At this week’s GOP Convention, Planned Parenthood volunteers and Votes Director Erica Sackin mingled with politicians, press, participants and protestors, distributing – you guessed it – condoms.
Each contraceptive read “Protect yourself from Donald Trump,” with assorted subheads like “If Trump had his way, abortion would no longer be safe or legal in America” and “You would have to pay hundreds of dollars a year just to access birth control.” Part of a larger Planned Parenthood project called “Toxic Trump,” the condom distribution is a concerted effort to malign the republican nominee and get voters on board with Hillary. Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards went so far as to call it "the best thing to happen in Cleveland this week" in a July 22 tweet.
Senior Cosmo writer Prachi Gupta decided to follow Sackin to observe the responses the activist received from those she approached. Although many people declined the contraceptives, Sackin told Gupta that “a lot of people have been coming up to us and saying ‘thank you, we’re glad to see you here.’”
One couple that Gupta highlighted in her coverage of the event were Carolyn and Robert Shinkle, who declared that they had “hosted a Planned Parenthood fundraiser once upon a time.” Mrs. Shinkle also mentioned the breadth of viewpoints within the Republican Party, saying that there are “many members … who believe in Planned Parenthood” and many that don’t, but “both are welcome.”
Gupta was surprised that none of the people she interviewed “took the far-right stances so often heard in the debates by Republican politicians.” The most conservative person she mentioned was a 50-year old father who believed that abortion was murder and that parents should educate their children about sex. However, he also told Gupta that he “was impressed” by the condoms and believed birth control to be “a really good idea.”
Sackin interviewed two young Hispanic women who identified with the GOP on economic issues, but disagreed when it came to social ones. One of the girls expressed her belief that the Republican Party will become more liberal, especially after the baby boomers die out. "I just think once the older generation kind of runs its course and moves out, I think you will see a different Republican Party."
Gupta would probably appreciate that. Her scorn for the House Republicans seeking to defund Planned Parenthood was palpable. In her article, she called last summer’s CMP revelations a “series of highly edited deceptive sting videos alleging that Planned Parenthood harvests fetal tissue for profit.” Her dislike of Mike Pence was also obvious as she called his pro-life legislation some of the “harshest anti-abortion laws in the country.” To conservatives, that’s a compliment.
The journalist’s past articles include a a celebratory piece about the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the Texas law House Bill 2 and one about why ultra-liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is “a real-life superhero.”
Gupta’s views aren’t too surprising. After all, she does work for Cosmo.
