Don't let them "Shirley Sherrod" Planned Parenthood

The rightwing smear machine that took down Shirley Sherrod, Van Jones and ACORN is at it again. This time they are going after Planned Parenthood.

The nation's largest provider of health care to low-income women is facing one of the most deceitful and potentially corrosive attacks in its history. If we don't stand up and fiercely defend Planned Parenthood, the radical right could finally achieve its wish of defunding family planning services and reproductive health care for women.

Tell Democrats in Congress and President Obama: Don't let the rightwing do to Planned Parenthood what they did to Shirley Sherrod.

After a series of suspicious visits by individuals claiming to be sex traffickers, Planned Parenthood reported to Attorney General Eric Holder on what appeared to be an illegal undercover video operation targeting 12 of its clinics nationwide. It sought an FBI probe of those involved and any possible violations of interstate sex trafficking laws by the suspicious infiltrators.¹

How ironic, then, that extremist anti-choice activists released an edited, distortion-filled video on Tuesday using footage from their undercover visit to a New Jersey clinic. In the video they had the impudence to accuse Planned Parenthood(!) of helping to cover up a sex ring trafficking in underage female prostitutes. And how utterly offensive to make up a story about child sex slaves -- a real and heinous crime -- in the service of their extreme political agenda.²

It's outrageous that an organization where doctors, nurses and other workers dedicate their lives to helping women could be smeared in such a transparent fraud perpetrated for political reasons. What's worse, by treating the video hoax as a credible story worthy of coverage, major news organizations are enabling a political smear promoted by extremists with a history of deceit.

This is not an isolated event, but part of a devastatingly effective strategy by the extremists on the right to destroy progressive institutions and bring down a succession of officials who have been forced to step down or had their nomination withdrawn when the Obama administration capitulated to rightwing propaganda.

Tell Democrats: It's time to stop throwing innocent public servants under the bus -- defend Planned Parenthood against false accusations from the rightwing noise machine.

The video was posted Tuesday on "Big Journalism" the web site run by Andrew Breitbart. You may recall that Breitbart is the serial race-baiter who released a heavily edited video of Shirley Sherrod, then an official with the USDA. Breitbart claimed this video was "evidence of racism coming from a federal appointee and NAACP Award recipient."

The media breathlessly hyped Breitbart's video before verifying the basic story. And Sherrod was publicly vilified, abandoned by the Obama administration, and fired from her job as a result. But the problem was, Breitbart lied. Multiple news organizations apologized but not before the damage was already done. ³

The maker of the Planned Parenthood video, Lila Rose, has a long history of similar hoaxes. In fact, she formerly worked on conservative propaganda videos with convicted criminal James O'Keefe. O'Keefe was the creator of the heavily edited and equally mendacious videos that ultimately led to the collapse of ACORN, an organization that helped register and turnout voters in poor communities and communities of color. O'Keefe's ACORN smear videos, like Rose's deceptive video attack on Planned Parenthood, were also launched to prominence on Breitbart's site.

Tell Democrats in Congress and the White House: Defend Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood has over 30,000 employees at over 850 clinics. For 90 years, the organization has been a leader not only in women's health but also in women's rights. Not coincidentally, these intensifying attacks on Planned Parenthood are taking place simultaneously with an all-out-attack on women in the House of Representatives.

Republicans have introduced H.R. 3, the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act," which already boasts 173 co-sponsors. The bill, among other things, would essentially mean the end of private insurance coverage for abortion. It also includes an outrageous provision that would restrict federally assisted abortion coverage only to victims of what the law defines as "forcible rape." ⁴

The implications are staggering. Women could be forced to bring a child to term in instances where they are drugged and raped, where the woman says "No" but does not physically fight off her rapist, or statutory rape where a minor is impregnated by an adult. These victims would all be denied access to coverage for abortion services under Medicaid. Said Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz: "I consider the proposal of this bill a violent act against women."⁵

The well-timed smear of Planned Parenthood is a calculated attempt to scare Democrats away from mounting an aggressive defense of choice. Think about it. Shirley Sherrod was used as a screen to distract from the increasingly racist protests of the Tea Party. Van Jones was brought down, removing one of the most progressive voices on climate change from the White House. And ACORN was neutralized just as rightwing operatives went on the attack to stop the Department of Justice from taking tough measures to stop voter intimidation and suppression.

It's time for Democrats to create a firewall against rightwing smears. Defend Planned Parenthood and block the extremists' radical anti-choice, anti-woman agenda.

If we don't stand up and defend Planned Parenthood, who will be next? Now is the time to draw the line and stop throwing progressives under the bus in the face of increasingly outrageous propaganda.

Notes:
¹ "New Video Seeks To Discredit Planned Parenthood", Huffington Post, February 1, 2011
²"AP Exclusive: Planned Parenthood seeks FBI probe", Washington Post, January 24, 2011
³"Critics Blast White House for Shirley Sherrod Firing", CBS News, July 21, 2010.
⁴"The House GOP's Plan to Redefine Rape", Mother Jones, January 28, 2011.
⁵"Dem calls GOP rape-redefining bill 'a violent act against women'", Raw Story, February 1, 2011