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by Paul Kengor 2 hours ago
Thanks to a critical vote in its state Senate, the North Carolina legislature has voted to de-fund Planned Parenthood. Republicans hold a huge majority in the Senate"”meaning, as a Republican majority usually does, that the Senate is pro-life. The governor of the state, Bev Perdue, is a Democrat"”meaning, as a Democrat chief executive usually does, that the governor is not pro-life. Sadly, even citizens in a traditionally conservative state like North Carolina voted Democrat in the political madness of November 2008, giving them a governor who favors funding Planned Parenthood. Fortunately, enough Republicans exist in the legislature to over-ride Perdue's veto.
Prior to this vote, according to LifeNews.com, North Carolina infused Planned Parenthood with $434,000 annually, directed at state "family-planning programs." That money was to go to "non-abortion services;" that is, "non-abortion services" by the nation's largest abortion provider.
Most significant, North Carolina's action signals a potential trend among states. It is now the third state to vote to de-fund Planned Parenthood, following measures by legislatures in Indiana and Kansas, where the governors are Republicans and supportive. In Kansas, the governor is the solidly pro-life Sam Brownback, a Catholic who is a gigantic improvement from "pro-choice" Catholic governor Kathleen Sebelius, who is now President Obama's point-person to revamp America's healthcare system. In Indiana, the governor is Mitch Daniels.
In all three states, North Carolina, Kansas, and Indiana, we see yet again how the Republican Party has become the pro-life party and the Democratic Party"”the party of my family's roots"”has continued in the tragic direction of the party of death.
The next key thing to watch is how the Obama administration reacts to North Carolina. A couple of weeks ago, the Obama administration moved to deny Indiana's de-funding of Planned Parenthood. Specifically, Indiana sought to remove the millions of dollars in subsidies Planned Parenthood received in federal funds (via the Indiana government) through Medicaid. The Obama administration told Indiana that it can't do that, arguing that federal Medicaid law prohibits states from barring certain "health" providers "because of a provider's scope of practice."
Here's the big picture:
It's critical for all of us to comprehend the Obama administration's position. It needs to be understood. It represents not merely a policy or partisan divide but an ideological chasm over the very function of government and balance of powers.
James Madison
Among liberals/progressives, we see here not only an obvious embrace of the Planned Parenthood Death Culture, but the bitter fruits of a much longer march, pre-dating Planned Parenthood, to centralize more and more power and control in a single government based in Washington, along with a corresponding removal of authority from states and localities. This is a debate as old as the republic itself. It dates to the 1780s: the Articles of Confederation, the Federalist Papers, Jefferson and Hamilton and Madison, and the Constitution. Our Founders vigorously debated the proper balance of powers between states and the federal government, trying to avoid extremes in either direction. They did not want an imbalance where Washington slowly but surely subsumed powers that not only rightfully belonged to states but better served citizens in the hands of states.
To place this in a Catholic perspective, this is somewhat similar to the teaching of subsidiarity. When it comes to assisting citizens in need, whether through poverty programs or healthcare, subsidiarity encourages localism to the best extent possible. The essence of subsidiarity is that localities, whether public or private, from counties to churches, are closer to the problem; they provide a more efficient, human touch than a distant bureaucracy"”and can do the job better than a one-size-fits-all source in Washington. Moreover, as the Catechism states (1885): "The principle of subsidiarity is opposed to all forms of collectivism. It sets limits for state intervention."
I view subsidiarity as somewhat of an extension of James Madison's push for his so-called "Middle Ground." Madison argued vehemently for a careful balance between state and federal powers. Though subsidiarity isn't exactly the same thing, it, too, is about striking the best balance, and not over-centralizing things in Washington.
Sadly, our progressives today push for government powers almost solely in the federal direction. Healthcare and Planned Parenthood's "services" are just the latest manifestation. Thus, they are apoplectic at the Obama administration"”and throughout the halls of power in the Democratic Party"”by any move by any state to de-fund Planned Parenthood. They are already greedy for federal power. They are already greedy for "abortion rights." So, to have states getting in the way of their attempts to ensure federal funding of Planned Parenthood is nothing short of cultural Armageddon.
Watch these current actions closely, in North Carolina, Indiana, and Kansas, with more to come. Observe the hysterical response of liberals/progressives, from the Obama administration to Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Boxer. Their reaction says a lot about these folks, not only about their views on cultural issues and human life but on the very essence of government.
Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College. His books include The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan's Top Hand and Dupes: How America's Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century.
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