PRO-LIFE ACTIVISTS TO SPEAK OUT

  For Immediate Release CONTACT:  Abe Bonowitz, Director FADP August 21, 2003 800-973-6548; abe@fadp.org

PRO-LIFE ACTIVISTS TO SPEAK OUT

FADP Calls on Governor Bush to Heed the Warnings

Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (FADP) and will conduct a "Tele-Press Conference" on the Paul Hill matter at 10:30am on August 25, 2003.  The press conference will feature prominent voices active in the pro-life movement, speaking out against the violence threatened by Paul Hill supporters.  Reporters and news agencies wishing to participate should RSVP to <fadp@fadp.org> or 800-973-6548 to receive the call-in number and passcode to join the tele-press conference.

PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE:
Abe Bonowitz, Director, Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
Fr. Fred Ruse, representing the Florida Catholic Conference
Joe Scheidler, National Director, Pro-Life Action League
Troy Newman, representing Operation Rescue West
And possibly others....

Again:  RSVP to <fadp@fadp.org> or 800-973-6548
 

FADP wrote to Governor Bush last week (see http://www.fadp.org/pressrel.html ) to urge him not to assist Paul Hill in his quest for martyrdom by allowing the execution to proceed.  When he signed the death warrant in July, Governor Bush dismissed the suggestion that Hill's supporters might see him as a martyr.  "He's a murderer and he
was sentenced to death and I have the duty to carry out that sentence," Bush said, according to media reports.  FADP asks Governor Bush to reconsider his assertion in light of Hill's own statements, and the way Hill's supporters have reacted.  (See details at http://www.fadp.org/takeact.html#hill )

"Governor Bush says he has a duty to carry out the law," said FADP director Abe Bonowitz, "but the law also allows him the option to commute the sentence.  It is important that Governor Bush recognize that Hill was motivated to commit his murders by following the example of fellow pro-lifer Michael Griffin, who killed Dr. David Gunn in Pensacola just a few months before Hill committed his crimes.   Considering the fact that Hill has encouraged others to follow in his example, together with the death threats recently sent to various officials in Florida, Governor Bush must put the safety of Floridians above politics and commute Paul Hill's sentence to life without the possibility of parole.  This option allows the punishment of Mr. Hill and the ensures the safety of citizens of Florida.  Governor Bush is duty-bound to protect all Floridians; FADP again calls on him put his ego aside and to act in the interests of that charge.  We ask for leadership instead of politics as usual.  It takes a leader to stop the cycle of violence.""

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Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty works for restorative justice in the form of effective alternatives to the death penalty.  It does so by
   # supporting and coordinating the work of organizations and individuals
   # educating and energizing the general public and state legislators
   # supporting the many persons affected by capital crime and punishment
   # advocating specific legislative improvements