Behind the Abortion War
From the New York Times. See http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/opinion/14collins.html?_r=2&ref=gailcollins
Op-Ed Columnist
Behind the Abortion War
By GAIL COLLINS
Published: April 13, 2011
Part of the price of keeping the government operating this week is another debate over the financing of Planned Parenthood. Whoopee.
At least it’ll give us a chance to reminisce about Senator Jon Kyl, who gave that speech against federal support for Planned Parenthood last week that was noted for: A) its wild inaccuracy; and B) his staff’s explanation that the remarks were “not intended to be a factual statement.”
This is the most memorable statement to come out of politics since Newt Gingrich told the world that he was driven to commit serial adultery by excessive patriotism.
The speech in question was Kyl’s rejoinder to the argument that Planned Parenthood provides a critically important national network of women’s health services.
“You don’t have to go to Planned Parenthood to get your cholesterol or your blood pressure checked. If you want an abortion, you go to Planned Parenthood, and that’s well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does,” Kyl declared.
Planned Parenthood says that abortions, which are not paid for with federal money, constitute 3 percent of the services that the organization provides. That’s quite a gap. But only if you’re planning on going factual.
To read the full article, please click here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/opinion/14collins.html?_r=2&ref=gailcollins
May 30th, 2011 at 6:55 pm
I wish more of these Senators, like Kyl, who feel a need to slander a fine organization like Planned Parenthood to make a point with their ideologically deranged constituencies would retire. What a nation of retards we have become when women’s health is so politicized. It is disgusting. I appreciate the fact that we have media people like Gail Collins who aren’t letting them get away with lying. Abortion is legal, necessary and too often needed. It is the law of the land and if it weren’t it should be. I would much rather have my tax dollars going for abortions for needy, indigent women than for the Pentagon solutions to overpopulaton.