In the latest edition,
America Magazine claims pro-lifers care only about the money in the health care bills, not the people, which makes us tools of the Republican party, as are all right to lifers. The basis was an MCFL email of August 7, 2009 which was partly quoted and the rest "interpreted". MCFL takes umbrage on behalf of the entire right to life community.
America has promised to print the following Letter to the Editor:
November 10, 2009
Letter to the Editor,
America
I know it is standard for certain kinds of journalism to take statements out of context in order to misrepresent what has been said. I had thought
America was above such tactics until I read your November 2, 2009 article, "An Illusory Peace". The author, William Bole, quotes from an email, which I sent to the members of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, to try to claim that Mass. Citizens is "more conservative than social". By extension, he implies, the entire pro-life movement is such. Mass. Citizens is typical of right to life organizations across the country: non-partisan, non-sectarian, and neither liberal nor conservative.
I could counter by stating the fact that the majority of the members of Mass. Citizens are Democrats who are classical liberals on non-social issues. I will counter by looking at the August 7, 2009 email (which can be viewed at
http://blog.masscitizensforlife.org/2009/11/how-you-and-i-will-stop-obamacare.html ). Directly above Mr. Bole's quote the email says,
"What do pro-lifers think of when we think of Obamacare?
abortion, euthanasia, denial of care, death counseling, rationing, no choice of insurance or provider, life and death decisions made by some czar, no conscience rights for doctors or patients
Is it possible to correct these things? Some pro life congressmen tried to put in wording saying abortion would not be involved - wording was voted down! If euthanasia were removed, there would be nothing left of the plan."
The next statement is a reference to universal health insurance in Massachusetts, the prototype, which is already running out of money and is, therefore, planning rationing - reported extensively in the
NY Times and other media just prior to the Aug 7 email. Mr. Boles obviously reads MCFL emails. He is aware, then, that this is the only time during five months of intensive emailing that I mentioned finances.
Mr. Bole's economic component is, in fact, a social component, not a conservative component. If you spend all your money, you will have to ration care to patients and deny them treatment.
Massachusetts Citizens for Life has run hundreds of radio and newspaper ads all warning that the various federal proposals contain abortion, rationing, and denial of care based on age or disability.
We invite
America to share our concern about abortion, euthanasia, denial of care, and especially about denial of conscience rights for doctors and patients.
Sincerely,
Anne Fox
President, Massachusetts Citizens for Life
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