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Wednesday STOPP Report - October 1, 2008
by Marie Hahnenberg
Released October 1, 2008
Planned Parenthood desperate to stop protest in Colorado
Planned Parenthood in Durango, Colorado is really being bothered by LifeGuard's weekly protests. Since they began a couple of years ago, Planned Parenthood has erected a fence and is trying to get the police to intimidate peaceful protestors, to discourage them from protesting.
The latest incident at this clinic, on June 11, 2008, resulted in local protestor Jean Paul Wright being arrested on charges of trespass and assault. Wright, who was released on bail for $1,500, had a preliminary court date set for September 16, but more time is needed because the plaintiff, Pamela Beckert, a security guard for Planned Parenthood, has come forward with more injury claims, according to District Attorney Craig Westberg.
Beckert claims that Wright's sign had blown onto PP's property while he was protesting. Beckert claims she picked up the sign and that, as she went to hand the sign to Wright, he became very upset. Beckert changed her mind about giving Wright the sign and dropped the sign. Beckert claims that, as she went to pick the sign up, Wright charged her and pushed her to the ground.
Colorado's LifeGuard Executive Director, Michaela Dasteel, gave the Wednesday STOPP Report the following statement:
I was at the other end of Planned Parenthood's parking lot and heard a commotion. Harriet Fehringer, who had been standing next to Jean and witnessed the incident from beginning to end, came around and told me what she had just seen. She said that Jean had darted out to get the sign after two of Planned Parenthood's people had refused to bring it to him. As he reached for the sign, Pam had elbowed him and then plopped down on top of his arm, pinning Jean and the sign to the ground. Jean pulled himself out from under Pam and returned to his protest spot. Pam's first utterance after going down on her bottom was "Oh, I hurt myself" which she quickly changed to "He hurt me, call the police, assault, assault, assault," which she kept repeating. Pam's witnesses – a volunteer 'deathscort' and a woman who was waiting to drive another home after an abortion (both of whom were either reading or talking on the phone as the incident began to unfold) – repeated Pam's story, that Jean had assaulted Pam. Pam and her witnesses are lying.
Because picketing is so effective, Planned Parenthood will do whatever it can to drive you away. We encourage all protestors outside of Planned Parenthood facilities to always have video cameras on hand to record your activities there. Had there been a video camera at this event, the truth of what happened would have been much easier to prove.
College group trying to get 'comprehensive sex ed' on campus
Planned Parenthood is using its VOX chapter at Utah Valley University to spread the lies of "comprehensive sex ed" programs throughout the state of Utah. Utah requires and funds abstinence-only programs, and PP is not happy about that because it is losing business. How do you sell abortion and contraception to people who are not participating in PP's promiscuity-promoting programs? The group claims it has already collected more than 4,500 signatures and is trying to fight the abstinence message by handing out condoms to students.
Planned Parenthood realizes that its largest demographic is college students and that college is the time to target the youth and promote promiscuity. Educate your friends, families, coworkers and associates about the dangers of Planned Parenthood's sex ed programs, which are vehicles for spreading its lies and advertising its services.
Planned Parenthood celebrates 40 years by targeting potential new clients
Last week was a very busy week for Planned Parenthood in Elmira, New York. Planned Parenthood of the Southern Finger Lakes decided that it would celebrate its 40th anniversary by going after potential new clients and spreading its lies. The group had an official celebration in Elmira at the Corning Museum of Glass on Monday, which was attended by PP's national president, Cecile Richards. Then personnel from the local facility visited Elmira College and pushed its "comprehensive sex education" on the students there. They also decided that they would hand out free birth control, just as PP of South Central New York recently did (as we reported in last week's WSR).
PPSFL is not sitting by and accepting the status quo. It is looking to spread its lies and bring in more money. The only way to keep it from tightening its grasp on our children is to fight back and become active in the battle against Planned Parenthood. We encourage all of our STOPP readers in New York to please contact the Corning Museum of Glass and tell them to keep Planned Parenthood out.
Pro-Life Memorial Day just days away
We remind all of you that Pro-Life Memorial Day is on Monday, October 6, 2008 and ask you to help us spread the message and get involved. This is a day to mourn all of those lost through abortion and the Supreme Court's decision to decriminalize abortion. Watch our latest ALL Report, and send it to all of your friends and family. Let us be a voice for the innocent preborn children who have been forever silenced!
Babies saved from Planned Parenthood
We received the following account of a baby saved from abortion in Indianapolis, Indiana:
On Wednesday, September 24, at 7:30 AM the Indianapolis community joined 178 other cities across the country for 40 Days of prayer and fasting to end abortion. Men and women from St. Barnabas and St. Jude parishes and Fr. Steve Banet, pastor of St. Jude's, went to cover Planned Parenthood in prayer in one-hour shifts until 7:30 PM. Because of the "18 hour law" in Indiana, women must have an appointment for "counseling" and then wait at least 18 hours before their abortion can be scheduled. Therefore, some days are "counseling" days at the abortion centers and other days are scheduled with actual abortions. Wednesday was a "counseling" day at Planned Parenthood and only prayer warriors for 40 Days-Indy were present as women drove in for counseling.
Just after 11 AM, as a car was pulling out of the Planned Parenthood driveway, it stopped and the driver waved to the prayer warriors to send someone over. Susie Walsh of St. Barnabas hesitated and then walked over to the car expecting the woman at the wheel to scold her. Instead, the woman told Susie to tell her friends that their prayers were working and that her daughter, who was sitting beside her in the car, had chosen life for her baby and would not be returning for an abortion.
In Fresno, California, another 40 Days for Life participant shared a story of a preborn child being saved:
I stood outside of Planned Parenthood for about six-and-a-half hours today, most of those hours alongside my wife, who is 9 months pregnant. A young, attractive girl started walking toward me from the Planned Parenthood driveway. I smiled at her thinking she was a Planned Parenthood employee.
The young woman said she wanted to ask me some questions, and I told her that I'd be glad to answer any questions she could think of. She asked why we were out here. At that point, I knew she wasn't a Planned Parenthood employee, because she would have known exactly why we're out here! I told her that we were there to peacefully pray for an end to abortion. I introduced myself and asked for her name, and she shook my hand saying her name was Ashley.
Then she said, "Well, I changed my mind." I figured maybe she had become pro-life, so I asked her what she meant by that. Ashley responded, "I was going to have an abortion, but I'm not going to now." My eyes widened, I gave her a huge smile and told her that she was my new favorite person! (Except for my wife, of course!)
Ashley explained further that she saw a news story on TV about us this morning and knew she couldn't have an abortion. I hadn't seen that coverage yet, so I asked her what it was about the story that changed her mind. She said that she saw men and women praying and holding signs and Bibles, and she knew that she couldn't go through with the abortion.
Ashley is 16 years old, and five weeks pregnant. Her parents wanted her to have the abortion and have now kicked her out of their house and taken her cell phone. She's living with a friend now. I began to tell Ashley about the local pregnancy care center and how much help we personally can offer her as well. I told her, "You're not alone.""
These two stories prove the effectiveness of being on the streets in front of Planned Parenthood. The 40 Days for Life campaign (www.40daysforlife.com) is a tremendous way of doing just that, but your presence is needed outside of PP facilities all year long. To join in saving lives outside of Planned Parenthood, go to our Map Room (www.all.org/stopp/maps), find a protest near you and join it. If there is no protest near you … start one! There are instructions in the Map Room on how to do that.
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