The Republican effort to defund Planned Parenthood at the federal and state levels is beyond the pale.
They want us to believe they are trying to stop abortion services and/or the sale of fetal tissue, but a close examination of both issues reveals how false that claim is.
For one thing, not only is it illegal for Planned Parenthood to use federal or state funds to support abortion services, it is impossible.
Planned Parenthood funding comes in the form of reimbursements for services rendered.
That means clinics have to submit proof of services that have been provided and then they are reimbursed. There is no wiggle room here, and no federal or state money can or has been paid for abortion services.
In regard to the sale of fetal tissue, it is something Planned Parenthood started doing for the sake of medical research, not profit, and only when a woman wanted to do it.
In reality most Planned Parenthood clinics never engaged in this practice, but because of Republican propaganda about it they decided to stop it altogether.
Who was the loser? Medical research, that’s who.
So Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood have nothing to do with abortion or the sale of fetal tissue.
It’s all about trying to destroy Planned Parenthood, period.
Remember the community organization called ACORN that Republicans destroyed based on fake videos and false information? That same effort is now being directed at Planned Parenthood.
If they succeed they will have managed to deny basic healthcare services – pelvic exams, pap tests, STD screenings, mammograms, HPV tests, yeast infection & vaginal exams, issues related to menopause, pregnancy testing and birth control – to those who will not get them without Planned Parenthood.
When Republicans say these services can be provided by others they know perfectly well that without Planned Parenthood clinics no such services exist in many places around the country, especially in rural and remote areas.
So when Republicans talk about being “pro-family,” they are not talking about all families, only some.
But I have to admit Republicans are right about one thing. Defunding Planned Parenthood is a moral issue, only it is about how morally reprehensible their efforts are.
It makes you wonder if truth or integrity means anything to Republicans these days.
linnposts.com 
I think it is fairly clear that those two characteristics are not part of the Republican platform any more. And I would add that being serious about the task of governing is also missing. Little vindictive vendettas and courting money now seem to be their forte’.
As always, Jan cuts to the heart of a very important issue in our national debate. In this instance, he appropriately skewers self-righteous Republicans who condemn Planned Parenthood for things (e.g., abortions) that they cannot and do not do with state or federal funds.
With well-informed clarity, Jan exposes the distortions, lies, and hypocrisy perpetuated by a political party that has lost its way in 21st century America. One hopes that voters in critical upcoming elections at all levels will realize that in the vast majority of cases, a vote for a Republican is a vote for turning the clock back and ignoring the vital needs of all citizens.
While one can accept another person’s opposition to abortion, how do Republican politicians justify, and get away with it (especially among women), placing greater value on a fetus than a woman when they reject abortion in all cases? To me, that is both sick and quite dehumanizing.
“placing greater value on a fetus than (on) a woman” You mean, equal value, I think. Why should a pregnant mother have MORE power and say than the new life she has inside her? Because she is bigger than a 6 inch baby? That’s not good enough reason. To save her life, with, say, cancer, the cure may well kill the child. Secondary effect, not the primary goal.
You seem to believe a woman’s life is expendable rather than “of equal value.” I am glad most Americans disagree, as I do.
Did not say a woman’s life is expendable. I was making objection to Christopher’s comment about placing greater value on fetus than on woman–I was saying that both mother and baby have equal value as human life. If there is real medical reason to have surgury for something like cancer or other body malfunction, and the result of saving the life of the mother is that the baby will die, that is a CONSEQUENCE of saving the life of the mother. So be it.
Yes, Jan, I would say that truth and integrity mean something to republicans these days which is why they are trying to get to the bottom of the Benghazi story – a question – if Hillary emailed her daughter and some ambassador in Libya that it was a terrorist attack, AND her own staff abroad told her not to make a big deal of the video since it had not even gotten there yet, WHY did she tell the families of the victims, Chris Stevens Family, that they were going to get the maker of the video and make him pay. and this woman wants to be president??????????????
The majority of Americans viewed the latest Benghazi hearing as proof positive that Republican care nothing about truth or integrity. You need to find something else to obsess about.
Stephen,
Jan’s post (focus) was on Planned Parenthood and the shameful Republican assault on this fine organization that has done so much for so long to assist women with proper education, counseling, and medical assistance as needed.
Your reply not only completely changes the subject (a common political strategy when one is wrong or losing), but it resurrects the stale Benghazi matter that has been examined by numerous congressional hearings, with no evidence of wrongdoing by Secretary of State Clinton.
If you truly believe that these hearings are intended to “get to the bottom of the Benghazi story,” you must be delusional. It has become clear to sensible Americans that this has been nothing more than a “witch-hunt” designed to discredit Hillary and derail her path to the presidency.
If you are a diehard conservative Republican, fine. If you are an obsessive Hillary Hater, so be it. But don’t drag out ludicrous, convoluted, unproven accusations about who knew what first and how that made any appreciative difference in the sad loss of American lives at that consulate. It did not.
Bill
It is interesting that you pointed out what you perceived to be a change of subject. I was very logically following up on Jan’s last sentence which read: “It makes you wonder if truth or integrity means anything to Republicans these days.”
I happen to think it does and was following up on that very theme by pointing out that republicans are trying to maintain and foster truth and integrity by trying to find out answers to the very questions that I raised in my post.
You say: “But don’t drag out ludicrous, convoluted, unproven accusations about who knew what first….”
Well I do not consider her personal emails to fit those criteria. again, – why her emails to her daughter and an ambassador that it was a true terrorist attack and not a demonstration when she then told the families that it was a simple protest to a film and that she would have the person arrested – she knew better than that.
IMHO, She was totally protecting Obama who had just proclaimed that OBL has been killed and Al-cada was on the run.
This investigation, as you should know, uncovered this whole personal server debacle. Might you have an explanation about why she had the private server when she knew that ALL correspondence, by law, had to be on her government account. All of this, in my book, relates to truth and integrity – Jan’s point in his last sentence.
Steve, my last sentence was prompted by everything I had written before it, something you conveniently ignored, which prompted Bill’s reply. But enough of Benghazi. The country has moved on. You should, too.