Jeb Doubles Down on Women's Health Remarks, Loses Sight of Reality

Jeb Bush speaking in Massachusetts in July

Jeb Bush was in Nashville on Wednesday.  He took the opportunity to talk the Republican Party line on Planned Parenthood.  But Jeb went even further, questioning if we spend too much on women's health in the first place. 

"The next president should defund Planned Parenthood.  I have the benefit of having been governor and we did defund Planned Parenthood when I was governor...The arguement against this is, well, women's health issues are going to be, you're attacking, it's a 'war on women' and you're attacking women's health issues...

...I'm not sure we need half a billion dollars for women's health issues... There are many extraordinarily fine organizations, community health organizations, that exist, federally sponsored community health organizations, to provide quality care for women on a wide variety of health issues.  But abortion should not be funded by the government, any government in my mind."

what eye thynk:  Really, Jeb?  You're going to go that route?  We spend too much money on women's health?  

And either Jeb is a particularly facile liar or remains, despite his family background and his time as governor of Florida, completely unaware that no government money is spent to fund abortions at Planned Parenthood or at any other abortion clinic.  None.  Ever.  By. Law.

Of course, admitting that simple fact wouldn't play well to those conservatives who seem to take pride in their willful attachment to ignorance. 

Democrats immediately jumped on Jeb's remarks, questioning what he meant by saying we spend too much on women's health issues.  From those on the left, this sounded exactly like the "war on women" the right insists is nonsense.

Jeb quickly found himself walking back his comments:

"With regards to women's health funding broadly, I misspoke, as there are countless community health centers, rural clinics...that need to be fully funded.  They provide critical services to all, but particularly low-income women who don't have the access they need."

So far, so good.

"I was referring to the hard-to-fathom $500 million in federal funding that goes to Planned Parenthood--an organization that was callously participating in the unthinkable practice of selling fetal organs."

Whoops. One step too far and Jeb fell right off the truth wagon.

There is absolutely no evidence--none, zero, nada, zilch--that Planned Parenthood has been "selling fetal organs."  The videos that have fueled this ridiculous debate--videos that were made and released by a group with a strict anti-abortion agenda--have been shown to be carefully edited to make PP look like the devil incarnate.  

Surely Jeb and the rest of the GOP must be aware that in 1993, a bill was passed with overwhelming Republican support, (the Senate vote was 93-4), that authorized abortion providers to make fetal tissue available to medical researchers.  That law also authorizes the clinic to charge researchers for expenses like shipping costs.  It's in the law.  It's readily available on line for anyone--even a GOP presidential candidate--to read in full.

Fetal tissue has been readily and commonly used in medical research for 22 years with nary a complaint.  Abortion providers have been reimbursed for the cost of transferring tissue to medical laboratories for those same 264 lunar cycles.  Where has Jeb and the rest of the Republican presidential candidate pool been for 22 years? If Planned Parenthood's practices are so morally abhorrent to them, why haven't they raised a hue and cry before today? 

I guess it would be too much to expect the GOP to explain the facts of law to those currently clamoring for PP blood.  If I were cynical, I'd say that choosing to instead pick up the flag and join in the anti-abortion frenzy is a conscious choice made in an effort to pick up some votes.

Jeb is just one example of today's GOP in action.  He is a candidate for president purposefully ignoring the truth and bending reality to fit the desires of the people he is wooing. Jeb's words on women's health yesterday and today don't demonstrate leadership.  They show me a man who hears what his base wants to believe and then spoon-feeds their beliefs back to them in a demonstration of solidarity.

I am staunchly pro-choice.  It was my generation of women that fought for and gained the right to available and safe abortion--not to force anyone to have an abortion; but to give all women the right to make their own choice. 

You can disagree with me; this is America, opposing viewpoints are permitted.  But when I ask you to explain your opinion, I want more than "I don't like it." I want to know how you reached your verdict. And I want that verdict to be based on fact.   

Being informed is not anti-American; it should be a requirement.  Someone should tell Jeb and the rest of the Planned Parenthood haters.