Straight-Talking Congresswomen Hit The View

By Irin Carmon  |  February 24, 2011 | 10:45pm
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Representatives Jackie Speier and Gwen Moore were on The View today to push back at the House vote to defund Planned Parenthood. Interestingly, Elisabeth Hasselbeck ended up leading this discussion.

Moore said something that hadn’t made it into her speech on the House floor — her unplanned pregnancy at 18 prevented her from attending Radcliffe (then Harvard’s women’s college). She spoke movingly of the difficulties she and her daughter faced with inadequate daycare and food insecurity.

“From the moment you crown, you don’t have the protection of those who say they want to see children born,” said Moore, pointing out that $47 million had been stripped from programs supporting women and nursing babies, as well as child and maternal services. “Many people have called this budget a war on women,” she added.

And though Speier had bravely described her personal experience with abortion, she pointed out that the actual discussion on the House floor that day had been about stripping funding for women’s health services, contraception, and sex education — not abortion. (Joy Behar helpfully pointed out that abortion is legal in this country. Funny how people forget that!)

Hasselbeck’s solution appeared to be to call the part of Planned Parenthood that performs abortions by another name. Apparently even she couldn’t look these women in the face and suggest that the best way to end abortions is to provide adequate health care and education to women.

Speaking of Planned Parenthood, the lineup for the rally it’s co-organizing in New York City this Saturday has been announced, and it includes Kathleen Hanna, Gloria Steinem, and Kathleen Turner, as well as several members of Congress and Senator Chuck Schumer.

Earlier: Congresswoman’s Inspiring Speech On Her Abortion And Planned Parenthood
House Votes To Defund Planned Parenthood

 
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