What ever happened to legitimate budget cuts and not social riders. Politics not policy!
Where are the large numbers that supposedly support the Republicans that Planned Parenthood does these large numbers of abortions.
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Fri Apr 8, 2011 6:14 PM EDT
plannedparenthood.com
House Republicans and Senate Democrats remain huddled behind closed doors this afternoon, trying to slam out a budget deal before midnight. Both sides have taken the time out of these 24/7 talks to take swipes at one another over the holdouts. Disagreeing over their disagreements: not a good sign.
Republicans say no agreement on a specific amount has been reached yet. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is singing a different tune. He said they both agreed to cut $38 billion in spending and the main hang up was the Republicans’ rider to defund Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood accounts for .0083% of the entire federal budget.
The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein, also frequent Last Word guest, had great blog post today, which lays out their allotment of federal funds. Only three percent go to abortions. Most funds go to preventative treatment towards STDs and contraception.
So though the fight over Planned Parenthood might be about abortion, Planned Parenthood itself isn’t about abortion. It’s primarily about contraception and reproductive health. And if Planned Parenthood loses funding, what will mainly happen is that cancer screenings and contraception and STD testing will become less available to poorer people. Folks with more money, of course, have many other ways to receive all these services, and tend to get them elsewhere already.
How should these riders play into the budget deal? Join the discussion in the comment section below.
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