Democracy aborted by Reproductive Privacy Act (RPA) sponsors and supporters

Political stunts allow divisive RPA to become law

Providence, RI---With blatant disregard for General Assembly rules and procedures, Reproductive Privacy Act (RPA) was signed into law by Governor Gina Raimondo last night. Raimondo signed the extreme abortion bill after the Senate voted brought RPA to the Senate floor where 21 Senators voted in favor with 17 Senators voting against. The vote came after a contentious Senate floor debate where 11 amendments to the law were considered and ultimately rejected.

Because RPA was modified in the Senate Judiciary Committee, General Assembly rules require the law to be reconsidered by the House Judiciary Committee. However, once again in an obvious political stunt to ram this law through, RPA was immediately considered on the House floor for a vote where it was approved 45-29.

This stunt is similar to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairperson Lynch-Prata (D-31) arbitrarily moved the law from the Judiciary Committee to the Health and Human Services committee dominated by RPA sponsors. Since Roe v. Wade, only House and Senate Judiciary Committees have reviewed proposed abortion laws. Chairperson Lynch-Prata’s decision to change committee assignments was a corrupt move to prevent RPA from failing to garner enough votes to come to the Senate floor for a vote by the full Senate. RPA failed 5 to 4 to pass out of Senate Judiciary Committee on May 15^th, 2019.

“Imagine Rhode Islanders’ horror if we had 12 children die in a school shootings twice a week? RPA allows this horror to take place at Planned Parenthood without any government agency oversight and without any safeguards. Today the General Assembly put a price on human bodies and determined that some lives matter but 2,000 plus children do not matter,” said Carey Jeffrey, spokesperson for Citizens for Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness.

Citizens for Life RI appreciates the courageous efforts and amendments put forth by SenatorElaine Morgan (R-34), Senator Dennis Algiere (R-38), Senator Frank Lombardi (D-26), Senator Lou Raptakis (D-33), Senator Jessica de la Cruz (R-23) and Senator Harold Metts (D-6).

In the House, the pro-life community owes appreciation to Representative Blake Filippi (R-36), Representative Arthur Corvese (D-55), Representative Christopher Millea (D-16), Representative Thomas Noret (D-25), Representative David Place (R-47), Representative Sherry Roberts (R-29), Representative Brian Newbury (R-48), Representative Michael Chippendale (R-40), James McLaughlin (D-57), Representative Vella-Wilkinson (D-21) and all state representatives who voted in opposition to RPA.

Pro-life organizations and supporters will not forget those who facilitated this raw power grab and vow to vote against any RPA supporters in the 2020 elections. “Actions speak louder than words so saying that one is ‘personally’ pro-life will not stand if the lawmaker voted for this unnecessary and extreme law,” said Jeffrey. Such lawmakers have chosen to ignore numerous polls done locally and nationally where voters registered their overwhelming opposition to second and third trimester abortions. “This is not the will of the people nor representative government,” Jeffrey stated.

Citizens for Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness, a newly formed and funded group by Rhode Island residents, commissioned one of the top polling firms in the country, Cygnal, which was recently cited by the New York Times as the most accurate pollster. The Cygnal found that 74% of Rhode Island voters from both political parties were strongly opposed to 2^ndand 3^rdtrimester abortions. Cygnal’s results strongly correlate with other polls like national polls done by Gallup and Harvard and another local poll done by the Susan B. Anthony List commissioned by Rhode Island Right to Life.