Planned Parenthood Prez on Abortion Dialogue: "It's Time for a Fresh Conversation"
The President of Planned Parenthood is ready for a fresh conversation when it comes to how both side of the abortion debate can try and reduce abortions in America. Cecile Richards sat down with The Brody File in my blogger hideaway studios. (I was not wearing pajamas, my parents weren’t home and I did not show her my Star Trek Collection) President Obama has signaled a desire to work on this issue and Richards says she's on board with that. Nobody is saying this will be easy but Richards expressed a willingness to sit down with "the other side" to try and reach common sense solutions. Her definition of solutions may be different than that of pro-life groups, hence the challenge but let the conversation begin!
Watch her answer above and I have transcribed parts of her answer below.
On the pro-abortion and anti-choice labels:
“It doesn’t allow us to have a conversation because people sort of then end up in a camp.”
“I think it actually diminishes the importance of really being honest and open and having a dialogue with folks you may disagree with by putting folks in one camp or the other and look, I think we all have some work to do in that regard.”
“I do think it’s time for a fresh conversation and I think both sides have to be willing to have an open dialogue and see where it takes us. Look, we’ve got to be able to better than we have.”
Brody: And to give in a little on both sides? Compromise to a degree?
Richards: I think finding common ground isn’t necessarily sort of like put aide your ideals. I think it’s a process.”
On Contraception:
“I think all of us would encourage and hope that our teens are going to wait until they’re ready for some kind of relationship long term or other but our experience at Planned Parenthood is that providing young people with information doesn’t mean they’re going to run out and have sex immediately but at some point they’re going to need to know how to use a condom or why they need to use a condom.”
“I really think some of the best curriculums we’ve seen are very much abstinence based but also provide young people information. I will also say it’s not all going to happen through the schools. I think the schools are an important place particularly for young people who can’t talk to their parents but at Planned Parenthood we believe very strongly the very best sex educator in America is the parents.”
