Shannon
Barnett
Candidate for State Representative 18th District #1
703.1600
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?
I fully
understand the breadth of this important issue and the far
reaching implications this issue of life brings to the
fabric of our society. It is important that we support
life, and all of the collateral issues dependent upon this
fight if we are to defend the traditional American way of
life as we know it.
ABORTION
2. Do you believe that a unique human life begins at
conception?
Yes!
I am resolute in my belief that life begins at conception.
|
If
not, when? ___ 3 mths ___ 6 mths ___ 9 mths
___ 1 yr ___ 18 yrs? |
|
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?
Yes. I believe
that the State of Washington has an obligation to address
this issue. Failure to address the issue results in a
failure to fulfill duties and responsibilities related to
justice. Because of precedence that would be established,
prosecutors and legislators fail to carry out justice when a
pregnant woman is assaulted or murdered
resulting
in the death of the child. Perpetrators should be tried for
two counts instead of one.
4. Is taking the life of a pre-born child through abortion
ever permissible? Check all that apply:
|
_____
No, it's never permissible
X
Yes, to save mother's life
_____
Yes, in cases of rape or incest
____
Yes, for physical deformity |
_____
Yes, for gender
_____
Yes, for race
_____
Yes, to punish spouse
_____
Yes, it's always permissible |
This is a
tough question that I had to give a lot of thought to. I
must be totally honest with you that this comes down to a
life for a life issue and I can’t say how I would answer
that question if I was put in this situation myself. The
only context that conflicted me was a single mother with
other children that were dependent upon her survival. It
comes down to a family decision that I don’t want to answer
for them. In all other context the burden of having to
carry an unwanted pregnancy to term to facilitate an
adoption and provide an opportunity at life, pales in
comparison to the travesty of a decision to end life.
EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS
5. Do you oppose state funding for embryonic stem cell
research or cloning?
Yes.
PARENTAL
INVOLVEMENT IN ABORTION
6.
Peer reviewed studies have shown that parental involvement
laws reduce the occurrence of risky sex in teens, and more
than 30 states currently have some form of them. Either the
teen refrains from engaging in sex or is more careful before
having sex. These laws help teen mothers and fathers get
the support and guidance they need from parents in this
important decision. Not having them risks parental
estrangement or alienation from the child when in the
greatest need and denies the dignity of the family. Minors
already must have parental approval for even the most minor
types of medical procedures or medications and should also
for the complex procedure of abortion. Without parental
involvement, a minor impregnated by an adult often times is
pressured into having an abortion so as to conceal the fact
that the adult is guilty of statutory rape.
Will you
promote/support parental involvement laws (with judicial
override) for minors when seeking an abortion?
Teens should not be allowed to have abortions, but if
allowed under law I will not support any policy or
legislation that interferes with my rights as a parent to be
fully involved in my child’s life, or any policy that trumps
or intercedes in my role as a parent. My wife shared with
me an e-mail today about a Seattle teen that had an abortion
facilitated by a public school. As a School Board Director
I am shocked to see such a violation of a mother’s rights.
MEDICAL
CONSCIENCE CLAUSES
7.
"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?
Each and every
individual in a free society should have the right to
associate or not associate without interference from
government. Doctors, nurses etc… should have the right to
object to performing services that they are opposed to.
PHYSICIAN
ASSISTED SUICIDE
8.
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 in
Washington State?
I oppose
physician assisted suicide.
MARRIAGE
PRESERVATION
9.
Children develop best within the context of a biologically
related family. This is a scientifically proven fact which
the
Washington
State Supreme Court
referenced when in 2006, it ruled on the state's 1998
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The court determined that
the state's limitation of marriage to heterosexual couples
"is constitutional because the legislature was entitled to
believe that limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples
furthers ... the well-being of children by encouraging
families where children are reared in homes headed by the
children’s biological parents." In concurrence,
Justice James
Johnson
wrote "The unique and binary biological nature of marriage
and its exclusive link with procreation and responsible
child rearing has defined the institution [of marriage in
law]."
In order to
affirm and protect children’s rights and the primacy of
those rights over adults’ aspirations for novel family
forms, do you oppose laws that change the definition of
marriage to include homosexual and polygamous relationships?
I support the
traditional family structure which means one man and one
woman in marriage. I will oppose any law that degrades the
family structure or attempts to redefine what constitutes a
family.
PUBLIC SCHOOL
SEX EDUCATION
10.
The Washington State Legislature in 2007 passed
ESSB 5297
requiring school districts to teach "scientifically
accurate" (aka comprehensive) sex education, if they teach
sex ed at all. 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.
Given that
ESSB 5297 allows school districts a wide range in how the
law is applied, will you work to maximize sex education that
is wholesome, not dehumanizing and truly safe?
Yes I will, and
yes I have, as a school board member. I serve on a school
board with fellow conservatives and we are of like mind when
it comes to this issue.
DEATH PENALTY
11.
The death penalty in the United States should:
|
____X_ not be used |
_____
be
used about the same |
|
_____
be
used less |
_____
be
used more |
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?
·
I oppose the expansion of private land into tribal holdings
·
I oppose special rights to be afforded to tribal business
that is not also allowed for private sector business.
·
I support property rights and believe that we all must be
given the same rights to use our property and their should
be no distinction between US citizens in that regard that
are based in race.
·
I support the right of any individual to start a business
regardless of what that business may be so long as it is
consistent with the local laws. As a conservative I believe
we have to be consistent in our positions and this means
that we may not always agree with an application of a law,
when the law and rights are the more important issue. I
believe in free markets.
So to answer your question in a more direct fashion, I
believe in the right to open the casino if they were to open
it consistent with the same laws, regulations, tax
obligations and land use requirements as any other US
citizen. The reality is they would never open the casino
under those conditions.
QUALIFICATIONS
AND COMMENTS
13.
Please state your qualifications for office such as
professional, educational, family and community
accomplishments. You may also add any any further comments
regarding the relationship of your candidacy to respect life
issues.
·
I am a
School Board Director
·
I am
President of the SW Washington Contractors Assoc
·
I am a
Cowlitz County Planning Commissioner
·
I am the
former Chairman of the Cowlitz GOP
·
I chaired
campaigns for President Bush and Dino Rossi
·
I support
Pro-Life candidates
·
I have
supported LifePac during several campaigns and have
distributed Pro-Life literature to churches to get out the
vote with Jerry Ross and Norma Peters.
WEBSITE POSTING
PERMISSION
14.
May LifePac post a digital image of your returned survey on
its website? Yes
