Political & Elections

Your last one cracked me up. Contraceptive failure rates must be higher in my world than yours, Busdriver!

The federal government provides roughly 500 million to PP each year. Not sure what their operating budget or outside donations are. Adding up the revenue those 300,000-400,000 is a whole lot of millions.

Honestly, one thing I am really tired of, is Republican politicians who demonize Planned Parenthood. And most of them know nothing about the organization, nor have ever stepped foot in one. They provide low cost or free contraception and health care to women. I'm not sure where I would go for contraception or screening, or exams if I didn't have health insurance. Paying for a private doctor ain't cheap, and if we had to come up with the money, well, I'm going to my local PP instead.

A very, very small percentage of the services they provide are abortion services, and not all PP clinics do them. When I was younger, I went to PP for birth control pills for many years. I also went there for my pregnancy test for my first son, and for inexpensive maternity supplements.

I don't really care if government funds them, because I think if they pull funding, there will be plenty of private citizens to fill the gap. What the govt gives them is pennies compared to most of the things we fund, and a tiny part of their budget. I have no problem with govt support on this issue, but I think it is a "line in the sand" sort of issue as opposed to a real cost issue. there's probably a million things we could cut before PP funding, but it's just a political point anyways. What the intention is, is to shut PP clinics down because they dare to refer women to abortion clinics or perform or fund them there. Though supposedly govt contributions don't go towards abortions. I think that is incredibly short sighted and stupid to try to shut down access to these clinics for low income women, or women who don't have insurance, purely because about 3% of their business deals in abortions.

When I hear these politicians talking about PP, I think man, you people are clueless. Seeing Mitt Romney and wife at a PP fundraiser years ago, gives me hope, no matter what he's saying now.

I agree with you cat regarding the stance doesn't seem to belong to either side anymore.

R's want to demonize every abortion regardless of why it occurs. D's want to defend every abortion regardless when it occurs.

JMPHO, but I think this fight is total BS and fear mongering. Said it before, will say it again, our society has gone way past the Roe V Wade era and accept this as part of life. I can't see abortion every being illegal again.

What I do see is tax payer funding becoming the real issue in 14. MR or PBO being elected will face the same problem. A huge deficit, and programs will need to be cut.

Planned Parenthood is going to be a hot topic either way.

Look at the current ads, again it is fear mongering regarding this organization. PP is like PBS, the amount of money they bring in from outside contributions makes federal funding look like a drop in the rain bucket.

It is like the BC pill issue. OMG how mean and horrible insurers are not to cover it, but in reality the cost for a yr. on the pill is basically the price of buying one Mc Donald's happy meal a week. It is equal to less than one less Starbucks coffee a week. It is 20 bucks a quarter.  As a woman, and a Mom of a DD, ione whole yr is the cost of 1 pr of shoes, or 1 haircut and eyebrow waxing.  This whining about the cost is BS!  Guys don't get it.  They don't realize these women, defending PP, spend 20 bucks a week on manicures, 100 for hair coloring/highlights every 8 weeks,  80 on a pair of adorable heels they can't live without, 50 on pair of jeans, 40 on a bra from Victoria Secret, 7 on a glass of wine X3 at a bar with friends weekly --- not adding appetizers.  They are not indigent.  

This is to them a right that they deserve and we as tax payers should pay.  Sorry, I am not willing to place them over education for the children that are alive when some of them are living in shelters, or their parents are on food stamps.  The kids don't have an option.  These women do  Not to be vulgar, but if you want to lay down with someone, that is your choice, don't bring me into your bedroom.  That is what they are doing when they demand BC coverage at someone else's expense. 

Honestly, IMPHO, if you are a single woman and not in a relationship, I would be buying condoms if I was sexually active, and not on the pill. I would rather be pregnant than diagnosed with an STD. Want to protect women, let's start there...remind them that STD's are like luggage, you carry it with you for the rest of your life. No offense, but that is the fact. Remind them like we did with our kids...when you sleep with that 1 person, you are sleeping with everyone they slept with, and everyone that their ex partners slept with. Do you think the majority of sexually active people get blood work done prior to laying bed with someone? I sure as hell don't!

I would rather our DD come home and say she was pregnant, than to say I have HIV.

This past summer, she asked to go to the OB/GYN to go on the pill. We decided that it took a lot of maturity to come to us as a 20 yr old, and we would support her decision. In the end she didn't go on the pill after talking to the doc. She decided at this young age it would increase her chances of cancer, can impact her ability to get pregnate later on in life, but most importantly, won't protect her from any STD. I was smart enough to send her back to school with condoms.

Don't get me wrong, I am not thrilled about this, but my priority is my DD, and being an ostrich is not an option. I would rather her be safe than sorry. Additionally, she is not 16, or 18, she will be 21 in 5 months.

Finally, what I find the most infuriating as a woman...They demand control over the body without govt involvement, but than they want govt involvement regarding how to pay for it.

 

Which is it?  You want the govt in or out?  You can't have it both ways.  

-- Edited by pima on Saturday 27th of October 2012 12:20:24 PM

I think abortions should be legal. It is not my personal choice, but I support anyone that decides this is the right path for them. Here's the reason why.

25 yrs ago, I was a ****tail waitress at a very popular bar in our area (NJ) as a college student to pay my bills. One Fri. night a regular walks in and a few hrs later, the bar phone rings looking for him (decades before cell phones), it was a hospital in NY. His 16 yo DD was admitted in serious condition. She had an abortion at 7 months. The reason it occurred that far along was because she had to get money together to pay for it. She went to a bad doc that would do it, she told Dad she was sleeping over at a friend's house. Luckily, they had enough sense to take her to the hospital after the doc botched it.

To outlaw abortions only harms the health of any girl/woman. This is their choice and they will live with the decision for the rest of their lives, but it won't stop them from getting one.

I don't think women see abortion as a post sex birth control like some may want to believe. I think they put thought into it, and IMPHO some people don't get that. They assume that they are non-chalant about the emotional toll.

I always find the R's hypocritical regarding this issue. Don't kill the fetus, but we also have an issue if you are on Welfare and Medicaid for having the child. It is a damn if you do or don't.

Me, it is simple, I am socially D, fiscally R. I believe that out society has come so far abortion will exist regardless of who appts the next SCOTUS. I can't see states outlawing abortion. Thus, it really now comes back to the control of the woman. If she goes forward with the pregnancy and keeps the child, accept the fact that your choice impacts me financially to help you raise that child.

I love what NJ did. You enter Welfare with X amt of kids, you are capped at that amount of kids. They will pay for Norplant or Depo. Your choice. You get pregnant again on welfare and not on either, no more additional assistance. Great motivator for any women to take either of these options.

That's the thing about abortion, isn't it?

You want it when you want it, and you get all righteously indignant, convincing mostly yourself about your "rights," and then for the rest of your life you are haunted by it. You just can't help thinking, "my kid would be x years old now, I wonder what he/she would have been like."

How many feelings and stories of regret do you hear from the folks who go through with the pregnancy, or from the kids then adults who are born? Not so much.

She came out years ago saying that this court decision is a heavy burden to carry. Most people aren't familiar with this fact.