Friday, March 29, AD 2024 9:31am

The Lamest Defense of Planned Parenthood Ever

Have you ever gotten to the last line of an editorial where the author’s biographical information is posted and just shuddered? That happened to me today as I read this lame attack on Congress by David S. Cohen, who is somehow a law professor at Drexel in Philadelphia. Cohen argues that the House bill which would strip Planned Parenthood of funding violates the constitutional prohibition against bills of attainder. No, really, check this out:

The first day of teaching constitutional law, I inevitably find myself asking the question: “Does anyone know what a bill of attainder is?”

When one reads the rest of the article, one wonders if Professor Cohen know what a bill of attainder is.

A bill of attainder is a law that inflicts punishment upon a particular individual without a judicial trial. In other words, a bill of attainder is, as the Supreme Court has termed it, a “trial by legislature” rather than by court.

Ladies and gentlemen, you have just read the one factually correct line in the entire article.

Though no one is talking about it, this most recent dust-up over federal funding for Planned Parenthood is very clearly an example of an unconstitutional bill of attainder: Congress is singling out Planned Parenthood and punishing the organization for allegedly improper and illegal actions.

So just having factually and accurately defined a bill of attainder, Professor (shudder) Cohen now stretches the meaning beyond all recognition to imply that the attempt to not fund a private organization is the same thing as Congress punishing a person for treason without trial.

I have a high opinion of the readers of this particular blog. Based on the comments most of you have displayed a good grasp of logic and basic reading comprehension. Sadly, Professor (weeps) Cohen does not have such a high grasp of logic and reasoning. It takes quite a feat of mental gymnastics to categorize a Congressional attempt to not fund an organization as a bill of attainder. Planned Parenthood is not being “punished.” Cecile Richards (unfortunately) is not about to face either jail time or the gallows. The organization that she runs, which still manages to rake in millions of dollars from clients and from donors, might – like thousands of other similar organizations – have to live without receiving grants from the federal government. Somehow I don’t think that when James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Rufus King, and the other men who gathered together in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787 crafted the language in the Constitution about bills of attainder that this is what they had on their minds.

More fundamentally, Congress can make spending decisions based on whatever criteria it deems appropriate. Planned Parenthood is not entitled to federal money, and thus is not being deprived of essential liberty in the way that a person found guilty without trial would be. Therefore the linkage here is incredibly dubious, at best.

Professor (sobs uncontrollably) Cohen continues:

First, removing Planned Parenthood’s federal funding, over half a billion dollars that help it provide cancer screenings, gynecological care, contraceptive counseling, and more, is a clear instance of punishment. (emphasis mine)

Hmmmm, something seems to be missing from this list. Whatever could that “more” be?

Professor (what is wrong with this country) Cohen really gives the way over the course of his next two sentences:

The Republican-controlled House voted to remove the funding based on deceptive videos from the Center for Medical Progress that purport to show that Planned Parenthood sells aborted fetal body parts and alters abortion procedures to facilitate those sales.

Putting aside the fact that the videos show nothing of the sort,

So Cohen is going to go with the LIE that the videos are in any way deceptive, and then he is going to wishcast away all the parts of the video do indeed show that Planned Parenthood is engaging in all of the practices it has been accused of. I don’t think we really need to read any more of Professor (don’t send your kids to law school) Cohen constitutional “analysis.” He has just outed himself as a silly partisan hack who will bend constitutional law to mean what he wants it to mean.

Sleep well Americans – this is the man who gets to teach our next generation of lawyers about constitutional law. Clearly they are in excellent hands.

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Don L
Don L
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 9:23am

“So just having factually and accurately defined a bill of attainder, Professor (shudder) Cohen now stretches the meaning beyond all recognition.”
As C.S. Lewis reminded us, Satan uses a pint of poison in a clear lake to accomplish his deceit.

Philip
Philip
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 9:32am

What a stretch of the imagination and outright absurdities.

It fits however. The desperate know no bounds to twist truth’s and wordsmith their lies as long as they reach their goal.

This one phrase; …”a clear instance of punishment,” in context to the nation’s leading provider of killing humans, is incredible.
The punishment for being inconvenient is death.

Watch out. This is the future golden-boy of the compassionate liberal inteligencia.

exNOAAman
exNOAAman
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 9:33am

“I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution,….” (and I think we all know the rest of Pres. Cleveland’s veto)
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Start there, “Professor” Cohen; and after you get that figured out, we’ll talk.

Donald R. McClarey
Admin
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 10:28am

I would love to have this bozo opposing me in court if this is a fair sample of his legal scholarship.

Ernst Schreiber
Ernst Schreiber
Wednesday, September 30, AD 2015 1:05pm

Inside the Supreme Court Building, the Living Constitution sits, like Crom in his moutain, and laughs. I can think of four Justices who might just buy this lame argument if they were entertained enough.
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Maybe five, depending on which Anthony Kennedy shows up on any given day.

Gilbert Crosby
Gilbert Crosby
Tuesday, October 13, AD 2015 12:21pm

Perhaps Mr. Cohen studied under that Constitutional Law professor from Chicago currently residing in the White House.

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