Posted on 03/11/2004 9:20:55 AM PST by WildReeling
Trenton, NJ (LifeNews.com) -- Mary Kreiss-Papalski was shocked to open her New Jersey Education Association newsletter and find an announcement that the teacher's union was inviting members to join the union in supporting and attending the pro-abortion March for Freedom of Choice Rally in Washington D.C. this April.
Not only was the invitation published in the March 2004 NJEA review, the announcement also stated that the Association's Women in Education Committee, "with approval form the NJEA Executive Committee, will charter two buses for members."
"When I read this I was quite upset," said Kreiss-Papalski, an NJEA member and guidance secretary at a New Jersey high school. "I do not feel that my union dues should support this, nor do I think that a union who's soul purpose is to represent those in the field of education should be supporting something that has nothing to do with education."
NJEA's Director of Communications, Lynn Maher, said the announcement was in line with the union's stance on the abortion issue.
(Excerpt) Read more at lifenews.com ...
NRA commends the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs (ANJRPC) for their hard work in addressing the blatant attack on their First Amendment rights by the Montclair Board of Education.
The ANJRPC filed suit against the School Board in June of 2000 after they were denied the same privilege of distributing a flyer that a gun-ban group was given. This resolution guarantees that Second Amendment groups will have the same rights as all other groups.
The settlement calls for the following:
1) The School Board must distribute three leaflets to make up for past unequal treatment. The leaflets will promote ANJRPC`s 2003 education and training events for youth and women;
2) The ANJRPC will have access to the school system to conduct events;
3) The ANJRPC may grant scholarships; and
4) The ANJRPC may establish a student club. In the event the School Board votes to amend their policies and prohibit such activities, no one group may be exempted. A copy of the settlement agreement is posted on the ANJRPC`s website at http://www.anjrpc.org/
miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure miserable failure war criminal
| NJ Education Association Promotes Pro-Abortion March | ||
by Paul Nowak Not only was the invitation published in the March 2004 NJEA review, the announcement also stated that the Association's Women in Education Committee, "with approval form the NJEA Executive Committee, will charter two buses for members."
"When I read this I was quite upset," said Kreiss-Papalski, an NJEA member and guidance secretary at a New Jersey high school. "I do not feel that my union dues should support this, nor do I think that a union who's soul purpose is to represent those in the field of education should be supporting something that has nothing to do with education."
NJEA's Director of Communications, Lynn Maher, said the announcement was in line with the union's stance on the abortion issue.
"NJEA has a pro-choice policy position," Maher told LifeNews.com.
When asked if a similar invitation was made for the March for Life in January, Maher said that if the event was contrary to the Association's policy, then they would not have endorsed it.
Pro-life groups are disturbed that the teacher's union would endorse abortion -- which have taken the lives of thousands of potential New Jersey students.
"It's deeply disturbing that NJEA would align themselves with radical, extremist pro-abortion groups who continue to usurp legislative and parental authority," said Marie Tasy, Public and Legislative Affairs Director for New Jersey Right to Life.
Pro-abortion groups supporting the March for Freedom of Choice Rally include Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business, NOW, the Feminist Majority Foundation, and the march's organizer, NARAL.
Tasy pointed out that according to recent studies by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the research wing of Planned Parenthood, New Jersey has the highest abortion rate of any state for teenagers, as well as the highest abortion rate for black teenagers.
"By associating themselves with radical pro-abortion groups they underscore that they are part of the problem, and not part of the solution," Tasy said of the NJEA.
"In light of the numerous public testimonies that abortion hurts women, NJEA's position demonstrates that their best interests do not lie in the health and well-being of children," Tasy told LifeNews.com. "Parents need to communicate to NJEA that this kind of harmful advocacy is not to be tolerated.
"We urge teachers who disagree with this philosophy to withdraw support or cancel their NJEA membership," concluded Tasy.
ACTION: Contact the New Jersey Education Association with your thoughts about their pro-abortion position. NJEA, Box 1211, Trenton, NJ 08607-1211. (p) 609.599.4561, (f) 609.599.1201.
Related Sites: |
Click here to E-mail NJEA leadership
President:Edithe Fulton, Vice President:Joyce PowellMany teachers in my school were fearful of NOT joining....clinging to the NEA promise to provide legal aid if they ever needed a lawyer.
If anyone wants on or off my ProLife Ping List, please notify me here or by freepmail.
Did your mayor write back to you?
Teachers Protest NEA's Ties to Pro-Abortion March
By Liz Townsend
Teachers across the country were outraged - - but not surprised - - that the National Education Association (NEA) was a prominent supporter of the April 25 pro-abortion march in Washington, D.C. The union, which receives dues from millions of teachers, has a long history of pro-abortion advocacy.
NEA officials acknowledged that it was one of the groups officially supporting the "March for Women's Lives." "We're not a sponsor, in the sense we did not provide for the logistics of the march," NEA spokesman Michael Pons told the Deseret Morning News. "March coordinators contacted the NEA, asked if they could put NEA down as a supporter of the event, and we said yes."
The NEA's official position, first adopted in 1985 and renewed each year, is that it "supports family planning, including the right to reproductive freedom."
This position angers many teachers, who believe that the NEA should not be involved in the abortion debate. Organizations such as Teachers Saving Children (TSC) have been formed by teachers who oppose the union's pro-abortion position.
"We would prefer that the association have a position of silence on abortion," Connie Bancroft, TSC national executive director, told NRL News. "Abortion is a political issue, not an educational one."
In a statement released before the pro-abortion march, the NEA attempted to frame its position as one of supporting "choice." "The NEA supports current law," the statement read, according to Fox News. "It believes in freedom of choice - - for or against abortion. There should be no government limits."
Pro-life teachers strongly disputed that the NEA supports the choice to be against abortion. "If the NEA is truly for 'choice,'" TSC board member Judy Bruns told the Washington Times, "we hope our union will be consistent and extend its hospitality and support to teachers who choose to participate in the annual January 22 March for Life in Washington." The NEA has never supported the pro-life march.
The NEA's position is especially troubling to teachers who are required to send dues to the union as part of collective bargaining agreements. While some states allow NEA membership to be optional, others make it mandatory. Many teachers object strongly that their money is being used to support abortion. In some locations, those in opposition to the NEA's activities can request that a portion of their dues be refunded to them or donated to a charitable organization, according to the Times, but this request is not always granted.
To counter the NEA's position, TSC, which has a membership of over 3,000 pro-life educators, works to "establish respect for all human life from conception to natural death," said Bancroft. As teachers, the group's members are particularly interested in bringing material on fetal development to the classroom and to NEA conferences.
"We want to emphasize the positive, the truth about human life," Bancroft explained. "We have an annual exhibit at the NEA convention to provide teachers with information they can use."
TSC also gives advice to educators seeking more information on how to prevent their money from funding the NEA's pro-abortion activities and others who want to try to work from the inside of the union and encourage it to change its abortion position.
First Amendment Victory In Suit Against School Board
Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs ^ | 05/20/03 | ANJRPC
Rutherford Institute Sues on Behalf of Irvington, NJ, Child in a "Paper Gun" Incident
State getting a grip on smart guns - NJIT works on weapon that fires only after recognizing owner
Has anything been done?
The settlement calls for the following:
1) The School Board must distribute three leaflets to make up for past unequal treatment. The leaflets will promote ANJRPC`s 2003 education and training events for youth and women;
2) The ANJRPC will have access to the school system to conduct events;
3) The ANJRPC may grant scholarships; and
4) The ANJRPC may establish a student club. In the event the School Board votes to amend their policies and prohibit such activities, no one group may be exempted. A copy of the settlement agreement is posted on the ANJRPC`s website at http://www.anjrpc.org/
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Trenton, NJ (LifeNews.com) -- Mary Kreiss-Papalski was shocked to open her New Jersey Education Association newsletter and find an announcement that the teacher's union was inviting members to join the union in supporting and attending the pro-abortion March for Freedom of Choice Rally in Washington D.C. this April.