As the mouthpiece for those who seek to move the clock back to the days of back alley abortions, Fox News provides a willing conduit for their campaign to destroy Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides health care, which includes safe and legal abortions, for millions of low income women. Whatever outrage is all the rage in the anti-choice community soon becomes a topic for the mighty, Murdoch media. After the fanatical anti-choice web site, Life News, broke the story, on Monday, that "Planned Parenthood Sees Record High Abortions, Taxpayer Funding," Fox wasted no time in publicizing it via Fox Nation. And yesterday morning, lo and behold "Pro-Life Luminary" Laura Ingraham appeared on Fox & Friends, to use that information to put Planned Parenthood, once again, in her crosshairs.
After reading about the forced birther's newest outrage regarding the number of abortions done by Planned Parenthood, Ingraham got rather dramatic. On her radio show website, she wrote that "The killing fields of Planned Parenthood were red with blood and green with money. It finally released its 2011-2012 annual report, and the news is grim." (As if it's any of her business?) In the typical dark and gruesome language, used by the anti-choice crazies, she ranted about this "brutal" and "stomach wrenching" procedure. (Memo to Laura who, as far as we know, never gave birth - abortion is safer than childbirth). And yesterday, on Fox & Friends she not only elaborated on why Planned Parenthood's statistics are just so awful; but distorted the statistics and advanced the pro-life-lie that taxpayers fund Planned Parenthood.
Steve Doocy advanced the pro-life-lie that Planned Parenthood uses federal dollars with this comment that the money that Planned Parenthood receives from the government is "an awful lot of abortions." (Per the Hyde Amendment, no federal money goes to abortions.) Doocy's statement also promoted the pro-life-lie that most of Planned Parenthood's business is abortion when the majority of their services related to gynecological care and STD/HIV testing. Laura, not wearing her great, big, Catholic cross bling, advanced the pro-life propaganda which suggests that Planned Parenthood covertly uses their federal funding for abortion.
Rather than provide accurate information, Ingraham (once again) ignored the reality that abortion services account for only 3% of Planned Parenthood's activities. Rather she described Planned Parenthood's abortions as a "growth industry." (Laura, who obviously doesn't have to walk a gauntlet of screaming, rosary chanting crazies, when accessing her gynecololgical care, doesn't know that Planned Parenthoods do abortions only a couple of days a week - so big money deal? I don't think so!) Ingraham's claim that Planned Parenthood makes $400 million dollars from abortion was also incorrect given that they receive $311.5 from non-governmental sources and that only 13% of its revenue is from abortion.
Doocy reinforced the pro-life-lie about how Planned Parenthood is violating federal law by moving the federal dollars into abortion services. Ingraham said the money is "movable." Gretchen Carlson reinforced the pro-life-lie that Planned Parenthood is mainly about abortion: Remember, that was a big fight as to why they should… get this funding, was because they offer other services. Well, apparently, those other services are, as cancer prevention, have gone down." Ingraham reminded the viewers that Planned Parenthood doesn't do mammograms. (Neither does my ob-gyn) Nobody mentioned that Planned Parenthood refers woman to other places (As does my ob-gyn).
Ingraham finished with the horror movie rhetorical flourish seen on her website: And one of the grossest things about this report is that Cecile Richards said, ‘We’re very proud of the work we’ve done.’ Think of those children, the smiles, the laughs, the lives they might have led. This is carnage."
Word to Laura Ingraham: If Planned Parenthood shuts down, low income women will have less access to reproductive health care and they will end up giving birth to children that you and your right wing "pro-life" pals don't want to provide a social safety net for. And if abortion is criminalized, you're talking real "carnage." Not that you care...
The Fox & Friends appearance is only the latest salvo by Laura Ingraham at Planned Parenthood. She tried twice last year while guest-hosting on O’Reilly’s show, and each time she was unable to make much of a case before her guest had to correct her poor understanding of the situation.