
New U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh is now taking his seat on the Court, and pro-life groups and activists can congratulate themselves on a hard-won victory. (Or so we hope – one never knows where justices will fall on abortion, as we’ve seen with several past Republican-nominated justices.)
But as the accolades cease, pro-life groups should remind Americans just how low Planned Parenthood went – and how dishonest the organization really is.
Washington Republicans clearly don’t fear the pro-life movement. Last month, Congress passed yet another budget bill which funds Planned Parenthood. But as Planned Parenthood becomes more radical in its messaging and policy recommendations, perhaps Republicans will finally see that their political survival depends on halting Planned Parenthood.
Stripping the abortion giant of a few hundred million dollars would make a serious dent in stopping them.
Only Liberals Will Have the First Amendment
Planned Parenthood tweeted that last week’s unruly mob on Capitol Hill is “democracy in action.” They also retweeted a Women’s March tweet that celebrated the mob rule liberals tried to enforce under the claim that “protest is patriotic.”
If only they actually believed these principles.
In 2014, after the Supreme Court overruled the Obama administration’s contraception / abortifacient / sterilization mandate for closely held corporations, people affiliated with the abortion giant joined liberal clergy in handing out condoms on Hobby Lobby property.
But just a year earlier, Planned Parenthood told the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a so-called “buffer zone” law in Massachusetts. The law denied pro-life advocates the right to speak against abortion on public property within 35-feet of an abortion center – and it was created specifically to protect Planned Parenthood. They have continued to push for measures like the proposed eight-foot zone which failed in St. Louis, Missouri earlier this year.
These buffer zones affect only public property, yet they are law across the country. Planned Parenthood’s “protest is patriotic” clearly only applies to abortion advocates, even when pro-life speech is a) on public property, and b) far more peaceful than the activism Planned Parenthood promoted last week.
Planned Parenthood’s legal actions show that it also doesn’t support democratic freedom for all. They backed California’s law to force pro-life centers to refer for abortion – and another California law that drastically restricts the First Amendment rights of undercover investigators.
To summarize: Planned Parenthood says “protest is patriotic” when its supporters are disrupting votes, banging on federal buildings’ doors, and violating private property. But when pro-life advocates peacefully urge women to not abort their children, and pro-life centers voice an opinion which differs from Planned Parenthood’s, the abortion giant calls on the full force of the government to stop it.
Using Taxpayer Dollars to Protect Sex Abusers
Planned Parenthood’s mantra is all about helping women. As part of their anti-Kavanaugh mission, they retweeted NARAL’s demand that we “Believe Survivors,” and released a video on September 26 about “How to Support Survivors of Sexual Assault.” According to that video, support includes asking “How can I help you?”
But when it comes to their profits – including a yearly half-billion dollars from taxpayers – Planned Parenthood has absolutely no problem avoiding that critical question.
Live Action has done excellent work showcasing Planned Parenthood centers’ willingness to hide the sexual abuse of minor women. To quote Christian Broadcast Network’s June coverage of Live Action’s work, their “report shows that instead of helping girls, Planned Parenthood is empowering abusers.”
One case of abuse cover-up was discovered by pro-life activists in Alabama. I interviewed a senior state health official who told me officials gave the Mobile, Alabama Planned Parenthood the lowest of four possible punishments for not informing the state about two abortions procured by a 14-year old girl in 2014 – in clear violation of state reporting laws. The girl had two born children when she went for the abortions.
The state assumed the best about Planned Parenthood’s intentions rather than holding them accountable to state abuse reporting laws:
In speaking with LifeSiteNews about the most recent violation, the Public Health official asked LifeSiteNews to frame the violations and the punishment in a way that benefited state officials and Planned Parenthood. The official said that it “would be much better” if LifeSiteNews “could word [the situation] in a way that [Planned Parenthood] had considered the possibility [of abuse] but simply hadn’t reported it, and after review with senior management, they are revising their policies, and they did report it, and they will report similar instances in the future.”
The official agreed with my framing of the situation, that “‘essentially, your department was satisfied [Planned Parenthood] had acted in good faith, and not intentionally hid this information’ from child protective services.”
Republicans’ Political Survival
Republicans face a tough time in November, but the Kavanaugh fight seems to have excited the GOP base. This should be a lesson to the GOP: when you fight well and hard, Americans will stand with you.
Alas, the GOP clearly lacks the moral courage to defund Planned Parenthood. They aren’t concerned about repercussions from the pro-life movement.
Despite multiple investigations and illegal body part sales, the GOP still sends half-a-billion dollars annually to Planned Parenthood. But perhaps after getting smeared and nearly seeing their SCOTUS nominee stopped by a belligerent, power-drunk abortion industry, they will finally realize their political survival relies on making Planned Parenthood as weak as possible.
Defunding would sure help do that. Planned Parenthood’s hatred for the First Amendment and justice for sex abuse survivors provides the means to make that case to voters.