Online controversy surrounds photos of state senator, anti-abortion activists at restaurant

PROVIDENCE — A dinner at a popular Federal Hill restaurant paid for by a Blue Cross & Blue Shield board member to celebrate the defeat of an abortion-rights bill has landed Sen. Leonidas “Lou” Raptakis — and the health insurer — in the middle of an online controversy.

This was the reaction from Annajane Yolken, a drug-policy activist, on Twitter: “As a BCBS policy holder, I feel deeply concerned about board members who actively celebrate limiting reproductive health care. I don’t want that ‘expertise’ and ‘guidance’ in my health care, thank you.”

There was also this tweet from Jeff Levy, husband of state Sen. Gayle Goldin, sponsor of the defeated Senate bill: “Note that @LouRaptakis has consistently lied — he doesn’t say he’s anti-choice, just that he doesn’t ‘see the urgency’ in passing the RHCA,” referring to the Reproductive Health Care Act. “But then goes to dinner to celebrate an anti-choice victory with extremists ... ”

As the controversy bubbled to a boiling point, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island — which has three lobbyists at the State House and tens of thousand of subscribers — felt compelled to respond on Twitter:

Read more: https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20190517/online-controversy-surrounds-photos-of-state-senator-anti-abortion-activists-at-restaurant