Life

Life begins at conception.

I have no problem making that statement.  It is hardly “above my pay grade” or doubtful in my mind.  The miracle of life is something that cannot be considered for even a moment to be inconvenient or even trivial.  It is a gift from God, that we should cherish.

As we look to communities which sponsor high numbers of abortions, we also see correspondingly high violence and blatant disregard for life in or outside of the womb. There is no coincidence here. Children who see their brothers and sisters murdered before they are born and learn to devalue life in the womb, cannot be expected to value it outside as well.

Early in the campaign, a voter asked:

Hello Jason, I am a voter in Northern Michigan, I would like to get to know your views better on a few key subjects: -Planned Parenthood funding -Comprehensive, statewide sex education in public schools -Anti-discrimination laws for LGBTIAQ individuals -Birth control access and affordability -Abortion access and affordability Thank you so much for your time, XXXXX

I responded with this:

Hi Xxxx, been a busy weekend so it took a while to get to this. You asked for quite a bit as well.

-Planned Parenthood funding
As a private organization, it should seek private funding. As an elected official, I could not in good conscience vote to provide funding to this private agency. If there is an urgent public health need for the services it provides, then that is another discussion that might better be handled under the existing health and human services functions.
-Comprehensive, statewide sex education in public schools
Parents should be capable of providing guidance, but I understand that some parents ARE parents because they are less than informed on how babies are made. Sex ed in school should be limited to the biological facts, including pregnancy, health, physiological, and psychological aspects, as well as the possibility of dissemination of disease. Emphasis on youth abstinence from sexual experimentation in such a program should be a good part of the curriculum.
-Anti-discrimination laws for LGBTIAQ individuals
We are born with inherent rights; life, liberty, and property. Everyone shares those rights, and they are not dispensed by government, but rather derived from our creator as a natural state. Protected classes of individuals given special protections or dispensations is destructive to true equal protection under the law. Some people can be rude, intolerant, and possibly disposed to dislike others for a number of reasons including skin color, religious, or behavioral preference. Preservation of natural rights however, is imperative. When government creates a new class of citizens and grants it special permissions that conflict with natural rights, there is a problem. A full understanding of what rights truly are is important here.
-Birth control access and affordability
The government forces no one to have sex. There are no taxpayer guns put to our heads telling us to engage in intercourse, thus it is hardly the responsibility of the taxpayer to provide for something outside the scope of their responsibility.
-Abortion access and affordability
I am, and have been, a defender of life. Xxxx, I believe in life from conception, and unless the life of the mother is in grave peril that can only be protected [as a defensive measure], I would not ever support the killing of the unborn. Sara, respect for life has been minimized to the point that it carries into the behavior of our youth, with some of them unable to even see value of those already outside the womb.

I pray for those who have to wrestle with decisions based on circumstances they feel are too overwhelming. My hope is that they are able to see the potential for the blessing that some might never know. ‘Affordability’ in terms of money, pales in contrast with the cost to one’s soul, or at the very least psychological damage done by destroying the child inside. Providing broader access to such tragedy is something I could not condone.

I hope this helps you.

And I hope it also helps others who will decide what voice will speak for them in Lansing.

Please note Michigan Right to Life has endorsed the incumbent.  NOT because he is a better defender of life, but because he is the incumbent, and that is their policy.

If there could be any clearer message in how I would handle the issue of life as a legislator it would be to look here.

Commissioner Jason Gillman rallied other commissioners against the grant application. Gillman said he couldn’t support providing any type of aid to Planned Parenthood of West and Northern Michigan, regardless of the program.

“The organization is designed to kill babies,” Gillman said. “The nicer side of it is only there to mask its evil intent. That is to kill babies.”

My opinion was quite clear.  The incumbent, who also supported my motion to deny the grant to Planned Parenthood then suggested an alternate path for their efforts by going through the CITY commission.

Please feel free to pass this on.

Thank you.