Tornado Alley (PROG)

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Margaret and Helen

Greg Abbott is an Asshat

Margaret, I am madder than a wet hen and anyone looking for humor in this post probably isn’t going to find it. The best thing that came out of writing this webpage blog was learning what the term Asshat means. I wish we knew the person who first wrote that years ago because it has become one of my favorite words, and when it comes to Asshats there isn’t a better example than Texas Governor Greg Abbott. If anyone out there still thinks there isn’t a Republican war on women, I suggest they look in the mirror to see what hat they are wearing as well.

Denying women access to family planning will increase the number of abortions. Even an asshat knows that. And Abbott knows that tens of thousands of women in Texas use Planned Parenthood for basic family planning and gynecological care.

Planned Parenthood has NOT been found guilty of any wrong doing. None. Dozens of investigations and no one has gone to jail and no charges have been made. Why? Because Greg Abbott is a liar. His personal religious beliefs have no bearing when it comes to a woman’s constitutional right to a have a safe and legal abortion and, if she so chooses, to then donate fetal tissue to aid in life-saving medical research. But Abbott has said ongoing investigations based on edited, misleading videos are reasons to defund Planned Parenthood. By the way, most Planned Parenthood clinics don’t even participate in those research programs and therefore have never donated fetal tissue. And in Texas only one clinic participated and that research was conducted with the University of Texas Medical Branch in a study to better understand how to prevent miscarriages.

Medicaid reimbursement isn’t rocket science. Qualified health care providers get reimbursed for providing services to qualified patients for APPROVED services. The vast majority of people receiving services from Planned Parenthood live at 150 percent of the federal poverty level or lower.

Abortion is not a qualified service unless the pregnancy is the result of incest, rape or will result in the death of the mother. And more often than not coverage is denied due to political bias. Reimbursement even with rape or incest is so restrictive in Texas that it almost never happens, eventhough the Hyde Amendment is the current law of the land. But not allowing Medicaid to be legally used for those abortions wasn’t enough for Abbott. He and the Republicans and their merry band of right-wing Christian idiots have now prevented poor women from accessing those funds for birth control, cancer screenings and basic gynecological care. Greg Abbott already told women who have been raped and children who are victims of incest that he doesn’t give a shit. And now he has told poor women that their lives are less valuable than wealthy women.

Greg,if you have to lie to make your point about Planned Parenthood, then maybe you are making the wrong point. Denying women access to services at Planned Parenthood will increase the number of abortions. I know it and you know it. And I am calling you on your bullshit.

Tens of thousands of Texas woman have decided to use Planned Parenthood as their healthcare provider. Some do so because the Planned Parenthood clinic is the only clinic they can get to, but most do so because (God damn you, Abbott) WOMEN LIKE PLANNED PARENTHOOD. And who is Abbott to decide we can’t go to our provider of choice?

Greg Abbott thinks that his personal religious beliefs allows him to abuse his position of power and force women to do what he says. From where I sit, Abbott is no better than a rapist. And Greg Abbott knows damn well that his politically motivated actions will increase the number of abortions in Texas. He is an Asshat. I mean it. Really.

http://margaretandhelen.com/2015/10/20/greg-abbott-is-an-asshat/