Senator Sotto’s Anti-RH Bill Speech Copied From American Blogger ?

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Senator Sotto’s Anti-RH Bill Speech Copied From American Blogger ?

Tito-Sotto-Copied-His-Speech-From-American-Blogger

Sen. Tito Sotto's emotional story on the Senate floor last Monday about the death of his son may have come from his heart, but at least one lengthy passage from his speech came from someone else's blog.

Sotto's description of the purported ill effects of birth control pills on unborn children was lifted nearly word for word from the blog of "Sarah, the healthy home economist," a US-based writer who also opposes vaccines for children and offers recipes for goodies like grain-free pumpkin cookies.

Sotto did not attribute any of his words or research to "Sarah, the healthy home economist," whose disclaimer cautions that "the nutritional and other information on this website are not intended to be and do not constitute health care or medical advice.

The plagiarism was first exposed by Alfredo Melgar on the blog Filipino freethinkers.

Here is a comparison of Sotto’s speech and Sarah’s blog:

1. Sotto’s speech (from second to last paragraph):

“According, to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, the use of the pill also causes severe gut dysbiosis. What is worse, drug induced gut imbalance is especially intractable and resistant to treatment either with probiotics or diet change.”

Sarah’s blog:

“According, to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, use of other drugs such as the Pill also cause severe gut dybiosis. What’s worse, drug induced gut imbalance is especially intractable and resistant to treatment either with probiotics or diet change.”

2. Sotto’s speech:

“Gut imbalance brought on through use of the pill negatively impacts the ability to digest food and absorb nutrients. As a result, even if a woman eats spectacularly well during pregnancy, if she has been taking oral contraceptives for a period of time beforehand, it is highly likely that she and her baby are not reaping the full benefits of all this healthy food as the lack of beneficial flora in her gut preclude this from occurring.”

Sarah’s blog:

“Gut imbalance brought on through use of The Pill negatively impacts the ability to digest food and absorb nutrients. As a result, even if a women eats spectacularly well during pregnancy, if she has been taking oral contraceptives for a period of time beforehand, it is highly likely that she and her baby are not reaping the full benefits of all this healthy food as the lack of beneficial flora in her gut preclude this from occurring.”

3. Sotto’s speech:

“Pathogenic, opportunistic flora that take hold in the gut when the pill is used constantly produce toxic substances which are the by-products of their metabolism. These toxins leak into the woman’s bloodstream and they have the potential to cross the placenta. Therefore, gut dysbiosis exposes the fetus to toxin.”

Sarah’s blog:

“Pathogenic, opportunistic flora that take hold in the gut when The Pill is used constantly produce toxic substances which are the by-products of their metabolism. These toxins leak into the woman’s bloodstream and guess what, they have the potential to cross the placenta! Therefore, gut dysbiosis exposes the fetus to toxins.”

4. Sotto’s speech:

“Not well known is also the fact that use of the pill depletes zinc in the body. Zinc is called ‘the intelligence mineral’ as it is intimately involved in mental development.”

Sarah’s blog:

“Not well known is the fact that use of The Pill depletes zinc in the body. Zinc is called ‘the intelligence mineral’ as it is intimately involved in mental development.”

UPDATE:
Sotto's office admits copying US blog

MANILA, Philippines - Senator Tito Sotto's chief of staff on Thursday night admitted that they copied the work of an American blogger in the lawmaker's turno en contra speech on the reproductive health (RH) bill.

Atty. Hector Villacorta, in a message posted on the Facebook page of Sarah Pope, said it was the senator's staff who lifted the content of the blogger's work without attributing it to her.

"I understand you felt slighted that your blog was not attributed to you which became part of the speech of the senator. Let me say that after asking my staff, indeed, your blog was used but only in quoting also from the same book of Dr. Campbell-Mcbride," he said.

Villacorta confirmed to ABS-CBN News and ANC that he indeed sent the message to Pope.

"We are both indebted to the book's author but if you wish that you also be credited with the contents of the book, let this be your affirmation. I can do it and by this message, I am doing it. Hope it satisfies you. But if it does not, what would you want us to do?" he said.

"What have we done to deserve your incriminating words. The senator did not lift it himself, we did. Did you want us to tell him to admit what he did not do? Who would you like to crucify for this oversight?" he asked after Pope lashed out at Sotto and directly accused him of plagiarizing her work.

"Forgive us our single trespass. We had no malice, we thought you would be happy about it. There was no injury. Hope this makes you feel better," Villacorta said.

Blogger: Sotto twisted message against women

Pope, in reply to Villacorta, said she does not approve of Sotto using her work without her permission "against the education of the women of the Philippines and their reproductive rights."

She also said Sotto is responsible for his staff's actions.

"That is the issue and it was indeed plagiarism. If his staff did it, he condoned it. He is responsible for your actions. My blog was quoted, not Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. I put her work in my own words and you copied my words," she said.

"A woman needs to know that the Pill can indeed harm her but this is NO REASON to take away this choice from her in the first place," she added.

"I do not agree with Senator Sotto's position on this issue and he twisted the message of my blog to suit his own purposes against the women of the Philippines," Pope said.

"Your lame comment does not make me feel any better," she told Villacorta.