There are many ways you can be a “citizen lobbyist” on behalf of the sanctity of life at the local, state, and federal levels.  For the time being, encourage your congressional representatives and senators to participate in the March for Life!

Contact Your Legislator

The March for Life Education and Defense Fund calls on Marchers to reach out to their elected officials concerning life issues.  We have provided guidelines to follow when writing letters, sending e-mails, or making phone calls to your legislators.  Read more HERE.

The March for Life Education and Defense Fund calls on its members to reach out to their elected officials concerning life issues. Below are guidelines to follow when writing letters, sending e-mails or making phone calls to your legislators.

Writing a Letter

• Clearly identify what your letter is concerning, and address only one subject or piece of legislation per letter.
• Clearly state what you want the Member of Congress to do (sponsor, oppose, vote for, investigate, etc.)
• Be brief, but give good reasons for your letter or request. Keep your letter to no more than one page.
• Send a thank you letter if appropriate.

Follow these guidelines when addressing your letter:

Sending an E-mail

• The same guidelines apply to e-mails as letters.
• E-mails will reach the recipient more quickly. When writing on time sensitive matters, e-mail may be the best option. Webmail forms can be found on Members of Congress’s individual websites.

Social Media

Find your Senator on Twitter HERE.

Call on the Phone

• Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your Senator’s or Representative’s office.
• Ask to speak to the aide who handles the issue about which you are calling.
• Identify yourself, and leave a brief message clearly stating what you would like the legislator to do.
• Be brief, but give some reasons to back up your position on the issue.

To find contact information for Senators, visit:

http://www.senate.gov/reference/common/faq/How_to_contact_senators.htm

For House members, visit:

http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

GET AMERICAN TAXPAYERS OUT OF THE ABORTION INDUSTRY!

The March for Life Education and Defense Fund encourages Marchers to reach out to their elected officials concerning life issues.  While you are in town for the March for Life, take the opportunity to visit your Congressman or Senator’s office to advocate for an important piece of pro-life legislation, H.R. 7 (information below).

Back at home, be sure to call, write, email, or use social media to contact your elected officials.  They need to hear from you!

H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, was introduced by Pro-life Caucus Co-Chairs Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and would establish a government-wide permanent prohibition on funding for elective abortion and insurance coverage that includes elective abortion.  It would also close abortion-funding loopholes created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), prohibit tax-preferred status for abortion through health savings accounts (and other similar arrangements) and itemized deductions.

No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act would not affect either the ability of an individual to pay for an abortion (or for abortion coverage) through private funds, or the ability of an entity to provide separate abortion coverage.  H.R. 7 does not affect funding for family planning services.

At the end of Title I of the U.S. Code, the legislation would add the Hyde Amendment that now covers programs funded through the Labor/Health and Human Services appropriations bill, the Act also would make permanent such laws as the Helms Amendment (no funds for abortion as a method of family planning overseas) and the Smith Amendment (no funds for health plans covering elective abortions for federal employees).

Statistics bolster the argument that direct federal funding for abortion increases the number of abortions performed.

• In 1993, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the Federal Government would pay for as many as 675,000 abortions annually were the Hyde Amendment and other measures not in place to prevent taxpayer funding of abortion in government supported programs.
• According to a 2007 Guttmacher report, the Hyde Amendment ban on federal funding for abortion has prevented between “18-35%” of women from having an abortion. In other words, unrestricted federal funding for abortion will increase the number of women obtaining an abortion by an average of 25%.
• Researchers at the Charlotte Lozier Institute found that Obamacare will lead to 71,000 to 115,000 more publically funded abortions per year.

Regardless of one’s views on protecting life in the womb a large majority of Americans agree taxpayers should not be paying for abortions. 

Abortion, plain and simple, is the taking of an innocent life and is opposed by a large majority of Americans.  H.R. 7 gets the federal government out of directly funding the abortion industry and should be passed immediately.