the whole house Israel be free.