Cross posted from West Virginia Blue
Last week Sen. Joe Manchin (D) did something I thought was so clever and deserving of credit that I doubted whether I had interpreted it correctly.
Senator Manchin voted against a resolution calling for the prohibition of federal funds for Planned Parenthood. The bill failed, 42-58, in the Senate.
Then Manchin introduced the Title X Transparency and Verification Act that would put the audits of agencies that receive Title X funding, including Planned Parenthood, online so that people could see for themselves that the community health services provided by these funds are vital services and that the federal funds aren't used for abortions, a restriction on the funding.
“I am pro-life, and always have been. I have also always been committed to helping women get vital health services, like cancer screenings and preventive care. I believe these two principles are not mutually exclusive,” Senator Manchin said. “I strongly believe that no federal dollars should ever go to abortion, except in the case of rape, incest and life of the mother. That is why I was proud to introduce the ‘Title X Transparency and Verification Act,’ which would put audits online for all recipients of Title X funding, so any American can verify for themselves that no federal funds are being used illegally for abortion.”
That would take the wind out of the sails of Senator Kyl and others who lie about Planned Parenthood, I thought.
But I wanted to check with someone to make sure I was right and between that and my weekend activities I didn't get around to writing that post. Truth be told, after some of the things Manchcin has said of late, giving him credit even on an issue as important to me as Planned Parenthood, wasn't my top priority even when he did deserve it.
But now Manchin, who unfortunately is a strong opponent of choice, is being attacked by his anti-choice allies for his decency in protecting necessary, community healthcare services to women.
Via Double H, heath harrison, comes this link to the radical rightwing propaganda site LifeNews.com:
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is earning strong criticism from a pro-life group who says the self-declared pro-life senator who is working overtime to cover up his support for the Planned Parenthood abortion business.
Manchin joined every one of his fellow Democrats in the Senate last week in voting down a House-approved resolution that would have yanked taxpayer funding for the abortion business in the long-term budget Congress approved for the remainder of the year. Then, late last week, he announced to the media that he has filed a bill that would supposedly put safeguards in place to prevent Title X money that goes to Planned Parenthood from paying for abortions.
But making sure their tax dollars aren't being used in a way they don't want isn't enough. Transparency won't assure them that federal funds aren't being used to pay for abortions. It takes away their ability to lie that federal funds cover abortions when really they cover pre-natal services to assure healthy pregnancies, life-saving cancer screenings for women, and birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancies so an abortion isn't necessary.
But West Virginians for Life, upset that Manchin voted to fund the abortion business, called the legislation “irrelevant” and “a cover” for his vote.
“Pro-life West Virginians are profoundly disappointed in Senator Manchin’s April 14 vote to allow taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider,” said West Virginians for Life Communications Director Mary Anne Buchanan in a statement to LifeNews.
Would these be the same "pro-life" West Virginians who continue to support and endorse the pro-choice Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, who is endorsed by the Republican pro-choice group WISH List?
“Senator Manchin’s bill is meaningless,” Buchanan pointed out. “No one is saying that the Title X funds go directly to pay for abortions. These funds to Planned Parenthood can be used to underwrite their infrastructure and promote their organization. Manchin’s vote not to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood means our tax dollars will subsidize an organization in which nearly one of every eight women who walks through its doors has an abortion.”
Keep in mind, 97 percent of what Planned Parenthood provided health services to women and 3 percent is related to abortions.
If "West Virginians for Life" were really pro-life, they would have supported him for his decision to keep federal funding in place that provides pre-natal services to assure women have healthy pregnancies, receive birth control to prevent unwanted pregnancies so an abortion does not happen, and provide life-saving screenings for cancer.
Say what you will about Manchin's pro-life stance, at least it's consistent where he's doing what he can to protect the lives of women who rely on the community health services provided by Planned Parenthood.
West Virginians for "Life" don't want transparency because they rely on lies to promote their radical agenda.