Tag Archives: Planned Parenthood

Our nation turns its eyes to Missouri

01 Saturday Jun 2019

Posted by in Missouri General Assembly, Missouri Governor, Missouri House, Missouri Senate, Resist

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For all the wrong reasons.

Pre 1973 2019 medical equipment.

Yesterday, from Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri:

ABORTION CARE WILL CONTINUE IN MISSOURI — FOR NOW
For Immediate Release: May 31, 2019

Court Blocks State’s Egregious Actions that would have Left Missouri as the First State Since 1974 Without a Health Center that Provides Abortion
Court Allows Health Center to Continue Services for Now — Sets Another Court Date

St. Louis – Today, the Circuit Court of St. Louis stepped in to protect the last remaining health center in Missouri that provides abortion — for now. The judge today issued a Temporary Restraining Order against the state of Missouri, allowing Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region (RHS) — the last remaining health center in Missouri that provides abortion — to continue to provide abortion for the time being. The ruling means that abortion services will continue in the state for now. The judge also set another hearing on Tuesday, June 4.

Statement of Dr. Leana Wen, President & CEO, Planned Parenthood Federation of America:
“Today is a victory for women across Missouri, but this fight is far from over. We have seen just how vulnerable access to abortion care is here—and in the rest of the country. We are glad that the governor has been prevented from putting women’s health and lives in danger—for now—and call on him to stop this egregious politicalization of public health in an attempt to ban all safe, legal abortion care in the state.

“We want our patients to know that we will never abandon the women of Missouri. We will keep fighting these attempts to end access to health care, to ensure all people can get the care that they need—no matter what.”

Statement of Dr. Colleen McNicholas, OB-GYN, Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region:
“This is a huge sigh of relief for the many patients who need access to safe, legal abortion in Missouri. The fight goes on. While temporary, we celebrate today, and tomorrow we go back to work to ensure access to abortion does not go dark at the last health center that provides abortion in Missouri. Planned Parenthood has served Missouri for more than 87 years and we aren’t going anywhere. While Governor Parson abandoned our patients, we will not. Our doors are open today, our doors will be open tomorrow, and we will fight to make sure all patients continue to receive the care they need and deserve.”

On Tuesday, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and RHS announced they expected the state health department to block services at the state’s last remaining health center that provides abortion by refusing to renew its license to provide abortion services — a move that would have left 1.1 million women of reproductive age in Missouri without a health center in their state that provided abortion.

RHS filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of St. Louis on Tuesday asking for a Temporary Restraining Order against the state’s egregious actions. Today’s ruling means that abortion services in Missouri are protected — for now.

It is not new for politicians in Missouri or elsewhere to use a combination of state laws and regulatory harassment to target abortion providers — in fact, Missouri already used similar targeting to block the only other health center in the state that provided abortions from continuing to do so in 2018. Last week, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bills, which bans abortion at nearly every stage of pregnancy and also adds more medically unnecessary abortion restrictions. Missouri’s long list of medically unnecessary restrictions are no longer just targeting clinics they are directly impacting patients and their right to evidence based healthcare free from harassment. Missouri’s demand that doctors perform invasive and medically unnecessary pelvic exams on patients is a clear indication that they have no regard for the wellbeing of their citizens. The medical literature is clear: restrictions including a 72-hour mandatory delay for patients accessing abortion that requires patients to make two trips to the health center, and demanding that abortion providers hold local hospital admitting privileges have no basis in science.

Already, 1 in 3 women of reproductive age lives in a state where abortion could be outlawed if Roe is overturned. That’s over 25 million people. While abortion bans impact everyone who can become pregnant, they hit people of color and those who are struggling to make ends meet the hardest — the people who already face barriers to accessing good health care. While those with wealth may be able to find a way around abortion bans, far too many people — especially those who already face racism, homophobia, and transphobia — will be left with no options at all.

###

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.

Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region provides options counseling, pregnancy testing, abortion care and other reproductive services for thousands of people in Missouri, Illinois and across the region each year. Our highly-trained physicians and medical staff provide expert care in a supportive setting, no matter what. [….]

Governor Mike Parson (r) [2018 file photo].

From Governor Mike Parson (r):

Statement On Court Ruling Regarding Planned Parenthood’s St. Louis Facility
May 31, 2019

Jefferson City — Today, Governor Mike Parson issued the following statement after the 22nd Circuit Court of St. Louis, Missouri, issued a temporary restraining order:

“Following today’s ruling, the State will soon have the opportunity for a prompt legal review of our state health regulators’ serious health and safety concerns regarding Planned Parenthood’s abortion facility in St. Louis. We are committed to and take seriously our duty to ensure that all health facilities in Missouri follow the law, abide by regulations, and protect the safety of patients.”

Well, that was lame. “Shut it down” didn’t work, eh? Yet.

“Serious health and safety concerns”? Really. Okay. What are they? Why aren’t those concerns listed in this press release?

#resist

Previously:

HB 126 and HB 127: catering to their single issue base (December 3, 2018)

Gov. Mike Parson (r): Alabama, hold my beer… (May 15, 2019)

Gov. Mike Parson (r): New York is shorthand for what? (May 16, 2019)

Medieval (May 17, 2019)

Sen. Denny Hoskins (r): post session victory dance over any individal woman’s personal medical decisions (May 17, 2019)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): the 13th Century GOP in 21st Century America (May 20, 2019)

HB 126: the elephant in the womb (May 24, 2019)

HB 126: “…here for the ratio” (May 25, 2016)

Missouri: Medieval (May 28, 2019)

ACLU: Referendum Petition filed on HB 126 (May 28, 2019)

Women’s Health Care in Missouri – 1, Gov. Mike Parson (r) – 0 (May 31, 2019)

Women’s Health Care in Missouri – 1, Gov. Mike Parson (r) – 0

31 Friday May 2019

Posted by in Missouri General Assembly, Missouri Governor, Missouri House, Missouri Senate

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This afternoon:

Planned Parenthood Action @PPact
BREAKING: A state court just issued temporary relief to block Missouri from eliminating abortion access in the state. This ruling means that abortion services will continue in the state — for now.
[….]
1:24 PM – 31 May 2019

For now.

Previously:

HB 126 and HB 127: catering to their single issue base (December 3, 2018)

Gov. Mike Parson (r): Alabama, hold my beer… (May 15, 2019)

Gov. Mike Parson (r): New York is shorthand for what? (May 16, 2019)

Medieval (May 17, 2019)

Sen. Denny Hoskins (r): post session victory dance over any individal woman’s personal medical decisions (May 17, 2019)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): the 13th Century GOP in 21st Century America (May 20, 2019)

HB 126: the elephant in the womb (May 24, 2019)

HB 126: “…here for the ratio” (May 25, 2016)

Missouri: Medieval (May 28, 2019)

ACLU: Referendum Petition filed on HB 126 (May 28, 2019)

Missouri: Medieval

28 Tuesday May 2019

Posted by in Missouri General Assembly, Resist

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Pre 1973 2019 medical equipment.

News today:

Planned Parenthood @PPFA
BREAKING: Missouri could soon become the first state in the country to have no health center that provides safe, legal abortion, leaving more than a million people in a situation we haven’t seen since Roe v. Wade.

This is unacceptable. Abortion care is health care. Period.
[….]
10:12 AM – 28 May 2019

The forced birther trolling in the comments…

Pre 1973 2019 medical instruments.

Previously:

HB 126 and HB 127: catering to their single issue base (December 3, 2018)

Gov. Mike Parson (r): Alabama, hold my beer… (May 15, 2019)

Gov. Mike Parson (r): New York is shorthand for what? (May 16, 2019)

Medieval (May 17, 2019)

Sen. Denny Hoskins (r): post session victory dance over any individal woman’s personal medical decisions (May 17, 2019)

Rep. Vicky Hartzler (r): the 13th Century GOP in 21st Century America (May 20, 2019)

HB 126: the elephant in the womb (May 24, 2019)

HB 126: “…here for the ratio” (May 25, 2016)

“Pro-life” vitriol

03 Saturday Mar 2018

Posted by in Missouri General Assembly, Missouri House, social media

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Almost two years ago:

Planned Parenthood shooter ‘happy’ with his attack
Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY Published 9:30 p.m. ET April 11, 2016 | Updated 7:14 a.m. ET April 12, 2016
“….[Robert] Dear was carrying four Soviet-style SKS semi-automatic rifles, and shot from inside the clinic at propane tanks he’d set out as improvised bombs, although they didn’t explode as planned…”

Yesterday, via Twitter from Representative Stacey Newman (D):

RepStaceyNewman @staceynewman
And I’m with my #moleg seatmate and my Congressman @LacyClayMO1! #BanAssaultWeapons
[….]
12:52 PM – 2 Mar 2018

A response from a republican staffer:

Tom Estes @TomJEstes
Should we ban the assault weapons used at Planned Parenthood? #moleg
[….]
3:49 PM – 2 Mar 2018

Uh.

Tom Estes
@TomJEstes
Christian. Man. Husband. Father. Preacher. Conservative. Pro-Life. Traditional marriage. #MOLeg Senate Staffer. God’s opinion is supreme. Personal Account.
Jefferson City, MO

Much hilarity ensues

25 Wednesday Oct 2017

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Today, via Representative Ann Wagner’s (r) non-Congressional Twitter account:

Ann Wagner‏ @AnnLWagner
I refuse to stand by as Satanists challenge the sanctity of life. Add your name if you stand in support of #LIFE [….]
4:06 PM – 25 Oct 2017

The link goes to Ann Wagner’s campaign web site:

Satanists have teamed up with the ACLU and Planned Parenthood in Missouri to roll back the rights of the unborn. Help Ann fight back – add your name now to stand up for life.

Some of the responses on Twitter:

FOH. I don’t want to hear one word about the “sanctity of life” from the same crowd that refuses to do anything about mass shootings.

All hail the forced birth party! #forcedbirth

The Satanists have higher principles than you so-called Christians.

Pseudo-Christians.

Apparently the real Church of Satan issued a statement:

We have nothing to do with this. Our statement: [….]

Nah. Even If I have to stand with satanists to protect a woman’s right to control her own health & reproductive choices, I will.
Hail Satan!

I support criminal investigations of all miscarriages too. Let’s get this ball rolling

Whatever drugs you’re currently taking need to be shared Ann.

I’m at Planned Parenthood right now, waiting for my annual exam. No Satanists here, as far as I can tell? You might want to visit sometime.

In the lobby there are several young women, one man, all the chairs are kinda dilapidated. No pentagrams, but there is a Rolling Stone issue

There are nice prints of flowers on the wall. Maybe the dance music on the radio has satanic lyrics if you play them backwards?

They are running a candy sale fundraiser (perhaps to help fund new chairs?). Perhaps M&Ms are a tool of Satan.

“Satanists”? Oh please.

hey, YOURE the one who wanted to give churches power to make decisions for individuals. Reap what you sow

Girl, what in God’s name are you talking about??

Ma’am put down the spray bottle of vinegar & step away from the tinfoil.

You are no better than Todd Akin was. I’m ashamed you represent my state.

Looks like somebody has been reading Brietbart

Hahaha. Silly person.

Hey we’re pretty nice heathens when you get to know us.

Nice bogeyman ya got there, Ann.

You simply are not capable of rational thought are you?

What on earth?

What the hell are you talking by about?

We see what you did there.

You do know that part of your brain can be used reasoning. Give it try.

Seriously?? Just stop.

Clearly, “sanity” is an imaginary concept, in your bunch! Whee-ooh, whee-ooh, that signpost up ahead, you’re lost in the Twilight Zone!

If this is your Halloween tweet, it’s scaring the bejeesus out of me. Get help!

This is a joke, right?

Um, probably not.

There are no words. Get help.

uhhh… don’t look now…but I’m pretty sure you’re completely insane.

What in the holy hell are you talking about? My word lady take a breather.

Satan is behind cutting off healthcare for millions of children too.

you seem fun.

Did you hit your head?

Lady, you cray.

My god, you’re a whack job.

What is wrong with you?

Geezus you’re a complete nutcase

Delete your account

I see that avoiding town hall meetings have driven you insane. #UnfitForOffice

You are friggin insane!!!

You are a complete loon

You seem quite stupid.

But it’s a dry heat

29 Saturday Jul 2017

Posted by in Resist

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There were a number of “Our Lives on the Line” rallies supporting Medicaid, Medicare and the ACA across the country today. The rally in Tucson started at 10:00 a.m., in the July morning heat, with over thirty individuals attending.

OFA, Planned Parenthood, and LUCHA were among the sponsoring organizations.

“Our Lives On the Line” rally, Rudy Garcia Park, Tucson, Arizona, July 29, 2017.

There are thousands of health care stories:

Much like the Indivisible events in Kansas and Missouri, many attending these rallies tell their health care stories.

Previously:

Sen. Roy Blunt (r): there are thousands of health care stories (July 25, 2017)

Talking about health care at Sen. Roy Blunt’s (r) office in Kansas City – July 14, 2017 (July 14, 2017)

Planned Parenthood #PinkOut in Kansas City – June 21, 2017

22 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by in Resist

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Last night in midtown Kansas City well over a hundred supporters of Planned Parenthood, most dressed in pink, demonstrated in support of women’s health care on Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard. This was one of many #PinkOut actions across the country.

The demonstration lasted over an hour until sunset.

In front of Planned Parenthood on Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard in Kansas City – June 21, 2017.

“Nope.”

“These doors stay open.”

“I stand with Planned Parenthood.”

Toward the end of the demonstration the occupants of a passing car stopped in the street and joined in.

Dancing in the street.

“…Healthcare for Women.”

Women are leading the resistance.

Roy Blunt’s worried about Zika – but not enough to do what’s necessary

08 Thursday Sep 2016

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Roy Blunt’s coming off as a little self-righteous these days. On his congressional Web page the first thing I encountered was a news release about how we need to “find a solution” to the impasse on his Zika bill that has been stalled over almost the entire mosquito season. According to Blunt, who seemed very willing to let the bill languish during his seven week summer vacation, we need to do so “immediately.”

Seems Democrats have repeatedly voted against the current better-than-nothing-but-still-bad bill which was brokered and partially crafted by Blunt. So, you see, it’s Blunt’s ugly child that’s getting dissed and he’s not going to take it laying down. Especially not just before an election.

Why, you ask, are Democrats so determined to undermine the health of Americans faced with the spread of a dire disease? Seems it’s at least partially because they’re determined to defend the general health of Americans, particularly American women. Confused yet? Well, read on.

Republicans who tell us that they think that Zika is a pressing emergency have loaded the bill with provisions that, among other things, would deny Zika funds to Planned Parenthood in Puerto Rico where the virus is running rampant. Do you think anyone in the Republican party with minimal sanity – if there were any such animals – would have supposed that Democrats would allow them to use this emergency to set a precedent for denying funds to an agency so vital to the reproductive health of American women? It’s a dumb move even if you’re thinking only about the spread of Zika. Planned Parenthood specializes in reproductive health and contraception. Zika can be spread from infected individuals through sexual activity and can cause severe birth defects. See the connection? Too bad Republicans can’t.

Texas offers an instructive example of just how important Planned Parenthood can be when it comes to reproductive health in general and underlines why it needs to be defended from legislative inroads even aside from its potential impact in lessening the fallout from Zika. Texas cut funding to Planned Parenthood a few years ago. As Laura Basset of the Huffington Post reports, “an estimated 155,000 Texas women have lost access to birth control and basic preventative health care since 2011,” and “last year, the state ranked sixth worse in the nation in a report on women’s health, economic security and political empowerment by the Center for American Progress.”

That’s not the only way Blunt’s Zika bill would risk Americans’ long-term health. Republicans are also attempting to use the bill to weaken restrictions on pesticide use in bodies of water. They are seeking to nullify the provisions of the Clean Water Act and reopen the door to widespread pollution of American water ways which is not so good for children and other growing things. And the cherry on the sunday? The proposed GOP changes would do little to combat Zika mosquitoes since current rules don’t actually hinder necessary spraying – but they would make commercial pesticide interests very happy.

In his news release Blunt claims to be busy meeting with researchers and officials of the Center of Disease Control (CDC) about Zika funding, but if he’s really serious about the need to fight the spread of Zika, he needs to be twisting the arms of all the GOPers who think that a health crisis is a perfect opportunity to sneak in a few goodies for campaign contributors and the GOP’s hardcore, anti-abortion base – Americans’ health and well-being be dammed.

Kurt Schaefer and the pander principle

17 Wednesday Aug 2016

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Remember how then potential Attorney General candidate, Kurt Schaeffer, like a dog with a really, really tasty bone, wouldn’t let go of the Planned Parenthood issue that erupted after a video surfaced that purported to show that the organization “sold baby parts.” Long after a state investigation cleared the Missouri Planned Parenthood affiliate of anything verboten, and, indeed, long after the videos themselves were widely discredited, Schaefer kept shaking that juicy, and, in terms of tax-dollars and legislative time, very expensive, ultimately imaginary bone.

Remember how he wanted to shut down abortions in Columbia by making the far-fetched claim that the University of Missouri was violating a law that forbids spending tax-dollars on abortions because the University Hospital gave a doctor who performed abortions at the Columbia Planned Parenthood the hospital privileges also required by state law? Remember how when a judge ruled against his efforts, he whined that Attorney General Chris Koster should “appeal immediately to enforce long-standing state law”? Expensive, time-consuming, futile. For sure. But Schaefer didn’t care. Then.

Well, guess what? Schaefer seems to have had his come-to-Jesus moment. As St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Tony Messenger put it:

… He [i.e., Schaefer] was the star witness for the defense — yes, the defense — in the case of 23 members of the clergy — most of them African-American — facing charges of trespassing and obstruction of the state Senate related to a protest they held on May 6, 2014, in the gallery of the Senate.

[…] on Tuesday, Schaefer stood up for the state constitution. He stood up for the law. He stood up for the principles of the First Amendment. He stood up for 23 people who never should have been charged with a crime, people who were in the Senate that day two and a half years ago to protest Schaefer’s stubborn opposition to allowing Medicaid expansion in Missouri.

While this principled stand is not, in itself, in opposition to his earlier actions in regard to Planned Parenthood, his rationale does give one pause:

“This case is all about prosecutorial discretion,” Schaefer told me after his testimony. “I just spent a whole lot of money telling Missourians about my prosecutorial experience. Well, you spend your resources on things that are real, not things like this. This case never should have come to trial.”

Too bad he didn’t remember this principle of “prosecutorial discretion” earlier. He could have saved the state a bundle and perhaps, just perhaps, the legislature might have had enough time to so some real work. Too bad that the principle he chose to observe instead was the pander principle.

Missouri GOPers run amok with taxpayer dollars

20 Friday May 2016

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Paul Waldman described Donald Trump’s “flexibility” in regard to the rightwing gun culture as “a perfect expression of the larger Republican bargain, where the party’s elites pretend to share the base’s cultural values and priorities, and in exchange are put into office where they pursue an agenda of tax cuts and regulatory rollback.” We’ve seen lots of this type of trade-off in Missouri, although I’m not sure some of our dimmer legislators are just pretending to share the world view of their more backward constituents. There can be no doubt, however, that almost all GOPers in our state’s government elevate the welfare of rich constituents and campaign donors, in the form of tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks, over all else.

This dual focus on social conservatism and conservative economic ideology can create contradictions that are often costly for Missouri’s citizens. The just-ended Missouri legislative session demonstrates how middle and working class taxpayers often have to pony up to pay for the pursuit of GOP economic freedoms and religious preferences. The members of the erstwhile “fiscally responsible” party seemed ready to fall all over themselves to spend the taxpayers’ once sacred dollars on right-wing legislative trinkets.

Voter ID. Cost to taxpayers: $17 million over three years. If Missouri voters go ahead and agree to change the state’s constitution in order to implement voter ID, the law that was passed stipulates that “the state would be required to provide free photo IDs and any underlying documents necessary to obtain them, such as birth certificates and Social Security cards.” None of which comes free of charge. Voter ID is a pretty expensive “fix” for an alleged voter fraud problem that doesn’t actually exist. As for the estimated 220,000 Missourians who could be disenfranchised, for our free-market GOP it’s no big deal since suppressing potentially Democratic votes will make it easier to elect folks who want nothing more than to secure that vaunted economic freedom (i.e., tax cuts and regulatory rollback) for their wealthy patrons.

Planned Parenthood Cuts. Cost to taxpayers: $8 million in 2016. In a move to avoid legal repercussions that defunding Planned Parenthood of $4 million in federal dollars would incur, legislators sacrificed the $8 million dollars the federal government allocated to Missouri to pay for women’s reproductive health, and replaced it with Missouri taxpayer money that they stipulate cannot go to agencies that perform abortion. Of course, none of the federal money could have been used for abortions in the first place. The goal was to destroy Planned Parenthood, the only venue for abortion in Missouri. It was driven by a set of widely discredited, manipulated videos tricked out to show that the agency sold aborted fetal material for medical research purposes (utilizing aborted “Baby parts” to save lives! Oh! the horror!).

Failure to expand Medicaid. Cost to taxpayers: $16.2 billion over 10 years (plus $6.8 billion lost to Missouri hospitals). I hope that I don’t have to explain this item, and that you already realize that our lawmakers are willing to short state taxpayers in a major way for no reason other than they don’t like the black man in the White House and strategically attempt to sabotage all of his initiatives – particularly the successful ones like Obamacare that put Republicans in a bad light. Oh, and there’s that thing about encouraging dependency. Right-wing folks purport to believe that using the People’s government to ensure the People’s wellbeing is as immoral as making rich folks pay their fair share. Because, you know, dependency. Once again, that’s about $1.6 billion lost to Missouri taxpayers this year alone – not to mention the estimated 700 Missouri deaths that could have been prevented.

Failure to act on an agreement to close the tobacco loophole: Cost to taxpayers: $50 million. If you want to know more about the “tobacco loophole,” read this Politifact Missouri article. The important point for my argument is that by failing to act legislatively to update the state’s tobacco law subsequent to an agreement negotiated by Attorney General Chris Koster and several big tobacco companies, the legislature cost the state $50,000 this year. There’s no reason for this negligence, none at all. Unless, of course, lobbyists for smaller tobacco companies, the losers in the agreement, dumped enough of the green stuff in Jefferson City to insure that the lawmakers assigned it a lesser priority than curtailing non-existent voter fraud or punishing Planned Parenthood for malfeasance that never happened.

These are the big money-wasters from the last session that I know about. There may be more, but if you tally up the cost of these four items, the total cost to Missouri taxpayers comes to something in the vicinity of $1.7 billion for one year – and some have financial implications that last for several years. That’s an awful lot for hard-pressed Missourians to pay when all that they’re getting for their money is an election year boost for Republican politicians so that they can make good on their implicit pledge to insure that those who have, get more.