The day following our celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s intrepid stance for civil and human rights, hundreds of thousands citizens gathered for the 41st annual Right to Life memorial in state capitals including Olympia. Just as Dr. King bravely marched, these faithful marched for the sanctity of human life and in principled opposition to the deadly 1971 Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade legalizing abortion.

An estimated more than 5,000 from across the state, including our Kitsap County, marched and stood witness on the steps of our Capital Building and the Temple of Justice in solidarity with brave Washington legislators who affirmed their commitment to the unborn and to religious freedom.

The tragic reality is 52,000,000 beating hearts were stopped in the 41 years since Roe v. Wade. The March for Life brings that daily battle to clear focus. However, just last week the Washington Democrat-controlled House as a first-day business introduced House Bill 2148, the nation’s most radical abortion-insurance requirement.  Importantly, HB 2148 is a close cousin to the radical abortion-funded Senate bill co-sponsored by Senator Rolfes last session.  It will be vital for voters to track HB 2148 and remind your 23rd Legislative delegation that our religious freedom is fatally compromised by mandatory abortion insurance.

The right to life is the most basic civil/human right Dr. King died for. We will not allow 2014 to be a radical new Democrat-sponsored jihad against unborn men and women and religious freedom.  We need real private-sector jobs, jobs and more jobs, not mandatory abortion insurance for all.

James M. Olsen | Bainbridge Island