Conley
02-06-2012, 11:38 PM
Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum on Friday backed prominent conservative James Dobson's claim that President Barack Obama's administration would block medical treatment for stroke patients over age 70. Professional medical groups have called such statements bogus.
During a forum inside a church, Dobson cited an anonymous caller to a conservative radio show who said "for patients over 70 years of age, that advanced neurosurgical care was not generally indicated." The caller claimed that patients would be offered "comfort care" unless a panel of bureaucrats approved more significant treatment.
"That's called `death panels.' Sarah Palin was right. That means death to that person," said Dobson, founder of the conservative group Focus on the Family.
Palin, the GOP's vice presidential nominee in 2008, coined the term "death panel" in response to the administration's health care law, although her argument was roundly criticized as inaccurate.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2012/02/03/santorum_pushes_discredited_stroke_claim/?camp=obinsite
There are plenty of legitimate attacks to be made on Obama without needing to resort to something like this. Although I suppose part of Santorum's rhetoric may be so full of hyperbole because he needs to make outrageous claims in order to be noticed. I really haven't heard much from his camp since it came out that he won Iowa.
During a forum inside a church, Dobson cited an anonymous caller to a conservative radio show who said "for patients over 70 years of age, that advanced neurosurgical care was not generally indicated." The caller claimed that patients would be offered "comfort care" unless a panel of bureaucrats approved more significant treatment.
"That's called `death panels.' Sarah Palin was right. That means death to that person," said Dobson, founder of the conservative group Focus on the Family.
Palin, the GOP's vice presidential nominee in 2008, coined the term "death panel" in response to the administration's health care law, although her argument was roundly criticized as inaccurate.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/articles/2012/02/03/santorum_pushes_discredited_stroke_claim/?camp=obinsite
There are plenty of legitimate attacks to be made on Obama without needing to resort to something like this. Although I suppose part of Santorum's rhetoric may be so full of hyperbole because he needs to make outrageous claims in order to be noticed. I really haven't heard much from his camp since it came out that he won Iowa.