The house votes to stop funding for Planned Parenthood
Written by Tom Beasley in News, Opinion, Politics at February 19, 2011
I recognize not all atheists are ‘pro-choice’, and many atheists are conservative. However, while there are very valid secular arguments, the primary voice of the ‘pro-life’ movement is religion. The house of representatives recently voted to stop funding for Planned Parenthood. Of course, their argument will be that “they respect the law, they just don’t want their taxpayer dollars used for something they don’t believe in.” Independent of the abortion debate, this ultimately could lead to a lack of life-saving services. This also prohibits low income families from getting, besides life-saving services, abortions. In effect, the group that would be in most dire need would be denied.
Democrats argued Planned Parenthood provided important access to contraception, medical exams and counseling, while Republicans argued the organization is too insistent about performing abortions.
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“The time has come to respect the wishes of the majority of Americans who adamantly oppose using taxpayer dollars for abortions,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said.
Speier called the amendment a “vendetta” against Planned Parenthood.
“Planned Parenthood has a right to operate,” she said. “Planned Parenthood has a right to provide services for family planning. Planned Parenthood has a right to offer abortions. Last time I checked, abortions were legal in this country.”
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Who’s having abortions (religion)?
Women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4% of all abortions in the U.S.; Catholic women account for 31.3%, Jewish women account for 1.3%, and women with no religious affiliation obtain 23.7% of all abortions. 18% of all abortions are performed on women who identify themselves as “Born-again/Evangelical”.
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What can you do? If this is a topic that concerns you, check out the ACLU’s response.
