I started writing about Planned Parenthood (PP) a couple months ago after the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) posted its first video about its investigation into the sale of fetal tissue and organs by Planned Parenthood. Usually I avoid political issues on my Facebook page because almost half my friends are on one side of the aisle and about half on the other, with a few wandering the wide gulf between. But this wasn’t a political issue. This was a shocking video showing a high ranking Planned Parenthood medical director talking specifics about doing better than breaking even in the sale of fetal organs, and describing how she changed abortion procedures to improve the quality of the specimens obtained, both of which are felonies. I expected widespread outrage against this corrupt big business, putting profit before the health of women. But here is what happened…
I saw the first CMP video in my Facebook newsfeed on July 14, 2015. I shared it and started Googling ‘Planned Parenthood’ to find news on the story. Nothing, …for hours. I later posted the full-length video on my Facebook page with this note, “There’s been a media blackout on this so far (to give PP time to respond?) I just read their first response which just attacks the investigators making the film and suggests that all PP does is donate tissue to advance medicine. That’s not what I hear in this video.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=H4UjIM9B9KQ)
I noticed that my Facebook newsfeed seemed to be blocking any posts that included the video link. I could find them on a friend’s page, but not in the newsfeed. I felt manipulated. The news sites waited for Planned Parenthood’s statement, then most parroted the ‘talking points’ in it. By the next morning all the stories had been politicized. Republicans were seen as attacking Planned Parenthood with their plans to investigate the heinous accusations of the CMP videos. The Democrats/Progressives went silent or spouted the PP talking points. There was one article that was posted by a friend, who is a progressive and protector of children through his work with homeless youth, which called on progressives to speak out about the videos because, “As progressives, we further believe that the government plays a crucial role in protecting that dignity, especially among those who face adverse societal conditions: the poor, the unemployed, the uninsured, immigrants, the LGBT community — and yes — pregnant women and their unborn children.” (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/07/15/opinion-democrats-must-start-speaking-out-about-the-planned-parenthood-video/)
By the next morning my friend’s post of this article had been removed from his page and it seemed the Planned Parenthood story had become perfectly politicized with no ‘purple people’ left to discuss the horrific video evidence which was to follow. So my plan with this blog is to try to speak as a politically neutral ‘purple person’ on this issue. I admit to being a pro-life Democrat, who always believed that Democrats were the strongest voice for the ‘underdogs’ in our society. I just always believed that the unborn fetus (baby) qualified as the ultimate ‘underdog.’ In my extensive research over the past two months, I have discovered many horrors which have led me to believe that Planned Parenthood is a terrible choice for women. I had not heard nearly all of what I will post in this blog at the time it occurred, probably due to biased media coverage. As a trained physician, I am particularly shocked at the rampant health code violations found at almost every PP clinic, at least those that are ever inspected. So I want to begin by warning anybody considering, or who knows anybody considering, getting a procedure or other ‘health care’ at a Planned Parenthood clinic. Go somewhere else! Even if it is less convenient. For your own safety.
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