Competing Groups’ Ads Target Pro-Abortion, Pro-Life Lawmakers on Health Care
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 5, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Competing groups are targeting pro-life and pro-abortion lawmakers for their support or opposition to health care bills that include abortion funding and mandates. The ads follow on the heels of television commercials Family Research Council sponsored exposing the pro-abortion components.
The conservative Club for Growth has purchased a $1.2 million ad buy that focuses on members of the House and Senate it believes "may be persuaded to reject a government-run health insurance program."
The group says the ads will run throughout the August recess, and they focus on the end-of-life concerns in the bill that they say will lead to government intervention in end-of-life decisions.
The ads cite the "socialized system" of medicine in the UK and policy of capping how much can be spent on medical treatment to keep someone alive — that leads to health care rationing.
"Life and death medical decisions should be made by patients and doctors not politicians and bureaucrats," the Club for Growth ads say.
The ads will run in Nevada, where they focus on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in Colorado to target Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall , in Arkansas to cover Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, and in North Dakota to focus on Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad.
Members of the House the ads cover include Democratic representatives Marion Berry, Vic Snyder and Mike Ross of Arkansas; Diana DeGette, Jared Polis, John Salazar, Betsy Markey and Ed Perlmutter of Colorado; and Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota.
Meanwhile, Congressional Quarterly reports that the Democratic National Committee’s Organizing for America arm is sponsoring a slate of new radio ads that target Democrats the Republican Party focused on in its own radio spots.
The ads focus on pro-life Democrats or moderates who could be persuaded to oppose the health care bill because of its abortion funding and insurance mandates.
The DCCC is also running ads attacks pro-life Republican members of Congress in districts where they think they can run candidates next year against them.
"Tell him not to side with insurance companies… and start supporting real health care reform," the ads urge listeners, according to CQ.
The ads hits pro-life Reps. Michele Bachmann and Erik Paulsen of Minnesota, Anh Cao of Louisiana, Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, Dan Lungren of California, Dave Reichert of Washington, Pat Tiberi of Ohio, and House Republican Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan.
They are some of the 26 lawmakers Democrats are targeting for defeat next year.
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