Obama to Skip Planned Parenthood Keynote Event--but will speak Friday

The Washington Times reports:

"President Obama has canceled plans to deliver a keynote address at Planned Parenthood’s annual fundraising dinner Thursday night, citing a desire to spend more time with family of the victims of the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas.

White House spokesman Jay Carney announced the decision to cancel the keynote speech at the gala during his daily press briefing with reporters Wednesday. He said Mr. Obama will still address Planned Parenthood and its supporters Friday morning.

Pro-life advocates had been harshly critical of Mr. Obama’s decision to appear at the fundraiser, particularly with the ongoing high-profile trial in Philadelphia of an abortion provider, but Mr. Carney said the schedule chance was made 'in order to allow him to spend more time with those injured and the loved ones of those lost in the deadly explosion in West, Texas'.”

One would hope that the President would be ashamed of appearing at Planned Parenthood, particularly in light of their failure to report the Kermit Gosnell atrocities to authorities. As Dr. Tim Stanley wrote in the Telegraph:

"It’s an extraordinary move, not just because the issue is so controversial but because Planned Parenthood has recently disgraced itself over the Gosnell trial. To recap, Kermit Gosnell is the “doctor” is accused of killing hundreds of babies during late-term abortions by removing them screaming from the womb and then severing their heads from their bodies with a pair of scissors. He also operated a filthy clinic covered in cat feces and used untrained employees to carry out medical procedures. A question that has repeatedly been asked is “Who knew about this?” and “What did they do about it?” Last week, Planned Parenthood answered with “We did” and “As little as possible.”

The cat got out the bag at the Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania's annual Spring Gathering. A report from Philly.com quotes Dayle Steinberg, the organisation’s president and chief executive saying,

"The Gosnell trial has shifted the focus off the high-quality services we provide … These are criminal, horrendous . . . acts and should be appropriately punished."
Steinberg said that when Gosnell was in practice, women would sometimes come to Planned Parenthood for services after first visiting Gosnell's West Philadelphia clinic, and would complain to staff about the conditions there.
"We would always encourage them to report it to the Department of Health," Steinberg said.

So women came to Planned Parenthood, spoke of filthy conditions and potential malpractice and Planned Parenthood’s response was to urge them to report it to the Department of Health?! That’s an astonishing admission: rather than rushing to help the traumatised women in their care by contacting the police, they advised them to go home and pen a letter of complaint.

But, then again, Planned Parenthood’s callousness is hardly a surprise. During a legislative committee meeting in Florida, one of their lobbyists was asked this question: “If a baby is born on a table as a result of a botched abortion, what would Planned Parenthood want to have happen to that child that is struggling for life?” He reply is staggering in its amorality: “We believe that any decision that's made should be left up to the woman, her family, and the physician.”