In a radio interview Wednesday, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal blamed the state’s high rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections on Planned Parenthood, saying they’re evidence that PP is “awful at what they do.” Under Jindal, Louisiana cut millions from the family planning budget. Jindal also signed a law preventing Planned Parenthood from teaching sex education in schools.
The interview with Iowa radio host Steve Conway was spotted by Right Wing Watch. It comes after Jindal tried to defund Planned Parenthood in a way that the Department of Justice told him in August is illegal. Jindal was trying to end the state’s Medicaid contract with Planned Parenthood, but the DOJ told him that’s a violation of Medicaid patients’ right to choose their own healthcare provider. And quite a lot of Medicaid patients in two of the largest cities in the state will choose Planned Parenthood: their two clinics in Baton Rouge and New Orleans served 10,000 low-income people last year, including administering some 20,000 STD tests.
That’s no thanks to Jindal: under his leadership, federal Title X family planning funding, which helps pay for things like STD tests, was cut by $3 million between 2011 and 2014. For some reason—probably not related or anything—the state was first in the nation for gonorrhea infections in 2013 and second in chlamydia cases.
In 2014, Jindal banned Planned Parenthood from providing sex ed in Louisiana schools, and sex education isn’t a required part of curriculum. Louisiana is one of two states were abortion rates have gone up, and continues to have high rates of teen pregnancy.
But yeah, that’s probably Planned Parenthood’s fault, Jindal told Conway: “If they’re doing such a great job, why aren’t these things better?” he asked. “We should cancel their contract for no other reason, just that they’re awful at what they do.”
Just a quick reminder here that Bobby Jindal, with his strong understanding of correlation and causation and his A+ track record on public health, would very much like to be president of the United States.
Contact the author at anna.merlan@jezebel.com.
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Jindal speaks to the National Press Club Thursday September 10, 2015. Photo via AP Images
DISCUSSION
This seems less a race to be elected president and more a race to be elected king of the dipshits.