Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Toto · 07-19-2003, 01:56 PM

This is an example of abortion rhetoric and anti-abortion extremism getting in the way of rational dialogue.

Gutknecht drug bill draws fire from abortion foes, conservatives

Gil Gutknecht, a conservative, anti-abortion Minnesotan, has proposed a bill that would allow American consumers and parmacists to "reimport" and sell pharmaceuticals from overseas, where drugs are cheaper, and save money.

Who could object? The religious right.

Quote:

The California-based Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) said the bill "would open the floodgates for RU-486 and other harmful drugs to enter America."

In Minnesota and a handful of other states, radio ads are accusing Gutknecht and other bill supporters of endangering seniors' lives by giving them access to unsafe medicines.

"In this business, the only real currency that you carry with you is your credibility," Gutknecht said in an interview. "And I think the pro-life groups and Jerry Falwell and some of the research groups that have bit on this have lost an enormous amount of credibility."

On Friday, the bill's opponents stepped up their criticism, saying the bill could help terrorists sell poisoned counterfeit medicine.

"Terrorists and organized crime are absolutely involved in the smuggling of prescription drugs between borders," said Kerri Houston, vice president of policy for Frontiers of Freedom.

Even the American Conservative Union, which gave Gutknecht a 100 percent rating last year, jumped in. Donald Devine, the group's vice chairman, called Gutknecht's bill "socialistic" and a "liberal scheme."

Reimportation bill puts friends at odds

sakrilege · 07-19-2003, 02:05 PM

So rather than kill 'unborn babies', the new victims will be low income people with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.

Arken · 07-19-2003, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sakrilege
So rather than kill 'unborn babies', the new victims will be low income people with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.

It's no different really than all the fundies who are anti-abortion but pro-capital punishment- kill them when they're older.

You know, I never understood it at all. If they were catholics, I'd get it, but I thought that protestants believed that dead 'babies' go immediately to heaven. If that's the case, why do they care if people are killing them? They're going straight to heaven right?

sakrilege · 07-19-2003, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Arken
It's no different really than all the fundies who are anti-abortion but pro-capital punishment- kill them when they're older.

I knew an anti-abortion couple that did take in a 3 year old foster child. But the child had not learned how to bond and they had a lot of problems with him. They rejected him, left the foster parent program and saw no irony in the situation, actually going to an anti-abortion rally DC that year.

ooh_child · 07-19-2003, 04:06 PM

Sakrilege,
How did they explain their actions? Or was it just "god's will"?

MHB

sakrilege · 07-19-2003, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ooh_child
How did they explain their actions?

I didn't ask directly, the husband was only a coworker of mine, but he did say that the foster child was very disruptive of the family. They had 2 children of their own between 7 and 10. Also, the case worker told them (after the fact) that the child had not bonded to anybody and was rejected often. My impression was they used this as verfication they made the right decision. Even though they orginally took in the foster child because they felt god wanted them to. :banghead:

edited to add: One thing that struck me was how he relayed the relief his family felt at giving up the child and never did he express any concern for the child.

Stiletto One · 07-19-2003, 08:48 PM

HYPOCRISY!
(I did spell that right, right?)

Godless Dave · 07-20-2003, 09:13 AM

Hypocrisy? I don't know. Here's the real deal, as I see it. Reimportation of drugs is very much opposed by the pharmaceutical companies because it cuts deeply into their profits. Senior citizens with no prescription drug coverage are a big profit center for them. They have been fighting this directly, but they can't be too open about it because it makes them look like greedy bastards who care more about profit than about the health of American citizens. So they go to their buddies in the Religious Reich to drum up some popular pressure against Gutknecht. What does this issue have to do with conservative Christian values? NOTHING. Jerry Falwell, Ralph Reed, Pat Robertson, and their ilk are not concerned about conservative Christian values except as a tool to manipulate working- and middle-class voters into supporting a CEO-class political agenda.

NZAmoeba · 07-20-2003, 05:02 PM

Man, i'm surprised no ones picked up on the whole 'thrid-world' idea that these people have on any country that's not america... I can't believe that they think that drugs from Europe will be a hazard to their health, and tampered by terrorists... ugh... the stupid hurt me... :banghead:

Quote:

Jerry Falwell, Ralph Reed, Pat Robertson, and their ilk are not concerned about conservative Christian values except as a tool to manipulate working- and middle-class voters into supporting a CEO-class political agenda.

Dave, thats what religion has been doing since the feudal middle ages. "Pay your taxes to the king and the church! It's what god says you should do!"

exnihilo · 07-20-2003, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sakrilege
So rather than kill 'unborn babies', the new victims will be low income people with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.

But aren't these most vulnerable people always the victims of this type of hatred and religious bigotry???

Anyway, didn't Jesus say blessed are the pharmeceutical and Insurance companies for they shall inherit the earth?

07-19-2003, 08:48 PM	#7
Stiletto One Beloved Deceased Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 7,150	Once more, with feeling! HYPOCRISY! (I did spell that right, right?)

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07-19-2003, 02:05 PM	#2
sakrilege Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Cleveland, OH, USA Folding@Home Godless Team Posts: 6,211	So rather than kill 'unborn babies', the new victims will be low income people with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.

07-19-2003, 04:06 PM	#5
ooh_child Regular Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Tehachapi, CA Posts: 190	Sakrilege, How did they explain their actions? Or was it just "god's will"? MHB

07-20-2003, 09:13 AM	#8
Godless Dave Contributor Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: With 10,000 lakes who needs a coast? Posts: 10,762	Hypocrisy? I don't know. Here's the real deal, as I see it. Reimportation of drugs is very much opposed by the pharmaceutical companies because it cuts deeply into their profits. Senior citizens with no prescription drug coverage are a big profit center for them. They have been fighting this directly, but they can't be too open about it because it makes them look like greedy bastards who care more about profit than about the health of American citizens. So they go to their buddies in the Religious Reich to drum up some popular pressure against Gutknecht. What does this issue have to do with conservative Christian values? NOTHING. Jerry Falwell, Ralph Reed, Pat Robertson, and their ilk are not concerned about conservative Christian values except as a tool to manipulate working- and middle-class voters into supporting a CEO-class political agenda.

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