The other title for this entry was "It's okay, you won't miss your reproductive health choices til they're gone."
I tried to write about something other than Planned Parenthood this past week. It's not impossible, there are hundreds of issues on women and plenty to pick apart and analyze. Usually the harder part of deciding what to write about has more to do with whether I can offer any interesting commentary or added insight.
Everyday I read about men making claims and assumptions about what women want and want they can legally decide about their own bodies. I see lawmakers bending and stretching in any direction to blame abortion provider Planned Parenthood for anything from budget woes to the end of days.
On the congress floor several senators suggested that Planned Parenthood is in it for the money.
Back in February you may remember this statement by Michelle Bachmann, “They’re focused on becoming big business,” Bachmann said. “Sarah Stoesz, who heads the Planned Parenthood operation in my state of Minnesota, said she recently opened three express centers in wealthy Minnesota suburbs and shopping centers and malls and places where women are doing their grocery shopping, picking up Starbucks, living their daily lives and stopping off for an abortion.”
First of all, you don't "stop off" for an abortion. Second of all, Planned Parenthood express centers do not provide abortions; they offer reproductive health services, counseling and testing. Lastly, suggesting that PP is taking federal funding, using it to provide abortions and then somehow making money is an asinine theory. The Hyde amendment has become anachronistic because giving money to PP at all, even when an amendment exists banning those funds be used for abortion unless the sky is yellow that day isn't important because it is only "techincally true."
But apparently it doesn't matter if abortions are performed or not at PP, what really matters is that women's health, reproductive or otherwise is just not important and the GOP just doesn't care about women.
I hate the federal funding argument. It's ridiculous that we have no choice but to provide funding for weapons and military campaigns (plus all the things that we don't know about) but conservative and and republicans cry foul when their tax dollars go towards women's health services.
I have made my own opinions known, as far as I am concerned the Church is separate from the State (No ones God gives out tax dollars) and without legal and safe abortions their may as well be a legal clause for killing women if they dare decide what they want to do to their own bodies.
You don't get to have it both ways. Either abortions are free, legal and safe performed by legitimate doctors or women are not afforded their right to live.
If you are fervently against women and you want to eradicate abortions, you should be working on providing health care, education and social well being for all of these babies YOU are taking responsibility for.
John Stewart said it best on Feb.22:
"It's like the Republicans in Congress are saying, you can't prevent an unwanted child, you can't get care if you do get pregnant and we won't give you any help feeding the kid after it's born; but for those two-minutes when that babies skull is crowning, it's the most precious thing on earth."
That's great incentive to procreate, no birth control, no abortions and no services. It's so pro-life it could kill you.
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