By Robert LaRosa
The GOP continues to say “body parts” are being sold by Planned Parenthood. What we’re dealing with is fetal tissue—which has been very valuable in solving medical problems such as AIDS, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson’s disease. The 1954 Nobel Prize went to John Franklin Enders, Thomas Huckle Weller and Frederick Chapman Robbins “for their discovery of the ability of poliomyelitis viruses to grow in cultures of various types of tissue.” That’s right, tissue experimentation helped cure polio!
Even though the Planned Parenthood videos have been proven to be edited fakes, House Republicans are moving forward with a vote to defund the organization. The real reason? It has become the popular way of trying to attract a “certain base” of voters to a Republican candidate’s election. And it is truly political demagoguery of the worst kind.
Caught in the crossfire are real women who are losing their access to vital reproductive healthcare in this country. Texas already defunded Planned Parenthood and as a result approximately 180,000 women lost the only access to healthcare they had. I’m not talking about abortions. I’m talking about family planning, reproductive healthcare, cancer screenings, etc.
Recently Jeb Bush said, “I don’t think Planned Parenthood should get a penny because they’re not actually doing women’s health issues.” Only 3 percent of Planned Parenthood’s work involves abortion. And none of the funding pays for abortions. The federal government prohibits it.
What’s next on the agenda for the GOP? Emails. Really? Emails? Give me a break.
Robert LaRosa
Whitestone
