SEPTEMBER 25, 2013
Dear Friends of the Unborn,
Most pro-life efforts on Guam have been traditionally limited to peaceful waves and quiet marches. Those are good and must continue. However, after many years of doing these things, Guam remained, according to a 2008 AUL study, the easiest place in the nation to procure an abortion.
Something more needed to be done. We needed legal protections for the unborn and we needed to expose the real facts about abortion on Guam and the records of the people who support it.
This strategy has worked nationwide, where it has been reported just recently that abortions are down by 25% since its peak in 1990. At the same time, pro-life legislation at the state level has grown exponentially. It's a classic illustration of the precept "Lex magister", or "the law teaches".
In 2008, the only laws relative to abortion that Guam had were 1) abortions needed to be reported to Guam Medical Records, and 2) abortions had to be performed by a qualified physician in a qualified clinic.
Today, due to the efforts of Esperansa and the many who have supported this project, Guam has added a BAN ON PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION, a PARENTAL CONSENT FOR ABORTION law, and an INFORMED CONSENT law - though not yet implemented.
We have lost our battles for a CHILD'S RIGHT TO LIVE ACT which would have required normal medical care for a child who survived a failed abortion, and THE UNBORN VICTIM'S OF VIOLENCE ACT which would have criminalized the killing or the harming of an unborn child. To learn more about these, visit www.esperansa.org
The legal battles have been unsurprisingly much more contentious than the traditional waves and marches, and there are many who are uncomfortable with Esperansa's tactics of actually naming names and challenging the motives of particular lawmakers.
In case you don't know, the 2014 race has already begun, and Esperansa is going to engage the candidates just as pointedly and contentiously as we have in the past, BECAUSE the ONLY reason we have had ANY success passing pro-life legislation is because we have kept it front and center in the last two elections. THAT'S THE ONLY REASON!
That said, if you are uncomfortable with our strategy, do NOT continue reading and proceed to the UNSUBSCRIBE link below.
And now for today's message:
Some are of the opinion that anyone can be an ally in the pro-life cause. Thus they see no issue with Senator Frank Aguon's sudden "conversion" to our side after he was Public Enemy No. 1 in the fight over Bill 54-30 a couple years ago. (Learn about that here, here, here and here.)
On September 23, just hours before Senator Rodriguez introduced Bill 193-32, Frank Aguon introduced a Bill 191-32 addressing the same thing: the revocation of the language in Section 4 of the informed consent law which has kept the law from being implemented.
However, there is much cause for concern. The pro-life cause has been derailed many times by those we have let inside it in the name of dialogue, compromise, or good will. This is why we are in this mess with "Section 4" in the first place!
Actually the reason for Frank Aguon's "conversion" to "our side" is stupendously obvious. Aguon's assistant, Wm Iglesisas, recently approached an Esperansa representative about introducing pro-life legislation. When asked about Aguon's reasons, the Esperansa person was told:
Aside from this being insulting (we don't want to be "courted"!), it's politically stupid. Someone needs to give the man a better script. Here, we'll help:
(Politically, it won't matter if these reasons are true or not, but at least don't let on that you think your target groups are mistresses to be "courted.")
That last script may be a little much, but practice it for the next time you call. In fact, the next time you call, please be prepared with Senator Aguon's reason for making sure that babies who survive an abortion, on Guam, can STILL be legally killed or left to die.
Because in addition to playing hide and seek with Bill 54-30, your boss made sure that Bill 309-30, which would have mandated that normal care be given to a baby who survives a failed abortion, never saw the light of day after the public hearing. (See our October 19, 2010 op-ed in the PDN calling on Senator Aguon to act on this bill. He did not respond.)
Could the reason have been that your boss was running against the author of that bill then as he is now?
Tell the senator that we will welcome his YES vote for Senator Rodriguez's Bill No. 193-31. And if he really wants to do something, tell him to dig THE CHILD'S RIGHT TO LIVE ACT, BILL 309-30 out of the trash and reintroduce it.
On September 23, just hours before Senator Rodriguez introduced Bill 193-32, Frank Aguon introduced a Bill 191-32 addressing the same thing: the revocation of the language in Section 4 of the informed consent law which has kept the law from being implemented.
However, there is much cause for concern. The pro-life cause has been derailed many times by those we have let inside it in the name of dialogue, compromise, or good will. This is why we are in this mess with "Section 4" in the first place!
Actually the reason for Frank Aguon's "conversion" to "our side" is stupendously obvious. Aguon's assistant, Wm Iglesisas, recently approached an Esperansa representative about introducing pro-life legislation. When asked about Aguon's reasons, the Esperansa person was told:
"Senator Aguon realizes he needs to court pro-life constituents."
Aside from this being insulting (we don't want to be "courted"!), it's politically stupid. Someone needs to give the man a better script. Here, we'll help:
- Because Senator Aguon wants to save babies.
- Because Senator Aguon understands the harm abortion does to women.
- Because Senator Aguon believes abortion is murder.
- Because Senator Aguon believes that the slaughter of Chamorro children (60% of abortions are of Chamorro children) is an atrocity!
- Because Senator Aguon believes in the inviolable rights of each and every human being, no matter how small, no matter how defenseless, and no matter what stage of life, and he believes even the unborn deserve the maximum legal protections possible under the Constitution of the United States.
(Politically, it won't matter if these reasons are true or not, but at least don't let on that you think your target groups are mistresses to be "courted.")
That last script may be a little much, but practice it for the next time you call. In fact, the next time you call, please be prepared with Senator Aguon's reason for making sure that babies who survive an abortion, on Guam, can STILL be legally killed or left to die.
Because in addition to playing hide and seek with Bill 54-30, your boss made sure that Bill 309-30, which would have mandated that normal care be given to a baby who survives a failed abortion, never saw the light of day after the public hearing. (See our October 19, 2010 op-ed in the PDN calling on Senator Aguon to act on this bill. He did not respond.)
Could the reason have been that your boss was running against the author of that bill then as he is now?
Tell the senator that we will welcome his YES vote for Senator Rodriguez's Bill No. 193-31. And if he really wants to do something, tell him to dig THE CHILD'S RIGHT TO LIVE ACT, BILL 309-30 out of the trash and reintroduce it.
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