I just read Margaret Hartmann’s article about how yesterday’s Senate vote to defund Planned Parenthood fired up the Democrats’ War on Women theme. In the article, she said “Planned Parenthood officials discuss gathering fetal tissue from abortions.” That’s sloppy, ideology-driven journalism. What happened was someone taped Planned Parenthood officials discussing gathering human body parts from abortions.
Later, Ms. Hartmann said that “Planned Parenthood receives up to $500 million annually in Medicaid reimbursements and $60 million in federal funds for family-planning services, but by law none of that money can fund abortions.” Let’s do a thought experiment. Let’s suppose that a college freshman gets caught buying cocaine. His parents bail him out of jail. Upon getting released, the freshman insists that he didn’t use any of the money his parents send him each month to buy the cocaine. Instead, he insists that he uses that money to pay his rent and buy groceries. He insists that their money makes it possible for him to use the money he’s saved through high school to buy the drugs.
Isn’t it accurate that this student’s ability to purchase drugs was made possible by his parents sending him the money to pay for his rent?
The bottom line is simple. The Senate shouldn’t defund Planned Parenthood. Instead, they should attach a rider to a budget bill that says the money can only go to women’s health clinics that don’t offer abortions. If Planned Parenthood wants to continue providing abortions, they can tell their corporate sponsors to fund that.
Such accounting “principles” could send private sector executives to prison. And some would gladly go, to hide from angry shareholders.
And yet, we are expected not to question Ms. Hartmann’s “logic” which she herself would not accept in her personal dealings as you illustrate.