As a longtime Planned Parenthood and reproductive rights supporter, I was disappointed. Gretchen was not a Wasilla rape victim and while, technically, the ad didn't claim she was, they left themselves wide open to charges of being misleading. The "get the facts" admonition will lead to an internet stuffed with tens of thousands of articles, blogs, and letters claiming, over-claiming, debunking and "debunking the debunking"–it takes hours to come up with anything that can be reliably called a fact. While it seems clear the policy was in place in the year 2000, and circumstantial evidence indicates that Sarah Palin knew about it and a few victims were indeed (through their insurance) billed, proving this to the satisfaction of independent observers has been elusive. If I had been writing the script I would have made it something like this. "In far too many towns across the country, including Mayor Sarah Palin's Wasilla in 2000, the policy was to have hospitals bill a victim's medical insurance for the cost of her forensic rape exam." That might not hit quite as hard but is more easily verified and could more effective with unconvinced swing voters.

You all need to look up this. http://www.state.ak.us/admin/vccb/ EVERY state has one of these programs. This add is very flawed. I have been a Victim Advocate since 1998 specialize in these cases. Every state, city, county would expect a victim's insurance to pay first. Sometimes Law Enforcement takes care of the bill. I hate FALSE campaigns like this. Like I said EVERY State has a Victim Witness Program that pays for these things.

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund released this video highlighting key McShame and Failin policies affecting women. more about "heartless", posted with vodpod

A new ad that addresses Barbie's heartless choice of charging raped victims to pay for their own rape kits.  Some people speculate that Barbie took this approach because this would discourage women from getting the kit and the contraceptive that would be provided. More or less forcing women to participant in pro-life.  Kind of sounds like a dictator forcing people to do it her way. more about "heartless", posted with vodpod

A new ad that address Barbie's heartless choice of charging raped victims to pay for their own rape kits. Some people speculate that she took this approach because this would discourage women from getting the kit and the contraceptive that would be provided. More or less forcing women to participant in pro-life. Kind of sounds like a dictator forcing people to do it her way.

"Under Mayor Sarah Palin, women like Gretchen were forced to pay up to $1,200 for the emergency exams used to prosecute their attackers," the announcer says, after a heartbreaking testimonial from a woman talking about her own experience of being raped. "In the Senate, John McCain voted against legislation to protect women from these same heartless policies."

Blog: Planned Parenthood Action Fund joins the crowd with an ad suggesting that Palin forced rape victims to pay for rape kits as mayor, a

Blog: Planned Parenthood Action Fund joins the crowd with an ad suggesting that Palin forced rape victims to pay for rape kits as mayor, a