WS Chronicle

To the Editor:

I am forever grateful that I live in a country with a Constitution that guarantees freedom of speech and freedom of press. But I don’t believe that those who authored the First Amendment intended it to protect the verbal and written dissemination of lies, the spreading of vicious untruthful statements as fact, and the disingenuous manipulation of digital technology to falsely construct and piece together sentences that were never uttered by the people to whom they were attributed.

Yes, I’m talking about the video attack on Planned Parenthood…and the repetition of these lies and untruths by the Republican candidates at the debate on Sept. 16, except for Dr. Ben Carson who, himself, admits to having done research using fetal tissue.

Let’s get some facts straight:

• Three teams of forensic experts discovered at least 42 splices where content is cut and edited together to create seamless statements from unrelated sentences.  The New York Times, New England Journal of Medicine, NPR, FactCheck.org, Washington Post, Guardian, The Nation, Huffington Post are just a sample of mainstream media who agree that the video claims are clearly untrue.
• A Planned Parenthood staff member stated nine times in one video that there is no profit related to fetal tissue donation; all nine statements are edited out. Legitimate bioresearch companies affirm that Planned Parenthood is most likely losing money when donating fetal tissue because the costs of collection, processing, and records management exceed the $30-$100 they receive.

These are just 2 of many examples of how the fraudulent biomedical research company, Biomax Procurement Services, created a firestorm of untruths about Planned Parenthood and fetal tissue donation.

Verifiable facts about Planned Parenthood according to latest statistics:

• 2.7 million women, men and young people annually visit a Planned Parenthood health care center. Services included 400,000 pap tests, 500,000 breast exams, 4.5 million tests and treatment for sexually transmitted illnesses including 700,000 HIV tests.
• 80 percent of clients receive contraceptive information and services to prevent unintended pregnancies.
• 3 percent of all health services are abortions.
• 78 percent of the clients are at or below the federal poverty level.

Defunding Planned Parenthood because you don’t agree with 3 percent of its work spitefully denies the other 97 percent of its services to the millions of people who need access to safe, affordable health care.

Lois Roewade

Pfafftown

Jeb Bush appeals to ugliest part

of the GOP

To the Editor:

In response to Jeb Bush’s comments in South Carolina on Sept. 24 [See page A8]:

Jeb Bush either has no idea what he’s talking about or he’s a cynical politician appealing to the ugliest elements of the Republican Party.  Either way he is unfit to lead this country.

Sadly, Jeb Bush’s comments reflect a Republican Party that, while touting policies that benefit a select few at the very top, is falling over itself to alienate more and more Americans every single day.  In just the last few weeks we’ve witnessed Republican presidential candidates insult African-Americans, Muslims, Hispanics, Asian-Americans and women.

“It’s an odd electoral strategy in a multicultural society.”

Michael Tyler

Democratic National Committee director of African-American media