ACTIONALERT!

Urge U.S. House Members to Approve

Unborn Victims of Violence Act!

As reported in the page one story in this edition, a House subcommittee has approved a major new pro-life initiative in Congress the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (H.R. 2436). The bill, sponsored by Congressman Lindsey Graham (R-SC), is strongly backed by NRLC.

The bill may be acted on by the House Judiciary Committee, the House Armed Services Committee, and/or the full House of Representatives during September and October. This is the first time that Congress has ever considered such a bill. Pro-abortion groups have launched a lobbying campaign to stop it. It is essential that all members of the House hear now from constituents in support of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.

Background

Currently, unborn children are not recognized in federal law. Under the bill, however, an unborn child who is injured or killed during the commission of a federal crime would be recognized as a human victim, and the assailant could be punished for manslaughter, murder, or another crime of violence.

Even though the bill does not restrict abortion, it has come under vehement attack from NARAL, Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and other pro-abortion groups, because it recognizes the unborn child as a member of the human family. For details on recent developments on this important bill, please see the story on page 1.

Action Request

Please write to your U.S. Representative - - even if he or she is pro-abortion - - to urge the lawmaker to support and co- sponsor the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (H.R. 2436).

While your letter should be in your own words, you may want to make these points:

It seems obvious that when an unborn baby is injured or killed by an act of violence, there are two victims, the mother and the child. Yet, current federal law does not allow a criminal to be charged for the harm he causes to the unborn child. Enactment of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act is necessary to correct this manifest injustice.

This particular bill deals with acts of violence other than abortion. Pro-life lawmakers should support it because it will permit justice to be done on behalf of unborn victims. Lawmakers who call themselves "pro-choice" should support the bill because it protects babies who are injured or killed contrary to the choice of their mothers.

Pro-abortion groups are pushing a counterproposal that would merely provide an "enhanced penalty" for interfering with a woman's "pregnancy." However, that would not be a rational or just approach to such crimes. The attack on the mother is already a criminal act under current law. But when an unborn child loses her life in a criminal attack, the parents and society mourn the death of a separate individual, rather than viewing it simply as an injury to the mother. For true justice to be done in such a case, the government must act on behalf of all victims, including the childrather than treating the offense as if it were merely a "property crime" against the mother.

The bill does not enter into areas of criminal law that are currently handled by the states. The bill would recognize the unborn child as a protected individual only with respect to acts that are already defined as federal crimes under current law. The bill does not override state laws. However, 11 states already have laws that - - like H.R. 2436 - - recognize the unborn child as a victim of violent crime throughout the period of pre-natal development.

The address for all U.S. House members:
The Honorable ________________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

Please send a copy of any response from a lawmaker, or any local press report dealing with a representative's position on this (or any other) pro-life issue, to:

NRLC
Federal Legislative Office
419-Seventh Street, Northwest,
Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20004
Phone: (202) 626-8820
Fax: (202) 347-3668
E-mail: Legfederal@aol.com