A conscience is that still, small voice that people won’t listen to. That’s just the trouble with the world today. - Jiminy Cricket
“What’s that?” My 9-year-old and I passed a charming Jiminy Cricket display in Boston a few days ago, and mom guilt overtook my nostalgia as he asked about the character from Pinocchio, a film he’s never seen.
The youngest in a family inevitably misses out on otherwise standard childhood. Doting parents have the luxury of funneling hours of must-read fairy tales and quintessential movies into the brains of their first and second – even third-born child. But it’s nearly impossible to ensure that the fourth benefits from the same childhood faves, due to parents’ exhaustion, constant migration between orthodontics appointments and sports practices, or the justifiable desire to avoid a mutiny by older kids who've seen and outgrown G-rated movies. Throw a couple teenagers into the mix, and it's far more likely that a preschooler will quote Marvel before Mickey.
“He’s Pinocchio’s conscience.” I explained. “He helped a boy like you tell the truth and do the right things.” “So, everyone has a conscience?” He asked.
Having just returned from a Beacon Hill hearing on a bill intended to harm pregnancy resource centers, while looking ahead to the next abortion expansion bill we must fight, I admit I hesitated.
“Yes.” I finally said. “Everyone has a conscience.”
No fibbing now! You know you’re not supposed to tell lies.
Here’s the whole truth. Supporters like you not only showed up at Monday’s hearing on H.377 “An Act to protect patient privacy and prevent unfair and deceptive advertising of pregnancy related services,” but they offered 23 powerful opposition testimonies. (You’ll see MCFL testimonies starting at 1:25:00 in that video.) In her testimony, MCFL Executive Director Patricia Stewart revealed findings of our recent public records request related to complaints against Massachusetts PRCs.
Members of the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure are receiving many more written testimonies, which you can still submit, if you have not already done so.
I am pleased to report that we did not hear any lies from those who favor H.377, because not one person showed up to support it! Even the bill’s sponsor, Representative Tram T. Nguyen (D-18th Essex) and co-sponsor Representative Lindsay N. Sabadosa (D-1st Hampshire), were curiously absent.
In an article published Wednesday by the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Sabadosa revealed the true purpose of the draft legislation and acknowledged she does not expect it to pass; she knows “unconstitutional” when she sees it. “It’s a bit of a statement bill,” she said.
No lies, only games – just what women in crisis pregnancies need.
Pinocchio’s gonna need his conscience, and that’s where I come in.
The next bill we need your help to thwart is no game. H.1599 “An act enhancing access to abortion care” is a stomach-churning dystopia in the making. Like H.377, it targets PRCs. But our girls are the ones in the crosshairs. If passed, this bill will eliminate the requirement for parental consent for abortion from Massachusetts law.
Currently, girls younger than 16 must receive the consent of one parent or a judge in order to legally obtain an abortion. Under the proposed law, a girl of any age would be able to walk into a clinic and obtain an abortion without any adult ever knowing about it, except the abortionist or perhaps a girl’s abuser. Worse, if a girl’s “school-based health center” is involved, it will be required to “keep confidential any abortion-related information or care provided to a patient at the center.”
This bill is simply unconscionable. Yet we know that, sadly, it could pass. Oregon’s governor signed a similar bill into law on July 13. Stopping this legislation here will require more of us to do more work, before a hearing is even scheduled. That’s where you come in, my friend.
Please tell others about this bill – especially those who are pro-abortion. While many consider themselves “pro-choice,” few support parents being stripped of their rights. Then, contact the bill’s sponsors, Representative Sally P. Kerans (D-13th Essex) and Senator Rebecca L. Rausch (D-Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex). Make them aware that you oppose their attempts to erase parental rights and irresponsibly neglect and endanger our children. Request a meeting with one or both of these women, or your representative, and urge them to listen to their consciences. As soon as a hearing date has been announced, we will let you know.
And always let your conscience be your guide.
Save the date for The National Men’s March to Abolish Abortion and Rally for Personhood – Saturday, November 4th in Boston, MA. March organizers and longtime MCFL friends said of the event, “There is a man connected to every abortion. Men are a big part of the problem. It’s time for men to become a big part of the solution.” You are encouraged to sign on and commit to marching that day. Make your plans now, sign up for email updates, and get more information here.
As always, we are grateful for your determination, bravery and engagement, whether you are marching, donating, testifying, volunteering, praying – or reviving the dulled consciences of people around us. Those are the tools that brought Roe crashing to the ground. And those will be the keys to unlocking a future where every life is welcomed, cherished and protected in law.
Enjoy your weekend.
Myrna Maloney Flynn, President, Massachusetts Citizens for Life