Bob Casey, a Catholic U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania who calls himself pro-life, recently indicated he’s opposed to defunding the nation’s biggest abortion business.
Posted to Twitter on Friday, his tweet read, “I stand with the 2.5 million people who visit @PPFA each year. @SpeakerRyan reverse course on defunding @PPFA #IStandWithPP.” PPFA stands for Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
I stand with the 2.5 million people who visit @PPFA each year. @SpeakerRyan reverse course on defunding @PPFA #IStandWithPP
— Senator Bob Casey (@SenBobCasey) January 6, 2017
Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, an affiliate of National Right to Life, told LifeNews that Casey is hurting women and children by supporting Planned Parenthood.
“It is incredibly sad that Senator Bob Casey is defending Planned Parenthood, which is the nation’s largest abortion operation, taking the lives of 320,000 innocent baby boys and girls in just one year alone,” Gallagher said.
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She pointed to the recent U.S. Congressional investigations that uncovered evidence of Planned Parenthood’s potentially illegal sales of aborted baby parts as another reason why pro-lifers should oppose the organization.
“In standing up for Planned Parenthood, Senator Casey is standing against the best interests of both women and children. The fact that his father, the late Governor Robert Casey, was such a staunch champion of innocent human life makes Senator Casey’s remarks all the more heartbreaking,” Gallagher added.
Casey did speak out after a series of undercover videos first exposed Planned Parenthood leaders trying to sell aborted baby parts. Despite what the videos found, he has consistently fought to keep taxpayer funding going to the abortion group.
“Like most Americans, I was disturbed and offended by recent videos of Planned Parenthood employees discussing the use of fetal tissue,” Casey wrote in the Scranton Times-Tribune. “The individuals on these tapes should be fired for their callous attitudes and, if they broke the law, they should be prosecuted.”
Though his op-ed also cited his support for the Hyde Amendment and his votes against funding for embryonic stem cell research, he also diverged from the pro-life platform in his support of President Barack Obama’s Health and Human Services Mandate in the Affordable Care Act, which requires Catholic and other religious groups to cover contraception and drugs that have the potential to cause abortions, despite the Roman Catholic Church’s longstanding opposition to such practices.
“I’ll go with the scientists on what contraception is, rather than a religious viewpoint of what science is,” Casey said in the National Review previously. Specifically, Casey stated that he believes contraception precedes conception.
Casey did vote against a bill that would overturn Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. This U.S. Supreme Court victory granted exemptions to small businesses with moral objections and/or religious beliefs against contraception and abortion from being forced to provide employees insurance coverage covering such practices under the HHS Mandate.
“Because of the Hyde Amendment, any federal funds going to Planned Parenthood cannot be spent on abortions, but must go to the organization’s other activities,” Casey wrote in the Scranton Times Tribune.
Yet, such a small percentage of Planned Parenthood’s services are life promoting, and abortion is the primary business. Whatever good services the organization provides is overshadowed by the deaths that make up its primary source of profit.
“Planned Parenthood facilities also provide many other basic health services, like cervical and breast cancer screening, as well as primary care and family planning,” Casey continued. “It is those services that would be curtailed by cutting off federal funding to Planned Parenthood.”
“I have and will continue to vote to restrict and reduce the number of abortions in our country. In the fall, the Senate will consider an amendment to limit abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. Assuming that this amendment includes the usual exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother contained in legislation like the Hyde amendment, I will vote for it.”
Casey continued: “Abortion and family planning always will be complicated and contentious issues for our country. I don’t expect everyone to agree with me on the path I have chosen for dealing with them. I do believe that my approach to these hard decisions has been consistent, careful and, ultimately, pro-life.”
The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation’s Twitter response summarizes the senator’s irony, disconnect and conflicting messages in less than 140 characters, “Why won’t @senbobcasey stand w/ the over 320k children @PPFA kills every year by abortion? You can’t be #prolife and pro @PPFA!!! #tcot.”
Why won’t @senbobcasey stand w/ the over 320k children @PPFA kills every year by abortion? You can’t be #prolife and pro @PPFA!!! #tcot https://t.co/mgOvexGpX2
— PA Pro-Life Fed (@PAProLifeFed) January 6, 2017
