Appearing as a guest on a special Saturday edition of The Lead with Jake Tapper on CNN, Women's March attendee Padma Lakshmi, host of the Bravo program Top Chef, complained about Republican plans to defund Planned Parenthood, dubiously claiming that "little of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion," and fretting that President Donald Trump "has given voice to a lot of racism and misogyny and just given a boldness to a certain kind of hatred and violence."
A bit later, after being pressed by host Tapper about pro-life groups being excluded from the march, she conceded that doing so was a mistake for outreach purposes, but then in the next breath hyperbolically asserted that one has to be "insane" or "crazy" to not be a "feminist."
When asked by Tapper why most participants were attending the march, she began by bemoaning:
Well, I can tell you what I'm marching for, and I think I'm a good indication of many people that were shoulder to shoulder to me down there. We're marching because this is much bigger than Donald Trump, although I think the election of Donald Trump has given voice to a lot of racism and misogyny and just given a boldness to a certain kind of hatred and violence and humiliation that we have not seen before.
She then brought up support for abortion as she added:
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I am an immigrant. I came to this country when I was four. I am a woman of color. I am a brown person working in a white culture and living in a white culture. And so I have two reasons to be wary of this administration -- not just of him but of his appointees -- of Congress who has vowed to turn back a lot of the rights and benefits that I hold very dear, like the right to choose.
She then tried to downplay Planned Parenthood's role in performing abortions:
I am worried about Planned Parenthood being defunded. So little of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion, and they don't receive any federal money for that. They get reimbursed by Medicaid for other health services that they provide to people that cannot afford them -- both men and women. Like breast cancer screenings and pap smears.
She went on to worry that women would have difficulty being treated for endometriosis if Planned Parenthood were defunded.
A bit later, Tapper brought up the exclusion of pro-life groups from the demonstration as he posed:
There was a feminist group that is anti-abortion that was originally supposed to be part of the march, and then they were uninvited because a lot of people who support abortion rights said, "We don't want them to be part of this." Is that not a missed opportunity for this progressive community to say, "If you disagree with us on this one issue, even though I know it's an important issue, if you disagree with us on this one issue, you're not wanted in this movement"?
She began by suggesting that pro-life activists should have been welcome before introducing the word "insane" in reference to some who disagree with her on women's issues:
You know, I think that's a very astute question, and I may not speak for others or even those ... I think it is a missed opportunity. I do. I think that we have to show that we are different from those that we are protesting against, and I think the women's movement is inclusive and should be inclusive. I don't think you have to be a woman to be a feminist. I think you have to be a sane person to be a feminist. I think, if you're not a feminist, then I would consider you really just insane because-
The CNN host then jumped in:
But doesn't that -- even saying that, doesn't that chase away people who might want to support you that say, "To me, feminism is supporting abortion and I'm Catholic and I don't support it, and this person who seems so nice, and now she's calling me 'insane.'"
She then backtracked by suggesting that feminism can mean different things:
No, they, well, I'm saying what I think is an opinion. I'm not calling you, you know, a "jerk," I'm saying, you know, I think you're, you know, insane is -- I would say I think you're crazy, you know. I would. Because feminism is not about abortion. Feminism is about equal rights, and what you believe those rights to be, there's a secondary and deeper conversation to be had.
All feminism means is that everyone is the same. And that's why it includes immigrants. That's why it includes all these other groups which, you know, you said it yourself. Every one of those other groups has women in it, and we are half the population.
Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Saturday, January 21, The Lead with Jake Tapper on CNN:
4:08 p.m. ET
PADMA LAKSHMI, TOP CHEF HOST: Well, I can tell you what I'm marching for, and I think I'm a good indication of many people that were shoulder to shoulder to me down there. We're marching because this is much bigger than Donald Trump, although I think the election of Donald Trump has given voice to a lot of racism and misogyny and just given a boldness to a certain kind of hatred and violence and humiliation that we have not seen before.
I am an immigrant. I came to this country when I was four. I am a woman of color. I am a brown person working in a white culture and living in a white culture. And so I have two reasons to be wary of this administration -- not just of him but of his appointees -- of Congress who has vowed to turn back a lot of the rights and benefits that I hold very dear, like the right to choose.
TAPPER: The right to choose. So you're worried about abortion being made illegal by the Trump administration.
LAKSHMI: I am worried about Planned Parenthood being defunded. So little of what Planned Parenthood does is abortion, and they don't receive any federal money for that. They get reimbursed by Medicaid for other health services that they provide to people that cannot afford them -- both men and women. Like breast cancer screenings and pap smears.
I am a co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America. And so, as someone who cares deeply about women's reproductive health, this is very distressing to me. Many women use birth control for things other than contraception. If you suffer from endometriosis, if you have PCOS, one of the first things they do to treat that symptomatically is to give you birth control. And for many women, you know, that surgery for endometriosis is not covered by insurance unless you wind up in the hospital through the emergency room.
(...)
TAPPER: There was a feminist group that is anti-abortion that was originally supposed to be part of the march, and then they were uninvited because a lot of people who support abortion rights said, "We don't want them to be part of this." Is that not a missed opportunity for this progressive community to say, "If you disagree with us on this one issue, even though I know it's an important issue, if you disagree with us on this one issue, you're not wanted in this movement"?
LAKSHMI: You know, I think that's a very astute question, and I may not speak for others or even those-
TAPPER: Just for yourself, for yourself.
LAKSHMI: I think it is a missed opportunity. I do. I think that we have to show that we are different from those that we are protesting against, and I think the women's movement is inclusive and should be inclusive. I don't think you have to be a woman to be a feminist. I think you have to be a sane person to be a feminist. I think, if you're not a feminist, then I would consider you really just insane because-
TAPPER: But doesn't that -- even saying that, doesn't that chase away people who might want to support you that say, "To me, feminism is supporting abortion and I'm Catholic and I don't support it, and this person who-"
LAKSHMI: It's not, though.
TAPPER: "-seems so nice, and now she's calling me 'insane.'"
LAKSHMI: No, they, well, I'm saying what I think is an opinion. I'm not calling you, you know, a "jerk," I'm saying, you know-
TAPPER: Insane, though.
LAKSHMI: -I think you're, you know, insane is -- I would say I think you're crazy, you know. I would. Because feminism is not about abortion. Feminism is about equal rights, and what you believe those rights to be, there's a secondary and deeper conversation to be had.All feminism means is that everyone is the same. And that's why it includes immigrants. That's why it includes all these other groups which, you know, you said it yourself. Every one of those other groups has women in it, and we are half the population.
