Ethics

Lofton's Latest Lunacy

By Ed Brayton

Our old friend John Lofton, theocrat extraordinaire, has a column at the Worldnutdaily ranting about how James Dobson and Focus on the Family just aren't extreme enough for him. He's mad because Focus on the Family thanked President Bush for not allowing federal money to be used for abortions. But that's not enough for Lofton. He's all verklempt over government funding for other services provided by Planned Parenthood. Cuz they're "evil."

But, there's a slight problem here that keeps me from thanking Mr. Bush, and that problem is that during his term in office he has approved giving Planned Parenthood at least $2.2 billion in federal tax dollars! Is this money that has been "misspent"? Hmmmm, I'd say "yes."

So, where do I get the $2.2 billion figure? I get it from Jim Sedlak of the American Life League, an expert on Planned Parenthood and its federal funding. In an interview, Jim tells me yes, the Bush administration has indeed "extensively" funded Planned Parenthood, the total amount of federal funding (through 2006, the most recent figures known) being at least $2.2 billion. In Bush's first year (2001), he approved $202 million for PP; in the last year for which there is reporting (2006), Bush gave PP $337 million - a single year funding increase of 67 percent. Sedlak notes that in 2006, PP showed a $114 million profit so did not need federal funding.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on November 01, 2008 (boomark / email).