Allan Appel Photo
The governor with Planned Parenthood CEO Judy Tabar and medical assistant Esther Pellot.
Lies, distortion, disgraceful and dangerous incitement.
An attack not just on Planned Parenthood but on America’s women.
That was the emotional characterization Gov. Dannel P. Malloy offered Tuesday on what he called the “drumbeat” of dangerous rhetoric that has given Planned Parenthood a particularly tough year, culminating in the most recent attack on its facility in Colorado Springs.
The governor made his remarks during a brief visit to offer support to the staff at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England‘s office on Whitney Avenue.
Saying that he should have come earlier, on Saturday, the governor, who was warmly received, said: “I’m here to express support. The rhetoric around Planned Parenthood has been disgraceful. They’re trying to be incitefull and it should be disturbing to any right-thinking individual.”
The governor, whose mother, he said, was a nurse trained in the Catholic tradition but non-judgmental, said he wanted to personally express his gratitude for what he called the “life-saving and all-important” work Planned Parenthood does.
He pointedly called the recent killings an attack not only on Planned Parenthood but on the women of America.
“In America women should be able to make whatever choices they want about their bodies. I thought it important to come here and to stand together [with you]. I hope other political leaders will step forward and express support and fidelity,” he said.
Other politicians, including U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal, have also recently come to express solidarity, said Planned Parenthood’s Vice President for Policy Susan Yolen.
“Planned Parenthood has had a tough year: doctored films, and a frontal attack. Planned Parenthood is in front, but the attack is on the women of America. That’s what’s really wrong. The inciters and distorters, those individuals can’t be allowed to win,” the governor added.
The governor greeted and joked with health care workers like Esther Pellot and Candace Langley. Then, in a brief back-and-forth with reporters, he said that not only rabble-rousing and fringe figures — but also his fellow politicians — have contributed to a dangerous atmosphere.
He said, “The rhetoric around Planned Parenthood has been disgraceful, from the Congressional hearings” on down; he singled out the doctored videos of alleged sale of fetal tissues. “There are governors disgracing their offices, senators, and [presidential] candidates sliding into this kind of rhetoric,” which he said materially contributes to the insecurity of people working in Planned Parenthood and similar locations.
“The number one thing we can do in America is to stop telling lies and distorting. The politicians [and candidates] who do this should be punished at the ballot box,” he said.
He also related the event to guns: “There should be strong control of guns. This guy should not have had access.”
Since the Colorado Springs attack, there has been a visible police presence at the Planned Parenthood facility, said New Haven Police Sgt. Eric Scott, who had a number of cruisers deployed in the broad parking lot of the facility between Lawrence and Edwards.
Yet there has been no unusual or specific danger or threat called in or notice, Yolen said.
“We always have a handful of protesters on the weekend, maybe a little increased lately, but not much.”
One of the advantages of having such a wide parking lot — and certainly one of the considerations in Planned Parenthood’s move to this location ten years ago— is the parking lot. Now protesters have to stay on either side of it. On the weekends a small crew of greeters helps clients enter and feel safe.
“It’s business as usual for us and our patients,” Yolen added.
Planned Parenthood on Whitney is the administrative center for 17 clinics, including the one in Rhode Island, which recently came under its umbrella. Next to the administrative offices is the health clinic itself, which was already hopping, despite the governor’s visit.
Approximately 60,000 patients seeking health care are treated at Connecticut’s Planned Parenthood facilities statewide, with about 8,000 of those right here in New Haven, said Tabar.