Today the Associated Press published and distributed an article about a Planned Parenthood opening in Southern Illinois, just across from St. Louis. Missouri is one of many states to enact incredibly restrictive anti-choice laws, effectively criminalizing women’s health and sexuality. The AP said, “A clinic quietly constructed in southern Illinois to meet demand for abortion services by residents in nearby states is close to opening.”
Yes, Planned Parenthood did that quietly because, you know, there are some fuckers out there who literally murder people who work and visit these facilities.
Women’s health isn’t just about abortions and pregnancy and treating STIs, though those things are obviously incredibly important and necessary to women’s healthcare. How about cancer screenings? Is that important to anyone? What about the services Planned Parenthood provides to men who are also in need of healthcare? What about getting the flu shot? Is that okay? Cholesterol screenings? Tetanus vaccinations? Yeah, Planned Parenthood does those things, too, and does them at low or no cost to people who don’t have adequate health insurance and healthcare access.
Local news outlet WCIA shared the story on Facebook, which is their prerogative, of course. I suppose it is also their prerogative to frame things in a way that whips up their social media trolls who say stupid shit like this (and get checked) in the comments:
But the thing that caught my eye was that they gave the Facebook post summary the good old college try:
- Find reputable source online → Chicago Tribune
- Ctrl C, Ctrl V
- Right click → Synonyms → Select
- Publish
It’s the most boring and uninspired plagiarism, and they should be embarrassed. Local news is really important (as we have discussed before), and WCIA needs to step up. Do better! The intentionally misleading and sensationalist social media posts are not innocuous. Real people need to visit affordable healthcare clinics. Real people need jobs at affordable healthcare clinics. Real people need cancer screenings, and STI testing, and HIV screening, and flu shots, and in some cases, yes, even abortions.
Top photo by Michael Thomas / Getty Images