North Dakota Senate Leadership Bails Out on Life Vote.

Yesterday, in a stunningly deceptive move, North Dakota’s GOP Senate Leadership

applied procedural tactics to kill the “Definition of Human Life” bill, HB1450.
Senator Curtis Olafson (R-10) tabled the bill on the floor. See more information on
details here http://ht.ly/1c5Es2.

These kinds of shenanigans are rarely seen on issues of this importance, and it is
therefore believed to have come from the Leadership in the Senate, and very likely
higher up in the GOP Administration. The Senate leadership consists of:

Majority Leader Bob Stenehjem (R- 30, Bismarck), Assistant Leader Randel
Christmann (R-33, Hazen), Chairman of Judiciary Dave Nething (R-12, Jamestown),
as well as Lt Gov. Drew Wigley who presides over the Senate.

Concerned Women for America (CWA) of North Dakota and its members request a
full and detailed explanation of yesterday’s events from said leadership
immediately. However, from the cowardly actions seen on the Senate floor
yesterday, we sincerely doubt there will be sufficient or acceptable reasons for this
anti-life non-vote! The old saying goes; “if you danced with the devil for a good
reason, you still danced with the devil”. Is it the intent of the GOP leadership in
North Dakota to dance with the likes of Planned Parenthood and the Red River
Abortion clinic in Fargo? Or is it the duty of the leadership to represent their
constituents, and not play politics with the lives of unborn North Dakota babies?

North Dakotans elect their officials for the purpose of representing their
constituents. When those elected officials take politically self-serving actions like
those seen yesterday on HB1450 -- showing unwillingness even to vote yea or nay
on an issue fundamental to our very well-being as a state -- then, it is time those
officials stepped down and re-learn what it means to be a constituent.

Yesterday’s hard-hearted Pelosi/Reid-style tactics have no place in North Dakota’s

legislature.
Thankfully, Sen. Joe Miller, (R-16, Park River), tried to revive the bill but failed to
reach the two-thirds vote needed. The vote was 26-21. We commend Senator
Miller and the Senators who stood with him on this motion to reconsider!

We ask that you all contact Senator Miller at jmiller@nd.gov and thank him for his
leadership and principled stand.

Senator Margaret Sitte (R-35, Bismarck) called the attack on HB1450 a

“premeditated political maneuver”. Senator Sitte fought tirelessly in Judiciary
Committee to bring this bill to the floor for a vote and we thank her for all her
efforts. msitte@bd.gov

When the dust is settled on this, and it will settle fast and clear, North Dakotans
will see clearly who truly takes their elected office seriously and who, sadly, plays
politics in blatant disregard of their duties.

The deceptive maneuvers get even worse in light of the fact that for weeks, and
even more intensely for the past three days, lawmakers and pro-life leaders
worked day and night, in good faith, with Senator Olafson, and his chairman
Senator Nething, to resolve differences on key language in the bill. It was the clear
and respected understanding, having seen a 5 -1 Do Pass from Judiciary
Committee, that there would be a vote on the floor of the Senate on HB1450. An
honest vote on whether to keep or remove parts of the amendments was also
expected. These are normal, open and respectful procedures. However, that is
not what happened. Instead, Sen. Olafson and the GOP leadership used deceitful
tactics to kill the bill so that no vote could be recorded. It was a slick way to avoid
taking a stand! As a national leader recently said, when are we going to see some
steel spine in our elected officials to stand on principle, regardless of on which side
of the political aisle they may find themselves? Enough is enough, and it is time to
call North Dakota officials to accountability!

This type of cowardice, unwillingness to put your name on a vote, will not be
accepted. Not on our watch, not in our state, and certainly not on an issue of such
deep value and truth as the defense of the unborn. How can we trust such
“leaders” with the purse strings of our state when they act in this way? Come to
think of it, I doubt after yesterday’s spineless self-serving maneuver that I would
even trust them to babysit my kids. And that should tell us all something!

ACTION:

Contact the following senators and express your disgust with yesterday’s failure to
vote on HB1450:

colafson@nd.gov

dnething@nd.gov

bstenehjem@nd.gov

rchrisman@nd.gov

Please also contact the Lt. Governor’s office and express your concern over this
procedure. (Lt. Governor Drew Wigley presides over North Dakota Senate
procedures):

http://governor.nd.gov/contact-us

Be aware that there will be a very clever political spin on this issue, but stand your
ground. North Dakota deserved an honest vote on this bill. We did not get one!
Period!