I was in a bit of a state of shock when I arrived at work to
find out someone had tried to burn my office down. A neighbor had called the
fire department and everything was under control with no substantial damage
done by the time I arrived. Why would someone do something like that?
It was l985 in the USA, at the beginning of President Ronald
Reagan’s second term in office. I was a Director of Information and Education
at a Planned Parenthood affiliate providing low cost voluntary family planning
services to those least able to afford it, both women and men. Among other
duties, I had been hired to specifically address how teen boys could be supported
to take responsibility for their role in teen pregnancy as well as to foster
healthy father-son relationships that included conversations about taking that
responsibility. Though the bulk of Planned Parenthood and my mission was to
educate people about their individual and private choices, I was well aware of
the controversy over abortion services—and that is what had flames licking the
siding below my office window.
When people feel powerless, they are at risk of being
manipulated and can sometimes be driven to desperate measures to draw attention
to what they feel is wrong, not just for them, but everyone. Ever since the l973 U.S. Supreme Court decision supporting women’s right to choose whether or not to end
a pregnancy in consultation with their physician was put in place, there have
been those who have attempted to reverse that decision, in any way they
possibly can think of, at any cost to others.
Uniquely in the USA for many decades now this issue has been
used by politicians to curry favor for themselves or denigrate others by
playing on the strong emotions of a minority of voters. We are currently seeing
the latest version of a strategy to divide and conquer with Planned Parenthood
again being used as a convenient target for an angst that is continually inflamed
both by people with strong personal convictions and beliefs and others that
simply see abortion controversy as a political football to keep in the air for
political gain and power. That is why you will see many seeking or in political
office waver in their opinions or support for reproductive choice. They are
attempting to see which way the political winds are blowing with particular
constituencies before they take a clear stand.
Unfortunately, playing political games with the lives of
women, men and families in need of high quality reproductive health care
undermines both the health and freedom of hundreds of thousands who have have
come to rely on Planned Parenthood for safe, reliable and effective means for
making their own private choices about when and how many children they will
have. It is always important to remember that for some, when they cross the
threshold of a clinic it may be their first access to health screening for
cancer and other services associated with primary health care that person might
not otherwise receive.
I’d like to think this drama will stop repeating
itself in my lifetime and political machinery will no longer benefit by the constant flame fanning of this divisive issue. I’ve no investment in changing
people’s strong convictions about when life begins or their choices about their
own pregnancy, the consequences of which are shared by both women and men.
I do know that when men in particular (along with women)
feel they have the right to determine other individuals and families life
choices, they are not merely hypocrites maintaining they are
committed to individual freedom, they support those desperate ones who lit
fire to my office. If not explicitly they implicitly condone acts of terror against their own country men and women. Now well into the 21st century anti-abortion violence has actually remained a consistent, if secondary,
source of domestic terrorism and violence, manifesting itself most
often in assaults and vandalism, with occasional arsons, bombings,
drive-by shootings, and assassination attempts. Acts of terror don't arise in only one culture or religion nor from an aberrant gene. This violence, like other forms, is committed by those who have become emotionally isolated, lost touch with their own humanity or are manipulated
into believing that denying others their right to liberty and the pursuit of
their own happiness, is a threat to their way of life, when it clearly is not. They are acting out their own personal powerlessness.
On another plane of view, I can see how these continued
threats to individual freedom serve a purpose as they bring more into the open
both the shadow and light of power and powerlessness. They provide an
opportunity for men of honor to declare themselves allies to not just women,
but to themselves and their own core values, their authentic and true personal
power.
During this political season and era, consider telling
Planned Parenthood what a fine job they have done for you or anyone you’ve
known lucky enough to cross the threshold of one of their many welcoming
clinics. Support those political leaders who are true public servants that understand
the critical importance of taking a stand for the health and wellbeing of all
American families and the funding that makes that possible. And for those
readers living elsewhere than the US, remember that the International Planned
Parenthood Federation supports many programs on all continents, making a
healthy difference for those women and men attempting to take charge of and make better lives for themselves and their families.
Posted: 09/01/2015 12:53 PM EDT
The U.S. Justice Department sided with Planned Parenthood in its court battle with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) Monday night, telling a federal judge that Jindal lacked "sufficient reasons" to cut off Medicaid funding to the family planning provider.
Last month, Jindal moved to cancel Planned Parenthood's Medicaid contract in Louisiana after an anti-abortion group released a series of heavily edited undercover videos that show the organization's doctors discussing the donation of fetal tissue for medical research after abortions. The 2016 presidential hopeful and other Republicans are claiming the videos show Planned Parenthood engaged in the illegal sale of fetal body parts.
“In recent weeks, it has been shocking to see reports of the alleged activities taking place at Planned Parenthood facilities across the country,” Jindal said in a statement on August 3. “Planned Parenthood does not represent the values of the people of Louisiana and shows a fundamental disrespect for human life. It has become clear that this is not an organization that is worthy of receiving public assistance from the state.”
Jindal felt so strongly about the undercover videos that he aired them on the lawn of the governor's mansion during a recent demonstration in favor of Planned Parenthood in Baton Rouge.
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, which does not offer abortions in Louisiana, asked a federal court to block Jindal's move in late August, arguing that the undercover videos lack the evidence to "back up false and outrageous claims." Donation of fetal tissue after abortions is legal, and federal law explicitly allows for donors to receive reimbursement costs for the preservation and transportation of fetal tissue. Five state investigations into Planned Parenthood have turned up no evidence of wrongdoing.
“We’re in court today to protect over 5,200 people’s access to cancer screenings, well-woman exams and basic health care in Louisiana,” Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said in a statement. “Many of these folks would have nowhere else to turn for health care.”
Jindal said in a statement last month that the Medicaid provider agreement between Louisiana's Department of Health and Planned Parenthood "gives either party the right to cancel the contract at will with a 30-day notice." His office did not respond to the U.S. Justice Department's "statement of interest" filed Monday night in favor of Planned Parenthood.
