I have been waiting for the counter-attack to begin. Planned Parenthood is under an assault by right-wing misogynists unlike anything that this institution has experienced in the recent past. The objective is to destroy Planned Parenthood and this destruction will be aided if government funding is cut.
The catalyst for this recent move against Planned Parenthood was a sophisticated sneak attack through the use of edited videos aimed at disparaging the work of Planned Parenthood and making it appear as if the organization was ghoulish and, in effect, selling body parts.
Although the edited videos have been disputed—and actually discredited—they have taken on a life of their own, something that anyone seeing these stories appear on Twitter knows as well as I do. Stories keep repeating themselves, and, as far as the political Right is concerned, the facts will not stand in the way of their opinions.
In the face of this brutal assault, Planned Parenthood has received significant support from various liberal, progressive and pro-women organizations. There have been floods of emails about the situation and urgent requests that supporters of Planned Parenthood contact their elected representatives to ensure that the organization is not starved to death.
Yet this is simply not enough. Not only is it not enough, but the response by Planned Parenthood is reminiscent of the responses by too many liberal and progressive institutions when under assault by the Right, i.e., to stand firm and upright; attempt to keep the moral high ground by not antagonizing anyone; and by hoping that the storm will blow over. Well, with all due respect to the valiant folks at Planned Parenthood, this storm is not blowing over. Senator Ted Cruz is absolutely making sure of that.
When Planned Parenthood was attacked it, correctly, took the first step: secure the perimeter. They responded to the attack by attempting to clarify to the public what had taken place. They also sought to ensure that their traditional allies understood the facts as well as the motives of the attackers. Yet, if that is where the stop, they will remain on the defensive.
The strategy of the misogynists attacking Planned Parenthood is to mobilize a largely conservative religious base to lean on elected officials in order to cut the funding for Planned Parenthood. Cruz, et. al., are assuming that their right-wing religious base is sufficiently motivated to pressure and render uncomfortable elected officials who, in some cases, are also misogynists and in other cases are afraid to stand up to a conservative tide. Cruz, et.al., are also assuming something else: that Planned Parenthood will not do anything audacious. This might be Cruz’s Achilles Heel.
The immediate step necessary is the formation of a broad coalition or united front in support of Planned Parenthood, and actually, in support of women’s health. The attack on Planned Parenthood goes beyond abortions. It goes to a very deep hatred that the political Right has for women and for any semblance of equal rights for women. So, the united front needs to go for the jugular. The bottom line is that the political Right wishes to undermine women’s health, women’s right to choose, and any sense that a woman should be able to control her body as much as a man can control his. This coalition must, from the outset, develop a significant base within religious communities across denominations around the USA. Religious terrain cannot be left to the political Right.
The broad coalition is not enough. There are too many coalitions that are formed, particularly in Washington, DC, that are comprised of nothing more than talking heads. The coalition must appear in every state and in every county in every state. This means that the work of the coalition is not solely virtual, as important as electronic activism is, but must involve a significant amount of one-on-one; home visits; and other small meetings.
Local coalitions must engage in both defense of Planned Parenthood establishments and engage in building broad visibility in support of women’s health. With regard to defense of Planned Parenthood establishments, if you have ever been anywhere near any Planned Parenthood establishment you know how the political misogynists show up to discourage and intimidate women who wish to avail themselves of Planned Parenthood’s services. Well, to put it bluntly, there needs to be a countervailing force.
But there is also the matter of visibility. Email communications with elected officials are all well and good, but in-person visits and demonstrations are FAR more effective. Cruz, et.al., assume that supporters of Planned Parenthood are passive and demobilized, thereby leaving the field free for the misogynists. Defenders of women’s health need to flip the script, so to speak, and make life very uncomfortable—in all legal ways—for elected officials who might consider bowing to the demands of the irrationalists on the political Right.
This is not an entire prescription but it gives you, the reader, a sense that something very different must be undertaken, and undertaken right now. This is not the time to worry about antagonizing anyone; the political Right is already antagonizing millions of women. This is the time to go after the political Right with speed and audacity. This is the time to make it clear that Planned Parenthood will not be dismantled but that it will, instead, grow.
In thinking about the situation facing Planned Parenthood and their need for a counter-attack, I was reminded of the words of General George S. Patton. He was asked once about defending some ground that he had captured in battle. He is reported to have dismissed the suggestion of securing his position. He went on to say that he never wanted to pay for the same real estate twice.
The existence of Planned Parenthood has been a victory for women. We do not simply need to defend it. We need to expand its work in service of women’s health from one end of this country to the other.
Bill Fletcher, Jr. is the host of The Global African on Telesur-English. He is a racial justice, labor and global justice activist and writer. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and at www.billfletcherjr.com.
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