I admit when I saw the presidential advisory roles bestowed upon Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, I wasn’t impressed. Their qualifications in the business world are top of class, but what of their political bona fides? I tend to believe the bare minimum qualifications to serve in office should be knowledge and articulation of the Constitution, and the courage to adhere to it (add to that a strong moral character and you’re golden, but we’ll have to wait on that for the time being).
Most people knew candidate Donald Trump was no conservative, and from what policy positions we heard Ivanka propose, neither was she. Spearheading yet another entitlement program like the Family Paid Leave Act places her on the left of her father.
Not a good thing.
With this revelation, however, I’m wondering if we could support Ivanka for president.
Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards accused Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner of making an offer that felt like a “bribe” during a meeting back in January 2017.
Richards, who is planning on stepping down as president in 2018, reveals in her new book that the President’s daughter and son-in-law offered her an increase in federal funding for Planned Parenthood in exchange for its agreement to stop providing abortion services, according to People magazine.
“Jared and Ivanka were there for one reason: to deliver a political win,” Richards writes in “Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead,” which was released Tuesday, People reported. “In their eyes, if they could stop Planned Parenthood from providing abortions, it would confirm their reputation as savvy dealmakers. It was surreal, essentially being asked to barter away women’s rights for more money.”
According to People, Richards recalled, “The main issue, (Kushner) explained, was abortion. If Planned Parenthood wanted to keep our federal funding, we would have to stop providing abortions.”
A message left with the White House by CNN Wednesday was not immediately returned. In April 2017, when the meeting was first reported, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood told CNN the sit-down was “cordial and informative.”
“The purpose of the meeting, from Planned Parenthood’s perspective, was to make sure that Ivanka Trump fully understood the important role Planned Parenthood plays in providing health care to millions of people and why it would be a disastrous idea to block people from accessing care at Planned Parenthood,” the spokeswoman said at the time.
Yes, I know. The entire CNN piece promotes the fairy tale that Planned Parenthood is simply a wayward medical center that was just walking down the street, minding its own business, trying to help the everyday gal get the flu shots and Band-Aids she needs. Abortion, you say? No, that’s like .000001% of what they do, and only when totally, absolutely, and in all other ways necessary…yeah…
Think of it this way: Motivation behind good acts, while nice, is irrelevant. If the millions of babies who are murdered every year actually get a chance at life because the abortionist and his/her support staff were paid off, does it matter? Of course, doing the right thing is required in eyes of God, and there will be justice for all our sins. In the meantime, however, innocent babies get to breathe.
But, Mike, speaking to the financial side of the issue, why should the American taxpayer pay for this? It’s expensive. True, it’s more money our country doesn’t have. So how about we eliminate the Department of Commerce and its $7.8 billion budget, pledge to Planned Parenthood a mere 20%, or ~$1.5 billion, and then maybe one of the children born, who would otherwise be murdered, will grow up to make abortion illegal?
Question: Would you pay someone not to murder a baby?
Answer: Hell yes!
Image: CCO Creative Commons: Excerpted from: https://pixabay.com/en/money-wallet-finance-cash-business-3219298/
