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Joe Ortwerth's
 Jeff City Update
Missouri Family E-News January 26, 2009
 
Hanaway to Headline Eagle Forum Luncheon
 
United States District Attorney Catherine Hanaway will be the keynote speaker at the annual "Sweethert Luncheon" hosted by Missouri Eagle Forum.  Hanaway is a former State Representative who became the first female Speaker of the House in the history of the state of Missouri.  The luncheon will be held on Friday, February 13th, at the Pillar in the Valley building in Chesterfield Valley in St. Louis County.  For information, call (314) 983-0680.
 
 
 
 
 
Let Us Keep You Informed
 
This is the latest edition of the Missouri Family Policy Council electronic newsletter.  We are happy to provide you with this update on issues and people in state government from a Christian values perspective. 
 
We will be sending this e-newsletter to you on a periodic basis with regular reports on the legislative session in Jefferson City.  We will also be in touch with you at other times to share information on public policy issues of concern to Christian families and citizens in Missouri.
 
We hope you find The Jeff City Update informative and instructive.  Should you have questions or comments, please contact us by e-mail at info@missourifamily.org, by phone at (636) 536-0014, or by mail at the address below.
 
Please be in prayer for our ministry as we seek to promote Biblical principles and Christian convictions in the hallways of our State Capitol.  Please also be praying for our elected leaders as we seek to minister to them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  
 
Joe Ortwerth
Executive Director
 
Legislators Voice Opposition to Federal Abortion Bill
 
 
Leading members of the Missouri Legislature have filed resolutions expressing strong oppositon to the "Freedom of Choice Act" being considered by the U.S. Congress.  Commonly referred to as FOCA, this radical proposal would declare that abortion is a fundamental human right, and would enshrine aborton on demand as the law of the land in our nation.  President Obama promised in the recent election campaign that passing FOCA is ""the first thing he would do" if elected President.
 
If approved by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by the President, FOCA would nullify all state laws regulating the practice of abortion.  Decades of pro-life legislation adopted in Missouri such as parental consent, informed consent, and health and safety requirements for abortion clinics would be invalidated.  In its ultimate form, FOCA would also result in taxpayer funding of abortions and compel health care facilities and medical practitioners to provide abortions against their will. 
 
Senator Matt Bartle of Lee's Summit has introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 11 urging Congress to "summarily reject" the "Freedom of Choice Act."  20 other state senators* (listed at end of article) have co-sponsored the resolution.  The resolution asserts that FOCA would "undermine the right and responsibility of the states and the people to debate, vote on, and determine abortion policy.  
 
"If this proposal becomes law," says Senator Bartle," common-sense regulations right here in the Show-Me State that require parental notification when a young girl is seeking an abortion and that provide a woman an opportunity to be fully informed before deciding to go through with an abortion would be struck down"
 
Representative Bob Dixon of Springfield will be filing a similar resolution in the Missouri House of Representatives supported by House leadership this week.  That resolution states that "the protection of women's health through state regulations on abortion is a compelling state interest that should not be nullified by Congress," and that FOCA would negate laws that "the people of Missouri strongly support." 
 
"We hope to send a message to our federal delegation that we are counting on them to do the right thing:  respect and protect the God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," Dixon says.
 
The campaign to pass state resolutions condemning the "Freedom of Choice Act" has been led by the Americans United for Life (AUL)organization out of Chicago.  The effort has been spearheaded in Missouri by Kerry Messer, the President of the Missouri Family Network (a strong ally in our educational and ministry efforts in Jefferson City) and the State Director for AUL.
 
Passage of the "Freedom of Choice Act" would completely change the future of the abortion debate in America.  Efforts to change the composition of the Supreme Court to reverse Roe v. Wade would have little significance, since even if Roe were reversed or weakened, Congress would still have dictated to the states through federal law that abortion is a guaranteed fundamental right.  The number of children dying at the hands of abortionists would rise considerably and the number of women victimized for life by the trauma of abortion would increase measurably.  The abortion rates in states that have no restrictions on abortion and where taxpayer funds are used for abortion are much higher than pro-life states like Missouri.
 
If your state senator's name is among those listed below, please thank them for their endorsement of Senate Concurrent Resolution 11.  If your state senator's name is not, please pray that they will seriously examine the grave implications of the passage of the federal "Freedom of Choice Act."
 
*Sponsors of SCR 11:  Bartle, Barnitz, Champion, Clemens, Cunningham, Dempsey, Engler, Goodman, Griesheimer, Lager, Lembke, Mayer, Nodler, Pearce, Purgason, Ridgeway, Rupp, Scott, Shoemyer, Stouffer, Vogel