In a statement released on Thursday, Massachusetts Democrat Michael Hugo resigned following weeks of criticism from angry parents.
After weeks of criticism for expressing dissatisfaction with the cost of special education for non-aborted children, Massachusetts Democratic Party head Michael Hugo resigned on Thursday.
“I have apologized sincerely too many times, but it is evident to all objective observers that there is something exceptional about this specific problem, in that it has an incredible life,” Hugo said in an email to the committee and obtained by Fox News. In the words of the Chair of the Ashland Republican Committee: “Time will tell as to why this has become a practically international issue.”
In his email to colleagues on Thursday, he explained that he had discussed his decision with his spouse and with Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka, a Democrat.
The availability of abortion services and crisis pregnancy clinics in Framingham was discussed during a council meeting on February 7. Hugo made a public statement expressing his worries about the impact of misdiagnosed birth abnormalities on the city’s educational system.
Hugo noted during the meeting on February 7 that the expense of educating a child with a birth defect would be a “very local problem” since the school would have to provide “loads and lots of specific services” to those kids.
Spilka sent a public statement to the Framingham Source calling for Hugo’s resignation just before Hugo did so. His words were “egregious and inappropriate,” she said.
“As the sister and long-time legal guardian of a sister with Down syndrome, I have devoted my career to campaigning for the rights and dignity of individuals with disabilities, and my life to increasing awareness of the problems they encounter and the opportunities they deserve,” she wrote. He must relinquish his position for the sake of the public good.
The Framingham Democratic Committee unanimously condemned Hugo’s statements on February 26 but voted to reject a move to examine the possibility of removing him at a future meeting.
When asked about the decision after the meeting, Hugo said the members “heeded the call for expanding our commitment to the common good.” For their “understanding and sensitivity,” he expressed gratitude.
Meanwhile, parents demonstrated against Hugo in front of City Hall on a Tuesday evening before a council meeting.
Hugo, who had intended to go but mixed up the dates, said that he would be unable to do so since he would be attending a dinner reception with senators and members of Congress.