On Sunday afternoon, we sent an email asking you to vote in an online poll being conducted by the Boston Globe about doctor-prescribed suicide. Our friends at Massachusetts Citizens for Life did the same. We watched as the results steadily moved from people supporting the ballot measure to people being overwhelmingly against it, by a margin of 70% to 30%.
And then it happened. We started getting emails from people saying that they couldn’t find the poll. So we checked the link on Boston.com for the article, and sure enough, where there had once been a poll, there was nothing. We will be the first the admit that online polls are unscientific and demonstrate little more than the organizational strength of the winning side.
However, we also think it is disingenuous for the Boston Globe to simply remove the poll without warning, instead of closing it and allowing people to view the results. The fact that the Boston Globe is on the opposing side of the issue cannot be ignored either. I have personally written a letter to the editor asking why the decision was made.
I want to say thank you to the hundreds of pro-life supporters who took the time to visit the site and cast your vote, including those of you who went there and were unsuccessful in finding the poll (a most frustrating experience, I’m sure). At this point we are used to having the press against us, but with your help and support, we will defeat assisted suicide at the ballot this November.