Sarah Avery (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dr_pretentious) wrote2006-07-21 05:15 pm
dr_pretentious) wrote2006-07-21 05:15 pm
Your Tax Dollars At Work, Part Two
I've posted before about religiously affiliated antiabortion "crisis pregnancy centers" that advertise themselves as abortion providers to lure in pregnant girls and women who are seeking abortions and/or medical advice. Some of these fake clinics are receiving federal funding.
Now, Rep. Henry Waxman has released a report on an investigation that shows that 87% of the federally funded fake clinics offer false and misleading medical information. Investigators called these clinics and claimed to be 17-year-old girls, pregnant, and in need of abortions. The report includes a number of illuminating quotations from the clinics' staffers. At the above link, you can find a condensed version of the report and the full text in .pdf.
It is possible to hold a reasoned position that opposes abortion. If you do, I have to ask you if you think the nation's tax dollars ought to be spent on clinics that systematically present as medical fact information that absolutely contradicts scientific consensus based on numerous studies. I have to ask you whether you think the government should be in the business of funding deliberate lies to people who are asking for unbiased medical information. It's an honorable thing to argue for the position you hold, but it seems to me dishonorable to engage in a campaign of medical fraud to get a political result you've consistently failed to get through the democratic process.
As I mention in my old post, Rep. Carolyn Maloney is sponsoring H.R. 5052, the Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act. My old post has links to her description of the bill, her reasons for believing the bill necessary, and the full text of the bill itself. You can write to your representatives at www.house.gov. Whatever your opinion is, this is a good time to tell them about it.
Now, Rep. Henry Waxman has released a report on an investigation that shows that 87% of the federally funded fake clinics offer false and misleading medical information. Investigators called these clinics and claimed to be 17-year-old girls, pregnant, and in need of abortions. The report includes a number of illuminating quotations from the clinics' staffers. At the above link, you can find a condensed version of the report and the full text in .pdf.
It is possible to hold a reasoned position that opposes abortion. If you do, I have to ask you if you think the nation's tax dollars ought to be spent on clinics that systematically present as medical fact information that absolutely contradicts scientific consensus based on numerous studies. I have to ask you whether you think the government should be in the business of funding deliberate lies to people who are asking for unbiased medical information. It's an honorable thing to argue for the position you hold, but it seems to me dishonorable to engage in a campaign of medical fraud to get a political result you've consistently failed to get through the democratic process.
As I mention in my old post, Rep. Carolyn Maloney is sponsoring H.R. 5052, the Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act. My old post has links to her description of the bill, her reasons for believing the bill necessary, and the full text of the bill itself. You can write to your representatives at www.house.gov. Whatever your opinion is, this is a good time to tell them about it.