Topic: WorldNetDaily
From a March 6 WorldNetDaily article by Bob Unruh:
A longtime veteran of the battle against abortion in the United States says the case of a Philadelphia teen who reportedly was coerced into a late-term abortion by a social services agency can be blamed on government's so-called "death panels."
The issue of "death panels" came up during debate over the Democrats' health-care reform law. Critics said the plan, signed into law in March, included government boards that would approve or refuse certain medical services for some patients.
"Obamacare" supporters denied that such panels existed or would exist, but Troy Newman, president of the pro-life Operation Rescue organization, said the Philadelphia case is evidence they already exist and are operating.
Let's unpack the mendacity, shall we?
Unruh is lying about the existence of "government boards that would approve or refuse certain medical services for some patients." Unruh's couching it in the weasel words of "critics say" is dishonest; at no point does he explain exactly how those "government boards" constitute "death panels," nor does he report the actual truth: there is no such thing as "death panels" in the bill.
Even if the "death panels" did exist as right-wingers like Unruh claim they do, the Philadelphia case would not have fallen under their purview. Since WND's reporting is so untrustworthy, we consulted Unruh's original source, the Philadelphia Daily News, which appears to confirm the basic facts. Unsurprisingly, Unruh fails to tell the whole story, filing to mention that the Daily News also reported "a source familiar with the case insisted that the girl was not coerced and that her foster mother, whose first language is Spanish, did not understand the conversation between the girl and the DHS worker."
If true, such alleged coercion raises ethical questions within the Philadelphia Department of Human Services. But coercion is not "approving or refusing certain medical services."
But WND is Obama Hate Central, and Unruh embraces his opening claim like he's contractually obligated to smear the president.
