Shutdown Looms Over Tiny Sliver Of Planned Parenthood's Activities

The entire government will shut down in just about ten hours unless Democrats agree to allow House Republicans to hurl angry birds at every Planned Parenthood facility in America.

It's a strange position for Republicans to take at this point in budget negotiations, considering House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) got the Democratic caucus to move in his direction -- for the most part -- on the actual spending cuts. Were it not for the fact that these policy riders are the hill he wants to die on, Boehner would be kitting out his feet in some comfortable shoes for a victory lap.

Earlier this morning, Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) had a needle-scratch moment when he claimed on the Senate floor that 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does is provide abortions. The Huffington Post's Laura Bassett directed me to Planned Parenthood's 2009 Annual Report for a dose of material fact, and now I see that Ezra Klein has consolidated objective reality into a handy-dandy graph:

Yeah, I thought that Kyl was a little off. Or a lot.

Choire Sicha adds:

You know what would help solve the fake 'deadlock' that may shut down the government at midnight? If Planned Parenthood could save money by not having to go state by state to defend legal abortion in courts from Arizona to Ohio to Missouri to Connecticut to Iowa. Since their public policy expenditures are something like $55 million, and Planned Parenthood's government contracts and grants are only something like $363 million, none of which is used to pay for abortion services, they could get closer to not needing your government money if half the states in the country would stop pushing stupid laws.

Emphasis mine, because as Klein points out, "federal law already forbids Planned Parenthood from using the funds it receives from the government for abortions."

READ MORE:
What Planned Parenthood actually does [Ezra Klein @ WaPo]

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Comments

[waynesmyer]

10:22 AM on 04/15/2011

WHAT DO GOPer WOMEN THINK ABOUT THE PP ATTACK???" The Pubic has the right to know??

[aggie1985]

11:08 AM on 04/12/2011

PP is not really being truthful with their graph. That is a graph of the number of people they serve, not the $ spent on those people (I know this because I read their annual report the graph comes from). So if they hand a condom to a person that counts as one person served. If they perform an abortion it counts as one person served. Financially, PP has a $1 Billion budget of which they get 35% from the government. They perform 300,000 abortions a year. Abortions cost between $350 and $650 each at PP.

Do some math. PP wants you to think abortions represent only 3% of what they do and by any measure that makes any sense, that is simply not true.

[Michael Garvin]

11:08 AM on 04/13/2011

they should be allowed to use federal money for abortions. How dare you or anyone tell an American citizen what they HAVE to do with their own body?

You GOP lemmings AGGIE have no right to impose your will on others. You are all a bunch of 4 year old control freaks grow up!

[aggie1985]

11:28 AM on 04/13/2011

Where did you get that? Did you respond to a wrong thread? I'm not opposed to a woman's right to make that decision and it's obviously legal. I'd rather most not make that decision, but that's not my choice. I am, however, opposed to forcing anyone to support it with their money.

[hairydodger]

04:04 AM on 04/09/2011

It was like watching the WWE. It was a drama play put on by both parties to puff themselves up and posture when they all knew that there would be no shutdown. WTF did we all elect? Cons and libs, we've been had. I'm a screaming liberal and I put out a request to the conservatives that we change the elected to someone that will not do this drama play. Think about the past two weeks for a minute. Neither side was really doing what they said. They said one thing but they did another. We were duped and the media were duped into spreading the word for them.

[Gem Mayers]

08:00 PM on 04/08/2011

Why can't they just cut funding from non-essential parts of PP until the budget improves? Certain screenings, treatments, etc would remain but all but the rarest case of abortions would not. Pro-life people would be happy and anyone who cares about women would be too, as they would receive care based upon financial and health need. (As I know people with health care that go to PP to save money which jeopardizes coverage for those who need it.)

[e-cat]

09:10 PM on 04/08/2011

The Government does not supply ANY funds for ANY abortions per The Hyde ammendment. Anyone choosing an abortion must pay for it out of their own pocket.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Amendment

[Gem Mayers]

10:35 PM on 04/08/2011

Thank you, I did not know that= perhaps the media needs to mention it more often. Although I can still see people saying they don't want to support, through taxes, an organization that does abortions,eve if the tax monies do not fund abortions...they can not want to support an organization that supports abortions.

[tompoe]

07:59 PM on 04/08/2011

Time to get out Boehner's crying towel, and listen to his drivel about crusading for defunding Planned Parenthood.

[Mi4Peace]

07:21 PM on 04/08/2011

Hey conservative christian extremists stop holding the budget hostage. Nobody wants to hear about your anti social ideas. Show us you like the country and teh average citizen and vote to fund the government. Come on Jon Kyl I got a flag lapel pin with your name on it. 1 2 3 vote yes

[shp]

07:26 PM on 04/08/2011

Well, with the great coverage under Obamacare, why do we need PP?

[Mi4Peace]

07:35 PM on 04/08/2011

oh, you didn't know thats the next tea bag project, to repeal the healthcare act. No thanks, I am not interested in any of your anti- tax nonscence.

[strangelet]

12:32 AM on 04/09/2011

Perhaps because most of the actual coverage doesn't start until 2014, as a result of all the compromises with Republicans?

[tompoe]

08:00 PM on 04/08/2011

It's not them. Boehner's the one crying in his crying towel about defunding Planned Parenthood.

[beaker55]

06:06 PM on 04/08/2011

happylonersarah said: "Well obviously you have insurance. My daughter and I don't so therefore we need PP, so please keep your morals out of my frigging life." --- Dear happy: please keep your frigging out of my moral life. ;-)

[happylonersarah]

06:22 PM on 04/08/2011

happylonersarah responds with: If you really care about children, you would know that millions of women have or currently use PP for PRENATAL CARE, so that the can have A HEALTHY BABY!!!!!! So therefore if you care about children you would a) not want to defund PP and b) support Health care for all women to stay healthy for the children they have.......

You spout baseless propaganda without knowledge of the facts. Ignorance and hypocrisy at its best.

[strangelet]

12:32 AM on 04/09/2011

Oh, isn't that cute? Bless your heart.

[TYRANNASAURUS]

05:46 PM on 04/08/2011

Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) had a needle-scratch moment when he claimed on the Senate floor that 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does is provide abortions.

So who doesn't know that statistics for the republicans are something to distort for whatever meets their ends. They know their constituents can't read.

[beaker55]

05:54 PM on 04/08/2011

Point impeccably well-made Ty... at least to the liberal thinker. How come you're not a Super User?

[happylonersarah]

05:55 PM on 04/08/2011

I saw that, even scarier when called out on it, he stated that he wasnt trying to be factual, just trying to make a point!!!!!!! Unbelievable. Goons.

[beaker55]

05:41 PM on 04/08/2011

Abortion's wrong - no matter who pays for it - ask anyone who's had one. But, if you want to use abortion as your preferred method of birth control, go right ahead, it's your decision and it's perfectly legal. Just don't ask ME to contribute one thin dime to remedy the consequences of YOUR moment of passion. What's so difficult to understand about that? Abortion seems like the most stupid of choices though, since there are SO MANY other, cheaper, non-invasive and less violent methods of birth control available to everyone, virtually everywhere! And everyone knows this. Well, not everyone.

[Dacato]

05:58 PM on 04/08/2011

It's spelled HYDE AMENDMENT. Look it up!

[rmarie]

06:02 PM on 04/08/2011

What's so difficult to understand that since 1977, it has been law that "your" money can't be used to fund abortions?

[beaker55]

06:10 PM on 04/08/2011

No argument, federally. But, many States DO pay. I'm just sayin'

[Nm123]

05:08 PM on 04/08/2011

what is amazing is this is 2011 and we are still talking abortion....this is settled law. The Repugs are using this as the first volley on further culture wars and the Dems cannot cave. Why isn't the media hammering at the fact that the Repugs have not proposed one piece of legislation for JOBS. Further just wait until the folks really understand Paul Ryan's proposal for no Medicare

[cla65]

05:06 PM on 04/08/2011

Tiny function? Nice try Jason. They commit a murder every 95 seconds. Yeah that might be tiny to your tiny mind but to the adults thats mass murder.

[happylonersarah]

05:51 PM on 04/08/2011

How many kids have you adopted? How many kids have your bagger friends adopted? Cry me a river, you and the other "adults" don't give a darn about kids. By the way check adoption facts. Dems adopt more kids than Repugs. Which says a lot about caring about kids.

[Dacato]

05:59 PM on 04/08/2011

Proof?

[Front Page]

04:25 PM on 04/08/2011

The Republicans must have taken their moves straight from the middle east. Hide behind women (Planned Parenthood) and the public in general (NPR) to hold the whole country hostage.

[tms7721]

04:45 PM on 04/08/2011

I hope the Republicans keep standing up to the Democrats. Planned Parenthood and NPR do not need money from the federal government. Let Planned Parenthood and NPR go down the tube where they belong.

[happylonersarah]

05:46 PM on 04/08/2011

PP helps women like my daughter and I to get health services, you don't like then go somewhere else. And keep your "morals" out of my life.

[Mi4Peace]

07:28 PM on 04/08/2011

Tax the churches now!

[thinkabtit39]

04:55 PM on 04/08/2011

I am a woman, do not support planned parenthood. You can get almost everything as far as healthcare goes, done at any medical office. Abortion is the only difference- pay for that one out of your own pocket anyway right?

[kicksave7]

05:16 PM on 04/08/2011

A lot of women do not have health care coverage and need the services of Planned Parenthood...throughout my life I have known many, many women who have been to Planned Parenthood for birth control, gyn exams, pap smears, breast exams etc., etc...and yes, I've known women that have used Planned Parenthood to get an abortion (they paid for it themselves) or get Plan B. Some of these women were Republicans!

[happylonersarah]

05:44 PM on 04/08/2011

Well obviously you have insurance. My daughter and I don't so therefore we need PP, so please keep your morals out of my frigging life.

[Sonyx575]

04:21 PM on 04/08/2011

You'd think the Republicans would be all for funding Planned Parenthood. After all they seem to be really good at getting action on the side like Mark Sanford, John Ensign, David Vitter, Larry Craig, Mark Foley and the beat goes on...

[beaker55]

04:55 PM on 04/08/2011

You tell 'em Sonyx. Unlike the beat of Pres. John F. Kennedy, Pres. Bill Clinton, Rep. John Edwards, Rep. Barney Frank, Sen. Gary Hart, Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Jim McGreevey, Rep. Gary Condit, Rep. Tim Mahoney, Sec. Henry Cisneros, Rep. Mel Reynolds, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick,Mayor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Marion Barry while on crack, Gov. David Paterson, Rep. Gerry Studds, Rep. Fred Richmond, Gov. Neil Goldschmidt, Gov. Paul Patton, Rep. Wayne Hays, Sen. Brock Adams, Gov. Bob Wise, Rep. Allan Howe, Rep. Joseph Waggonner, etc., etc. Right?

[Sonyx575]

06:58 PM on 04/08/2011

You forgot Ted Kennedy and Barney Frank. But Dem are not trying to take away funding from PP are they?

[Sonyx575]

06:59 PM on 04/08/2011

Oops! Sorry, you did get Frank!

[Sue Bryant]

04:01 PM on 04/08/2011

The Republicans are going to hold up the pay of our fighting military men and women over their desire to see Planned Parenthood defunded. It's so obvious how little they care for the average American. Of course THEY will all still get paid on time. Sickening.

[beaker55]

05:18 PM on 04/08/2011

Actually... Sue... the Republican CR proposal pays the troops, see how that works? It's the Democrats who would rather shut down the military than pull funding from Planned Parenthood. Shows THEIR priorities. How do we know the Federal Governments priorities? Well, there's always that old archaic U.S. Constitution we could consider. Determining the Federal Govt's spending priorities is virtually the easiest decision in the world. But, the Democrats don't really care about America, but they do really care about doing whatever it takes to stay in control, even to the extreme of holding up the pay of our fighting military men and women. Remember way, way, WAY back to last fall, the Democrats refused to pass a budget even when they had complete control of all three branches. Shows THEIR priorities... and it ain't for salvaging America.

[happylonersarah]

05:47 PM on 04/08/2011

You are very confused. How sad.