On the recordFebruary 17, 2011
I am just amazed by the extortion that I heard on the other side of the aisle tonight. Basically what the Republicans said is that if Planned Parenthood agreed not to perform abortions, then they could continue to perform their other functions. But if they insist on performing abortions, then we are going to starve them for money and they won't be able to provide contraceptives and family planning and all the other health care services for women that are so important here. To me, that is just an incredible statement, because essentially what you are saying is we will extort this. We don't really care about all these other services that they are providing. What we really care about is abortion. And if you sign on the dotted line, then you can continue to perform the other health care services, as long as you don't perform the service that is allowed under the law of the land. Now, I cannot believe that that was actually stated here this evening, because I know and we all know that all these other services, reproductive services and health care services, are so important for women, so important for families. For me to hear a Member on the other side suggest that somehow they are going to extort that and threaten that and hold that over everyone in order to accomplish this goal of saying you can't perform abortions I think is outrageous.
