During a recent city council meeting discussing a proclamation about access to abortion and crisis pregnancy centers, Framingham Democratic Committee Chairman Michael Hugo submitted that crisis pregnancy centers could misdiagnose a defect in a baby in the womb, leading to them being born and ultimately becoming a strain on a school budget.
Dana Stancavage of Students for Life tells AFN that was not well received; irate parents immediately began calling for his resignation.
"We were really dismayed to see his remarks that really openly discriminate against a child in the womb because they might cost us more in the school system to help them seek a better education," she comments. "I think that's awful."
Fox News points out that according to his LinkedIn, Hugo is also the director of policy and government affairs for the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards.
Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins, who is the mother of two children with cystic fibrosis, says Hugo's words reflect "eugenics in 2023 America."
"It's a really dangerous path to explore and go down, and this is really dangerous rhetoric that Hugo shared," Stancavage continues.
Hugo issued a public apology after 10 days of backlash from members of his own party and parents of special needs children, but many local advocates for those with disabilities have said they do not accept his apology.
"We're called to forgive – absolutely," Stancavage notes. "But I think that in our forgiveness, we should also be looking for action and change."
So if Hugo does not resign, she asserts that Students for Life will be watching to see if this incident brings about change in his personal attitude, political thinking, and actions.
