Planned Parenthood
Joshua Humes’ letter to the editor about Planned Parenthood (September 13th issue) contained many inaccuracies.
Humes implies that funding Planned Parenthood somehow subsidizes abortion. Under federal law, Title X funding cannot fund abortion care. Clinical and financial audits prove Planned Parenthood abides by the law. The fact is that the preventative health care that Planned Parenthood provides actually reduces the need for abortion by preventing unplanned pregnancies.
It was not the Memphis City Council that voted down funding for Planned Parenthood. It was the Shelby County Commission. The federal Title X family-planning funding at issue provides preventative health service to women (and men) and teens who are low-income and uninsured.
Helping to prevent unplanned pregnancies through sex education with access to a wide range of effective contraceptives is the most important benefit of Planned Parenthood’s preventative health programs. The myth that all Planned Parenthood does is abortion is false political propaganda. Nationwide, abortion-related care is only 3 percent of Planned Parenthood’s health services. The rest of the services are entirely preventative health care, including exams for women, cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment, and birth control. These services are provided in a nonjudgmental and unbiased manner.
The high teenage birth rate in our region contributes to poverty, school dropouts, and a cascade of many other social ills. Planned Parenthood’s services are provided based on one’s ability to pay, and services are free to the neediest.
As indicated in recent Flyer articles, Christ Community Health Services (CCHS) is not providing the services its representatives swore to provide for Shelby County. Our Shelby County commissioners ought to reconsider future funding of Title X to CCHS as they fail to live up to the contract, actually violating U.S. Title X program rules by not providing unbiased care to all.
Ed Chapman
Memphis
Politically Correct?
So now Tim Sampson (The Rant, September 20th issue) wants to “rewrite the Constitution to amend the First Amendment” to suit his own, politically correct purposes?
According to Sampson, “anyone who spews hate and ignorance ought to be silenced,” and if you are “ignorant and a bigot” you shouldn’t be “allowed to use the internet or post comments about news articles.”
Unfortunately, when this happens, his often intolerant and sophomoric column may be the first casualty.
Erwin Williamson
Memphis
Tim Sampson’s rant against free speech demonstrates his liberal perversion.
If Sampson cared to read any real news source, or even Barack Obama’s own administration’s report, he would have known that 24 hours after the attack on our embassy, it was common knowledge that this act was planned terrorism associated with 9/11 and not a reaction to a movie. Obama went on for two weeks admonishing the movie maker and purposely misleading America. Why no outcry from Sampson?
Sampson insinuates that Muslim terror is the fault of those who say bad things about Muslims. Never once have I heard Sampson’s outrage at movies depicting Christ as a fornicator and a phony. He didn’t rant about government-funded art immersing a crucifix in the artist’s urine and photographing it. I wonder, if a Christian bombed the Flyer, would Sampson blame free speech against Christianity as the culprit?
The consummate illustration of his perverted liberal thinking, however, rests with the plea to license free speech. One has to ask, who would determine if you and I were allowed to express our feelings verbally? Clearly, Sampson has gone off the deep end.
There have never been any words spoken or written that justify even one of the Muslim attacks on innocent people. The fault of all violence lies at the hands of the people who commit it.
Tommy Volinchak
Memphis
Employment Opportunity?
With the unemployment rate continuing to climb, the company that makes the yellow tape labeled “Crime Scene Do Not Cross” should be hiring. I sure keep seeing a lot of it pictured on the Memphis news.
Joe Mercer
Memphis
