Friday November 15, 2002

REPUBLICANS RESCUE PRO-LIFE SAFETY-VALVE

WASHINGTON, November 15, 2002 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Republican congressmen have saved a safety-valve for pro-life protesters who are frequently targeted by liberal courts with large-scale court-imposed fines. Typically, pro-lifers are forced to declare bankruptcy in order to avoid prohibitive penalties for exercising their right of free speech outside abortuaries.

A bill working its way through the House and Senate was supposed to be about bankruptcy generally -- but Senate Democrats deliberately inserted language to ban pro-lifers from using bankruptcy to avoid paying ludicrous fines. "[The bill was] condemning peaceful innocent people who have a conscience to protest just to try to save the life of an unborn to a life of financial ruin," said Rep. Joseph Pitts, Pennsylvania Republican.

CNN reports that the bill easily passed today, 244-116, with the abortion language removed. However, Democrats claimed it was a charade, says CNN, "because the Senate would never accept the bill without the abortion provisions."

For related LifeSite coverage see:
PRO-LIFE GROUP FACES BANKRUPTCY AFTER COURT ORDER
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2002/oct/02101005.html

CNN report:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/11/15/congress.roundup.ap/index.html

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2002/nov/02111508.html

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