Recently released undercover videos of Planned Parenthood doctors discussing the "sale" of fetal-tissue from abortions has been all over the news in recent days; and Republican lawmakers have been front and center in denouncing Planned Parenthood as trafficking in aborted fetuses. But is fetal-tissue really the primary target of the GOP's outrage?
what eye thynk: To judge by the GOP record in the passage of a 22 year old law, the Republican scream-fest that has been going on over the Planned Parenthood videos--videos that have been outted as being deceptively edited-- has very little to do with "protecting" fetal-tissue and everything to do with the GOP opportunistically snatching at another tool to keep the anti-abortion vote whipped up and looking for liberal blood.
As House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) pointed out in response to a media question about the video controversy, when legislation to allow the use of fetal-tissue from abortions for medical research was passed in 1993, the Republican Party--including Mitch McConnell--voted for it. The final vote was 93-4. No matter what math you use, that vote count demonstrates overwhelming Republican support.
The 1993 law allows abortion providers to make fetal-tissue from abortions available only to medical researchers and prohibits providers from profiting by it. Even with their creative editing, the videos' makers could provide no proof that Planned Parenthood was working beyond these lawful limitations. The law does allow for the kind of expense-covering compensation Planned Parenthood staffers are shown discussing in the videos.
Despite a lack of evidence of any wrong-doing on Planned Parenthood's part, 22-year fetal-tissue research supporter Mr. McConnell fast-tracked a bill on Friday that would defund Planned Parenthood. On Wednesday, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he would support another government shutdown in his effort to see Planned Parenthood closed.
As MSNBC's Steve Benen wrote, Republicans are "outraged that Planned Parenthood is doing exactly what Congress authorized the group to do!...GOP lawmakers are apoplectic, literally threatening a government shutdown over Planned Parenthood funding, because they've seen videos that reminded them that fetal-tissue research has been legal and common for the last 22 years."
If honesty were in play here, (cough), Republicans would admit that "protecting" fetal-tissue is secondary to the opportunities presented by the videos to whip up the anti-abortion vote. And, in the on-going Republican war on legal abortion, if other women's health services like breast exams and pap smears that Planned Parenthood provides are eliminated in the process, well, that's just collateral damage.
After all, if these women had any money, they'd be going elsewhere for their healthcare, right? And in Republican-land, if you don't have enough money, you don't count.
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