From owner-glb-news@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU Thu Jun 22 07:32:05 1995 Received: from mail1.its.rpi.edu (root@mail1.its.rpi.edu [128.113.100.7]) by abacus.oxy.edu (8.6.10/8.6.11) with ESMTP id HAA13732 for ; Thu, 22 Jun 1995 07:32:00 -0700 Received: from listserv.brown.edu (stanley.cis.brown.edu [128.148.176.55]) by mail1.its.rpi.edu (8.6.9/8.6.4) with SMTP id KAA12158 for ; Thu, 22 Jun 1995 10:31:57 -0400 Received: from stanley.cis.Brown.EDU (stanley.cis.brown.edu [128.148.176.55]) by listserv.brown.edu (8.6.10/8.6.10) with SMTP id JAA27418; Thu, 22 Jun 1995 09:53:12 -0400 Received: from BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU by BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU (LISTSERV release 1.8b) with NJE id 2894 for GLB-NEWS@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU; Thu, 22 Jun 1995 09:51:57 -0400 Received: from BROWNVM (NJE origin SMTP@BROWNVM) by BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 9377; Thu, 22 Jun 1995 09:51:56 -0400 Received: from dr-babe.atg.aol.com by BROWNVM.brown.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with TCP; Thu, 22 Jun 95 09:51:23 EDT Received: by dr-babe.atg.aol.com (1.37.109.4/16.2) id AA09692; Thu, 22 Jun 95 09:51:58 -0400 X-Gateway: conf2mail@igc.apc.org Errors-To: mamurphy@IGC.APC.ORG Precedence: bulk Lines: 84 Approved-By: "David B. O'Donnell" Message-ID: Date: Thu, 22 Jun 1995 09:51:56 -0400 Reply-To: Moderator of conference lambdaletters Sender: Information Repository for News of Interest to GLB* Folk From: Mary Ann Murphy Subject: Defense Appropriation Bill To: Multiple recipients of list GLB-NEWS Content-Length: 3693 X-Lines: 84 Status: RO Dear Friends, Here is an issue that needs our attention. Please let us know of any letters or messages you send or calls that you make in response to this action alert. It helps us know if these alerts are worth the effort. Last week, June 15th, the House of Representatives passed the Defense Appropriations Bill and sent it to the Senate. The bill contains at least two offensive provisions. It reinstates a provision that prohibits abortions at military hospitals and it requires the military to immediately discharge anyone who tests HIV positive. The HIV provision was included at the request of Representative Dornan, Republican of California. It was included even though top military figures at the Pentagon indicated that it is not necessary to discharge HIV positive service people as long as they are able to perform the duties assigned to them in the military. Please write to your U.S. Senators urging them to make sure that these two objectionable features are eliminated from any Defense Appropriations Bill. All Senators can be reached at the address shown in the following sample letter. The following is a sample message that you may use. We encourage you to personalize it to increase its effectiveness. The material in parentheses indicate ways in which you could personalize it and are not meant to be used, as written, in your message. SAMPLE LETTER The Honorable Dianne Feinstein The United States Senate Washington DC 20510 Dear Senator Feinstein, The House of Representative recently passed a Defense Appropriations Bill that includes two very objectionable features. I am writing to ask that you do all in your power to assure that these features are not a part of any Defense Appropriations Bill passed by the Senate. The House bill reinstates a policy that no abortions may be performed in a military hospital. It also requires that all service personnel found to be HIV positive be immediately dismissed from the military. I object strongly to both of these features of the bill. If a service woman becomes pregnant she usually has two choices, terminate the pregnancy or leave the service. I see no reason that her career shod be destroyed because she has become pregnant. Women in private industry have the right to an abortion, women in the military should have the same right and the military, as her medical provider, should provide that medical service. (Here you might speak of any relevant experience that you have had.) Members of our military service get exceptionally low pay. Often they cannot afford children. The wives of military personnel who become pregnant should have the option of abortion to avoid the tragedy of poverty for her whole family. Again, the miliary, as her routine provider of health care, should provide that service. Even the uniformed leaders of our armed forces say there is no reason to immediately discharge any service person found to be HIV positive. It might be reasonable to move such people out of an active combat role, but obviously there are many clerical and other non-combat jobs that HIV positive people could perform. Our service men and women have served our country, often at great peril and sacrifice to themselves. We should not throw them away at one of the most difficult points in their lives. That act of ingratitude would be a great dishonor to our nation. Please assure that these two features are removed from any Defense Appropriations Bill passed by the Senate. Sincerely, (Your Name) Please do let us know of any letters or messages you send or calls that you make in response to this action alert. Love, Boyce Hinman LAMBDA LETTERS