According to the Hamilton Spectator, Sarah Palin has been contracted to speak at a fundraiser for the Juravinski Cancer Centre and St. Peter’s Hospital in Canada. “This is quite the coup,” said Gabe Macaluso, an organizer for the event.
Palin might be surprised to learn that the hospital she is fundraising for runs counter to her professed beliefs:
— St. Peter’s Hospital is a public hospital within the national Canadian healthcare system. In Palin’s worldview, universal, government-insured health care is “socialism.”
— St. Peter’s Hospital performs abortions. Palin, a staunch anti-choice zealot, has protested outside of abortion clinics and has refused to denounce abortion clinic bombers as terrorists.
— St. Peter’s Hospital, through its Centre for Studies in Aging, offers “advanced directives.” Palin tried to derail health reform earlier this year by falsely labeling advanced directive reimbursements as “death panels.”
Last month, Canadian comedian Mary Walsh asked Palin if she had “any words of encouragement for the Canadian conservatives who have worked so hard to try to diminish that kind of socialized medicine we have up there.” Palin, clearly duped by the performance, responded that Canadians should rid themselves of their public health care system and take a privatized approach:
PALIN: Well, my answer was too keep the faith. My answer was to keep the faith. Cause that common sense conservatism can be plugged-in there in Canada too. In fact, Canada needs to reform its health care system and let the private sector take over some of what the government has absorbed. So thank you, keep the faith.
Watch it:
Will Palin chastise her socialized medicine hosts for having government-insured health care?
In any case, the Spectator reports that Palin is being paid “around the ballpark” of $200,000 for the speech, the going rate for a Palin appearance. Organizers hope to sell 1,000 tickets at $200 a plate, but raise more from selling photos with her.
Update:
St. Peter’s Hospital does not perform abortions. However, other hospitals in the same Hamilton healthcare system do provide the service.