| Photo illustration by Courtney Williams
There is a threat afoot from certain members of Congress to shut down our government as a means of getting their way on a certain issue.
My feelings: go for it, shut it down.
Who wants to shut down the government, and why do they propose this extreme measure? At the forefront is our good old Texas senator and presidential candidate, Ted Cruz. Although she can’t vote on the issue, Carly Fiorina is also at the head of the problem.
The problem that they see is the alleged criminal activity of Planned Parenthood.
Who is Planned Parenthood? Planned Parenthood is a worldwide group of clinics catering to the health — including reproductive systems — of female Americans. They offer an array of services, including legal abortions.
And, there is the rub. We are going to shut down the American government in the fight over abortion.
I first encountered the abortion problem in the late 1930s. I lived in the 2800 block of W. Garrison Avenue, a long street running from Old Pimlico Road to an abandoned farm and wooded area. Our street had two Methodist families, two Jewish families and the rest were either Irish or Italian Catholic. There were about three dozen preteen kids when Mrs. M (name omitted) became deathly ill.
We all took her illness personally. I overheard a conversation between some of the moms who gathered to help Mrs. M., and the word abortion was mentioned. I asked my older and much wiser sister about it, and she explained.
My sister told me that Mrs. M. had five kids and couldn’t have any more. She had gone to a mysterious lady who did kitchen-table abortions, which meant that she stopped another baby for Mrs. M.
Since the Mrs. M incident, I have been against abortion. But more than that, I do not believe that I have any right to tell any female what to do with her body or her life.
According to Carly Fiorina, there is a tape that shows a living fetus on a table, kicking, while people from Planned Parenthood are discussing keeping it alive so that they can harvest its parts for profit.
“I dare Hillary Clinton (and) Barack Obama to watch these tapes,” Fiorina said.
Well, so do I, because there is no such tape.
So, let’s keep spreading the big lie and let them shut our government down. This will cause some inconvenience. We keep Planned Parenthood funded, we will save American women’s lives in their war against women.
The anti-Planned Parenthood crowd claim that if they close Planned Parenthood, women can just “go somewhere else.”
Not true.
This argument was heard in the 1950s about black children having separate but equal education benefits. There was separate, but never equal.
“Turns out Planned Parenthood is not only critical to the country’s infrastructure of reproductive care, it’s also cost effective,” according to Kerry Eleveld of the Daily Kos.
Of course, low-income women would be hit hardest by Planned Parenthood closures. About one in six American counties — 491 counties in total — have a Planned Parenthood clinic. Taken together, they see about 2.6 million patients annually. Planned Parenthood Clinics make up only 10 percent of publicly funded contraceptive clinics but provide care for 36 percent of patients who use the government birth control programs. On top of all that, abortion only accounts for about 3 percent of their total services.
Hey, Republicans supposedly interested in cost effectiveness, how about those numbers?
So again, let’s spend our money and Shut-’Er-Down. You won’t stop Planned Parenthood, but you will help guarantee a far more progressive government for the United States in the 2016 election.
Women of America — especially students — need to protect themselves. Vote and protect the rights due to all women.
Opinion columnist Ken Levin is a political science senior and may be reached at [email protected]
I see a great future in “politics” for the author of this editorial. His professors have taught him well on the intricacies of spreading misinformation and the art of emotional misdirection.
First, I wonder if the author watched the PP videos? If so, regardless of Fiorina’s slight exaggerations (a misdirection by the author away from the content of the videos), was he not disgusted? I’m not against PP but I was, as a human, severely disturbed by what I saw and heard on those videos. I’m pretty sure others, who have more than a sliver of morality, would be the same. At least I hope, as a society.
Second, contrary to what the author stated, there ARE plenty of organizations and clinics that offer “womens services” that don’t also conduct abortions. The PP funds for “womens services” would be directed to those deserving organizations. Organizations that do not try to mislead the public with claims abortions only account for 3% of their services but fail to mention they (abortions) account for 87% of their revenue. Or fail to mention every year they give over a half a million dollar$$$ to Democrat re-election campaigns (Hmmmm, follow the money). The “women of america” need to educate themselves that these govt. sponsored services (which never include abortion) will not be affected, and anyone who tells you otherwise is using deception.
Third, slow-clap for throwing race into the argument with your false comparison to black children’s access to separate but equal education. Your professors must be proud. Did they teach you which political party was for slavery, started the KKK, created the Jim Crow separate-but equal laws, fought agains the Civil and Voting Rights Acts, segregated the military, and placed a hundred thousand Japanese Americans in internment camps?? Probably not….
Lastly, beware of a time, in the near future, when so many of our fellow citizens are dependant on the Fed. Govt. that the citizens dependancy on govt. assistance trumps their morality. It’s already starting, with this vote.
Correction: PP spent $2 million in support of Democrat candidates and $3 million AGAINST GOP candidates in 2013-2014. Follow the money!
https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000591
And how much have conservatives spent attacking PP? I’m guessing far more that $3 million when you ad up the attack ads, website costs, campaign dollars to conservative politicians, not to mention tax dollars being wasted by politicians to promote the anti-abortionist agenda. etc. Yes, follow that money.
I don’t know, and It doesn’t matter.
Why?? Because those “conservative” agencies are not being paid >$500 million of taxpayer dollars like PP.
If you don’t understand that point, then it’s hopeless to continue.
It does’t matter to you that taxpayer money is being spent on a non-issue which uses manufactured information and wastes taxpayer money? Wait! I thought conservatives were all about fiscal responsibility? How is it you’re able to give them a pass on wasting money creating a non-issue? That doesn’t make any sense. Fiscal responsibility, to me, is using taxpayers money wisely and judicially, not go off spending it on a wild goose chase. Would you just give your kid a credit card with a huge credit balance and turn him loose at the mall and say, “it doesn’t matter what you spend”? Not very responsible.
i thought it was funny how ignorantly you wrote, the author is 89 years old i definitely believe has more life experience than you do. you’ve also shown poor judgment since you believe those videos were real, they’re obviously faked – the speaker of the white house has already confirmed it, along with Planned Parenthood’s official statement, with many news sources confirming that it was a hoax.
also here is planned parent’s hood’s Annual report for last year, go ahead and show me where it says abortions account for 87% of their revenue, or what unbiased government agency has shown otherwise.
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/6714/1996/2641/2013-2014_Annual_Report_FINAL_WEB_VERSION.pdf
you simply would like to control women’s (and everyone’s for that matter) individual rights, starting with the right to abortion. it has nothing to do with morality, if you really cared about human life like you say you do, you would be in favor of more government support for the majority of people suffering under the poverty line. now move along sheeple – watch some Fox news or something
You’re being sarcastic, correct?
“they’re obviously faked – the speaker of the white house has already confirmed it,”
That is one of the most frightening statements I’ve heard in awhile.
Stay in school if you didn’t understand the point the reporter was attempting to make. Wait….. Scratch that.. That’s probably where it was fed to you. Talk about sheeple!!
Please direct me to where defunding PP is “control(ing) women’s individual rights, starting with the right to abortion”?? You are aware of the Roe v. Wade ruling, yes? Are you also aware of the Hyde Amendment? How about what is mandatorily covered by the now required “Obama Care?” Please educate yourself on these and think about what you’ve been told.
Isn’t conflating evidence and using argumentum ad hominem rebuttals fun? Hmm. I look up at the night sky, and see a yellow moon. Must be made of cheese.
A scientists comes along, and tells me, “No it’s’ not!” and carefully explains why.
“You’re a dumb liberal!” I yell back, “You’ll belive anything those dumb liberals tell you!”
See how that works?
Fun for everyone!
Your turn.
You fail to understand that the above Federal laws and/or Supreme Court decisions, which protect the right to abortion (Roe v. Wade), and provide medical services, especially “women’s health” services (i.e. Obama Care), are the SUPREME LAW of the land.
States can try all they want to prohibit abortions, but it will not stand in Fed court due to Federal law trumps State law. Please direct me to which state abortions are illegal…..
I also have yet to hear of a State successfully limiting mandated medical coverage under Obama Care. Please provide me a state where this has occurred….
What makes PP “special” to warrant >$500 million of taxpayer dollars every year?? Please educate me as to what womens health services PP provides that are not already fully covered by ObamaCare? What services does PP provide that are not also available at hundreds of other medical facilities in the Houston area?
The Hyde Amendment prevents federal funding of abortions. It has no applicability/authority to prevent funding of other health services. It is nothing new and has been the law since 1976. Anyone who thought limiting PP funding was going to reduce funding towards abortions, or have any effect on that right, were misled.
As noted above, the only liars are those who try to spin the PP funding issue as preventing a womans right to an abortion, or that it will somehow prevent access to womens health care.
It doesn’t, and it won’t.
1. You obviously do not read much in the news. Nor grasp that a federal law is useless if access is blocked by the states.
2. If you think citing law is the same as understand the mechanics of access, you’re mistaken.
3. Access means availability. If the services don’t exist because funding is cut, it doesn’t matter how many SCOTUS decisions there are. The decision is rendered impotent. Surely you grasp this common sense reality?
4. You haven’t kept up much with Texas, apparently.
5. PP is a facility. Obamacare is not a facility. Obamacare may provide the way, not the means. Do you think any form of insurance is the same as a doctor visit itself? The policy is not the procedure.
5. PP is not a spinned “issue” It is a respected women’s health facility that has existed for over a century. It’s reputation is beyond reproach as a valuable public service as important to health and well being as the Red Cross, the United Way, or the salvation Army. Your disparaging remarks are ill-informed, crude, and insensitive to the needs of the undeserved and poor. Your replies are just part of the coordinated effort to slander a valuable service which is part and parcel of the fringe media and physical attacks PP has been subjected to by it’s enemies since the mid-1990s when anti-abortionists stepped up their act from being hostile activists to terrorists. with bombings, arsons, killings, and a spree of nefarious, illegally-obtained videos aimed to broadcast distortions and shock their adherents into even more vitriolic activism. Prior to the mid-1990s PP enjoyed the confidence of the government including Richard Nixon — all of whom knew precisely the services being offered. Therefore, this latest series of attacks is just so much of the targeted campaign underway by a radical fringe element. No genuine interest here in the actual issue of women’s health. Just more misguided anti-abortion pseudo-intellectual BS. Adieu.