Planned Parenthood chief criticizes Kerry

NEW YORK — The outgoing president of Planned Parenthood, Gloria Feldt, commended her anti-abortion adversaries Tuesday for their political skills and criticized ally John Kerry for an ineffective defense of abortion rights during his losing presidential campaign.

"I have great respect for John Kerry, but there's no question he did not articulate these issues well," Feldt said in an interview. "He seemed equivocal. He ceded the moral high ground to the other side."

Feldt, 62, resigned last week - effective immediately - after eight years as president of the country's most influential and controversial family planning organization. Her path to the top was unlikely: at 15, she was newly pregnant in a small West Texas town; by 20, she had three children and dim career prospects.

Feldt had been conferring with her board of directors for several months about stepping down and described the departure as amicable - with some differences over timing but not over strategies.

more....
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/APWires/politics/D87VVDSG0.html

The man has the highest approval ratings from NARL- he's one of, if not the biggest, defenders of a woman's right to chose in the senate.

but he WAS weak on the campaign trail. I was disappointed the ONE time the subject was broached during the debates. Kerry listened 2 the pollsters - he should have been paying attention 2 Lakoff!

And in the debates, he spoke extremely eloquently about how he, a moral and religious man, could be pro -choice. That was the smart thing to do.
I was at several rallies and he DID mention and defend Roe V Wade and other reproductive health issues; to claim he was weak on the campaign trail is just not accurate IMO.

The following is a press release from the Planned Parenthood website at

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/files/portal/media/pressreleases/pr-050127-feldt-resigns.xml

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Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Gloria Feldt Resigns From Reproductive Health and Rights Organization
Under Feldt's Leadership, PPFA Expanded Access to Education, Information and Services, Defended Medical Privacy and Reproductive Freedom

January 27, 2005

NEW YORK CITY—Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) announced today that Gloria Feldt has resigned her position as president.

Karen Pearl, currently CEO of Planned Parenthood of Nassau County, Inc., in New York, will serve as interim president of PPFA, overseeing the nearly 90-year-old organization's efforts to ensure that every individual has the information and services they need to make personal, private decisions about their health. A national search for a new president will begin immediately, according to PPFA Chair La Don Love.

"We honor Gloria Feldt's contributions to Planned Parenthood and to the global movement for reproductive justice," said Love. "Her leadership has resulted in significant achievements for the organization and for women and families worldwide."

A Planned Parenthood leader for 30 years, eight as president of the national organization, Feldt is known as an innovative and effective reproductive rights advocate. Under her leadership, PPFA has fought in Congress, the courts, on campuses and in communities worldwide to ensure all people have the information and means to decide freely and responsibly whether and when to have children.

Highlights of achievements under Feldt's leadership include passage of legislation in 22 states and other efforts to require insurance plans to cover prescription contraceptives; protection of medical privacy; defeat of the unconstitutional federal abortion ban; the successful introduction of medication abortion and emergency contraception in the U.S.; the creation of the Planned Parenthood Vision for 2025, a 25-year plan for the entire federation; and being a leading organizer of the April 2004 March for Women's Lives in Washington DC — the largest political rally in U.S. history.

A teen mother and wife from rural Texas, Feldt raised three children while attending college. She began her Planned Parenthood career in 1974 in West Texas and later moved to Arizona, before being tapped as PPFA president in 1996. She is the author of Behind Every Choice Is a Story (University of North Texas Press, 2002) and The War on Choice: The Right-Wing Attack on Women's Rights and How to Fight Back (Bantam Dell, 2004).

Among Feldt's honors are being named a 2003 Woman of the Year by Glamour Magazine and one of the top 200 Women Legends, Leaders and Trailblazers by Vanity Fair Magazine.

Founded in 1916 by Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood is the world's largest and most trusted voluntary reproductive health care organization, with highly respected domestic and international programs. The federation comprises 122 Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide, whose nearly 850 health centers provide reproductive health and sexuality education and information services for nearly five million women, men and teenagers each year.

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Planned Parenthood Federation of America is the nation's largest and most trusted voluntary reproductive health organization. We believe that everyone has the right to choose when or whether to have a child — and that every child should be wanted and loved. Planned Parenthood affiliates operate nearly 850 health centers nationwide, providing medical services and sexuality education for millions of women, men, and teenagers each year.

Contacts:
Gustavo Suarez (212) 261-4339
Erin Libit (202) 973-4883

For medical questions, or to schedule an appointment with the nearest Planned Parenthood health center, call toll-free 1-800-230-PLAN or 1-800-230-7526.

Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers provide culturally competent, high quality, affordable health care to nearly five million diverse women, men, and teens every year. Planned Parenthood welcomes everyone--regardless of race, age, disability, sexual orientation, or income.

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With friends like these....

Kerry has an excellent record on reproductive rights and women's issues. Maybe we can find another way to kick him, if we have to, and do it in a less public forum.

Perform abortions himself?
PLEASE.
He is SO pro-choice and never made any bones about that.

Is not GOD and so, he cannot fix everyone else problem!

I am so tired of the damn Kerry scapegoating. It's so tiresome.

She did a helluva lot more damage than she realizes. Score a big one for the pro-birth movement, thanks to the parting shot by Feldt, claiming to have "great respect for John Kerry" and then proceeding to prove she has very little respect for him at all by mouthing off in public.

It's like saying, "Hey, if it all falls apart, don't blame me, blame Kerry."

His opponent cheated and smeared his way to "victory."

This woman needs to ingest a strong hallucinogenic compound and lay strapped in a hammock for a couple of days. On the flip side, we'll check her political loyalties again.