Secretary Clinton Fails to Substantiate Claimed Brazil Hospital Visit

LifeSiteNews.com -- Your Life, Family and Culture Outpost ^ | Tuesday May 12, 2009 | By Kathleen Gilbert

[topher]

Tuesday May 12, 2009

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Secretary Clinton Fails to Substantiate Claimed Brazil Hospital Visit with Victims of Botched Abortions

By Kathleen Gilbert

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 12, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - When Congressman Chris Smith questioned Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last month over the Obama administration's commitment to dismantling pro-life laws around the world, Clinton gave an impassioned response for "reproductive rights" that included a description of women in a Brazil hospital she witnessed, "fighting for their lives" after botched abortions.  However, when the National Catholic Register asked for details on the trip, Clinton's staff refused to substantiate the claimed visit.

"When I think about the suffering that I have seen of women around the world - I've been in hospitals in Brazil where half the women were enthusiastically and joyfully greeting their babies, and the other half were fighting for their lives against botched abortions," Secretary Clinton told Smith in a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing April 22. (See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gEA97EnxE4)

Department of State spokeswoman Laura Tischler told the Register yesterday that she was "unable to confirm where or when the trip she referred to in her testimony was - where specifically in Brazil she was visiting or when the trip occurred."

Tischler said she referred the question to Clinton's personal staff for a response, but was declined any information to substantiate the visit.

"This is part of a long-standing problem of abortion advocates making unverifiable and/or bogus statements about abortion data and then using the information to try and craft bad policy," Congressman Smith told the Register. "Pro-abortion activists have a long history of making these type of unsubstantiated claims. That's how they drive policy - with gross exaggeration of numbers, hyperbole and junk science."

Smith said it reminded him of the abortion movement before Roe v. Wade, when "the abortion movement earned a terrible reputation for exaggerating maternal mortality while grossly understating the deleterious effects of legal abortion on women both physically and psychologically."

Smith called to mind the testimony of Dr. Bernard Nathanson, a former abortionist and co-founder of NARAL before his conversion to pro-life activism, who confirmed that pro-abortion proponents repeatedly told the media that 10,000 women died from "back-alley abortions" in the U.S. every year.

Nathanson now says the figure was an outright lie drummed up to create sympathy and promote the pro-abortion cause, with the actual figure of deaths from illegal abortions being around 200-250. 

"Repeating the big lie often enough convinces the public," Nathanson had said.

Smith continued: "Reducing maternal mortality and providing quality health care that ensures the well-being of both mother and baby here and abroad has been a top priority for me over the past three decades. Rather than the cruel ideology that positions mothers against their babies by offering abortion as the solution, we must provide women with real life-affirming solutions like safe blood and assisted childbirth."

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Secretary of State Clinton Admits Obama will Work to Dismantle Abortion Laws around the World
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09042301.html

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/may/09051208.html

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[topher]

From the article:

"When I think about the suffering that I have seen of women around the world - I've been in hospitals in Brazil where half the women were enthusiastically and joyfully greeting their babies, and the other half were fighting for their lives against botched abortions," Secretary Clinton told Smith in a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing April 22. (See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gEA97EnxE4)

Hillary Clinton lie... who would have thought...

(They can't find where Hillary visited a Hospital to match the remarks above... I wonder what drugs Hillary is on these days...)

[shadeaud]

Maybe she got confused after running off the plane and ducking the bullets from the enemy.

[tet68]

“When I think about the suffering that I have seen of women around the world - I’ve been in hospitals in Brazil where
I had to cross a mine field and dodge mortar shells just
to get to the front door.” H.Clinton

[topher]

Maybe we have now: Sec of State Dingbat -- which could be just: S.o.S. Dingbat...

Can you come up with some other names for Secretary of State?

Or is this too Politically Incorrect?

[spyone]

There she goes again, committing the exact same crimes...lying under oath. sigh.

[TribalPrincess2U]

Oooh, Hill not looking so perky these days.

[OafOfOffice]

uh oh, they grounded Hill for lying. That’s why pelosi is doing her job around the world. /wink

[Jacquerie]

She couldn’t remember how those Rose Law firm billing records wound up on a White House coffee table either.

[MaxMax]

Should we form a committee and investigate her by making her show up every day for testimonials?
Then arrest her for perjury!

[OafOfOffice]

Maybe she saw them on a video?

So we are to believe that there is genocide, rape, torture, maiming of women in Darfur and abortion cost for Brazil is Hillary’s goal?

And what about the botched abortions here where obama says let that baby die and do not make the mother make another choice. Just because there is funding there are still destroyed lives and botched abortions.

[SERKIT]

False but accurate? Where’s Dan Rather?

[ml/nj]

Hillary Clinton lie... who would have thought...

These threads are no fun when the obvious sarcastic reaction is presented in post #1.

ML/NJ

[yazoo]

What do we expect? Kinda hard to remember a hospital visit when you are dodging incoming rounds.

[mom-7]

I’m tired of all the lies. The fact that their lips are moving tells me that they are lying. C lintoon lie, never. This one would not know the truth if it hit her in the face.

[John123]

I wonder what drugs Hillary is on these days...

I think her name is Huma...

[A.A. Cunningham]

Snipers. Abortions. "I don't recall." "I could hardly breathe."

Don't get caught up in the details. It's the thought that counts.

[R0CK3T]

Democrats aren't required to tell the thuth to the public?

Coming up with some fanciful story of pain and despair where they came in to save the day is more than adequate.

Its the thought that counts - right?

Democrat Party - the Culture of Institutionalized LIARS

[SkyPilot]

[BARLF]

During the part of Hillary’s monologue to General Petraeus’ report, she stated “…your rather extraordinary efforts in your testimony both yesterday and today, the report that you provided for us really requires a willing suspension of disbelief.”

Everytime Hillary lies I'm reminded of this statement she made to General Petraeus.

[Chode]