I'm working on an article on the present state of the pro-life movement. It will be hosted at another site and, of course, I'll provide a link when it's done and available. It will be based in part on this post and this post.
Now: In neither of these posts did I say this, but I'm saying it now, because I want to know if any of my readers can help me find a piece of documentation.
I was still receiving physical copies of National Right to Life News in early 2008. As I recall, in one of those issues--by my recollection, it was April or May of 2008--I saw a candidate comparison chart between John McCain and Barack Obama that did include embryonic stem-cell research and that made it clear that their positions were nearly identical on that issue. By campaign time (I linked this in one of the above posts), the issue no longer appeared at all in the issues comparison chart.
Problem: I threw the 2008 issue away, after making a mental note of it. I'm now a victim of my own hatred for paper clutter, because that earlier chart never made it into the on-line archives of NRL News. I'm not saying at all that this is any sort of cover-up. The on-line archives contain articles, not charts, and that's doubtless why it's not there. Unfortunately, I don't know of any library that keeps paper back issues of NRL News to be browsed through by old-fashioned researchers. I have (with some chutzpah) e-mailed NRLC to ask if I can get a copy of that chart from early 2008, but I don't know yet if this will work.
So--any readers out there who don't mind paper clutter and kept around their early 2008 copies of NRL News? Wanna look up that chart for me and send me a scan?
Update: Got it! May, 2008, p. 11. Chart comparing John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama, called "Where Do the Candidates Stand on Life?" Includes ESCR and has "supports" for all three candidates. By November, the chart was solely about abortion, conveniently, and hence the ESCR issue where the candidates are the same had disappeared. Thanks to Esteemed Husband for finding it at the library. I should have more faith in large university libraries to carry unexpected publications.
Comments (4)
I can't help you but I did put a call into my mother-in-law who is going to check out a pile of stuff to see what she has. Don't get your hopes up - she's not even sure if the NRL is one of the publications she gets.
Posted by Gina M. Danaher | December 3, 2009 1:23 PM
Thanks, Gina. Obviously I'm just working with an outdated model of research. But I'd be happy to use the Web if this were on the web, of course. :-)
Posted by Lydia | December 3, 2009 2:45 PM
Lydia, may I suggest you contact Brian Rohrbough the President of American Right to Life, http://www.AmericanRTL.org
He probably has the documentation you need.
Posted by Thomas Yeutter | December 3, 2009 8:59 PM
Thanks, Thom. I just found a local library that _may_ have it. Their issues go back only to May, so if the chart appeared earlier in '08, they won't have it. If that doesn't work, I'll get in touch with ARTL as you suggest.
Posted by Lydia | December 3, 2009 9:40 PM