Roundup: Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics

by Robin Marty, RH Reality Check

December 15, 2009 - 10:07am (Print)

Today's roundup is all about representing -- or misrepresenting, as all of our groups would claim. Planned Parenthoods across the country are used to having their mission and their record distorted, and Planned Parenthood in Fort Collins, Colorado is no exception. The group attempts to clear the record in a letter to the Coloradoan.

Contrary to what the author suggests, abortion represents a small percentage of the services provided at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountain health centers. More than 93 percent of the care we provide is preventative, and we've been a trusted provider of health care for millions of women since 1916.

One in four women nationwide has visited a Planned Parenthood health center in her lifetime. Closer to home, the majority of our clients visit us for contraception, annual wellness exams, life-saving breast and cervical cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, and treatment for basic reproductive health issues such as urinary tract infections.

Our ads truly and accurately reflect our core services - preventative care.

Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin are having an even harder time, as the result of an "undercover" video done by Live Action, the latest Lila Rose project. Pro-Life Wisconsin is claiming that the video shows doctors providing misinformation to women seeking abortions. Planned Parenthood disagrees.

Teri Huyck, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, said the video is questionable."The fact is Planned Parenthood's standard is to provide honest, medically accurate information," she said in a statement. "That is what the physician in this case did, in addition to accurately answering safety questions from a patient that had indicated she wanted to terminate her pregnancy."

But pro-choice groups aren't the only ones who have to fight misrepresentation. In Nebraska, two pro-life groups are claiming that legislators are falsely stating they support expanding embryonic stem cell research.

Regent Jim McClurg cast the decisive vote based on misrepresentations of Legislative Bill 606 and the position of our groups in supporting it. McClurg declared that he would not support a resolution to limit ESCR because LB 606 “created a platform” for expansion of ESCR supported by all parties to the negotiation.

McClurg was repeating a false mantra started by supporters of ESCR after the 2008 election produced a 5-3 majority on the Board of Regents against ESCR. The mantra: Why should the regents bother with this when the Legislature and the governor gave a green light to expansion of ESCR in LB 606, and opponents of ESCR agreed to it?

What nonsense. There’s no way our groups, the governor — who got the sole endorsement of Nebraska Right to Life in 2006 — and 30-some state senators on our side would have supported LB 606 if it had contained even a hint of support for expanded ESCR, never mind a “platform.”

Finally, a university in Michigan is being accused of misrepresenting itself as a Catholic school because it is listing known pro-choice organizations as resources for students wanting to learn more about women studies. And this isn't the first time the school has allegedly not adhered to its Catholic teachings.

This is not the first time that the University of Detroit Mercy has supported initiatives that contradict the teaching of the Catholic Church. In 2007, as LSN reported, UDM was linking to Planned Parenthood as a career option for students. Similarly, it linked to NARAL and NOW on its websites.

Mini roundup: People are talking climate change in Coppenhagen. You can now offset your carbon footprint by paying for family planning in developing countries. Or you can heat your house on the hot air caused by conservative talking heads going crazy over the idea of having less babies.

12/15

Anti-climate change, anti-human Washington Post

US AIDS initiative a double-edged sword MiamiHerald.com

Pro-life (dis)unity RenewAmerica

Stupak redux: political lies and manipulation RenewAmerica

Watch Out, You Bloodthirsty Liberals - I'm Voting Pro-Life Huffington Post

Abortion survivor talks about devastation and healing Catholic News Agency

Public shouldn't pay for abortion Helena Independent Record

Abortion and reform News & Observer

Medicare buy-in is latest hurdle for health bill Boston Globe

Obama Calls Democrats for Meeting as Pro-Abortion Health Care Bill Implodes LifeNews.com