This commentary was written by Joshua Chamberlain, a civic engagement advocate from Montpelier.
Vermonters for Good Government is an anti-abortion group formed and operated by members of Vermont Right to Life Committee and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington.
Per John Walters of The Vermont Political Observer, state records indicate “Vermonters for Good Government, Inc., has three listed principals: (Sharon) Toborg, (Norman C.) Smith and Peter Gummere. Toborg is one of the leaders of Vermont Right to Life Committee. Smith is an attorney who has, among other things, testified before the Legislature against Prop 5 and against the right-to-die legislation that became law several years ago. Gummere is a deacon in the Catholic Church; he testified before the Legislature on H.57, the abortion rights law that preceded Prop 5.”
Since this information is public record and the three principals aren’t shy about their views, Walters’ reporting can be verified with relative ease. Armed with this knowledge, it’s safe to say we have a much stronger understanding of Vermonters for Good Government’s motives. What about their funding?
Consulting the Vermont Campaign Finance System, we learn that three donors are responsible for 88% of the organization’s bankroll: Lenore Broughton, Carol Breuer and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington.
Broughton is a wealthy Burlington heiress who contributes large sums to conservative causes. She donated $100,000 to Vermonters for Good Government in July. Breuer and her husband, Tom, are Massachusetts residents who maintain a second home in Stowe. Breuer’s largest Vermont donation ever, $50,000, went to Vermonters for Good Government. The Breuers also give generously to conservative candidates, PACs and anti-LGBTQ+ causes in Massachusetts. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington contributed $50,000 to Vermonters for Good Government. If memory serves, Jesus Christ preached liberation, not domination through capitalist political action. It appears the Diocese of Burlington prefers to set up tables within the temple, rather than overturn them.
In late August, Vermonters for Good Government sent mailers across the state, proclaiming that Article 22 is “intended to put late-term abortion of fully-developed babies into the Vermont Constitution.” Hand-wringing about late-term abortion is an identical tactic being used by national Republican candidates, as they attempt to backpedal on previous, anti-abortion positions to remain politically viable. In reality, abortions at or beyond 21 weeks are quite rare — 1.0% rare, according to the CDC’s latest abortion surveillance report — and typically the result of a medical emergency. Partial-birth abortion has been illegal under federal law since 2003.
Vermonters for Good Government has also recently recruited Rep. Anne Donahue as a spokesperson. Donahue represents Washington-1 in the Statehouse and is vice-chair of the Vermont House Health Care Committee — a conspicuous post for an anti-abortion politician. As a ten-term House representative, Donahue wields a fair amount of clout, providing an edge in Vermonters for Good Government’s attempt to sway public opinion. Her activity in opposition to Article 22 is expected to increase as Election Day nears, according to recent reporting in The Times Argus.
In the broadest sense, the argument against Article 22 is one of political expedience. Anti-abortion conservatives know that any constitutional amendment protecting reproductive rights will be impossible to repeal without an overwhelming majority in the government and massive popular support, neither of which they are likely to achieve. This would amount to a near-total rout on abortion issues in Vermont, leaving a federal abortion ban as the only pathway to prohibition.
Closing a commentary piece in VTDigger last year, Vermonters for Good Government spokesperson Annisa Lamberton said, “Let’s make sure the debate is vigorous and informed.” Counter to this, Vermonters for Good Government has based every argument against Article 22 in misrepresentation of fact, fearmongering, and outright falsehood. Unless spreading misinformation and manipulating your neighbors is a shared Vermont value I was previously unaware of, I posit that Vermonters for Good Government and their surrogates do not have Vermont’s — nor its people’s — best interests at heart.