Contact: Molly Smith, Cleveland Right to Life (CRTL), 440-668-4049, Director@ClevelandRightToLife.org

CLEVELAND, Ohio, Oct. 31, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Two of the largest and most active RTL organizations in Ohio have signed-on as Plaintiffs in the lawsuit attempting to stop Governor John Kasich from accepting Medicaid funding from the ACA to greatly expand Medicaid in Ohio. The lawsuit claims that the Governor did not have the right to use the State Controlling Board as the means to accept the funding and that he unconstitutionally usurped the authority vested in the legislature in order to get his way.

"The Controlling Board is supposed to reflect the will and intent of the legislature," commented Jerry Cirino. CRTL Chairman. "This move by the Governor to circumvent the legislative process, and, therefore, the people, is more like what we see from the Obama administration. When Obama does not get his way with Congress...he simply issues executive orders to get it done. The similarities are very disappointing," noted Cirino.

CRTL noted that it is because of their related core mission on all life issue with ORTL that they and other RTL groups disagree with the position ORTL has taken in support of ObamaCare and its Medicaid expansion program. 

"While we applaud and appreciate Governor Kasich's prolife record, we do have an obligation to take issue with him on this much as we did with Senator Portman on the marriage issue" notes CRTL President Molly Smith. 

"Accepting funds from the ACA is wrong and expanding the welfare state is bad for families and bad for Ohio taxpayers," noted Cirino.  "It is the taxpayers who will have to foot the bill for the administration and for the entire costs when the federal subsidy is over," he continued. 

"I also think that religious organizations are misguided when they support any and all causes which in any way look like 'charity' and this includes the Unites States Conference of Catholic Bishops. One has to ask where the morality is when taxes continue to be raised to support welfare programs that are in contradiction to Church doctrine, are not effective and are paid for with borrowed money from sovereign wealth funds such as China which doesn't exactly practice moral policies.  We are very disturbed that ORTL and the Ohio Catholic Conference of Bishops are supporting such an obvious broken approach to health care instead of fighting for true charity which includes a complete overhaul of Medicaid," concluded Cirino.

Smith commented, "CRTL believes that the lawsuit will be successful in blocking the Governor's sneaky approach to approval and that the Courts will allow the legislature to do its job according to the Ohio Constitution.  The Governor and Ohio Right to Life would like us to believe that the expansion is all about providing mammograms and pap smears to women.  This could not be further from the truth.  There is no doubt that Medicaid expansion will expand the provision of abortion inducing contraception and sterilization in the state.  This expansion will help organizations like Planned Parenthood stay in business.  When we have Kathleen Sebelius admitting that she can't guarantee that the ACA will exclude abortion coverage it is indeed alarming to see ORTL and the Catholic Bishops support this expansion." 

Smith noted that "... Medicaid is a broken system that does very little to help those most in need of health care which is one of the main reasons the General Assembly refused to pass the expansion. In state after state the abuses by those distributing Medicaid funds are well documented."  She pointed out that doctors continue to flee from the system in droves which will ensure that abortion providers are the ones who will get the tax dollars from this dangerous expansion.  "Furthermore it an insult to those families and young adults who are earning their living to be told that the Governor and ORTL consider them to be the 'working poor.'  There's no question about it, this type of rhetoric on the backs of hardworking industrious families is the epitome of elitism and has nothing to do with true charity," said Smith.
 
Cleveland Right to Life represents grassroots prolife efforts from north east Ohio's 8 county region and is one of the largest and most effective prolife educational organizations in the state. Our educational efforts have been recognized nationally through the annual Bringing America Back to Life Symposium that attracts participants from across the country.