THE NATURE OF PRO-LIFE ISSUES

1. Direct threats to human life include first of all abortion, which takes the lives of well over a million US

children annually; embryonic stem cell harvesting; euthanasia; and cloning. Additional threats to human

life include poverty, capital punishment, racism, war, nuclear arms proliferation and exploitation. Since

each and every human being is unique and important, one's personhood or worth should not be

arbitrarily determined by another's choice. No one exists solely as a means to someone else's

happiness. The choices we make, as individuals and as a society, must be weighed in light of their

impact on human life and dignity. Do you acknowledge both the breadth of pro life issues, and the

primacy of some of those issues, namely abortion, embryonic stem cell harvesting, euthanasia, and

cloning?

There are a wide variety of issues that are directly tied to our beliefs

and opinions regarding life, death, religion, and science.

ABORTION

2. Do you believe that a unique human life begins at conception?

I believe that life begins at conception.

3. The 14th Amendment states "nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty or property

without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the

laws." The Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, 1973, stated that "if this suggestion of personhood is

established, the appellant's case, of course, collapses, for the fetus' right to life would then be

guaranteed specifically by the [14th] Amendment." The Court regrettably concluded though that "we

need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective

disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at

this point in the development of man's knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer." Do

you believe that the State has a compelling interest in protecting human life beginning at conception?

No. The majority opinion in Roe v. Wade fails to identify that abortion

isn’t entirely a 14th amendment issue—it’s a 1st Amendment issue and

directly deals with a person’s religious beliefs. While I personally

believe that life begins at conception, I cannot ignore the fact that

others don’t share the same religious beliefs that I do—and the

Constitution specifically protects those rights of people to believe what

they want. If someone doesn’t believe that life begins at conception, or

that a fetus is not alive until a specific point in time—that is their belief.

It’s not the Government’s right to remove that individual liberty from

anyone. Women who choose to have an abortion have to live with that

decision. Some regret it, others don’t. But ultimately, God gave us all

the ability to make decisions for ourselves and we have to live with

those decisions for the rest of our lives, and answer for those decisions

to whatever God we believe in. There are plenty of things that the

Government could, and should, do to encourage alternatives to

abortion, such as counseling women about adoption options available

to them, but the Government should never remove a woman’s

individual liberty to make a choice about her own life and her own

body.

EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS AND CLONING

5. Do you oppose federal funding for embryonic stem cell research or cloning?

I support Federal funding for stem cell research; I oppose funding for

cloning research.

PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE

7. Washington State Initiative 1000 which was passed in 2008, legalized Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS)

by allowing doctors to prescribe lethal doses of barbiturates to certain patients. The objection to this

sanctioning of suicide is that some vulnerable persons, such as those who are feeble, depressed,

mentally ill, or handicapped, will likely experience coercion to end their lives. For them a right to die,

already protected in the Natural Death Act, (RCW 70.122), may become a duty to die. The American

Medical Association (policy H-140.952) as well as the Washington State Medical Association (2007

Resolution A-7) oppose PAS. The AMA states that "physician assisted suicide is fundamentally

inconsistent with the physician's professional role." The initiative uses vague language that enable

doctors "acting in good faith" to assist mentally ill or depressed patients to commit suicide, while

protecting doctors from civil and criminal lawsuits. Health care insurers can cut costs by providing

prescriptions for suicide. Will society's sanction of suicide have unintended consequences? Sponsor

and former governor Booth Gardner says that this is only a “first step” in legalizing assisted suicide for

anyone who wants it. When society fails to protect vulnerable people in their troubles, but instead

offers them the violence of suicide, has not society abandoned them? Do you oppose the availability of

physician assisted suicide?

I don’t support physician assisted suicide.

MEDICAL CONSCIENCE CLAUSES

9. "The trend toward accepting the termination of some human lives as a normal part of medicine is

accelerating ... Courts, policymakers, media leaders - even the elites of organized medicine - increasingly

assert that patient rights and respect for patients’ choices should trump the consciences of medical

professionals. Indeed, the time may soon arrive when doctors, nurses, and pharmacists will be

compelled to take, or be complicit in the taking of, human life, regardless of their strong religious or

moral objections thereto." (Westlie J. Smith, 2009). Should doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other

medical professionals be granted the right to refuse participation in the provision of medical services

that violate the person's moral, ethical or religious beliefs?

No medical professional should ever be forced to do anything that

violates their individual beliefs.

PUBLIC SCHOOL SEX EDUCATION

10. The typical comprehensive sex education program spends as little as 5% of the time teaching

abstinence principles (Zogby 3/27/07), instead spending significantly more time teaching students how

to put condoms on models of male genitalia and promoting alternative forms of sexual activity called

outercourse, which may include showering together and mutual masturbation as effective ways to avoid

pregnancy and disease. In contrast, an emphasis on abstinence means teaching students about building

healthy relationships and bolstering self worth and self-control. Will you work to ensure sex education

is wholesome, not dehumanizing and truly safe?

Sex education taught in schools should include teachings about sex,

abstinence, condoms, STDs, and other topics relevant to today’s youth.

The fact is, teens and young adults are having sex at an earlier age than

ever before, and the topic of sex is more prevalent and commonplace

in today’s society than it was for earlier generations. Discussions and

teachings about sex education should start in the home, but sex

education in schools is just as important.

GAMING

12. A proposed casino off I-5 near Ridgefield is projected to be one of the largest in the nation. What is

your position on the building of this casino?

My position is that it is up to the people of Ridgefield to make this

decision. The people who live and work in Ridgefield need to determine

if they want to have a casino in their backyard, and the benefits and

drawbacks that come with it.

WEBSITE POSTING PERMISSION

14. May LifePac post your survey response on its website?

Yes