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Wednesday STOPP Report - January 28, 2009
by Jim Sedlak
Released January 28, 2009
In this issue:
• Drama in DC
• Planned Parenthood received $25,000 grant
• PP sues over right of conscience
• Record 320 participate in Sarasota prayer walk
• Unexpected Victory
Drama in DC
Planned Parenthood is working very hard behind the scenes in Washington, DC to get as much of its programs as it can implemented in the first 100 days of the Obama administration. Here is a quick status:
• Obama uses an Executive Order to strike down the Mexico City Policy. This policy prevented U.S. money from going to organizations outside the United States that perform or advocate for abortion. The International Planned Parenthood Federation, as well as several other pro-abortion groups, will now be able to receive U.S. taxpayer funds to ply its trade.
• No FOCA yet. As of Tuesday night, the Freedom of Choice Act has not been introduced in Congress. Keep calling your members of Congress and letting them know what you think of this act in preparation for when it is introduced.
• The Prevention First Act has been introduced in both the Senate (S. 21) and the House (H.R. 463). You can click here to read our description of the PFA.
• Democratic Stimulus Bill – The proposed $825 billion stimulus bill contained one of the elements of the PFA. Specifically, it would have written funding of family planning permanently into Medicaid. This would have unleashed millions of dollars to Planned Parenthood. As the facts about this came to light over this last weekend, things developed quickly. House speaker Nancy Pelosi defended the inclusion of family planning money saying it would reduce costs. House Republican leader John Boehner immediately spoke against the proposal with many groups, including American Life League, joining the battle. (See more on this in the story, Unexpected Victory, at the end of this report.)
Planned Parenthood receives $25,000 grant
Planned Parenthood of Central Washington has received a $25,000 grant to establish a sexuality educational program with La Casa Hogar, a faith-based organization in Yakima that helps immigrant women. The grant was awarded by the Yakima Valley Community Foundation.
Anna Franks, chief executive of Planned Parenthood of Central Washington, which is based in Yakima, said the money will be used to establish a Promotoras Comunitarias Program – such as is used by Planned Parenthood in Los Angeles.
Clearly, this program is targeting the Latino community with Planned Parenthood’s message that sexual sin is okay. It is a real threat to the, mostly Catholic, families who will see their religious beliefs attacked as old-fashioned, and parents will see their children encouraged to participate in a sexual lifestyle.
PP sues over right of conscience
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block the implementation of the regulation issued last month by the Department of Health and Human Services, which said it is needed to protect health care workers against discrimination by their employers if they decline to participate in abortions or other practices that violate their religious, moral or ethical beliefs.
In addition to Planned Parenthood, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal (D) filed a separate lawsuit along with his counterparts in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Rhode Island. They seek an immediate injunction against DHHS implementing and enforcing the regulation.
“As a critical provider of health-care information and services for women, Planned Parenthood cannot simply stand by and let this harmful regulation go into effect,” said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Planned Parenthood continues to try to force its agenda on the American public. It cannot allow anyone to have a different view and will go to court to have its way.
Record 320 participate in Sarasota Prayer Walk
The following report of a very successful prayer walk was sent to us by Jim Styer in Sarasota, Florida:
More than 320 people participated Thursday in the 11th-annual Prayer Walk for life around the new, three-story Planned Parenthood facility in Sarasota. This was by far the most ever, on the coldest Prayer Walk day ever.
For most of the eight scheduled hours of the walk, a steady stream of people walked around the block, all praying silently as they observed the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that has led to the abortion deaths of more than 50 million children. They were accompanied for part of the morning by Catholic Bishop Frank Dewane. It was the third time he had participated in his three years as leader of the Venice Diocese.
The numbers were in great contrast to the minuscule number of abortion supporters. On Wednesday, the National Organization for Women local chapter sent an e-mail calling for a counter demonstration with signs. But only about a dozen showed up, for a shorter period of time. It was the first time that the annual walk had experienced counter-protesters. NOW and Planned Parenthood may have sought the demonstration because the walk was at the new facility, the 2nd largest in the nation.
The Prayer Walkers had no signs. But the dozen protesters carried signs promoting legal abortion, "choice" and "women's health." They walked along with those praying. Some surmised that they were trying to give the erroneous impression that the entire walk was pro-abortion.
Cable SNN6 was not misled, and carried a balanced segment, showing footage of Prayer Walkers separately from sign-carrying protesters sitting on the front steps of the abortion facility. Julie Brady of Osprey told the camera how pro-lifers pray for the babies, who deserve life, and that there are alternatives to abortion. Planned Parenthood's Jan Chester claimed the agency wants to work with pro-lifers to reduce abortion (even though its abortion numbers keep rising).
The story can be viewed at the Herald Tribune website.
At the Prayer Walk registration area at St. Martha Church hall, many of the walkers frequented displays by area pro-life organizations and pregnancy care centers. They received literature, Precious Feet pins and 10-week-fetus models, and talked with representatives of the organizations. A bus transported them continuously between the church and Planned Parenthood.
About 350 people attended a Mass concelebrated by Bishop Dewane with seven other priests and deacons. That included about 40 students from St. Martha school and 30 from Incarnation school. Another 150 attended a Latin Tridentine Mass celebrated by Fr. Justin Nolan. Both celebrants gave strong pro-life sermons.
"We are all in some way affected by this scourge of abortion that opened a wound in society," the bishop said. "There can't be just one day that we are concerned; it must be every day. How do we live out our lives in a totality of respect for life? What do we do, in very concrete ways? We need to take positive actions. ... It is our role to take action, to speak out so that all may have a chance to live." Quoting Pope Benedict XVI, he said life is "the first form of justice ... it cannot be deferred." Appropriately, the concluding hymn was "We Are Called."
Congratulations to the fighters against Planned Parenthood in Sarasota for another successful event.
Unexpected Victory
As we mentioned above, just a few days into the new Obama administration, Nancy Pelosi and her cohorts were ready to give their first present to Planned Parenthood. As the Democrats worked on their $825 billion stimulus bill, a provision was added to expand Medicaid funding of family planning to all the states and to make it a permanent part of the Medicaid program. This would have funneled an additional $200 million or more to Planned Parenthood and other family planning groups.
The proposal was met with swift opposition from House Republican Leader, Rep. John Boehner, and other pro-life members of Congress. Their opposition was so strong that, on Monday night, word came that Obama was asking Democrats to remove the Medicaid funding of family planning from the stimulus bill. Reports were that he did not want to cause a controversy over this provision.
The Medicaid funding provision was removed from the stimulus package on Tuesday. This is a victory and Planned Parenthood and its cohorts are upset. Can you imagine? PP has a president of the U.S. who agrees with its philosophies, but it still has trouble getting money for what it wants. You can picture how the PP people are a little discouraged today.
Those opposed to PP owe much to John Boehner and the others in Congress who, without hesitation, fought against this PP largesse and won. We encourage you to contact Mr. Boehner and thank him for his stand. You can reach him at:
Office of the House Republican Leader
H-204 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4000
Fax: (202) 225-5117
E-mail: AskTheLeader@mail.house.gov
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