Editor,

Joan Cross’ letter to the editor, “Planned Parenthood committing ‘atrocities’,” can stop crying over babies whose lives are “snuffed out” and “body parts sold” by Planned Parenthood because that is not what’s happening.

Planned Parenthood has stated that the videos recently aired on TV about this issue were grossly misleading. They were highly edited, and the verbal exchanges were taken out of context. Planned Parenthood has done nothing illegal and no charges have been made.

Ms. Cross’s Aug. 5 letter contains false information that should not go unchallenged. She stated our federal government funds abortion related services by Planned Parenthood.

In actuality, only three percent of what Planned Parenthood does is even related to abortion at all, and none of those services are funded by the federal government.

Nor do Planned Parenthood employees seek to make woman feel shame about unplanned pregnancies, or disrespectfully refer to fetuses as “blobs” or just “tissue,” so women don’t feel guilt if they choose to abort, as Ms. Cross stated.

That charge is absurd.

Pregnant women are shown they have choices: parenting, adoption or abortion. No one option is pushed, rather each woman is encouraged to make the decision that is best for her and her family.

Nancy Pelosi was accurate when she recently called this whole issue about supposed atrocities by Planned Parenthood a “fake controversy.”

This is the eighth time in as many years that Republicans in Congress have tried to defund Planned Parenthood.

This political smear campaign against Planned Parenthood is just the newest assault on women’s reproductive rights.

Investigations of Planned Parenthood will ensue, and they will be a big, pointless waste of time and taxpayer money, much like the repeated attempts to repeal Obamacare.

Christine Laing

Coupeville