Anti-abortion-rights group asks for money in order to defund Planned Parenthood ‘once and for all’
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National anti-abortion-rights policy group Americans United for Life emailed supporters Monday announcing a new strategy in the form of a video to try “once and for all” to defund Planned Parenthood, which AUL CEO and President Charmaine Yoest refers to as, “the nation’s abortion super-provider,” “an abortion mega-provider” and “the nation’s No. 1 anti-life business.”
The strategy? Donating money to AUL’s lobbying arm, Americans United for Life Action, to help them stop money from going to Planned Parenthood through legislative efforts.
Noting that “it’s hard to fully appreciate just how entangled Planned Parenthood has become with your tax dollars,” AUL’s “video strategy briefing” –- emailed exclusively to subscribers of the AUL newsletter -– offers statistics and statements on Planned Parenthood and then asks for a “generous donation” to “make [Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richard’s] fears a reality and put an end to Planned Parenthood’s lifeline of government money.”
Though, none of the information released in the video is new (most of the statistics are taken from Planned Parenthood’s oft-quoted annual statement from 2008 [PDF]), AULA’s strategy team zeros in on the financial aspect of the abortion debate, telling viewers that if all taxpayer dollars were eliminated from Planned Parenthood’s budget, the organization would no longer perform abortions.
“Unless we as a movement press this issue right now, Planned Parenthood’s financial lifeline will remain safe, and that many more lives will be lost,” says Yoest, the video’s sole narrator. “We need to seize this moment. Because it’s your money, you should always have a say in how it’s spent. But unless we act now, Congress will simply assume the American people don’t care about taxpayer-subsidized abortion.”
Yoest likens Planned Parenthood as “a behemoth that’s out of control” and implies that Planned Parenthood is responsible for the majority of abortions that are performed annually. She claims the number of abortions Planned Parenthood provided in 2008 — 324,008 — is the equivalent of filling the seats at the Rose Bowl three-and-a-half times. At the same time, she notes that those abortions in 2008 accounted for 25 percent of all abortions that year. According to the Guttmacher Institute, 1.21 million abortions were performed in 2008.
“Remember, they are a business, and just like any franchise industry, their goal is to grow and expand access to abortion,” Yoest says.
The other piece of AULA’s strategy is Planned Parenthood’s funding vulnerability in the wake of national and state efforts to strip the organization of all public funding — though all such funds are directed toward Planned Parenthood’s non-abortion services.
“Planned Parenthood is vulnerable precisely because it relies on our taxes to survive,” Yoest says. “If we can cut them off, that would be a tremendous blow to Planned Parenthood and its anti-life programs. … [W]e need to move quickly to capitalize on the unprecedented pro-life political climate.”
Yoest asks specifically for contributions of $50, $100, $250 or more, and offers as the organization’s credibility the fact that AUL’s legal strategists “have been involved in every pro-life case before the Supreme Court since Roe v. Wade.”
AUL’s “life-saving activities” include lobbying for anti-abortion-rights laws and authoring and supporting legislation that imposes restrictions on abortion-seekers and abortion providers and calls for public funding of crisis pregnancy centers.
For an updated list on statewide legislation AUL has either developed or promoted, go here.
Watch American United for Life Action’s video strategy briefing:
Since the taxpayer funds go to health care for low income men and women, ending any public funding would end up keeping women from being screened for several cancers, keep men and women from receiving STD screenings and keep low income women from having a low cost avenue for birth control to keep them from getting pregnant when they don’t want to. So in actuality, cutting the funding to Planned Parenthood will probably result in more pregnancies and cause the number of abortions to go up. Seems that would seem to counter what the anti freedom for women’s groups want to accomplish. Perhaps they should rethink their very stupid campaign.
Dear legislators and mneerngvot officials:This note is to ask that you ALL take another look at the health care reform acts and FOCA that you have been asked to consider. Please, ask yourselves if this were your son’s wife/girlfriend or your daughter facing the choice of abortion would your response be to advocate ending the life of YOUR GRANDCHILD? Many years ago through a mistake’ in diagnosis by an associate’ gynecologist, my own mother made a choice. She was told she had a fast-growing tumor in her uterus and MUST have an emergency hysterectomy. While shocked and put under pressure from the diagnosis, my mother was steadfast in her decision to wait until her own OB/GYN returned from vacation. Upon return and re-examination just three weeks later, her own MD informed her, that’s a strange tumor it has a HEARTBEAT !!! I am thankful my own mother made the choice to be steadfast in the face of threatening adversity to NOT undergo surgery. I believe God protected me then and that He is monitoring all of the rule/regulations, initiatives, and laws now. God will make the final decision as to whether the laws aborted life’, unborn fetuses/babies/embryos or are opressing ANY person, .God will weigh these law and WHO proposed them on HIS scales. I pray you will reconsider how you vote, Who you represent, and NOT allow any form of abortion or laws that oppress any of our people in the GREAT United States. In the beginning our mneerngvot officials fought for ONE NATION UNDER GOD. Now we the people are fighting to KEEP OUR NATION ONE’ UNDER GOD’S’ hand of protection! Thank you for reviewing my request and may God impart His wisdom to you ALL.
