The ACORN scandal shows that if Congress wants to act, it can.
Within weeks of Fox airing videos of a couple posing as a pimp and a prostitute being advised by ACORN "community organizers" on how to evade taxes and set up a prostitution ring, our stalwart Washington legislators voted to cut off federal funds to the organization.
But similar publicized abuses at Planned Parenthood -- workers agreeing to cover up rape or earmarking funds to abort black babies -- all captured on video and audio -- produced no similar action in Washington to cut off funds.
Why?
 Of course, the scope of taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood is many times greater -- a few hundred million dollars per year versus a few million.
But that's no explanation.
Congress acts when voters demand it. And, sadly, the decibel level of outrage about abortion, let alone federal funds supporting abortion enablers, is not great enough.
A hint of the problem is evident in a new abortion survey released by the Pew Research Center.
The good news for "pro-lifers" is that sentiment continues to move against abortion. Forty five percent now believe abortion should be illegal in most cases, up four points from a year ago, and 47 percent believe it should be legal, down seven points from last year.
But less encouraging is a drop in the percentage that sees abortion as a "critical" issue. Fifteen percent, down from 28 percent a year ago.
I think this is why Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion factory in the country, continues annually to get hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer funds, under both Democrat and Republican leadership.
It's why, despite opposition from Republicans and some conservative Democrats, we have health care bills moving in both the House and Senate that will allow federal funds to subsidize purchase of insurance that will pay for abortions.
Continued... |