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Catherine (Katie Wynne) Short (’80) is a Thomas Aquinas College alumna of exceptional accomplishment. After graduating from the College and being accepted to Harvard Law School and Boalt Hall at the University of California at Berkeley, she chose to study law at the latter, where she received a JD in 1983. She has devoted nearly all of her subsequent legal career to helping to defend—pro bono—the most innocent and defenseless in our society. Having collaborated in 1989 with fellow graduate and member of the College’s Board of Governors, Andrew Zepeda (’79) in founding Life Legal Defense Foundation located in Napa, California, she now serves as its legal director. Mrs. Short has also served as a research attorney for Americans United for Life and has worked on several important pro-life cases that have come before both the California and United States Supreme Courts. And all the while, she and her husband, William Short (’80), have raised and home-schooled their nine children. Their home is in Ojai, California. Over the last few years, Mrs. Short has been deeply involved with pro-life work in her native state of California. Recently, she co-authored Proposition 73, the parental notification initiative that was included on last November’s special election ballot in this western state. (www.ParentsRight2Know.org) Aiming to protect young girls from the aggressive tactics of the abortion industry and, as the statistics show, the adult males who prey upon them, this long-time champion of the unborn helped to fashion legislation that would have made mandatory parental notification a part of the California State Constitution. Interestingly, there was another connection between the College and this initiative: per California law, every proposition must have a citizen-sponsor who first promotes the legislation. Sponsorship for Proposition 73 was supplied by Paul and Barbara Laubacher whose daughters, Laura and Monica, are in the junior and freshman classes at Thomas Aquinas College. Another critical element in getting Proposition73 placed on the ballot this past fall was provided by Mr. Jim Holman. A long-time supporter of many Catholic causes and institutions—including Thomas Aquinas College—Mr. Holman generously helped to finance the initiative, while also collaborating with Mrs. Short and others in their efforts on behalf of the unborn. “Jim is one of the most generous men I know,” says Katie, “and he is a valiant defender of the unborn. Without him, this initiative would never have made it on the ballot, period.” Mr. Holman is likewise thankful. “Katie is just one example of the kind of high caliber of graduates that Thomas Aquinas College regularly produces. The work Katie has done on this and all of her pro-life activities is a perfect example of how the fides et ratio of Thomas Aquinas College bears good fruit.” Days before the election, polls showed the proposition ahead by as much as 13%. In the end, however, the voters of California rejected Proposition 73. Not only were its supporters out-spent by a sizable margin, but the initiative was placed on a ballot with a group of propositions that were stridently attacked by a variety of special interest groups. It seems that Proposition 73 got swept away with the tide. But Katie Short and Jim Holman are not about to give up. Though the failure of Proposition 73 was disappointing, it did not shatter the resolve of those fighting on behalf of the unborn. In recent weeks they have re-filed the initiative for placement on this coming November’s ballot.
-- Qtrly Newsletter, Winter 2006 |
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