Planned Parenthood: Pro-Abortion Bill a Victory, Executive Order Meaningless
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 22, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Planned Parenthood called the pro-abortion health care bill the House approved late Sunday night a victory and applauded the financial windfall it expected to reap as a result. The abortion business also dismissed the executive order President Barack Obama promised Congressman Bart Stupak as harmless.
“For more than a year, Planned Parenthood has worked tirelessly for a health care" bill, its president Cecile Richards said in a statement today. "It’s a huge victory for women’s health, but our work isn’t over yet."
With passage of the legislation, "monumental progress was made toward achieving these goals."
Richard dismissed the executive order, which has been slammed by pro-life groups, as a "a symbolic gesture … to anti-choice Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI), which has diverted attention from the central goal."
"Planned Parenthood is also extremely pleased that members of the House listened to the millions of women and men who expressed their strong opposition to the Stupak abortion ban. Stopping the Stupak ban was a high priority," she said. "It was a tough fight, but we salute Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D- CA), Congressman Rosa DeLauro (D–CT) , members of the House Pro-Choice Caucus."
Despite Stupak’s contention that the executive order would implement his abortion funding ban, Richards says that’s not the case.
‘What the president’s executive order did not do is include the complete and total ban … that Congressman Bart Stupak (D–MI) had insisted upon," Richards said. "So while we regret that this proposed Executive Order has given the imprimatur of the president to Senator Nelson’s language, it is critically important to note that it does not include the Stupak abortion ban."
"Thanks to supporters like you, we were able to keep the Stupak abortion ban out of the final legislation and President Obama did not include the Stupak language in his Executive Order," Richards admitted.
Jill Stanek, a pro-life nurse and blogger, commented on the response from Planned Parenthood and described it as an a-ha moment.
"Now it all comes out. It didn’t take long for Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards to revel in PP’s financial gain from passage of healthcare in a Planned Parenthood statement just released. Note also Richards’ dismissal of Obama’s executive order," she said.
Planned Parenthood applauded "a provision to expand family planning under Medicaid, which would significantly increase access to essential preventive health care for millions of women" — in other words increasing the abortion businesses’ customer base.
Richards admitted as much, saying, “As a result of this historic expansion of health care coverage to more than 30 million Americans, the doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals who work for Planned Parenthood health centers will be providing care to many more" people.
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