Call in Script for Life and Family Life Advocacy Day March 31, 2009
Below is a suggested “script” for anyone able to call in on or before Tuesday, March 31, 2009 in support of the Catholic Life and Family Life Day. Callers may personalize the script, but are asked to stick to the main point which is support for the agenda which will be presented by Life and Family Life Advocates on March 31, 2009. We are asking you to call in the morning of March 31 or the day before because that will alert the staff that constituents are interested in these issues and that the information should not just be filed away and forgotten! To obtain contact information for your state legislators, simply go to the state web site and type in your address: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/ If possible, please contact your legislators’ State Capitol offices in addition to local offices, as it is only the Capitol offices will receive visits on Advocacy day. If the staff person asks for any specific information that you do not know the answer to, please tell them that you will pass on their question to the Texas Catholic Conference, who will follow up with them. Please email or fax questions to Maria Huemmer at maria@txcatholic.org or (512) 339-8670. For more information on the Texas Bishops’ entire public policy agenda, visit the Texas Catholic Conference at www.TXcatholic.org and click on the “Public Policy” tab at the top of the page.
Calling Script
Hello, my name is ________________________ and I am a registered voter in Rep/Sen.__________________ district. Is it possible for me to speak with the staff person in the office that deals with state affairs or health and human services issues? (If so, continue as below with that staff, if not continue with the receptionist) I am calling today because representatives from Catholic Respect Life and Family Life Ministry will be visiting the Capitol on Tuesday, March 31 for the Life and Family Life Advocacy Day and will be bringing information on several issues of concern. I wanted to let you know that as a voter, I am in strong support of the issues they will present to you on behalf of the diocese of _your diocese_ and from the Texas Catholic Conference. I am particularly interested in making sure that Sen/Rep __________________ understands the issues that will be covered during our Life and Family Life Advocacy Day. As a Catholic, I support continued funding for Abortion Alternatives providers as well as for the Twogether in Texas program which provides funding for marriage preparation and enrichment programs. I also support funding for abstinence education and adult stem cell research. We oppose funding for family planning, comprehensive sex education or embryonic stem cell research and human cloning, which is unethical and immoral. I support the creation of a Choose Life License plate, which would create a fund from which grants would be distributed to charitable organizations that help pregnant women place their children for adoption. I also support the abolition of the death penalty in Texas, which is in contradiction to my religious belief on promoting the dignity of all human life. Will you please make sure that Sen,/Rep._____________________________receives this message? Can I get your name so that I can ask for you the next time I call about these or other issues? Thank you for your time. Please share with the Senator/Representative that I am grateful for his/her commitment to public service and that he/she and all of you on the staff will be in my prayers during the legislative session.
Feel free to email any feedback you receive to Maria Huemmer, public relations and outreach coordinator at the Texas Catholic Conference at maria@txcatholic.org.
Below, you can find specific bills that the TCC is supporting and opposing during our Life and Family Life Advocacy Day. Funding Issues - Support This bill prohibits any funding awarded to the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas from being used for embryonic of fetal stem cell research. The TCC supports this bill which promotes moral and ethical adult stem cell research, including research with umbilical cord blood cells, while prohibiting that state funds be used for immoral and unethical embryonic stem cell research, which results in the direct taking of human life. This bill creates an outreach campaign to more fathers' involvement with their children before birth. The campaign includes information on making healthy lifestyle changes, basic infant care, co-parenting strategies, and the mother and child's prenatal health. The TCC supports this bill because it provides information for the support of strong families in recognizing the important impact of the presence of a father in providing a healthy environment for raising children. This bill would establish an adult stem cell research program that supports adult stem cell research by providing grants and funding for research projects, the development of facilities for adult stem cell research projects, and the commercialization of products or technology involving adult stem cell research and treatments. The program would also establish regulatory standards and oversight bodies for adult stem cell research conducted by those receiving funding. The TCC supports efforts to promote adult stem cell research, which poses no moral concerns and has saved thousands of lives. This bill prohibits the state funding and the use of state facilities for embryonic stem cell research. The TCC supports this bill because it limits embryonic stem cell research and therefore protects the life of the unborn child.
HB 1700
HB 2659
SB 73
SB 1695
Funding Issues - Oppose HB 543 HB 1190 HB 1764 SB 208 SB 641 SB 1802
This bill, known as a "clone and kill" bill, allows for the creation and destruction of human life for research. The TCC opposes this bill because the creation and destruction of innocent human life for experimental testing is unethical and denies the dignity of the young unborn life.
HB 892 SB 594
This bill would retain or increase funding for programs and services designed to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and lower the rates of sexually transmitted diseases. This is not the same funding stream as the Texas Pregnancy Care Network, which provides funding for organizations that provide abortion alternatives services. The TCC opposes this bill because it would provide funding for contraception and family planning services. This bill would prohibit the state from accepting federal funds for abstinence-only education. The TCC opposes this bill which targets abstinence-only programs that receive federal funding. This bill would prevent schools from teaching abstinence as the most effective way to prevent pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and infections. It would also allow instruction on contraception or other USDA approved methods for use for students who are sexually active. The TCC recognizes parents as the primary educators of their children, particularly with regard to instruction on human sexuality, and opposes this bill which reduces the focus on abstinence education in schools.
HB 1371
HB 1567 SB 1076
Choose Life License Plate Legislation - Support This legislation would allow the issuance of "Choose Life" license plates. A portion of the purchase price of every plate would be collected into an account from which grants would be distributed to charitable organizations that help pregnant women place their children for adoption. Organization that provide abortions or abortion-related services, or make referrals to abortion providers would not be able to receive this funding. The TCC supports this bill because it would help promote a Culture of Life within the state and would also create support for pregnancy centers that advocate adoption and not abortion.
HB 109 SB 1098
Death Penalty - Support This bill provides for the abolition of the option of the death penalty for offenses committed after September 1, 2009. The TCC supports this bill because Texas now has the ability to effectively suppress crime by rendering criminals harmless without denying them their lives or the opportunity for reform. Under current Texas law, known as the law of parties, if a capital crime occurs during an attempt to commit another felony, all conspirators in the non-capital felony are guilty of the felony actually committed, though having no intent to commit it. This bill would prevent the state from seeking the death penalty against in capitol cases. The TCC supports this bill as it maximizes opportunity of rehabilitation for offenders and is a gradualistic approach to eliminating the death penalty in Texas. This bill prohibits the state from sentencing an individual judged guilty of committing a capital felony to death. The TCC supports this bill because Texas now has the ability to effectively suppress crime by rendering criminals harmless without denying them their lives or the opportunity for reform and therefore has no justifiable reason for giving anyone a death sentence.
This bill would allow the Governor, upon approval of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, to grant one or more 30 day reprieves in capital cases. The TCC supports this bill because it allows multiple capital cases the opportunity for reprieve.
HB 297
HB 304
HB 682
HB 1148 SB 169
HB 1152
HB 4466
SB 167
SB 1139
This bill would prevent a defendant who, at the time of the offense was mentally retarded, from being sentenced to death. The TCC supports this bill because Texas now has the ability to effectively suppress crime by rendering criminals harmless without denying them their lives or the opportunity for reform.