Lawmakers vote to 'celebrate abortion'

MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH Lawmakers vote to 'celebrate' abortion Opponent: We shouldn't be rejoicing in genocide of 43 million

California's Democrat-controlled state Assembly passed a controversial resolution urging Americans to "celebrate" abortion and the Roe vs. Wade decision.

The measure passed Thursday 49-25 on the 31st anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling, which has resulted in an estimated 43 million abortions.

It was supported by every Democratic member on the Assembly floor and two Republicans, Lynn Daucher of Brea and Keith Richman of Granada Hills.

The resolution calls on Congress and President Bush to "uphold the intent and substance the 1973 United States Supreme Court decision" and urges Americans to "participate in the national celebration, 'The March for Women's Lives,' on April 25."

The vote occurred the same day pro-life citizens marched outside the state capitol in Sacramento, calling for parental consent for abortion laws and an end to taxpayer-funded abortions.

About one-third of California's estimated 300,000 abortions each year are funded with tax dollars.

"We were all in the womb once," said Randy Thomasson, executive director of Campaign for California Families, a non-profit family issues group. "With our hearts beating, our fingers grasping, and our brains working, each one of us enjoyed nine months of pre-born living in a special compartment that God designed to protect and nurture us. It's shocking that, despite science and technology proving these are babies, little human beings in the womb, California's Democrat legislators are celebrating the horrible procedure of abortion that destroys the most basic of rights – the sacred right to life."

CCF contends the abortion resolution, AJR 57, made several claims with no medical basis.

This included the claim "Roe vs. Wade has reduced significantly the mortality rate for women terminating their pregnancies" and it "continues to protect the health and freedom of women."

CCF argues advances in antibiotics and overall medical standards, not the Supreme Court decision, are responsible for reducing the mortality rate for any type of surgery over the last several decades.

The group distributed to lawmakers the research of Dr. Francis Beckwith, a professor at Trinity International University in Santa Ana, Calif., and the author of "Politically Correct Death: Answering the Arguments for Abortion Rights."

Beckwith wrote: "According to the U.S. Bureau of Vital Statistics, there were a mere 39 women who died from illegal abortions in 1972, the year before Roe vs. Wade. Dr. Andre Hellegers, the late Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Georgetown University Hospital, pointed out that there has been a steady decrease of abortion-related deaths since 1942. That year there were 1,231 deaths. Due to improved medical care and the use of penicillin, this number fell to 133 by 1968. The year before the first state-legalized abortion, 1966, there were about 120 abortion-related deaths."

In his floor speech, Jay La Suer, R-La Mesa, said, "We talk about the right of choice. But that child has no choice – has zero choice. We talk about celebration. I don't think we need to celebrate the deaths of 43 million people, albeit shall we say the murder of 43 million people."

"Picture in your mind what that child looks like when it's aborted, and the pain that it goes through – and they do feel pain – and ask yourself if you have the guts to go through that pain yourself," La Suer asked. "I'm pretty happy that my mother didn't believe in abortion. Those of you that want to celebrate this wouldn't even be able to celebrate it if your mothers believed in it – because you might not even be here. I have two lovely daughters, I have three little grand-boys. I'll celebrate them, but I won't celebrate the murder of 43 million people."

Dennis Mountjoy, R-Arcadia, said, "It's a shame that we're celebrating Roe versus Wade. We ought to be in memoriam. Since 1973, 43 million unborn Americans have been aborted in this county. We recognize the Armenian genocide where 1.5 million Armenians were murdered. We recognize the Holocaust where somewhere around 6 million innocent Jews were murdered. We ought to be here to recognize that 43 million innocent Americans – whose only crime was that of being conceived – have been murdered. Are we that calloused that we don't care what's going on here? Forty-three million. That is an absolute genocide, and we ought not be celebrating it. We ought to be crying tears for the unborn Americans."

During his floor speech, Tim Leslie, R-Sacramento, read the names of more than 20 women who died from legal abortions.

"In the budget battles, when I was over in the Senate, I offered an amendment that said the government would only pay for one abortion a year, no more," he said. "And of course the Democrats killed that. So then I changed it to say the government would only pay for two abortions in a year for an individual. And the Democrats killed that. Then I offered the amendment that the government would pay for only three abortions in a year for an individual. The Democrats killed that. Pretty amazing."

Ray Haynes, R-Temecula, urged the Legislature to have hearings on the subject of women who die from abortions.

"Perhaps there are things we could do to make sure that didn't happen," he said. "In my district, Sharon Hamplin did die because the doctor perforated her uterus; and then sent her home without sending her to a hospital. Killed her. While she was riding home, she died from bleeding. Sent her home!

>> The resolution calls on Congress and President Bush to "uphold the intent and substance the 1973 United States Supreme Court decision" and urges Americans to "participate in the national celebration, 'The March for Women's Lives,' on April 25." It was supported by every Democratic member on the Assembly floor and two Republicans, Lynn Daucher of Brea and Keith Richman of Granada Hills. <<

ONLY two?!?!? ALL of them should loyally stand with GOVERNOR Arnold on this one! Those right-wing wackos are UNDERMINING their own governor! Such hate narrow-mindedness! No wonder the GOP doesn't control the General Assembly. It's all the fault of the wacko, kool-aid drinking, death-before-electablity nutcases! All the people they pick are evil redneck bigots who hate women and minorities!! We need to elect more great, patriotic, pro-Bush FISCAL conservatives like Reps. Daucher and Richman. It must drive the Tom McScumbag crowd crazy that FISCAL conservatives like Richman are ELECTABLE!!! Go Richman!!! Deliever the state to Bush in 2004!!! Oh, and his position on abortion DOESN'T matter, because the legislature never votes on abortion bills. This one doesn't count, either. < /arniebot>

>> About one-third of California's estimated 300,000 abortions each year are funded with tax dollars. In his floor speech, Jay La Suer, R-La Mesa, said, "We talk about the right of choice. But that child has no choice – has zero choice. We talk about celebration. I don't think we need to celebrate the deaths of 43 million people, albeit shall we say the murder of 43 million people."

::GASPS::: U-N-E-L-E-C-T-A-B-L-E!!!! EXTREMIST!! EXTREMIST!!! He'll NEVER get MODERATE women to vote for him now!!! It's his fault we have people like BOXER if office (although if Boxer had an "R" next to her name, she'd be perfectly okay...) Another McCrosseyed Freak purposely trying to embarrass GOVERNOR Arnold! TRATIOR!! DUer! We need to replace this kool-aid drinking purist with an ELECTABLE Republican right away! Quick, find another Arnold loyalist like Lynn Daucher to defeat him!! That'll be a lesson to legislators who oppose Arnold's brilliant agenda for America! < /more arniebot logic>

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BILL NUMBER: AJR 2	CHAPTERED
	BILL TEXT

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER  63
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE  JUNE 19, 2003
	ADOPTED IN SENATE  JUNE 16, 2003
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY  JANUARY 21, 2003
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JANUARY 21, 2003

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Members Jackson and Chan
   (Principal coauthor:  Senator Karnette)
   (Coauthors:  Assembly Members Berg, Bermudez, Calderon,
Canciamilla, Chavez, Chu, Cohn, Corbett, Diaz, Dutra, Dymally,
Firebaugh, Frommer, Goldberg, Hancock, Kehoe, Koretz, Laird, Leno,
Levine, Lieber, Liu, Longville, Lowenthal, Matthews, Montanez,
Mullin, Nakano, Nation, Negrete McLeod, Nunez, Oropeza, Parra,
Pavley, Reyes, Richman, Ridley-Thomas, Salinas, Simitian, Steinberg,
Vargas, Wesson, Wiggins, Wolk, Yee, Correa, and Daucher)
   (Coauthors:  Senators Bowen, Figueroa, Kuehl, Machado, Sher, and
Torlakson)

                        JANUARY 9, 2003

   Assembly Joint Resolution No. 2--Relative to the 30th anniversary
of Roe v. Wade.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AJR 2, Jackson.  Reproductive rights:  Roe v. Wade.
   This measure would memorialize the Congress and the President of
the United States to stand firm in their resolve to uphold the intent
and substance of the United States Supreme Court decision in Roe v.
Wade, relating to reproductive rights, and to encourage all Americans
to participate in the national celebration, "Celebrating 30 Years of
Roe v. Wade," in recognition of that decision's historic importance
in promoting women's rights.




   WHEREAS, January 22, 2003, is the 30th anniversary of the historic
United States Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade (1973) 410 U.S.
113, guaranteeing women reproductive rights, an occasion deserving of
celebration and special public commendations; and
   WHEREAS, The 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade established
constitutionally based limits on the power of states to restrict the
right of a woman to choose to terminate a pregnancy; and
   WHEREAS, Roe v. Wade is one of the most significant Supreme Court
decisions in the 20th century promoting women's rights; and
   WHEREAS, Reproductive rights are central to the ability of women
to exercise their full rights under federal and state law; and
   WHEREAS, It is the right of every American woman to determine
when, if, and with whom to have children, and how many children to
have; and
   WHEREAS, Women's ability to control their reproductive lives has
facilitated their equal participation in the economic and social life
of the nation; and
   WHEREAS, The state should not interfere with a woman's decision to
either bear a child or terminate a pregnancy through a safe and
legal abortion; and
   WHEREAS, Women should not be forced into illegal and dangerous
abortions, as they often were prior to the Roe v. Wade decision; and
   WHEREAS, During the first half of the 20th century, illegal
abortions accounted for about 50 percent of all maternal deaths; and
   WHEREAS, Roe v. Wade has reduced significantly the mortality rate
for women terminating their pregnancies; and
   WHEREAS, Roe v. Wade continues to protect the health and freedom
of women throughout the United States; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly and Senate of the State of California,
jointly, That the Legislature of the State of California memorializes
the Congress and the President of the United States to do all of the
following:
   (1) Stand firm in their resolve to uphold the intent and substance
of the 1973 United States Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade.
   (2) Encourage all Americans to participate in the national
celebration, "Celebrating 30 Years of Roe v. Wade," in recognition of
that decision's historic importance in promoting women's rights; and
be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the President of the United States and to all
Members of the United States Congress.

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