MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell chokes up while (inaccurately) defending Planned Parenthood
O’Donnell then turned to an email which he said came from a friend of his who used Planned Parenthood. He read the email out from his Blackberry, and as he did so, his hands, and his voice, started shaking with emotion.
The friend’s email recounted her dire financial straits and history of medical illnesses. PP, she wrote, was the place she went for her birth control and her cancer screenings, and through them, she said, she was able to get multiple mammograms.
“It’s terrifying to think that with lack of funds, millions of women would not have access to this kind of care,” the friend wrote.
“I can’t imagine what I would do without PP. Talking about what they do is part of your job right now… please yell some sense into these people.”
As O’Donnell said those last words, his voice broke perceptibly, and he then dropped the Blackberry shaking in his hands and turned away from the camera.
~ Huffington Post, describing MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell defending Planned Parenthood against being defunded, April 8
O’Donnell gives much inaccurate information in his 8 minute monologue, which we don’t unpack in our Quotes of the Day. Commenters certainly can. Skip to 4:40 on the video to watch O’Donnell read the letter from his friend…

Mammograms? These people really dont do any research before they start talking do they? Either he is lying about his friend or the friend is lying because if anyone spent 5 minutes on the phone calling PP they would know they DONT do mammograms.
Planned Parenthood often offers mammogram access through partnerships with health clinics. If his friend was able to get multiple mammogram screenings because of Planned Parenthood then I don’t know why it’s necessary to split hairs and accuse her of lying.
PP doesn’t DO mammograms, but the quote says she got them “through” PP. That could mean PP referred her and/or helped her find a local grant to help pay for it. It’s certainly misleading.
But if this woman is actually in such dire straights, she should qualify for Medicare. Why isn’t she using the resources available to her?
…So how much of PP’s business IS abortion? Jill, can you break it down with all the angles here? Some say 3%, obviously based on one angle–I think how many heads walk thru the door. Some say 33% based on another–based on how much money PP makes from each service. And that congressman says 90%–based on something else. I know it is possible to present statistics in such a way as to support any claim you want to make, but what’s the facts here?
Also, if that lady would be spending $98 on birth control pills without PP, somebody seriously needs to introduce her to NFP–something ODonnel apparently has never heard of.
There are tons of health clinics that take low income patients. My friend has testicular cancer and no insurance (he is in his early 30’s and he and his wife just chose not to) Yet he was able to take advantage of a charitable hospital that performed his surgery for free. And my friend who was a broke 20 year old had an abortion at PP which she had to PAY FOR and then a week later when she returned for birth control pills was angry to discover that they would not give them to her but that they required her to pay for them and charged her over and above what the BC would cost in a doctor’s office. PP is about making money. Not about helping women and I don’t know when these obtuse lawmakers and tv personalities are gonna get away from the mind control and realize that.
Scott
Unfortunately, there are many that a) won’t take the time to learn about NFP or b) think its just the old rhytym method that grandma and grandpa used. From what I understand, NFP takes self control and learning……that’s why many don’t want to learn how to use it. If someone is promiscuous, NFP would do them no good.
From what I understand, NFP takes self control and learning……that’s why many don’t want to learn how to use it. If someone is promiscuous, NFP would do them no good.
Honestly, Liz, it takes a couple.
You simply can’t expect to maintain NFP without the support of a loving partner. Because someone with whom you’re casual simply isn’t going to put in the commitment or effort to wait for non-fertile times. Even if you’re exclusive but casual, it just isn’t realistic.
Oh poor baby she can’t even afford cable TV to watch the show. Sniff. That’s dire straights, right there. Mind you, I’m not mocking her so much as HIM with his emphasis when he said it as if we should all reel back in horror at how horrible her situation must be if she doesn’t have….cable. C’mon – are we that entitled?
Happily living without cable on purpose in our house.
FYI: Condoms are cheap – can’t imagine needing $70 or $90 dollars per month for them…plus they can help prevent STD’s. And yes, you can get screenings for those, mammos, B/P checks, bone density tests, and all sorts of things outside of PP! Really, truly!
The hospital I worked for (a for profit one, BTW) when I was an EMT had screenings all the time for the community in a free or sliding scale – and that doesn’t count the charity hospital and health clinic down the way where you could go get treatment and see a doctor.
Where is a Republican with a backbone- like Reagan. They should have held the line on the budget (even if it shutdown the government), focusing on the illegal activities of PP. This would have taken it from an abortion debate to a question of funding someone who should be arrested- and is our government colluding with criminals like some governments South of us? Where are our gallant contenders for the 2012 Republican ticket?- wimping in the wings? maybe our media propagandists won’t give their “take on it”- but FOX probably would. They say Rand Paul is to new – but where did Obama come from? We need a national campaign to get rid of the RINOs before the Dems sell the store.
She claims $98 a month for birth control pills? They must be made of gold. The MOST EXPENSIVE birth control pill I can find costs $93 a month at drugstore.com. But that’s the brand name version – there’s a generic for $45.99. If she’s paying $70 WITH insurance, then that most likely means that she’s getting a brand name when there’s a generic avaiable, which in 99% of cases is completely unnecessary. I trust she would have mentioned her special case in the email if that were so.
Oh, there is one brand that is $93 that does not have a generic – that poison called “Yaz” that lawyers constantly advertise against.
And by the by, Larry, perhaps you should have mentioned that Wal-Mart sells generic birth control for $9 a month. That’s considerably less than most internet access packages.
Cry me a river. Teeth cleaning? Really? Can we help pay for her Maxie pads and Toilet paper as well? Buck up lady. I think the E-mail is most likely fake. I don’t want to pay for birth control,abortions or cancer tests for anyone. It is sad that some women want to go to the doctor and can not. Because they lack the money to do so. Not to sound cold but it’s not my job or yours to help everyone that wants a hand out. If women want PP to stay alive to kill babies…oh I mean give health care.They need to pay.
“Oh, there is one brand that is $93 that does not have a generic – that poison called ‘Yaz’ that lawyers constantly advertise against.”
Odd. I Yaz almost every time I look at Lawrence O’Donnell.
Any more helpful anecdotes, Sydney? Why does PP have thousands of clients every year if other health centers have the capacity to care for them? Why is cervical cancer still prevalent if everybody has such great access to reproductive health care?
I’m thoroughly disgusted by these idiot Republicans in Washington who want to defund Planned Parenthood. This will do nothing but cause untoldd amounts of human misery. They claim to want to “protect” the unborn, but they have absolutely no intention of protecting them once they are out of the womb !
These are not just lousy politicians, but criminals ! They should be removed from office. And I’m appalled by the stupidity of those here on this website who support them.
What an incredible coincidence and great timing that the lady just happens to e-mail Larry on his show. Far be it from me to suggest a little planning went into this. Nahhhhh.
The lady sends Larry an e-mail so apparently she has a computer and the internet.
Does she also have a blackberry? Is she watching Larry on cable TV or satellite? Neither are free.
It doesn’t sound to me like the lady is all that destitute. My daughter who works two jobs does without all these things to better manage her finances and she doesn’t have any health issues.
Do PP doctors perform breast biopsies? Does PP tend to her other “illnesses” or do they refer her out? My guess is the lady has her “illnesses” tended to elsewhere so obviously the lady can get care.
This sob story is right up there with the “constiuent” of Dem. Louise Slaughter who had to wear her dead sister’s dentures.
Robert Berger,
Looks like you and the rest of you liberals will have to put your money where your big mouths are.
Turn off the waterworks and start organizing liberals to reach deep into their pockets and support PP. Hollywood and Washington DC is full of very wealthy liberals. A million here or there is pocket change to them.
Come on you can do it. Charities do it all the time. They rely on donations, good management, and providing a service the community sees and respects. A local church here raised over a million to build a state of the art homeless shelter.
It can be done Robert, so you and your liberal friends can stop your blubbering and get to work.
Gary 9:48PM
AMEN brother!
Megan,
Why are women still dying of breast cancer when PP is handing out mammograms right and left??
Oh, for 2010, 12.000 new cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed, the death rate was around 4,000. Hardly astronomical. Women are obviously being diagnosed and treated. Can you tell me exactly what treatments PP offers or do they refer the woman to an OB/GYN for treatment?
Hi Ruth 10:41PM
I hear you. My daughter works for a doctor and one of the patients, who is expecting her second child, said our local NFL team should pay more taxes so she can stay home with her children! Can you believe this? Talk about a sense of entitlement.
No lady, the fathers of those kids of yours can support you and them or you can get a job and work like I, and millions of mothers like me, did and do now. Also, you can stop producing children you can’t support.
Well gee, just where is PP? I thought they provided birth control so that people aren’t irresponsibly producing children.
Turn off the waterworks and start organizing liberals to reach deep into their pockets and support PP. Hollywood and Washington DC is full of very wealthy liberals. A million here or there is pocket change to them.
That’s right, put your money where your mouth is, like prolifers do when we support the CPC’s that you are so desperately trying to put out of business.
Mary, I run into entitled people like the ones you describe every day. For example, women on public assistance that have three or four children and want a government-sponsored house. Don’t get me wrong — I don’t have a problem with people who genuinely need help, but people that live off the system and don’t even TRY to find gainful employment really irk me, not only because it’s wrong but because it takes monies away from people who really need help.
Robert, if we’re so stupid, why do you even come here?
The lady would spend $98 on BC if not for PP. I spend more than that almost every time I go to the grocery store. Two trips to the gas station costs me more than that.
Is there some taxpayer subsidized program out there to help us taxpayers who’s taxes pay for someone’s birth control?
You simply can’t expect to maintain NFP without the support of a loving partner.
Should we be expecting people to have sex with unloving partners at all?
Because someone with whom you’re casual simply isn’t going to put in the commitment or effort to wait for non-fertile times. Even if you’re exclusive but casual, it just isn’t realistic.
This is why it is so important to teach young people the importance of staying away from sex at all costs in ’casual’ relationships. We need to raise the bar because Lord knows it can’t go much lower.
If he/she doesn’t love you enough to wait until marriage, he/she doesn’t love you enough.
Berger
This will do nothing but cause untold amounts of human misery.
When accounting for human misery are you factoring in the misery of a baby being torn apart and/or burned in his or her mother womb?
Hi Mary,
PP’s mission is to provide preventive care. That’s what Title X is for. Do you understand that for many women without health insurance or on public insurance, Title X clinics are often their first point of contact with the medical system? PP acts as a gateway in a system with very, very crappy health care coverage.
You don’t get to pick and choose where your taxes go. I’m sure most of mine went to finance some war of attrition in a far-flung middle eastern country. Or subsidize some huge agro-export company. The money that goes to PP is a fraction of what it costs to support these other initiatives, and it actually does something good, in the way of providing healthcare to people who need it. But I know you probably don’t consider birth control to be healthcare, or would rather see low-income, sexually active women contract diseases because they were “asking for it.”
Hi Praxedes,
If you can’t expect people to respect each other before marriage, then how the heck will a piece of paper force people to respect each other?
Hi Megan,
Mammograms don’t prevent anything. Neither do pelvic exams. They provide a possible early diagnosis which means the patient will have to be referred to a specialist. So how pray tell is this paid for? Where did the funds suddenly come from?
Crappy health care coverage? Spare me. These women are getting the care they need.
I’m not happy about my taxes doing a lot of things, I’d rather they go to reputable charities, which BTW function very efficiently without a dime of taxpayer money.
The point is Megan, that PP can function on private funds like any number of reputable charities. Let the Hollywood celebrities and rich liberals put their money where their mouths are. Let PP supporters like yourself make monthly donations.
PP may have to tighten its belt, charities do that all the time.
BTW Megan, what happens when our local pantry runs short? I don’t hear any wailing or gnashing of teeth about people unable to get necessary food or having to wait in long lines, or only having access to limited supplies.
Why is it only a concern when women can’t get birth control?
Megan, kindly refrain from putting words in my mouth.
I have never expressed any desire to see sexualy active women contract a disease because they “deserve” it.
I have never expressed any desire to see sexualy active women contract a disease because they “deserve” it.
I never heard anyone wish an STI on anyone either. Someone who thinks this way is sick!
Mary,
You certainly told Robert!
Robert,
Your lack of faith in the ability of poor people to raise themselves by the bootstraps is mind-boggling. All of our ancestors did.
When you advocate abortion as a solution to poverty, you take away the dignity of the mother, father and child and their right to life.
Why don’t you take the anger you have and direct it towards something productive. Like Mary said, round up your rich friends and have a nice fundraiser. Oh happy times!
“Crappy health care coverage? Spare me. These women are getting the care they need.”
You’re being vague. Why does the United States have one of the worst health profiles of any Western nation if the healthcare system here is so freaking wonderful?
“BTW Megan, what happens when our local pantry runs short? I don’t hear any wailing or gnashing of teeth about people unable to get necessary food or having to wait in long lines, or only having access to limited supplies.
Why is it only a concern when women can’t get birth control?”
That’s probably the dumbest comment I’ve heard on here all day. Liberals only care about birth control—ha! Who’s trying to cut funding to WIC, Mary? Your good ‘ole fiscal conservatives. Liberals realize that charities can’t do everything, especially when the supply of well-intentioned do-gooders dries up in times of economic hardship–hence the need for a social safety net. The most prosperous and healthy countries are those whose governments actually give a crap about its citizens. Here in America we let multi-billion dollar corporations get away without paying any taxes (GE, cough cough), while making women beg for family planning. Disgusting.
Why don’t we let the military hold bakesales for necessary supplies and ammunition?
“Your lack of faith in the ability of poor people to raise themselves by the bootstraps is mind-boggling. All of our ancestors did.”
The Horatio Alger myth was debunked long ago. Our country has greater wealth disparity, social segregation, poor job opportunities and health problems than it ever has before.
If you can’t expect people to respect each other before marriage, then how the heck will a piece of paper force people to respect each other?
Hi Megan, There is no way you can understand what I’m talking about since you view marriage as a piece of paper. I appreciate you trying though.
Mary:
Thanks for all of your comments…delivered with precision and conviction as usual.
There are a couple of things that stand out when we observe some of the comings and goings at the local PP abortuary. One is the number of really nice cars and SUV’s many of the women drive. No one can convince me that taxpayers should subsidize the car payments for these women so they can get birth control on the cheap. I say let them buy their chemicals and pay market prices out of their own pockets and then with the money they have left go get a car.
Secondly, when our local high schools end classes for the day there is a steady stream of traffic consisting of adolescents that end up leaving PP after just a couple of minutes with little bags in hand. Planned Parenthood inserts themselves between parent and child and gives the youngster all of the rope they need to contract STDs (the Centers for Disease Control reports 25% of teens have STDs) and also to come back for an abortion when the birth control methods fail.
Planned Parenthood is a monster. Even as they have been exposed as providing cover to child traffickers and child rapists they abort 1000 babies every working day of the year. There are a thousand other places where Title X money could be and is better spent. Actually, I have read that there are 3700 community health centers that either are eligible for or already receive Title X money.
http://dhmh.state.md.us/mchrc/Meeting%20PDFs/March/Donald-Weaver-Presentation-3-6-2006.pdf
Let those other clinics get the money and let PP depend on the rich old liberal movie stars for their support.
Our country has greater wealth disparity, social segregation, poor job opportunities and health problems than it ever has before.
Megan,
You think things are bad now, just wait, because soon you may have to communicate with your boss and doctor in Chinese. Taking lessons yet?
If we don’t balance the budget, that’s our future. If you don’t like it here, you are free to leave. I challenge you to find a country who allows as much personal freedom as we have in the U.S. Take your friends who are barely surviving because they can’t live without subsidized BC. How many women who have more than enough money go to PP to receive subsidized BC so they have more money for their fancy lattes and shoes and beer on weekends? They are the ones you should be angry with – not the fiscal conservatives.
Jerry,
It looks like you beat me to it on my last point! I am aggravated that teens are able to get BC without their parents’ approval. PP thinks their role as surrogate parents is an entitlement.
“If we don’t balance the budget, that’s our future.”
So you think cutting funding to a program that receives a few million dollars every year–a pittance when compared to the amount of money we channel into building prisons, militarizing the Mexico border region, and sending troops to who-the-heck-knows-where–is gonig to balance our budget? Do you really, Janet?
Megan
Although I don’t think birth control is safe if someone chooses to use birth control I don’t have a problem with my taxes being used to help with that. I don’t think it’s right though that my taxes should be used to facilitate a process that results in the death of a child. What other services do you think the taxpayer should be responsible for that results in direct violence to someone incapable of defending themselves. There are people that work in hospitals that occasionally kill because they really don’t want to be bothered with caring for an individual as taxpayers should we have to pay for that too. And if not why not if it were legal to kill people who go to hospitals to get help in your opinion would it then become o.k. because it is legal. At what point do you think some type of personal accountability should be taught? I agree with a lot of what you say but I don’t agree with killing babies. And I also believe that when a climate is created that justifies the killing of the unborn it creates a climate where the elderly and other members of our society are put at risk as well. In our state during hurricane Katrina elderly people were euthanised and the doctor didn’t even do jail time. When it was through the prosecutor didn’t even get reelected because he was targeted for doing his job. At what point should the madness stop?
Megan,
I never mentioned prisons, the border, the military, but those are important issues, I’ll agree with you. Several hundred million dollars is a pittance to you? I bet you never picked a penny up off the ground when you were a kid. You waited for that $5 bill, right?
In comparative terms, several hundred million dollars is a pittance. Megan’s point is well-taken. If you’re so worried about balancing the budget, then it would actually be counter-productive to fret over the tiny fraction of government spending that Planned Parenthood receives. You’re trying to mask your social agenda as concern for fiscal responsibility. A concern that, as far as I can tell, never extends to any areas of the budget where large cuts would actually have some impact–namely military nation-building efforts in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Megan,
Explain to me why we need to subsidize the operations of the nations largest abortion provider. Why do we need to subsidize women’s hormonal birth control? There are plenty of very low cost birth control options available. And if you are truly so destitute that you cannot afford a box of condoms, then I seriously question your decision to take the risk of having sex. If 5 bucks is going to break you, then you need to get yourself focused on more immediate priorities than sex.
If we want to make sure that federal money is made available to give low income women pap smears and mammograms, we can allocate that money to the 1200+ community health centers. Please tell me one unique thing that PP does that warrants this kind of money being thrown at it that couldn’t be perfectly well accomplished by giving the money to organizations that do NOT provide abortions.
Joan
If anyones goal was to stop planned parenthood before all the allegations surfaced than yes if the goal was to shut them down that would have been an agenda. But planned parenthoods own personal agenda evidenced by the amount of trouble there in is enough reason to make sure that taxpayers monies go to agencies that aren’t breaking the law and contributing to the delinquency of minors. And hopefully it will be an agency that isn’t into killing babies. And of course when you live in a country where companies make millions on governmental contracts to facilitate war it would make sense that a countries own citizens should receive healthcare. I think the real issue though is that people are tired of agencies usurping parental authority and contributing to the delinquincies of minors. I think accurate scientific information makes a much more positive difference in a teen-agers life than agencies that benefit financially off of their counsel that is at best challenged.
Who’s “masking?”
I won’t pay for someone else’s baby killing. I don’t believe our government should be giving federal funds to baby killers.
Allow me to translate.
“Women’s reproductive choice”=baby killing
“Women’s reproductive health”=baby killing
“Women’s reproductive justice=baby killing
Hi phillymiss,
Always good to see you here. :)
I hear you loud and clear on the entitlement issue. Like you I am more than willing to help anyone genuinely in need of help. I make regular donations to our local Salvation Army and food pantry as I know the money goes to those in need of such help.
When people stick their hands out and tell me I owe them, and plenty have, that’s another story.
“I don’t think it’s right though that my taxes should be used to facilitate a process that results in the death of a child.”
Thousands of children die in our wars. Thousands of children will die if Congressman Ryan’s budget cuts the malaria program. Etc. etc. Heck, the “war on drugs” separates thousands of decent parents from their children for 5 to 10 years at a time. Where’s the outrage there?
We are not talking about wars, we are not talking about malaria, we are not talking about drugs.
We are talking about baby killing via abortion.
Let’s stick to that, hmmm?
Megan 1:06PM
Depends on what statistics you look at. Please show me all the people dying on the streets because they can’t get health care. Sometimes Megan people do not take the personal responsiblity for their health care. I know “personal responsibility” is a profanity to most liberals, but when you live as long as I have you will come to realize there are people who take no responsibility for managing their lives, paying their bills, or…. visiting a doctor.
I’ve had women on WIC offer me their excess cheese and butter. One of them was having her second child by a different father. So do liberals plan to wail and moan like a Greek chorus about supposed cutting of funding to WIC like they do cutting of funding to PP?
I didn’t say private charities can do it alone, There have always been and should be safety nets. Government programs have time and again proven wasteful and inefficient, as well as totally impersonal. All too often they create dependency. Its the private charities that run far more efficiently.
Interesting you should mention GE. CEO Immelt of GE, a real good buddy of Obama’s, actually travelled to Brazil with our fearless leader on Air Force 1, at your and my expense of course.
Hal,
Millions have already died from malaria because of the banning of DDT, thanks to environmental wackos.
Has Lawrence O’Donnell’s friend given any thought to a tubal ligation? Or perhaps her partner could have a vasectomy?
Where’s the outrage there?
Hal
I can only speak for myself but I think it’s wrong when children are killed in wars or when people use their children as shields in time of war. As far as the war on drugs if the seperation your referring to is when a parent or parents go to jail for selling drugs and as a consequence are separated from their children than that is a consequence of their own action. In that case the amount of children protected from the parents illegal activities justifies the consequences. I don’t think the malaria program should be cut. And I guess the outrage for the pre-born is because abortion is very calculated.
Mary
This is in response to your 5:45 post.
What could those environmentalists have possibly been thinking when they outlawed DDT?
Surely innoculation is not nearly as safe as having the air full of DDT?!
Hi Myrtle,
I would suggest you goole “how the banning of DDT caused millions to die of malaria”.
Many great article that should give you extensive background on the subject.
Mary
Deforestation also is a factor. What are your views on deforestation. I didn’t realize there wasn’t an immunization for malaria. Whatever a persons view though surely you don’t agree with not funding a program that helps to treat malaria. Personally I believe they shouldn’t have d/c it’s use until they had something more effective and of course the best preventative would have been to contain their zeal for lumber. There not.
I don’t know much about deforestration, only the various opinions and arguments that we all hear. They may try to find any other excuse they can as well. Its not the fault of environmentalists, its the fault of the lumber industry!
Are there private charities that can help with the malaria problem? We’re certainly not the only country in the world that can help. How about the UN? Why don’t we just bring back DDT?
BTW Myrtle, I saw Gone With the Wind the other nite and thought of you during that scene I told you about. I can watch that movie a hundred more times and still enjoy it!
Oh goodness everyone, we’re under tornado warning and the sirens are going off!
Mary
I’m glad you enjoy watching Gone With The Wind. We learned about the mosquito responsible for malaria in Anthropology so I remembered vaguely the destruction of it’s habitat contributed to the rise in malaria. I think it’s really not about whose fault it is I think we should be past that and say o.k. this is what we know what can we do to make the situation better so our earth can be healthy and it’s people. I believe it’s all interconnected. I found a really good article about DDT in the Scientific American. It’s called should DDT Be Used To Combat Malaria? Had they not outlawed it no telling what impact there would have been on the natural environment. And of course people are more important than the environment but because there co-dependent both issues need to be addressed seriously. And argueing about which is more important with the amount of technology we have available is just a waste of time, both are equally important.
Hi Myrtle,
There is much controversy on this. DDT may have been falsely implicated as environmentally destructive. I would suggest you look into opposing opinions concerning the possible risk of DDT.
“Has Lawrence O’Donnell’s friend given any thought to a tubal ligation? Or perhaps her partner could have a vasectomy?”
I think Larry should offer to pay for that.
“There is much controversy on this. DDT may have been falsely implicated as environmentally destructive. I would suggest you look into opposing opinions concerning the possible risk of DDT. ”
Pittsburgh’s own nutcase Rachel Carson basically made it all up that DDT kills unborn eagles by making their eggs brittle in order to get it banned. As a result, millions of Africans have died from malaria. So of course we here in Pittsburgh name a bridge after the woman. We should have named a slag dump after her.
Hi John,
No No No, not Larry. The taxpayer must pay for this. John, remember that liberals are only generous and concerned when its other people’s money, not theirs.
Hi John,
Of course they would honor her in Pittsburgh, millions didn’t die there. Don’t you just love these long distance environmentalists, sitting in their comfort and enjoying their champagne and cavier parties, who tell people in other countries, particularly poor ones, what they can or cannot do with their resources and that they are the ones that must die to “protect” the environment?
No Megan millions of people in Africa have died because the AIDS profiteers push promiscuous premarital and adulterous sex instead of promoting and maintaining the ABC program. Good article titled “Let My People Go, AIDS Profiteers” written by an African man Rutikaria(sp?) who was on the PROPHAR committee to fight AIDS. Uganda had seen a dramatic number of AIDS cases going down until PP decided they could make a lot more money off of Africans with anti-viral drugs and condoms than promoting Abstinence 1st, Be Faithful to your partner and then use Condoms. PP also skewed the numbers in studys saying that married Africans who were faithful to each other were at the same risk as prostitutes having multiple sexual partners for contracting AIDS. Sounds like good old Margaret Sanger “unfit, human weeds” propaganda to me. Someone else may be able to find the link to the article and post it. If you are really interested in finding out what is going on in Africa.
Wow! Megan is this you, the same one who had come here saying you were leaning toward being prolife and wanted a child or maybe I just have you confused with someone else? If you are the same person I really need to double down on my prayers for you. You sound like you are in a real funk on the anti-Catholic Crusades again. Get some more help.
Mary
I did read the opposing views and made up my own mind. Something I like to do!
If you really care about all the people who died from malaria it shouldn’t bother you that we help countries combat malaria. I completely agree with you that millions should not have died because they put the environment before people but I think we disagree on the overall impact ddt has on life forms. They should have had enough respect for the evidence before them to address both problems.
Did O’Donnell throw in ‘winning one for the gipper’ just for good measure?
I am just trying to imagine a man of Mr O’Donnell’s means having a ‘friend’ who is so destitute that she would have to rely on a ‘handout’ from PP to get basic health care.
Must be one of the undocumented aliens bussing tables in the MSNBC lunchroom, or more likely, it is his own housekeeper/nanny.
These ‘wealthy ‘ broadcast journalist are just too selfish to pay their fair share.
Just watched the ‘clip’. I laughed out loud. Not at the possibility that a person could be so desperate, but that a ‘journalist’ would stoop so low.
Give me a break.
Mr. O’Donnell accuses republicans of failing to ‘fact check’ their sources or just plain lying. Then he reads an email from an unidentified source and gives us no indication he verified a single claim.
Journalism 101. Get two corroborations for every ‘fact’. If is your mother making the claims, get three independent verifications.
I think he needs to read some letters from some of the women who we see who went to Planned Parenthood. He may cry but not because they are wonderful….
“The Horatio Alger myth was debunked long ago.”
Not.
“Our country has greater wealth disparity, social segregation, poor job opportunities and health problems than it ever has before.”
Yes, because we have massive immigration of poor people who have no skills. They start at the bottom and move up as they get jobs, save, get their kids educated etc. If we had no immigration, we would have fewer poor people. However, poor immigrants are better off here than they are in their home countries. They move up economically as soon as they get here. If you count that, we have the highest social mobility in the history of the world. The bottom of society in the US is far higher than the bottom in most countries and is higher than the average in many countries. That is why they keep coming.
Hi Myrtle,
Certainly I have no issue with helping combat malaria, but it could be done easily and inexpensively with DDT. Millions would not be dead now if not for this fallacy about DDT. As I pointed out, the rich and comfortable environmentalists don’t have to concern themselves about sacrficing their own lives for the cause of “protecting” the environment, that’s for the weak and powerless to do.
We are not the only country on the planet and if there is a budget issue, why can’t other countries help out?
Hi Ken,
Everything from this e-mail to O’Donnell’s “emotions” are a colossol put on. His destitute friend apparently can access a computer and the internet, or does she have a smart phone?
Larry help her out? LOL, fat chance. Liberals are only generous and concerned when its someone else’s money, mainly the taxpayer’s.
Mary
Did you read the article I mentioned in my previous post? I’ve read several articles some of them are for using ddt and some are not. A lot of countries are still using ddt. I think that they should know enough about this type of mosquito so that it presents less of a risk to people and animals, My thoughts on any pesticide that kills any life form is that it cannot be safe in the case of ddt if it were safe it would not be so effective. Anyway those are my thoughts. There’s probably something in the natural environment that these insects would rather not be around.
Hi Myrtle,
I have gone through your previous posts and can’t find any article. Kindly direct me if I am missing it.
If there is some way to kill of these mosquitoes that is in the natural environment, go for it. You’ll get no argument from me. I understand bats love to feast on mosquitoes but I don’t know if they are native to these areas or would be environmentally out of place if they were put there.
In the meantime, killing off this mosquito is the only way as it looks like the mosquito has been winning the war. If it takes DDT, go for it.
If sacrificing millions of lives to “protect” the environment is acceptable, so be it.
You’ll notice it doesn’t include the environmentalists.
Mary
It’s my 8:15 post. I’m not sure how they got away with that to me they should have worked quickly to find a solution to combat malaria and not endanger other life forms. I’ve noticed that environmentalists like others have the ability to do a great amount of good as well as harm. I think when it comes to communication most of the time people just want to be right and in the process of having to be right we lose the opportunity to look at really good information and find a good solution.
I don’t see why tax payers should have to help fund women’s birth control supplies, especially when there are plenty of free health clincs in the country, as well as others. I believe there are way more pregnancy resource centers in the country than PP clincs. although if one still wants to go to PP then why can’t they pay for their own supply. I mean how hard is it to save up for birth control? Don’t abortions cost about $500-$1000 anyway, is a year’s supply of birth control that much more expensive?
I mean it’s called responsibility, if you want to have sex, make sure you can afford the protection, save some money. I mean isn’t that what PLANNED parenthood is supposed to teach girls, how to be respoinsilble? What values are we teaching these kids by saying tax payers can fund their birth control and leave them free to have an active sex life?
Hi Myrtle,
Thank you. Again its debatable what if any impact DDT would have on the environment.
I think millions of lost lives cannot be justified for any reason.
Oh and to those that point out that you can’t control where your money is going tax dollars go to a lot of things that people don’t necessarily believe in such as wars. Yes that is true I mean after all this is a democracy. However there are boundaries, some things should not have to be tolerated. Abortion is not just some other political issue, it isn’t just a matter of being democrat/republican or liberal/conservative. This is a moral issue, if taxpayers don’t draw the line here I don’t know where they can.
For instance, I happen to also be against the Iraq war and I would love it if tax dollars didnt have to support this war but that’s another battle in itself. I think war is also a moral issue but a person can only put their efforts into fighting so many issues at once. Pro-lifers have simply dedicated their time to abortion and working hard to defund PP. Doesn’t mean they are making an exception on this issue.
Mary
And if there successful with the current legislation millions more will probably be loss. You would think people would have came first but it’s like they don’t or won’t see the whole picture. I wonder how much research money is spent on researching cures for malaria. Theres probably a very simple solution there just not seeing it. Some environmentalists don’t see humans as a good thing. They put the earth before people. They need to hear your speech about how tough mother nature is. I still believe though that we’re suppose to be good stewards of the earth and our resources should be used responsibly. I will pray for a cure for malaria. And of course they should have found a safe replacement for ddt years ago. I think a better solution than killing the mosquito would be to find a cure for malaria. I would think that particular mosquito is here for a reason. What are your thoughts?
Hi Myrtle,
Like I said, we’re not the only country on earth that can help eradicate malaria, and it could be quickly eradicated with DDT. Its debatable what if any damage DDT even does to the environment.
I share and respect your opinion of being good stewards of the earth, but I also think we should concern ourselves with saving lives. The mosquito may be here for a reason, so are parasites, but DDT won’t completely eliminate it, just its numbers. Yes it would be great if there were a cure for malaria and I support all efforts to control it, i.e. controlling the mosquito which seems to be the only way now.
Mary
The extent of the damage it does to the environment is the only thing debatable. The effectiveness of ddt should tell you its not safe for the environment. I’m not knowledgeable about mosquitos so I couldn’t tell you if ddt is the only way. I believe scientists have enough information that they come come up with a much better alternatiive then ddt. I’m glad your concerned about saving lives. LIke you I also believe people come before anything else but I’m hoping as a species we’re able to come up with solutions that are healthy for people and the environment we live in.
Hi Myrtle,
I agree, but millions have already died waiting for this solution.
You may want to google “does ddt harm the environment”.
You will see this is a debate that has not been resolved either way.
Mary
I think a lot of that has to do with the way issues are debated. Instead of looking at the issue which in the case of ddt would have been its efffect on eradicating the mosquito and in the process seriously cutting down on malaria cases. What they should have done was reached some type of compromise but so much energy is wasted debating that both sides usually feel any solution must be an either or solution and one side ends up losing. And because a smart solution isn’t implemented you usually end up with the same problem you started with. I think do people are starting to move away from those type of solutions and learning to be much more diplomatic.