GUEST BLOG SUBMISSION BY REPRESENTATIVE WENDY WARBURTON

Dear Havre Daily Corrector readers,

Some omissions and inaccuracies need to be addressed regarding the
Havre Daily’s story about the personhood amendment that grassroots,
pro-life Montanans are working to get on the ballot for Montana Voters.

First, numerous Protestant and nonsectarian groups support this
effort, including the Montana Assemblies of God and Lutheran
Missouri-Synod, Personhood USA, Central Montana Right to Life, and
American Right to Life, to name just a few.

The article also failed to mention that various personhood efforts are
in the works in states across the nation. Montana’s grassroots effort
is part of a vast pro-life movement today, as science shows clearly
that unborn babies are people through such evidence as 3-D
ultrasounds, studies proving that unborn babies feel pain, the fact
that babies have brain waves at just six weeks gestation and
heartbeats even earlier, and that DNA determines at conception the
baby’s gender and exactly what the child will look like. This new
knowledge has led the solid majority of Americans to declare
themselves pro-life in recent national polling.

Catholic lobbyist Moe Wosepka was quoted as fearing the amendment
could someday find its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, possibly be
overturned, and, if so, somehow “solidify” Roe v Wade. I know of the
key lawyer shelling out this speculation (the same lawyer who tried to
get the national Republican caucus to waver in its opposition to
embryonic stem cell research). I disagree with him. And I’m far from
the only one.

The Montana Personhood amendment is supported by the LARGEST Catholic
pro-life organization in the United States, American Life League,
which is led by Judie Brown, one of a handful of advisors to the Pope
on respect-life issues. The LARGEST Catholic pro-life organization in
the world, Human Life International, supports personhood. The
Catholic, nationally renowned Thomas More Law Center has vowed to
support Montana’s amendment all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if
necessary.

I was surprised to read the sentence: “Warburton and leaders of the
Catholic Conference said they are saddened by the falling out between
the two factions.” I was surprised because I never said that, and
because, in my opinion, there is no “falling out,” and there are not
two “factions.” In fact, the actual, official position statement
distributed by Wosepka states: “We applaud the Montana Prolife
Coalition (MPLC) for their tireless dedication to life issues. While
we believe the personhood strategy is a political long shot, we stand
with the MPLC in their ultimate goal of overturning Roe V. Wade. We
do not oppose their efforts, but merely differ in our opinions about
what is likely to be the most effective strategy and what is the best
use of limited time and resources.”

The sentence about the attempt to get personhood on the ballot through
a vote of the legislature, which stated, “The measure was defeated,
receiving little support from Hi-Line lawmakers, except for Warburton
and Windy Boy,” was false. Our Senator, Kim Hanson, voted in support
of it, as did Phillips County’s Rep. Wayne Stahl and Sen. John
Brenden, and Liberty and Toole County Rep. Roy Hollandsworth and Sen.
Jerry Black. The only “Hi-Line lawmaker” anywhere near Havre who voted
against it was Rep. Bob Bergren. Rep. Tony Belcourt was absent. Anyone
can verify these votes online at www.leg.mt.gov. Just type in a search
for SB 406.
In Montana, we have nothing to lose, unless we do nothing. Right now
in Montana, there are absolutely no state restrictions on abortion up
to the moment of labor. Right now in Montana, parents have no right to
know if their teenage daughter is taken to get an abortion. (But she
had better have your permission before she gets her ears pierced.)
Right now, hundreds of young women from other states come to Montana
to get abortions. This will continue unless we amend our state
constitution to recognize that unborn babies are people entitled to
some rights.

The fact that children who are not yet born are people, too, is simply
right and true. I believe in fighting for what is right true.

Sincerely,

Rep. Wendy Warburton, HD 34