Planned Parenthood whines after debate: What about us?

The biggest loser of night one of the second round of Democrat debates was not one of the candidates in the crowded field. It was Planned Parenthood. Not one question was asked of the candidates about abortion. Nor were they given the opportunity to drone on about reproductive rights and health care.

Advertisement

Planned Parenthood noticed the absence of the topic that provides their livelihood. Angry tweets emerged from their Twitter account. In the span of three tweets, the abortion providers went from optimism that their cause would be advanced Tuesday night to scolding CNN and the DNC for ignoring them.

There was a lot of discussion about health care and health insurance and free everything for everyone on the topic but no talk about free abortions. During the first debates, three candidates were asked about abortion – Julián Castro, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren. At that time, several states were in the news for passing new laws that put more restrictions on abortion. Two of those three candidates were on the stage for the first night’s debate. Elizabeth Warren is on record in support of making Roe v. Wade a federal law. Bernie Sanders didn’t deliver a strong message about protecting Roe v. Wade during the first debate. He simply gave some vague answer about how Medicare for All will protect abortion rights. The absence of the topic from the debate leaves Bernie’s non-answer hanging out there. As usual, he is in favor of an issue at the expense of American taxpayers.

Advertisement

Will Joe Biden be pressed about his flip flop flip on the Hyde Amendment during Wednesday night’s debate? There still seems to be some confusion on what his current position is on the subject.

Joe Biden has the most to explain on this subject. In early June, he reversed his longterm stance of supporting the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding for abortion. If he gets questioned about his change of opinion this time, it could offer other candidates an opportunity to pounce. Kirsten Gillibrand, who appears on night two with Biden, described the Hyde Amendment in the first debate as a compromise made behind closed doors.

Will CNN and the DNC see the disapproval of Planned Parenthood and rush to include the “right” to abortion in their question rotation? I’m not really sure what Planned Parenthood expected, though. All of the candidates have expressed their own pro-abortion views. Even a relatively moderate candidate like Rep.Tim Ryan is quick to talk about how he has “evolved” as a politician. Though elected as a pro-life Democrat in 2013, when such Democrats were allowed to exist, by 2015 he gave an interview saying he came around to the pro-abortion position after speaking with women and hearing their stories. His views on supporting the NRA changed, too, as he evolved in office. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, he moved to the gun-grabbing side of the Democrat aisle.

Advertisement

“I think Democrats, and especially progressive Democrats, appreciate someone who takes in new information, who has new experiences, and then evaluates their position based on that new information and new experiences,” the lawmaker continued.

Speaking of Tim Ryan, he caused a little stir Tuesday night as he was the only candidate on the stage to not place his hand over his heart during the national anthem. He may as well have taken a knee.

Ryan said after the debate that he was just distracted by the choir. He puts his hand over his heart for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Ryan, asked after the debate about people criticizing him for not placing his hand over his heart, responded: “I love this country as much as everybody else.”​

“The national anthem plays at football games, I put my hand on my heart for the Pledge of Allegiance,” he told ABC News. “I don’t know, the choir was singing and it was great.”

Advertisement

We’ll see if an abortion question pops up tonight.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement