Planned Parenthood isn’t just abortions, it’s birth-control, pre natal and post natal maternal care, it’s sexually transmitted disease care, it’s even primary “I have a cold with sniffles” health care. It’s also breast cancer screening and general gynecological care.

Hey – who knew that was in the second paragraph of lhp’s post?

Anyone with reading skills and comprehension.

Basic health care for poor people is STD’s and abortion services? That says a lot about the author of the story.

As a physician and medical educator, I know that reproductive health services – a component of primary health care – is basic health care for women of all income groups.

As a political activist, I know that miscasting this basic clinical fact as any form of criticism of “poor people” is a risible rhetorical trick.

A trick which only serves authoritarians and other opponents of access to reproductive services.

Late to thread – but that’s just evil.

Just got home from the second week of teaching six new med students – we’ll be learning together for the next two years. (I will be – hope they will.)

They give me hope.

LHP, your wise post give me hope.

And the “city fathers” of Aurora who pulled the permit make me puke.

Hope they all end up with STD’s from the young men and women they pay for illict sex – and then I hope they all get outed.

Where there’s political repression, there’s closet sexual activity.

Gooper psychopathology is rich – if pus can be rich.

It would be helpful for Planned Parenthood to do a little PR and educate the public about all the services they offer.

Just read the post, haven’t gotten to the comments. Wanted to say, Great Post LHP. Can we spotlight the City functionaries who were responsible for this decision? How are the P&Z commissioners appointed, and by whom? Who do they answer to? Is anyone out in front of a camera talking about the legal fees this will cost the City and pointing the finger?

Sadly, the local media, Aurora Beacon News, Daily Herald, and Chicago Tribune give far more attention to the anti-choicers. BTW, the city functionaries responsible for the decision were the Mayor and alderman (same as city councilors) who caved to pressure from the anti-choice groups who argued that PP was “deceptive” in their paperwork with the city. PP’s name was never mentioned as they listed a “parent” (my word) development organization called Gemini. The anti-choicers are saying the granting of the permit was based on deception so the city has appointed a lawyer to review the process to ascertain whether any rule or law was violated.

SuburbanGirl @ 51

Just FYI–Technically, the Aurora clinic sits in Judy Biggert’s (R) district (IL-13). Much of Aurora is in Hastert’s district, but portions are not.

I live near this clinic (moved here a year ago from MA) and am aghast at this. I also feel extremely intimidated by the opposition (tons of PP Bad for Aurora lawn signs, no prochoice signs). I have a 5 y/o; we have a hard enough time find a like minded community here that I worry whether she’d have any friends if we put up a lawn sign.Right now I’m giving my support in more behind the scenes ways.

The big problem is that the opposition is a nationally organized RIGHT WING/FUNDAMENTALIST MACHINE. They are probably better organized than the GOP. The progressive community as a whole (not just women’s rights groups) needs to start getting organized on this again and start attacking back in a similar fashion as we are starting to do on the GOP right wing media noise machine. Clearly our freedoms will not remain so if we roll over.

Is there an undercurrent of class war here? White, middle class elites alienated from poor minorities?

Bob in HI

Bob,
Couldn’t tell from your comment which side is what in your class war question. Are you thinking the anti-choice people are poor minorities and the pro-choicers the white middle class elites? By and large many of the anti choicers protesting outside the clinic are white, middle class folks. I drive by there almost daily.

They filibustered the city council for months so no other work could be done. The council tried to meet in secret but our charter says no and the group’s ringleader, a local resident, found out and busted them. They picketed, they sang, they somehow got that horrible 18-wheeler whose sides were painted with 10 ft. tall pictures of aborted fetuses to park in front of the clinic, which was of course on the busiest corner in town.

The building is gone now, never occupied. In its place is a weedy empty lot. We really could have used a women’s health clinic here. Thanks a lot, folks.

My fervent wish for them is to be hoist by their own petards. I’ll leave it to God, their BFF, to pick the petards.

Aurora, IL should be marched on like Selma, Al.

And with vengence and fury.

I am SO pissed off at the right wing fundie biblical idjit’s telling people what to do. And in this case, denying poor women access to the medical care they need, and deserve, BECAUSE THEY ARE HUMAN!

May the prolifer’s rot in a hell of their own making as we march on their graves and trample them for all time.

There’s not much that pisses me off more than this one . . . thanks LHP for the post, and bless those in harm’s way in Aurora, Il.

May they persevere and prevail for our species to survive as a whole, and not a splinter of what our potential is.

Harumph.

Senator Durbin points out the inconsistency of Senator Cornyn’s amendment calling out the MOVEON Add and comparing the “swiftboating” of Kerry and Max Cleland. Senator Boxer backing Durbin up…..

I hope he mention Schinsecki, Zinni, and a few other generals who were kicked to the curb for not agreeing with Bush. I’m sure they also had a chest full of medals. I hope he mentions that it isn’t any harsher to scrutinize Petraeus’ motives in what he testifies to and to question his loyalty to the truth than to criticize the President himself, but in this country, this is allowed. Or have we taken to censorship and/or jailing our dissidents?