We can’t really feign surprise – but the world really would be a better place if there was a closer connection between the public rhetoric and real world actions. Planned Parenthood has made a fortune through its bumper sticker claims that it is all about women and their "rights". They, along with the American Civil Liberties Union, are all about "freedom" and "choice".

These folks will, nevertheless, oppose our efforts to make forcing a woman to get an abortion a crime in Idaho.

Planned Parenthood has been circulating a letter through the Legislature, claiming that HB464 is "unconstitutional" because it might create an "undue burden" on a woman’s "right to choose". At first glance, this argument is very confusing: Legislation which would protect a woman’s right to choose is actually a threat to her right to choose. If you are not a liberal, this circular logic will be hard to follow… but we’ll try to translate.

It turns out that HB464 might be bad for abortionists, because it would focus attention on the fact that they are not supposed to perform abortion on women who under coercion to abort their babies. There cannot, according to the U.S. Supreme Court, be informed consent in such circumstances. So the key to understanding Planned Parenthood’s position is that anti-coercion legislation might be good for women, but bad for business. The "undue burden" mantra is actually a complaint that HB464 might place an "undue burden" on Planned Parenthood – not upon women.

And the truth is that HB464 does not change one whit the responsibility upon abortionists to ensure that women and girls are not submitting to an abortion because of coercion. What it will do, we hope, is reduce the number of women and girls so abused.

And as long as we are talking about public cynicism, it was rather startling to read in the Idaho Statesman yesterday that Rep. Phyllis King – a freshman Democrat from Boise – that she would bring her own anti-coercion bill. Her version would protect women and girls who might be coerced into giving their babies life. But she will only move her bill if Rep. Bob Nonini is successful at moving HB464.

Obviously, Rep. King is not worried about women or any supposed coercion – she is looking for political points with her friends at Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and NOW.

It is too bad these folks can’t get past their own ideology to help support authentic pro-woman legislation like HB464. Even Planned Parenthood’s national office admits that violence against pregnant women is a very grave problem; yet they will waste time and money trying to kill HB464.

We need you, the common sense folks of Idaho, to contact your legislators and urge their support for HB464.