When Planned Parenthood was stung by the hidden cam journalists, they should have, in order to have kept my support, voiced an understanding of why some people might be concerned about parting out human tissue and they should have voluntarily instigated transparency and chain-of-custody programs for the tissue.
What the actually did do was to circle the wagons and go into full denial mode. Worse, they demonized the journalists who, as far as I'm concerned, were doing their jobs and well. Worse still, they and the legislature used the states legal aparatus to punish the journalists and criminalize this form of journalism.
Fuck Planned Parenthood. They did some good things for women's health I'm sure, and any damage or loss to women is, in my opinion, squarely on their shoulders.
I completely agree, they have a very shady past. Their founder was the leader of the women's KKK movement and literally created PP to, in her own words, "exterminate black babies." The majority of abortion clinics are in mostly minority communities. Unsurprisingly, I don't see Black Lives Matter protesting them... I delved deep into the organization in my blog post I linked in the OP. It's truly one disgusting organization. While they do some good, local health centers do the same thing and more for women such a mammograms, cancer screenings, etc. Many, many women leave Planned Parenthood unsupported and often emotionally and physically scarred.
as far as i'm concerned a fetus is just a blob of cells until a certain stage and women should be free to have total control over that. there might be a case for reducing the time for eligibility.
Two weeks after fertilization there is a heart beat, there are brain waves at 4 weeks, and at eight all body systems (fingers, toes, eyes, etc.) are present. If you test a baby's blood in the womb at that age, it will literally recoil from pain. The majority of abortions occur 6-8 weeks after this point. I believe it is not a "women's rights" issue, it's a human rights issue. You do not have the "choice" to murder a living human with a heartbeat. It is not the woman's body; It has separate DNA, it's own fingerprint, etc.
What if a woman is raped? Do the rules of what is life change then?
Should the state force her to carry the baby to term and deliver it?
Even worse, should the state then force her to give regular visitation to the rapist, who is the father?
Based on the Guttmacher Institute's report (a division of PP) 959,380 abortions have taken place this year, with only 9,000 being alleged cases of rape (0.009%). The science behind what is considered life doesn't change, but one thing I feel is lacking is support for women in these terrible, terrible situations. Federal funding should instead go to local crisis centers, family health centers; Thought and legislation should be put forth to make the adoption process smoother. Planned Parenthood only referred 0.05% of women contemplating an abortion to adoption support centers. Countless studies have shown that women who have an abortion are never the same psychologically or emotionally, but that seems to be ignored. Women who have had an abortion are at an 81% higher risk for mental health problems including depression, drug abuse, anxiety disorders and suicidal behavior.
Personally, I am pro-life in every respect, many just focus on the baby in the womb, but that's not all that matters. I care for the woman in these crisis situations, and every aspect of both of their lives.
