While the weather outside heats up, the fight to protect the most vulnerable members of our human family is heating up, too. Following an agreement on a "framework" late last week, Republican legislative leaders and Governor Dayton are working out the details on the state's budget. The problem: the agreement between Governor Dayton, Majority Leader Koch and Speaker Zellers was that pro-life issues were to be excluded. That means protecting pain-capable unborn children and ending taxpayer funding of abortion were off the table. It also means that an existing prohibition on taxpayer funding of human cloning would not continue, and for the first time since Roe v. Wade, pro-lifers would lose an existing pro-life state policy.Our elected officials are understandably focused on solving the budget situation, but most of the MCCL-backed pro-life measures are budget-related—they concern the spending of government money. Should the state pay for elective abortions? Should the state pay for human cloning? We believe taxpayer money can be allocated more wisely and for the good of society.
In 2009, pro-lifers across the state worked tirelessly and were successful in implementing a two-year ban on taxpayer funding of human cloning. This year, if the Legislature doesn't reauthorize the ban, taxpayers can be forced to pay for cloning.
The Right to Life is the most important right of all—and Minnesota can't move backwards in protecting human life. Call or email your legislators and make sure your voice is heard! Final decisions are being made now. Your message to your legislators can be very simple: no taxpayer dollars for human cloning! Be sure to remind your elected officials how important protecting human life is to you and that reauthorizing the ban on taxpayer funding of human cloning is the right thing to do!
If you don't know your legislators' email addresses, go to the Secretary of State's website (it's working) and type in your address. This will provide you with links to the websites of your senator and representative, from which you can send emails immediately.
In addition, elected officials must recognize that the pro-life proposals directly concern the fundamental right to life and the unjust killing of innocent human beings, and so they are intrinsically of greater moral significance than economic questions about the proper allocation of government resources. For pro-life legislators to prioritize economic goals over pro-life ones is for them to fail to appreciate the reality and truth of the pro-life position.
Please contact your state legislators and urge them to oppose the budget deal unless the pro-life measures are included. Learn more about those measures, which were initially passed with bipartisan majorities but then vetoed by Gov. Dayton, here and here.
