By Thaddeus M. Baklinski
NEW YORK, March 12, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Eliot Spitzer resigned from office today after being caught in a federal investigation involving a prostitution ring.
The politician, infamous for his legislation attacking traditional marriage, promotion of unlimited access to abortion, and a close ally of Hilary Clinton, spent more than $15,000 for several encounters with high-priced prostitutes over the past eight months, according to a CNN report.
News sources revealed that the U.S. Department of Justice began investigating Spitzer because they thought the Governor was hiding bribes in suspicious money transfers. A Justice Department official said, “We had no interest at all in the prostitution ring until the thing with Spitzer led us to learn about it,” in an ABC News report. It turns out that the Governor was transferring the money to pay for the services of prostitutes from the “Emperors Club VIP” which advertises itself as an “international social introduction service for those accustomed to excellence.”
On Monday, Spitzer apologized for the “private matter” of adultery, betraying the trust his wife and three daughters, engaging in illegal activity that violates federal prostitution laws and breach of electoral trust.
A New York state official told the Associated Press that Spitzer hoped to use the resignation as a bargaining chip with federal prosecutors to avoid criminal charges.
Governor Spitzer personally introduced the Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act which, if passed, would declare abortion a fundamental human “right” and ensure that abortion would remain legal in New York even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
The bill would also eliminate the possibility of any restrictions on abortion providers, including such safeguards as parental notification, informed consent laws, and waiting periods, and would authorize “qualified licensed health care providers” as well as doctors to perform abortions.
Opponents of the proposed legislation argue that the bill would give more legal clout to abortion “rights” than to already established constitutional rights, and could force doctors or Catholic hospitals to perform abortions against their will, open the door to lawsuits and state sanctions against those who refuse to comply, and could force insurance companies and employers to cover abortion procedures in health insurance plans.
The Archdiocese of New York has launched an intense campaign opposing the bill on the grounds that the bill could threaten religious freedom.
Edward Mechmann, a legal coordinator for the Archdiocese of New York, said in a New York Sun report, that the proposed bill would infringe on the freedoms of Catholic organizations. “If they grant us a license, which is a state action, they will be discriminating. The right to abortion would have more protection under New York’s law than the right to free exercise of religion.”
In 2002, Spitzer, then New York attorney general, launched an attack on the crisis pregnancy centers of the state.
According to a report in Christianity Today, “Spitzer subpoenaed reams of documents pertaining to their operating procedures to determine whether the centers have engaged in ‘false advertising and deceptive business practices’ and the unlicensed practice of medicine. The subpoenas covered 24 pregnancy centers and demanded the names of all staff members, their credentials, training materials, promotional information, and all policies relating to client referrals.”
The report said Spitzer’s legal actions arose from his close ties with abortion rights groups such as the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) and was politically motivated because it was “an election year for the attorney general, who is trying to pay back Planned Parenthood and NARAL for their aggressive political support.”
The crisis pregnancy centers took Spitzer to task and had their lawyers file court petitions to rescind the subpoenas, arguing that “the attorney general lacked evidence and was attempting to regulate noncommercial speech and the right to free association, protected under the Constitution.” Their efforts succeeded and Spitzer withdrew the subpoenas, but with proviso that crisis pregnancy centers would continue to be investigated for “violations of operating procedures.”
Spitzer became governor of New York State in January last year and used his inauguration address to pledge to bring ethical government to New York.
His resignation came as further details emerged of his use of prostitutes, with the New York Post saying he had spent up to 80,000 dollars on call girls going back 10 years to his time as New York state attorney general.
See previous LifeSIteNews.com coverage:
Virulently Pro-Abortion, Pro-Gay NY Governor Admits Involvement in High-Level Prostitution Ring
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/mar/08031007.html