Mothers’ Day Pro-life Funding Bouquet this Sunday! We need to raise $10,000!

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Dear Fellow Pro-lifer, With Mothers' Day approaching it is fitting for pro-lifers to take a moment to express our great gratitude to our mothers and for motherhood in general. No one, not one of us, would be here without our mothers.  They chose life and love and here we are today.  This is true even in the case of those who don't share our respect for the sanctity of all human life from conception until natural death. Sadly, there are many who do not respect life.  That's why I'm asking you to help MCFL continue our extensive efforts to identify, educate and activate pro-lifers across the commonwealth by contributing to our Mothers' Day Funding Bouquet this weekend. We need to raise at least $10,000 to help fund our efforts to both defeat the so-called "Death with Dignity" and continue our pro-life educational activities like the MCFL Student Summer Academy. Honor your mother and motherhood in general by contributing $10, $20, $50 or whatever you can afford.  (CLICK HERE to make your gift early) As you know, this year is an incredibly important one for the cause of Life.  In addition to the on-going fight against abortion and the Presidential and Senatorial elections, a measure legalizing Doctor-Prescribed Suicide will be on the November ballot.  MCFL is one of the few groups actively engaged in all of these important efforts. Funds are scarce and the issues are critical. We can win but not without you! My friend, it is terrible to consider that as we celebrate mothers this weekend, there are those who are actively working to make is legal for doctors to prescribe aging mothers, perhaps sick and severely depressed, with poison to "treat" supposedly "terminal" illnesses. They claim that this is a way of securing the "dignity" for aging parents. We can stop them and we must! Let's show the right way to honor our mothers by meeting and passing our $10,000 funding goal in this weekend's Mothers' Day Funding Bouquet.  While contributing, you may complete an online form to have a wonderful pro-life e-card sent to your favorite mother or mother-figure. It's easy to participate.  Simply go to the MCFL website (CLICK HERE) and fill out the form to sign up for a Mother's Day e-card for your favorite mother. Then proceed to the donations page and make your contribution.  Remember to include the word "bouquet" in the notes section. We pro-lifers need to come together this year and stand up for what's right.  We need to promote a society which respects human dignity—our children, and our mothers, deserve no less.  What better way to honor our mothers than to contribute in support of the very thing they gave all of us—Life? I know I can count on you.  Thank you in advance.   Yours for Life, Anne Fox President, Massachusetts Citizens for Life PS—You don't need to wait until Mothers' Day to make your contribution in honor of motherhood.  CLICK HERE to go to the MCFL website right now and make your gift while signing up as many as three of the best mothers you know for a lovely pro-life e-card. PPS—With Doctor-Prescribed Suicide threatening so many of the disabled and vulnerable, including some of our mothers, we need all the help we can get.  Please, after you make your gift of whatever you can afford, forward this email to at least three people.  It makes a huge difference!

Massachusetts Citizens for Life
The Schrafft Center, 529 Main Street
Boston Massachusetts 02129
United States

DPS: DOUBT #26

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In exactly twenty-six weeks from today we have to defeat Doctor-Prescribed Suicide , aka, "Death with Dignity" in Massachusetts.  We cannot have "yes" votes or blanks.  We must have "no" votes.  That gives us an advantage.  As long as we can raise a reasonable doubt in the mind of a voter, that person will vote "no".  Every week, we'll present a reasonable doubt with quick background so that you can talk to people that week. We are starting with "suicide contagion".  Massachusetts already has a higher death toll from suicide than from auto accidents.  Do we want to make that worse?  Please read Dr Howland's letter and TALK to all you know this week. ------ Dear Editor: Scott Helman's article on doctor prescribed suicide was a good start to the discussion of this troubling subject. I am a family physician and work every day to help patients at the end of life, but I also see many more who are physically healthy but depressed and tempted to see suicide as an answer to their problems. One of the great dangers of legalizing doctor prescribed suicide is that it may lead others to take their own lives. People like my patient Annie, 18 years old who hung herself, or Brian, a young man who killed himself with his father's shotgun. It is well known that suicide is contagious and leads to copycat suicides. Passage of this dangerous proposal would lead to many collateral deaths by suicide of those who are not terminally ill. Since passage of the law in Oregon, suicide rates have increased 52% higher than the national average. In Massachusetts we are fortunate to have one of the lowest suicide rates in the country. As we think about whether or not to legalize suicide for the terminally ill, let's not forget the many others who will be hurt: the Brians, the Annies, and their families. Sincerely, John Howland, M.D. St. Luke's Health Center 141 Main Street Southbridge, MA 01550

Massachusetts Alliance Against Doctor-Prescribed Suicide
www.nodoctorprescribedsuicide.com

LOL

Before you get to a deliciously tart article about Elizabeth Warren, there are a few FYI's:   Pepsi is no longer using cells from aborted babies to taste test their products.   I am so embarrassed by the way this administration has dealt with Chen Guangcheng and pray that he and his family will finally be safe.   On Saturday, May 12th from 9:30am to noon, the finals of the Dr. Mildred F Jefferson Oratory Contest will be held at St Sebastian's School in Needham. For more information, please see the MCFL email of April 27th.   On Saturday, May 19th, from 9:30am to 1:30 pm, Linda Thayer, our Vice-President of Educational Affairs, will hold a reception at the MCFL office for people who ever have thought they might like to speak onthe pro-life issues. Linda and some of our Certified MCFL Speakers will share what it is like to speak and what preparation is involved. All are welcome. Please call 617-242-4199 X230 for more information and to register.   Second Thoughts, a disability group opposed to DPS, will be holding an educational and organizational meeting on Saturday, May 19, 2 PM-4:30 PM, at the Cambridge Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Avenue.   The Globe removed the poll on Doctor-Prescribed Suicide. We are trying to find the results. When I checked it late last Sunday evening, we were at 69+% and rising. Thanks again!   This is a most beautiful, pro-life article which George Will wrote on the occasion of his son's 40th birthday. Please treat yourself, http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/jon-will-40-years-and-going-with-down-syndrome/2012/05/02/gIQAdGiNxT_story.html   There have been a lot of very clever articles during what the Globe calls Elizabeth Warren's bad week. This one is in a class by itself!  http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/299092/composite-americans-mark-steyn   Have a wonderful weekend. Anne

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/

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

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

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

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.'

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

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