-By Warner Todd Huston
For some thirty years Congress has built into bills a legislative device called a “pro-life rider.” These riders prevent public funding for abortion from being slipped into bills under the radar. These riders have wide bi-partisan support having resisted elimination since the 1970s.
But, now these riders are coming under threat by the new Obama administration and his pro-abortion Democratic Party cohorts. A bi-partisan group of House members, however, seek to quash the effort by Obama and his followers to reverse a thirty-year tradition, one that conforms to the majority opinion of the American electorate.
Heath Shuler (D-NC), Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and nearly 100 of their fellow House members have signed a letter urging the House majority leaders to retain pro-life riders into the coming session and beyond. (see text of letter here, .pdf file format)
Jay Sekulow over at the American Center for Law and Justice posted an entry about this letter and reports that the ACLJ has taken an in-depth look at the 15 pro-life riders that were approved by Congress in 2008. (view their report here also in .pdf format)
Sekulow said:
Our position is very clear: With a pro-abortion Congress and White House in place, the conscience rights of the American taxpayer and the American health care professional are at stake. Pro-life riders that prohibit federal funds from being used for abortions and that provide conscience protections for health care personnel must be retained in upcoming appropriations legislation. Otherwise, the federal government runs the risk of forcing Americans to violate their consciences by making them pay for – or perform – abortions.
Exactly right.
There are two other organizations trying to do something about convincing Congress to retain the pro-life riders.
CitizenLink.com has an “ask your representative” form you can email to your Congressman.
And Focus on the Family Action has a petition being readied that you can sign.
Respecting the right to life of our most vulnerable fellows is the right decision. Let’s take action to make sure our often times wayward representatives respect that right.
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, Human Events Magazine, townhall.com, New Media Journal, Men’s News Daily and the New Media Alliance among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston
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