Pro-Life Democrats Criticized, Thanked in Radio Ads on Pro-Abortion Health Care
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 6, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — New radio ads sponsored by the Susan B. Anthony List either criticize or thank selected "pro-life" Democrats in Congress depending on their vote on the pro-abortion health care bill President Barack Obama signed. Had they stuck together they could have brought down the measure expanding abortion funding.
The pro-life women’s group has purchased $150,000 in radio ads and automated phone calls to residents in several congressional districts.
They target Reps. Steve Driehaus in Ohio, Kathy Dahlkemper in Pennsylvania, Alan Mollohan in West Virginia and Bart Stupak in Michigan and inform voters that their vote for the health care bill will ensure their tax dollars pay for abortions.
"Leading up to the fateful vote on healthcare reform, the Susan B. Anthony List was working tirelessly to build up grassroots support and encouragement for self- labeled ‘pro-life’ Democrats, including Rep. Stupak," SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser told LifeNews.com today.
"Since these Democrats instead traded their legislative power to prevent taxpayer funding of abortion for an executive order that did nothing to protect the status quo and address the fundamental taxpayer abortion funding problem in the bill, we have had to change course," she added.
"Now, with severe disappointment, we go back to their districts to tell voters that their representative ushered in the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade. We will make sure that their constituents understand the enormous gravity of this pro-abortion vote," Dannenfelser said.
The Democrats in the ads could have received a companion version playing in the districts of those who stood with pro-life groups against the pro-abortion health care bill.
The Susan B. Anthony List is also running radio ads and making calls "praising the true pro-life Democrats," the group told LifeNews.com.
Reps. Gene Taylor in Mississippi and Dan Lipinski in Illinois will benefit from the thank you campaign because they "held their resolve and stood behind their principles," the organization said.
The ad running in Rep. Stupak’s district includes the following narration. Ads in other districts contain similar wording:
"It was the ultimate betrayal.
"Congressman Bark Stupak told us he was pro-life. Stupak promised us he would protect the unborn. That he would stand firm…and lead the coalition to keep abortion funding out of the health care bill. "But Bart Stupak betrayed us…and voted to spend federal dollars — our dollars — on abortions. He should be ashamed.
"…Tell Bart Stupak we will not forget."
Members of Congress and advocacy groups on both sides admit that Obama’s executive order will not truly stop abortion funding.
On March 2, 2010, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Shultz, co-chair of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, told FOX News that "an executive order cannot change the law."
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has said that "only a change in the law enacted by Congress, not an executive order, can begin to address this very serious problem in the legislation."
The SBA List campaign comes on the heels of last year’s nearly $2 million effort to keep abortion out of healthcare which included targeted television and radio ads, 1.3 million automated calls, 60,000 patch-through constituent calls, 1.2 million letters and petitions to Congress and two media tours in pro-life Democratic districts.
Related web sites:
SBA List – https://www.sba-list.org
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