Oregon Right to Life trying to take over Salem-Keizer school board

Students should be able to learn without anti-abortion zealots interfering with their education. But that's the plan of Oregon Right to Life: take control of the Salem-Keizer school board in the May 21, 2019 election.

Three of the seven current school board members are backed by Oregon Right to Life: Kathy Goss, Jesse Lippold, and Marty Heyen. The photo above was in a 2017 blog post where Oregon Right to Life bragged about the election of Goss and Lippold, saying:

Pro-life voices on school boards are important for several reasons. Not only do school board members affect education policy, they become community leaders with influence beyond their offices. Most importantly, their efforts keep Planned Parenthood away from our children.

Now Oregon Right to Life is supporting the re-election of Heyen and the election of two other candidates: Danielle Bethell and Satya Chandragiri. If all three were elected, Oregon Right to Life would have a 5-2 majority on the school board.

UPDATE: someone emailed me a mailing Oregon Right to Life sent prior to the 2017 Salem-Keizer school board election that says "A Critical Election for the Unborn." Here's a PDF file. Scroll to the end of this post to see images of the mailing. It's nasty. There's an absurd claim that Planned Parenthood has a financial interest in pushing students to use their abortion services -- which only are about 3% of the services they provide nationwide.
Download Right to Life mailing in 2017

Campaign finance reports show that Heyen, Bethell, and Chandragiri each have gotten $2666.66 from the Oregon Right to Life PAC via in-kind contributions.

It strikes me as strange that this exact number was contributed to the three Right to Life candidates, since 666 is viewed as the "mark of the beast" to some Christians, being a symbol of something flawed or God's enemies.

Well, hopefully voters will see Heyen, Bethell, and Chandragiri as the flawed candidates. 

They didn't mention Oregon Right to Life in the candidate statements published by the Statesman Journal. So they're trying to run stealth right-to-life campaigns. (See here, here, and here.)

Likely this is because they know that Oregonians favor sex education in schools and support the women's health services provided by Planned Parenthood.

There are much better choices: Raul Marquez, David Salinas, and Chuck Lee.

UPDATE: Here's images of the above-mentioned mailing Oregon Right to Life sent to voters prior to the 2017 Salem-Keizer school board election.

Comments

[Kathy]

Teen suicide prevention is everyone’s business. Last year 16 youth died by suicide in Marion County. Satya is far more qualified than David Salinas in helping schools come up with a plan to prevent teen suicide. He has spent thirty years serving countless children,families, veterans and seniors. I have worked with him for several years and have seen first hand what this man can do in helping people, saving lives. He doesn't just "talk", he jumps in and helps to solve the issues our students face.

[Jack Holloway]

Thanks for this warning, Brian. Religious fanaticism, no matter which brand, has no legitimate place in the management of public affairs.

[LA]

I'm so disturbed by this campaign you -Brian Hines are attempting to stir up. Dr. Chandrageris life work is to help others, to ease the living hell many with mental health issues suffer from, to provide hope and comfort to those who are struggling. To paint his campaign with a broad brush like this offends me. I did not know that he was affiliated with the Right To Life organization in any way, but it does not surprise me that he supports life in all forms. How dare you assume that because he respects the rights of the unborn that he does not also respect the rights and needs of those who are born. Please take the time learn more about this candidate, this man, and his reason for running for the school board. His place on the board, with his expertise and interest in the mental needs of children, would be an asset to this community.

[RT]

The Right-to-Life endorsed candidates aren't just anti-choice, they are right-wing on a wide range of issues. Both Heyen and Chandragiri ran for House seats on far-right Republican platforms last year, and Heyen is on record in support of allowing guns in schools.

It's not so much that Right-to-Life is trying to over the school board -- it's that they are bank-rolling right-wing Republican efforts to take over the school board.

[Skyline]

When an unborn girl is aborted, what happens to her "right to choose"?

[Salem Resident]

Dr.Satya is one of the kindest people I know. He has his personal views, and doesn’t push it on others. He loves all people, and is the most qualified for the job. You are running a dirty campaign, Shame on you.

[Wilbert Landstrom]

These Freaks are not Right-To-Life. They are Anti-Womens-Rights. And they can kiss my ass.

[Brian Hines]

Salem Resident, I'm sure Satya Chandragiri is a kind, loving person. He also is endorsed by Oregon Right to Life, and he has conservative political views.

Also, I'm not involved with any school board campaigns. I simply am supporting the three non-Right-to-Life candidates. Also, also, it isn't "dirty" to report facts about who is contributing money to campaigns.

That's public information available to anybody via the ORESTAR system in the Secretary of State's web site.

[Dan]

You mean like the zealotry represented by the "KILL ALL THE BABIES!" Abortionists? You, in other words?

Sorry, murder is murder. Abortion is murder...and frankly, I hope "Right to life" wins.