Obama vows to defend abortion rights at Planned Parenthood event

[alp227]

Source: Washington Post

President Obama spoke to nearly a thousand Planned Parenthood supporters Friday, telling them that moves to restrict abortion access across the country represented an effort “to turn back the clock to policies more suited to the 1950s than the 21st century.”

“When you read about some of these laws, you want to check the calendar,” Obama told the crowd at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Northwest Washington. “You want to make sure you’re still living in 2013.”

The appearance underscored the central role played by women in helping to reelect Obama in November. It also marked the first time that a sitting U.S. president has delivered a keynote address to Planned Parenthood, one of the nation’s largest providers of abortions and other women’s health services.

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards praised Obama for preserving the group’s federal funding during budget negotiations with Republicans and for providing full coverage for birth control as part of the administration’s health-care law.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-vows-to-defend-abortion-rights/2013/04/26/c5cae81e-ae80-11e2-8bf6-e70cb6ae066e_story.html

[sakabatou]

1. He's right. The republicans are turning back the clock.

[iandhr]

2. Here come the Obama bashers in

5 ,4 3 ,2

[Nanjing to Seoul]

8. Normally, I am very critical of Obama, but not this time

I support this with every fiber of my being!

[JoePhilly]

3. A positive thread about Obama isnt going to get much traction

... unless you include some outrage in the title.

[kelliekat44]

17. +1,000

[bettyellen]

4. grateful, the RW has scared a lot of people off supporting Planned Parenthood

[Left Coast2020]

5. His AG is not qualified to take any legal action if necessary....

.. based on his lack of prosecuting felonies in banking industry. And Holder only gets half-a-point for saying something about voting rights.

[Hekate]

6. This is wonderful. Thank you, Mr. President!

The WaPo could have done better, though. Saying that Planned Parenthood is "one of the nation’s largest providers of abortions and other women’s health services" pretty much has it backwards. They are one of the nation's largest providers of women's health care services, THREE PERCENT OF WHICH ARE ABORTIONS.

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/planned-parenthood-glance-5552.htm

[Iliyah]

7. People on this board should

know about WaPo and majority of their articles are usually in chorus with the people on the right thru small but obvious talking points such as a recent article that basically mirrored what Canter e-mailed to his loony followers.

That said, thank you Mr. President.

[Deep13]

9. ...words...words...words...words...nt

[OnyxCollie]

10. If only he could find those comfortable shoes...

[nomorenomore08]

11. Planned Parenthood, more than anything else, dispenses birth control.

Which is the best, most realistic way to reduce abortion. Not that I have any moral objections anyhow, I'm just saying...

[Ford_Prefect]

12. He is so full of the right words and yet 5 years later so little has been done on civil rights...

I have seen his promises un-done in North Carolina. The Justice Dept. seems to have no idea what to do about anything along those lines. Holder is not so much timid as clueless, it seems.

Its a poor comparison but some days our president resembles his predecessor by speaking the words his voters want to hear but then pursuing other policy goals or failing to deliver the promise in those words. Or else he is focused on other events and pursuits than those he promised he would undertake.

If you accept the job of leader you must do more to set the direction policy and action will take. You cannot merely show up and speak, you must also do. You must use the powers of your office to direct and IMPLEMENT what happens, not merely to make official noises.

It is no excuse to say that congress is uncooperative. The president has the ability and authority to accomplish much through proper and legal executive actions. Others in his place have been much more effective at using the power of the office to write rules and policy interpretation to support their goals. It often seems the president is too distracted by foreign policy and the wars, both public and secret, to focus on developing the policies his past experience suggests he could.

[L0oniX]

13. Talk talk talk ....I want to see action!

[AnotherMcIntosh]

14. And what is he vowing to do?

"Obama’s appearance came as antiabortion legislation is gaining traction on the state level. In the past two months, four states — Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas and North Dakota — have adopted some of the most stringent abortion measures in the nation, while Virginia has imposed new rules requiring abortion providers to comply with hospital-style building standards.

"Overall, lawmakers in 42 states have introduced legislation this year that would impose some kind of limits on access to abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit group that researches and studies sexual and reproductive health and rights.
...
"... I want you to know that you’ve also got a president who’s going to be right there with you fighting every step of the way.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-vows-to-defend-abortion-rights/2013/04/26/c5cae81e-ae80-11e2-8bf6-e70cb6ae066e_story.html

Good to know that he says that he is behind those in Planned Parenthood. And since he didn't promise to do anything specifically, no one can be disappointed.

[bowens43]

15. "Obama vows to defend abortion rights"

Oh well , say good bye to abortion rights........

[enjoyingyourpeasyet]

16. I hope this promise is better than his promise to protect labor

that he made.

[Marrah_G]

18. Actions, not words

To many promises broken already to take him on his word. Sorry if that pisses people off, but it's the truth.