Defunding Planned Parenthood

Bobw235

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
As I listened to the "debate" the other night, it certainly caught my attention that much of the focus was on defunding Planned Parenthood. Ted Cruz was practically salivating at the thought of shutting down the government over this cause. Carly had some rather graphic (if untrue) depictions of PP officials negotiating over the price of fetal tissue. Obviously this is a cause near and dear to the ultra-conservative right wing and PP has become the latest target in their attempts to interfere in issues related to womens health. In the first few years of my marriage, when money was tight, my wife used the services of the local PP clinic to confirm that she was in fact pregnant. That's been my only experience with them over the years, but it does seem that they perform a myriad of other, valuable services for underpriviledged women besides providing abortions. Services like providing advice on preventing unplanned pregnancies in the first place and preventing STDs. It also seems that PP doesn't receive reimbursement from the government when they do provide abortion services, so I'm not sure I see the logic in cutting off funding to this organization. In any event, I offer for your reading pleasure, this Gail Collins Op-Ed piece from today's NY Times. I like her writing style, which tends to poke fun in a more light-hearted way. This column is much more serious. I'll be curious to read others' comments. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/19/o...-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region&_r=0
 

Yes... What Carly said was untrue.. The video she spoke of was NOT a planned parenthood video.. that said... only 3% of PPH operations are abortion related. 97% is providing care and screenings for women AND men who cannot afford it otherwise. Many years ago I utilized PPH for healthcare when I was a single mom supporting 2 kids.. It provides a valuable service.. and for Republicans to use this as an issue to shut down the government over is beyond ridiculous.
 
Good article, Bobw.

Here is a great comments after the article that I whole heartily agree with....

[h=3]Martin[/h] New York 50 minutes agoFirst, you must distinguish Republican leaders from their public. Their followers for the most part are simply too decent & too frightened to believe that the only leaders who seem to share their values in a frightening world could be so indecent as to lie to them about Planned Parenthood, Obama, the irresponsibility of the poor, WMD's in Iraq or anything else. In their media world no mistake gets corrected and any failure gets blamed on the power & bias of the enemy. Attributing misogyny or opposition to family planning to them simply confirms, for them, your lack of integrity and their allegiances.

The politicians & pundits themselves couldn't care less about family planning or fetuses. They care about whatever image, narrative or lie brings in the dollars, clicks & votes that sustain their power. Whether it's a videotaped lie about Planned Parenthood or Acorn, a forged document about uranium sales, or fake research about climate change, the falseness is irrelevant. Their goal is not to make a better world but to create one that conforms to their profitable ideology & sustains their power. If they suppress family-planning and increase abortions, so much the better. Abortion, like Mexicans & social services & all their supposed enemies, is their bread & butter. Calling them liars may be true, but it serves their purposes as well as yours. The big lie is the utterly corrupt political-media system in which we're trying to conduct democracy.


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Absolutely, I have said this for years.. Republican politicians couldn't care less about abortion... but they know it brings in the money and the votes from folks who do care. Republican politicians don't want abortion banned completely... that and guns and gays are what brings out the Base... and the votes.. When in office they move on to their real purpose.. rigging the game to favor Corporations and the wealthy while thumbing their noses at those that voted them in. Is it a wonder these people are angry and frustrated... They just don't know the real place to direct their anger..
 
These "conservative" candidates are trying to use PP as a Tool to enhance their position with their hardcore base. As such, they are warping the truth...as witnessed by Carly's rendition of the "truth" in this last debate. In the vast majority of cases, the activities of PP have been positive, and they should be funded, and even expanded. We already have far too many children being born to parents who do not want the kids, or cannot afford to raise them properly.
 
These "conservative" candidates are trying to use PP as a Tool to enhance their position with their hardcore base. As such, they are warping the truth...as witnessed by Carly's rendition of the "truth" in this last debate. In the vast majority of cases, the activities of PP have been positive, and they should be funded, and even expanded. We already have far too many children being born to parents who do not want the kids, or cannot afford to raise them properly.

I absolutely agree. Almost all of the people I have known that have used PP were seeking birth control, NOT abortions. Most were young women who had no insurance. PP offers a valuable service.

In the case of abortion, it never ceases to amaze me that most of the people who get so hot under the collar about abortion are old, white men, who have no idea whatsoever about what it means to be a young woman with limited resources facing the birth of a child she cannot support. And those same old white men are the ones who also want to limit any government assistance to families with children they can't support. Would Donald Trump care to adopt some of those babies??
 
Women also use it for cancer screenings... like pap smears and mammograms. Early detection saves lives and these women wouldn't have that without PP.
 
Absolutely, I have said this for years.. Republican politicians couldn't care less about abortion... but they know it brings in the money and the votes from folks who do care. Republican politicians don't want abortion banned completely... that and guns and gays are what brings out the Base... and the votes.. When in office they move on to their real purpose.. rigging the game to favor Corporations and the wealthy while thumbing their noses at those that voted them in. Is it a wonder these people are angry and frustrated... They just don't know the real place to direct their anger..



So you're saying none of the Democrats in Congress do any of the above ?????

Gimme a break.
 


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