Pro-Life Lobby Day Is Coming Up!

Pro-Life Lobby Day at the Texas Capitol is Feb. 24th!  Free Market Foundation will be at Pro-Life Lobby Day with Gov. Perry, Attorney General Greg Abbott, and many other officials and concerned citizens to support pro-life legislation, including the ultrasound bill!   Call or email us or visit www.2heartbeats.org for more information or if you would like to attend!

Eye on ’09: Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA)

President Obama promised that one of the first things he will do as President is to sign into law the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), but what does that mean for all the pro-life laws already in effect?

The Freedom of Choice Act would establish abortion on-demand as a fundamental right of every American, basically making it the same as the right to vote and the right to free speech.  It would apply to every law relating to abortion on federal, state, and local levels, and would effectively erase all laws that put any restriction on abortion, including laws against partial-birth abortion and even basic parental notification laws.  Basically, FOCA would nullify all laws related to abortion, up to 250 to 300 in the states and nationally, including erasing the ban on partial birth abortion and all parental notification and consent laws.

CLICK HERE to read more information about the Freedom of Choice Act!

Eye on ’09: The Ultrasound Bill & Important Pro-Life Events

For this week’s Eye on ’09 segment, we would like to share some information about the ultrasound bill that has been filed in the Texas House and Senate.  This bill, filed by Rep. Frank Corte in the House and Sen. Dan Patrick in the Senate, would require that all women considering abortion are given the opportunity to hear the baby’s heartbeat and are offered an ultrasound image of their growing baby.  By requiring that an ultrasound is performed for developing babies, doctors can care for any health concerns seen on the image and women can see and hear the processes of life in their child.  Similar laws have been passed in 12 other states, and studies have shown that of women who view such this image, 80 percent choose life over abortion.  Free Market Foundation strongly supports this life-affirming bill for women.

 

There are several pro-life events taking place over the next two weeks where FMF will be present.  On Saturday, January 17, Pro-life Dallas will host the March for Life (CLICK HERE for more).  The following Saturday, January 24, the Rally for Life will take place at the Capitol in Austin (CLICK HERE for more).  Keep your eye out for other events taking place in a city near you!

Pro-Life Lobby Day at the Texas Capitol is Feb. 24th!  Gov. Perry, Attorney General Greg Abbott, and many other officials and citizens will be there to support pro-life legislation, including the ultrasound bill!  Call or email us or visit www.2heartbeats.org for more information or if you would like to attend!

Update about the Speaker of the House Race: Eye on ’09

In the last few days, we’ve alerted you about the Texas Speaker of the House race and crucial action that was taking place in the Speaker race. For this week’s “Eye on ‘09” segment, we want to explain the role of the Speaker and why his job is important, and relate it to recent events in the Speaker race.

 

In Texas, the Speaker of the House is the most powerful person in the House of Representatives and is considered by most to be more powerful than the Governor.  The Speaker appoints the committees through which every bill must pass before reaching the full House of Representatives for a vote. He also has the authority to choose which bills to bring to a vote in the House or to leave in committee, effectively killing bills without even being voted upon. 

 

For six years, Tom Craddick, a conservative, has been Speaker of the State House, and thus many bills passed which preserved life and strengthened the family, including our marriage amendment keeping marriage between a man and a woman. However, 11 dissident Republicans met last week to form an alliance with the Democrats and eject Speaker Craddick.  They picked Rep. Joe Straus (R- San Antonio) as their Speaker candidate and announced his pledges of more than a majority of House members to support his winning.  Speaker Craddick withdrew from the race and threw his support to Rep. John Smithee (R-Amarillo) in hopes of retaining a conservative as Speaker. It was too late, as many Representatives were jumping to Straus so as to not be left out of powerful committee appointments.  Straus is currently unopposed and will apparently be elected Speaker next Tuesday.

 

Many see this as a liberal takeover of the House.  It is too early to say for sure, since no committees are yet appointed by Straus. While Rep. Joe Straus has the lowest conservative voting record rating of the House Republicans, has a 100% approval rating by NARAL Pro-Choice America and was given money by Planned Parenthood, he has promised to put his views aside and just act as a facilitator and make sure the views of Texans are free to win the day.  We’ll see.

 

Just know we will not change in our commitment to protecting our freedoms and families and will be even more vigilant in this new situation and will be updating you in the coming days and weeks.

CLICK HERE to read Kelly’s quotes in the Dallas Morning News on the Speaker of the House.

Eye on ’09: Be Aware of What’s Coming Up!

As we enter a new year, we want everyone to be educated on the issues that will arise in 2009.  To do so, we are happy to introduce our “Eye on ‘09” segment that will inform you about important issues that will come up in the Presidency and Congress, such as pro-life, sanctity of marriage (as they relate to divorce reform and homosexual marriage), and limited government, among others.  We encourage you to read and pass these segments along to friends and family so they can also know the importance of these issues and how they relate to everyday life. 

 

Our first educational segment addresses hate crime legislation that is expected to be introduced and voted into law by Congress in 2009.  The law had enough support to be passed in 2008, but President Bush promised to veto this bill which would add sexual orientation to existing federal hate crimes legislation.  This legislation, if passed, would have drastic effects in the United States, and especially religious freedom.  Similar hate crimes and speech laws have been passed in other countries, and we have seen the results. 

• Pastor Ake Green in Sweden was convicted and sentenced to one month in jail for preaching about homosexuality from his pulpit.  (CLICK HERE for his story.)
• A Bishop in Canada was likewise criminally charged for speaking Biblically on the issue of homosexuality.  (CLICK HERE for his story.)
• Even in the United States, Christians in Philadelphia were charged with up to 99 years in jail for hate crimes violations because they attempted to share the Gospel at the public homosexual event “Outfest.”  (CLICK HERE for their story.)

This will be a very crucial issue in 2009!