Circle of Light NewsAmnesty InternAt IonAl UsA’s PlAnned G Iv InG newslet ter

Harris CHoate

Making the Connection

Front Page

YoUr LeGaCY to

HUmaN riGHts

Learn More about Bequests

Page 2

a Lifetime Gift

for tHese times

Charitable Gift Annuities

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PreveNtabLe

materNaL

mortaLitY—

A Violation of Human Rights

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Sp r i n g 2010

CONTENTS

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Making the ConneCtionHarris Choate was a passionate man. While private and reflective, he connected emotionally with human suffering and human rights abuses. Because of that connection, he became a long-time supporter of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) and named AIUSA a beneficiary of his estate. With his death last year at age 91, AIUSA lost a committed and generous friend.

As a student of history, Harris saw and understood trends. He was deeply troubled by racial inequities and traveled to the South to participate in the Civil Rights movement. He was also horrified by the “disappearances” of political activists in South America and more recent violations at Guantánamo and feared for the course of human rights. Yet the elections in 2008 gave him fresh hope. Moved almost to tears by the results, he talked about them as a turning point for human rights and a reversal of the terrible practices of the past. Indeed, this change gave him a sense of optimism at the end of his lifetime.

Harris divided his early years between residences in New York City and Tucson. In both places he pursued his interests enthusiastically. He was particularly engaged in photography—to the point of obsession —usually appearing with at least three pieces of camera apparatus dangling around his neck. He brought his photographic skills to bear on a major project when an anthropologist friend in Arizona introduced him to the Yaqui Indian tribe. He began taking pictures of the Yaquis, now scattered across the Sonoran Desert region. He then proceeded to document the Yaqui culture and drew upon his extensive collection of slides to produce a book about their ceremonies.

Although ultimately positive about the future of human rights, Harris Choate never lost sight of the need for constant vigilance to protect them. Thanks to his loyal dedication and meaningful bequest, AIUSA will be able to honor his commitment to making a lasting impact in the defense of universal human rights.

AMNESTYINTERNATIONAL

For more information, please contact the Office of Planned Giving, Amnesty International USA, 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001. Tel: 888-368-9356, email: giftplanning@aiusa.org.

Each year, more than half a million women around the world die in pregnancy or childbirth. The deaths of so many are not only terrible personal tragedies—they constitute a deep-seated human rights issue. As Mary Robinson, former UN Commissioner for Human Rights, observes: “The time has come to treat this issue as a human rights violation, no less than torture, ‘disappearances,’ arbitrary detention, and prisoners of conscience.”

Amnesty International (AI) agrees—and we are spearheading a global campaign to take on maternal mortality. For AI, it is a violation of human rights when a woman is turned away from a clinic because she cannot pay, when a pregnant girl dies en route to a health center because there is no ambulance to take her there, or when a woman dies because her hospital cannot offer her a caesarean section.

Moreover, when it comes to health care, women and girls are disproportionately deprived. Mahmoud Fathalla, past president of the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, says pointedly, “Women are not dying of diseases we can’t treat. They are dying because societies have yet to make the decision that their lives are worth saving.”

AI has already begun actions in Africa to end such violations. In Sierra Leone, where one in eight women dies in childbirth, and in nearby Burkina Faso, where more than five women a day lose their lives giving birth, AI recently organized human rights caravans. The caravans traveled across both countries carrying the message that maternal health is a human right—showing films in village squares, performing plays on a mobile stage, and leading community discussions before hundreds of people. At launches in two capital cities, AI released detailed reports documenting the multiple barriers that prevent women from accessing maternity services and urged the governments to respond.

Please join AI in standing up and speaking out for the human rights of pregnant women and girls everywhere. For information about how you can help, visit our website at www.amnestyusa.org.

Preventable Maternal Mortality— a violation of huMan rights

Adama Kamara, age 16, holds one of her three-day-old twins in the recovery ward of Princess Christian Maternity Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone, February 2009. Women face a higher risk of dying in childbirth in Sierra Leone than almost anywhere in the world.

© Kevin Hill

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Ours are times of great economic uncertainty. They are also times of serious challenge to human rights around the world. In the face of such conditions, it is difficult to make a financial plan that balances what you want for yourself, for your family, and for the defense of human rights.

A simple planned gift—a bequest in your will or living trust—offers you the means to make a generous contribution you can afford. Naming Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) a beneficiary of your estate provides the satisfaction of knowing that your future gift will help us continue to protect human rights globally.

Your deferred gift also has practical advantages:

• Your bequest has no impact on your current cashflow. It will not reduce your income or affect your ability to meet obligations you have now.

• Your bequest allows you to remain in control. You retain full use of your assets during your lifetime. If your circumstances change, you can modify your will and revise a bequest at any time through a document called a codicil.

• Your charitable bequest is entirely free from federal estate taxes. There is no upper limit on estate tax deductions taken for charitable bequests.

Your bequest to AIUSA can be structured to fit personal, family and financial needs and can take various forms:

• A common form is a residuary bequest—a gift of the “rest, residue, and remainder” of your estate, whether a percentage or its entirety, after all specific bequests, debts and taxes have been paid. For example, a will might say “I give $250,000 to each of my four children and the residuary estate to AIUSA.” If the estate is valued at $1.2 million, one million would go to loved ones in specific bequests, and $100,000 would cover debts, taxes and expenses; then, AIUSA will receive $100,000.

• Another form is a specific bequest—usually a gift of a stated sum of money or percentage of your estate. A will or codicil might say, for example, “I give $25,000 to AIUSA.”

• A third possible option is a contingent bequest—a gift on the condition that a certain event must occur before a distribution is made. For example, a will might stipulate “I give $225,000 to my son Anthony; but if he predeceases me, then it should be distributed to AIUSA.”

To name AIUSA a beneficiary of your will, we recommend that you use the following language:

“I hereby give, devise, and bequeath the sum of $_______ (or, ____ percent of my residuary estate) to Amnesty International USA, currently located at 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001, Federal tax ID # 52-0851555, for its general purposes.”

a lifetiMe gift for these tiMes

If you want to make a lifetime gift to AIUSA but need reliable income you should consider a charitable gift annuity. This gift can be established by a simple contractual agreement between you and AIUSA. Under the agreement, you transfer cash or securities to AIUSA. In return, you receive dependable payments—at a very attractive rate—for the rest of your life. You can also claim an immediate charitable deduction for part of what you give. After your lifetime, the remainder of your gift will help AIUSA fight for justice and human rights defenders around the world.

Annuity rates depend on your age and/or the age of another beneficiary when the gift is established. For a minimum gift of $10,000 and a minimum age of 65, AIUSA offers the following rates based on a single life. Annuity rates based on two lives are available upon request.

Age When Gift Established Annuity Rate* Annual Payment

Based on $10,000

65 5.3 $530

70 5.7 $570

75 6.3 $630

80 7.1 $710

85 8.1 $810

90 & Over 9.5 $950

*AIUSA follows rates recommended by the American Council on Gift Annuities.

Example:Mary, age 77, already looks forward to receiving a quarterly check from AIUSA for a charitable gift annuity she established in 2005. She now wants to make a second gift to help further the human rights work of AIUSA. For her new charitable gift annuity of $20,000, Mary will receive:

• Anannualpaymentof$1,320(6.6%),paidquarterly,forlife.

• Partoftheannualpayment—$951.72—tax-freefor11.1years.

• Animmediatecharitableincometaxdeductionof$9,434.40.

your legaCy to huMan rights

The information provided is for general guidance only. If you are creating or updating a will or living trust, you should seek the advice of a knowledgeable attorney. Your attorney can help ensure that your bequest meets your individual needs and desires.