Family Research Council Doing Calls On Health Care, Malaria And 'Taxpayer Funded' Abortion

The Family Research Council is doing a robo-call on health care reform suggesting the bill includes taxpayer funded abortions but also asking about malaria.

TPM readers have flagged a handful of calls coming in the last few days.

Reader WK of Northern Virginia said the call was an ABBC survey sponsored by the Family Research Council and reader PC in South Dakota said it was from UMBI.

FRC spokesman JP Duffy told TPMDC the calls are part of a "very expensive campaign."

He said they are going into every home in Arkansas, Louisiana and South Dakota, and to pro-life households in Pennsylvania and Virginia.

When voters say they oppose the health care bill, FRC gives out information for their senators, Duffy said.

The calls, described by both readers as push polls, asked if the person on the other end of the line supported health care reform efforts on Capitol Hill even though it includes taxpayer funded abortions.

The followup question was if the person "still" supports the plan knowing that it would result in a laundry list of bad things - from paying for abortions, making cuts in Medicare, creation of death panels and adding to the deficit.

"It was clearly written to make you feel like a total idiot for daring to support health care reform, and to frighten you about what might happen if reform goes through, but I said 'Yes,' anyway," WK said.

Reader PC said the question was "so long and over the top, I was stunned."

The calls also asked about banning pesticides, malaria, the United Nations and settlements in Israel, readers said.

We'll be getting the scripts shortly and will update.

TPMmuckracker today reported that firm ccAdvertizing asked the Federal Election Commission to get rid of state restrictions on robocalls.

The "taxpayer-funded abortion" line is gaining traction as a Republican attack. Louisiana GOP Chairman Roger Villere sent a blast out to supporters when Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) voted to table Sen. Ben Nelson's abortion amendment to the health care bill.

"This vote clearly demonstrates that Landrieu puts partisan politics over the wishes of her constituents in Louisiana," he wrote, calling it a "vote against the dignity and sanctity of human life."

Late Update: FRC sends over a partial script, and says they will get back to me about the malaria question.

The partial script:

"National health care changes being pushed by President Obama, Senator Reid, and Speaker [Pelosi] would institute rationing of medical care by an unelected board that can reject surgeries, drugs, or therapies which you or your loved ones may need. There are also great concerns about euthanasia. Do such documented facts make you want to stop changes to our health care system?"

They also are running this ad on abortion coverage.