Planned Parenthood

Crazy Ed Martin appeared to throw his lot in with House Republicans who are threatening to shut down the federal government over their demands to strip all federal funding for Planned Parenthood.  GOP rhetoric implies that they're trying to block federal funding for abortions, but in reality, the right-wing plan would only stop funding for primary and preventive health services including birth control, breast and cervical cancer screenings, HIV testing and other STI testing and treatment.

Martin made all sorts of accusations and assertions about Planned Parenthood yesterday;

• Note to Congress: Planned Parenthood is Not a 'Women's Health' Organization
• Fact: PP uses tax dollars for abortion. Other stuff they say they do (or even do do) does not hide this.
• Facts: PP exposed for lying and pushing underage/abortion. Simple: no tax $. You can fund 'em, not all of us.
• It is wrong because PP uses the $ for abortion. Every1 knows it.
• recently, PP has been shown to be about law-breaking & abortion. No tax $ to PP

Um, no.  The Hyde Amendment has been around since the 1970s, and Planned Parenthood does not use federal funding for abortions.

But what is true is that for every dollar spent on family planning, taxpayers save $6 on future Medicaid and social service costs.  How 'bout that for fiscal conservatism? 

Martin has a long history of saying false and outrageous things about federal abortion policy (and a lot of other things too).  See here, here and here for a few examples.

The Planned Parenthood Truth Tour rolled through Missouri this weekend, stopping in Springfield, Columbia and St. Louis before heading on to other destinations.  Designed to counter the lies of anti-women's health extremists and demonstrate the broad support in communities around the country, the Missouri events featured patients, doctors, clergy, nurses, staff, elected leaders and supporters.   Representatives Stephen Webber and Mary Still spoke at this morning's rally in Columbia, Representative Tishaura Jones spoke in St. Louis and Representative Sara Lampe spoke in Springfield. The St. Louis stop also featured Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

For more photos, video and information, check out IStandWithPlannedParenthood.blogspot.com.

I snagged a few photos at the Columbia stop...

Planned Parenthood staff have more from Springfield here and more from Columbia here.

And here are some shaky iPhone vids from Columbia as well...

A tweet from Post-Dispatch reporter Tony Messenger, earlier this evening at a Senate committee hearing on Sen. Rob Mayer's (R-Dexter) SB793: 

I think this one stands on its own: