#477 Referendums, Ireland, Life Matters September 6, 2019
Those of us who listen to U.S. news media have likely heard over the last week that after Labor Day is the unofficial start of election campaign season – and since that season is so long in the U.S., they mean right now, over a year in advance of the large nation-wide election (November 3, 2020). But activists who want to get state-wide referendums on the ballot need to already be hard at work getting the thousands of petition signatures needed. So for this week’s blog post, we’ve got a list of some worthy referendums that our supporters might like to chip in on, or at least be aware of, along with objectionable ones we need to prepare to defeat: Peace and Life Referendums.
Ireland
Maria Horan of Ireland (pictured), who’s written blog posts for us on the abortion referendum in Ireland and on the legacy of violence of Sinn Féin, reports on the latest: In elections last May, Sinn Féin was decimated and lost a lot of seats, which they are unlikely to re-gain in the near future. A new party formed only months ago, Aontú, (dedicated to life, unity, and economic justice) won three seats. It also had a number of near wins, incredible for a new party with little funding. A lot of Sinn Féin supporters have defected to Aontú, looking for a Republican party which cherishes all the children of the nation. A lot of pro-life independents also gained traction. Here's a link from The Prolife Campaign on the overview of the voting. There’s a Rally for Life in Northern Ireland tomorrow, September 7.
New Life Matters Journal Out
Our member group Rehumanize International has released the latest edition of its magazine, Life Matters Journal. This edition contains a profile of CLN that quotes Vice President Rachel MacNair and former President Bill Samuel, a short story by Board member Julia Smucker, and an essay by President John Whitehead. It also has pieces on the federal death penalty, adverse fetal diagnoses, and other topics.
Interview with CLN President John Whitehead recently discussed the consistent life ethic, answering objections to it, and other issues, with Herb Geraghty of Rehumanize in a special Rehumanize podcast. John and Herb also discussed CLN’s Grassroots Defunding initiative and other activities.
Quotation of the Week The Green Sheet (then monthly publication of CLN member group, Feminists for Life of America) December, 1992 In a . . . story that went out 8/11/92, the issue of mandatory testing of convicted rapists for AIDS at the victim’s request was aired. Ruth Jones, staff attorney with the National Organization for Women . . . weighed in with: “Just from the perspective of women, it’s hard to decide what to advocate for. It’s particularly difficult because it brings into conflict two of our biggest principles: the right of victims of violence, particularly sexual violence, to be made whole; and the right of all individuals to privacy, particularly in their bodies . . . which makes mandatory blood testing awkward for us philosophically.” It becomes even more awkward, of course, when you consider that the very making of rape into a crime -- and a felony at that -- has already violated the individual rapist’s right to privacy, particularly in his body. The logical extension of abortion advocacy leads to very strange places indeed.
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