blame the (cynical) messenger

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Feb 02, 2011

Crocodile tears are flowing freely in the offices of Central Jersey Planned Parenthood, where a trusted employee has been fired for "behaving in a repugnant manner that is inconsistent with our standards of care and is completely unacceptable." 

Completely unacceptable, certainly. No reputable organization could tolerate the presence of a clinic director who would provide "expert" advice for a pimp, letting him know how best to avoid detection of his prostitution ring and his exploitation of legal minors. Unacceptable, definitely. Illegal too; law-enforcement officials in New Jersey should take a keen interest in this case, which was brought to life by the undercover investigation work of the pro-life activist group, Live Action. 

But is this "repugnant" behavior really inconsistent with the standards of care set by Planned Parenthood? That's the key question raised by Live Action, in this and several other "sting" operations that have exposed the seamy side of Planned Parenthood's operations. Maybe Amy Woodruff, the New Jersey clinic employee who now has been sent away in disgrace, will have something to say about the guidance she received from her superiors. Maybe her reports will match those of Abby Johnson, another former Planned Parenthood clinic director who has converted to the pro-life cause and written an exposé of the organization's policies. Time will tell.

Meanwhile we can learn something by studying the reactions of officials like Stuart Schear, the vice-president of the Planned Parenthood Federation. When confronted with the latest damning video, Schear chose to question the motivations of those who made the report. The Live Action team had pretended to be involved in illegal activities, he observed: "Falsely claiming sex trafficking to health professionals to advance a political agenda is an astoundingly cynical form of political activity."

But Stuart, the folks at Live Action are trying to save young girls from sexual abuse. Do you see that as nothing more than an effort to "advance a political agenda"? 

And another thing, Stuart: If people are cynical about the work of Planned Parenthood, they're nowhere near as cynical as the people doing that work.