By Kathleen Gilbert
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 16, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A second financial revelation has cast further doubt on Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' representation to the Senate Finance Committee of the nature of her relationship with late-term abortionist George Tiller.
Sebelius is President Obama's nominee for the secretary of the Health and Human Services (HHS). She is currently seeking Senate confirmation.
After Sebelius was recently found to have reported only a fraction of Tiller's $38,450 in donations to her insurance commissioner campaign, Operation Rescue yesterday released a copy of a 2002 letter from Tiller stating that he contributed $200,000 to his political action committee (PAC) to assist Sebelius' gubernatorial reelection.
In the letter addressed to members of ProKanDo, Tiller's political action committee, Tiller warns against Sebelius' "anti-choice" opponent Tim Shallenburger, and expresses regret that his "personal contribution of $200,000 to ProKanDo" was not enough "to alert voters to the anti-choice position of Mr. Shallenberger (sic)."
Tiller then urges constituents to raise another $250,000 to help spread the message that Sebelius' opponent "does not trust women."
(To view Tiller's letter, go to: http://operationrescue.org/pdfs/Tiller%20letter,%202002.pdf)
As governor, Sebelius consistently vetoed even minimal regulations on late-term abortions in the state, where Tiller carries out one of the busiest late-term businesses in the country. The Kansas-based Operation Rescue has also detailed an apparently cozy relationship between Sebelius and the notorious abortionist, whom the governor hosted in 2007 for a private dinner party along with his whole abortion staff in the governor's mansion.
Pro-life advocates who raised the alarm at Sebelius' nomination had urged committee members to question her about her association with the abortion industry during confirmation hearings. The topic, however, was not broached during the hearings.
But in a packet of Committee questions Sebelius answered that were published earlier this week, Sebelius downplayed her association with Tiller. In one question, Republican senator John Kyl asked: "Can you describe your relationship with Mr. Tiller? Has he ever contributed to your campaign or has your PAC ever received money from Mr. Tiller or a PAC related to Mr. Tiller?"
Sebelius responded: "I have been familiar with Dr. Tiller for many years because he lives and works in Kansas. Dr. Tiller, like many Kansans, contributed to my campaign for insurance commissioner. I received $12,450 over an eight-year period (1994-2001), which represented 1 percent of my total contributions during that time. Since that time, I have received no donations from Dr. Tiller or any PAC related to him."
After it was revealed that reports on file with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission show the figure to be closer to $38,450, the HHS called Sebelius' answer an "oversight" that would be corrected. However, a senior Senate Republican aide told the Christian Broadcasting Network that the GOP plans to probe the affair, which some see as having raised transparency questions as well as concerns over Sebelius' abortion agenda.
"This letter is the smoking gun showing that Sebelius continues to conceal the full extent of her financial support from Tiller," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman about the newest revelations of Tiller's support for Sebelius. "Kathleen Sebelius benefited from the hundreds of thousands of dollars that Tiller personally gave to influence the outcome of the 2002 election in her favor. This letter is undeniable evidence that Sebelius has yet to come clean with the Senate Finance Committee, and with the American people concerning her strong financial ties to abortionist Tiller."
"Sebelius just can't seem to tell the truth about her connections with Tiller. Her continued deception in this matter makes her unfit to serve in any political capacity, much less as the head of HHS, where she will have the ability to influence abortion policy," said Newman. "People want honesty and transparency in government, and Sebelius has proven that they will never get that from her."
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Sebelius Caught Underreporting Campaign Contributions from Notorious Abortionist: HHS Nomination May be in Jeopardy
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09041417.html
Senate Committee Silent on Sebelius Abortion Ties as Full Senate Vote is Delayed
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/apr/09040313.html
Many cradle Catholics I know look at the moral conflicts tearing apart the mainline denominations with sadness, but as a convert from one of them (the Episcopal Church, the most notoriously divided one of them all), I think this is not quite the right response.
We will feel sad at the sight of beloved Christian friends suffering as their churches divide, but we might be heartened to see that because these conflicts express flaws in the original design, they will encourage some to greater friendship, if not full reconciliation, with the Catholic Church.
The sadness we feel will be like the sadness you feel on seeing a pretty old house finally falling down because it was badly built in the first place — built on sand, say — and has been coming apart for most of its life. You’re sad, even when you know it will be replaced by a much better house.
You know your neighbors will miss their old home, but you also know they’ll be happier in a house whose basement doesn’t flood, whose roof doesn’t leak, whose windows don’t let out the heat in the winter, whose pipes don’t clog every other day.
You also know they wouldn’t move into the new house until the old one collapsed. The house held too many memories, was too comfortable, even if damp, and leaving it was too hard.
