Why I am Not Happy With Nicholas Jackson/The Atlantic
Another unbiased journalist somehow manages to show extreme bias in what he writes, and then defends it….
Planned Parenthood, currently the largest provider of reproductive health services in the United States, is widely known for helping women to obtain abortions and contraceptives. But those services, despite their high profile, account for only 38 percent (PDF) of the organization’s work.
What I sent him in reply…
@njackson@theatlantic.com
Please, please amend the article to get rid of the 38% figure you cite for Planned Parenthood’s spending for abortion and contraception services. I realize that you believe that what you wrote was clear but you are not dealing with rational/truthful people here. Not only has that number already been taken out of context at least thrice in the comments on your own page it is also being spread like a virus to every right-wing site the page is linked to. I have already seen people stating that “38% of all donations you make to planned parenthood will go to kill babies” or something very close on three other sites and useing your article as their evidence citation.
Why conflate contraception and abortion in the first place? What is the point? (other to inflame zealots anyway).They have nothing to do with each other except in certain extremely narrow minded interpretations of Christianity and Islam. If anything contraception works to prevent many needless abortions! Why not just state the facts and say that only 3% of Planned Parenthood’s work is directly related to abortion and only about 1% of their total budget is spent on abortion services?
Why make an already constantly misrepresented and overly decisive issue even more muddled when you could be so much clearer? You’re article as it stands only helps misrepresent Planned Parenthood as “an abortion factory” for those already indoctrinated to that lie while (I hope unintentionally) exaggerating the proportion of their services that deal with abortion.
Thank you for reading,
ausador
Even after “pro-lifers” take his number out of context and use it to spread further lies about Planned Parenthood in his own article comment thread he joins the comments in the thread to say what he wrote was perfectly clear and can see no reason to change it.
Honestly?