On PBS News Hour last night, Dr. Ben Carson, the mild-mannered black Republican who wants to stop federal funding to Planned Parenthood (as does every Republican), responded Gwen Ifill's question about what women were supposed to do for reproductive health care services without Planned Parenthood by saying, "They can go to the pregnancy centers that have been set up all over the country."
These "pregnancy centers" -- Dr. Carson pointed out -- are privately funded. He did not point out they are funded by right-wing and fundamentalist groups. But he dd say they perform "the same services" as Planned Parenthood.
It was a jaw-dropping moment. During the short interview, Ifills didn't have any time for a follow-up, or maybe it's just not the fashion nowadays to confront candidates. But there was much that could have been said.
For one thing, those "pregnancy centers" do not perform annual pelvic exams and pap smears, one of the key, and vital services that Planned Parenthood performs in the community. They don't do breast cancer screening. And they certainly don't prescribe birth control to women who need it.
So what do they do? They perform free pregnancy tests on women too poor even to buy a kit from the drugstore.
And when the result is positive, an extremely dour, judgmental woman comes out with a pair of baby booties (that's right) and says, "Well, you're pregnant." No abortion information available here. The guilt trip is the whole point.
I'm not making this up. I have had several urban female students tell the same story in my writing classes. All these women became mothers. And most knew it was not their time, but the pregnancy centers made sure they stayed uninformed about their options.
So the questions is, does noted Republican physician Dr. Ben Carson, who had plenty to say about what he considers a viable option to the ACA, really believe these are the only reproductive healthcare "services" that women need? Or that these are services at all?