I was shocked to recently hear my opponent in the race for California's 36th Congressional District, Craig Huey, attempt to downplay the relevance of his anti-choice-at-all-costs position on abortion. The Supreme Court, he says, has already decided the issue. He doesn't deny that he opposes abortion in all cases, even when a mother's life is in danger, or in case of rape or incest, but he also doesn't think we need to discuss it in this special election. He finishes by saying that he would always call for adoption rather than abortion.
Craig, that's not your choice to make; and you're not being forthcoming.
Earlier this year, Huey weighed in on attempts by right-wing extremists in Congress to shut down the federal government over funding for Planned Parenthood. He called Planned Parenthood a "murder mill," and said that federal funding for the organization was "illegal, immoral, and evil." Now, that doesn't sound to me like someone who thinks the issue has been decided.
Let me tell you about Planned Parenthood. In 2009, the organization provided over five million women and men with critical sexual and reproductive health services. Most of those services, 97 percent, included cancer screening and prevention, testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and infections, and contraception. These are life-saving services and millions of Americans depend on them.
Three percent of Planned Parenthood's services are abortion-related. None of the abortions performed are funded by U.S. taxpayers, but that fact didn't stop the extremist gang of Tea Partiers in Congress from seeking to kill the organization's funds. They failed to do so this time, but they succeeded at opening up the latest front on the Republicans' ill-advised war on women, right in the U.S. House of Representatives.
That's why, as Craig Huey recently bragged to a Tea Party convention, "Tea Parties from all over will descend on the 36th District" to try and get him elected on July 12. They know, as Craig does, that he would be a voice for extremists in Congress. They know that he would add another vote next year to the gang of Tea Parties once again looking to shutdown the government just to strip the federal budget of funding for Planned Parenthood.
I think that's very relevant in this election.
Learn more about Janice at http://janicehahn.com/.