There appears to be a new trend among today’s politicians and other influential figures: to use one’s family members as a reason or prop to support Planned Parenthood. Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and former U.S. president Bill Clinton, is the latest to do so. At the Women Deliver conference, which took place in Malaysia May 28-30, Chelsea Clinton was asked who influenced her worldview, especially her thoughts on where women “fit” into modern life. Clinton mentioned her grandmother, who “was born to two teenage parents who were not married” and “did not have access to the services that are so crucial that Planned Parenthood helps provide.”
LauraLoo of JillStanek.com noted: “So what is Chelsea saying? Is she in one sense wishing away her beloved grandmother, thereby wishing away her mother and herself?”
Current American President Barack Obama is also known for his explicit backing of Planned Parenthood, invoking their services as a way to keep his daughters Sasha and Malia safe. One of Obama’s most infamous remarks was captured at a town hall meeting in Pennsylvania in 2008. Obama said he did not want the girls to be “punished with a baby” or a sexually transmitted disease if they “made a mistake” as teenagers.
At an Oregon campaign fundraiser during the 2012 presidential elections, Obama again invoked his children when questioned about opponent Mitt Romney’s wish to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood. “I think that’s a bad idea. I’ve got two daughters. I want them to control their own health care choices. We’re not going backwards, we’re going forwards.”In response, National Right to Life Committee spokeswoman Carol Tobias told CNSNews.com, “President Obama has by-passed the will of the people, giving hundreds of thousands of dollars to Planned Parenthood affiliates within those states. It is sad that he would use his daughters as political pawns to justify his actions.”
Jill Stanek later commented: “We all know the word ‘choice’ is a euphemism for ‘abortion … Obama was advocating the freedom for his daughters to abort his own grandchildren … this is at least the second time Obama has used his daughters to promote sex without consequences, which is creepy in itself, particularly given the fact they (were) only 14 and 11.”
Most recently, Obama released a statement for the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. He said that the government “should not intrude on private family matters,” and implied that abortion was essential for America’s daughters to “have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfil their dreams.”
Tobias said it is sad that Obama, Clinton and others continue to use their loved ones as tools to continue their crusade for the opposite of genuine women’s rights and health.
