Published: Tuesday, Oct. 02, 2012 / Updated: Saturday, Sep. 29, 2012 08:42 PM
Support for Smisek
Support for Smisek
I am writing in response to Jonathan Kawakami’s letter to the editor on Sept. 26.
Mr. Kawakami wrote, urging people to protest United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek for co-chairing a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood.
Well, he kind of wrote. He actually cut and pasted the entire content of his letter from Lifenews.com, an anti-choice website that provides “letter to the editor” text for its followers to forward to their local papers without doing any research or vetting of the content themselves. The text contains unsubstantiated claims by anti-choice blogger Jill Stanek that “This clinic’s goal is to perform at least 75 abortions, 6 days a week.” and “they terminate pregnancies up to 25 weeks... babies over 6 months old.” Yet she provides no evidence to support either of these charges. It’s sad how ideologues like Ms. Stanek can make up things and so few question them or compel them to back it up with facts. Perhaps this is part of the reason she was once featured in Keith Olbermann’s “Worst Person in the World” segment. That and the fact that she defended the murderer of abortion Dr. George Tiller and then pointed out the addresses of other doctors that were still alive and working to her followers.
I would like to personally extend thanks to Mr. Smisek for supporting Planned Parenthood and their mission to provide healthcare to some of the women (and men) who need it most. Unfortunately Planned Parenthood is often the last and only hope for health care some women have. These health centers provide a wide range of care, more than 90 percent of which is preventive, primary care. They help to prevent unintended pregnancies through contraception, reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections through testing and treatment, and screen for cervical and other cancers.
It’s also ironic that people who want to deny women this necessary care are so often the same ones that want to repeal the Affordable Healthcare Act. (I believe only because they don’t understand it.) The goal of everyone, pro-choice or pro-life should be to eliminate unwanted pregnancies before they occur. That only happens with education and contraception. Two of the main things Planned Parenthood provides.
I also urge everyone to email United Airlines CEO Jeff Smisek at jeff.smisek@united.com as I will. Tell him that you applaud him for standing up for women and defending their right to health care and dignity.
Tony Boswell
Indian Land