Debunking the 5 Myths About Planned Parenthood

Clare Coleman, a former chief executive for Planned Parenthood, wrote an Op-Ed, "Five myths about Planned Parenthood", in a recent issue of The Washington Post.  So neither you nor I get bored with the rhetoric, I'll cut to the highlights.

#1 Planned Parenthood’s federal funding frees up other money to pay for abortions.

In this section, Clare describes Title X funding in detail.  It's not necessary for this post that I repeat it verbatim.  This is about Planned Parenthood ABORTION, not Title X.  I recently wrote a short post on this subject.  The American people are not stupid.  Paying for only the procedure, does not cover the total cost of the abortion.  Americans pay for that with their hard earned tax dollars.

#2 Ninety percent of what Planned Parenthood does is provide abortions.

This related to the recent faux pas of Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ).. The pro-aborts have had a field day with this one.  But hey, they have to demonize someone, right?  Well not really, but they do it anyway.  As I said in this post, "The latter part of his statement should have read 'If you want an abortion, you go to Planned Parenthood, and that’s well over 98 percent of what Planned Parenthood does for PREGNANT women.'  I have no doubt that was his intended statement."  The actual figure is a bit more than 96%, using the numbers from Planned Parenthood's Annual Report. 

#3 Defunding Planned Parenthood will reduce abortions

The target for this attack is Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), relating to sponsoring a bill to bar abortion providers from receiving Title X funding.  Yes, that is Planned Parenthood, among a few others.  If Planned Parethood were stripped of Title X funds today, they wouldn't last 3 months, if that.  They depend on Title X funds to keep their doors open, so they can get the big bucks performing abortions.  So yes, if they were defunded, a reduction of abortions would follow.

I found the following statement enlightening.  "Planned Parenthood centers offer contraception to nearly 2.5 million patients a year and serves 36 percent of all Title X patients."  And people wonder why Planned Parenthood screams about saving Title X funds?  Title X funds, lines the pockets of Planned Parenthood.

#4 Planned Parenthood serves only teenagers and prostitutes.

Intended target?  Glenn Beck!  It's not the first time he (or a lot of other talk tv/radio hosts) has made a stupid joke.. and yes it was a joke.  So I'll have to pass on this one, except for Clare's statement in this secton. "But when I worked for the organization, I would ask our supporters to picture this: You’re a 22-year-old woman with a job you don’t love, a toddler you’d die for and no health insurance. You live paycheck to paycheck, and you always know to the penny how much cash you’ve got until the end of the month. You’re rushing home on Route 9 to relieve your mom, who’s with the kid, and the engine light on the car comes on. You feel a wave of panic. You know you’re always one emergency away from everything falling apart. That’s our patient — I always have her in my mind."

Newsflash!  The above scenario could happen to a lot of people, a lot of people are 'only one emergency away from everything falling apart'.  The difference is, we don't depend on the government to bail us out. 

# 5 People don’t really need Planned Parenthood

While I do think there IS a need for a 'pay what you can afford clinic', that clinic is not Planned Parenthood.  Clare-"Planned Parenthood and the Title X-funded system are the only sexual health providers for hundreds of miles."  This is a flat out lie. What about the good old fashioned Ob/Gyn, or a public health clinic, to go to for all your reproductive needs, well except for abortion. 

This has never been about women's health.  It's about abortion.  Planned Parenthood sells sex, and reaps the financial benefits when birth control fails, and it will fail eventually.