MEET THE CANDIDATES FOR AT-LARGE DIRECTORS TO THE NRLC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Editor's note:You will soon be receiving a ballot which will have the names of the six candidates running for the at-large positions on NRLC's Board of Directors. You may choose three candidates for the three at-large positions. To help you with those selections, NRL News is running the following statements from or about the six candidates.

Karen Cross

I am truly honored to have been nominated for an at-large seat on the NRLC Board of Directors. Since 1985 I have worked closely with the National Right to Life Committee. I became involved in the pro-life movement as a result of my own two abortions. Currently, I am the executive director of West Virginians for Life.

As the West Virginia representative of American Victims of Abortion, an outreach program of NRLC, my story has been featured in USA Today; in the video Aching Heart, Too; in Life Cycle magazine as "Karen's Story"; on the 700 Club; on various radio and television programs; and in newspaper articles. I have spoken at Healing Visions III, Rally for Life '90, numerous universities and colleges, NRLC conventions, and have testified before the West Virginia state legislature.

In 1984, nine years after my first abortion and just three years after the second, I began to have nightmares. I realized my abortions had nearly destroyed my life. My problems with guilt, low self-esteem, suicidal tendencies, nightmares, and alcohol are actually not uncommon with those who have had abortions.

I had thought something was wrong with me - - abortion was supposed to help me, not ruin my life. Instead, I found myself incapable of living without being reminded of the crimes I had committed against my children.

I had experienced the deaths of two children. Anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one knows the pain and the heartache associated with that loss. Yet, post-abortive people are not allowed to grieve.

Wanting to help women who were experiencing crisis pregnancies, I joined with others to start a local crisis pregnancy center, serving on its board as treasurer for eight years. Reaching out to others enabled me to focus on harmful decisions I had made in my own life. Understanding them allowed God to restore my life.

During this time, as I worked through my own healing process, I realized that not only had the abortions affected me and my life, they had a profound effect on those closest to me - - my children, my husband, and my parents.

I had to wrestle with bitterness toward my mom for taking me to the first abortion, and toward my husband, who felt he was supporting me by taking me to the second one. Once I was able to see her pain, I found myself comforting my mom, who felt she could never be forgiven for what she had done.

I have wiped tears from my daughter's eyes as she learned the fate of her siblings. Most recently, I have had to comfort my son who suffered from nightmares after learning about my abortions. Even after all these years, it's still not over. My youngest son, Michael, doesn't know. One day I will have to tell him, too.

Over the years healing has come. I finally accepted God's forgiveness and forgave myself for my abortions. I forgave those involved in the abortions and was able to "let go" of the aborted children, placing them in God's hands.

I now openly share how my family and I have been affected by my abortions to help others understand that it is not the simple "solution" so many believe it to be. Once I had the abortions, they became a permanent part of my life, my history.

We are told that truth sets us free. As I have shared the truth about the effects of abortion, I have seen women's lives cleansed and made whole by God's grace. I have seen young women change their minds about having an abortion. And I have truly been blessed. I have been set free.

Employed by West Virginians for Life in 1985, I have seen tremendous growth on the state and national levels. When I was hired, we had a desk, a file cabinet, and a typewriter that didn't type "a"s. We now have our own three-story building, filled with computers and ten employees, three of whom are full-time.

As executive director, I have had opportunities to work closely with other states as we share expertise and experience. I see the need for us to work together - - sharing our talents, gifts, and abilities as we work toward the same goal: saving lives.

Unfortunately, my personal story is not unique. Thousands of women are deceived every day in America. There are millions of women and families who need healing.

I pledge to work hard until the day that all lives are protected, reaching out with compassion and unconditional love to those who need it.

Michele Jackson

I thank the National Right to Life Committee Board of Directors for nominating me to be an at-large director. The perspective I have to offer is that of a single mother.

Five years ago I found myself in an unplanned pregnancy. The pro-abortion mindset that permeates much of American society suggested that I abort the "tissue" I carried. The mindset reasoned that I had graduated from college with a degree in communications and had begun working in that field. If I destroyed the "tissue" before it became a baby at birth, I could prevent a baby from ruining my life.

Thankfully, I had the knowledge and the courage not to think of myself only. I knew that from the moment of conception each pregnant woman has another human life growing inside herself. I also had the courage not to take the life of the male growing inside me as an attempt to improve my life.

Unfortunately, many thousands of single pregnant women are believing the lie that abortion destroys tissue and that abortion will improve life. We must vigorously continue to share the truth with them and to provide examples of women who chose life so that they have the tools to also choose life. I believe my election as an at-large representative to the Board of Directors would provide a needed example.

My involvement in the Pro-Life Movement began in 1989 when the National Right to Life Committee hired me as a communications assistant. In that capacity I recorded the national radio broadcast Pro-Life Perspective, screened media calls for interviews, and edited the Black Americans for Life Newsletter. Since leaving NRLC's employment, I have written articles for National Right to Life News and the Black Americans for Life Newsletter, worked on projects for Black Americans for Life, and served on the National Right to Life Board as an at-large director for two years.

Outside of my pro-life involvement, I am raising my son, Rafael Damani, and currently working for the City of Alexandria, Virginia's Department of Juvenile Mental Health Services as a medical billing specialist.

Holly Miller

I am deeply honored to have been nominated as a candidate for the position of at-large director to the National Right to Life Board of Directors. I believe that I, as a young person, can bring a variety of talents to the board as at-large director.

As a member of the abortion generation, I realize just how precious life is, and how truly fortunate I am to be here today. Like all of my peers born after January 22, 1973, I could have been just another abortion statistic. This gives me a unique perspective on this issue.

Growing up in an America where killing children before birth is acceptable has taught me a number of things. One of the lessons I learned at an early age is that no one is exempt from this struggle to save lives. Anyone who knows what abortion really does to unborn children has to become involved on whatever level he or she can. This includes everyone - - not just those people who are of voting age and a part of the work force, but everyone.

Since I was a teenager, I have been involved in the Pro-Life Movement on many different levels. Through my involvement, I have come to realize what an important role my generation has to play in the struggle against abortion.

I believe wholeheartedly that the war against abortion and euthanasia cannot be won without the active participation of our youth. In the future we will be the people making the decisions about abortion and euthanasia in this country.

We are tomorrow's congressmen and congresswomen, we are tomorrow's Supreme Court justices, and we are tomorrow's doctors, lawyers, teachers, and executives. One from among us will eventually become the President of the United States. In order to ensure that the pro-life policies enacted today are carried out in the future, it is imperative that we reach out to this generation.

My active involvement in the Pro-Life Movement began in my home state of Washington when I became involved with Seattle University Students for Life as a freshman. It was then that I saw the strong need for young people to be educated on the pro-life issues and the need to approach our generation with a message that the pro-life movement works to promote positive life-affirming alternatives that support both mother and child.

My interest in pro-life politics led me to Washington, D.C. in 1997, and an internship with National Right to Life Political Action Committee (NRL PAC). I returned to NRL PAC as an intern during the 1998 election cycle and was on the frontlines of the battle to elect pro-life men and women to Congress.

In 1998, I was elected president of National College Students for Life (NCSL) and am currently serving my second term. As president, I have represented NCSL at the annual Proudly Pro-Life Awards Dinner, conservative college leadership conferences, and in the media, speaking out on behalf of the most vulnerable members of our society.

Outside of my pro-life movement, I have been active in other student organizations at Seattle University, including captain of the softball team and Vice-President of Student Affairs. I have also been involved with the Institute on Character Development, an organization which goes into high schools and speaks to students on ethics and importance of behaving responsibly.

This fall, I will be a senior at Seattle University, majoring in English with minors in philosophy and political science.

I plan to continue my involvement with the Pro-Life Movement on whatever level possible throughout my college years and beyond, using the skills I obtain to help save as many lives as possible. The struggle to restore the right to life in this country is not one into which an individual can enter halfheartedly. I intend to be a part of this just cause until we have won, not just a few little battles here and there, but the entire war. I firmly believe that we can prevail if we continue to work to change the hearts and minds of the American people. The cause of life is the greatest cause of our time, and I am proud to be a part of it.

I appreciate the fact that the National Right to Life Board of Directors has enough confidence in my abilities to nominate me for the position of at-large director. I would be honored to serve on the board with the many talented and dedicated people who have already given years of service to what truly is the most effective national pro-life organization in the world.

Raimundo Rojas

I am once again both humbled and delighted to be nominated as an at-large director to the board of the National Right to Life Committee. I am also incredibly grateful to the people who have made it possible for me to serve on this board since 1991. In that time we have seen many great pro-life victories and some saddening losses as well. We have done incredible things as a movement, but we must continue to fight.

We have incredible opportunities before us in the next 18 months, and as the only Hispanic on the board, I hope to continue to share insights about the Hispanic community with the NRLC board. And why is this important? Because by the year 2010, Hispanics will be the largest minority group in the United States. The growth rate of the Hispanic population beyond that year is phenomenal.

The numbers are staggering. It is estimated that by the year 2025, almost half of California will be Hispanic; almost 40% of Texas will consist of Hispanics; and clearly 25% of the population of both Florida and New York will be made up of Hispanics. And with these increases in population also comes the increase in Hispanic voting power.

These numbers are important.

Nearly 73% of all Hispanics in the United States are American citizens, and Hispanic voter registration is on the rise. The 1998 elections proved that Hispanics are also willing to cross party lines to vote for the candidate who best stands for issues that are important to them. In Florida and Texas, Hispanics crossed what once was thought of as traditional party lines to vote for the winning Republican pro-life governors.

Hispanic voters also made the difference in many close elections in 1998. In the unfortunate Senate race in Nevada, the winning pro-abortion Senator Reid won by a margin of less then one tenth of one percent over pro-life candidate Ensign. Reid received 70% of the Hispanic vote, clearly putting him over the top.

We must educate the Hispanic communities in our states on abortion and all the life issues.

Educating Hispanics on these issues is not a daunting task, because Hispanics have traditionally shown that the issues important to them are their commitment to family, the Church, and respect for elders and parents.

If given the opportunity, I believe the majority of Hispanics would self-identify as pro-life.

In the 2000 election, the Hispanic vote will play a pivotal role.

Congress will also feel the impact of the Hispanic vote. According to the U.S. Hispanic Leadership Institute, "13 seats in districts with significant Hispanic populations were won with less than 52% of the vote. Those 13 districts, defined as winnable by either political party, are double the number of seats needed to maintain or shift the control of the House of Representatives."

It is clearly in our best interest to amplify the pro-life message in the Hispanic Community.

We must learn to appreciate the incredible importance of the growing Hispanic population. We must also not forget that groups such as Planned Parenthood are also working to try and "re-educate" the Hispanic community so that it "re-thinks" its position on the sanctity of human life. We must continue to be an affront to Planned Parenthood's message of death.

In the past I have served the movement in many capacities and at many levels. I've been on the NRLC board of directors since 1991, first as the delegate from Florida, and in the last four years as an at-large director. I am also the Hispanic Coordinator for the National Right to Life Committee. In that capacity I have translated many pro-life documents, including the When Does Life Begin? brochure, which is now available from NRLC.

In the last year I have begun translating the NRL web page which now has a Spanish section, making it available to many people worldwide. I have also appeared on several Spanish language, radio and television stations, including Polos Opuestos which is a live one-hour program seen in every Spanish speaking country in this hemisphere and on the Cristina show.

In closing I would just like to thank you all for reading this, for taking the time to consider me for election to the board of directors once again. Regardless of whom you vote for, I urge you to please take the information in this article to heart.

I urge you as a state Right to Life leader to help organize a Hispanic outreach in your state, because with very few exceptions there is a substantial Hispanic population in every state. I urge you as a chapter chairman to help recruit pro-life Hispanics who will help you with local outreach in your community. I urge you as a chapter volunteer to find out if your local churches have masses or services in Spanish and offer to distribute Spanish-language pro-life materials at these services. I urge Hispanic pro-lifers to contact your local chapter and volunteer your services. I thank you all for your consideration. Por los ninos.

Marice Rosenberg

I have been honored to serve as one of NRLC's at-large directors, and I deeply appreciate the confidence of my fellow board members who have nominated me for another term. As the only Jewish member of the NRLC board, I have felt a special responsibility to share with the board the benefits of a Jewish perspective in its deliberations, as well as showing the public at large that the pro-life movement represents a variety of religious faiths - - Catholic, Protestant, Jewish - - all working to secure that most basic of human rights: the right to life.

When the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum was dedicated in 1993, our country was once again reminded of the devastation which results when the basic respect for human life is lost. After visiting the museum, one can't help but recognize how the horror of the Nazi Holocaust still teaches us, over 50 years later, about the absolute necessity for every member of our society to work on behalf of those who are vulnerable and in danger of being targeted by those who do not respect life.

As a Jewish woman, active in the pro-life movement since the mid-1970s, I have been acutely aware of the intensified debate over euthanasia and assisted suicide. With the most recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on assisted suicide, the debate will surely escalate on who should live and who should die and who should decide or who will decide. Although this debate is a great challenge to the pro-life movement, it offers us the opportunity to expand our effort to reach those in the Jewish community. It is our opportunity to educate Jewish people who care about denying human beings the right to medical care or killing people under the disguise of "death with dignity." Step by step, each day, new opportunities arise to inform our society, especially those of the Jewish faith, on the atrocious acts of someone like Kevorkian. Already prominent Jewish figures such as national columnists Nat Hentoff and Don Feder have taken up the pro-life cause, defending all vulnerable persons. In addition, Ben Stein, a Jewish actor, writer, lawyer, and professor at Pepperdine University, conveys his pro-life perspective through his column in the American Spectator. Through our patience and through education we can build a society which once again respects human life from its beginning to its natural end.

As you can see, I recognize the opportunity in our country and I am willing to take the challenge. During the past 23 years I have had the chance to serve the pro-life community in a variety of capacities: as a local pro-life chair; as a member of the state board and executive committee of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL); as MCCL's legislative director; as MCCL's current vice president; as founding director of the Choose Life Society, a national Jewish pro-life organization; board member of Chrisians and Jews for Life; and, of course, as a member of NRLC's board of directors.

As an at-large director I've been able to represent NRLC to the media and to the Jewish community. There is tremendous potential in both areas and much remains to be done. I would appreciate the opportunity to continue my work on the Jewish Outreach Program, which I was able to initiate for NRLC.

My work on behalf of unborn children and the pro-life movement has included public speaking and media work, political organizing for pro-life candidates, coordinating pro-life efforts at political conventions, building chapter organization, fundraising, and full-time lobbying on right-to-life issues at the state legislature and on the federal level as well.

As MCCL's legislative director I directed the pro-life effort to secure Minnesota's successful parental notification law. In its first year, this law was credited with reducing the number of abortions among Minnesota teenagers by 3,000. It was one of the laws upheld by the Supreme Court in 1990.

I have also lobbied a number of other pro-life initiatives and have coordinated efforts to defeat anti-life bills. In addition, I have also had extensive experience lobbying for the appointment of pro-life people to key government and judicial positions.

Several years ago National Right to Life called upon me to use my legislative experience to organize the Democrats in the U.S. Congress to fight the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). This core group of pro-life Democrats played an important role in opposing FOCA in the Congress.

More recently I was able to assist NRLC in its highly successful effort to prevent the Clinton Health Care Rationing Plan from denying health care to vulnerable patients. Had the Clinton Administration been successful in implementing this plan, decisions as to whether or not to treat a patient would have been based largely upon how health care bureaucrats viewed that patient's "quality of life."

I am particularly pleased to be nominated because NRLC is the voice of grassroots pro-life America. As the most broadly based pro-life organization, we labor on behalf of issues that transcend personal affiliations. This deep commitment to life makes co-workers of people with vastly different heritages, political philosophies, and religious backgrounds. The reward is a Movement that has fused together the best of what makes our nation great into an irresistible force for justice.

I believe my background as a Jewish woman enables me to effectively convey this message to Jews and non-Jews alike. I would be honored to once again be elected to the NRLC board of directors so that I might continue to convey that timely and important message.

Vince Ventimiglia

I am pleased to have been nominated to serve on the NRLC Board of Directors. I hope to make available my fifteen years of experience in public policy and service to the pro-life community.

Public Policy Development: For over 15 years I have developed an expertise in public policy, with a focus on pro-life work with the right-to-life movement and health care policy generally. My work on federal pro-life legislation has allowed me to meet and work with pro-life people from across the country and to explore every aspect of right-to-life policy. From 1985-1988, I worked with Senator Gordon Humphrey (R-NH), a Senate leader of the pro-life movement. As head of his pro-life project, we successfully passed many of provisions rewriting federal law to ensure protection of the unborn and protection of the conscience rights of health care professionals.

Later, from 1995-1998, I worked with Senator Dan Coats (R-In.), another pro-life leader, to protect the defenseless unborn and aged and to expand conscience protections, particularly for health professionals and religious institutions who do not want to be forced to train, counsel, provide, or refer for abortions.

In working in the Senate, I also developed a particular expertise with general health care policy and the public programs that touch in one way or another the defenseless in our society. I believe it is critical that we in the pro-life movement develop expertise beyond our particular pro-life concerns if we are to effectively protect this constituency that cannot speak for itself. My public policy work has also included four years with the federal courts, developing legal skills, and time with a major medical technology company.

Pro-Life Commitment: Since my sophomore year in college, I have worked with National Right to Life and its affiliates to develop and support new chapters around the country. I understand well the challenges to identifying pro-life supporters, developing commitment, and maintaining interest and activity over time. In 1981, as a young Yale student, I joined with other students to form a strong pro-life chapter at Yale, a university whose students and teachers were not particularly supportive of our perspective. I later participated in NRLC affiliates in Missouri and Connecticut and now serve as general counsel to the Maryland affiliate.

Personal Commitment: As a still-young father of five children, I live a pro-life commitment daily at home and in the community. Our family participates in our church's Gabriel Project and we have made our home available to an unwed mother and the baby boy that she refused to abort. As she and her child begin a new life, I have learned much from their story and their commitment to life in the face of an unholy pressure.

The faith of this woman and her love for her son in some ways are a modern day parable made present to those of us who have heard and have believed - - to those of us who know that we must always make room in the inn for the least of His children.