Republicans for Planned Parenthood: "We are an endangered species"

[lynn82md.livejournal.com]

Kevin Curtis of Cazenovia, N.Y., a lifelong conservative and an elder in the Presbyterian church, describes himself as a "personal responsibility, personal freedom and personal decision-type Republican." He served as the co-chair of his local Republican party, read virtually all the same Ayn Rand novels as GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, and he's worked for 36 years without a pension or a group health care plan -- the "take care of yourself" lifestyle people expect from conservatives, he says.

He's also been on the board of the Rochester/Syracuse Planned Parenthood affiliate for nearly three decades.

"I feel sometimes like we're an endangered species," he told The Huffington Post in an interview. "There used to be more of us. It's interesting how the pendulum has swung in the direction of uber-conservative on social issues -- I don't think it reflects a big chunk of the party at all."

Curtis said he has remained relatively quiet about his involvement with Planned Parenthood, but Rep. Todd Akin's (R-Mo.) remark Sunday that victims of "legitimate rape" are unlikely to get pregnant inspired him to step out and speak his mind.

"I've written [the Republican National Committee] and expressed my utter disapproval of the platform being drafted," he said. "For them to include any kind of a personhood amendment -- a zygote is not a human being any more than a chestnut's a tree. And defunding Planned Parenthood is very bad economics -- it actually saves taxpayers money in future medical costs."