Planned Parenthood

Since my wife and I do not have any children and we are not "parents" why should we care what happens to Planned Parenthood?  Because we care about more than just those things that directly affect us. We care about all women being able to obtain health information and health care from whatever source they have available, and many poor or indigent women ONLY have a Planned Parenthood facility close to them.

This push to take access to health care away from women stems directly from the Bible. Women are to be subservient to men, according to the Bible. Fortunately, most Christians have turned their backs on many of the barbaric practices espoused by the Bible, but this attitude of women having to be second-class citizens is hanging on. 

The Bible's whole concept of "original sin" and blaming women for the "fall from grace" from the Garden of Eden is just so much bullshit, it's sad to see how tenacious some bad ideas can be. If we remove the whole "original sin" concept, then we don't need any kind of salvation, which can only be obtained thru Jesus Christ, and the whole edifice crumbles. What a load of convoluted garbage. 

Oops, this post is supposed to be about Planned Parenthood and the Harris County (Texas) Grand Jury decision to indict the two slimeballs from the "Center for Medical Progress" a typical deceptively-named Republican front-group built to IMPEDE medical progress, instead of indicting Planned Parenthood of selling baby parts for profit. Planned Parenthood is NOT doing that, but getting that through the thick skulls of the Neanderthal Republicans is very difficult, for some reason.

Planned Parenthood cleared, but 2 indicted over videos

A grand jury convened to investigate whether a Houston Planned Parenthood clinic had sold the organs of aborted fetuses on Monday cleared the clinic and instead indicted the undercover videographers behind the allegations, surprising the officials who called for the probe and delighting supporters of the women's health organization.

The Harris County grand jury indicted David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, both of California, on charges of tampering with a governmental record, a second-degree felony with a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison. It also charged Daleiden, the leader of the videographers, with the same misdemeanor he had alleged – the purchase or sale of human organs, presumably because he had offered to buy in an attempt to provoke Planned Parenthood employees into saying they would sell.

Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson announced the indictments in a statement, noting the probe had lasted more than two months.

"As I stated at the outset of this investigation, we must go where the evidence leads us," said Anderson, a Republican. "All the evidence uncovered in the course of this investigation was presented to the grand jury. I respect their decision on this difficult case."

An arrest warrant was issued late Monday; documents detailing the charges were expected to be available Tuesday.

The videographers, who had posed as employees of a company that buys tissue and filmed interactions with Planned Parenthood executives, issued a statement saying they had not committed any crimes.

"The Center for Medical Progress uses the same undercover techniques that investigative journalists have used for decades in exercising our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and of the press, and follows all applicable laws," the statement said, adding, "Planned Parenthood still cannot deny the admissions from their leadership about fetal organ sales captured on video for all the world to see."

Planned Parenthood has denied any such admissions or wrongdoing, calling the videos heavily edited and saying it has never profited from selling fetal tissue, only received reimbursements for the costs of preserving the tissue for research, which is legal. The group sued Daleiden last month.

Anderson's statement said the grand jury "cleared (Planned Parenthood) of breaking the law."

Still, the dozen videos released by the Center for Medical Progress of Planned Parenthood clinics around the country already have had a huge impact, including an effort in Congress to defund the organization.

In Texas, lawmakers are studying new laws on fetal tissue donation, and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission said it will drop Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid program.

more on this story here.

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