Mike Pence thinks family planning isn't a women's issue (Photo: pence.house.gov)

Rep. Mike Pence, defending his provision of the House GOP spending bill that would ban funding for family planning services at organizations like Planned Parenthood:

“This isn’t about denying funding for women’s health services...It’s about defunding Planned Parenthood. The largest abortion provider in America should not be the largest recipient of taxpayer money.”

What a crock of shit. The only thing this legislation is about is denying funding for women's health services, consequences be damned. Pence's legislation was designed to target Planned Parenthood, but it isn't limited to Planned Parenthood. In fact, it doesn't even directly mention Planned Parenthood. Instead, it bans family planning funding for any and all organizations that offer abortion services.

Pence's legislation makes about as much sense as banning cardiac surgeons from talking to their patients about exercise and healthy eating, or barring them from writing prescriptions for blood pressure. Anybody with half a brain could tell you that such a ban would result in more heart attacks (and higher health care costs). And Pence's legislation will lead to more unwanted pregnancies and more abortions. Pence says his legislation isn't about denying funding for women's health services, but the opposite is true: that's the only thing it's about.

Despite some pushback from unlikely sources, House Republicans haven't backed off their mean-spirited demand that Pence's provision be included in the final spending bill for FY2011.