October 2017 – Page 6 – Family Council

Congress Passes Landmark Pro-Life Bill

Oct 4, 2017Jerry CoxAbortionAbortion, Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life

Yesterday the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 36, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.

We recently wrote about this good, pro-life bill. It protects unborn children by generally prohibiting abortion after the twentieth week of pregnancy, except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. It is similar to a pro-life law the Arkansas Legislature passed in 2013.

All four of Arkansas’ congressmen — Reps. Crawford, Hill, Womack, and Westerman — co-sponsored this bill, and all four of them voted for it yesterday.

The House approved the bill by a vote of 237 to 189, with 7 representatives not voting. It now goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration. President Trump has indicated he would sign the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act if it reached his desk.

Take Action: Contact your U.S. Congressman, and thank him for supporting this good bill. His contact information is below.

U.S. CONGRESSMAN RICK CRAWFORD (AR DISTRICT 1)

Jonesboro Office:
2400 Highland Drive, Suite 300
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Phone: (870) 203-0540
Fax: (870) 203-0542

D.C. Office:
1711 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4076
Fax: (202) 225-5602

Click Here to Email Congressman Crawford

U.S. CONGRESSMAN FRENCH HILL (AR DISTRICT 2)

Little Rock Office:
1501 N. University Ave.
Suite 630
Little Rock, AR 72207
Phone: (501) 324-5941
Fax: (501) 324-6029

D.C. Office:
1229 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2506
Fax: (202) 225-5903

Click Here to Email U.S. Congressman Hill

U.S. CONGRESSMAN STEVE WOMACK (AR DISTRICT 3)

Rogers Office:
3333 Pinnacle Hills, Suite 120
Rogers, Arkansas 72758
Phone: (479) 464-0446
Fax: (479) 464-0063

D.C. Office:
1119 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4301
Fax: (202) 225-5713

Click Here to Email U.S. Congressman Womack

U.S. CONGRESSMAN BRUCE WESTERMAN (AR DISTRICT 4)

Hot Springs Office:
101 Reserve St.
Suite 200
Hot Springs, AR 71901
Phone: (501) 609-9796
Fax: (501) 609-9887

D.C. Office:
130 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3772
Fax: (202) 225-1314

Click Here to Email U.S. Congressman Westerman

Arkansas Lottery Still Rolling Out More Gambling

Oct 4, 2017Jerry CoxArkansas LotteryArkansas Lottery

This week the Arkansas Lottery announced it is rolling out a new instant lottery game: The Big Money Multiplier.

To put it simply, this is an oversize scratch-off ticket that sells for $10 instead of the typical $1 or $2. The odds of winning a prize — such as a $10 break-even prize — are roughly 1 in 3. The odds of winning the $250,000 jackpot are 1 in 440,000.

This is the same gimmick the Lottery has used since Day One: Roll out as much gambling as possible as quickly as possible in order to bolster ticket sales. In this case, the Lottery is selling scratch-off tickets that are more expensive than most and offer larger prizes, but the odds are long, and in the end the results will be the same: Arkansans will spend — and lose — millions of dollars buying lottery tickets. As we have written before, many people gamble out of desperation, and the Arkansas Lottery preys on those people with tickets like this one.

The Lottery’s director says he hopes this new ticket will help pay for college scholarships. The truth is the Arkansas Lottery allocates 18% – 19% of its revenue for scholarship funding. For perspective, the average state lottery allocates 30%.

The Arkansas Lottery doesn’t need a new scratch-off ticket to help send students to college. It simply needs to rework its budget.

Photo Credit: Mega Millions lottery tickets, by msspider66.

American College of Physicians Opposes Assisted Suicide

Oct 3, 2017Jerry CoxLifeAssisted Suicide, Euthanasia, Life

Recently the American College of Physicians released a position statement opposing assisted suicide.

The statement reads in part,

As a proponent of patient-centered care, the American College of Physicians (ACP) is attentive to all voices, including those who speak of the desire to control when and how life will end. However, the ACP believes that the ethical arguments against legalizing physician-assisted suicide remain the most compelling. . . . [T]he ACP does not support legalization of physician-assisted suicide.

This is really good news. It highlights the fact that assisted suicide is not an ethical medical practice.

The demand for assisted suicide seems to be driven largely by concerns about autonomy in the face of death. Researchers in Canada — where assisted suicide is legal — found that people inquired about assisted-suicide not because of excruciating pain, but because they are dissatisfied with their lives in the wake of their illness.

A study conducted in Oregon in 1999 concluded, “the decision to request and use a prescription for lethal medications . . . was associated with views on autonomy and control, not with fear of intractable pain or concern about financial loss.”

Human life is sacred, and no sickness gives us an excuse to end someone’s life prematurely. We do not eliminate suffering by eliminating people who suffer, plain and simple.