Dear Friends:

On the heels of the signing of Georgia’s “heartbeat bill,” lawmakers in Louisiana are now poised to pass their own legislation to prohibit abortions on unborn babies with detectable heartbeats. Last Thursday, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards was publicly asked about the bill. Governor Edwards responded:

“In eight years in the legislature, I was a pro-life legislator, 100 percent with the Louisiana Right to Life. When I ran for governor, I said I was pro-life and so that’s something that’s consistent.”

In recent weeks, pro-life Governors across the nation have been signing pro-life legislation at a record pace. Governor Edwards, however, is different from the other pro-life Governors because…Governor Edwards is a Democrat.

Within hours of his public statement, my newsfeeds were flooded with headlines—“Louisiana Governor breaks with Democrats on Abortion.” But the headlines only tell part of the story. Most of the stories do not mention that:

As I was reviewing these facts, I was reminded of what took place during the recent Legislative Session here in New Mexico—when 14 Democrats in our State Legislature opposed the radical abortion bill, HB 51. Surely, the victories happening in legislatures throughout the country are encouraging. At the same time, I believe they represent a response to an even greater force at work—and that is, the power of culture.

For years, the radical, pro-abortion lobby has portrayed the life issue as a battle between Republicans and Democrats; between young people and older people; and between women and men. A recent poll, however, revealed that a majority of Americans now support laws that would ban abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected; that younger voters are more supportive of the laws than older voters; and that women do not differ significantly from men on the issue.

You see, this issue not a matter of Republican versus Democrat, young versus old, or even woman versus man. It is simply a matter of life versus death; and, thank the good Lord, life is winning in America!

It’s time that life wins in New Mexico too, and soon, we will have our opportunity.

Sincerely,

Vince Torres
President and Executive Director

P.S. I want to personally thank every one of you who took time to read, forward, and reply to last week’s email – “Governor Lujan Grisham Sends a Message to Hollywood.” I have never received so many responses and I am deeply grateful for all your words of support!

As expected, by a vote of 236 to 173, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed HR 5, Nancy Pelosi’s so-called Equality Act. The bill, if enacted, will decimate religious freedom, conscience rights, women’s rights, parental rights and education policy all across the nation.

We have been updating you on the dangerous effects of this legislation for some time now. While the fight over HR 5 heads to the U.S. Senate, we will continue to keep you abreast of new developments. To that end, we have already set up a page where you can urge your two U.S. senators to oppose HR 5.

In a good development yesterday, the Trump administration announced that it was opposed to HR 5, noting its troubling provisions related to conscience rights and parental rights. However, the fight in the Senate remains critical, as it’s very important to minimize the number of Republican senators who declare their support for the bill. In the House vote today, only eight Republicans voted for HR 5, while 173 voted against it.

Many reading this email took action to let their member of Congress know that they wanted them to oppose HR 5.

How did your member vote? You can find out here.  (If you are unsure who your representative is, you can find their name and contact information in our Action Center by entering your zip code and/or address.)

If your member of Congress voted against HR 5, please let them know that you appreciate their stand for religious freedom, parental rights and conscience protections.

The Family Policy Alliance Team

The United States House voted on Friday, 236-to-173, to advance the “Equality Act” which, if passed by the Senate and signed by the President, places “gay rights” in direct conflict with religious liberty. In fact, it actually elevates gay rights above religious rights. But then again, perhaps this was the goal all along.

In a widespread 2014 interview, then-Equal Employment Opportunity Commissioner Chai Feldblum was asked if she could conceive of a legal matter in which religious liberty rights would trump gay rights. She answered: “I’m having a hard time coming up with any case in which religious liberty should win.”

Feldblum is openly lesbian. To her credit, she made no attempt to hide her agenda. And while progressives try to sugarcoat their poison pill in sweet expressions of “Equality,” Christians should take notice that it is anything but equality for those who express a Christian faith. The provisions of this legislation open the door to:

While the Senate is unlikely to give a hearing to the so-called Equality Act, that’s not the end of the story. First, the House, under Speaker Pelosi’s leadership, is likely  to tack it onto other legislation, potentially forcing big votes in the Senate.

And even with the threat of a Presidential veto, this is an all-too-familiar strategy of the Left—promote corrosive legislation in one session and get as many legislators as they can on record supporting it. Then actively press the issue forevermore in the court of public opinion to wear down people’s natural concerns and values. And finally, ensure the radical legislation passes in the most progressive states to lay the groundwork for passage in other states and eventually Congress.

To their shame, Nancy Pelosi’s House voted to subvert religious liberty to gay rights even though the former is fundamentally protected in our First Amendment. Strikingly, at the same time and for the 44th time, Pelosi prevented the House from voting on legislation to protect a child who survives an abortion. Instead, Pelosi’s policy allows that child to perish by withholding medical assistance. Where’s the equality for children born alive?

If that doesn’t awaken the church, what will?

Family Policy Alliance exists to be the voice for people of faith—in the church, the Christian business community and in legislatures across the nation and in D.C. We amplify your voice to stand firm and take action. But we can only stand for you when you stand with us!

Won’t you give today to have your voice—and those of your children—amplified today and heard tomorrow?

Standing for the Family,

Paul Weber
President and CEO

P.S. If you haven’t yet had the chance to urge your two U.S. Senators to OPPOSE the so-called Equality Act, please do so today! It only takes one minute on our instant Action Center.

 

 

Dear Friends:

In late-March, 80 actors and actresses sent a letter to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp threatening to boycott the State of Georgia if he signed the “Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act”—a bill which protects unborn babies from abortions once a heartbeat is detected.

Last week, Governor Kemp sent a clear message to those radical, pro-abortion Hollywood elites when he signed the bill and boldly stated: “We will not back down. We will always continue to fight for life.”

This week, our Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, also had a message for the pro-abortion Hollywood crowd. Her message: “Bring your cameras” to New Mexico.

“The situation in Georgia is appalling to me and, I know, so many New Mexicans. I hope film companies make the ethical choice and invest in states that are clear about baseline human rights, not least a woman’s autonomy over her own body. To those production companies and filmmakers across the U.S. and elsewhere I would offer a simple reminder: New Mexico is wide open for business. Bring your cameras.” -Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham 

It is a sad day in New Mexico when our Governor attempts to leverage the lives of unborn children for movies—when she publicly affirms that appeasing Hollywood is more important than protecting innocent life—when she describes pro-life legislation as “appalling”—and when she portrays abortion as both “ethical” and a “baseline human right.”

Has this really become our state’s best selling point? That we can kill unborn children up to the moment of birth in New Mexico?

Growing up, I always believed that one of our state’s best characteristics was our commitment to family and life. Never did I imagine a day when we would be infamously known for our culture of death.

We need change. We need it now. And we can make it happen.

Through faithful prayer and persistent action, let’s be the agents of change needed to reverse the culture of death in our state. Let’s be the answer to our own prayers. Together, let’s foster a New Mexico where life is cherished.

Standing for Life,

Vince Torres
President and Executive Director

 

Nancy Pelosi is not your child’s mom, but she’s certainly trying to be.

With Mother’s Day right around the corner, it is important to honor mothers and grandmothers—and the irreplaceable, God-given roles they have in children’s lives.

Mother’s Day is also a powerful reminder that children are given to their mothers by God to be intimately known and lovingly protected. That’s why Family Policy Alliance® believes that parental rights are also God-given, intrinsically known, and should be protected—not taken away—by our government.

Yet, Nancy Pelosi has made a bill that is one of the worst violations of parental rights we’ve seen one of her top-five priorities this year. By advancing H.R. 5, the so-called Equality Act that promotes a radical LGBT agenda, Pelosi is choosing to please powerful special interest groups over honoring mothers and fathers.

We’ve shared with you about how Pelosi’s Equality Act would impact schools, businesses, churches and ministries, and healthcare.

We’ve shared with you how Pelosi’s Equality Act will work its way into your child’s curriculum—with no option to opt-out your child.

And, we’ve shared with you about how Pelosi’s Equality Act will harm your parental rights—including even the risk of losing custody if you don’t sign off on your child’s “gender transition.”

Yet, Pelosi is pushing her Equality Act forward for a final vote in the full U.S. House next week. That’s why we need your help.

This Mother’s Day, we honor, celebrate, and thank God for all mothers. But, we’re also asking every mom and grandma to join with us in opposing Nancy Pelosi’s Equality Act because it is a direct attack on God-given parental rights.

Here are 3 ways you can help RIGHT NOW:

  1. If you haven’t yet, send an automatic letter to your member of Congress asking him/her to vote NO on Nancy Pelosi’s Equality Act. It only takes 1 minute through our action center, and it doesn’t matter who your member of Congress is. EVERY member needs to know that moms are not behind this bill!
  2. Join us in using the power of social media to show Nancy Pelosi and the U.S. House that moms do NOT support the Equality Act! Share your short letter to Nancy Pelosi and use the hashtags: #MomsKnowBest and #EqualityAct.Here’s a great example from a mom we know, our very own attorney and policy manager, Stephanie Curry!


    If you also tag Family Policy Alliance on your Facebook or Twitter post, we’ll share some of the best mom pics!

  3. Share this article with other moms and grandmas you know and invite them to take action too!

Because YOU, not Nancy Pelosi, know best how to raise your kids,


Autumn Leva,
Vice President of Strategy

With Nancy Pelosi’s dangerous Equality Act facing a vote on Thursday in the U.S. House, it has become even clearer that this is a clash between D.C. lobbying powerhouses and grassroots America.

Two major factions are pushing the Equality Act: the LGBT lobby and big business.

The LGBT lobby, led by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), has been ratcheting up pressure from the Left. But they are joined by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has been pushing Republicans to support the bill, despite the fact that it imperils religious freedom, parental rights and more.

The Chamber has even threatened to “score” this vote – meaning that each representative’s vote would be factored into the Chamber’s rating of how pro-business that member is.

But while this strange-bedfellow coalition works the D.C. swamp, grassroots America is heating up in strong opposition to the bill. Congressional offices report that this bill is generating the most constituent opposition to a bill that they have seen in a long time.

Family Policy Alliance® supporters like you have played a significant part in that growing grassroots opposition. And you still have a chance to make your voice heard!

You can send an email in just moments on our Action Center. Then you’ll receive a follow-up email with your representative’s name and number so you can easily make a quick call, asking them to vote NO on the so-called Equality Act.

Thanks for speaking up!

The Family Policy Alliance Team

Dear Friends:

This summer, Family Policy Foundation® will host its annual Statesmen Academy℠ and we need your help to ensure that New Mexico is represented!

The 2019 Statesmen Academy will be an intensive week of training for on-the-rise Christian legislators and aspiring policymakers. This annual conference is a pivotal part of our strategy to build a coalition of pro-life, pro-family, and pro-religious freedom advocates locally and across the nation. Previous students include New Mexico Representatives Rebecca Dow, David Gallegos, and Rod Montoya, and this year, we have THREE spots to fill.

As we prepare for the upcoming Academy, passionate ministry partners have generously provided a matching grant to DOUBLE your gift TODAY. These gifts are tax-deductible, and they will help us equip our leaders with the training and resources they need to govern biblically and successfully.

Participation in the Statesmen Academy is a huge honor for our state, so please send your gift today!

Thank you for your support!

Vince Torres
President and Executive Director

 

Previous Statesmen Academy Alumni

               
State Rep. David Gallegos            State Rep. Rebecca Dow
Statesmen Class 2017                  Statesmen Class 2018

State Rep. Rod Montoya
Statesmen Class 2018

 

 

The so-called Equality Act (H.R. 5) is moving very quickly through Congress. Despite the bill’s name, the Equality Act would dramatically elevate the rights and privileges of a select few while dealing a devastating blow to parental rights.

Speaker Pelosi has signaled that a vote on H.R. 5 will take place on or before May 17, so time is of the essence for people of faith and conscience to contact their Member of Congress and implore them to vote NO on this radical bill.

H.R. 5 is far-sweeping; it would amend several federal civil rights laws including the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1968 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 to make sexual orientation and gender identity protected classes equal to immutable and inborn characteristics like race, age, sex and national origin.

The results of this radical legislation will be widespread and disastrous.  We need only look to the states or our neighbor to the north with similar laws to predict what we’re in for should the Equality Act become law.

In 16 states now, parents do not have a choice when they seek counseling for their children struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion. In other words, counseling that encourages children to change their gender – even to go through irreversible “genital reconstruction” operations – would be protected by the state. But counseling to help children accept their God-given birth sex would be outlawed.  These therapy bans interfere with parents’ right to direct their children’s upbringing and completely disregard family faith or values. What’s worse—the bans were passed with no regard for what type of therapy may actually be best for children long-term.

In Ohio — a state without legislation of this sort — a judge already removed custody from parents of a 17-year-old for their refusal to allow her to undergo life-altering gender transition hormone treatments.  This decision came after a two-year custody battle which started with family services alleging parental neglect and abuse for their religiously held beliefs about gender.  When the child was placed in temporary custody of family services, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital recommended the 17-year-old undergo hormone therapy at its Transgender Health Clinic, which she did.

This hospital tells first-time patients that their healthcare providers may speak to minors without their parents because “Sometimes young people also have questions that they are afraid to ask in front of their family or guardians.” The clinic also conducts a psychosocial interview to “help understand how the patient and family or guardians are functioning and see if there are any needs.”

It’s not far-fetched to surmise that what they really mean is “see if parents support the gender transition of their young son or daughter, and if not, we’ll take you to court.”

That’s exactly what happened to a Canadian dad earlier this year.  In February, the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Canada ruled that a 14-year-old girl would be administered testosterone injections by her doctor against her father’s wishes and consent.  Despite a parent’s insistence that his minor daughter should wait until she was older — not a child anymore — to make this life-altering decision, the court said the child had the right to decide for herself.  The judge, who ruled on the basis of federal law, blatantly dismissed parental objection to the medical treatment of his minor child.

As if the case couldn’t get any worse, it did.  Just last month, the judge declared the father guilty of “family violence” due to his “expressions of rejection of [her] gender identity.”  In other words, a dad refused to refer to his daughter as a boy.  As a result, he was convicted of a crime against his daughter, given a gag order and ordered not to expose his daughter to any resources which may bring her gender identity or treatment into question.

These cases seem to say everyone other than parents knows best!  We believe differently.

We know that parents have a God-given and Constitutionally protected right to direct the upbringing of their children—including their moral values, faith, education and healthcare.  We cannot allow misguided legislation to threaten that right!

We believe families should have the right to pursue mental health counseling consistent with their beliefs and religion — be it for depression, anxiety, gender confusion or any other condition.

We believe parents must have the right to prevent their children from accessing experimental puberty-blocking hormones, cross-sex hormones (which can lead to sterilization), and certainly irreversible, life-altering “genital reconstruction” surgery.

Will you stand with us today to ensure that parents across our nation retain their ability to guide the moral upbringing and medical care of their children?  If so, please contact your Member of Congress today and urge him or her to vote NO on the Equality Act.

Because parents, not Nancy Pelosi, know best how to care for their children,

Autumn Leva
Vice President of Strategy

On Friday, the Colorado Legislature finished the 2019 session, but not before passing three more bills that undermine the family. The bills are on their way to Gov. Polis, so we are asking to you to speak up to him right away!

Here are the three bills:

As you may be aware, Gov. Polis has a history of radical, LGBT activism. However, regardless of what he is likely to do with these bills, it’s critical that he hears from thousands of Coloradans who oppose them. Without strong opposition from Coloradans, he will likely feel that he has a license to push even harder next year.

Here’s what you can do:

  1. Send him an email on these three bills with just a click at our Action Center.
  2. Call his office at (303) 866-2471 and politely ask him to veto House Bills 1032, 1120 and 1192.
  3. Please pass the word and rally other Colorado folks to do the same!

Thank you for speaking up and standing strong!

The Family Policy Alliance Team

The Maine Legislature is considering a bill that would – for the first time in the state’s history – use taxpayer money for abortions.  Your help is needed to stop it!

LD 820 would force Maine taxpayers to pay for abortions. This bill could be heard in the House as early as tomorrow – Tuesday, May 7th.

Our close allies at the Christian Civic League of Maine have made it easy for you to make your voice heard.  Click here to send a message to your legislators. You’ll see a way to easily personalize your message (preferred).

Also, please call your state representative and ask them to vote against LD 820. If you call your representative during business hours, use 207-287–1400. If you are calling on the weekend or after hours, use 800-423–2900. Give your name, your town, and ask your state representative to vote against LD 820.

Also, here’s a printable handout that can be shared with others to encourage them to contact their legislators.

Finally, if you’re able, please come to the capitol on May 7th (Tuesday) to assist Christian Civic League in lobbying against this bill. Contact Mike McClellan, CCL Maine Policy Director, at policy@cclmaine.org or 207-329-6148 for details.

Thank you for speaking up for the unborn!

The Family Policy Alliance Team