Go mayors, go!

TPM:

At their annual meeting in Orlando, Florida over the weekend, the U.S. Conference of Mayors approved a resolution in support of funding for Planned Parenthood and women’s access to abortion services and contraception. The nonpartisan organization representing mayors from over 1,300 cities criticized both state governments and Congress for attempting to roll back women’s access to reproductive care.

The resolution specifically mentions the good the Planned Parenthood does for women and communities:

WHEREAS, reproductive-health care and the overwhelming majority of services provided by Planned Parenthood health centers is basic health care for women, including cancer screenings and breast exams, and;

WHEREAS, for many women with limited incomes, Planned Parenthood clinics are their point of entry into the health care system and their ongoing source of primary care services....

Page 18 of the Adopted Resolutions of the 80th Annual Conference of Mayors

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It's not surprising that the mayors don't see PP as some sort of catch-all boogeyman-- they're on the ground, they see the good that Planned Parenthood does. If people trust their mayors (I know that I trust mine), maybe maybe this could help turn the tides in the debate over family planning.

WI clinic bombing update

Good news from The Washington Post:

The FBI says 50-year-old Francis Grady is charged with arson of a building used in interstate commerce and intentionally damaging a facility that provides reproductive health services.

 And HuffPo (sorry, sorry, sorry):

"The FBI will always investigate and bring to justice anyone who resorts to violence as a means to harm, intimidate, or prevent the public's right to access reproductive health services." 

I wish I could say that this means an end to anti-choice terrorism, but these people are zealots. They won't stop as long as politicians pander to the Christian right-- as I've said before, their actions are justified by the state.

But hooray for the FBI for gettin' it done!

It took them long enough

(AP) GRAND CHUTE, Wis. - Police say a homemade explosive device damaged a Planned Parenthood clinic in eastern Wisconsin.

Authorities say someone placed the small device on an outside window sill about 7:40 p.m. Sunday at the clinic in Grand Chute, near Appleton.

A small fire broke out when the device exploded, but quickly burned itself out.

 CBS News

The bombing happened last night. Thank goodness that no one was injured* (and the building only sustained minor damage), but this is still worrying as all hell. With all of the anti-choice legislation that has been floated out by state legislatures in 2012 alone, it's no wonder that anti-abortion zealots feel empowered to terrorize a health clinic. Abortion is evil and the government agrees, right down to the desire to shut down the clinics by any means necessary.

I can't help but think that attacks on abortion providers are only going to escalate over the next few months.

I'm left wondering why this story hasn't garnered more attention. Think about it this way: if this bomb had been found in an airport, we'd have up to the minute updates on all of the major news channels. There would be a massive, multi- police force  man-hunt for the terrorist responsible. Instead, when a clinic is bombed, there's a short AP story and the local cops are investigating. It makes me sick.

Fight back: donate to Planned Parenthood.

*Hooray for inept terrorists, I suppose.

** Edit **
According to TPM, the FBI and DOJ are now involved in the investigation.