Washington D.C., Jul 31, 2009 / 11:29 am
Catholics United, a group known for backing Democratic initiatives, issued a statement yesterday accusing a television ad campaign launched by the Family Research Council (FRC) of misinforming the U.S. public about the health care reform bill. FRC responded today to the allegations by saying that Catholics United is the one ignoring the facts.
Catholics United stated yesterday that “The Family Research Council's efforts are part of a broader ‘Stop the Abortion Mandate’ campaign that is using abortion scare tactics to turn pro-life voters against health reform.”
“In FRC Action's ad, entitled ‘After a Government Takeover,’ actors ... claim that current health care proposals would deny funding for essential treatments while providing public funding for abortions,” Catholics United said.
Echoing a point made by several Democratic representatives, the group said, “Currently, no health care bill contains any reference to abortion, let alone a mandate for public funding of abortion. In a rebuttal to the attack ad, CNN.com notes that ‘the current bill does not contain any provision for taxpayer-funded abortions.’”