Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette today participated in an online chat on the subject of Planned Parenthood. You can read a transcript of the Washington Post sponsored event here.
Most of the questioners seemed either hostile toward Planned Parenthood, or not terribly informed. DeGette more than held her own with Rep. Tim Huelskamp of Kansas and online questioners.
Said DeGette:
None of Planned Parenthood’s federal dollars go to abortions. The federal government spends $300 million on family planning services (not abortion), most of which goes to Planned Parenthood for health care services, birth control and family planning. In these tough economic times, many women who have lost their jobs and health insurance rely on Planned Parenthood for their annual checkups and I do not think we should reduce their funding for those activities.
A question from someone in Nebraska, followed by DeGette”s answer:
Q: Why can’ t both parties just leave this issue alone? Just leave everything as is, and re-approach the matter in separate legislation. Why in the world would you hinge the success of such a vital piece of legislation on such a contentious issue?
Rep. Diana DeGette :
I agree that we should not hold womens’ health care hostage to the budget negotiations. We should have Congressional hearings about the efficacy of Title X programs and if they are proven to work we should fund them.
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