IDC doesn't help Planned Parenthood

To the editor:

(re: “Promoting development? Or pols?” July 6)

It appears that state Sen. Jeff Klein’s three-card Monte ruse is finally getting the exposure that it needs.

Recent letters to The Riverdale Press calling out the Independent Democratic Conference and your July 6 editorial questioning Sen. Klein’s use of funds for self-promotion, are a clear start.

It seems that every week, my mail includes printed material from Sen. Klein’s office. Flyers tout his leadership, what he is “delivering for the middle class,” or an “historic” state budget.

The most recent postcard promoted Sen. Klein and the IDC as staunch advocates of reproductive rights, using the logo of Planned Parenthood on both the front and back of the correspondence. It asserted that the IDC was “100 percent pro-choice,” and supported by Planned Parenthood.

The flyer was paid for by the IDC campaign committee through the New York Independence Party.

It didn’t take long for spokespeople from Planned Parenthood to push back, and for New York newspapers to carry the story.

In response to the inappropriate use of the non-profit’s logo, Robin Chappelle Golston said that “this was done without our consent.” 

Joan Malin, head of Planned Parenthood of New York City, wrote a letter to the New York City members of the IDC. In it, she noted tersely, “this mailer deceives Planned Parenthood supporters by giving them the impression that the Reproductive Health Act and the Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act passed with help from the IDC when, in fact, the bills were never even brought to the floor for a vote this session.”

Fem Whyland, on behalf of Planned Parenthood, answered reporters’ questions on if the organization would be filing a complaint with the New York State Board of Election. “The situation is under review,” she said.

Sen. Klein and the IDC will no longer have a free pass as Democrats and New York progressives refuse to accept their behavior. This “report card” mailer was a typical example of how Sen. Klein and the IDC members have promoted disinformation in the past. 

Citizens are getting more politically proactive in response to the Trump administration. This is now being evidenced at the hyperlocal level. In the meantime, community members continue to wait for a response from the senator on when he plans to hold a town hall.

MARCIA G. YERMAN