The new chair of the national Democratic Party made eyebrow-raising statements today about abortion when she decided to excoriate Republicans for their efforts to stop funding abortions and Planned Parenthood.
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, recently installed by pro-abortion President Barack Obama as the head of the Democratic National Committee, said this morning that Republicans are “anti-woman” and are waging “war on women” with an “extremely radical social agenda,” according to comments reported by John McCormack in the Weekly Standard.
“It’s just so hard for me to grasp how they [Republicans] can be as anti-woman as they are,” she said, according to the Weekly Standard. “I think that the pushback and the guttural reaction from women against the Republicans’ agenda out of the gate, the war on women that the Republicans have been waging since they took over the House, I think is not only going to restore but help us exceed the president’s margin of victory in the next election.”
When asked during her appearance at a press briefing sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor, if her Democratic colleagues who have voted pro-life by supporting efforts to stop funding abortion were also “anti-women,” Wasserman Schultz said no.
McCormack said the Democratic Party chair told him that the reason the pro-life Democrats were not also anti-women was because they voted “not to defund Planned Parenthood.” However, as McCormack points out, 10 Democrats joined Republicans supporting the Pence Amendment to de-fund Planned Parenthood.
The following is the transcript of McCormack’s exchange with Waserman Schulz, from TWS:
TWS: You mentioned earlier that Republicans have an extreme social agenda. They’re waging a war on women, that they’re anti-woman. Would those words, fairly harsh, also apply to the 16 Democrats who voted for the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act…
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Well, if you look at their record as a whole, all of them voted not to defund Title X, not to defund Planned Parenthood. So, when I make a harsh characterization of Republicans, it’s in their platform, it’s their third most important priority, by indication of it being H.R. 3 was ending–was getting rid of Planned Parenthood funding, redefining rape so that you could not get access to an abortion paid with federal funds unless you were forcibly raped. So statutory rape didn’t count,* date rapes didn’t count, for a while incest, unless you were a minor, didn’t count. So if you look on balance at their entire record, their record is anti-woman. Their record is a war on women. And it’s a priority for them.
TWS: But for the 16 Democrats who also voted for H.R. 3, are they also waging a war on women?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: No, they’re not, because they don’t have the same record–
TWS: But there were eleven [correction: ten] Democrats who voted against funding for Planned Parenthood, so are those eleven Democrats anti-woman?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: No, they’re not, because if you, when I declare someone, when I make a broad statement like that, I look at the balance of somebody’s–where their priorities are, the balance of their record. And so one individual isolated vote here and there does not make you anti-woman.
TWS: So what are the broader votes that make those Democrats who voted on those same issues–on Planned Parenthood on H.R. 3–what makes them not anti-woman?
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: I don’t think there are any Democrats.
TWS: Eleven.
WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: Now I’d have to check. But I don’t think there are any Democrats who voted yes on all of those provisions. I don’t think any of them did. I whipped the vote. I’m pretty sure I’m right.
McCormack says of the comments, “Wasserman Schultz was elevated to head the DNC largely because she’s known for being an aggressive attack dog, but her harsh words could put her at odds with pro-life members she’s supposed to support as head of the Democratic National Committee.”
He’s right. Wasserman Schulz was also installed in the position because President Barack Obama knows he is a close friend of the leaders of the pro-abortion activist groups he needs to stump for him for re-election next year.
Last month, Cecile Richards, the president of the national Planned Parenthood abortion business attended a ceremony with pro-abortion First Lady Michelle Obama for an International Women of Courage Awards gala at the State Department. Richards attended the event with Wasserman Schultz and talked about it on Twitter.
“Celebrating the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day at the White House with First Lady Michelle Obama,” Richards tweeted. “And with two of my heroines for women – [pro-abortion] Congresswomen Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Nita Lowey – you are amazing.”
Immediately after news broke on the aboriton advocate’s becoming the head of the Democrats nationally, the pro-abortion group Emily’s List tweeted: “Huge congratulations to EMILY’s List alum Debbie Wasserman Schultz. So proud of Wasserman Schultz becoming Chair of the DNC – she’ll be an incredible leader.”
Wasserman Schulz also participated in a conference call to urge support for Planned Parenthood in its battle in Congress to keep its massive taxpayer funding.
