Testify For Life

Testifying or any kind of public speaking can be terrifying for some people. I’m asking you to be courageous because people’s lives are at stake. Legislators are people, just like you and me. We need to let them know that all lives matter.

New Hampshire has a large legislative body. There are 424 people potentially submitting bills for consideration annually. Thank God they don’t all draft requests. There are a good many though. This year among the hundreds of bills, also known as Legislative Service Requests (LSR)s until they get a number, there were 14 bills that pertain to life.

In NH, we rely on NH Right to Life, NHRTL, to be our watchdog for us. NHRTL is a single issue organization. So, they search thorough the LSRs for those that impact the right to life, directly and indirectly. For example, a bill that would prohibit abortion or one that would allow assisted suicide would be on their radar. If you’re not in NH, you may find the organization in your state that does the same.

Yesterday, I went to the State House to support a bill. House Bill 1623, aka HB1623, seeks to prohibit abortion based on a diagnosis or suspected diagnosis of genetic abnormality. It is a bill that would outlaw killing of preborn children solely based on discrimination. The likelihood that the children, targeted specifically by medical testing, would be 15-20 weeks gestation is high. So, these would be horrific second trimester abortions.

As I tried to help prepare people to testify, I realized that they didn’t have a good sense of how it would go. I went over the basics, but I think that there are a number of things that helped them to be more efficient, more confident, and more effective.

Here are the suggestions:

• Get to know the bill and the basic language of the process that it will go through

Reading the actual text is important. Get help to understand the complexities of the language, if needed. A summery of what someone else told you will not give the confidence needed, if the Committee asks questions at the hearing.

• Get the lay of the land at the hearing itself

Look at the room you’ll be in, if possible. Sit in the chair and visualize yourself talking to the Committee. Find out who the friendly legislators are and where they will be, so that you can address them, if you’re getting hostile vibes. Find out what the sign-in forms look like before you get into the room. Usually there is a form to sign, if you support or oppose a bit, but are not speaking and there is another form or card to sign if you will speak. That card will ask who you are, who you represent, and how long you’ll speak.

• Thoroughly prepare your testimony

You don’t need to address every point. Find out what points others will be addressing. Too much redundancy will irritate the Committee and will not bode well. Cooperate with like minded people to segment the topics, so that each testimony is three to ten minutes long. Three to five minutes is usually best. There will be times that ten to twelve minutes is needed, but that should not be the goal generally. Practice in front of others, until you are well seasoned and know your timing really well. If you use props; pictures or people, make sure you include them in your practice. Every second counts.

• Bring a copy of your testimony for each member

There may be an overwhelming number of people who want to speak. Sometimes, you will not have an opportunity. Sometimes, they will have a continuance at a time that you will not be able to make it back for. Sometimes, the members have had a long day and are no longer able to absorb your testimony in the late afternoon. Occasionally, there will be members that are not able to attend that would miss out, if they don’t have that back up.

You might still be nervous, but you can be courageous. Courage is the ability to do it afraid. Standing up to be a voice for those who are not able to speak for themselves will always be needed. You can do it. There is help.

If you’d like to know who to contact in your state, just ask here in the comments section or send me an email on the contact page.