
This weekend I received a follow-up letter from a call I received earlier from a National Right to Life soliciter. The woman who's name was Evelyn, urged me to send $100 or $200 to fight Senator Barbara Boxer's nasty Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), which would essentially undo all of the meager incremental victories that the pro-life movement garnered since 1973, which hasn't been a whopping amount by any means.
Partially to get her off the phone and mostly because FOCA needs to be defeated, I told her that I would take her literature and agreed to send her some smaller amount than what she had originally requested. I was wondering how much of the money would go to paying the telemarketer (80-90%?) and how much would go to actually fighting FOCA. Oh well, I guess I'm an easy touch.
Upon further refection, I decided to go ahead and send the "promised" amount. However, I also sent the following letter to voice my concerns regarding the overall work of the National Right to Life Committee.
July 7, 2008
Ms. Wanda Franz, PhD.
President
National Right to Life Committee
512 10th St.NW
Washington, DC 20004Dear Ms. Franz:
I am sending you a check for $15.00 to fight the FOCA, because I promised to do so to your telephone solicitor and because I want to see FOCA defeated.
I am very disappointed, however, with NRTL and many other pro-life organizations, who seem much to entrenched in playing politics and making little or no progress in stopping abortion.
I learned about the upstart American RTL organization which is oing what NRTL and others should have been doing all along. They are getting things done. In the State of Colorado this fall the people will be voting on a personhood amendment. Why has the NRTL gotten behind this effort?
I am afraid that the NRTL may be too beholden to the Republican Party to be as effective as it should be. John McCain supports embryonic stem cell research and I don’t hear any condemnation of his stand on this deadly issue.
Please do not send me anymore solicitation through the mail or by telephone until you begin to take some real action on stopping bortion. Your incremental approach is not working. There must be real progress made, with or without the GOP’s backing. Seems to me all the GOP cares about is getting power. I voted for President Bush twice and what did he and a GOP controlled congress accomplish regarding abortions? Next to nothing.
Sincerely,