A letter from Jim Langevin, and my response

[ambitious_wench]

Dear Ms. Howe:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the availability of abortions in military hospitals overseas. Your opinion is important to me, and I appreciate the opportunity to correspond with you.

Current law prohibits women from obtaining abortion services at U.S. military hospitals. As you may know, Representative Susan Davis of California offered an amendment to the FY2005 Defense Authorization Act that would have allowed service women and military dependents to use their own funds to pay for abortions at overseas military hospitals. I opposed this amendment, which was defeated by a vote of 202-221 on May 19, 2004.

I believe abortion is only appropriate in cases of rape, incest, or to protect the life of the mother. In other instances, I believe a woman and her unborn child are better served through alternatives such as adoption, or health and social services that support women and their children throughout their lives. My opposition to abortion is based on my personal experience. At the age of sixteen, I was left paralyzed when a police officer's gun accidentally discharged and severed my spine. Since I came so close to losing my life, I am reminded every day how precious life is, and that every pregnancy is the creation of a new life that should be treasured. Additionally, my parents have been foster parents to many children over the past 20 years. In my family we never gave up on any child. Although life is often full of difficult obstacles, I do not want to deny anyone the immense opportunities that I have enjoyed in overcoming life's challenges.

I recognize that this is a complicated issue, and I appreciate hearing your views on this topic. Again, thank you for contacting me, and please feel free to share your thoughts on other pressing issues as the legislative session continues.

Sincerely,

James R. Langevin
Member of Congress

***
http://www.house.gov/langevin/

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Dear Mr. Langevin;

I was deeply disappointed to hear of the defeat of Representative Davis' bill, and even more disappointed to read that you voted against it, based on your personal beliefs and against the rights of American women abroad. As a woman who has served in the US Military, (9 years US Navy), I find that it is objectionable to deny American citizens abroad the same legal and safe abortion services (at their own expense!) that their state-side sisters have access to.

While I admire your strength and determination, I will not be supporting your re-election.

Sincerely,
E. Howe.

Comments

[lilrivkah.livejournal.com]

I gotta ask this man:

"So what happens if a woman in the military is raped overseas and gets pregnant?"

[ambitious-wench.livejournal.com]

so *ASK* him! He may not be your representative, from your state, but he's a member of congress and has to think about ALL Americans.

Kindly let him know that you read his response to me on my Live Journal, and include this URL (http://www.livejournal.com/users/ambitious_wench/247202.html) so that he can see it for himself, and any comments made by others.

Frame it as a genuine inquiry. Anger and vitriol won't get you anywhere. Also, go here and find your representative: http://www.house.gov/
There's a locator in the upper left. You put in your zip+4 and it will let you know who your rep is, and will give you at least an email address, if not a form. Be sure to CC your representative, and ask them to follow up on this for you.
Here's Langevin's email.

james.langevin@mail.house.gov

This is the first time in American history were we have such an easy way to communicate with out elected officials, right at our fingertips, literally. It's easier than ever to get information at a level you and I can understand.

I thank the gods on a daily basis for the internet.

[whispersinink.livejournal.com]

You mean internets, right?

[ambitious-wench.livejournal.com]

*blink*

I dunno--do I?

E.

[whispersinink.livejournal.com]

I doubt it. :)

[lilrivkah.livejournal.com]

I emailed him. I'll be emailing my own representative shortly.

[ambitious-wench.livejournal.com]

You go, girl! Power to the People!

[mintogrubb.livejournal.com]

Hi Edie,
I have followed your campaign with interest, and am realy impressed with what you are doing and how you go about it.
I cannot write to US congress, or the Senate, because I am British, but am willing to do anything to support American women who wish to remain in control of their own bodies.
if i can help in any way, please let me know.
Also, could I ask a question, please. A lot of feminist communities I am in take the view that "It ain't our job to educate you", but maybe I can ask you instead.
I hear the term " partial birth Abortion" being used on the net.
like, what does it mean , exactly?

[ambitious-wench.livejournal.com]

Hiya, Minto! I'm sorry, I never responded to your first request for education. As you can see, I'm up to the eyeballs trying to present information.

As for supporting American women, well, I appreciate the offer, but I'd advise looking closer to home, first. As I said in the past, it's up to you to learn to recognise oppression in all its forms, where it lies, including yourself. That's no easy task, and while I can help you somewhat with the information I am presenting here, I can't *make* you see it.

As for "partial birth abortion", I would recommend going to http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_pba.htm to get a balanced view of the procedure, the names, and the moral and theological implications. Then I expect you to write up a summary on it, your views on it legal and moral, and post it in your own journal.

[mintogrubb.livejournal.com]

Then I expect you to write up a summary on it, your views on it legal and moral, and post it in your own journal.

Be careful what you ask for, for you may get it. D
seriously, I have read it as you suggest.
like , 90% performed in the 1st trimester, and now I know that the USA is the only country in the developed world without a Federal healthcare programme.
Or a National Health Service, as we call it here.
I dunno about doing a write up on abortions. I don't wanna put folks off their breakfasts!
Thank you, though, for the link.

[lederhosen.livejournal.com]

What it means depends on who's using it. Pro-lifers use it to mean a process where a late-term fetus (often late enough to be viable) is partially delivered before being killed; it's a powerful term because of its implications to those who believe birth is the Magic Moment at which a fetus becomes human. As such, it's a popular issue among the pro-lifers because, on the face of it, "partial birth abortion" is a difficult thing to defend.

Pro-choicers, OTOH, see it as a deceptive term that implies "half-delivering a living baby, then killing it", but is actually used as cover to ban a much wider range of techniques.

For instance, the 'Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act' (HR 760) defined it as "abortion in which the person performing the abortion partially vaginally delivers a living fetus before killing the fetus and completing the delivery." However, far from being restricted to the "partially delivering an eight-month fetus and killing it" scenarios used to sell such measures, this definition also bans some first-trimester procedures that happen to fit that definition.

Longer discussion here.

[mintogrubb.livejournal.com]

thanks. I read this one also.