Mike Pence's War on Planned Parenthood & Jackie Speier's Abortion Statement

I know that there was a thread on Jackie Speier this week, but I was surprised at the reaction on ATS. When I read the news I was livid for the American people, but very few shared this sentiment. What shocked me was that many people apparently took the comment at face value and did not look any further into why she said it, and what she was trying to get across. However, there were a few people who did try to get a legitimate discussion going on this subject, and I figured I'd give it another go.

www.americanindependent.com...

The House voted to block all funding to Planned Parenthood and if it passes into law, this 95 year-old health care provider will loose all funding from the federal government, which DOES NOT go to abortion, but family planning and reproductive services under Title X.

Title X was established in 1970 and is the only federal grant program dedicated solely to providing comprehensive family planning and related preventative health services. It is designed to provide access to contraceptive services, supplies and information to all who want and need them, and gives priority to low-income families. (www.hhs.gov... ) This program will also be eliminated if this passes into law. Only $317 million was appropriated by Congress under Title X during 2010, 90% of it was used for family planning services. “In 2008, 4,500 community-based clinics (including health departments, university health centers, faith-based organizations, public and private nonprofit agencies, and tribal organizations) received grants from Title X that went to approximately 5 million people, the OPA said.”

Planned Parenthood has had a message posted all week urging supporters to contact their representatives to vote against attempts to end Title X funding. “This bill would eliminate all federal funding for Planned Parenthood health centers — including funding for birth control, cancer screenings, HIV testing, and more. The consequences of this bill are clear — and they would be devastating. More women would have unintended pregnancies. Cancer would develop, undiagnosed, in countless women. There is no doubt: cutting off millions of women from care they have no other way to afford places them at risk of sickness and death.”

The resolution is now moving through the American Senate. Its deadline is March 4th, and those of you who would like to keep family planning services and many other health care services provided by Planned Parenthood, and other community-based clinics who receive funding from Title X should contact those senators who still have a chance to stop this.


Now you may wonder, what does this have to do with conspiracy? This is just the American government tightening its budget, right?

This amendment is sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) who told Politico this week:
“If Planned Parenthood wants to be involved in providing counseling services and HIV testing, they ought not be in the business of providing abortions. As long as they aspire to do that, I’ll be after them.”
(www.politico.com...)

His plan is to cut funding and starve them of cash until they are forced to cut the abortion program, which receives no federal funding. He is starving an organization that offers countless other programs to low-incomes families because of his ideology. If Title X itself, and the 4,500 community-based clinics funded by it, has to be cut as well, so be it.

Jackie Speier brought this up during her address, where she stated:

"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. Now you may not like Planned Parenthood, so be it. There's many on our side of the aisle that don't like Halliburton. And Halliburton is responsible for extortion, for bribery, for 10 cases of misconduct in the federal database, for a $7 billion sole-source contract. But do you see us over here filing amendments to wipe out funding for Halliburton? No, because frankly that would be irresponsible. I would suggest to you it would serve us all very well if we moved on with this process and started focusing on creating jobs for the Americans who desperately want them."

And yes, she did bring up the fact that she had an abortion, but only after Chris Smith (NJ-R) delivered a lengthy, graphic speech where he talked about a “tiny, dead baby” falling to the floor after an operation. Smith argued that, “There is nothing whatsoever benign or caring or generous or just or compassionate or nurturing about abortion. It is child abuse." Note: This amendment had nothing to do with abortion! Speier only brought up her experience because of the language Smith used to illicit votes, so she did what she could to sway them back to moderation and to focus on the issue at hand.

If this passes into law, there will be 5 million Americans from low-income families who cannot receive everything from pap smears, pregnancy testing, diabetes screening, breast cancer screening, STD testing, treatment, and prevention, male infertility screening and referral, and menopause help. All because Mike Pence (IN-R) feels that since they provide a service (which is still legal in America) then they deserve no funding at all. Pence stated that: “I'd like to continue to be a persistent, respectful voice for the sanctity of life” but at whose expense?

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I wrote this thread (which is my first) because I couldn't believe that the only thread here on the subject of what Jackie Speier said had to do with one statement about an abortion. It has to do with so much more. This could just go through and Americans would be none the wiser! And why? Because what was truly important about this amendment was buried underneath the MSMs coverage of a topic that causes such a huge divide in our culture. I ask, but don't expect, that the pro-life crowd take a breath before flaming me for bringing this up and really consider what kind of an impact this could have on people. Don't let your beliefs cut people off from health care they may truly need.

See, the thing is, many of these people listened to Bill O'Reilly squawk about this the other day and they are just parroting what he said. (There is a reason that Rush Limbaugh calls his listeners "Ditto-heads" it's because they repeat everything he says.)

Many of these people are completely incapable of independent thought and instead take whatever opinion of whatever commentator of choice says and makes that their own opinion.

That being said. People capable of independent thought realize that planned parenthood does not fund abortions and actually doesn't take up squat of the budget.

reply to post by whatukno


I suppose it's true considering the turn-out here. I just cannot believe that, while the topic of abortion is such a dividing factor, it outweighs the possible loss of such an important program. One that could ultimately lead to FEWER abortions.

I guess I can just be glad I live in Canada.