A new website from Planned Parenthood Votes Colorado links Republican state legislative candidates in Colorado to the national controversy over Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin’s comments on abortion and “legitimate rape”–and the national Republican agenda against reproductive rights in general. From Planned Parenthood’s press release today:
“While national figures and their policies towards women health such as those held by Missouri Rep. Todd Akin, Colorado Rep. Mike Coffman, and Vice Presidential Candidate and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan make most women cringe, it’s not just in D.C. where we see an onslaught of anti-women sentiment,” said Cathy Alderman vice president of public affairs for PPVC.“Here in Colorado, women’s health is under attack by our own state politicians who oppose women’s health and want to insert politicians into our personal lives. But that is not a Colorado value; Coloradans know that personal and private health care decisions are best left to a woman with the help of her family, her physician, and her faith.”
This new website highlights the anti-women’s health votes and actions of several elected officials and candidates for the Colorado State House and State Senate, including: Ken Summers SD 22; Randy Baumgardner SD 8; Mark Barker HD 17; Larry Crowder SD 35; John Sampson SD 25; J. Paul Brown HD 59; Robert Ramirez HD 29; Cindy Acree HD 40; and Lang Sias SD 19. More candidates will be added throughout early voting.
These individuals support the so-called “personhood” movement (which has been defeated by Colorado voters twice and has failed to make the ballot in 2012), oppose access to birth control, and many want to ban abortion out-right with no exceptions for rape or incest.
“Are these candidates in a race to determine who can be the worst for Colorado women?” said Alderman.
The site takes inspiration from the “It’s Not Just Akin” website that gained notoriety following Todd Akin’s now-infamous remarks. In the aftermath of the Akin scandal, Democrats and their allies have tried as hard to link other GOP candidates to Akin’s ugly rhetoric as Republicans have tried to distance themselves from him. The fact that there really is commonality in terms of policy, if not always rhetoric, makes this a potent attack for Democrats.
Terribly unflattering photos as these make it that much more so.
looks like a Mensa chapter meeting.
Always rely on superficial judgments.
Could Planned Parenthood have picked worse photos?
And does anybody wonder why Planned Parenthood should not get federal funds?
Your best bet is to demonstrate that these politicians were all part of some GOP-style “Gotcha” vote, like what they used to pull during the Bush years.
And if you’d rather poor women die of breast cancer for lack of federal funding, I can go ahead and take you on the record as making that your position.
take photos of the posters of them on your bedroom wall and post those
Why would any Republican vote to fund Planned Parenthood, when they turn around and attack Republicans? Maybe Planned Parenthood should not bites the hand that feeds them. Too late.
as the stupidist thing you have written in a long time. Cause and effect…ever heard of it?
Many intelligent guys wear a mustache…and even some women..
I shaved mine off a couple a couple of years ago..my wife and kids told me to grow it back. I guess ’cause it hides part of my face…dunno for sure…
Is to provide screening and preventive services to the economically disadvantaged. Federal law and the Colorado constitution prevent government money from being spent on abortions.
Title X and Medicaid are the programs which allow patients to access these services, and providers are paid when care is given. There is no block of money anyone would get as a lump sum. The “funding” is fees for services provided. The notion that money from the government “frees up money” for abortion makes sense only if you believe they get that money for nothing. They get it for providing services (for which they have to pay staff and buy supplies) and get reimbursed pennies on the dollar compared to private insurance. If Title X and Medicaid were such gravy train profit centers, private doctors would be lining up to serve these patients.
Poor people accessing life-saving cancer screenings and contraception to prevent having children they can’t afford is a way to take personal responsibility and care for their lives (sound familiar?) That’s something citizens of all political bent should support, and saves taxpayer money by preventing the less well-off from ending up in ERs with advanced cancers, or with more children on the Medicaid roles.
Planned Parenthood Votes Colorado is the 501(c)4 arm of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Charitable organizations (501(c)3s) are allowed to have a politically active educational wing under their umbrella, with strict laws governing how much money can be spent and what they can and can’t do. Did you notice that the linked website doesn’t say “vote for X”? This is voter educational activity. Preventing cancer and unwanted children is promoting the public welfare, which is how C4s are categorized. Many transparently partisan organizations are masquerading as C4s under this rubric.
As for defunding organizations with which one disagrees, consider that
yet discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation.
I didn’t know about the “It’s not just Akin” movement until this article.
Not that I have any doubts; I think many Republicans in Congress and in various state legislatures are more than willing to prove that they’re complete assholes when it comes to “caring” for women.
amount of money that every one of the people pictured above is a fundamentalist Christian. That is the source of the “submissive woman” bullshit that is the wellspring of all this republican anti-woman behavior.
John Sampson is the last guy at the bar every night, isn’t he?