Abortion

Roundup: Jon Kyl, Stephen Colbert and “Factual Statements”

Beth Saunders

Stephen Colbert creates #NotIntendedToBeAFactualStatement hashtag in response to Sen. Kyl's remarks on Planned Parenthood; NRLC won't score the budget; Huckabee supports "heartbeat" bill; and Alan Simpson rails on GOP social conservatives.

Stephen Colbert creates #NotIntendedToBeAFactualStatement hashtag in response to Sen. Kyl’s remarks on Planned Parenthood; NRLC won’t score the budget; Huckabee supports “heartbeat” bill; and Alan Simpson rails on GOP social conservatives.

  • While discussing Planned Parenthood on the Senate floor last week, Jon Kyl (R-AZ) said that “well over 90% of what Planned Parenthood does” is abortion. When challenged on the statement, his office responded that what Kyl said was “not intended to be a factual statement.” I guess it was just supposed to be illustrative of how far he’d go to disparage the largest provider of reproductive health care in the country? Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert has taken to Twitter to spout various “facts” about Senator Kyl, using the hashtag #NotIntendedToBeAFactualStatement. One of my favorites so far:, “Once a year, Jon Kyl retreats to the Arizona desert and deposits 2 million egg sacs under the sand.”
  • National Right to Life Committee will not score votes on the 2011 budget bill, allowing anti-choice lawmakers to vote for the legislation without losing their bonafides. Instead, NRLC will be scoring votes in the House and Senate on defunding Planned Parenthood and the new health care law that will take place later in the week.
  • Former Arkansas governor and likely presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is a supporter of the Ohio “heartbeat” bill that would ban abortion before many women even know they are pregnant. The bill is being pushed by Jane Porter of Faith2Nation, who was a leader in Huckabee’s Faith and Family Values Coalition during his 2008 presidential run.
  • Noted Republican figure and former senator of Wyoming Alan Simpson railed on the social conservatives in his party who oppose abortion and homosexuality. One of his many choice quotes on the issue: “I’m not sticking with people who are homophobic, anti-women, you know, moral values while you’re diddling your secretary, while you’re giving a speech on moral values.”

Apr 13

Apr 12