Vote!
Done? That felt good! If you are anything like me you are more than ready to get on with other things.
But- If you are a woman it is not over. I'm sorry; Hanging chads, Missouri declaring independence from the union, and contested counts be damned-It is important that you tell your politicians why you voted for or against them. It is gravely important to women's rights that you tell them how disgusted you are with Americans United for Life (AUL). Yes there are other anti-choice organizations involved- PersonhoodUSA, Susan B Anthony's List, American Right to Life, etc. AUL, however is the one you must name. Consider this:
AUL has a long term strategy to over turn Roe V Wade. The organization been around since the 1970's and will continue to work against us no matter what the outcome of the election is.
AUL's Road Map details a key component of their goals- legislation! It is through legislation, primarily at state levels, that AUL seeks to "test" existing laws, create a "culture of life," weaken and reduce abortion (and other women's health care options) to the extent possible under RvW, while setting up all the legal necessities to enable swift change should the time come when RvW is over ruled in the Supreme Court. Your own state has been and continues to be assessed by AUL, has been rated according to their priorities and given a plan of action (see Washington's for example).
AUL's "grab & go" bill models are extensive. Some may even sound plausible and reasonable, but they are ALL meant to over turn RvW. Take a look for yourself:
AUL Bill Models
“The Missouri Preamble”
A Framework for Defining and Protecting Personhood State Constitutional Amendment Joint Resolution Proposing a State Constitutional Amendment Returning Determinations on Abortion Law and Policy to the American People
Joint Resolution Calling for Investigation and De-funding of Planned Parenthood and Other Abortion Providers
Women’s Health Defense Act
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
Ban on Abortions Performed for Reasons of Sex Selection, Potential Genetic Deformity, or Potential Disability
Women’s Right to Know Act
The Women’s Ultrasound Right to Know Act
Perinatal Hospice Information Act
Coercive Abuse Against Mothers Prevention Act
Parental Consent for Abortion Act
Parental Notification for Abortion Act
Parental Involvement Enhancement Act
Abortion Patients’ Enhanced Safety Act
Women’s Health Protection Act
Abortion Complication Reporting Act
Abortion-Inducing Drugs Safety Act
Federal Abortion-Mandate Opt-Out Act
Abortion Coverage Prohibition Act
Exchange and Private Insurance Coverage Prohibition Act
Employee Coverage Prohibition Act
The Defunding the Abortion Industry and Advancing Women’s Health Act
Child Protection Act
Joint Resolution Honoring Pregnancy Care Centers
Crimes Against the Unborn Child Act
Pregnant Women’s Protection Act
Born-Alive Infant Protection Act
Unborn Wrongful Death Act
Human Cloning Prohibition Act
Destructive Human Embryo Research Act
Prohibition on Public Funding of Human Cloning and Destructive Embryo Research Act
Assisted Reproductive Technologies Disclosure and Risk Reduction Act
Egg Provider Protection Act
Embryo Adoption Act
Assisted Suicide Ban Act
Joint Resolution Opposing Physician-Assisted Suicide
Pain Medicine Education Act
Healthcare Freedom of Conscience Act
Pharmacist Freedom of Conscience Act
Ensuring Compliance with the Healthcare Freedom of Conscience Act
In a recent New York Times Magazine article,
"Charmaine Yoest's Cheerful War on Abortion," Emily Bazelon reports that 1/3 of the abortion restricting bills we've seen fly through general assemblies in 2011 & 2012 were written by AUL. Incidentally 1/3 is AUL's own estimate, determined after they apparently ran a word check against the various bills. It was a funny thing that a week or two before they claimed to have extensive influence, then seemed to want to down play it a bit when political back lash heated up. In my experience, reading and watching these votes take place- I would blame AUL for pretty much
all of them. Oh sure- give Oklahoma's Ralph Shortey credit for writing his
Act to ban aborted fetuses in Pepsi Cola and other food items. The completely beyond nutty,
National Right To Life group also authors bills and it appears they do have some friends who play ball with them. Still, though some anti-choice bill models have been rewritten creatively by more aspiring representatives, almost all sound pretty much like those found in the Bill model list above!
AUL overlaps purposes with ALEC (remember ALEC?). AUL attends ALEC conferences and Koch brothers donate tons of dark money to AUL. Both organizations seek to remove Obama from office and undermine health care reform. Nearly all of ALEC and AUL politicians are republicans and bill models are the primary means for securing their goals.
"A direct assault on Roe—by constitutional amendment or through the courts—is not feasible in the next few years because of obstacles currently beyond our control. Those obstacles include the Obama Administration (which is aggressively pro-abortion), the current political make-up of the U.S. Senate (which is aggres- sively pro-abortion and responsible for con- firming new justices), the current makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the state of public opinion." -AUL, "Road Map to Overturning Roe v. Wade" Defending Life 2012
AUL has teams of lawyers in EVERY state already working with your local legislators, not at all unlike ALEC.
AUL has clout and AUL is gaining political clout daily. It is AUL that initiated the investigation into Planned Parenthood by Representative Cliff Sterns resulting in Susan G Komen's with drawl of funds to the women's health org, last January, citing largely progressive (D) states like California and Washington. AUL has close friends in Boehner, McConnell, Bryant, Huckabee, Santorum, Brownback, Brewer, Akin, etc., etc., cultivating these associations with luncheons and AUL's "prestigious" Hyde awards. McConnell appointed Charmaine Yoest to the Congressional Awards Board. Maybe that doesn't sound like much but consider that Boy Scouts & Girls Scouts are frequent candidates for these awards. Oh, how Yoest would like to influence those rebel pro-Planned Parenthood Girls Scouts! AUL's legal primer on abortion seeks to generate anti-choice law students and AUL encourages such students to work on their cause.
AUL seeks international clout as well, taking AUL along with the Family Research Council to Madrid this year for the "World Congress for Families" a Christian based coalition of hate for LTGB, single parenthood and no doubt atheists as well as polygamist mormons. That's right- anti-abortion and anti-gay go hand in hand, it seems. Additionally, AUL undermines all pro-women advances made world wide by speaking at the United Nations against abortion and birth control. At a time when public concern over honor killings, female circumcision, rape, child sex rings, human slavery and other oppressions grows, AUL's archaic positions are mortally dangerous to all women.
AUL is completely in line with the Pope regarding matters of reproduction. There is NO distinction in their philosophies. AUL works very very hard to avoid coming off like Todd Akin and other dim witted lifers, hoping to keep it's underlying religious code unseen and unidentifiable. It is still there. AUL was formed by a Unitarian minister, George Huntson Williams. AUL claims the first board consisted of Christians and Jews alike. However, unlike other denominations, the Catholic Church and AUL have held their limiting perspectives, citing the ridiculous idea that a zygote equals a person, hence abortion and most forms of birth control are murder. Refusing to evolve and continuing to manipulating science in support of religious belief, AUL seems to think we will buy this so long as they do not actually mention God. In on-line forums, AUL and friends frequently tout the existence of 'secular' anti-abortion groups. Save one admittedly and actively drug addicted, foul mouthed yahoo on Twitter (who one can only imagine is paid to spout off), every single 'secular' lifer I have investigated, has been found to be very much committed to a Christian religion! If reducing or eliminating abortion were all there was to it, AUL would encourage birth control. AUL would not rely so heavily on twisted "scientific" studies linking cancer & suicide to abortion. AUL instead tows the line for every single position the catholic church holds for women. There is a deep connection here on par with The Work. Be clear- there is a difference between covering up ones bias and acknowledging it openingly- that difference is integrity. We require a separation of church and state from our politicians!
So let your public servants know now why you voted against them or for them. Making AUL politically distasteful to associate with is your power. Tweet, postify, email and call! Never let them forget AUL has everything to do with it!
VEA are NOT Amused! VEA Remember! VEA VOTE!