Former U.S. Attorney opposes Article 22, is best candidate to beat Peter Welch in November
Editor’s note: Jim Sexton of Essex Junction, a volunteer for the campaign to elect Gerald Malloy to U.S. Senate, longtime pro-lifer, and a worker for a Vermont crisis pregnancy center, on July 14 wrote the note below asking Mary Beerworth, Executive Director of Vermont Right to Life, to explain why she supports Christina Nolan in the GOP Senate primary. The note was published on Sexton’s social media. It, and Beerworth’s response, are published below.
Hi Mary,
I have been fighting for the unborn in the Statehouse Chambers, on the Statehouse Grounds and in my life for a long time. I have been blessed to have stood beside many God fearing people doing His work.
I am blessed to know you. I am working with Aspire Now to continue to fight for the most vulnerable and give them a voice.
I messaged you a short while ago with my concern about your support for Christina Nolan. I was most distressed about your Facebook post after the radio show she was on with WVMT.
You wrote that you had donated to her campaign. At that time I had heard Ms. Nolan admit that she supported abortion thru the 1st trimester. Since then she has clarified herself (the VPR debate) by saying the difference between herself and Welch was that he supports abortion to the moment of Birth, while she only supports it thru the 2nd trimester. In other words, while Welch is content with killing babies up to the moment of birth, she will fight for less than 1% of the unborn. Since the Roe V Wade decision she stated that she will fight to codify abortion if she gets elected to the U.S. Senate.
I cannot understand why you continue to support Ms. Nolan. This goes against everything you have fought for the last 30 years, if not more.
I am asking you to either come out Publicly and disassociate from Ms. Nolan and her campaign, or to resign from VT Right to Life. As I have said before, neither you, I or anyone else can be Pro Life part time.
Jim Sexton
Beerworth’s response:
Jim Sexton is in error to infer that I have endorsed Christina Nolan in my role as Executive Director of the Vermont Right to Life Committee (VRLC).
To be clear, I do personally support Christian Nolan, a woman with a strong legal background who has not only an unassailable record of serving Vermonters in her prior role as US States Attorney for Vermont, but who is also a firm a NO on the most important issue that has ever faced pro-life Vermont voters – Proposal 5/Article 22.
For those who are not aware, Article 22 is a proposed amendment to the Vermont Constitution that would legalize unrestricted and unregulated abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, until the moment of birth, and would irreparably damage Vermont on a host of other matters that relate to “personal reproductive autonomy.”
Additionally, Christina Nolan is the only candidate in the Republican Primary that can defeat 100% pro-abortion and 100% pro-Article 22, Peter Welch (D).
For a number of reasons, the VRLC Political Committee made a decision to refrain from making candidate recommendations in the 2022 Primary. That was not my decision.
Lacking a voter guide, if pro-life Vermont voters call me in the VRLC office for voter information, I inform them that Gerald Malloy is the only pro-life candidate in the race. I further inform them that Myers Mermel, also a Republican candidate in the Republican Primary, has publicly stated that while he is personally pro-life, he will do nothing if elected that is contrary to the current pro-abortion agenda.
Jim Sexton may believe that he somehow has the right to tell me what to do in my personal life and demand that I resign, but he is sadly mistaken. I was hired by the Vermont Right to Life Board of Directors 26 years ago and will continue to give my best effort to work under their direction. But only the VRLC Board can request my resignation.
Mary Hahn Beerworth, Executive Director, Vermont Right to Life Committee
Categories: politics
Rather than argue their Pro-life beliefs and support for candidates, why don’t these pro-life organizations call out (more publicly) these anti-life candidates and legislators who hold no moral ground? Stop calling these people “pro-abortion” and Supporters of “reproductive rights). These are Progressive euphemisms used to soften the language since their support for extinguishing life of newborns is indefensible. Call them out for what they are: Anti-life. This is far from “kindness” these people claim that they are. Their Progressive supporters should be continually reminded of the immoral and shameful actions of these candidates and Legislators.
As a Pro Life Vermonter who stands for the unborn every time to give them a voice, I most certainly have the right to ask for your resignation from Vermont Right to Life.
As I wrote to you twice before making this Public, you can’t be Pro Life part time.
The distinction you make about Ms. Nolan being the only candidate that can defeat Welch is far more than presumptuous, it is inaccurate.
Mr. Malloy is the only 100% Pro Life candidate in the Senate race, and he will defeat Ms. Nolan in the Primary.
Not only because of Ms. Nolan’s stance on abortion and Roe V Wade, but also several of her other positions which many Real VT Republicans find contrary to the Republican Platform.
I hear it all over the State, Vermonters are done with people who claim to be Republican, but side with the left/far left time after time. Which Ms. Nolan has done more than once.
You may try make a distinction between your role as head of Vermont Right to Life and a citizen of Vermont, but your role as the Administrator makes your endorsement and support of Ms. Nolan fair game.
You can support and vote for anyone you choose to in your personal life. I have no right or intention to tell you or anyone who to vote for.
But the question remains clear and unanswered. How can you support someone who supports the abortion of more than 99% of the unborn and the codification of Roe V Wade ?
Prop 5 / Article 22 is a nightmare and must be defeated. I, along with a great many number of people are doing all we can to inform Vermonters of how dangerous this nightmare is. But that alone is no reason for anyone to support Ms. Nolan. Especially the face of Vermont Right to Life.
If I was the Administrator of a 2A Organization and supported Beto O’ Rourke I would expect to be called out for it.
I stand by my words.
If the board doesn’t ask for her resignation then they are just as guilty as she is. The way to get their attention is to stop your donations and support. I know this is harsh but do we want to support lies. Think about it
I am not writing to comment about Mary’s position with this issue, as I have a great deal of respect for her. I DO wish to emphasize the concerns about Article 22 because if passed, it would allow unrestricted terms of abortion. I am especially concerned because I am very sure that the majority of the pending voters do NOT realize those (potential) ramifications, or don’t care. A few months ago, Guy posted an article written by me about my horrible experience as a nurse in Calif. being forced to assist with the delivery of a term aborted fetus. It was breathing when the physician handed it to me and stopped breathing in my hands. I apologize if I have been too graphic here, but I if my story makes an impact on at least one person it is worth it. BTW- some people are responding with “oh, that won’t happen here”. Oh yes it will.
I so hear you gailgra; I’m older and have in recent past talked to alot of younger parents; they have NO IDEA what Article 22 will allow…..especially with the gender issue and children. please if someone could cover prop 5 and article 22 very briefly and simply so I can share…I’ve googled and googled to read both, yet both apparently look the same……and younger people out there just hear “abortion rights” nothing else…..
natureabounds:
In a recent letter, Roxanne Voight of Weybridge and Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility,
laments the Dodds decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the
abortion issue back to the states. Voight asks readers to vote “yes” in November on Article 22, which
would enshrine in our state constitution a right to “personal reproductive autonomy.” While I am pro-
life, I ask all voters, wherever they stand on the issue, to take a closer look and vote “No.” Tinkering
with the constitution by adding vague, undefined terms invites unelected judges to interpret the vague
undefined terms. The drafters of Article 22 intentionally refrained from explicitly using the word
“abortion.” Why? Because with vagueness comes a need for interpretation by unelected judges
spurred by lawsuits filed by clever lawyers; the resulting interpretations of Article 22 will take the law
into unknown territory – perhaps, for example, creating a condition for medical licensure forcing doctors
and others to participate in abortions or risk forfeiting their licenses or prohibit licensure of pregnancy
resource centers for failing to offer abortions. Who knows what else in this “gender-fluid” age in which
we live? The proponents have admitted as much. According to Vermonters for Good Government,
Vermont State Senator Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden said in 2019, “It [reproductive autonomy] will allow
for the [Vermont] Supreme Court interpretation, going further, on these things coming up in the future.”
And Brynn Hare, Legislative Council said, “Well, I think, you know, as I’ve said before, the court will
interpret the extent to which the right to personal reproductive autonomy, the extent to what that
protects.” The amendment is not only dangerously vague but also unnecessary, given the current state
of Vermont law. Vermont simply has no restrictions on abortion. The overturning of Roe does not
impact access to abortion in Vermont. In fact, Vermont has a statute, Act 47 (found in Title 18, Chapter
223) which explicitly prohibits any restrictions on abortion. Any proposed Vermont abortion restriction
(whether parental notification, age limits, restrictions on late-term abortion or outright prohibition)
would not only require some legislation, but presumably Act 47 would first need to be repealed. It is
noteworthy – Act 47 explicitly mentions “abortion” which the proposed constitutional amendment does
not. Obviously, those proposing to amend the constitution want to go beyond abortion into unknown
territory. Vermonters should vote NO on Article 22. The amendment is not only unnecessary it creates
a Pandora’s Box of consequences to be determined by the courts in the years and decades to come.
Mary Beerworth’s support of Christina Nolan is appalling and disgraceful.
She should immediately resign from VRLC.
Some might call Ms. Nolan the “lesser of two evils.” However, a very wise national pro-life advocate (unnamed here because I can’t find the source at the moment) has said this (paraphrasing): “You are not voting for the lesser of two evils, you are voting to lessen the evil,” when it comes to voting for a pro-choice candidate who supports SOME pro-life positions over another candidate who 100% opposes ALL pro-life positions.
We are told to be “Wise as serpents and innocent as doves. The reality is that Vermont is not a state where Mr. Sexton’s candidate has any chance of defeating Peter Welsh. It would be wiser to support a candidate who has a chance of defeating Welsh, who at least is not as pro-abortion as he is. Nolan is on record of opposing Proposal 5/Article 22, which would enshrine late-term abortion into our State Constitution. This is a huge clue that it would be better to have her in the U.S. Senate than Welsh. We absolutely will NOT lessen the evil if Welsh wins, but we have a CHANCE of lessening the evil if we vote for Nolan.
To question Mary Hahn Beerworth’s pro-life credentials is ridiculous. She is both innocent and wise; one of the wisest pro-life advocates out there. Those who follow Mr. Sexton’s lead will make it much more difficult, if not impossible, to lessen the evil, and might even increase it.
Mr. Sexton may be innocent, but he certainly is not wise.
Must be you didn’t read my original letter to Mary Beerworth. Not only do I not question her credentials, I made it a point to say that she was a Warrior.
The lie that only Ms. Nolan can defeat Welch is being proven wrong every day. People are tired of those that pretend to be Republican but are anything but. I am anything but innocent, I have failed a thousand times.
But I am wise enough to realize you can’t be Pro Life part time. On that I am all in.
Mr. Malloy will defeat Ms. Nolan in the Primary because Vermonters want someone who will fight unconditionally for the most innocent. And then he will defeat Welch. Because hate and evil must be confronted, not avoided or accommodated.
Please explain to us how my fight to protect every unborn child will make it much more difficult.
Ms. Nolan must believe that, because she has made it clear. She will fight for than one percent of them.
The logic used by ARealist, above, is the same logic that has prevailed in the case of Scott as Governor. Once in that groove, it is being there for the duration. Do it right the first time and elect whomever needs to be there, for the duration. I have had it with fence riders.
Jim is 100% spot on no more Lies and no more RINO’S PERIOD!!
Vermonters needs to stop supporting folks that cross the line and support true American Patriots that hold the line period!! Wake up people Wake up!!
We all get one vote, if we continue to cast that on candidates that tickle our ears, we continue to get politicians like we have. My concerns are many and i can not vote for someone who is continuing the status quo in DC or in VT. God is watching and will hold us all to account. I am sick of hearing; oh he/she is saying the right things, oh she/he is only one who can beat….., do you really want so and so as your ……, well, if we dont stop this nonsense and cast our vote for who we individually see as the closest to the standards the LORD set out, we will continue getting what we have. (sin is sin and we fail to make that clear.). Politics is a worldly system and will fall. Government was established by the LORD and we all need to search the candidate that best fits HIS standard. I know i will vote for Gerald Malloy and if others see LIFE in that, he can beat Ms. Nolan(susan collins wannabe) One vote does matter, remember how Bernie got in to mayors seat back in the day? 12 votes. Who knew the disaster that would cause. We will never get godly candidates to victory if we dont vote or support them through the power of prayer and acting our our beliefs with support. If we dont speak out for the unborn who will? If we dont speak out for our kids, who will?
this August primary is extremely telling as to where we stand with the LORD.
Yes I believe in life from start to finish. However, I have decided that in all legislatures, VT and Federal there needs to much more DIVERSITY. I wish to help accomplish that by being sure I do not vote for a person that wishes to be a politician if they are a LAWYER. Over 70% of the Federal congress is made up of lawyers. We need folks that work with their hands and backs in Washington TOO.. God Bless America PLEASE !!!
Mr. Sexton couldn’t be more wrong. He’s doing exactly what the far left does…he’s throwing a fit just because someone disagrees with his opinion.
Instead of saying you’re pro-life and Christian…why don’t you practice being pro-life and Christian. No one in this State…in the last forty years has given more to the pro-life cause than Mary Beerworth.
It’s not about you, Jim…it’s about the unborn and instilling a greater respect for human life, and Christina Nolan is the only candidate who has a chance to change things for the better.
Do you really think Vermont is going to sudden turn 100% pro-life overnight? It’s going to take reasonable, incremental steps and it’s going to take time. Wake up, or get out of the way.
Your mind is made up and I have no intention of trying to change that.
None of this is about throwing a fit because someone disagrees with me. ( maybe reading what I wrote would make that clear )
Your comment that I need to practice being Pro Life and Christian is nonsensical.
You either have no idea of the work I have done and continue to do for the unborn and to share the Word of God or you just don’t care. Both of which I will continue to do until my last breath.
You did get one thing right, it isn’t about me. It is all about the unborn.
Feel free to point out where I said VT will become 100% Pro Life overnight, or at any time.
Reasonable, incremental steps start with supporting and endorsing people brave enough to say, ” I am 100% Pro Life from conception to natural death. ”
Not saying someone can’t win.
Mary Beerworth’s financial support and endorsement of Ms. Nolan are a betrayal to every unborn child.
Some might call Ms. Nolan the “lesser of two evils.” However, a very wise national pro-life advocate (unnamed here because I can’t find the source at the moment) has said this (paraphrasing): “You are not voting for the lesser of two evils, you are voting to lessen the evil,” when it comes to voting for a pro-choice candidate who supports SOME pro-life positions over another candidate who 100% opposes ALL pro-life positions.
We are told to be “Wise as serpents and innocent as doves. The reality is that Vermont is not a state where Mr. Sexton’s candidate has any chance of defeating Peter Welsh. It would be wiser to support a candidate who has a chance of defeating Welsh, who at least is not as pro-abortion as he is. Nolan is on record of opposing Proposal 5/Article 22, which would enshrine late-term abortion into our State Constitution. This is a huge clue that it would be better to have her in the U.S. Senate than Welsh. We absolutely will NOT lessen the evil if Welsh wins, but we have a CHANCE of lessening the evil if we vote for Nolan.
To question Mary Hahn Beerworth’s pro-life credentials is ridiculous. She is both innocent and wise; one of the wisest pro-life advocates out there. Those who follow Mr. Sexton’s lead will make it much more difficult, if not impossible, to lessen the evil, and might even increase it.
Mr. Sexton may be innocent, but he certainly is not being wise.
Feel free to explain how supporting the abortion of more than 99% of the unborn is the lessor of two evils.
Feel free to show any of us where Mr. Malloy said he would not fight to defeat Prop 5 / Article 22.
Feel free to explain where I questioned Mary Beerworth’s credentials.
Feel free to explain how my support for Mr. Malloy, and all the work I have done for the unborn is making anything more difficult for those who truly are Pro Life.
Your statement that Mr. Malloy can’t defeat Welch indicates that if you aren’t willing to be left/far left in your positions there is no reason to run in VT.
Mr. Malloy will defeat Ms. Nolan. There are multiple examples of her betraying the VTGOP Platform and Real VT Republicans are done with people who won’t represent them.
Maybe your thoughts of being a Pro-life Realist align with two thirds of the VTGOP that say abortion is OK with them in the 1st trimester.
So I will ask you the same thing I ask of them ;
Is it OK to kill a Baby at 3 hours, 3 days, 3 weeks or 3 months ?
My reality tells me each step is murder. Must be I’m not a Realist ?
I am so sick and tired of people saying that a particular candidate doesnt have a chance. Votes count and votes matter. Politics is a world system, Government is a God ordained system and WE THE PEOPLE can still AFFECT it by our vote. Bernie would not be an issue if we had cast over 12 votes for the other candidate so long ago. We all need to pray before we cast a vote and are accountable to the LORD. I will vote for pro life candidates. Period . Ms. Nolan aligns herself with Susan Collins and TJ Donovan. this one issue aside, Article 22, this scares me to no end.Politiicans will say anything to get elected. just because a candidate says what our itching ears want to hear on one issue doesnt mean its right. We are to be wise and discerning. When someone projects that a pro life candidate and strong ethical standards based on the WORD of the LORD, cant win in this state it essentially means our vote doesnt count. We can all vote for the godly or the ungodly and as counts come in for this primary low and Behold a pro life candidate can win, even in this state.Sin is sin , we never hear that.We have traded the mentality that the lesser evil is good enough. well its still calling evil good. that is not what we are to do. Our nation and state and the next generations to come deserve better.While no candidate is truly good, we need to seek favoring the one that is better aligned to the LORDs standard, not mans. i know i have said a lot of what may appear non sensical, i am just one person who is not a political nut. i just truly care for our state and the state that it is in. If we vote thoughtfully we are going to be ok.
Marianne
Mr. Sexton, your comments are not helpful. I suspect you are being very deceitful. I think you know well why Mary supports Christina Nolan. I have been a member of VRLC for 4 decades and I truly appreciate Mary’s dedication to life. It is often a thankless job. I’m thrilled that Christina Nolan is a candidate for the Senate because I thought she did a terrific job as U.S. States Attorney for Vt. This is a really exciting primary race and I thank both Christina Nolan and Gerald Malloy for all they are doing. I have not decided who I will vote for. Both candidates have impressed me. It’s great to actually have a choice. Mr . Sexton , why dont you criticize the media who has been unfair to all the republican candidates and to all the people who oppose Article 22. The media has refused to call us Pro-Life and calls us anti- abortion. The media does not report why people oppose Article 22 and gives tons of news coverage to Planned Parenthood. The media has never told the truth about abortion. They say some news may be graphic and upsetting to viewers but they show it anyways but they never show the victims of late term abortion. Some were recently found in Washington D.C. but the mainstream media didn’t even report it. Infact, the mainstream media refuse to acknowledge that a human being is killed in every abortion.
Please explain what I am deceitful about Dorothy. The fact that Ms. Nolan is Mary Beerworth’s niece ? I will tell you flat out, if my Daughter said she supports the abortion of of any Baby, let alone more than 99% of them, she would not get a Dime from me or my support if she ran for elected office.
I know well what a thankless job is. I know well about being attacked from those who definitely oppose me as well as those who pretend to be on my side.
Please explain which part of my fight for the unborn is not helpful.
The part where I call out those who say, ” Ms. Nolan will fight to stop Prop 5 / Article 22 ?
Please show us where Mr. Malloy has said he won’t fight that evil.
You want me to call out the media, Does your voice matter ?
Is it any less important or effective than mine ?
You are thrilled that Ms. Nolan is running. Is that tempered at all by the fact she says Scott has done a great job ? Is it tempered by the fact she is not a Republican ?
Does that include the fact that Scott has a 100% rating from planned parenthood ? Or the fact that Scott has given them millions of VT State tax dollars while not giving any Pro Life Organization a Dime ?
I am all in everyday for the unborn along with the 2nd Amendment and the Constitution.
I spend a great deal of time, effort and my money to travel to every corner of the State to fight these battles. All in the hope of informing people that we can make changes.
You don’t do that by closing your eyes and hoping it will get better. You do that by supporting those who stand up.
Let’s be real, Sexton doesn’t care about the unborn. This is a charade to draw attention to himself.
If he did care and was rational, he would understand that the majority of Vermonters support abortion rights. Every time Sexton and his flock waste everyone’s time and talk and about time about getting elected with laughable unelectable candidates, a baby is dying. Sexton and his unelectable flock are allowing babies to be killed today in the vain of seeking public attention. If you’re interested in saving babies, do something today that is rational rather than thinking you’re going to get your kind elected. But, by now, we know the faux pro life is rhetoric has more to do with vanity.
If you think for one second anything I do is about vanity, feel free to spend a day doing half of what I do to fight for the unborn and our Constitutional rights.
The amount of time, effort and my money spent on traveling to every corner of VT to help inform people of the wrongs being done to them not only by the left / far left but also by those who pretend to be on their side.
One more thing Mr. Arnold, I am fighting for every unborn child. Nothing faux about that.
The following is an excerpt from a 2016 Lifesite article:
“There are certain positions that a public official takes which disqualify them from public office,” Pavone said. “Abortion is a disqualifying position. To be in support of the killing of innocent children disqualifies you. It doesn’t matter how good you are on other issues. It really doesn’t matter because you have undermined even your position on those other issues.”
“An issue is an issue in the first place only because life matters,” the national pro-life activist said. “If life doesn’t matter, you don’t have any issues. So poverty is important because it’s the life of the poor person that matters. Unemployment is important for the same reason. Protecting people from terrorism is important because people have a right to live. It all comes down to the right to life.”
“If a candidate came along and said, ‘I support terrorism, I think the terrorists have a right to do what they did,’ do we really think a voter would say, ‘Well, I disagree with you on terrorism, but what’s your healthcare plan? What’s your education plan?’” Pavone asked.
Pavone said abortion “is no different morally than killing the innocent by terrorism” even though different instruments are used to kill people of different ages. “You’ve killed an innocent human life intentionally, deliberately,” he said. “There is no way to tolerate that in public life.”
We better get united. VDC doesn’t seem to be helping….
In God’s eyes, would Mary Hahn Beerworth be aiding in the destruction of her niece, Christina Nolan, by personally endorsing Nolan, who supports federal access to abortion?
Who would Jesus endorse? Would Jesus compromise and vote for a candidate that supports the barbaric act of abortion in some trimesters or under rare circumstances?
Where is our faith and trust in God’s plan when we take matters into our own hands and compromise His commands by voting for candidates who support murder of the unborn?
Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. 1 Samuel 15:23