Primary Election May 6; "Short" Session, May 13

Family North Carolina Magazine—May/Jun 2008

By John L. Rustin

If you are like me, you are being inundated by campaign ads, TV debates, phone calls, mail and other correspondence from those seeking elected office this year. Although it may seem inconvenient at times, these campaign activities are not all bad. Many candidates legitimately seek to help voters understand who they are and for what they stand. Unfortunately, though, many candidates avoid what they consider to be “prickly” issues like abortion, traditional marriage, sex education, gambling, homosexual rights, religious freedom, embryonic stem cell research, and others.

In order to fill this void, the North Carolina Family Policy Council has produced an online voter guide. We sent questionnaires to candidates for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Governor, Lt. Governor and other Council of State offices, N.C. judicial seats, N.C. Senate and N.C. House, and we have published their responses on our 2008 Primary Election Voter Guide website at ncfamily.org. Please avail yourself of this information before you go to vote on May 6. We will update the website and produce a printed version of the 2008 Voter Guide prior to the November 4 General Election.

While much attention this year will be focused on the elections, don’t forget the North Carolina General Assembly will return to Raleigh on May 13 for the 2008 “Short” Legislative Session. Several important issues hang in the balance.

North Carolina remains the only state in the Southeastern U.S. that has failed to take decisive action to amend its constitution to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Florida, the only other state in the region without a state marriage amendment, will vote on the issue this fall. For four years, legislative leaders have denied state lawmakers and the citizens of North Carolina a vote on a State Marriage Amendment, but bills will be introduced again this year. We will do all we can to see that these bills move forward so you can vote to protect marriage in North Carolina.

A pro-homosexual bill that would force every local public school system in the state to amend its anti-bullying and harassment policy to include special protection on the basis of a student’s or school employee’s “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” could rear its head at any time. The so-called “Bullying Bill” passed the House last year, but the Senate stripped the pro-homosexual language from the bill before sending it back to the House, where it currently resides.
Last year, the State House also passed a bill that would allow your state taxpayer dollars to be used to fund destructive embryonic stem cell research. The State Senate took no action on the bill, but it remains eligible for consideration.

Finally, the recent slayings of three pregnant women in North Carolina, including the much-publicized murder of Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach, have highlighted the fact that the state lacks an Unborn Victims of Violence Act. This needed law would ensure that those who harm pregnant women are held responsible not only for injury or death caused to the mother, but also for the death of the unborn child.

So, as we all wade through the political campaign season, remember to stay tuned, because the North Carolina Family Policy Council will be working hard on your behalf when the General Assembly returns.

Copyright © 2008. North Carolina Family Policy Council. All rights reserved.