Weekly Column

By Myrna Maloney Flynn, MCFL President

As you plan your week, I want to let you know how our state legislators may be planning theirs. With the election behind us and time running out on the current two-year legislative session, our elected officials are lining up tasks like bowling pins, positioning them just so, primed for a strike. Among the bills that could be presented for a vote in the coming days: the ROE Act and Doctor-Prescribed Suicide. 

A few reminders about the ROE Act:

• The name of this legislation is an acronym -- Remove Obstacles and Expand Access to Abortion. It has nothing to do with Roe vs. Wade. 
• It aims to make abortion more “accessible” (in a state where nearly 20,000 abortions are already performed each year). 
• If passed, the bill would enable girls as young as 12 to obtain abortions without any adult, except the abortionist, knowing about it. 
• ROE would remove life-saving medical equipment from rooms where abortions are performed, risking the lives of babies, Massachusetts citizens, who survive the procedure. 
• ROE would legalize any late-term abortion up through the 9th month of pregnancy.
• You, the taxpayer, would see more of your own money paying for every one of these atrocious human rights violations.

Because it’s Monday, and we’re back to work and school, let’s do this. True or false: Proponents claim we must pass ROE, now that Amy Coney Barrett is a Supreme Court Justice, increasing the likelihood that the Court will overturn Roe vs. Wade. 

True!

Yet what’s false is the implication that overturning the landmark 1973 decision will outlaw abortion in Massachusetts. If Roe vs. Wade is overturned, nothing will change here. Abortion will still be legal. But that’s not what ROE Act supporters say. They are pushing a dangerous bill because the public is listening, not for any valid reason. Even Governor Baker, who is pro-choice, agrees that our current abortion law is sufficient and the ROE Act is unnecessary. And here's the kicker that no one is talking about. In the unlikely event that abortion is outlawed at the federal level, then the ROE Act is moot. In any scenario, this bill is senseless.

Also at the top of the state legislature’s priority list in the coming days: Doctor-Prescribed Suicide. Read about the dangers of this at the Patients Rights Action Fund, then urge your legislator to block this bill as well. 

You’ve got the ability to call or write to your legislators, urging them to to vote against both of these life-devaluing bills. Harness the motivation you feel in the wake of Saturday’s election results -- we will not stop fighting for life in the four years ahead. If anything, we will fight harder, with bigger hearts, a positive attitude, and bolstered by the truth that love and respect for the life of every person wins the day. 

Check out the “how to” below, then take five minutes to contact your legislator now. 

Thank you for partnering with us! We are so proud to be alongside you in this most important issue of them all. 

Here's how to find your state representative if you do not know their name or contact information.

1. Go to Find My Legislator here on the MA Legislature web page.
2. Type in your address and include your zip code.
3. After you have entered your address, a new page will show up.
4. Click on the names of your state senator and state representative. You will be taken to a page with their email and their phone number.

Call and email them to today, telling them our state does not need ROE or Doctor-Prescribed Suicide. 

If you've never called your state representative, this handy phone script may help!

Remember, 100% of our operating budget is funded by individual members like you. Please consider signing up to support our life-saving work on a monthly basis, or make a one-time contribution here.

On July 30th, 2020, a little before noon, C.J. and Maria approached the State House, pulling a suitcase packed with thousands of citizens' signatures opposing the "ROE" Act.

 But even though we had contacted the Joint Committee on the Judiciary offices ahead of time, our team had an unpleasant surprise.

After trying three different angles with the security guards -- and then a fourth ("We have petitions to deliver." "It's time sensitive." "We aren't the general public." "Would you be willing to help us and carry the box upstairs?) C.J. and Maria retreated to the lobby. 

No one was working that day, they were told. Everyone is remote.

But if you really want to get something done -- and when lives, and the future of your state are involved -- you do it. In this case, the lives on the line are those of Massachusetts' women, babies like Hope and like Melissa, and our 13 and 14 year old girls' like Veronica.

Multiple phone calls later, C.J. reached Representative Michael Day's aide.

Thank you, Dan! Not only did Dan take the entire box of petitions, and your signatures opposing the "ROE" Act it contained, he gave us a social-distanced elbow-bump and good luck as well.

The campaign isn't over yet though. Due to the governor's declaration of a state of emergency, the legislature may continue to deliberate on bills past the July 31st date. 

Help us continue to advocate for our women and the unborn babies in Massachusetts by donating here today.

To all of you who have signed the petition, shared on social media, and called the committee offices with us every day, THANK YOU. 

When you think of lobbying, you probably think of State House halls, formal letters, or official meetings scheduled in offices or quiet restaurants. But what you may not know is that nearly every one of your legislators now has an active presence on social media, and their Facebook and Twitter accounts are as valid and impactful a meeting ground as their offices.

In fact, sometimes, social media causes a greater impact than a formal letter these days, because on social media, one message may not just reach your representative or senator. One message may reach your entire district.

And that kind of reach is a reality every politician watches like a hawk.

Here are the easy steps to finding, reaching, and engaging your legislator online. Double your lobbying efforts by reaching out via social media, bring your fellow state citizens to the conversation, and raise awareness of the laws and proposed laws threatening or supporting human lives in Massachusetts.

1. Do you know who your representatives are? Who your senator is? If not, start here: Plug in Your Address and Receive Your Legislators' Full Contact Information (click here to search).

2. Do you have FaceBook? If so, take the names of your representatives to your FaceBook toolbar, and type them in. 

It should look like this in your browser.

3. Do you have Twitter? If so, take the names of your senator or representatives and type them into the search bar on your Twitter feed.

If your senator or representative has an account, it should show up like this in your browser:

Click on the name in the search results, then select follow. Now, you can either tweet at them, or send them a direct message.