Morning Roundup: Planned Parenthood’s Truth Tour Underway

Beth Saunders

Planned Parenthood is touring the country in a hot pink bus to rally support, a march for women's equality in Egypt turns sexually violent, and men in Texas don't want to play politics with forcing ultrasounds. Except that is exactly what they are doing.

Planned Parenthood is touring the country in a hot pink bus to rally support, a march for women’s equality in Egypt turns sexually violent, and men in Texas don’t want to play politics with forcing ultrasounds. Except that is exactly what they are doing.

  • Planned Parenthood has begun touring the country in a hot pink bus on a Truth Tour, rallying people who support the organization. Yesterday they stopped at U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire’s Aliquippa, PA, office and were met by counter protesters from Susan B. Anthony List. Altmire, who is anti-choice, voted against the Pence amendment to defund Planned Parenthood.

    “I really believe the vote I cast is going to prevent abortions,” he said, pointing to Planned Parenthood’s birth control, family planning and women’s health services.
    “They prevent unintended pregnancies,” he said of Planned Parenthood. “Not one penny of any of that money goes to abortion.”

    Will the hot pink bus be in your area? (If so, will you wave a supportive sign for me?)

  • A march for women’s equality in Egypt turned violent when a mob of men swarmed the women, groping and beating the women. According to the Washington Post, “Egyptian women say that sexual harassment has long been rampant here and that they grow up expecting to be fondled in public by men with impunity.” While shouting that that women should be happy with their rights, and that they were ruining the revolution, men began sexually assaulting the croud of women.

    The men – their number estimated to be at least double that of the women’s – broke through a human chain that other men had formed to protect the marchers. Women said they attempted to stand their ground – until the physical aggression began.
    “I was grabbed in the crotch area at least six times. I was grabbed in the breasts; my throat was grabbed,” Coletu said.

    A report by the Associated Press calls the attackers “hecklers,” despite the fact that women had to flee from harm, and several had to be ripped away from groups of men who were beating them.

  • Men in the Texas legislature continue to argue over the state’s mandatory ultrasound legislation. The House won’t pass the Senate’s version, and the Senate doesn’t want the House’s version. The Senate author of the bill, Republican Dan Patrick, says, “This is not a bill to play politics with.” (Would that fit into Alanis Morisette’s song about irony?)

Mar 9

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