Date: Wed, 8 Feb 1995 17:45:03 -0500 From: HRCFCOMM@aol.com ***************************************************************** PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE PRESS RELEASE THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FUND The Nation's Largest Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Political Group ***************************************************************** To contact the HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FUND, please call us at (202)628-4160, fax us at (202) 347-5323 or write to us at PO Box 1396 Washington, DC 20013. WE CANNOT RESPOND TO E-MAIL. ***************************************************************** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WEDNESDAY, FEB. 8, 1995 HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FUND SUPPORTS SURGEON GENERAL NOMINEE ATTACKED BY RADICAL RIGHT Action Urged to Counter Campaign by Anti-Choice, Anti-Gay Groups WASHINGTON -- The Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF), the nation's largest lesbian and gay political organization, today announced its support for President Clinton's nominee for Surgeon General of the United States, Henry W. Foster, Jr., M.D. Anti- choice and anti-gay extremist groups have attacked Foster and attempted to turn the nomination process into a litmus test on abortion. "Extremist groups are pressuring the Senate to overlook Dr. Foster's qualifications and push their agenda," said HRCF Executive Director Elizabeth Birch. "The American public has rejected the anti-choice, anti-gay agenda time and again. Radical right groups are politicizing the nomination process to foist their agenda onto the nation. The Senate should resist the pressure to impose a litmus test on the Surgeon General and confirm Dr. Foster on the basis of his qualifications for the job. The Senate leadership should stick to its promise to focus on the business of the nation and not allow extremist groups to dictate the agenda of Congress." The Senate is expected to hold hearings on Foster's nomination in March. HRCF this week joined a growing coalition of pro-choice and medical organizations working to counter the radical right campaign. Birch backed Foster on a nationally televised call-in show on the C-SPAN network. HRCF wrote Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee Chair Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kan.) in support of Foster, and HRCF lobbyists are meeting with Kassebaum's staff and other Senators who will play a role in the nomination process. HRCF's 5,000-member Federal Advocacy Network (FAN) is beginning to generate calls, letters and e-mails to Capitol Hill. HRCF's Speak Out members will send large numbers of letters to Congress and the White House at strategic times during the confirmation process. HRCF asked members of the lesbian and gay community who support Foster to write and call their Senators and President Clinton. "The lesbian and gay community should get involved in this fight before the radical right runs roughshod over a qualified nominee," said HRCF Public Policy Director Daniel Zingale. "Anti-gay extremist groups like the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family are pulling out all the stops to push their agenda. We must respond in kind." HCRF is working in coalition with medical groups that support Foster, like the American Medical Association, American Nurses Association and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; pro-choice organizations such as Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League; and HIV/AIDS advocates like the National Association of People with AIDS. Foster is a highly qualified candidate for Surgeon General who has worked to meet the health needs of women, young people, rural populations, poor people and people of color -- groups increasingly affected by HIV/AIDS. He has advocated responsible policies to protect women's health, strengthen families, prevent teenage pregnancies and reduce the need for abortion. To contact their Senators, readers can call the Captiol switchboard at 202-224-3121 or write them care of the U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510. Readers can also call directory assistance to obtain a local number for their Senators. To send a message to President Clinton, readers can call the White House switchboard at 202-456-1414 or write The White House, Washington, DC 20500. The Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF), the nation's largest lesbian and gay political organization, works to end discrimination, secure equal rights, and protect the health and safety of all Americans. With a national staff, and volunteers and members throughout the country, HRCF lobbies the federal government, educates the general public, participates in election campaigns, organizes volunteers and provides expertise and training at the state and local level. - 30 - 1101 14th Street, NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20005 phone:(202)628-4160 fax:(202) 347-5323