South Dakota Right to Life has a newsletter arriving in mailboxes about now, with an interesting article inside on the next to last page. One that seems to be sinful by it’s omissions.
The headline on page 7 blares that SDRTL operates with a “Flare of Financial Integrity.” And they even have a pie chart. Because everyone likes pie, you know. 
You know what’s not on that pie chart of how donations were spent? The $10,000 of donor funds that they diverted to defeat pro-life Republicans in the Primary. In case you have forgotten Senate President Pro Tempore Lee Schoenbeck’s expose‘:
Ten 100% pro-life voting record legislators were opposed by SD Right To Life, in spite of being PERFECT PROVEN pro-life public servants:
- Representative Steph Sauder of Hamlin County has a 100% rating, and she was the top target of SDRTL in her senate race! Why you say? SDRTL diverted our donor dollars to help one of their board members, in spite of Steph Sauder having a perfect pro-life voting record.
- Senator Erin Tobin, with a 100% pro-life voting record, and a nurse practitioner who worked with other legislators to try and position South Dakota to beat the abortion ballot issue (the one SDRTL was stealing funds from working against).
- Senator Mike Walsh not only has a 100% pro-life voting record, he carried these life defining and pro-life attributes: American veteran, spouse of active military and retired respected law enforcement officer. Sounds like our perfect senator – SDRTL spent money to beat him!
- Representative Brian Mulder carried a 100% pro-life voting record and has been an assistant pastor at Central Baptist in Sioux Falls. SDRTL spent money to beat him, and former Rep Keri Weems (see that odd story below).
- In a Sioux Falls District, where we pro-lifers had the benefit of two incumbent 100% pro-life voting incumbents, Representatives Greg Jamison and Amber Arlint, SDRTL spent money to beat them! This is about as perfect of an example of SDRTL going to the dark side, except there are at least two districts where they were stronger in their anti-life actions!
- Representative Tony Venhuizen has a 100% pro-life voting record, and SDRTL spent money to try and beat him. In that race, newcomer Brad Jankord was also pro-life, but SDRTL opposed him too !
- In Yankton, Representative Mike Stevens, the House Speaker Pro Tempore has a 100% pro-life voting record as defined by SDRTL, but still they spent money to beat him
- In Rapid City, two incumbents, Representatives Mike Derby and Becky Drury both had a 100% pro-life voting record as determined by SDRTL. Under those circumstances, donors like me would say, easy call: Derby and Drury. We would be wrong, SDRTL spent donor dollars to oppose both 100% pro-life voting record representatives. Donors did not give SDRTL money all these years for them to oppose pro-life public servants.
My reading glasses might need cleaning, but I just don’t see “Defeat pro-life Republicans” anywhere on that pie chart explaining where people’s donations have gone.
Maybe South Dakota Right to Life needs to start a “corrections” section for their next newsletter?
There is no question that SD Right-To-Life ( and also the Family Heritage) are corrupt organizations run by political hacks, increasingly so each year in the past 25 years. They have gotten consistently worse and have now moved into the right wing nut case camp.
Quit supporting AFP and ALEC; it’s simple. Nobody wants the ALEC crap that the legislature pushes through every year, and two years later, they go back to their constituents and act like they didn’t vote for it. Quit supporting the corruption, the legislature and only 5% of the population want this crap, it isn’t hard to ignore it and focus on your constituents instead.
What do they have to do with SDRTL?
Yes, same question..
Money is all connected; regardless of the number of mirrors and volume of smoke, it always points back to the same big donors wanting to control everyone.
Just so I understand: it’s the AFP’s fault SD Right to Life diverted funds away from their intended use?
Ok, yeah, makes perfect sense. Nobody’s really responsible for anything anymore, might as well shift.blame bere too.
I stubbed my toe this morning. Thanks….. AFL-CIO! I dunno, who do we blame for my behavior!?!?!?
Funding for SD RTL has connections back to Heritage and AFP. The money between these groups transfers so often, as required in Citizens United, to not contribute directly to a candidate or party. These groups are tied together and funded by the same billionaires. Just because you’ve made it difficult to track the money doesn’t mean we can’t draw that conclusion.
We could also blame the people doing the deeds instead of pointing to boogeymen, but hey, go off.
If there was nothing wrong with RTL’s giving thousands of dollars to those opposition candidates, then why are they hiding it? The fact that they’re hiding it shows that they know it was wrong.
That’s no comfort, though, to the donors whose money was siphoned away from saving babies.
so.
stop giving them money
Going forward, you’re absolutely right — don’t give them money. But what about the people who were duped into giving money? They were told their donation would go to saving babies. Instead, their money went to defeating Republicans with 100% pro-life rating. That feels like a bait and switch to me. Shouldn’t they be able to get a refund??
I am done giving to this underhanded organization. Look who is on the board, there is your answer.
Hahaha hohoho. When’s the last time a far-right evangelical ever apologized or corrected their behavior when their hand was caught in the cookie jar? Holier-than-thou hypocrites lack any sort of self-awareness to see that they are more like the Pharisees than Christ.
Corruption wrapped in sanctimony and opaqueness is how we end up with tyrants. SDRTL acts exactly like Pelosi/Biden/Schumer/Harris.
The ends don’t justify the means. Catholics like Jon Hansen should at least know it is a grave sin and Offense against the Truth and assuming Bartscher has read CS Lewis’ “Screwtape Letters,” he should know Satan’s favorite tactic is to corrupt institutions whose stated purpose is to build the Lords Kingdom on earth.
Know a man by his actions and not his words.