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Republicans consistently campaign on being pro-life but their legislation contradicts that claim. After the recent budget proposal and failed health care bill, the Republicans officially can no longer claim to be pro-life. The GOP, being led by their highly incompetent and dangerous President, are slashing programs that people quite literally rely on. The painful irony is the number of Trump voters who would be dramatically and negatively affected if the GOP would have passed TrumpCare.

Paul Ryan was recently quoted saying that hes been dreaming about taking away Medicaid since his kegger days. No kidding, the Speaker of the House, third in line for the presidency, said that while drinking beer, he dreamed about taking away health care from millions of people who rely upon it. Who goes to parties and enjoys thinking about people suffering from preventable and treatable illnesses; plots against children, the poor, disabled and the elderly while partying as a young adult?

I work in the mental health field and I can tell you without hesitation that many of my clients need Medicaid and Social Security benefits to live, to afford housing, life-saving medications, food and other necessities. A typical monthly social security check is $735, which is often still not enough for most folks to survive. They need added support from food stamps, rental subsidies and Medicaid. If resources go unfunded, this assistance will disappear and people with mental illness will suffer greatly. It is significantly more economical to help support people to live safely and successfully in the community than it is to respond to hospitalizations and emergencies.

Another example of pro-life hypocrisy in the GOP is how they actually care for our veterans. Trumps hiring freeze executive order directly affects veterans and delays filling thousands of essential positions at the Veterans Administration (VA), further delaying care and services to veterans. Last week, a Republican congressman proposed redefining SNAP requirements, which would negatively affect veterans. The current administration proposed getting rid of the VA completely, using a voucher program to turn it over to the private sector. Since when did a for-profit company look out for anything but the bottom line and shareholder profits? The very people who gave so much to our country are dying in the streets, homeless on a cold winter night, or sadly committing suicide because they couldnt get the treatment for their PTSD that they desperately needed. This is unacceptable. This is not pro-life.

Another proposal that made headlines within the last month was the White Houses suggestion to get rid of the free and reduced food programs in our public schools. One spokesperson denied that there is a supporting relationship between hungry kids and their performance in school. Anyone who has ever been hungry knows this is not true and shouldnt even be an argument. According to statistics, over half of Waynesboro's kids are eligible for free or reduced meals at school. Would anyone reading this be fine with taking away food from our communitys children? I surely hope not.

Being pro-life is more than just being against abortion. To truly be pro-life would be providing care to those who need it, regardless of ability to pay. Being pro-life means having empathy and understanding for folks in whatever situation they are in and providing support to ease the suffering of those struggling. Being truly pro-life means providing resources to help eliminate the need for abortions, like providing family planning services and education.

It is shocking that Republicans, like our very own Congressman Bob Goodlatte, get re-elected year after year. They continue to enjoy top notch health care, salary and other benefits like special interest money from wealthy donors. Dont we deserve better? Dont we deserve what our elected officials give themselves? After all Id bet that most of us work harder than most of our currently elected officials.

We should all celebrate the recent failure of TrumpCare and applaud everyone who called their representative to make sure this disaster didnt become law. We have an election this November for governor and all members of the House of Delegates. Please think about volunteering for a voter registration drive or helping get people to the polls on voting day. Increasing voter turnout is the best way to increase the volume of our voices. We must vote for folks who will not only represent us in Washington and Richmond but who will fight for bills that benefit us, not politicians like Bob Goodlatte and their wealthy backers.

Jennifer Lewis is vice chair of the Waynesboro Democratic Committee. She lives in Waynesboro.

Excerpt from:
Opinion: Republicans can't claim to be pro-life - The Daily Progress