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Chris Matthews looks like he's finally getting on the right side of the issue when it comes to Republicans and their attacks on women's reproductive rights during this interview with Salon's Joan Walsh and Princeton's Melissa Harris-Perry.
Joan has more on the interview over at Salon -- Mike Pence backs more abortions:
If the GOP cuts Planned Parenthood funding, the abortion rate will jump, especially for poor women
Rep. Mike Pence vowed to continue his jihad against Planned Parenthood Wednesday morning, telling Willie Geist on "Morning Joe" that he's willing to reject any budget compromise, and shut down the federal government, if that's what it takes to defund the women's healthcare services provider.
Of course I am. I think the American people have begun to learn that the largest abortion provider in the country is also the largest recipient of federal funding under Title X. They want to see that come to an end. I think there's a broad consensus in this country, regardless of where you stand on the subject of abortion; there's a broad consensus for decades now opposing public funding of abortion and abortion providers… We're going to dig-in, we're going to fight for the principle that taxpayers should not have to subsidize the largest abortion provider in the country, namely Planned Parenthood of America.
Pence is lying, and he knows it. Not a dime of government funding goes to Planned Parenthood to provide abortions. The group has a separate organization, with separate staff in separate buildings, all with private funds, to provide abortion services. Federal funding pays for a broad range of women's healthcare, from breast and cervical cancer screenings, STD testing and contraception. Last year Planned Parenthood, which provided family planning and other healthcare services to 2.5 million women, performed over a million cervical cancer screenings and more than 800,000 breast exams. Six in 10 clients say it's their main source of healthcare. [...]
Clinton is right; we shouldn't hesitate to point out that what Pence and his GOP friends are doing is encouraging abortion.
The GOP-led House already passed Pence's bill, and the entire parade of likely 2012 contenders supports it, too. But 41 senators led by Barbara Boxer, including independents Joe Lieberman and Bernie Sanders but no Republicans, say they will filibuster any attempt to cut Planned Parenthood's funding. Moderate Republicans like Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Scott Brown have expressed reservations about defunding Planned Parenthood completely, but haven't committed to a filibuster to stop it.
We must be clear: Planned Parenthood is frequently the only women's healthcare provider in some cities and rural areas.
More there so go read the rest. I posted Mike Pence's reprehensible statements on Morning Joe here -- Mike Pence Says He'd Shut Down the Government to Defund Planned Parenthood.
And you can read the full transcript of the segment above at LexisNexis.
And as Joan noted in her article at Salon Liz Winstead is on a tour to support Planned Parenthood:
But first, check out comedian, critic, hellraiser and "Daily Show" co-founder Lizz Winstead's tour to raise money to support Planned Parenthood here. (I'm going to meet her in Madison!)
