The Zika virus has been all over the news lately as Olympic athletes in Brazil discuss how they plan to prevent contracting it. Some athletes decided not to compete in the Olympics based on the risks. Recently 15 people in a Miami neighborhood have been infected by Zika, while others in the U.S. have contracted the disease after traveling in South America.
The Zika virus often causes only mild symptoms: rash, fever, red eyes, and joint pain among others. Unfortunately, unborn children whose mothers are infected with Zika can develop birth defects, most notably microcephaly. Zika is transmitted mainly by mosquito bites but can also be sexually transmitted.
For the past couple of months Congress has been debating an effort to prevent the spread of Zika and speed up vaccine development. Senate Democrats have filibustered the bill, preventing it from getting the 60 votes it needs to pass.
Why would Senate Democrats work to stop a bill which funds research into a disease that can cause birth defects? The bill doesn’t single out Planned Parenthood—America’s largest abortion provider—for more funding. The legislation doesn’t touch the half a billion dollars Planned Parenthood already gets in government grants every year.
In a press conference led by the leadership of the Senate Democrats, Planned Parenthood Vice President Dawn Laguens condemned the bill because it didn’t provide her organization with more money. Planned Parenthood even sent a letter to U.S. Senators claiming that “a vote against this bill will be seen as a vote for women’s health care.”
In Planned Parenthood’s bizarre world, “women’s health care” really only means Planned Parenthood providing more condoms and more abortions, not vaccine development or a public health campaign to stop the virus’ primary vector, the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Planned Parenthood doesn’t just perform more than 300,000 abortions a year, they are actively fighting against legislation which could help prevent birth defects and the spread of a disease simply because they don’t get another seat on the federal gravy train.
In addition, Planned Parenthood’s position on late-term abortions for children with disabilities is quite clear. The unfortunate response from many to children in the womb diagnosed with disabilities is not providing the child, her mother and family with the love and support they deserve, but taking the child’s life away from her.
Learn more about Planned Parenthood’s abortion agenda at www.RTL.org.