Dear Senator Warren

Dear Senator Warren,

     The other day I watched your impassioned speech on the Senate floor in defense of Planned Parenthood. Admittedly, it was a very good speech, as speeches go. I have come to expect this from you; you are a very gifted orator and politician. However, your speech on August 3rd, 2015, was so riff with fallacies, lies, and misinformation that I could not let it go without a response. Unfortunately, since I am unable to stand up on the Senate floor and reply, this will have to do for the time being. I would like to address your speech point by point, so please bear with me. (Your speech is in bold, and my responses are immediately following each of your points.)

   

"Madam President, I come to the Senate floor to ask my Republican colleagues a question: Do you have any idea what year it is? Did you fall down and hit your head and think you woke up in the 1950s or the 1890s? Should we call for a doctor?"

      Ok, right off the bat this strikes a discordant note. Your tone here is incredibly condescending and dripping with sarcasm. Not the best way to start a dialogue on a tough issue. Yes, Republicans know what year it is, and no, they didn't fall down and bash their heads on the Capitol steps. If you wanted me to listen to your point of view this was not the way to begin. Rather than opening up a respectful discussion or respectfully voicing your opinions in the world's most powerful lawmaking body, you resorted to outdated, ad hominem attacks on your fellow legislators. Not the most powerful argument.

"Because I simply cannot believe that in the year 2015, the U.S. Senate would be spending its time trying to defund women’s health care centers. On second thought, maybe I shouldn't be that surprised. The Republicans have had a plan for years to strip away women’s rights to make choices about their own bodies."

      Senator, I am quite familiar with your speeches and so I know that this is not the first time you have used this line of reasoning. Whenever the issue of abortion or women's health comes up you or one of your fellow Democrats gets up and starts decrying the "Republican war on women." This is not about abortion you always say. This is about old-fashioned white men clinging to their guns and  Please don't insult our intelligence, as MSNBC's Joe Scarborough put it the other morning. Nobody is interested in taking away women's access to affordable health care. What advantage would that provide to Republicans? If Republicans are so set on discriminating against women, then why are there so many women Republicans and conservatives? My mom is Republican. Ask her if she thinks Rand Paul wants to deny her health care. Many of my female friends are Republican. Ask them if they believe Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz or Scott Walker wants to deprive them of health care. Why don't you talk to Senators Deb Fischer, Kelly Ayotte and Joni Ernst, or Governors Nikki Haley and Susana Martinez and ask them if they are trying to deal a blow to women's rights? If your reasoning is correct then all Republicans would be men.
religion and desperately trying to keep women in the kitchen where they belong. Or so you would have us believe.

"Just look at the recent facts. In 2013, Republicans threatened to shut down the government unless they could change the law to let employers deny women access to birth control. In March of this year, Republicans held up a noncontroversial, bipartisan bill to stop human trafficking. Why? Because they demanded new anti-abortion restrictions to cover private funding meant to help the victims of human trafficking."

      Here's where things really go south, Senator. This is not just wrong; it is a flat out dishonest misrepresentation of the facts. The only ones disrupting the government's proceedings have been the Democrats, who have shown an obstinate refusal to compromise. The human trafficking bill you speak of was certainly an admirable cause, one that had little to no controversy surrounding it. However, when pro-life senators, acting in accordance with the desires of their constituents placed an amendment in the bill that merely assured that none of the bill's funding would go towards abortion services, Democrats let out a blood curdling (metaphorical) howl, dug in their heels, and blocked the bill, thereby causing its failure. Time and time again Democrats have proven that they expect Republicans to bow to their every whim, while they themselves will not give one inch. When the Dems were in the majority they whined and complained that the GOP should give in and compromise since they were the minority party. Now, when the GOP controls both houses, Democrats won't budge, and still manage to blame it on the Republicans. The fact of the matter is that the amendment Republicans proposed had very little effect on this bill and was not reason enough for you to oppose it.

"Let’s be clear. It is not just Congress. Over the past 5 years Republican State legislators have passed nearly 300 new restrictions on abortion access. This year alone Republican State legislators have passed more than 50 new restrictions on women’s access to legal health care."

     I find it odd that in a speech about Planned Parenthood you are just now mentioning abortion. In regards to the nearly 300 abortion restrictions, you're darn right we did, and we're proud of it, too! And don't talk to me about health care. Abortion is not health care. When I think about health care I think about a doctor caring for someone, with caring being the key word. Not ripping them apart, limb from limb. That is what abortion does. When I go to the doctor I want him to cure me, not kill me and sell my arms and legs.

"Let’s be really clear about something. The Republican scheme to defund Planned Parenthood is not some sort of surprised response to a highly edited video. Nope. The Republican vote to defund Planned Parenthood is just one more piece of a deliberate, methodical, orchestrated, rightwing attack on women’s rights, and I am sick and tired of it. Women everywhere are sick and tired of it. The American people are sick and tired of it."

      First of all, these videos were only edited to make them shorter. The full length videos can be seen on YouTube and are several hours long. The full length versions are just as horrifying, if not more so, than the shorter versions. They were edited for practicality, not to falsify information.  Secondly, your claim that Americans are sick and tired of this "scheme to defund Planned Parenthood" is somewhat dubious. According to the latest data, a large majority of Americans favor at least some restrictions to abortion. I see what you're doing here. You're trying to turn this around on us. You completely ignore the disgusting content of the videos and the disturbing illegal activity going on within Planned Parenthood and try and make this about women's rights. Well, this is not about women's rights. This is about alleged illegal activity. According to United States law, human tissue trafficking is punishable by up to ten years in prison and/or a $500,000 fine. Aren't these allegations worth at least some sort of investigation? If you truly had good will, you would call for a thorough investigation of this issue. Instead, you "stand with Planned Parenthood" no matter what. How far does your loyalty go? What has PP done for you that makes you so fiercely loyal to their interests? It seems to me that as a multi-million dollar company, Planned Parenthood is capable of defending itself. It is your job, as a member of Congress, to ensure that organizations which you fund are in compliance with U.S. law. It is not your job to be their lawyer or spokeswoman. Do you know what I am sick and tired of? I am sick and tired of politicians like you feigning outrage over "women's rights," while turning a blind eye to the millions of women being murdered before they are even born. I am sick and tired of the utter hypocrisy of those who will overlook any wrongdoing as long as it suits their agenda. I am sick and tired of the left screaming "oppression" at every turn, except when it concerns the unborn.

"Scheduling this vote during the week of a big FOX News Presidential primary debate, days before candidates take trips to Iowa or New Hampshire isn’t just some clever gimmick. This is an all-out effort to build support to take away a woman’s right to control her own body and access to medical care she may need."

      You are right; these videos were released in a very calculated manner and at a very specific time. And do you know why? Because it is the only way this type of thing would get any coverage. Time and time again we have seen the mainstream media cover up for Planned Parenthood (and other people/organizations they adore). Even in this case, despite the pro-life movement's best efforts, these videos have received minimal news coverage in comparison to some of the other things ABC, MSNBC, and CNN deem newsworthy. The makers of these videos wanted to ensure that they would not and could not be ignored. And don't tell me you wouldn't do the same in their situation. It is merely the nature of politics, so don't pretend that you are somehow above such a move.

"This affects all of us, whatever your age, wherever you live. I guarantee that you know someone who has used Planned Parenthood health care centers. No one may mention it at Thanksgiving dinner or post it on Facebook for the whole world to know, but just look at the facts. One in five women in America is a Planned Parenthood patient at least once in her life. Every single year nearly 2.7 million women and men show up for help at Planned Parenthood. Why do so many people use Planned Parenthood? Because they are nonprofit and they are open. More than half of Planned Parenthood centers are located in areas without ready access to health care. Women who can't get appointments anywhere else go to Planned Parenthood for pap tests and cancer screenings. Couples go to Planned Parenthood for STD treatments or pregnancy tests. Young people go to Planned Parenthood for birth control. And, yes, 3 percent of patients visit Planned Parenthood for a safe and legal abortion with a doctor who will show compassion and care for a woman who is making one of the most difficult decisions of her entire life."

      You know, Mrs. Warren, it is not very becoming of a United States Senator to repeatedly use false facts and statistics. And it is especially unbecoming of you to consistently skew the truth and feed lies to the American people. What am I talking about?  Let me explain. If 2.7 million men and women utilize Planned Parenthood's services each year and Planned Parenthood does roughly 330,000 abortions each year, where exactly do you get your 3% figure? If you divide 330,000 by 2,700,000 you get about 12%. This repeatedly cited, but still false, 3% statistic is one which Planned Parenthood has invented in order to mask the true purpose of their organization. Here's how they get to this number: "By Planned Parenthood’s math, a woman who gets an abortion but also a pregnancy test, an STD test, and some contraceptives has received four services, and only 25 percent of them are abortion. This is a little like performing an abortion and giving a woman an aspirin, and saying only half of what you do is abortion. Such cracked reasoning could be used to obscure the purpose of any organization. The sponsors of the New York City Marathon could count each small cup of water they hand out (some 2 million cups, compared with 45,000 runners) and say they are mainly in the hydration business." (National Review) The fact of the matter is that 12.6% of all women who go to Planned Parenthood go there to obtain an abortion. These abortions account for a huge portion of Planned Parenthood's annual revenue. If we say that an average abortion costs $450, then PP would gross $148,000,000 per year on abortions.

      So, when you say that 3% of women go to Planned Parenthood for an abortion, you are just plain wrong. It doesn't take a genius to see that there are some serious discrepancies in Planned Parenthood's figures.

"To be clear, even though the abortions performed at Planned Parenthood are safe and legal, the Federal Government is not paying for any of them— not one dime. For almost 40 years the Federal Government has prohibited Federal funding for abortions except in the cases of rape, incest or life endangerment. Most of the money Planned Parenthood receives from the government comes in the form of Medicaid payments for medical care provided to low-income patients, the same payments any other doctor or clinic receives for providing cancer screenings or other medical exams. The rest of Planned Parenthood’s Federal funding comes from title X that provides birth control to low-income and uninsured people, the same program the House Republicans voted to cut in June. The government doesn’t fund abortions, period."

      It was safe and legal for Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and Mao Zedong to kill tens of millions of their own people. It was safe and legal for American plantation owners to own, beat, and kill their slaves. History has proven that legality does not equal morality.

      As to your claim that the government does not fund abortions, well, you're distorting the truth yet again. As anyone with half an understanding of economics or finance could tell you, money is fungible. If a dad gives his kid ten bucks and says, "Son, I'm giving you this $10 as long as you don't spend it on candy." No one in their right mind would really think this will hurt the boy's ability to purchase candy. While he might not use that exact ten dollar bill, he can use one of his own to the same effect. Every year Planned Parenthood receives their $528 million government subsidy. While they are legally prohibited from using that specific money for abortions, they are now free to use $500 million of their own money for abortion.

"A vote today to defund Planned Parenthood is not a vote to defund abortions. It is a vote to defund cancer screenings, birth control, and basic health care for millions of women. I say to my Republican colleagues: The year is 2015, not 1955 and not 1895. Women have lived through a world where backward-looking ideologues tried to interfere with the basic health decisions made by a woman and her doctor, and we are not going back—not now, not ever. The Republican plan to defund Planned Parenthood is a Republican plan to defund women’s health care. For my daughter, for my granddaughters, for people all across Massachusetts, and all across this country, I stand with Planned Parenthood, and I hope my colleagues will do the same."

      What you forget to mention is that this bill does not actually take money away from women's health care. It merely redistributes it. And it redistributes it to the more than 9,000 community health care centers around America. Community Health Centers are actually a much larger women's health provider than Planned Parenthood could ever hope to be. Planned Parenthood has 700 locations and serves 2.7 million patients. Community Health Centers are in 9000 locations and serve over 21 million people. Planned Parenthood does 378,000 Pap tests. Community Health Centers do 1,787,000. The only thing Planned Parenthood does better than CHC is abortions, to the tune of about 330,000 a year. If Planned Parenthood lost its government funding, it would not collapse. It would not go bankrupt. And to claim that every single one of its 2.7 million patients would have no other way of receiving health care is simply ludicrous. And I'm not talking about the rapper. Your argument that this bill's purpose is to restrict access to health care doesn't have a leg to stand on.

      Since you did not see fit to address the crux of the matter, the exposé videos, I will do it for you. And if you haven't seen the videos, which I strongly suspect is the case, you can watch all of them right here, in their edited and unedited versions. I challenge you to watch them. I challenge you to watch them and remain unmoved by their callous and brutal nature. Planned Parenthood has been exposed for what it really is, a huge money-making corporation that will do anything to increase its profits. In these videos Planned Parenthood admitted to charging $100 per "specimen," (i.e. arm, leg, lung, heart, etc.) totaling hundreds and hundreds of dollars per baby. They claim this is merely to cover the costs of shipping and handling, and that this is merely tissue donation. Newsflash: shipping and handling does not cost that much money. In addition, you cannot have tissue donation without a donor's consent. And I guarantee the baby did not consent to donate his limbs. This is profit; profit that happens to be illegal. Fetal tissue trafficking is a federal felony punishable by enormous fines and years in prison. Planned Parenthood also admitted to deviating from the agreed on procedure without the woman's permission in order to obtain a more intact fetus. And yes, this is also illegal. As I pointed out in my last blog post, this is just the latest incidence in a long line of corruption at Planned Parenthood. Many good deeds do not cancel out a few bad ones. That is not how the justice system works. If you commit an illegal act you must pay for it, even if you are the world's greatest philanthropist. And Planned Parenthood hasn't just done a few bad things. They have done a multitude of bad things, and it is time for them to face the consequences. It is too bad that they will always have disingenuous politicians like yourself to defend them at all costs and no matter what misdeeds they are accused of. But I forgot; it’s all the Republicans fault. This is the GOP's fault, because we hate women.

       Senator Warren, if you keep ignoring the problem, keep attacking pro-lifers, and keep pouring on the accusations, eventually the world will see all your words for what they really are. Soon you will realize you are no longer in the majority. It is happening already. A majority of Americans agree that there should be restrictions on abortions. One day you will wake up to find that a majority of Americans despise your defense of a corrupt and evil organization. Until that day, I and my fellow pro-lifers will do our utmost to make America realize its mistake. Until that day, while you defend the murder of millions of babies, I will do my best to save their lives. And no, that does not mean I will do nothing for their mothers. I am pro-life, not pro-birth. Every life, born and unborn, is equally important. May you someday realize this yourself.