A group of concerned citizens has penned an open letter to Cathy McMorris Rodgers, urging the congresswoman to cease running an attack ad against Lisa Brown.
“Lisa Brown. Not just liberal. Dangerously liberal,” is the way the ad starts.
The commercial focuses on a claim that Brown voted against a law that would have prevented sex offenders from living near schools during her time in the state Senate. The ad also depicts a young girl playing at a playground while a stranger in a hoodie watches.
This week, a group of Spokane residents, including several people in the medical field who have worked with child victims of sexual assault, addressed a open letter to McMorris Rodgers. The letter says the ad is not only misleading, it’s dangerous to children, says pediatrician Dr. Deborah Harper.
“People who abuse your children are, unfortunately, people you’ve introduced your children to," Harper said. "People you have invited to your home, people you and your children think are safe. They are not the man in the hoodie. So you are teaching children to be afraid of the wrong person, and not teaching them to be afraid of the correct person. And you are activating and harming children who have already been molested.”
During her more than 20 years as a pediatrician in Spokane, Harper has testified in many child abuse trials.
Brown did vote against the bill in question. She said at the time that it was not strong enough and should go back to committee. Among her objections was that it stopped sex offenders from living near colleges, but not pre-schools or daycare centers.
Later, Brown did vote for a stronger bill, which unanimously passed in 2005. That bill remains law today.
Harper wants candidates to be careful when they air material children will see.
“Children see things differently than we do," she said. "We need to think about kids when we’re communicating in ways children are going to be able to see. We must not put up images that are going to activate PTSD in children who have already been molested or abused.”
Spokane Public Radio reached out to McMorris Rodgers’s campaign for comment. At this time, our calls have not been returned.