July / August 2007
Wisconsin Right to Life Secures Freedom of Speech in Historic Case
 On June 25, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a tremendous victory for citizens and citizen organizations by creating a grass-roots lobbying exception to the McCain-Feingold broadcast blackout periods. This exception was sought by Wisconsin Right to Life in a 2004 suit filed in federal court.
“The Court restored the right of citizens and citizen organizations to engage in grass-roots lobbying using radio and television advertising,” declared Barbara Lyons, executive director of Wisconsin Right to Life. “The Court soundly rejected attempts by Senators McCain, Feingold and others to silence groups from airing ads which inform the public of an issue before Congress and invite individuals to contact their elected officials.”
The McCain-Feingold law prohibits corporations and labor unions from airing radio and television ads 30 days before a primary election and 60 days before a general election which mention the name of a candidate on the ballot in any context. The law is so extreme that it establishes criminal penalties and jail sentences for officials of citizen organizations for exercising freedom of speech and the right to petition the government -- rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.
James Bopp Jr., lead counsel for Wisconsin Right to Life in this historic case, stated: “Incumbent politicians have no constitutional authority to quash criticism of their conduct in office. The Court has rejected the audacious attempt by Sen. McCain and his allies to overturn the First Amendment’s protection and empower incumbent politicians with the power to ban public criticism -- even ban ads that contain no such criticism.”
Banner headlines and feature stories in Wisconsin and national news outlets announced the U.S. Supreme Court decision, giving prominence to Wisconsin Right to Life across the country.
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The full text of the Supreme Court decision can be found at:
http://www.scotusblog.com/movabletype/archives/06-969_All.pdf
Wisconsin Right to Life Victorious in Federal Court
Judicial Candidates Now Free to Respond to Candidate Questionnaires
It used to be that judicial candidates could not answer questions regarding their views on abortion, assisted suicide and other issues of interest to the right-to-life movement. But in a court case initiated and won by Wisconsin Right to Life, judicial candidates are now free to express their views.
Prior to the ruling, the Wisconsin Code of Judicial Conduct prohibited judicial candidates from answering a questionnaire asking their views on legal and political issues. Wisconsin Right to Life challenged those provisions in the Code of Judicial Conduct that prevented judicial candidates from responding to our questionnaire. On Tuesday, May 29, Federal District Court Judge John Shabaz granted a permanent injunction on those provisions. As a result, judicial candidates in Wisconsin are now free to give their views on legal and political issues.
An End to the Stem Cell Debate?
Newspaper Headline Poses Fascinating Question
The front page headline in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on June 7 blared: “An end to stem cell debate?” The article reported that three teams of scientists have independently coaxed ordinary skin cells in mice into becoming pluripotent stem cells. Pluripotency is the attribute found so desirable in embryonic stem cells. The good news? The mice did not have to be destroyed to make these cells.
According to the story this is “an advance that, if it works with human cells, could revolutionize stem cell research and defuse one of the hottest bio-ethical controversies of the decade.” It “raises no serious moral problem, because it creates embryonic- like stem cells without creating, harming or destroying human lives at any stage,” said Richard Doerflinger of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“From the point of view of moving biomedicine and regenerative medicine faster, this is about as big a deal as you could imagine,” said Irving Weissman, a leading stem cell biologist at Stanford University, who was not involved in the new research.
David Scadden, a stem cell biologist at the Harvard Medical School, said the finding that cells could be reprogrammed with simple biochemical techniques “is truly extraordinary and frankly something most assumed would take a decade to work out.”
Scientists caution that mice are not humans and problems remain in transferring this technique to human skin cells.
Read the original full story online at: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=616421
State Partial-Birth Abortion Ban to be Introduced
When the U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld a federal ban on the gruesome, late-term partial-birth abortion procedure, performing partial-birth abortions anywhere in the United States became illegal. It is also important that states pass their own bans. Why? With just a federal ban, prosecution of partial-birth abortion cases would be handled by federal prosecutors. Prosecution of partial-birth abortion cases are best handled at the state and local level. It is important that prosecutors have the tools they need to ensure that the ban on partial-birth abortions is expeditiously enforced. A parallel state ban would be essential to allow state and local prosecutors to become involved. Senator Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) and Representative Mark Gundrum (R-New Berlin) are authoring the state ban. Wisconsin Right to Life is the lead organization promoting the measure. Please contact your Assembly Representative and State Senator in support of a state ban on partial-birth abortion.
Forced Abortions
Moms, Boy Friends
Force Women to Have Abortions
A 2004 study in the Medical Science Monitor reveals that 64% of post-abortion women report they were pressured by others to have an abortion. Sometimes, pressure becomes force. Stories about forced abortions are becoming all too familiar, providing the impetus behind the Wisconsin Coercive Abortion Prevention Act (AB427 or SB 218).
Listen to the excruciating heartache of a young woman forced to have an abortion by her mother.
“I’m sixteen and I recently had an abortion. I automatically fell in love with my baby – but when we told our parents our happiness soon faded. When I found out that I actually had an appointment to let someone kill my child I couldn’t believe my mom couldn’t understand what I was going through.
“When I got my first ultrasound I found out that I turned 3 months pregnant that day – it just hurt me even more to see my baby on that picture. The whole time the doctor did the abortion I was crying. I couldn’t believe my baby was dying. I will never know like was it a boy or girl. I don’t even want to sleep at night because I have nightmares and replay the whole thing over and over in my head.
“My advice to any girl out there who is considering abortion is to really think about your decision and please don’t let anyone talk you in to it because you will feel guilty for the rest of your life.”
Were you coerced into an abortion?
Or, do you know someone who was? If so and you are willing to write about your experience or testify about it at a public hearing, please contact Mary Klaver at Wisconsin Right to Life, 414-778-5780 or 877-855-5007 toll free. Email address: mklaver@wrtl.org.
No information gathered will be released unless we have your permission to do so. Please consider sharing your story. By doing so, you can help protect other women from abortion’s pain. For more information on the Coercive Abortion Prevention Act, please visit our online Legislative Information Center:
www.WisconsinRightToLife.org/LIC.htm
Help Elect a Right-To-Life President in 2008!
National Right to Life, the nation’s largest right-to-life organization, and Wisconsin Right to Life, are sponsoring a petition calling on the Republican National Committee to nominate a right-to-life candidate for president of the United States in 2008.
We encourage you to partner with us and strongly urge the Republican Party to nominate a right-to-life candidate in 2008.
Please sign the online petition at www.WisconsinRightToLife.org/petition.htm or download the petition from the same website page. Make as many copies as you like to share with your friends and neighbors.
You Can Make a Difference Tomorrow...
Remember Wisconsin Right to Life in Your Will Today.
Did you know that making a gift through your will is a meaningful way to make a lasting commitment to Wisconsin Right to Life? It’s true. You can bequeath a sum of money, an item or any portion of your estate. Want to learn more? We can direct you to professionals who can answer your will-related questions.
For information on planned giving, contact Mary Phillips in our development office, toll free at (877) 855-5007.
 Sign Up for E-Voice
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
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.
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