TODAY IS THE DAY to remind your representatives in the U.S. House about your opposition to HR 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. If you’re intimidated by the idea, please read the following how-to by @ClinicEscort. She ‘s given permission for all activists to borrow her words when making this important call!
Just because I’ve got the Capitol Switchboard on speed dial doesn’t mean I don’t feel awkward actually calling it. I always try to take a minute to make a note of exactly what I plan to say when I’m calling my senators or my Congressional rep, so that I don’t trip over my words, or forget to include an important point, or just generally sound unfocused or unhinged. Because today’s vote on H.R. 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, is so important, I thought I’d share what I wrote down and then said to my Rep’s office when I called today. Feel free to use it as-is if you’re the kind of person apt to say things like “far-right culture-wars nonsense” with a straight face, or tweak it to better fit your own voice–but the exact manner in which you say NO ON H.R. 3 matters far less than that you do say it.
Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. They’ll pick up with something like “Capitol Operator.” Ask to be connected to your Representative. You can ask for her/him by name, but if you don’t know it, you can ask the operator to look it up by your zip code; that’s not a problem. They’ll connect you, and then a staffer at your Rep’s office will pick up. Here’s what I said today:
“Hi, I’m a voter from [my town], and I’d like to leave my thoughts on a pending bill.”
The staffer said “sure, go ahead,” and I continued:
“I just wanted to tell Representative [name] that s/he needs to say enough is enough on this far-right culture-wars nonsense of HR3. There is ALREADY no federal funding for abortion, with rape and incest exceptions so limited that not even 200 procedures were funded that way in 2006. All HR3 will do is insert government right in the middle of families’ private decision-making processes. That is NOT small government and it is NOT what people of conscience would support in this country. May I leave you my name and contact information?”
The staffer said sure, I left my info, we told each other to have a great day, and that was the end of it. It took under two minutes. Now your turn! You’ve got this–go go go!
