--------------------------------------------------------------- 06-25-98 ACLU Action Update ---------------------------------------------------------------- TO: Action Network FR: Penny Crawley, Cyber Organizer (pcrawley@aclu.org) DT: June 25, 1998 1. Victims' Rights Amendment 2. Child Custody Protection:/"Teen Endagerment" Act 3. New E-mail address 1. We did it! With both the House and Senate now adjourned for the Fourth of July recess, "Amend the Constitution Month" in Congress has come to an end a victory: the Constitution remains intact! The Senate Judiciary met briefly this morning to consider the so-called Victims' Rights Amendment (SJ Res. 44), the last of the three amendments targeted by the Republican leadership for passage during June. Although there was a brief debate on this measure, the Committee adjourned for the recess without taking action. It is anticipated that it will take up the proposed amendment shortly after Senators return to Washington on July 6. A new website can be found on the Internet containing editorials and other resources (testimony, position statements and letters to Congress) on why a constitutional amendment is the wrong way to assist victims of crime. The site is located at: http://soiroom.hyperchat.com/celestin/vrainfo.html ACTION NEEDED: A. Urge your U.S. Senators to honor the founding of our nation this Fourth of July by preserving the original Bill of Rights and voting against the victims' rights amendment by sending a FREE FAX from the ACLU website at: http://www.aclu.org/action/victim.html B. Because no advocacy tactic is more effective than personal interaction, push home the point about preserving the Bill of Rights during any public appearance your Senators make during the Fourth of July recess. 2. Child Custody Protection/"Teen Endangerment" Bill Like the Victims' Rights amendment, action on the anti-choice Child Custody Protection Act (S 1645/HR 3682), which was also on today's agenda in the Senate Judiciary Committee, was postponed when the Committee adjourned for recess. It, too, is expected to be taken up when Senators return to the Capitol. ACTION NEEDED: Urge your Senators to oppose this misguided bill, which would intrude into Americans' private relationships, isolate young women by discouraging them from seeking the caring support of a trusted adult, and endanger their lives by forcing them to travel alone to an abortion provider and back home after the surgery. Send a FREE FAX from the ACLU website at: http://www.aclu.org/action/custody.html 3. My e-mail address has changed! All future e-mail should be sent to: pcrawley@aclu.org Please update any listings in your address book to reflect the change. (My AOL address will remain active until July 31, 1998.) ---------------------------------------------------------------- ONLINE RESOURCES FROM THE ACLU NATIONAL OFFICE ---------------------------------------------------------------- ACLU Freedom Network Web Page: http://www.aclu.org. Constitution Hall on America Online (keyword ACLU) ---------------------------------------------------------------- ACLU Action Update ACLU National Washington Office 122 Maryland Avenue NE Washington, DC 20002 To subscribe to the ACLU Action List, send a message to majordomo@aclu.org with "subscribe action" in the body of the message. To end your subscription, send a message to majordomo@aclu.org with "unsubscribe action" in the body of the message. For general information about the ACLU, write to info@aclu.org This Message sent to action