It turns out that halting the immoral and illegal practice of selling fetal body parts for profit is a bipartisan issue. The Planned Parenthood videos that have revealed top doctors negotiating the selling of aborted babies’ organs have shaken Americans to their core. The response has gone beyond outraged rhetoric; activists and legislators alike have taken action to defund the organization – efforts which are not just coming from Republicans. At a pro-life rally in front of the Ohio state courthouse Thursday, Rep. Bill Patmon (D-Cleveland) introduced a bill, along with Representative Margaret Conditt (R-Liberty Township), that would stop any state funding to Planned Parenthood.
Patmon, a father of four and grandfather of six, is a good friend of Ohio Right to Life. At the rally, he ditched his written remarks to speak from the heart about why he has dedicated his life to defending the unborn. He made it personal, describing how his mother, pregnant with only an eighth grade education, would have been a “prime candidate” for Planned Parenthood. Yet, she “didn’t get rid of this one,” he said, as attendees applauded, knowing that if his mother would’ve caved to pressure, they would not be looking at the man standing in front of them.
Patmon also suggested that Planned Parenthood is racist in nature, and that those #BlackLivesMatter protests spreading throughout the country would be best served by setting up camp in front of the organization's myriad abortion clinics.
“Five thousand, four hundred and ninety-nine abortions are in Cuyahoga County, which I happen to represent,” Patmon said in a speech Tuesday. “And 63 percent of them are black women, 63 percent of them are of a certain hue in their skin.”
“You hear a lot of demonstrations across the country now, about black lives matter,” Patmon added. “Well, they skipped one place. They should be in front of Planned Parenthood.”
In case you missed it, the Center for Medical Progress released their fourth damning video of Planned Parenthood Thursday, a bold move considering a California court just ordered them to cease and desist.
As the Defund Planned Parenthood bill is taken up for a vote in Congress, 13 representatives have joined Patmon's efforts in Ohio.
I'll leave you with Patmon's most powerful message at the courthouse, which was also perhaps his simplest.
“They are Americans," he said. "And they are human beings.”
Editor's note: The video of Rep. Patmon's remarks has been added.