Attack on Planned Parenthood
I am revolted by the religious and political bigotry at work in this country. An example of this is the Republican-proposed provision in the House budget that would deny federal money to Planned Parenthood.
It was recently tacked on to legislation that was approved almost six weeks ago. Proponents hoped that Democrats would sign off on it to prevent a government shutdown.
However, as I write this Friday morning, Democrats have rejected it. Harry Reid said: “we don’t have the time to fight over the Tea Party’s extreme social agenda.”
Planned Parenthood does not focus on abstinence. It offers sex education and access to birth control: the best ways to reduce the number of abortions. This organization with a proven track record supplies objective information on all pregnancy options. The Republican provision’s assault on Planned Parenthood would strengthen the right-wing, anti-choice assault.
The hypocritical, bigoted politicians and their operatives who constantly complain about liberals planning to squelch personal liberties need to take a look at themselves. Voters with different, moderate principles had better speak up to prevent the regressive right-wing legal changes that have begun.
- Planned Parenthood.
Friday evening was a nail-biter.
It took 12 long innings for the Giants to beat the St. Louis Cardinals at AT&T Park. And then – after almost a week of bickering – Democrats and Republicans in Congress finally agreed on a spending plan bringing to a screeching halt the imminent shutdown of the federal government.
Monica Silva of Dublin was thrilled about the Giants, but it was the narrowly averted shutdown that felt like a matter of life and death.
Her own.
“I’ve been dealing with precancerous cells, and Planned Parenthood has prevented that from going into full-blown cancer” with screenings and medication, said Silva, 31. “They’ve saved my life.”
Like many other federally funded programs, Planned Parenthood stood to lose funding during the shutdown. In this case, Medicaid reimbursements to thousands of low-income clients in the Bay Area such as Silva, a hair stylist.
One ‘rider’ on the Congressional budget that held up the passage of a measure to keep the government funded before a deal was reached on the eve of a shutdown involved funding for Planned Parenthood. Some called its meaning purely political.
Late Friday, the White House and congressional negotiators reached a deal on the budget and a compromise on Planned Parenthood funds. Under the agreement, the Senate will hold a vote on the money, and it’s likely it would reject the House effort to cut off the cash.
Earlier in the day (however) a deal looked unlikely. To those who faced that budget axe, the rider that would have eliminated funding for Planned Parenthood and other health clinics was a back door into the debate about abortion.
During the debate in the run-up to the compromise, Republicans, who portray Planned Parenthood as primarily focused on performing abortions and (intentionally or not) use taxpayer dollars to do it, said the cuts to Planned Parenthood were about reducing the size of federal government and cutting the country’s debt.
“The country is broke, and the vast majority of Americans don’t want tax dollars to take the life of unborn children” – Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio., chairman of Republican Study Committee, told reporters in a conference call before the deal was reached.
Democrats cried foul.
The social debate doesn’t belong in budget talks about reducing the deficit, said Monica McCafferty, spokeswoman for the Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, which has 23 health care centers across the state, including one in Greeley.