052980 Letter to Wanderer writer Mr. Robert L. Mauro re: RTL DEAL
The Wanderer 201 Ohio Street St. Paul, Minn. 55107
Dear Mr. Mauro:
On the basis of the articles that appeared in your column in the Wanderer for May 22 and May 29, it is not clear what your objective is. Are you endeavoring to malign the New York State Right-to-Life committee? Are you trying to create the impression that the Party is the official spokesperson for right to life in New York State? I assume that you are sincerely interested in having legislation adopted that respects human life in all it manifestations from fertilization to its death from natural causes.
To be honest you must admit that means which differ from the one you have in mind may legitimately be put forward to attain the goal of protecting human life. There is nothing inherently improper for two separate groups to have "sharp policy differences"-to have different priorities. In fact, responsible opposition policies can work for the betterment of the RTL movement. It is irresponsible carping that can wreak havoc.
You state "the New York Right-to-Life Committee agreed to a deal which blocked the HLA convention resolution in committee." To support this statement you refer to "a survey by Democratic leaders as reported in the New York Times." Do you consider as authentic, as truth, what the New York, times reports?
From my cursory survey the so-called deal was a fabrication, a concoction, a flight of fancy on the part of Robin Herman, a reporter for the New York Times. Another Times reporter, Richard J. Meislin, picked up and embellished the misinformation initiated by Ms. Herman. In your May 29th article you note that the alleged deal "caught the New York State Right-to-Life Party by surprise." The Committee and the Party are separate entities. Each was pushing its own Program. Neither was attempting to scuttle the program of the other.
In order to diminish the infighting in the right to life ranks, will you kindly make known the time when the deal was arranged and the names of those who were authorized by the New York State Right-to-Life Committee to participate in formulating the deal together with such other details that will give a true and complete picture.
Until you collect sufficient information to verify the charge that the New York State Committee as such deliberately made a deal, may I suggest that you discontinue writing articles that only fuel antagonisms thus playing into the hands of our common opponent, the pro-abortionists.
The Committee and the Party can and do disagree. Though they disagree there is no need fort them to be disagreeable. They certainly don't need an ill-informed outsider to foment needless hostility. In the two articles to which I referred, by classifying normal tensions as vicious antagonisms, and by offering information which appeared in the New York Times as the basis for your statement, you are jeopardizing your credibility as a trustworthy guide.
In Life
Patrick H. McHugh