August 13, 2009: Conservative Group Says Health Care Reform Will Lead to Gay, Transgendered Takeover of US Health Care

A conservative, anti-health care reform group called “The Pray In Jesus Name Project” e-mails a petition to members and others saying that the Democrats’ health care reform legislation will not only result in the death of American senior citizens (see November 23, 2008, January 27, 2009, February 9, 2009, February 11, 2009, February 18, 2009, May 13, 2009, June 24, 2009, June 25, 2009, July 10, 2009, July 16, 2009, July 17, 2009, July 21, 2009, July 23, 2009, July 23, 2009, July 23, 2009, July 23-24, 2009, July 24, 2009, July 28, 2009, July 28, 2009, July 28, 2009, July 31, 2009 - August 12, 2009, August 6, 2009, August 7, 2009, August 10, 2009, August 10, 2009, Shortly Before August 10, 2009, August 11, 2009, August 11, 2009, August 12, 2009, August 12, 2009, and August 13, 2009), but also a takeover of the US health care system by gay and transgendered people. The petition claims in part: “Your tax dollars will pay for preferential hiring of homosexual hospital administrators, who distribute $50,000 grants to gender-confused activists for unneeded elective surgery to mutilate their own genitals (and force Christian doctors to perform it).” Apparently the organization is following up on specious claims by other groups that have claimed the reform proposal would mandate free sex-change operations (see August 4, 2009). The New Republic says that many of these claims originated with the Liberty Counsel, a group affiliated with the late Christian evangelist Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. The New Republic also notes that the section of the Senate bill cited by the organization requires the “participation in the institutions’ programs of individuals and groups from… different genders and sexual orientations,” and refers to government grants awarded to students doing research in mental and behavioral health. [New Republic, 8/13/2009]