Republicans have seized on the fake Planned Parenthood videos as a jumping-off point for a fresh attack on women’s rights and Planned Parenthood, even though it has been clearly demonstrated that the videos are heavily edited and misleading. But of course that doesn’t matter at all to the right-wing fanatics, who would rather score points with evangelist voters in Iowa by dismantling women’s healthcare for their own constituents.
Louisiana’s extremely unpopular governor Bobby Jindal has taken it a step farther and has cut off all Medicaid funds to Planned Parenthood in his state, ostensibly over the fetal tissue donation “controversy” even though no abortions are performed in either of Louisiana’s two Planned Parenthoods.
It’s an obnoxious and spiteful attempt to get some attention for Bobby as the first Republican debate approaches, but a stunt this just highlights how unprepared he is to actually govern, and the almost criminal neglect he shows constituents. Slate reports that 4,300 women will lose access to their gynecological health because of this. Louisiana already has the eight highest teen birth rate in the country, and devastatingly high STD prevalence numbers- it is the number one state for HIV infections in young people, third for syphilis, and fourth for chlamydia.
Americans need to get out of these abusive relationships with Republican governors. Whether by incompetence or obstinacy, time and time again they seem to be actively trying to make the lives of their constituents worse- the poor ones, especially minorities. Bobby Jindal is a rabid defender of life- until the child is actually born, at which point he couldn’t care less. It’s astonishing to think that this guy thinks he can be President.