Victoria Cobb, President
Thursday, February 3, 2011

Action Alert: Prevent the Funding of Life-Destroying Research in Virginia

Two years ago, The Family Foundation partnered with the Virginia Catholic Conference to hammer out an agreement with the biotech community to ensure that state funded research performed in Virginia would not involve embryonic stem cells or aborted fetuses. The created clause was added to all legislation involving biotech research in Virginia thus protecting citizens of the Commonwealth from subsidizing unethical research. In 2010, the same agreement stood. Now, it’s 2011 and the debate over the pro-life amendment is once again taking place.

There are several bills this year originating from both chambers that would provide research and development tax credits to biotech companies. In order to prevent the funding of unethical research, each and every bill must include the pro-life amendment. In a House Finance committee earlier this week, an amendment in line with the 2009 and 2010 pro-life amendment was added to one of these bills (HB 1447) and votes will be cast on the amended bill on the floor of the House of Delegates early next week.

The Family Foundation and our pro-life partners at the Catholic Conference firmly believe that Virginia taxpayers should not be asked to pay for or subsidize research that involves the destruction of human embryos or the use of aborted fetuses. Not only is such research unethical, embryonic stem cell research has been a complete failure. It is for that reason researchers cannot get private donations. No one wants to pour money into a failure. So researchers have turned to who else – the government – to subsidize failure. If we are going to subsidize research in Virginia, it should be in adult stem cell research that is producing real results – real science providing real hope and real cures.

It is crucial that your legislator hear from you today on this issue. Legislators need to hear that the funding of life-destroying research will not be tolerated in the Commonwealth. Contact your Delegate today and urge him or her to cast a vote in acknowledgment of the sanctity of human life.

ACTION: Please contact your Delegate by clicking the link below and urge them to support amendments to bills that prohibit taxpayer subsidizing of unethical and failed research.

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
http://www.votervoice.net/link/target/vaff/RzNfMKfG.aspx

Delegate Bob Marshall introduced HB 2474 on Jan. 21, 2011 to protect Virginia’s National Guard from being subject to the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law and offered this statement and action item today:

In order to respond to the majority of those who serve in our Military who do not want “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repealed (according to the Pentagon Study, page 49), I introduced HB 2474 to preserve DADT policy for the Virginia National Guard which is primarily the responsibility of state government except when called into Federal Service by the President. Still, Virginia is in charge of enlistments.

The Department of Defense reported that of Marine combat troops, 32 percent said they would leave service early and another 16.2 percent would consider leaving early if DADT were repealed. Of Army combat troops, 21.4 percent would leave and 14.6 percent would consider leaving. No foreign enemy could have delivered a more devastating blow to our Armed Forces. This manpower loss could precipitate a return to a compulsory military draft. President Obama believes women should register for the Selective Service. (Pittsburg Post-Gazette, October 13, 2008).

Rather than be paralyzed into inaction by a recent speculation by the Attorney General that Congress could theoretically condition federal funding to the Virginia National Guard at some future time, is this not a matter on which Virginia should take the lead, protecting our National Guard servicemen and women and urging other sovereign states to do the same, especially since the Repeal of DADT (and 232 years of military policy and 6000 years of religious and moral tradition) was passed into law by a Lame Duck Congress on a weekend before Christmas, on a bill dealing with Small Technology!

Had the President waited one month to allow the new Congress to vote on this matter, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” would not have been repealed. The present Congress would not have allowed such a massive social experiment in a time of war.

Please contact the members of the Rules Committee below and ask them to support HB 2474. Thank you.
Delegate Bill Howell delbhowell@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1028
Delegate Lacey Putney dellputney@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1019
Delegate Steve Landes delslandes@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1025
Delegate Kirk Cox delkcox@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1066
Delegate Terry Kilgore deltkilgore@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1001
Delegate Lee Ware dellware@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1065
Delegate Bill Janis delbjanis@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1056
Delegate Rob Bell delrbell@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1058
Delegate Bev Sherwood delbsherwood@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1029
Delegate Wat Abbitt delegatewabbitt@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1059
Delegate Johnny Joannou No email 804-698-1079
Delegate Joe Johnson deljjohnston@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1004
Delegate Ward Armstrong delwarmstrong@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1010
Delegate Kenny Plum delkplum@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1036
Delegate Kenny Alexander delkalexander@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1089

HOUSE BILL NO. 2474
Offered January 21, 2011
A BILL to amend and reenact § 44-2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to eligibility for service in the Virginia National Guard.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli joined with 150 other state and national pro-family and political leaders by signing onto Family Research Council’s “Start Debating Stop Hating” public ad campaign against the SPLC’s attacks on FRC and other Christian groups as “hate groups” because of their outspoken support for traditional marriage. A newspaper ad ran in the Washington Examiner in December 2010. You can read more details and add your support and name to the following statement:

“We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with Family Research Council, American Family Association, Concerned Women of America, National Organization for Marriage, Liberty Counsel and other pro-family organizations that are working to protect and promote natural marriage and family. We support the vigorous but responsible exercise of the First Amendment rights of free speech and religious liberty that are the birthright of all Americans.”

From the FRC blog…

by Jeanne Monahan
April 22, 2010

Last night, Virginia had a major pro-life victory, passing a budget amendment that will limit abortion funding to extreme cases such as those covered by the federal Hyde Amendment (rape, incest or life of mother). Until now Virginia taxpayers also paid for abortions in cases of “fetal abnormality” and other instances.

Congratulations, and thank you to Governor McDonnell for introducing this amendment, to Virginia legislators who voted to accept it, and to Virginia residents who contacted your representatives and asked them to protect life in Virginia.