Get Educated on HIV/AIDS

Have questions about #HIV #AIDS? Join @ppfaq & PP's Dr. Cullins for an #HIVaware town hall tomorrow at 11:30am EST!

— Planned Parenthood (@PPact) February 7, 2013

Planned Parenthood will have a town hall on Twitter tomorrow with Dr. Cullins. Too many teenagers live in red states that do not educate them on the spread of sexually transmitted deseases. If you miss the town hall, you can check out to Planned Parenthood page on HIV. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention also has information.

Heartbeat Bill Dies

The Ohio Legislature came to its senses and shelved the Heartbeat Bill. the legislation would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Ohio Senate President Tom Niehaus came to realize that Planned Parenthood does other medical services besides abortions.

Ohio State Sen. Tom Niehaus*: "I think you have to look at the entirety of the work that is done by Planned Parenthood, and I believe that they offer much-needed services that are not available other places. So I chose not to take up the bill in lame duck."

Progressive Events Held During the RNC

The Republican National Convention will take over downtown Tampa next week. Progress Florida has a list of lefty events that will be held that week.

Sunday, August 26th

Lecture: "Mass Media: Enemy or Tool?" Sponsored by Food Not Bombs World Gathering Café Hey 1540 N. Franklin St. Tampa 2:00pm Lecture and discussion led by Dr. David Z. Morris of USF Dept. of Communications.

"Patients Over Politics" Bus Tour Kick-Off Sponsored by Doctors for America Outside Tropicana Field 1700 block of 1st St. N in St. Petersburg 4:30pm-5:300pm To show support for our new benefits gained under the landmark health care reform law, ObamaCares. Bus tour kicks off in Tampa with several Tampa Bay event stops and then heads to the Democratic convention in Charlotte, NC. Check for updates and more specific locations here: www.drsforamerica.org/take-action/patientsoverpolitics

Community Vigil and March on the "RNC Kick-Off Party" at the Tropicana Field Sponsored by Florida Consumer Action Network (FCAN) Mirror Lake Drive (in front of Mirror Lake Lyceum) St. Petersburg 5:30-8:30pm Local faith leaders from the Tampa Bay area will convene a gathering concerned citizens to raise awareness of the disparities of the policies that hurt the middle-class and the 99%. RSVP on Facebook

Monday, August 27th

March On The RNC Sponsored by the Coalition to March on the RNC Perry Harvey Sr. Park 1200 N. Orange Ave Tampa 10:00am We will begin with our 10am rally at Perry Harvey Sr. Park, located at 1200 N. Orange Ave in Tampa, FL. After the speakers greet the crowd and our Coalition assembles, we will begin our march towards the RNC going on at the Tampa Bay Times Forum around noon. On Facebook www.marchonthernc.com

Melting Middle Class Ice Sculpture Sponsored by Morning In America and artists Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese Lykes Gaslight Park 401 N. Franklin St. Tampa 10:00am Morning in America plans to install a 2,000 pound, 4ft. tall by 15 ft. wide ice sculpture of the words "middle class." This event is a photo-video shoot documenting the installation, presentation and disappearance of an ice sculpture. The event continues until the ice disappears, which could take from 6 to 24 hours. Republicans cheering on the melting of the ice and/or hedging bets on the rate of middle class disintegration could happen in reality or metaphor. www.meltedaway.com

March From Romneyville Sponsored by Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign Romneyville (Army/Navy store parking lot) 1213 N. Tampa Street Tampa 3:00-5:00pm Demonstrators will call for stopping all foreclosure actions, criminalization of the poor and homeless. On Facebook Contact: Rev. Bruce Wright (bgcwright@aol.com; 727-278-1547)

Panel Discussion: "Is This What Democracy Looks Like?" Sponsored by Awake Pinellas Studio@620 620 1st Avenue South St. Petersburg 6:30-8:00pm Panel discussion with Ruth Conniff, political editor of The Progressive magazine, Dr. Judithanne Scourfield-Maclaughlin of USF, and Arun Gupta of Occupy Wall Street Journal. These progressive journalists will discuss the state of democracy in Florida, Wisconsin, and the nation. Moderated by Progress Florida's Darden Rice. Cost: $5 to support Studio@620 RSVP on Facebook

Tuesday, August 28th

Intergenerational Roundtable Sponsored by Young Invincibles 10:30-11:30am Centro Asturiano de Tampa 1913 N. Nebraska Ave. Tampa We want to hear from you about your generation's biggest problems and what you'd do to solve them. Students, seniors, and all members of the community are invited. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Susan McManus, the author of Young vs. Old, NBC political analyst, and Professor at the University of South Florida. RSVP to sam.whappel@younginvincibles.org or call 301-655-4031. Tweet using #CanYouHearMeNow

Rock The Vote! Road Trip 2012 Sponsored by Rock the Vote 11:00am-3:00 pm St. Leo University 33701 State Road 52 Rock the Vote Road Trip Bus is heading our way! They will be pulling up and unloading at Saint Leo University for an awesome event that will include live music, voter registration, and tons of interactive activations. Make sure you stop by and register to vote, get your picture snapped, grab some free stuff, groove to music, and loads more! Learn More

Rally Against Voter Suppression at the RNC Sponsored by Florida Consumer Action Network (FCAN) 5:00pm Centennial Park in Historic Ybor City 1800 East 8th Avenue Tampa As the Republicans gather for their party in Tampa this August, we will be standing up for the most fundamental American right: the right to vote. RSVP On Facebook

Tampa Wonkette Drinky Thing and Meetup Sponsored by Wonkette Starts 6:00-7:00ish MacDinton’s 405 S. Howard Avenue Organizers say, “We might let some Republicans into our Wonkette Drinky thing, but only if they are shirtless.” MacDinton’s is an Irish pub with many choices of fried things and beer.

Rock the Youth Vote with Steve Aoki Sponsored by Rock The Vote 6:00-8:00pm Amphitheater 1609 E. 8th Ave in Ybor City Celebrating the power of the youth vote and the right to vote. Celebrate the recent court decision that protects voting rights in Florida! Ages 18+. RSVP for tickets and get info here: rockthevote.tumblr.com/rsvp

Wednesday, August 29th

Rally of ‘Women Are Watching’ Against the RNC Sponsored by Planned Parenthood Action Fund 2:00-3:30 pm Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park 1001 North Boulevard, Tampa Women are Watching is Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s 2012 campaign to educate women across the country about the unprecedented attacks on women’s health and where candidates stand on pivotal health care issues, empower women to hold anti-women’s health candidates of either party accountable, and work to elect pro-women’s health candidates up and down the ballot. Contact: wendy.grassi@plannedparenthood.org

“Welcome to Mitt Romney’s America” Parade Sponsored by AFL-CIO Tampa official parade route The event is called “Welcome to Mitt Romney’s America” and will look a lot like a carnival but will showcase what will happen to America if he is elected President in November. Contact: Cheryl Schroder at 813-368-7124 or cschroeder@wcffl.org or Joshua Anijar at 850-228-9841 or janijar@flaflcio.org.

Thursday, August 30th

Patients over Politics Rally and Parade Sponsored by Doctors for America 2:00-5:00pm Lykes Gaslight Square Park 401 N. Franklin St. Tampa Show your support for the Affordable Care Act. Check for updates and more specific locations here: www.drsforamerica.org/take-action/patientsoverpolitics.

Friday, August 31st

Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman Fundraiser for WMNF 88.5 FM Sponsored by WMNF 88.5 FM Community Radio 6:30pm Reception, 8:00pm Talk The Palladium 253 5th Street N. St Petersburg VIP reception at 6:30 is $80 and includes book signing. Advance tickets for talk at 8:00 are $10. $15 at the door. Purchase tickets either from wmnf.org or the Palladium http://www.spcollege.edu/palladiu

Anti-Choice Terrorism

A Planned Parenthood in Grand Chute, Wisconsin was firebombed.

On Sunday April 1, 2012 at 7:41 P.M. the Grand Chute Fire Department responded to Plannned Parenthood, 3800 N. Gíllett St for a fire alarm. While investigating the cause for the alarm, firefighters found evidence of foul play and requested assistance from the Grand Chute Police Department.

An unknown person placed a small homemade explosive device on an outside window sill to the buílding. The device later exploded, causing damage to the building. A small fire broke out at the time ofthe explosion, but it quickly burned itself out prior to the arrival of the fire department.

The Grand Chute Police Department is investigating this incident. It is believed the incident took place around 7:30 P.M. If anyone has about this incident, please contact the Grand Chute Department at 920-832-1575.

Sadly, incidents like this are no longer surprising.

Unintentionally Hysterical Video From the American Life League

The American Life League releases a hysterically fact-challenged video about how Planned Parenthood is distributing penis lollipops and vagina cakes to indoctrinate children into becoming sex addicts. The American Life League comnpares Planned Parenthood to drug dealers trying to get kids hooked into sex.

The serious side oof the video is the American Life League comes out against abortions, contraception, masterbation, and gays. The truth is the American Life League and other such group have a serious problem with people having sex.



The Young Turks fact-check the ALL ad.

Lobby in Tally With Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood and the Pinellas County Democratic Party are taking activists to Tallahassee on Feb. 21.

Join Planned Parenthood in Tallahassee to combat the egregious laws our state legislators are trying to pass. More anti-choice bills are already being introduced.

Get on the bus or drive yourself. Pick up in Tampa at 6 AM for the drive to Tally. $25 per person/$5 per student!

Day's event's include: press conference with leading pro-choice legislators and Planned Parenthood advocates. Meeting in teams with individual legislators in action as they debate. Back on the bus around 4:30 PM to ride home.

Contact Wendy Grassi, Director of Public Affairs, 941-365-3913 x 1108; wendygrassi@myplannedparenthood.org

The Florida legislature is attempting to scare doctors from performing late-term abortions. SB 290 would require doctors who perform abortions in the third trimester to attend ethics classes. A second doctor would be required, in the unlikely event of the fetus being born alive. The abortion would be deemed illegal if the fetus is more the half way out of the woman's body. This bill flies in contempt of Roe vg. Wade.

SB 1374 would bar state funding from any abortion provider that performs late-term abortions. In the bill, Sen. Steve Wise makes the legal argument that abortion is illegal.

The legislature finds that personal liberty is not a licence to kill an innocent human life under any provision of the United States Constitution.

Wise's legal reasoning will play well with the Christian Right. Legally, it is a horrible argument. The federal court have upheld Roe v. Wade.

Cliff Stearns Attacks Planned Parenthood

Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala, is the chairman of the House oversight subcommittee. Stearns has requested that Planned Parenthood hand over internal audit reports from 1998 to 2010. Stearns question if Planned Parenthood is using federal funding for abortion the Hyde Amendment forbids the use of federal funds for abortions. Factcheck.org found that only 3 percent of services are dedicated to abortions and that it receives no federal funding for abortions.

Stearns is basing his investigation on the findings of the anti-choice organization Americans United for Life. AUL makes the outlandish allegations that Planned Parenthood is involved in prostitution and sex trafficking. The report's endnotes and appendix section is a mess. I cannot find anything relating to prostitution.

The prostitution allegations started from the anti-abortion group Live Action. Anti-abortion activist Lila Rose was trained in video hit jobs by the disgraced James O'Keefe. Unsurprisingly, the videos Rose made for Live Action were heavily edited hoaxes. The Americans United for Life are using debunked sex ring stories in their report. It isn't surprising that AUL would run with the sex trafficking story. What is shameful is Stearns cannot discern fact from fiction. That is assuming that Stearns cares about the truth.

There is pushback against Stearn's investigation. Emily's List is running a petition to stop the Congressional harassment against Planned Parenthood. Rep. Jan Schakowsky sent out a press release condemning the Republican attacks on Planned Parenthood.

“With the recent announcement of their needless and politically motivated investigation of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, House Republicans continue to make their extreme agenda clear: to undermine women’s access to reproductive health care and attack the health providers they rely on in their communities.

Instead of attacking unemployment, Republicans are waging a war against women. Earlier this year, House Republicans threatened to shut down the federal government over funding for Planned Parenthood. This investigation continues the Republican assault on Planned Parenthood, an organization that plays a critical role in our nation’s health care system.

Planned Parenthood serves over 3 million Americans every year. More than 90 percent of the care Planned Parenthood health centers offer is preventive. Planned Parenthood provides life-saving cancer screenings, routine gynecological examinations, contraceptive services, immunizations, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

This is not about federal funding of abortion. This is about cutting off women’s access to affordable, quality care in an effort to score political points. Now is the time to be working on the issues that are most important to Americans – creating jobs and improving the economy.”

Below the fold is Stearns' document request to Planned Parenthood.

Read more »

Another Bogus Republican Claim About Planned Parenthood

Republicans keep getting caught making bogus claims about Planned Parenthood. U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl made this outragious statement.

Kyl: Everybody goes to clinics, to doctors, to hospitals, so on. Some people go to Planned Parenthood. But you don't have to go to Planned Parenthood to get your clolesterol or your blood pressure checked. If you want an abortion, you go to Planned Parenthood, and that's well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does.

Kyl's office later said, "His remark was not intended to be a factual statement, but rather illustrate that Planned Parenthood, a organization that receives millions of dollars in taxpayer funding, does subsidize abortions."

Apparently, the United States Senate has less regard for facts than the standards for a third grade book report. Not only is 90 percent of Planned Parenthood's services not abortions, the Hyde amendment forbids federal funding of abortions. There are no tax dollars going for abortions. That is a fact Kyl can not dispute.

The latest bit of Planned Parenthood misinformation comes from the Florida House. Rep. Ronald Renuart (R-Ponte Vedra Beach) made this statement to Stephanie Kunkel, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates.

RENUART: "In 2008, Planned Parenthood, they put out a report, and it showed that they did 305,000 abortions and the average cost was $450. Their total income for Planned Parenthood alone was $374 million, of that $137 million was actually for abortions. So that's almost 37 percent of the total income from Planned Parenthood is from abortions. And to me, it sounds like they don't want to lose business.

Renuart never read a 2008 report from Planned Parenthood on abortions because it doesn't exist. Politifact checked and found that Renuart got his numbers from conservative anti-abortion blogs. Politifact rated Renuart's claim false.

Lawrence O'Donnell on Planned Parenthood

Lawwrence O'Donnell corrects the misinformation Republicans have been spreading about Planned Parenthood.

Fact: the Hyde Amendment and President Barack Obama's executive order forbid federal funds for abortions. Republicans would have the American people believe that abortion funding is the cause of the deficit.

Quote of the Day

"Planned Parenthood is invested in promiscuity."

Rep. Steve King

Amanda Marcotte predicts, "King, who just created a slogan that will spawn a million T-shirts that you probably only want to wear to feminist meet-ups."

The truth is this isn't about abortion or even Christian religion. King and other conservatives are uptight about sexuality and want to punish those that do the nasty. Amanda posted this quote of an exchange Sean Hannity had with Juan Williams.

"I'm pro-choice in this sense, Juan. If you choose to get in the back of the car with someone, if you choose to make out with them, if you choose to grab, grope and fondle, if you choose to take one article of clothing off after another, guess what? You made a series of choices, Juan."

Translation: If a woman has sex without Sean Hannity's consent then she deserved the punishment of carrying the baby to the final trimester. Hannity also wants the woman to take full responsibility of the baby. And no government handouts. Hannity doesn't care if your poor. Punishment has been rendered.

Op-Ed of the Day

You know Republicans have gone too far when conservative billionaire Richard Scaife is livid over the GOP House of Representatives cutting all funding to Planned Parenthood.

On this issue, Republicans and conservatives are dead wrong.

Abortions are a minor aspect of Planned Parenthood's mission to provide reproductive health care, education and other services to Americans, regardless of income.

More than 90 percent of its work focuses on preventing unintended pregnancies that almost inevitably lead to unwanted, neglected and abused children.

In Pittsburgh and across America, Planned Parenthood offices help people to make better decisions about whether to have children. They help to arrange adoptions for women or couples unable to raise a child but unwilling to end a pregnancy.

Most of their clients are poor Americans who cannot afford birth-control measures that cost as much as $1,500 a month.

Scaife knew Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger. The importance of Sanger can not be overstated. Scaife writes that Sanger wanted women to be the "absolute mistress of her own body." Republicans would have government be the final say on reproductive rights.

Zero federal dollars go to Planned Parenthood for abortions. The Hyde amendment forbids federal funds for abortions. Since 2006, only 85 women have had federally covered abortions. These abortions were extreme cases. The Hyde amendment is a rider placed into the Medicaid bill. Democrats never attempt to pull the rider. Unfortunately, the current Democratic leadership does not have Sanger's courage.

Rep. Jackie Speier Stands Up For Planned Parenthood

Rep. Jackie Speier was outraged on the House floor. She opened up about how she had to get an abortion to save her life. Speir lost her baby as a result.

Speier correctly points out that Republicans are more concerned with going after Planned Parenthood (over a bogus pimp and hooker controversy) than getting unemployed Americans back to work.

Quote of the Day

"Planned Parenthood detected my breast cancer. I consider them to be pro-life...MINE"

Shannyn Moore, progressive talk show host

The Republican majority and bluedog Democrats have killed funding for Planned Parenthood. Republicans used a bogus James O'Keefe-style pimp and hooker sting videos created by Live Action. Wendy Sears Grassi, of Planned Parenthood, explained that Planned Parenthood reported strange visits to the F.B.I.

Planned Parenthood operates more than 800 health centers across the country, serving more than 3 million patients a year. Several of those clinics — in New Jersey, New York and Virginia — were the targets of undercover videos released over the past two weeks by Live Action, an anti-abortion group whose mission is to shut down Planned Parenthood. The videos show a man posing as a pimp and a woman posing as a prostitute seeking health services for underage sex workers.

Planned Parenthood immediately fired a clinic manager in New Jersey who offered advice to the visitors, but all other staff responded professionally and reported the visits to their superiors.

Planned Parenthood's national office notified the FBI before any videos were released and accused Live Action of resorting to deceptive dirty tricks. We also announced a nationwide retraining program to ensure that all clinic staff were familiar with rules about reporting possible danger to minors.

Republicans and Fox News moved on the Live Action videos before even asking if they were authentic. Which is highly debatable.

Planned Parenthood Fights Against False McCain Ad

PolitiFact.com fact-checked John McCain's ad stating Barack Obama voted to teach sex education to kindergartners as a "pants on fire" lie. "Barack never had anything to do with it," said former Illinois State Senate and bill sponsor Carol Ronen. "This is a lot of hoopla." Furthermore, the bill died in the Senate. It never became law.

Wayne Garcia published the text of the bill. The bill requires the teaching of abstinence and children not to abuse alcohol and drugs. All lesson material must be "age appropriate." The bill is hardly some radical manifesto.

Sec. 3. Comprehensive Health Education Program.
23 (a) The program established under this Act shall
24 include, but not be limited to, the following major
25 educational areas as a basis for curricula in all elementary
26 and secondary schools in this State: human ecology and
27 health, human growth and development, the emotional,
28 psychological, physiological, hygienic and social
29 responsibilities of family life, including sexual abstinence
30 and prevention of unintended pregnancy until marriage,
31 prevention and control of disease, including age appropriate
32 instruction in grades K 6 through 12 on the prevention of
33 sexually transmitted infections, including the prevention,

-10- LRB093 05269 NHT 05359 b
1 transmission and spread of HIV AIDS, public and environmental
2 health, consumer health, safety education and disaster
3 survival, mental health and illness, personal health habits,
4 alcohol, drug use, and abuse including the medical and legal
5 ramifications of alcohol, drug, and tobacco use, abuse during
6 pregnancy, sexual abstinence until marriage, tobacco,
7 nutrition, and dental health.
8 (b) All comprehensive health education programs
9 established under this Act shall satisfy the following
10 criteria:
11 (1) Factual information presented in course
12 material and instruction shall be medically accurate and
13 objective.
14 (2) All course material and instruction in classes
15 that teach sex education and discuss sexual activity or
16 behavior shall be age and developmentally appropriate.
17 (3) Course material and instruction shall include a
18 discussion of sexual abstinence as a method to prevent
19 unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections,
20 including HIV.
21 (4) Course material and instruction shall present
22 the latest medically factual information regarding both
23 the possible side effects and health benefits of all
24 forms of contraception, including the success and failure
25 rates for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually
26 transmitted infections, including HIV.
27 (5) Course material and instruction shall stress
28 that sexually transmitted infections are serious possible
29 hazards of sexual activity or behavior. Pupils shall be
30 provided with statistics based on the latest medical
31 information citing the failure and success rates of all
32 methods of contraception in preventing HIV and other
33 sexually transmitted infections.
34 (6) Course material and instruction shall advise

-11- LRB093 05269 NHT 05359 b
1 pupils that it is unlawful for males or females of any
2 age to engage in sexual conduct or have sexual relations
3 with a minor as specified in Article 12 of the Criminal
4 Code of 1961.

The bill would have required to teach students to ward off unwanted sexual advances. Planned Parenthood is hitting McCain hard on his misleading ad. I'm curious if a journalist will ask McCain if he is against teaching students to "just say no" to sexual harassment.

...not make unwanted physical and verbal sexual advances and how to say no to unwanted sexual advances.

McCain on Women's Heath Issues

Planned Parenthood asked citizens where does John McCain stand on women's health issues. People were shocked to find out the Straight Talker is against such things as insurance companies covering birth control pills. Exactly how does that make McCain a maverick from other Republicans? Someone should ask McCain fan Chris Matthews.

USF Progressives

Meet the University of South Florida student clubs the Feminist Student Alliance and Voices of Planned Parenthood.

The FSA has accomplished more than any progressive group in recent memory. Members went up to South Dakota to help defeat the abortion bill and staged a walkout of an Ann Coulter speaking engagement. Great work ladies!

Classic Ronda Storms

Ronda Storms on her reason for voting against funding for a Tampa chapter of the black law school Florida A&M University.

"We can get them through law school," Storms said about minorities, "but we can't get them to seem to pass the Bar."

Storms to Barbara Zdravecky of Planned Parenthood.

"I am pro-life, you are pro-death"

Storms later said, "She could have walked away and not had her feelings hurt." Storms added that lobbying "is not for the thin-skinned."

That is a an interesting statement from a woman who filed a complaint to the State Attoney's office against a sock puppet.

It's a Ronda Storms bashing kind of day at Pushing Rope. To all the conservatives who will go in the comments and complain about Litbrit and I being too rough of Hurricane Ronda. We really don't care and will just make fun of your ass.