Critics Question Pro-Life Group Endorsing Pro-Choice Candidates
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
Critics are questioning why a pro-life group in RI is endorsing pro-choice candidates -- see what Bishop Tobin has to say.
Fung, who has been on the record saying he is an abortion-rights advocate, was endorsed by the group Rhode Island Right to Life, who also endorsed 13 other candidates for statewide and General Assembly seats (see below).
"I know that RI Right to Life approaches these issues very carefully, and I can only presume that they have more information about Mayor Fung's position than I do. I won't second guess their endorsement," said Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTTobin continued, "Personally, though, I can't vote for any candidate for any office, who claims to be pro-choice, which to me translates to being pro-abortion."
Endorsement Questioned
On Fung's campaign homepage, under "issues", it lists tax reform, education governance, and good government reform, but makes no mention of where he stands on abortion.
At the first Republican debate at Providence Performing Arts Center on June 17 hosted by the Providence Journal and WPRI, both Ken Block and Fung said they are pro-choice.
When contacted about their decision to endorse Fung, Rhode Island Right to Life Director Barth Bracy said, "You can refer to the information contained in [our] newsletter which lists our endorsements and also explains what our endorsements mean and how they are made."
The mailer, which calls Fung the "Pro-Life Choice," says that Fung "opposes using your taxpayer dollars to pay for abortion-on-demand, opposes late-term abortion, and supports our efforts to make pro-life options available through HealthSource RI."
Former State Representative Jon Brien, a pro-life advocate, said he was "surprised" by Right to Life's decision.
"As someone who has run in the past as a pro-life candidate , I worked with them," said Brien of the group. "I know they would seek a certain set of criteria, before sponsoring a candidate.
Brien continued, "It's a good endorsement to get, but I'm perplexed why they'd endorse any of these five candidates quite frankly as a right to life candidate. It seems to me that there are other candidates down ballot that they could get involved with on this issue instead."
"It seems that they were just seeking a candidate to endorse, but in my opinion, there's no one who fits the bill. It comes down to the fact that you can't have it both ways -- you're either on side or the other, I don't believe that there is a middle ground," said Brien. "I find it pretty surprising, with some of the things that have been said on this, it just seems to be the antithesis of their mission."
Representative Karen MacBeth, who has been a sponsor pro-life legislation in the General Assembly, said she wanted answers about the endorsement.
"If Fung's pro-choice and they're pro-life, I just don't know why they would make that endorsement," said MacBeth. "As a co-sponsor of a number of pro-life bills, I would hope they would support someone who is pro-life."
On August 29, RI Future's Bob Plain questioned RI Right to Life's endorsement of Secretary of State and Lieutenant Governor candidate Ralph Mollis, who said he is "personally pro-life, but governmentally pro-choice."
Related Slideshow: High Profile Endorsements in 2014 RI Election Cycle
With less than one week remaining until the Rhode Island primary, Republican gubernatorial candidates Allan Fung and Ken Block have each announced endorsements from high-profile in-state and national GOP figures -- joining an array of national political figures who have announced their support for candidates seeking office in Rhode Island this year. See this year's highest profile candidate endorsements below.
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