Some politicians are more concerned with your naughty bits than, oh, children from the wealthiest nation in the world who go to bed hungry and American soldiers being killed in Afghanistan. Take Representative Steve King (R-Iowa), for instance. Rep. King is one of the busybody pols trying to de-fund Planned Parenthood because it provides abortions. And they’ve been successful, which is scary: just two weeks ago the House of Representatives actually voted to do it! Personally I think it’s B.S. enough that these jerks are more concerned with your and my sex life than they are with creating jobs, funding schools and bringing soldiers home from war. But the reasons get totally laughable. Keep reading »
Tag Archives: planned parenthood
Anti-Abortion Foes Target Blacks With “Dangerous Womb” Billboards
The anti-abortion movement tries many tactics — guilt, misinformation, assuring women they’re smart and capable enough, more guilt — but one of the latest permutations has been framing abortion as a racial issue. Some anti-abortion activists are framing legal abortion as a way to deter black women‘s reproduction. The latest example is this billboard hanging in New York City’s highly trafficked SoHo neighborhood which reads, “The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb.” The billboard was posted by the Texas-based anti-abortion group, Life Always, The New York Times reports, conveniently timed for Black History Month. Keep reading »
Rep. Jackie Speier, Who Revealed Her Abortion On House Floor, Is Our Hero
Forget Ah-nold: this to me is what a hero is. While debating whether or not to de-fund Planned Parenthood (which passed 240-185) because the organization offers abortion services, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) revealed last night on the floor of the House of Representatives that she had an abortion on a desired pregnancy at 17 weeks. “[I am] one of those women [Rep. Smith] spoke about just now. … I lost the baby,” Rep. Speier said. “And for you to stand on this floor and suggest that somehow this is a procedure that is either welcomed or done cavalierly or done without any thought, is preposterous.” She was responding to Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), who apparently made a reference to women making the decision to have an abortion without any thought. Keep reading »
House Of Representatives Votes To De-fund Planned Parenthood
FUDGE. The House of Representatives voted 240-185 to block federal aid from Planned Parenthood.
According to The Washington Post, the pols are taking particular aim at funding through Title X, the “$327 million program founded in 1970 that covers family planning and reproductive health. By law, Title X funds can be spent on family planning and contraception but not on abortion services.” Out of concern and suspicion these funds are used to pay for abortions, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) is spearheading the effort to de-fund Planned Parenthood, while other Republicans are aiming to defund Title X entirely. And wouldn’t you know, Rep. Pence referenced that sting video by anti-abortion extremist group Live Action that was filmed inside Planned Parenthood clinics undercover as they counseled actors pretending to be pimps with teen prostitutes? Well played, Live Action and the Republican Party. Keep reading »
How To Stop Women From Having Sex
“To give [anti-abortion] campaigners more time to enjoy life instead of making stunt videos that have no point, here is a cut-out-and-keep list on how to stop women having sex, guaranteed:
- Chop off genitals at birth. They can have them reattached at their heterosexual
wedding, in between the cake and the throwing of the bouquet. - Force all teenagers to watch their parents having sex. Effective, although there is a risk they will never have sex again and the human race will die out.
- Rearrange human biology so that it’s men who get pregnant. It might not end verboten sexual relations, but it will probably put an end to old white guys trying to ban abortion and targeting the most vulnerable women, from rape victims to the needy poor, in the worst circumstances.
— British journalist Hadley Freeman‘s tounge-in-cheek suggestions for better ways that anti-abortion extremist groups like Live Action can use their time rather than playing “gotcha!” with Planned Parenthood by secretly videotaping them in stunt videos with fake pimps and prostitutes. Hadley suggests, quite rightly, that as much as some anti-abortion extremists are against abortion, they seem to just be plain against women having non-procreative sex, period. I recommend her whole article; it’s a good read! [Guardian UK] Keep reading »
Today’s Lady News: The House Takes Aim At Planned Parenthood
- Republicans in the House of Representatives have proposed in a draft of a bill that $327 million be cut in funding for Planned Parenthood. The funding does not go towards abortion, but instead towards other family planning services, like birth control and cancer screenings. [Mother Jones]
- Meet the ladies who were computers — a job title, not a gadget — during World War II. [CNN]
Today’s Lady News: Planned Parenthood Fires Employee Caught In Sting Video
- Planned Parenthood has fired the employee who was caught in a sting video by anti-abortion group Live Action. “The behavior we saw in the videotape was egregious and repugnant,” the organization said, adding it was “completely inexplicable and inconsistent with what Planned Parenthood does.” In the video (which has been edited by Live Action), the Planned Parenthood clinic manager can be heard advising that the 14- or 15-year-old “sex worker” (played by an actress) lie about her age. Frankly, after watching the video, I can’t see how they could have possibly kept her employed. [Reuters]
- A female Lucasfilm employee — you know, George Lucas’ company? — has alleged she was called into a room by her supervisor and asked if she was sleeping around. She asked to speak to HR, but was told not to tell anyone about the discussion. She then confronted a person in the office who she suspected of spreading a rumor about her and was promptly fired. May the force be with your lawyers! [San Fransisco Weekly]
- Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) has called the No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act a “violent act against women.” [Talking Points Memo]
Anti-Abortion Extremists Try To Trick Planned Parenthood In A Fake Sex-Trafficking Sting
Another day, another story about abortion rights that will make you want to vomit. Yesterday, anti-abortion activist Live Action released an edited video of “sting operations” at Planned Parenthood, which show hired actors playing a pimp and an underage prostitutes. The footage, which was secretly taped throughout January, allegedly shows Planned Parenthood counseling a man who says he needs to speak privately about getting STD treatments for some young girls, some of whom are portrayed as illegal immigrants or as young as 14. In one of the videos, the Planned Parenthood employee seems to suggest the girl could lie about her age to get services. In total, actors claiming to be sex traffickers visited 12 clinics in Virginia, Indiana, New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and Arizona and in all the cases, Planned Parenthood contacted the local authorities afterwards to warn about sex trafficking. Eventually, the organization caught on to the fact they were being hoaxed and penned a letter to the U.S. Attorney General on January 18 suggesting they were being had by an anti-abortion group. The FBI has now been asked to probe into the “sting” activities. Keep reading »
Frisky Q&A: Gloria Feldt, Author Of “No Excuses,” On Women And Power
Growing up in rural Texas, Gloria Feldt became pregnant at age 15 in the 1950s. The birth control pill did not exist and abortion was illegal; it was a time when a wife needed her husband’s signature to open a bank account and job listings said “Wanted: Male” and “Wanted: Female.” So, she married the guy who got her pregnant and by age 20, they had three kids together. Although she loved her family, Gloria felt she had very little ability to make choices for her own life. She began working at a small Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas (and can remember a time when the birth control pill was so new that men were afraid of it and would flush their wives’ pills down the toilet!). Eventually, the kids were grown and the marriage dissolved, but Gloria rose through the ranks of Planned Parenthood, eventually becoming the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She served PPFA from 1996 to 2005, testifying before Congress and even appearing on “The O’Reilly Factor” (and coming out alive). Keep reading »
This Is The Abortion Ad British Pro-Lifers Got So Upset About
Marie Stopes International, a women’s reproductive health care organization in Britain that is similar to America’s Planned Parenthood, ran a commercial on British TV on Monday night that had everyone aflutter. What, pray tell, was the problem? Could it be shocking imagery, like the images of bloody, aborted fetuses which can regularly be seen in public on sidewalks, on college campuses, and outside abortion clinics?
In fact, the commercial shows a couple of melancholy-looking women as the words “Are you late?” flash on screen and a voice-over says, “If you’re pregnant and not sure what to do, Marie Stopes International can help.” Very radical and crazy stuff, I know.
Do you think Marie Stopes International’s ad is more or less effective than an anti-abortion ad like the ones starring Tim Tebow and his mom, Pam Tebow, for the conservative group Focus On The Family, which ran during the 2009 Super Bowl? [Guardian UK] Keep reading »
