Mike Rogers: SCHIP Wrecker

I've posted quite a bit on SCHIP lately, and one of the things I find so interesting about it is the incredibly diverse group that supports this bill: Carolyn Kilpatrick and Candice Miller; the AMA and the health insurance industry; and the AARP and the American Academy of Pediatrics, just to name a few.

After Bush's veto, politically active groups wasted no time in targeting anti-SCHIP politicians: the DCCC's "Putting Children First" ad spotlighted the anti-SCHIPpers in vulnerable districts, and MoveOn.org has organized Rally for Our Children's Health Care events across the country.

Over at Michigan Liberal, Gaspare noted an entry by a group that's not so nationally prominent: Catholics United is running a new pro-SCHIP ad in targeted districts around the country.

"Building a true culture of life requires public policies that promote the welfare of the most vulnerable," said Chris Korzen, executive director of Catholics United. "At the heart of the Christian faith is a deep and abiding concern for the need of others. Pro-life Christians who serve in Congress should honor this commitment by supporting health care for poor children."

Mr. Rogers is most certainly a pro-life politician. He got a perfect score from the Republican National Coalition for Life, which classifies him as "Pro-life Without Discrimination." Among other things, this means that Rogers agreed with the following statement:

all innocent human beings, from conception until natural death, at every stage of development, deserve legal protection.

Whenever pro-life pols spout about the sanctity of human life, then unblinkingly support the death penalty or vote against health care for the children of the working poor, I can't help thinking of the great comment by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA):

"To a Republican, life begins at conception and ends at birth."

Now, I'm sure Mr. R. looks to his east (Knollenberg) and to his west (Walberg) and heaves a sigh of relief that he's not targeted. He sits in a safely gerrymandered district, cushioned by all the money he's raised from PACs and other like-minded House "leaders."

It would be a mistake, though, for Rogers to equate not being targeted with being right.

The bill goes back for an override vote on Thursday, October 18th. Call, fax, email or write Rogers today -- let him know that turning his back on children is not an option.

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