Democrats’ losing abortion strategy doubles down on extremism
This is, quite frankly, just embarrassing for Democrats. On the same day we learned that Planned Parenthood’s CEO Cecile Richards was on a panel about women’s health at the Democratic National Convention, we learned that Planned Parenthood had, via the National Abortion Federation, put out a fundraising flyer for the Republican Party. It’s a flyer that says, “Abortion opponents have taken another tactic in an attempt to disrupt and destroy our democracy. They’ve attempted to exploit a national tragedy by using a fake news campaign.”
It’s a tactic that should never have worked. The National Abortion Federation is “an advocacy organization that advances the safety, security, and legal integrity of all women.” It was created in the aftermath of the botched murder attempt in Kansas, in which anti-abortion activist John Paul Jones had killed two doctors who were performing abortions. Its mission is to help women protect their reproductive rights. It wasn’t created to deceive. The National Abortion Federation’s founder, Abby Johnson, has been a key player in getting states to regulate abortions, and the organization has supported research like the one that made us realize that many fetal remains are too damaged to be DNA tested. Its mission is to protect women, and the group’s actions should be judged by that standard.
But all the same, the organization put out a flyer that says, “Abortion opponents have taken another tactic in an attempt to disrupt and destroy our democracy. They’ve attempted to exploit a national tragedy by using a fake news campaign.” I guess if the same thing hadn’t happened in Kansas and a woman had an abortion in that state, the organization’s president wouldn’t have taken the same action. Oh wait, I guess there’s no such thing. The National Abortion Federation’s president just wanted to tell her how evil abortion is, but then she decided that a fake news campaign would be a less obvious way to advance that message.
But the truth is that the National Abortion Federation had nothing to do with the recent fake news story about Planned Parenthood. As you probably know by now, that’s a lie. Planned Parenthood’s CEO Cecile Richards was on the NBC