MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin — Attacking Planned Parenthood was so 2011. This year, conservatives may have a new target: the American Cancer Society.
Fliers calling on “patriots” to “boycott the American Cancer Society” were in abundance at the Americans For Prosperity’s Defending the American Dream Summit in Milwaukee last weekend. It also urged churches and Christian schools to stop participating in the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life fundraiser for cancer research.
Flyers at the Americans For Prosperity conference in Milwaukee last weekend telling people to boycott the American Cancer Society
According to the flier, people should boycott the American Cancer Society because the group supports “the Marxist Obamacare plan” and is insufficiently “pro-life.” The American Cancer Society spends approximately $130 million each year to fund cancer research, helping save countless lives in the process.
The woman providing the fliers, who did not wish to be named, also passed out anti-contraception information and other American Life League literature at her table. When asked why she supports boycotting a life-saving group for not being “pro-life” enough, she was dismissive. “That’s what they want the public to believe,” the woman told ThinkProgress. She said she “opposed social engineering by these ‘do-good’ social charities” like the American Cancer Society.
Americans For Prosperity is not behind the boycott, but the Koch-backed group provided space for boycott supporters to disseminate information about it to the 1,000 conservative activists in attendance. It’s unclear precisely who is behind the boycott; the fliers do not specify, nor would the woman divulge that information.
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