Democracy is alive and well, as Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) learned last night. He held a town hall at a high school in his district, where hundreds of constituents filled an auditorium and protested on the sidewalks outside. The crowd did not bring their indoor voices.
The most fiery moment came when the Republican lawmaker discussed Obamacare vs. Trumpcare, and defunding Planned Parenthood (opens in new tab). "What I suggest to Planned Parenthood is that it have two—" he said, at which time the crowd drowned him out in boos. "What I have suggested to Planned Parenthood is that it have two separate organizations," at which time the crowd started to hiss and scream. "—[O]ne organization that deals with the services regarding women's health and another organization that performs the abortion procedure," he said. (Planned Parenthood has already responded (opens in new tab) to such an idea).
Update: This post has been updated to remove information about Rep. Lance's previous town hall in February 2017, a photo of which still appears above.
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