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AUGUST 21, 2010
OPEN LETTER TO NH PRO-LIFERS
By Ed Holdgate, Former NHRTL President
Dear ProLifers:
Hundreds of you earnest,
hard working New Hampshire pro-life activists have sacrificially helped
the unborn children and their moms through the years. Most all of you
have worked astonishingly hard for pro-life candidates too, year after
year. Sorry to say, in too many instances candidates who talked up
great pro-life pledges to us during their campaigns were never heard
from again after the campaign ended. Worse, in too many instances the
candidates who won election on the backs of us workers often stabbed
those very backs when least expected. Sen. Judd Gregg’s votes to
confirm pro-abortion SCOTUS nominees Sotomayor and Kagan were out and
out betrayals. I now consider Gregg pro-abortion. Sen. Lindsey
Graham (R-SC) supported Kagan too, thereby forfeiting every good vote he
ever cast because with Gregg’s help the fall of Roe and Doe could be
delayed by decades. Michigan’s Congressman Bart Stupak sold out his
pro-life friends to pass pro-abortion ObamaCare. With “friends” like
these, who needs enemies?
At least we have good
news. While heroic pro-life State Senators Sheila Roberge and Bob
Letourneau are preparing for their announced hard-earned retirement, we
New Hampshire pro-lifers can be optimistic. For example, the pro-life
certifiably tireless Fran Wendelboe is running for NH Senate, along with
pro-lifers like Ray White, Peter Bragdon, Chris Wood, Jack Barnes,
Russell Prescott, and Fenton Groen. Pro-life champion and NHRTL
Trustee Dave Wheeler is seeking an Executive Council seat too.
What about Governor?
While Jack Kimball sounds good, I am really really pleased to see both
pro-lifer John Stephen and pro-life activist friend Karen Testerman
running for Governor. Never before have I been so torn between two
great candidates, but today my ballot would show John. May the best
candidate win, and I trust the second best will align to help the first
for the sake of the babies.
In the US Senate race
(to replace Judas Gregg) I hope pro-life Kelly Ayotte (who defended the
NH Parental Notification law before the US Supreme Court) stops the rich
pro-abortion Bill Binnie from buying himself a US Senate desk. Ovide
Lamontagne, despite trying hard and smiling harder for that Senate desk,
can’t or won’t see that he repeatedly does the wrong things with regard
to Catholic Medical Center in Manchester. Ovide Lamontagne (as an
attorney in Devine Millimet PA) was on the wrong side back when SAVE-CMC
and NHRTL fought the assimilation of CMC and the Elliot Hospital into
Optima. Despite Ovide’s work, Optima was dissolved by an almost
miraculous pro-life victory. Similarly, Ovide is on the wrong side
this year as the marauding, powerful, rich Dartmouth Hitchcock tries to
“affiliate” vis a vis “merge” with the relatively defenseless CMC.
Since NH dearly needs a trustworthy pro-life hospital, and since Ovide
profited immensely and was legally complicit in both attempts, and since
his aggression distracts pro-lifers from the true mission of saving
babies and helping moms, I implore you to disqualify Ovide Lamontagne
and instead help Kelly Ayotte win that US Senate seat.
Lastly, consider the
important Congressional races. In the bad old days, we felt blessed to
have just one genuine pro-lifer running for each office but now we see
many candidates vying for the pro-life vote. Today, the Second
District features pro-lifers Jennifer Horn and Bob Guida. Thankfully,
I live in the First District so I need not try to discern between either
of these great pro-life candidates. As more and more pro-lifers run
for office, this kind of dilemma will be more commonplace.
In the First District,
Sean Mahoney exhibits far more ability, motivation, and principled
long-time pro-life conviction than any other candidate, much more so
than Frank Guinta or pro-life Bob Bestani. Some 10 years ago when
Frank Guinta kept casting pro-abortion votes in the NH House, Sean
Mahoney was marching in the January snow with hundreds of us at the
annual Concord March for Life. Sean Mahoney even paid for and hosted
the annual coffee breaks in a restaurant for us cold pro-lifers. Even
though he endorsed pro-abortion Rudy Giuliani for the 2008 NH
Presidential Primary, I acknowledge Guinta has done a couple things
right as Mayor recently (i.e. stopping field trips to Planned Parenthood
and making a helpful change in funding). However, Guinta’s pro-life
expressions seem to come out only when pressured by his handlers or
media inquiries, almost as if he was making a confession for a wrong.
Sean Mahoney, on the other hand, effortlessly champions his pro-life
convictions from the podium or personally, extolling heartfelt
compassion for the babies and moms, and listening intently to the
concerns of every pro-lifer he meets. Sean Mahoney was teamed up with
pro-life champion Phyllis Woods on the Republican National Committee, so
he knows the strengths and weaknesses, dangers and opportunities of the
Republican machinery already. Consequently, I can endorse Sean Mahoney
quicker than a baby’s heartbeat.
Don’t merely pull a
lever to vote for pro-life candidates – pull your faithful heartstrings
and worn bootstraps now to get really involved helping the candidates
who will make policy improvements for the moms in trouble and babies in
jeopardy.
Ed Holdgate
Former NHRTL President |
