John Fleming, Abortionplex Onion Article Fools Congressman
A Louisiana congressman got a bit of undesired publicity, after he believed a satirical article about an $8 Billion Abortionplex to be true.
Last May The Onion, a satirical newspaper, ran an article about Planned Parenthood opening up an $8 Billion Abortionplex. It was written when the clinic fell under investigation by congress for using federal funding to help fund abortions.
The Onion decided to republish the article in light of the newest controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood and the Komen organization. Last week Komen announced that it would no longer partner with Planned Parenthood to help fund breast cancer screenings, because of Planned Parenthood's pending investigation. That decision however, was later reversed prompting Komen's vice president Karen Handel to step down from the organization.
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Louisiana congressman John Fleming, picked up on The Onion article titled "$8billion 'Abortionplex' to be built by Planned Parenthood" and then published it on his Facebook Friday with the comment, "More on Planned Parenthood, abortion by the wholesale."
The Onion's article begins, "During a press conference, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards told reporters that the new state-of-the-art fetus-killing facility located in the nation's heartland offers quick, easy, in-and-out abortions to all women, and represents a bold reinvention of the group's long-standing mission and values.
The Onion then went on to quote the "president" of the organization. "'The Abortionplex's high-tech machinery is capable of terminating one pregnancy every three seconds," Richards added. "That's almost a million abortions every month. We're so thrilled!'" the Onion wrote.
The congressman quickly realized his mistake, perhaps after user comments suggested that The Onion was a satirical paper, and removed the link. "The Onion is satire. How exactly did you get elected?" one commenter wrote on Fleming's post.
The Onion appeared to show delight at tricking the congressmen into believing that he had read a factual article. "We're delighted to hear that Rep. Fleming is a regular reader of America's Finest News Source and doesn't bother himself with The New York Times, [The] Washington Post, the mediums of television and radio, or any other lesser journalism outlets," Onion editor Joe Randazzo released in a statement.
The Daily News also reported that a spokesman for Fleming, a second-term Republican and family practice doctor confirmed that the link was posted but said it was taken down.
