January / February 2007

U.S. Supreme Court to Take Up Wisconsin Right to Life Case

Oral Arguments Expected April 25
"Wisconsin Right to Life is delighted that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up our grassroots lobbying challenge to the McCain-Feingold law,” stated Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life. “With oral arguments expected on April 25, the high court appears poised to make a decision by the end of this term which occurs on June 30.”

In December of 2006, the District Court for the District of Columbia ruled 2-1 that genuine grassroots lobbying ads which do not refer to an election can be aired in the blackout periods created by the McCain-Feingold law. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) appealed this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Wisconsin Right to Life joined the FEC in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case, and to decide it this term,” stated James Bopp Jr., counsel for Wisconsin Right to Life. “We believe it is important to have a Supreme Court decision which will be binding on the FEC and which will give guidance to those groups that want to petition the government using grassroots lobbying broadcast ads.”

Free speech and the right to petition government are on the line at the U.S. Supreme Court after the D.C. Federal District Court sided with Wisconsin Right to Life in declaring it unconstitutional for the FEC to block grassroots lobbying ads.

You Can Protect Wisconsin’s Unborn -
Help Preserve Statute 940.04

Should Roe be eliminated, Wisconsin’s unborn will be best-protected in the nation. Your help is needed to keep it that way.
You are needed now, more than ever, to help preserve s.940.04 of the Wisconsin Statutes. This 150-year-old law prohibits abortion except when the mother’s life is in danger. The only obstacle to prevent the protection of unborn children under this law is the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Wisconsin is in the unique position of being the only state in the nation with a pre-Roe law which will immediately protect unborn children once the unjust Roe v. Wade is eliminated.

Planned Parenthood and its legislative allies are preparing a major onslaught in 2007 to repeal s. 940.04, and they have Governor Doyle waiting in the wings to sign the measure. The battle will be especially difficult in the State Senate which now has pro-abortion leadership and a small pro-abortion majority. Rest assured that with your help, Wisconsin Right to Life will work tirelessly to ensure that s. 940.04 remains on the books.

You can help immediately and frequently by contacting your State Senator and State Representative to urge them to preserve s. 940.04. Your elected representatives can be reached by going to www.WisconsinRighttoLife.org. Click on the Legislative Information Center and follow the instructions for contacting your legislators. The Center will help you identify your Senator and Representative if you are not sure who they are.

At the federal level America is left with new leadership that is also pro-abortion. We are deeply disappointed but not discouraged as the pro-life movement continues to be and must be the conscience of America.

The new national leadership comes to power because some candidates claimed they were “pro-life” in their campaigns. Only time will tell if this was empty rhetoric devoid of commitment and substance. It should be noted that all of the “pro-life” Democrats who ran against a pro-life incumbent Republican ran against a pro-life Republican. The Democrats did not run a “pro-life” candidate against a pro-abortion Republican. Thus, they cleverly helped preserve pro-abortion representation.

Polling conducted by the National Right to Life Committee indicates that pro-life candidates enjoyed a distinct advantage over pro-abortion candidates from those voters who stated that abortion was a significant issue for them. This pro-life advantage was not enough to overtake voters who voted against the war in Iraq. In spite of the election disappointments, the culture of life advances. Wisconsin enjoys abortion decreases almost every year.

In 2006, Wisconsin Right to Life educational outreach topped 50 million contacts with the general public. A resource just for “guys” was added to the www.TeenBreaks.com pro-life web site. Many pro-life laws were passed. Grants were awarded to six college students to continue or start pro-life campus groups. Wisconsin Right to Life monitored 17 college pro-life groups. At four dynamic summer camps, 74 teen leaders received intensive training. Our local chapters continue to be the face and voice of the pro-life movement in their local communities.

When you are at church, shopping, or at a park and see a young child, rejoice that this precious little one has survived the most pervasive and violent war of our times – the war within the womb. Look at each child as a treasured gift that you may have had a hand in saving. That’s what Wisconsin Right to Life and you, our wonderful supporters, are all about. The promise we make is to save lives – and it is happening every day.

Called to Make a Difference

Shannon Delaney plans to change the world
If you’ve read any of the research about the Millennial Generation (ages 9 to 24) you know that they are predominantly pro-life and carry with them deep-seated zeal to make the world a better place. Shannon Delaney could easily be the poster-woman for her generation. For starters, she’s a leader with Students for Life on the campus of the Medical College of Wisconsin.

As for changing the world, it seems like Delaney is ready to do it. But she’s not heading out on her own. “I can’t thank Wisconsin Right to Life enough for all they’ve done to support our student group. You are always there for us. Anything we do, we know we can count on Wisconsin Right to Life to be there to support us!”

A home-grown pro-lifer from eastern Iowa farm country, Shannon Delaney’s pro-life roots spring from more than just her Irish-Catholic family background. “I’ve always had sort of an avid interest in ethics and in morality in general. In fact, it all started in high school. I would love to debate and think about life issues, philosophy and religion.”

The shop class boys at her high school must have noticed her willingness to be outspoken because they carved a little wooden brooch for Shannon to wear – pinning her with the name “Captain Moral.”

“I’ve never had a problem holding different views from the majority. In fact, one of the lessons I learned in high school was that, even if people didn’t agree with you, they still respected you when you stood firm on your convictions.”

As iron sharpens iron, Delaney was especially close to one of her grandfathers, who, as it happened was anything but pro-life. “I used to go to his house and we would just sit together and debate life issues and politics – he was a real intellectual.”

So how did she find herself in medical school?

Delaney discovered early on that she needed the intellectually challenging rigors of medical school.

“I really like people and I’ve always been interested in serving,” Shannon says, “so medicine just seemed like a natural fit for me. Also, my other grandfather died from cancer while I was in high school and because I went through that with my family, I developed an interest in oncology.

But I’m also interested in bioethics. I could see myself sitting on [hospital] ethics committees. I also see this interest playing out in the pro-life arena because I’ve always felt like I’ve been called to make a difference in that realm.”

And make a difference she will. In fact, she already has. In college she took a leadership role in the pro-life campus group. And now, at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Delaney is one of the driving pro-life forces. A force, as it oft-time happens, to be reckoned with in the hallways and the classroom. When ethical issues are discussed, Delaney is ready and willing to offer her viewpoint.

“In the ethics classes, conversations can get pretty heated. Sometimes the term bioethics is used as a way to justify some of the [anti-life] things that are done,” she says. This has only fueled Delaney’s desire to pursue a Masters degree in bioethics.

Watch out world! A pro-life dynamo is about to make a big difference in how we view our fellow man, from conception until natural death.

Not all starch and stethoscopes for this pro-life med student... During her first year at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Shannon Delaney mentored a single teen mom through her pregnancy. Out of this, a friendship blossomed. Here, Shannon holds the mom’s son, Jacari, at his 1st birthday party.

Annette Ziegler Endorsed for State Supreme Court

Vote February 20 and April 3
Judge Annette Ziegler has been endorsed by the Wisconsin Right to Life PAC in an open seat race to replace retiring State Supreme Court Justice Jon Wilcox.

“Judge Ziegler is firmly committed to interpreting laws and leaving the creation of laws to the state legislature,” stated Bonnie Pfaff, PAC chair. “She also brings a variety and wealth of legal experience to this important post.”

Judge Ziegler is the senior judge in Washington County, serving as a Circuit Court Judge for 10 years. She was first appointed by Governor Tommy Thompson and has been elected twice. Prior experience includes work in a private law firm, as a county prosecutor and in the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Authorized and paid for by the Wisconsin Right to Life PAC, Richard Fox, Treas. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

U.S. Supreme Court Gets Second Chance on Partial-Birth Abortion

What you may see in Wisconsin as a result
On November 8, 2006, the nine justices of the U. S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the first of two challenges to the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act that was signed into law by President George W. Bush in November 2003.

No one can predict how the Court will eventually rule. Two new justices have joined the Court since the Court rejected Nebraska’s state ban on partial-birth abortion in Stenberg v. Carhart. They are Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was a member of the Court that ruled in Stenberg, voted to uphold the Nebraska ban. However, it is impossible to predict how Kennedy will vote on the current case.

A partial-birth abortion involves the abortionist delivering, feet first, a premature baby until only the baby’s head remains lodged just inside the mother’s womb. Then the abortionist punctures the base of the baby’s skull with 7-inch surgical scissors and suctions out the brain.

The gruesomeness and barbarism of the partial-birth abortion procedure has had a dramatic effect on the public, even on those who thought they were “pro-choice.” If the Court rules to ban the procedure, it would continue to teach the American public about the brutality and violence of partial-birth abortion and all abortions.

Now that the U. S. Supreme Court has heard oral arguments in a challenge to the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, will the Court rule to ban the barbaric procedure once and for all?

Your gifts are precious treasures. That’s why Wisconsin Right to Life assures you that we use your gifts wisely. Never wasted, your gifts are used for programs that are thoughtfully planned, backed by research and results-oriented. Most importantly, the programs must have a positive impact on saving lives. Your trust means everything to Wisconsin Right to Life. You have our pledge never to violate that trust and to always do our absolute best to save lives!

Let Your E-Voice be Heard!

Sign up to be a voice for the unborn
Now you can sign up to be a voice for the unborn on E-Voice, an innovative new email network. Wisconsin Right to Life’s E-Voice is working to save human lives through legislative action. Your partnership in E-Voice will make it possible for those in your area (friends, neighbors, relatives and church members) to receive legislative alerts and updates through you. Now you and your acquaintances can help make a lifesaving difference in Madison and Washington, D.C. Joining E-Voice is easy. Sign up for E-Voice at WisconsinRightToLife.org and you can be a strong voice in the legislature on behalf of the unborn by joining the E-Voice network.

Or, print, complete and mail this form to Wisconsin Right to Life E-Voice, 10625 W. North Ave. Suite LL, Milwaukee, WI 53226-2331

Summer Teen Leadership Camps

Are there teens you know who would benefit by attending?
Would you help pay their way?

Camp Esther (Basic)
June 24 - 26, 2007 in Cable, Wis.
July 22 - 24, 2007 in Walworth, Wis.

Camp Nehemiah (Advanced)
June 27 - 29, 2007 in Cable, Wis.
July 25 - 27, 2007 in Walworth, Wis.

Camp costs: Wisconsin Residents = $60 before June 8 Cable / July 6 Walworth and $80 after; Out of State = $100 before June 8 Cable / July 6 Walworth and $120 after.

To receive a registration packet or for more information, contact Joleigh Little at (715) 378-4302 or send email to: jlittle@wrtl.org

Memorials

Remember a loved-one with a memorial gift to Wisconsin Right to Life. Gifts may be mailed to: Wisconsin Right to Life 10625 W. North Ave., Suite LL Milwaukee, WI 53226-2331 By visiting www.WisconsinRightToLife.org/memorials.htm you can give online and view the current list of memorials and special gifts.