Frankly, it scares me to live in a country where this twisted form of logic makes any sense. Let's break down a few pertinent points:
1. Abortions are legal in the United States.Yes, one of those points was listed twice. It bears repeating. Stripping Planned Parenthood (which does not use federal funding for abortion procedures) of federal funding because they perform abortions (which are legal) is simply absurd. But it is not the most absurd piece of this story...
2. Federal funding is not allowed to be used for abortions.
3. Abortions only account for three percent of the services provided by Planned Parenthood.
4. Planned Parenthood does not use federal funding for abortions, but does rely on it to provide reproductive healthcare, such as contraception, pre-cancer screenings, HIV testing and treatments for STDs.
5. Abortions are legal in the United States.
Mike Pence, the congressman behind the defunding of Planned Parenthood, sought this action because--thanks to the so-called sting by Live Action--he believes Planned Parenthood supports sex workers and human trafficking.
For those out there who haven't heard of this questionable "sting" by Live Action, here's an overview: Live Action sent people posing as patients to several Planned Parenthood centers and secretly filmed their exchanges. Once alone with a clinic employee, he claimed to be in the sex-trade, working with under-aged girls, and asked about obtaining healthcare services for them. (Most often it was one man, but in some cases a man and woman went to a clinic together.)
In most cases, the employees answered his questions within the scope of what is legal. (IDs required for services, age of consent laws, etc.) They then reported the cases to the authorities (in at least one case, they also reported the make, model and license plate of the man's car). There was one instance in New Jersey where the Planned Parenthood manager responded inappropriately (offering suggestions for getting around the laws) and she has been fired.
Live Action is bent on discrediting Planned Parenthood because the organization provides abortions (which are legal). They set up situations designed to put clinic employees in questionable positions. How would you respond in the same situation? Would you tell off someone who could potentially be a violent criminal? Especially when you were alone with him? Personally, I think I would answer the questions about policy and then report the man as soon as he left. Which is what the majority of the employees did.
What's more, further analysis of Live Action's released videos shows that they have been doctored.
Despite the weak "evidence" uncovered in this Live Action "sting," the House of Representatives, led by Congressman Mike Pence, swiftly moved to strip Planned Parenthood of its federal funding. The fact that abortion is legal in this country, and the fact that Planned Parenthood does not use federal funding for abortion procedures, did not stop proponents from using abortion as an emotional tool to garner votes.
Republican Rep. Chris Smith, from New Jersey, had no qualms about reading out the gruesome details from an anti-abortionist's account of an abortion procedure. (Yes, the same Chris Smith behind the call for HR 3, which further limits abortion and introduces the ridiculous "forcible rape" terminology.)
Smith's comments did one thing he may not have expected. They prompted Rep. Jackie Speier to speak out about her own late-term abortion. It was a procedure that had become medically necessary 17 weeks into her pregnancy, and it happened to be the same procedure Smith had just described.
Speaking out for women everywhere, Speier described her situation, then said:
"But for you to stand on this floor and to suggest, as you have, that somehow this is a procedure that is either welcomed or done cavalierly or done without any thought is preposterous. To think that we are here tonight debating this issue when the American people, if they are listening, are scratching their heads and wondering what does this have to do with me getting a job? What does this have to do with reducing the deficit? And the answer is nothing at all."
"There is a vendetta against Planned Parenthood, and it was played out in this room tonight. Planned Parenthood has a right to operate. Planned Parenthood has a right to provide services for family planning. Planned Parenthood has a right to offer abortions. Last time you checked abortions were legal in this country."Since her speech, Speier has said that she couldn't stay quiet when listening to the debate. She says, "I sat there thinking, none of these men on the other side have even come close to experiencing this, and yet they can pontificate about what it's like. It just overwhelmed me." (See her full speech in the video clip below.)
To show your support for Planned Parenthood, please sign the organization's open letter to Congress. While at the site, consider making a donation or looking into other ways to take action. This isn't about providing abortions. It is a matter of providing reproductive healthcare services, including those which lower the number of unwanted pregnancies.
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