UCNCGOP Attends Event in Durham County, NC
August 24, 2009
(L to R) Senator Richard Burr, UCNCGOP Vice-Chairman John Steward and NCGOP Chairman Tom Fetzer
(L to R) Jim Bention, Sr. UCNCGOP Chairman, Dr. Tim Johnson, NCGOP Vice-Chairman and Bill Randall
The UCNCGOP leadership of Chairman
Jim Bention, Sr. and Vice-Chairman John Steward, et al attended a GOP event in very Democratic Durham County that was well attended. It evidenced the universal appeal of the conservative message of limited government, free-enterprise and personal responsibility.
L to R, Senator Richard Burr, UCNCGOP Chairman Jim Bention, Sr. and NCGOP Chairman Tom Fetzer
Unborn Victims of Violence Act (Updated)
August 24, 2009
On Wednesday, July 22, three NC families spoke at Friendly Baptist Church in support of The Unborn Victims of Violence Act. The Unborn Victims bill, according to these families, would bring them justice by recognizing in law the second victim in these horrific murders: the unborn child. The bill would also allow the State to prosecute for two murders.
Among those urging passage of the Unborn Victims Bill were Michele Dye, Kevin Blaine and Effie Steele. Dye, whose daughter and the unborn child she was carrying were both brutally murdered in Gaston County, called upon House Judiciary 1 Chair Deborah Ross and Speaker Joe Hackney to allow the Unborn Victims Bill a proper hearing in the Judiciary 1 committee, followed by a debate and recorded vote on the House floor.
Blaine, of Raleigh, is the father of Jennifer (“Jenna”) Nielsen. Jenna, whose murderer has not yet been apprehended, was 8 1/2 months pregnant with her unborn son, Ethen, when, on June 14, 2007, they were both murdered in Raleigh, while on her early morning delivery route of USA today.
Effie Steele, of Durham, is the mother of murdered victim Ebony Robinson, and the grandmother of her beloved grandson Elijah, who she was carrying. Ebony was only 21 years old when she was shot and murdered in Hillsborough, NC. Ebony’s unborn son, Elijah, would have been born only two short weeks later. Ebony and Elijah, whose pictures were displayed at the press conference, were laid to rest in two separate caskets.
“We don’t know if Elijah would have been a president, a doctor, an attorney, or a teacher because he was not given that chance. But most of all, he could have been a contributing member of society if he had been given the chance to enter this world and make his mark in history. I felt betrayed and robbed when the murderer of Ebony and Elijah was not charged with double homicide and was not made to pay for the life of my grandson. He should have been charged with and punished with two life sentences without the possibility of parole instead of the one he received,” Steele said.
The Justice For All Coalition recognizes that these families have suffered a horrific loss of not just one, but two loved and cherished individuals in their immediate families due to an act of senseless violent crime. We will continue to hold press conferences throughout North Carolina until this bill becomes law. The Justice For All Coalition stands alongside them in their courageous efforts to pass this Bill. As the victims’ families argued, public policy should reflect the loss of two victims, not just one. The laws of thirty-six other states recognize the unborn child as a second victim, as well as the federal government, However, North Carolina law is gravely deficient — recognizing only the “pregnant woman” as the single victim in these barbaric crimes. Visit:thejusticeforallcoalition.com
Jeff Gerber
Host (organizer)
The Justice For All Coalition
Monroe,NC
704-564-0065
Union County ‘Vet-Fest’, Saturday September 26
August 24, 2009
Unborn Victims of Violence
August 2, 2009
Jeff Gerber, a fellow Party member and a passionate [and compassionate] civically minded person leading the charge in this important area. What follows is illustrative of same ~
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What is the Unborn Victims of Violence Act?
It is a law that was adopted by the United States Congress and was signed into law by President Bush. What it seeks to do is, “to protect unborn children from assault and murder.” It inserts provisions in the criminal code that make it a separate crime to kill a fetus in the womb. It uses language, such as “unborn children” and “child in utero” that defines the child in the womb as a human being.
The bill would make it a crime to kill or injure an unborn child during an act of violence committed against a pregnant woman. “We believe that when you have violence against a pregnant woman, you have essentially two victims. Obviously the mother is a victim, but you also have the unborn child as a victim and we believe there should be a separate penalty.”
Pro-choice groups say the bill aims to undermine abortion rights. Such groups support the Motherhood Protection Act, which pushes additional penalties for violent crimes against women without recognizing fetuses as separate people. However the unborn child should be recognized as a victim. It’s not about pushing the pro-life agenda. It’s not about abortion. “This is about protecting unborn children, pregnant mothers. And it hasn’t been controversial in those states where we do have it on the books. Unfortunately we still do not have this bill after trying for the past ten years, thanks in part to very powerful members of the North Carolina General Assembly such as Rep. Deborah Ross (Deborah.Ross@ncleg.net) and Rep. Joe Hackney “speaker of the house”. (Joe.Hackney@ncleg.net).
In fact there have been almost no problems with it. So I think it’s a common sense measure. My guess is, if we can get the NC House as well as the NC Senate to pass this, in a few years time people will look back and wonder what all the controversy was all about.”
The Unborn Victims of Violence Act, I strongly believe that the involuntary termination of a pregnancy through violence or other premeditated act must be treated as a violent felony. Under current state law, an unborn child is not considered a legal victim of a crime. In the case of homicide, North Carolina literally allows criminals to get away with murder.
Sadly, murder has become the number one cause of death for pregnant women in America. An estimated one in five women will be abused during their pregnancy. Women who choose to have their babies are dying (and, so are their babies) because of their choice. And most of the assailants are the fathers of the unborn children.
Violent attacks on pregnant women in North Carolina have increased since 2000 and highlight the deficiency in current law and the need for reform.
36 states currently have this law on the books, including States with a more liberal representation such as California. Scott Peterson of California was sentenced to death by lethal injection in March 2005 after he was convicted of killing his wife and unborn child, Laci and Conner, and dumping their bodies in San Francisco Bay on Christmas Eve 2002.
The Peterson case resulted in the passage of a national law and measures in state legislatures to provide more protection and justice for pregnant women and their unborn children when they are killed or injured in an attack.
The Justice For All Coalition “www.thejusticeforallcoalition.com” will continue to travel the state and educate the public, as well as put pressure on these powerful legislatures who represent their special interest groups rather than their constituents until this bill is signed into law.
As the organizer of this organization I need your help emailing these lawmakers or calling them.
Rep. Deborah Ross- 919-733-5773
Rep. Joe Hackney-919-733-3451
Together we can make North Carolina a safer state to live, work, and raise our families.
Jeff Gerber
MONROE, NC
704-564-0065
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