Three weeks ago, concerning Associated Press coverage of investigations into Planned Parenthood's baby body parts business, I noted that "Bad news for Planned Parenthood gets only local coverage," while "Exculpatory news, even if artificially concocted, gets national exposure."
Add the following to that observation: Obama administration attempts to punish states for attempts to defund Planned Parenthood, clearly nationally significant, only get local coverage. Kansas provides such an example.
In early August, the AP treated the fact that "Kansas has received no reports on the handling of fetal tissue in the 15 years that the information has been required" as a national story, while keeping news that "Three of the 16 Planned Parenthood facilities inspected in Florida ... were performing procedures beyond their licensing authority, and one facility was not keeping proper logs relating to fetal remains" away from its national sites.
So a no-news story got national treatment from AP.
Late last week, in a brazen power play, the Obama administration cut Kansas's Title X funding. Life News has the most comprehensive coverage (links are in original; bolds are mine throughout this post):
Obama Punishes Kansas for De-Funding Planned Parenthood by Cutting Its Title X Funding
The Obama administration has punished the state of Kansas for cutting taxpayer funds for the Planned Parenthood abortion business by cutting its federal Title X funding by the same amount. The moves comes at the same time the abortion giant is facing intense criticism over its sales of aborted babies and their body parts.
In 2011, pro-life Governor Sam Brownback signed a bill signed into law a bill that would shift funding away from the Planned Parenthood abortion business and stops abortion funding in health insurance programs. The Kansas Senate passed the measure on a 28-10 vote and the state House followed suit with an 86-30 vote.
The measure has the state budget directing over $300,000 in Title 10 money to local full-service health clinics instead of Planed Parenthood and it places $300,000 into the Stan Clark grant-matched fund for pregnancy support and adoption counseling.
The funding cuts eventually resulted in the Planned Parenthood abortion business closing one of its centers.
Now, the Obama administration, in the wake of additional states cutting Planned Parenthood funding following the massive scandal, is going after one state that already cut tax-funding to the abortion company. According to an AP report: “The federal government reduced its Title X funding to the state by about the $370,000 annually in Title X money that two Planned Parenthood facilities in Wichita and Hays and an unaffiliated clinic in Dodge City had been receiving.”
While Kansas revoked taxpayer dollars for an abortion business, the Obama administration’s decision hurts women’s health and deprives them of legitimate medical and health care.
Somebody's conducting a "war on women" to make political points — and it's not Kansas.
Eric Odom at Liberty News explains why this development is nationally significant: "(It) is likely one of the most dangerous eye-opening views into how the federal government has gone rogue."
A search on "Kansas Planned Parenthood" (not in quotes) at the Associated Press's national site returns no results, indicating that the wire service treated the news as a local story.
That brief AP story predictably almost makes it seem as if Kansas is the offending party:
Kansas loses thousands in federal funding after voting to defund Planned Parenthood
Kansas has lost the federal planning money it stripped from Planned Parenthood and another unaffiliated clinic since winning its legal fight to defund the organization.
The federal government reduced its Title X funding to the state by about the $370,000 annually in Title X money that two Planned Parenthood facilities in Wichita and Hays and an unaffiliated clinic in Dodge City had been receiving.
Medical providers say that means low-income patients are finding it harder to access birth control, cancer screenings and other reproductive health care services.
Points:
- Kansas didn't "lose" funding. The Obama administration withdrew it.
- Many if not most forms of birth control are inexpensive.
- The Alliance Defending Freedom notes that "ZERO Planned Parenthood Federation facilities are licensed to do mammograms," the primary cancer screenings in question.
- The article provides no quotes from people in the field to support the claims that "low-income patients are finding it harder to access birth control."
- The unemployment rate in the two counties affected are 3.7 percent in Ford County and 3.3 percent in Ellis County. Almost all economists say that a 4 percent unemployment rate represents full employment (many set the bar as high as 5.0 percent or even 5.5 percent). Everyone who wants to work in these counties can work, and should be able to afford the $9 a month cost of the most popular forms of birth control available at outlets like Target, Wal-Mart and other retailers.
- A review of the FDA's database of over 8,000 licensed mammogram providers referenced by the Alliance Defending Freedom shows that both Dodge City in Ford County (which has two) and Hays in Ellis County have licensed mammogram facilities.
The federal funding withdrawal appears to be sheerly vindictive, and done for only one reason — the money involved isn't going to Planned Parenthood. Therefore, money for services the administration would argue in any other circumstance is of critical importance won't be provided. That is evidence that they've resorted to waging a "war on women" to get their way.
That would be national news if a Republican or conservative presidential administration did the same thing — and its actions would make it the bad guy in the story. But the AP buried it locally, and made it look like it Kansas's fault.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
