STOPP International's plan for
defeating Planned Parenthood

INTRODUCTION

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is the nation's largest operator of abortion facilities and has admitted to committing over 3,000,000 post-implantation abortion procedures since it first started doing them in New York state in 1970. In 1993, PPFA operated 938 facilities across the country and announced an aggressive plan to have "2,000 clinics by the year 2000." In order to accomplish this goal, it said it was launching the largest fund raising campaign of its history.

In answer to this threat from Planned Parenthood, STOPP immediately launched an aggressive campaign to halt the spread of Planned Parenthood facilities. This was done through a series of initiatives all aimed at getting people in local communities all across the country to oppose existing PP facilities and prevent the establishment of new ones. As a result of ordinary people rising up against the behemoth, Planned Parenthood not only failed to achieve its stated goal of "2,000 clinics by the year 2000," but actually revealed in the year 2000 that its number of facilities had dropped to 875!

In 2002, STOPP did an extensive research project to identify the name and location of every Planned Parenthood facility in the country. We identified a total of 846 facilities that PPFA operated around the United States (92 less than it did in 1993). Approximately 160 of these facilities killed preborn children on site, while the remainder offered various products for sale, including abortifacients such as the pill, the IUD, Depo-Provera, and emergency contraception.

Based on the successes we had over the last 10 years, STOPP has put together this plan to peacefully and prayerfully close down every PP facility in the country. The threat of Planned Parenthood still exists today. According to its own data, PP still commits 197,000 abortions a year. In addition, Planned Parenthood's sex education classes and PPFA's website for teens teach children a perverted philosophy which denies the very truth and meaning human sexuality. Planned Parenthood seeks to break down a child's natural inhibitions and foster greater promiscuity. This increases Planned Parenthood's customer base for both contraception and abortion.

Finally, the Planned Parenthood empire has been built and sustained in large part by money from the U.S. taxpayers. Planned Parenthood's own annual reports indicate that it received $2.2 billion of taxpayer money between 1987 and 2001. Thirty percent ($202.7 million) of Planned Parenthood's income ($672.6 million) in its 2000/01 fiscal year came from government grants or contracts. Incredibly, PPFA made $454 million of profit from 1987 to 2001!

People asking what they can do to oppose Planned Parenthood in their town or fight PP sex education in their schools or eliminate PP tax funding in their region contact STOPP International regularly. An effective battle plan needs to address all three fronts in order to obtain a comprehensive victory. STOPP's plan for defeating Planned Parenthood nationwide relies upon people taking up the battle in their own communities. This plan is divided into three parts, plus a section on successful campaigns:

As George Grant pointed out in his book, Grand Illusions, the fight against Planned Parenthood is a religious one. Planned Parenthood is in the business of spreading the ideas and philosophies of the Humanist Manifestos to the community in general and to our children in particular. It is strongly suggested, then, that, as you prepare to fight Planned Parenthood, you read the Gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 10. In this chapter, Christ gives you the basic instructions on how to spread His word. These instructions fit well into the fight against Planned Parenthood. Those who rely on God and follow Matthew 10 will see positive results-if they will persevere.

We hope that the information contained in this plan will be helpful to you. It is based on actual experience in fighting Planned Parenthood programs and facilities and government funding. In an effort to keep it short, we have omitted many anecdotes and lengthy explanations-opting instead for short, concise advice.

What you should know, before you begin, is that you can win! Many communities have kept Planned Parenthood out and others have been successful in getting Planned Parenthood to leave. Many Planned Parenthood sex education programs have been eliminated and government funding has been cut in many localities. To be successful you need faith in God, and you must be persistent. Whenever you have moments of discouragement, re-read Matthew 10 and you will know that God will grant you victory in the end.

God bless you for your willingness to take up this cross.

Part 1: Defeating Planned Parenthood's plan's for your community

First we will look at tactics intended to help people who do not yet have a Planned Parenthood facility in their town and want to keep PPFA out. Next, we will focus upon tactics for those who already have a Planned Parenthood facility in their community.

Section A: KEEPING PLANNED PARENTHOOD OUT OF TOWN

Very often, the first thing you hear about Planned Parenthood coming to your town is a small item in the local newspaper. In general, most initial thrusts of Planned Parenthood involve, in some way, teen pregnancy. Either it is claimed that your town has a high teen pregnancy rate and "needs" Planned Parenthood's services, or there is a growing "demand" for sex education, and Planned Parenthood offers to fill the "need."

However you hear about it, once you have some indication that Planned Parenthood is trying to come to town, there are some things you should do immediately.

If you are alone in your concern about Planned Parenthood, try to get one or two other people to work with you. If an existing group wants to take up the fight, then you can work for them and help lead the effort. If no existing group wants to do it, you can work as individuals or form a group. You should call the group "Concerned Citizens of _____" or "STOPP [Stop Planned Parenthood] of _____" or any name you feel appropriate. Although you can work as individuals, we recommend either working through an existing group or starting your own.

Before starting, it is important for you to realize that most people in your town either have not heard of Planned Parenthood, or have some idea that it is a benevolent group. Most people in your town are not aware of the background, philosophies and programs of Planned Parenthood. Most do not know that it is a group that will come between parents and children. Most are not really aware of its dedication to killing preborn children.

Therefore, your first effort should be one of education. You must reach out to your community and alert them to the coming danger of Planned Parenthood. This education should take several avenues:

Clergy - Planned Parenthood will typically seek the support of local clergy members. It contacts clergy of the Unitarian Fellowship, the Episcopal Church and many other small churches and denominations. It will eventually try to recruit members for a "clergy committee." Planned Parenthood reasons that, if it can get clergy support, it can stop much potential opposition among the population.

To head off this effort, you should immediately begin an education campaign among the local clergy. Circulate copies of the Humanist Manifestos (available from American Life League by calling 866-LET-LIVE) and point out that Alan Guttmacher (former head of PP) was a signer of the second Manifesto and that Margaret Sanger and Faye Wattleton (both also former heads of PP) won awards for spreading its doctrine. Get copies of various brochures on Planned Parenthood and give them to your clergy.

Give talks to local clergy groups and even invite anti-PP speakers to talk to the clergy. Ask the clergy to speak about the evils of Planned Parenthood in their sermons; support a general information campaign; and see if the local clergy councils will pass resolutions opposing Planned Parenthood's entry into your town.

School officials - One of the major targets of Planned Parenthood is your schools. PP sees the schools as an ideal way to get to your children and influence their thinking. As soon as you hear that Planned Parenthood wants to come to town, check out your local schools. Look at the health curriculum in the fifth and seventh grades and see if there is any PP influence already there. Check books and pamphlets in the school library and see if PP has gotten a foothold.

If you find anything, you should get it out. The book Parent Power! will guide you through this effort. It is available online for free at www.all.org/stopp/pp15.htm or can be ordered by calling 866-LET-LIVE. Part 2 of this plan (below) gives a summary of the tactics detailed in Parent Power!

If Planned Parenthood is not in your schools, take the steps necessary to keep them out. Educate your school administration and your school board. Tell them of the utter failure of PP sex education programs and of the opposition in the community to any PP participation in the schools. Again, schedule talks to the school officials and bring in outside speakers if the officials are willing to listen. At the very minimum, invite the school administration and the school board to any public rally or information night you schedule (see below).

If you sensitize the school officials to the fact that the community is opposed to PP, you will go a long way towards keeping it out of your schools.

The general public - You should begin a thrust to get the entire town informed about Planned Parenthood. There are many ways you can do this...

Letters to the Editor - One of the best ways is by writing informative letters to the editors of your local newspapers. Give facts about Planned Parenthood and its founder Margaret Sanger.

Literature - You should schedule regular distribution of anti-Planned Parenthood literature in your town. If there is a street fair or other such activity, set up an information table. Stand on street corners and distribute the information to people. Mail anti-PP literature to area residents. In general, get out the word about Planned Parenthood.

Signs - In Rapid City, South Dakota, Planned Parenthood announced in 1989 it was coming to town. Due to the efforts of pro-lifers, in 1994 it still had not made an appearance. One of the things done by Rapid City folks was to get a four-foot by eight-foot sheet of plywood. They painted it yellow on both sides and then painted in black letters "Planned Parenthood-It's Not What You Think" They then mounted this sign on a trailer and hauled it all over town. It would show up in different parking lots and on different streets. It was hard to escape the moving sign, and the message got out.

A rally or information night - After you have begun to sensitize the community about Planned Parenthood, you should schedule a rally or information night. Bring in one or more speakers from out of town and really inform the community about PP. This can be a media event and it is suggested that you have as many groups as possible work together. As part of the rally, have choirs from several churches sing hymns and have other groups in town provide refreshments or other necessities.

Petitions - As part of all the efforts you undertake, we recommend you always have a petition for people to sign. It need not be anything fancy. A sheet of paper with the statement "We, the undersigned, do not want Planned Parenthood in our schools or in our town" is all that is needed. If you want, you can have specialized petitions for each group. This could easily be done by inserting a word in the statement as follows:

"We, the undersigned clergy, do not..."
"We, the undersigned teachers, do not..."
"We, the undersigned students, do not..."
"We, the undersigned citizens, do not..."

You get the idea. Whether you have one petition or many specialized ones, always leave room for each person's signature, printed name and address and their e-mail address as well. These are not "official" petitions, so there is no special requirement for people to sign. They can be signed by teens, children, senior citizens, and anyone else in town. We recommend that you ask the people not to sign more than one petition.

Once signed, these petitions can be copied, and copies can be given to school officials, political leaders, health officials, etc. Also, you can use the petitions to create a mailing list for your newsletter.

Newsletters - We recommend your group publish a quarterly newsletter to keep people informed. Your newsletter should be mailed to all who signed your petitions plus all others you want to keep up to date.

Businesses - Local businesses should be contacted and be informed about the community opposition to Planned Parenthood. Special attention should be given to construction companies, landlords, real estate offices, insurance companies and local hospitals. Planned Parenthood will need the services of at least some of these businesses if it is to come to town. By educating them early, you may be able to make it difficult for PP to find a place to do business. In 2003, in Austin, Texas, there was a massive boycott by construction companies in the region that refused to build a new Planned Parenthood abortion mill.

Your local fighters against Planned Parenthood are always making decisions about what businesses to use in their daily living. Let businesses know you will publish a list of supportive businesses in your newsletter. Also, that you will publish a list of any businesses that choose to do business with Planned Parenthood. You would expect your local fighters against Planned Parenthood to use these lists when making decisions.

Politicians and health officials - Similarly, you should alert your local elected officials and health officials about the community feeling concerning Planned Parenthood. They should be invited, along with school officials, to your rally and information nights.

The more these people are aware of the community opposition to Planned Parenthood, the less likely they are to welcome PP into town.

By actively opposing Planned Parenthood, you may be able to prevent it from coming to town. A number of communities have been successful in doing just that. If, however, despite your best efforts, Planned Parenthood does set up an office in town, do not despair! The fight is not over. There are still things you can do to convince Planned Parenthood that coming to your town was a bad decision.

Section B: GETTING PP OUT OF YOUR TOWN

You have a Planned Parenthood facility in town. Either it's been there for many years, or it just opened up. Maybe you have been fighting its coming and, despite your best efforts, it is here. There are a number of legal, non-violent actions you can take to lessen Planned Parenthood's business and make it think about leaving.

Education - the first thing you should do is start educating your community. If you have not had any of this activity in your community before, read Part I of this booklet for all the things you can do. We will assume in this section that you have already begun doing the things outlined in Section A above.

Picketing - The single most effective thing you can do to fight an existing Planned Parenthood facility is to establish a regular (at least weekly) picket. This single act will lower PP's business, tarnish its community image, and result in increased public attention to its programs and philosophies. All these effects will work to your benefit.

The more frequently you can picket PP's offices, the better. However, you should at least plan a weekly, two-hour picket. When you picket weekly, you do not need large numbers. The frequency will have its effect and will cause morale and business problems for PP.

Most Planned Parenthood facilities do not perform surgical abortions (all do give out the Pill, Depo-Provera, and Emergency Contraception and, therefore, are providing the means for chemical abortions). If your PP does not do surgical abortions, your pickets should concentrate on chemical abortions (primarily targeting the Pill) and the fact that PP comes between parents and their children.

Access to kids - Planned Parenthood is anxious to get to teens and younger children. It often establishes programs in schools and with the YWCA, Girl Scouts, Big Brothers, Big Sisters and anywhere else kids, especially teens and pre-teens, gather. You should investigate each of these organizations in your town and, if you find PP involved, get it out. You can use any of the techniques described in this plan to lessen PP's influence and get it "uninvited" to the group.

Access to money - Planned Parenthood needs money to operate and is very good at getting money from the government. You should investigate your local city, town and county governments and determine if any money is going to Planned Parenthood. Part 3 of this plan (below), "Defeating Government Funding of Planned Parenthood," will give you step-by-step information on how to identify and defeat government funding of Planned Parenthood.

Newsletters - Once you start fighting against an already established Planned Parenthood facility, you should send a monthly newsletter to your supporters and all who sign your petitions. The newsletter need be nothing fancy, but it should keep your people informed on what is happening. It can be used to notify them of weekly and special pickets, tell them of upcoming critical dates, and relate any successes you have experienced. In addition, you can include some national information on PP from STOPP International's Ryan Report. See the conclusion below to learn how you can obtain this publication.

Part 2: Defeating Planned Parenthood's Public School Sex Education Programs

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) has, since 1970, pushed for sex education in public schools. In 1986, its president, Faye Wattleton, stated that PPFA had established a goal of getting kindergarten through twelfth grade sex education mandated in every school district in the nation. Planned Parenthood sees sex education as a way of indoctrinating our children with PP's philosophies-philosophies that include the acceptance of abortion and deviant sexual practices, philosophies that are in direct opposition to the teachings of most churches in this country.

Many who fight Planned Parenthood sex ed programs come to realize that they are in the middle of a religious fight. Planned Parenthood is in the business of spreading the ideas and philosophies of the Humanist Manifestos to the community in general and to our children in particular. Since public schools are not supposed to get into the teaching of religion, many people feel hindered in the sex ed battle. They hear the arguments of the other side, which says, "Don't force your values on the schools!"

Parents are not sure how to respond. Our advice is to look at the matter from a different perspective...

You are not going to ask the schools to teach your religion. You and your church can do that just fine. But you must insist that the schools not teach your children things that are against your religion. If your religion says abortion is wrong, the schools have no right to teach your children that abortion is okay. If your religion says homosexuality is wrong, the schools have no right to teach your children that homosexuality is okay. If your religion teaches that premarital sex is a sin, the schools have no right to teach your children that it is normal and acceptable behavior.

Since you pay for the schools with your tax money, you have an obligation to see to it that the school does not use your money to teach against your religion. This is the argument that won the battle against the offensive "Rainbow Curriculum" in New York City schools and led to the firing of the schools' chancellor.

Planned Parenthood's sex education programs have been thrown out of a number of school districts and some districts have strict policies against Planned Parenthood material. To be successful in this effort, you must be persistent. A typical scenario when you are trying to unseat an existing program in your schools is:

YEAR 1: The school board will try to put you off until June in hopes that you will go away.

YEAR 2: The school board will try to make some small, insignificant compromise to placate you so that you will go away.

YEAR 3: The school board will be surprised you have not gone away and will begin to take you seriously. Now is the time to reiterate your goals and to drive for complete success.

In this section, we will give you concrete advice on how to effectively fight sex education programs advocated by Planned Parenthood in public schools. These are not theoretical methods. They are the result of real fights in real school districts. The one thing that we can assure you is that victories against PP sex education programs are won by ordinary people, people who are no different from you and who had a faith in God that allowed them to succeed.

As you read the techniques, remember that you too can defeat sex education. Remember also that this fight has a religious aspect. As described earlier, you must oppose these programs to protect your children from being turned against your religious beliefs. Therefore, enter the fight with a strong faith in God and know that if you do His will, you will win. So let's take a look at what you have to do (remember that most fights do not involve all the things listed; God will direct you to what is appropriate for your town)...

Rely on God to direct your efforts. Read Matthew, Chapter 10, for direction and whenever you get discouraged.

DISCOVER WHAT IS GOING ON

Make sure you take the time, in the beginning, to find out exactly what is going on in your school. You cannot fight these programs with generalities. You must know exactly what is going on in your school and be able to document it. A couple of months of quiet fact-gathering and documenting will pay dividends later when the battle heats up.

If you do not know where to start looking, a good place is in the health curriculum in fifth, seventh and eleventh grades. These seem to be the entry grade levels for Planned Parenthood sex ed programs. See how abortion, homosexuality and masturbation are treated in these courses. It will tell you a great deal about your school's sex ed. If you find objectionable material, make copies of it.

Use the Freedom of Information Law to obtain information from the schools. Detailed information on how to use this law is available at www.all.org/stopp/rr0108.htm#foil. In addition to the curriculum, you should ask to see any pamphlets or other handouts used in the class and you should view any films used. Do not let them hide anything!

When trying to find out what is going on in your school district, one good source is the teacher's reference section of the school library. These are the books intended for teacher use in preparing lessons and most of the hard-core texts can be found here. Go to the teacher's reference library and look for books on human sexuality. If you find objectionable material, make copies of it.

The key to finding out what is going on in your school is persistence. Do not let anyone put you off. If you need material, call daily until you get it and visit the school office daily if that is what it takes.

Know the school education laws in your state. Know what is mandatory and what is not. If you do not know the laws, write to your state department of education and ask for a copy of all laws dealing with sex education, AIDS education, family life education and human growth and development courses.

DOCUMENT

If you become aware of a problem, document the problem and, if possible, get more than one student's word for it. Keep a logbook of all your activities and write down summaries of all conversations with officials, including dates and the names of all attendees.

Document your objections to the school program. You will find that the other side will distort your real concerns, so take the time to write out specifically what your objections are.

Put your recommended action in writing-that way there can be no controversy over exactly what you are seeking. Ask for what you really want. Don't be shy or humble. If you want to throw sex ed and Planned Parenthood out of your schools, say so!

STARTING ACTION

Whenever possible, you should work with the school administration to get rid of offensive programs before going to the school board. Although you must fight against what is in your district, do not hesitate to cite examples and problems with programs in other districts. Cite national numbers and important research to bolster your case.

Do not hesitate to face the other side head on. The fact is that most pro-lifers are better prepared to discuss these issues than most of the sex education supporters. Never be afraid to confront them. You will have greater knowledge than they do, and you have the Holy Spirit on your side!

Be careful of PTA's. Planned Parenthood has gone to great lengths to infiltrate national and state PTA's. Before you trust any PTA, be sure to check out the leadership and find out what values they are pushing.

EDUCATION: THE KEY

The local clergy can be of great help in this battle. Educate the clergy and enlist them in your efforts. If they will not vocally support you, see if you can at least get them to remain neutral and not support the other side.

Educate the parents about Planned Parenthood so that they can see that the activity in your school district is part of a nationwide push for sex ed. They must understand that this type of "education" is part of Planned Parenthood's game plan.

Invite school board members to your informational meetings. Treat them as allies until and unless they prove, by their actions, they are not.

You never know what will change the mind of a school board member. It may be his daughter or a friend. When fighting these sex ed programs, get to know about your school board members, where they work, where they go to church, what their hobbies are, and who their friends are. In this way, you will be ready to follow through on any opportunities that arise. A school board member, like anyone else, will listen to a friend sooner than to a stranger.

It is usually very helpful to form an organization to carry on the fight. The organization does not have to be very formal or have a lot of members at first. It should have a name like "Concerned Parents of _____" or something similar.

Remember, before going to the school board, know exactly what the issue is you want to raise and exactly what you want the school board to do about it.

MEETING THE SCHOOL BOARD

Attend several of your local school board meetings so that you can understand how they are run and when would be the appropriate time for you to speak. Talk with school board members about general topics concerning the school.

Make your presentation to the school board a professional one. Type out your remarks and provide copies to each board member.

Read to the school board the actual material that is being used in the school. In many instances this will be obscene material and the school board will stop you. This makes your point about why you are outraged. In 2002, when a father in Coronado, CA showed some pages of Planned Parenthood's website for teens (www.teenwire.com) to the local school board, the shocked board members promptly canceled Planned Parenthood presentations in the school's health classes.

Accept suggestions of the school board on how to settle the issue. Do not refuse to talk to employees of the school district unless you have already done so and can demonstrate that they are unresponsive.

Understand exactly what your objective is and accept a solution that will accomplish that objective-even if it is not exactly what you had asked for.

If the issue is not resolved quickly, ask the school board for a vote. Record how each member votes. This will give you information as to which members are on your side and which are not.

Prior to any scheduled vote, have your supporters call the school board members at home. This has a great impact if it is done considerately. Tell your people not to call after 9:00 pm and always to speak respectfully to the school board member or members of his or her family.

Don't count your victories and losses by the voting of the school board. The parents in one school district lost the school board vote, but won everything! Make sure all your supporters understand that their job is not to win school board votes. Their job is to proclaim the truth, to shout from the housetops the clear message of Jesus Christ. Their task is to rouse the people and get them out to school board meetings, get them to write letters and to sign petitions-in other words, to get the community involved. If they will do this, they will win-regardless of how the school board votes.

If the school board violates your state laws in its dealings with you, do not be afraid to report them to the proper authorities. In many states, the state education department has a procedure for filing grievances against the school board. Use it.

EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY

If the school board will not listen to you, do not be afraid to go directly to the community. Use the letters-to-the-editor column in your local papers to ask pertinent questions and bring the attention of the community to what is going on in the schools. Most people have a built-in trust of the schools, so you must present factual information to overcome this feeling and get people to view the facts.

Respond to the arguments of your adversaries on issues that affect the community. Get the students involved when appropriate and spread the fight to include an objection to Planned Parenthood in general, not just to the specific program involved.

Circulating a petition against the school programs is a good idea. It not only gives you something tangible to show school officials, but it will provide you with a mailing list for your organization. You should use this list and mail monthly updates to the people who signed, telling them what is going on in the school. You can also use the list for a special mailing to get people out to important meetings.

Solicit support from parents; if there is already a sex ed program in the school, the parents should organize and remove their children from the program. This will send a clear message to the school administration.

STREET ACTIVITY

When you have dealt with the school administration and the school board, and things are still not being changed, do not be afraid to take to the streets. A picket of the school facility is a good way to raise the level of public attention to the issue. We strongly recommend weekly pickets. With a weekly picket, you do not need a great many people to be effective. It becomes like dripping water. A small volume can have a tremendous effect over time.

WHILE THE FIGHT IS RAGING

Be careful of committees. There is an apparent strategy among the pro-sex education people to get bothersome parents tied up in useless committees while Planned Parenthood goes about the real agenda. Do not refuse to sit on committees, but size up the committee action quickly and be prepared to continue your other activities even though you are on the committee.

Do not be surprised if the sex education supporters lie to keep their program. But be sure you do not resort to the same tactics. Be sure all your statements are true. That way, the school board will quickly learn they can rely on your information and must question what the sex education supporters are saying.

If you are presented with an opportunity to have an effect on school policy (such as with an access policy), take it. Try to get the best policy statements you can. You never know when they will be beneficial to your goals.

RUN FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD

If you have followed all the steps so far and nothing has worked, run a supportive person for your local school board. School boards normally elect some members every year. Let the board members know you are serious by running a candidate. And make sure that all the churches and organizations in your area who support your position get out the vote for your candidate.

You are in this fight for the children. Certainly you are not in it for financial gain or because you have nothing better to do with your time. And you are not in it to gain the perceived power of elective office. Therefore, if you decide to run for the school board, do it on the issues. Remember, if you run on the issues and get the message out, even if you lose you win.

ALWAYS...

Rely on God to direct your efforts.

These are the actions you can take to rid your schools of Planned Parenthood. We cannot tell you how long the fight will take. It may be a month or it may take several years. But, however long it takes, you and your children will be better off for your having waged the campaign.

And, remember, above all else, when you fight against sex ed programs in schools, you are fighting for God. You could not pick a better partner!

Part 3: Defeating Government Funding of Planned Parenthood

Many local Planned Parenthood affiliates were struggling and about to close in the 1960's due to a lack of funds. It was in 1967 that President Lyndon Johnson's administration gave the first federal money to a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Texas. Since that time, PPFA has flourished and it has become an expert at latching onto government funding programs.

If we are to make a serious attempt to lessen PP's influence, we must put a stop to the flow of government money into its coffers. The place to start this effort is in your own community.

When citizens begin to realize how much of their taxes wind up in Planned Parenthood's bank account, they begin to ask questions:

  1. Is my local government contributing to Planned Parenthood?
  2. How can I find out how much Planned Parenthood is getting?
  3. What can I do about it?

As you consider fighting government funding of Planned Parenthood, you should understand that this fight is a bit different from others with which you may have been involved. This is not specifically a fight against abortion. This is not specifically a pro-life fight. This is not specifically a fight against all sex education programs.

This is a fight against government funding of a specific organization. It is you telling your elected officials you do not want any of your money going to Planned Parenthood. We will discuss this further in item #9 below. But here we want to emphasize the battle to defund Planned Parenthood. This does not mean that you can't criticize Planned Parenthood for its abortion business or for its sex education or for its anti-life activity. It means, however, that the focus should always be on Planned Parenthood and its activities. The fight should always be based on the message that government officials have no right to give your money to Planned Parenthood. If you keep the issue clear, you will get support from all sides.

As with other fights against Planned Parenthood, this one is based on religious beliefs and principles. You should never hesitate to proclaim your religious feelings or to get clergy publicly involved in the effort. Planned Parenthood is in the business of spreading the ideas and philosophies of the Humanist Manifestos to the community in general and to our children in particular. Since governments are not supposed to get into the teaching of religion, you can use PPFA's advocacy of Humanism as one way to make officials understand how inappropriate it is for them to fund Planned Parenthood. Also, many government-funded programs involving PPFA include sex education or target teen pregnancy.

What you should know, before you begin, is that you can win!

Government funding of Planned Parenthood has been halted in many communities. Godly people who are no different from you and who had a faith in God that allowed them to succeed have accomplished this through education and perseverance. They understand that they have an obligation to ensure that their money is not used to support godless causes such as Planned Parenthood.

As you read the techniques summarized below, remember that you, too, can stop government funding of Planned Parenthood. Remember, also, that this fight has a religious aspect. Therefore, enter the fight with a strong faith in God and know that if you do His will, you will win. So let's take a look at what you have to do (remember that most fights do not involve all the things listed; God will direct you as to what is appropriate for your town)...

PREPARE FOR THE FIGHT

  1. Rely on God for direction in this fight. Read Matthew, Chapter 10, for direction on how to fight Planned Parenthood.

    GET THE FACTS

  2. Determine if any local monies are going to Planned Parenthood. There are several methods of finding out this information. First, you can get a copy of your municipal or county budget and see if Planned Parenthood is listed. A quicker and perhaps more thorough method is to write a letter to your local comptroller and ask "under the Freedom of Information Law" for a list of all contracts between your local government and Planned Parenthood. See www.all.org/stopp/rr0108.htm#foil for details about how to use this law effectively.

    If you determine that there are contracts between your government and Planned Parenthood, ask for copies of all the contracts. Read them to understand exactly what Planned Parenthood is being paid to do. Also, all government agencies require those with contracts to file reports on the results of the contract (these will be at least annual reports and sometimes the reports are filed quarterly). Ask for copies of all reports filed by Planned Parenthood in relation to its contracts. Read these reports carefully-they will tell you a great deal about PP's operation and the success or failure of its programs.

  3. Since most local funding will involve Planned Parenthood educational programs, take time at the beginning to collect samples of pamphlets from your local Planned Parenthood. You should pick up samples of material from Planned Parenthood display tables at local fairs or conferences. You should also have people go into Planned Parenthood and ask for material dealing with sex to give to a teen or pre-teen. Gather as much material as possible and then read through it all.

  4. Before you begin to read the Planned Parenthood material, spend some time in prayer. Much of PP's rhetoric is designed to camouflage its real intent. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the Wisdom to see through the rhetoric and the understanding to know how the material is harmful. As you read through each piece, make notes as the Spirit directs you.

    Some of the material may be innocuous. Put these pieces aside. Many of the pieces, however, will be clearly offensive. You should note every pamphlet that contains offensive material. Some will be subtly offensive (requiring an informed reading to understand the offensive nature of the piece) while others will be blatantly offensive. The blatant pieces usually require no deep explanation. The nearly pornographic pictures or the outrageous statements are clear enough that any responsible person would see it as offensive. Planned Parenthood website for teens (www.teenwire.com) is particularly bad.

    Once you have collected copies of PP's contracts, reports and pamphlets, you are ready to begin to publicly attack its funding.

    GO PUBLIC

  5. Send a letter and a few pages of the most offensive pamphlets to your elected officials. Copyright laws do not allow you to make copies of entire pamphlets, but copying one or two pages for illustrative purposes is okay. In the letter, ask your elected officials if they are aware that they are spending tax money to distribute this offensive material. Tell them you are upset and ask them to take action to stop this waste of taxpayer money. Ask them to stop all funds going to Planned Parenthood.

  6. Make the fight against Planned Parenthood funding part of a total effort to include community education, picketing and fighting Planned Parenthood school sex ed programs as well as abortion. It is important, however, that your elected officials get the sense that the community is upset with Planned Parenthood in general and that the effort to stop government money to Planned Parenthood is a serious effort.

  7. Circulate petitions. One way to solicit public support is to draw up a simple petition. The petition need say nothing more than "We, the undersigned, request our elected officials to stop giving government money to Planned Parenthood." Provide spaces for people to sign and to print their name and address. These petitions will help you fight PP's claims that you are not representative of the community. They will also give you names and addresses for your mailing list. You should keep all who sign the petition informed about what is going on and let them know when you need them to attend a meeting or budget hearing.

  8. Reach out to clergy. When faced with opposition, Planned Parenthood routinely turns to sympathetic clergy to demonstrate that it has support among the religious institutions of the community. You should make special efforts to inform the clergy about Planned Parenthood and solicit their support for this effort. A knowledgeable clergy member can distribute a special petition among the clergy asking that all government money to Planned Parenthood be stopped. This will widen your base of support.

    Remember to keep the clergy informed about what is happening in the struggle.

  9. Keep the focus of this fight on Planned Parenthood government funds. Do not burden your efforts to stop funding with the additional task of ending abortion. Planned Parenthood will do everything possible to make this an abortion fight. It will claim that you are only against Planned Parenthood because of its abortion advocacy. Although we abhor the 197,070 abortions a year (2000) done in Planned Parenthood facilities that is not the focus of this fight.

    The focus of this fight is to stop government funds from going to Planned Parenthood. The leaders of the fight in your community should make it clear to the elected officials that a vote against Planned Parenthood funding will not be recorded as a "pro-life" vote. It will in fact, be recognized for what it is, a vote to keep government funds from a controversial organization that is not supported by many in the community. People have been successful in framing the vote in this way and, as a result, many elected officials who describe themselves as "pro-choice" vote against funds to Planned Parenthood. Some elected officials who personally donate money to Planned Parenthood have voted against public funds to the organization!

    Your government officials have no obligation to fund Planned Parenthood. They can vote to deny funds to the organization. When Planned Parenthood claims it is illegal to discriminate against it, ask your local officials if they would seriously consider giving government money to the Ku Klux Klan to run an educational program for black children, or if they would give money to the American Nazi Party for a parade. Of course they wouldn't. Well, they have just as much right to deny funds to Planned Parenthood.

  10. Find out as much as you can about your local Planned Parenthood affiliate's finances. All Planned Parenthood affiliates are 501(c)(3) organizations. Each files a federal Form 990 with the IRS each year. The IRS requires that Planned Parenthood make the Form 990 available for public inspection. The website www.guidestar.org has PP's Form 990s available for free download. Many states also require that the organization file with the charities office of that state. You should pursue all these avenues to get a complete financial picture of your local Planned Parenthood affiliate. Know what its income is and from what sources the money comes. Know how its money is spent and how much goes to pay salaries. Know how much money the affiliate has in the bank and if it had a profit or loss last year. All this information will come in handy as you talk to your elected officials.

  11. Publicize the finances of the Planned Parenthood affiliate. Once you know the finances of your Planned Parenthood affiliate, do not keep it a secret. Publicize it in your monthly newsletter. Write letters to the editor of your local newspaper and highlight areas of Planned Parenthood's budget that will be of interest to the public. Let folks know what Planned Parenthood pays its top local executives. The more facts you can get out the better.

  12. Be ready to persevere. Keep fighting year after year until you achieve your goals. Frequently, as we go through the initial stages that have been described in items 1 through 11, people become impatient. They want to get into the fight and stop the funding, not spend time collecting data. We cannot stress too much the importance of doing research early and having all of your facts. In the early stages of the active fight, Planned Parenthood will respond with some wild claims and probably make some statements that are not true. If you have the facts at your fingertips and can show that you are correct and that Planned Parenthood is wrong, you will go a long way towards establishing your credibility with your elected officials. This will also harm Planned Parenthood's credibility.

    So, do not expect this to be a short fight. It will take perseverance and a willingness to suffer for His sake. But you can win this battle-if you persist.

    LOBBY EACH ELECTED OFFICIAL

  13. Evaluate where each politician stands on the basic issues involved. Once you have gathered the necessary background information, you can begin to explore where your politicians stand on the issue. This initial survey should be done in an informal way. Ask the politicians in a one-on-one situation what they think of Planned Parenthood. Ask what they think of government funding for the organization.

    Typically, you will find that politicians fall into one of three categories. A few will think like you and will be opposed to Planned Parenthood philosophically. A second small group will be ardently in favor of Planned Parenthood and all its programs. The majority will fall into the third category of having no particular basic beliefs one way or the other.

  14. Realistic analysis of where the politicians stand and what your chances are is extremely important. Essentially, you should place each elected official in one of three groups: anti-Planned Parenthood, pro-Planned Parenthood or in the middle. When you think about votes, you will need a majority of the people to vote on your side in order for you to win. So, if you have 15 people in your government body, you will need eight votes. If the total of the "anti-Planned Parenthood" and "in the middle" categories is eight or higher, you have an opportunity to win a vote. If not, you need to do some work to either convert some of the "pro-Planned Parenthood" people to the "middle" category or get other people elected who feel as you do.

    At least every six months, you should evaluate all the politicians and place them in one of the categories. When a vote is near, you will probably be going through this process every few days.

  15. Begin to think of politicians not as a group, but as individual people, each of whom has to be approached in a different way. Once you have categorized the politicians, you must begin to act to move the "middle" people into the "anti-Planned Parenthood" category and try to dislodge some of the "pro-Planned Parenthood" folks. Do not give up on any of the politicians until they have demonstrated by their votes that they will totally support Planned Parenthood.

    If your elected politicians represent specific districts in the town or city, it is important to get people from that district to ask them to stop funding Planned Parenthood. People in the district vote, and the politician wants to keep all possible votes. Politicians will be more likely to listen to a voter than to another person in town.

  16. Find someone on your side who knows the politician personally. Any person will be more likely to listen to someone he knows than to a stranger. Most people are more likely to respond favorably to a pastor of their church. Find out all you can about each politician and see if you can find a friend or pastor who thinks as you do. If so, have that person talk with the politician. Perhaps that person can even set up a meeting with the politician and you to discuss the issue. Use all avenues that God opens and you will eventually be able to get your message to most of your elected officials.

  17. Get a vote scheduled on the issue. A vote, even if you lose, is a very valuable tool. Make sure, however, that your supporters ask for a roll-call vote. In this way, you will force the politicians to take a side on this issue. A vote is registered by you as either "anti-Planned Parenthood" or "pro-Planned Parenthood." Politicians who are "pro-Planned Parenthood" should know that they will be the target for intense education and, perhaps, face challenges in upcoming elections.

    A vote will clear up the "middle" category and let you know the true strength you have in the elected body. It will also let you concentrate your efforts on changing the minds of those who are not with you.

    GET PEOPLE INVOLVED

  18. Once you have a vote scheduled, you can take advantage of all the groundwork you have done. Four weeks before the scheduled vote, mail a letter to all on your mailing list letting them know about the vote and telling them you need their support. Ask them to contact their elected official and ask him or her to vote against money to Planned Parenthood. Send a second letter a week prior to the vote.

  19. During the week prior to the vote, have your people make phone calls to the politicians. It is important that these be polite phone calls simply asking the politician to vote against money to Planned Parenthood. Tell your people not to call after 9:00 pm and always to be courteous. If the politician has an answering machine, simply leave a message that you want him or her to vote against money to Planned Parenthood. These phone calls during the final week are very effective, if done correctly.

  20. Encourage your supporters to make personal visits in addition to phone calls. Again, this should be done in a courteous way. Meet your elected official face to face and ask for his or her support in defeating Planned Parenthood's funding.

  21. Get people out to the vote or to the public hearing preceding the vote. Three days before the public hearing make phone calls to your supporters and tell them it is important for them to be at the meeting. Tell them to come even if they do not want to speak. Encourage them to speak if they want to-they need only walk to the microphone and say, "Do not give any money to Planned Parenthood." With a number of speakers and an even greater number applauding every time your side speaks, the message will get across. We cannot stress too much the importance of phoning your supporters and asking them to come. Your numbers will dramatically increase if you do this.

    You should also tell your supporters that the appropriate response when Planned Parenthood people get up and talk about how they deserve the money is silence. It hurts your cause if your people boo or interrupt a Planned Parenthood speaker. Your silence is the best witness to the sincerity of your cause.

    UNDERSTANDING THE BASIC OBJECTIVE

  22. Make sure your supporters understand that, although we want to win the vote, it is more important to proclaim the word of Jesus Christ!

    Much of our discussion to this point is on how to count and influence votes. Any effort to defeat Planned Parenthood funding is, of course, of a vote-getting nature. But, our effort is different from a lot of others. Although we will do whatever we can to try to win the vote, our main goal is to get out the truth about Planned Parenthood. To this end, you should encourage all your supporters to speak the truth and let the elected officials know the depth of feeling against Planned Parenthood. When there is a public hearing, your job is to get the people there and then to give the meeting to God. Let Him motivate speakers and let the Spirit speak through the people who go to the microphone. Let it be God's meeting and you will be awe-struck at what happens.

    In essence, your job is finished when the public hearing takes place. Let God take care of the vote. If He wants you to win, you will. If He wants to keep the fight going because He has plans you never dreamed of, He will do that. Tell God you will accept His will and you will never have a losing fight (even if the vote goes against you).

    AFTER THE VOTE

  23. Use your newsletter to record the details of the public hearing and every voting session. Once the vote happens, let your people know how everything went. If you had a good turnout at the public hearing, describe in your newsletter how exciting it was. Let your people know they missed something by not being there. Make them want to come next year. Your newsletter is your way of letting your supporters know how you felt about the whole fight. They will be looking to you. If you are discouraged, they will be. If you are upbeat and excited, they will be that way too.

  24. Once the vote happens, publish the voting record of the politicians. It is important for the politicians to know that their position on this issue will become public knowledge. Whenever there is a vote, you should publish how each person voted. In addition, before each vote you should publish a list of how each person voted in all previous votes on the issue. If you do this on a regular basis, people will begin coming to you for information on whether or not politicians support your efforts. The politicians will also begin to understand that your supporters are voters who care.

  25. Publicly thank, in your newsletter, all who helped. We are always quick to attack politicians who oppose us. We must be just as quick to thank politicians who vote the way we want. Use your newsletter to thank these people and encourage your supporters to write thank-you notes. Politicians will remember those who took the time to say thank you.

    SOME ADDITIONAL FACTS

  26. Recognize the motivation of politicians and deal with them appropriately. Although each politician is an individual, we can make some generalizations about them as a group.

    1. Politicians want to get elected! Unless their beliefs on a particular topic are unusually strong (either pro or con), politicians will go the way that will get them the most votes. You must convince them that voting against Planned Parenthood funding will get them more votes than voting for Planned Parenthood funding. You can do this by having lots of people at budget hearings, having your supporters call before and after the vote, encouraging your supporters to work for the election of candidates who oppose Planned Parenthood funding, and generally showing that the community is on your side. If a politician is particularly reluctant, have several people from his or her election district schedule a meeting to discuss Planned Parenthood funding and let the politician know that he or she will lose the votes of all at the meeting unless there is a change in his or her position.

    2. Politicians like to spend taxpayer money! Although politicians always promise to lower spending and taxes, the fact is that political power comes from spending money. Politicians like to brag about how much money was spent on a particular area or a particular project. Understanding this, you should not only ask them to stop spending money on Planned Parenthood, you should suggest an alternative use of the same money. Thus, you could find some non-controversial project in the community that is under-funded and suggest that the politicians spend the money that would have gone to Planned Parenthood on this worthwhile project instead.

  27. Understand the political phenomenon called "linking." At every level of government you will find that most politicians do not feel comfortably knowledgeable on every issue. Frequently, they will find a colleague who they believe knows more than they do and "link" their vote to them. If, for example, Joe knows nothing about road building, but Mary is a former highway superintendent, then Joe may decide to "link" his vote to Mary's. However Mary votes on a road issue, Joe always votes the same way.

    This "linking" also takes place in the funding of Planned Parenthood. You should always try to identify these links. For example, you go to Alice and ask her to vote against Planned Parenthood funding because the community does not support Planned Parenthood. Alice says, "That's not what Frank tells me. Frank did a survey and found most of his supporters favor Planned Parenthood funding." You can bet that Alice has "linked" her, vote to Frank's. However Frank votes, Alice will vote that way also. This tells you to put extra emphasis on Frank. If you can change his vote, you will actually change two votes.

    You should always be looking for these "linking" situations so that you can spend your lobbying time effectively.

  28. When necessary, encourage people to run for office. At times, you will be faced with a number of politicians who are entrenched supporters of Planned Parenthood. The only way for you to win is to elect people who oppose Planned Parenthood funding. You should encourage your people to run for office on this issue. Make the funding of Planned Parenthood the central issue. If your candidate wins, you can point to the victory as a clear choice made by the community and you will probably swing several votes from other politicians who do not want to get defeated in future elections.

    If your candidate loses, do not get discouraged. Remember our discussion in item #22 above. Your mission is to proclaim the truth, not to win elections. You and the candidate take care of getting out the message; let God take care of the vote.

  29. Remember that, no matter how long you have been fighting, you will be dealing with some politicians who are new to the issue. Keep doing the basic education. It is easy to feel that the politicians already know about the issue. But you are continuously faced with new people or people who have been recently awakened to this issue. Keep up all the basic education on Planned Parenthood. It will be repetitive to some, but may be just what is needed to win others to your side. Do not tire of telling the basic truth.

  30. Always stress that this is God's battle and always act in a Christian way. It is important that you keep your focus. It is easy to get caught up in the politics of the situation and to "make deals" or compromise your position. It is also tempting to use questionable tactics. You should always remain true to your calling. Your primary mission is to spread God's word-not to win votes. You should always ask yourself, "Is what I'm doing acceptable to God?" If the answer is yes-steam ahead. If the answer is no or "I'm not sure," stop! Regroup! And get back on God's team!

  31. Always keep a focus on the issue of funding and resolve to keep the fight going until God's victory is clear-no matter how long that takes. The key to this victory is persistence. You must always be clear about what you want (no money to Planned Parenthood) and you must keep asking for it. Take a lesson from your children. If a young child wants something badly enough, he will not stop asking for it until he has received it. Remember that God told us, "If the man does not get up and give it to him for friendship's sake, persistence will make him get up and give his friend all he wants" (Luke 11:8).

More Information

All the activities mentioned thus far will help defeat Planned Parenthood. We also suggest that you read some of the material available that will inform you of what Planned Parenthood is all about.

Grand Illusions by George Grant
Blessed Are the Barren by Robert Marshall & Charles Donovan
Margaret Sanger: Father of Modern Society by Elasah Drogin
Parent Power!! by James W. Sedlak
What's Wrong With Sex Education by Dr. Melvin Anchell

To keep abreast of the latest information about Planned Parenthood and how to fight this evil organization, STOPP recommends that you visit our website at www.stoppinternational.org. Here you can find back issues of the Ryan Report and several other free resources to help you stop Planned Parenthood in your community.

American Life League's resource department (866-LET-LIVE) has many valuable resources for fighting Planned Parenthood. Call and ask for a catalogue.

Conclusion - Trust in God

Read Matthew, Chapter 10, at those times when your spirits are low. We all get discouraged in these fights. You are fighting a real evil and it will not be easy to defeat it. When you do get discouraged, return to your roots. Go to God. Read your favorite inspirational religious book or Bible verse. In Matthew, Chapter 10, God tells us how to do His work. He also promises, "If anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father."

What greater reward can we ever hope for!

Remember, this is God's fight. Rely on Him and you will not lose.

Successful battles against Planned Parenthood

Since 1985, STOPP's newsletter has chronicled some of the victories pro-lifers have had against Planned Parenthood. Here, below, are some examples. STOPP wants to make it clear that we attribute ALL of STOPP's success to the fact that we proclaim ourselves as a Christian organization. It is Jesus Christ who guides our efforts and allows our success. It is only through HIM that we can accomplish anything.

Monrovia, California

In 2001, pro-lifers from Monrovia, CA swung into action when they found out Planned Parenthood planned to open a new abortion clinic in their city. Monrovians against Planned Parenthood (MAPP) began their fight in prayer, and they got the local clergy involved. MAPP's president, John O'Neill, contacted STOPP for advice. MAPP found out that that an existing PP clinic had been getting rent-free space at the county health department for 35 years. The pro-lifers wrote a letter of protest and only one week later the chief of the county's public health operations wrote to PP telling it to vacate the Monrovia Health Center. MAPP flooded the city with letters opposing the new PP abortion clinic as well. They held several rallies, picketed, and spoke out at city council meetings. The crowds at these meetings became so large that they overflowed outside of the city hall. Then MAPP led a court battle against the city. Their lawsuit claimed the city interpreted zoning codes so that Planned Parenthood's plans would not be subjected to public notice requirements. As a result of MAPP's persistent pressure on the city, Monrovia ended up buying the brand new abortion facility from PP in 2002 for over $800,000 and is tearing it down under the guise of redevelopment of the neighborhood. The PP abortion facility never opened, and no babies were killed there as a result! MAPP's website is at: www.mappconnect.org.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

When Planned Parenthood announced that it would do abortions at its clinic in Lancaster, pro-lifers swung into action. STOPP was invited to speak several times in the city and served as a strategy consultant. Regular pickets of Planned Parenthood's facility were begun. Pro-lifers also contacted the boards of all the area hospitals and initiated legal challenges. Lancaster United for Life argued that abortions were not allowed at that clinic under the existing zoning laws. At first the Lancaster zoning hearing board and the city zoning officer determined that abortions could be performed at the clinic. Had pro-lifers given up at this point, babies would now be dying at PP's Lime St. clinic. Instead they persisted in a two-year battle and organized an appeal of the zoning board's ruling in the courts. On June 6, 2001, the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from Planned Parenthood over a lower court decision that found in favor of the pro-lifers. During the battle 40,000 people signed a petition against the abortion clinic!

Dutchess County, New York

From 1985 to 1992, STOPP was involved in the battle to end county funding of PP in Dutchess County, New York. In the beginning, the Dutchess County Legislature voted overwhelmingly in favor of funding PP (26-9). STOPP publicized the recorded vote as a means of persuading pro-lifers to put pressure on and educate the pro-PP legislators. Hundreds of pro-lifers attended the county budget hearings to protest this abuse of their tax dollars. In 1986, STOPP succeeded in having the Dutchess County Legislature remove a school based clinic advocacy program from a funding bill of an agency sponsored by the Dutchess County Youth Bureau. In 1989, STOPP got a local PP Girl Scout program cancelled. By 1990, STOPP succeeded in having the Dutchess County Legislature stop funding PP through the County Youth Bureau. And finally, after seven years of patient and relentless effort by STOPP, the tables turned and the Dutchess County Legislature voted in 1992 to defund PP completely (26-9)! The very tactics described in detail in STOPP's Plan For Defeating Planned Parenthood related to defeating government funding were honed in this battle. STOPP's efforts in this region also postponed the opening of a PP abortion mill for a few years in Poughkeepsie, NY.

South Carolina

When Planned Parenthood announced that it was looking to open a new clinic in Beaufort, local pro-lifers invited STOPP to come to town and make presentations about PP. STOPP visited Beaufort twice. The second time, PP used its influence in Washington to get a talk by STOPP at the local military base canceled. The meeting was quickly rearranged and held in a church hall. Despite pro-lifers best efforts, Planned Parenthood opened its clinic in 2001. But the work of the pro-lifers paid off. Planned Parenthood was never able to attract customers to its facility and could not get community support. Nine months after opening, it closed down.

Lincoln, Nebraska

Nebraska was the site of one of STOPP's first full-day seminars on Planned Parenthood. Pro-lifers turned out for the event in the late 1980s and helped spread the word about the true nature of PP. During the 1990's, Lincoln, Nebraska pro-lifers came out by the hundreds to protest a $13,000 city grant to PP. Thanks to their efforts, over a span of four years at the city council meetings, the grant was ended.

Hancock, New York

Starting in 1992, pro-lifers in Delaware County, NY began using STOPP's tactics after STOPP's president, Jim Sedlak, gave a presentation to local pastors. These pastors then motivated members of their flock to oppose a new PP clinic. Pro-lifers formed Delaware County Right to Life and were eventually successful in 1999 in getting PP to close a clinic it opened in 1993 in Hancock, NY. Along the way they got PP kicked out of two facilities run by Delaware Valley Hospital in Delaware County, NY, helped establish the Lourdes Hospital Prenatal Clinic in Hancock as an alternative to PP, cut back a program Delaware County had with PP for family planning "education," stopped a proposed school based clinic in Hancock, opposed a condom-pushing PP affiliated AIDS task force, and picketed a Binghamton, NY abortionist weekly for several years until he closed his doors in 2002. For more detail on how Delaware County Right to Life put STOPP's methods into action visit DCRTL's website at: http://dcrtl.tripod.com

Texas

Texas pro-lifers have always been receptive of STOPP's message and have opposed Planned Parenthood. When Rev. John Yanta was pastor of a parish in San Antonio, he hosted a STOPP speaking tour revealing the truth about PP. Then, when Fr. Yanta was named auxiliary bishop of San Antonio, he invited STOPP back to give sessions on Planned Parenthood to all the respect life leaders in the diocese.

In 1997, when Bishop John W. Yanta was installed as bishop of the Diocese of Amarillo, there were eighteen Planned Parenthood clinics in the diocese. He immediately invited STOPP to come to Amarillo and educate the diocesan pro-lifers on PP. He stated a goal of seeing all the PP facilities shut down. In the year 2001, there were only five PP facilities left! One of Bishop Yanta's first public appearances as Bishop of Amarillo was at a protest of a Planned Parenthood fundraiser where abortionist Henry Foster was the featured speaker. Bishop Yanta has continually taken a strong stand against Planned Parenthood and the culture of death by attending many of the weekly prayer vigils that take place outside Planned Parenthood facilities throughout the diocese. He also established a weekly diocesan Respect Life Mass. In October of 1998, he sent a message to all Catholics of the diocese regarding Planned Parenthood: "As your bishop and shepherd, I ask all Catholics not to use their services, not to belong to any of their boards, not to serve as a volunteer and not to be employed there. In resigning your employment there, I will be happy to assist you in finding employment elsewhere so you will not be cooperating in these immoral practices and being a source of scandal both within and outside the Church and community. I make this plea, in love, as my duty to continue the mission of Jesus Christ: to teach, to sanctify and to govern."

Danville, Iowa

Planned Parenthood was planning to have Girl Talk II A Mother/Daughter Overnight Retreat at the Girl Scout Camp L-Kee-ta Troop House in Danville, Iowa in April 2001. A pro-lifer sent anti-PP packets to the Girl Scout Camp and to the Girl Scouts of Shining Trial Council, Inc. and to the Girl Scout Council's elected officers and members of their board. One day before the talk, Des Moines County Sheriff Mike Johnston reported that the PP event at the camp was canceled.

Coronado, California

The PP website for teens (www.teenwire.com) is so disgusting that in 2002, when John Bowen, a father in Coronado, CA, showed some of its pages to the local school board, the board promptly canceled Planned Parenthood presentations in the school's health classes. John said, "What's important here is that there wasn't a person that I brought this information to who wasn't surprised. One board member spoke up and said she was a pretty liberal person herself and that she was shocked by what she saw" (San Diego News Notes, 5/5/02).

Wisconsin

After STOPP revealed that Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin was PP's largest affiliate in the nation, pro-lifers in Wisconsin, including Pro-Life Wisconsin and Missionaries to the Pre-born, decided to focus their efforts on fighting PP. STOPP was invited to do a statewide tour and also to give a full-day seminar.

In 2000, STOPP received the following account of the closing of one of PP's Wisconsin clinics from Mark Gabriel who works with Missionaries to the Pre-born.

"For about four months, I joined a faithful little group once a week to hold signs, pray, talk to people about PP and abortion, hand out literature, etc., at the New London Planned Parenthood facility. Praise be to God, they are now closed! No small stir was caused in that town of about 6,500. PP had been there for years, but when a few Christians decided to get serious about resisting the devil, he fled!"

"The same thing happened in the town of Cedarburg, a sort of quaint old German tourist town, located north of Milwaukee. I had nothing to do with that one, though I believe another group of local saints picketed there… Many regular pickets started up after the Unmasking Planned Parenthood Tour last summer. We did large, high traffic street presentations to expose their evil deeds in all 27 cities where they had facilities. We passed out thousands of pieces of literature in the neighborhoods of the towns and cities we visited too."

Sullivan County, New York

In 1986, STOPP supporters in Sullivan County, NY defeated an effort by Planned Parenthood to have its programs funded through the Sullivan County Board of Supervisors. In 1987, STOPP supporters in Sullivan County managed to keep a PP style sex ed program out of the Minisink School District despite $10,000 in funding secured by the program's backers. STOPP supporters in Sullivan County were so effective against PP that in November, 1987 PP to begin training people in other agencies to present PP programs!

Mt. Vernon, New York

The school district in Mt. Vernon, NY was the site of Planned Parenthood's model sex education program for the country. It was operating in the fifth through the eighth grade. In 1986, the Family Life Education coordinator in the school was working to get the program expanded down to the fourth and up to the ninth grade. She was also trying to get a school-based clinic installed in the school. STOPP was asked to get involved and worked with local parents for over three years in educating the community. In 1987, STOPP supporters in Mt. Vernon got 20% of fifth grade parents to keep their children out of the sex ed program. The result of their persistent activity was that the school-based clinic was thrown-out of Mt. Vernon schools, the sex ed program was not expanded to other grades and was in fact scaled back in content, and the position of Family Life Education Coordinator was eliminated!

Onteora, New York

In 1986, STOPP supporters in the Onteora (NY) School District were able to get Planned Parenthood barred from their schools after PP gave an offensive program to seventh graders that included passing around contraceptives and a price list. Parents took their objections to the school principal and his action was swift and decisive.

Baldwinsville, New York

In 1987, STOPP supporters in Baldwinsville, NY were able to reverse a school board vote approving a Family Life Education program and began a lengthy information campaign which exposed the program and the PP type organizations who were pushing it. STOPP supporters in Baldwinsville succeeded in having a Peer Education program shelved because of fear of community reaction.

Hyde Park, New York

Hyde Park is in Dutchess County, NY - site of the STOPP battle against Planned Parenthood described earlier. In 1989, STOPP supporters in Hyde Park (NY) found PP's Family Life Education manual in the schools and school officials, not wanting to be drawn in to the local major controversy, immediately took steps to remove all PP material from the schools.

Dover, New York

Dover is also in Dutchess County, NY and parents there found objectionable sex ed material in the schools and began a concerted effort which resulted in the removal of the material from the Dover/Wingdale School District.

Plattsburgh, New York

Plattsburgh, NY is on the Canadian border and has strong local pro-life leaders. During the late 1980s, STOPP was invited to do a full-day seminar and also do other talks on the truth about Planned Parenthood.

The headline in the May 12, 1990 edition of the Press-Republican newspaper in Plattsburgh, New York read: "United Way drops Planned Parenthood." The article went on to explain that the United Way of Clinton County had decided to drop Northern Adirondack Planned Parenthood from its list of member agencies. Planned Parenthood had been receiving funds from the United Way for thirteen years and received $16,000 that year. Area pro-lifers had fought Planned Parenthood funding for many years and were successful in convincing many to contribute directly to charities rather than using the United Way. As a result, the United Way campaign failed to meet its goals in 1989 and in 1990. The executive director of United Way of Clinton County told the press that "in order to raise the necessary resources (United Way) would have to part company with Planned Parenthood." The success of pro-lifers in Clinton County, New York shows that we must be persistent if we are to win. United Way officials stated that the final decision came after a poll of local residents showed a 65-70% of the respondents stated that Planned Parenthood's association with the United Way had an adverse effect on the United Way's ability to raise funds.

Huntsville, Alabama

In the 1980's, pro-lifers in Huntsville, Alabama successfully defeated a school-based clinic and in 1986 they began a fight against the city, which was giving PP free office space. Although their initial attempts were met with a lot of "buck passing," these pro-lifers didn't give up the fight and by 1990 the city finally forced PP to pay for its office space.

Springfield, Illinois

STOPP gave its full-day seminar in the Springfield area and local pro-lifers were inspired to form a group they named Springfield STOPP. Members of Springfield STOPP stacked up an impressive string of victories over Planned Parenthood - Springfield Area (PPSA) by 1996. These included getting PPSA banned from Springfield School District 186, the Porta School District, and the Petersburgh School District.

Sarasota, Florida

In the mid 1990's, STOPP joined with Voices for the Preborn to expose Planned Parenthood of Sarasota's intention to start committing abortions, which despite its initial denials, it eventually did. All the publicity and public outcry resulted in the Sarasota County Commission deciding not to give PP $15,000 for teenage education programs. Additionally, the United Way of South Sarasota County decided to drop PP from its supported organizations.

San Juan, New Mexico

In the late 1990's, the San Juan Sun newspaper in San Juan, New Mexico had been, for months, carrying a column titled "Ask P.P." In this column, readers wrote and ask questions related to women's health. Planned Parenthood, as the supposed expert, answered the questions in the column. Local pro-lifers were outraged and the San Juan County Right to Life began a project to put an end to this column. They began educating the paper's staff. When that didn't result in any change, they headed a campaign which included letters to the editor, telephone calls and radio spots. Local pastors were contacted, educated about Planned Parenthood and urged to contact the paper's publisher. After several months of persistent activity, the publisher decided to drop Planned Parenthood's column.

Boonville, New York

In 1997, as soon as Vickie and Joe Kraeger found out that Planned Parenthood had made plans to open an office in Boonville with a group of local doctors, the Kraegers immediately went to picket the doctors' office with signs and literature. Soon a doctor came out to talk to them and agreed to postpone the PP grand opening. The Kraegers then contacted pro-life pastors and lay people and collected over 700 signatures on a petition against the clinic. Boonville Area STOPP was formed and group members spoke out at the local Chamber of Commerce meeting to alert the members to the harmful effects of having PP in the community. A presentation was made to the village board as well which included presenting the board with copies of the petition. Because of the action of the pro-life community in Boonville the doctors changed their minds and no PP office was opened there.

Rockland County, New York

For many years pro-lifers in Rockland County, NY fought county funding of PP. Then, in 1996, the legislature voted against the $18,000 funding PP was requesting for the following year. Persistence paid off!

Ukiah, California

The Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Ukiah, CA was opened in 1989. It was picketed weekly, and at times twice weekly, by local pro-lifers. In 1993, Planned Parenthood tried to raise money off the picketers by instituting an "Adopt a Picketer" program whereby PP supporters would pledge money based upon the number of picketers present. The pro-lifers ignored this tactic and continued picketing, praying, and sidewalk counseling. In 1994, the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was brought to the site where the Rosary was prayed and a priest from the nearby Mt. Tabor Monastery recited an exorcism prayer. Seven months later, on Dec. 14, 1994, the Ukiah Daily Journal reported that the executive director of PP announced the closing of the killing center saying, "We're in a grave financial situation." This story shows the power of prayer and that pro-lifers need to ignore "Adopt a Picketer" programs.

Raleigh, North Carolina

In the 1980s, pro-lifers in North Carolina sponsored a statewide Mountains-to-Coast speaking tour by STOPP revealing the truth about Planned Parenthood. In 1993, Planned Parenthood of the Capital and Coast received $22,500 from the Raleigh City Council. In 1994, Planned Parenthood sought to increase the amount to $38,000. Pro-lifers in the region found out about this and launched a campaign to end the city's funding of PP. The battle lasted three months. Pro-lifers wrote letters, made phone calls and spoke out at the city council meetings in an effort to expose the true nature of PP. The city council not only refused the increase PP was seeking, but reduced the amount 11 percent from what it got the year before.

Hamilton County, New York

In 1988, Hamilton County pro-lifers succeeded in getting their county board of supervisors to end all funding of Planned Parenthood. Supervisor Morrison J. Hosley, Jr., of Long Lake said, "I'm so joyous this board has moved to quit giving county money to Murder, Inc." He added, "We have finally been released from the black cloud of death."

Fulton County, New York

In 1988, the Perth Bible Church discovered that the Fulton County, NY preliminary budget had $7,000 earmarked for Planned Parenthood. They launched an all out effort to educate the county board of supervisors on the true nature of PP which resulted in the board voting to end the funding.

Morris County, New Jersey

In 1988, pro-lifers in Morris County, NJ defeated $30,000 in funding for Planned Parenthood.

Long Island, New York

In the mid 90s, when pro-lifers in Suffolk County, NY learned that PP was scheduled to give a workshop during a health fair at the Lindenhurst High School they began complaining to the school. Soon the Diocese of Rockville Center became involved and urged churches to run announcements in parish bulletins calling for Catholic teens to boycott the health fair. The school principal withdrew the invitation to Planned Parenthood citing concerns about people picketing and putting school policies into question. The ripple effect of this battle was felt in Riverhead, Long Island where the local high school decided not to send its students to a PP conference and in Bellmore where a school workshop on puberty was canceled because the group that was going to present it had a connection to PP.

Troy, New York

In the early 1990s, pro-lifers in Troy, NY found out that Planned Parenthood was filing a "Certificate of Need" with the state health department for a proposed abortion clinic in that city. They mounted a fight against it by demonstrating, writing letters and attending meetings and praying. Despite their efforts the state health department granted permission for the abortion clinic. However, during this fight the landlord of the building PP was renting fell upon hard financial times and sold the building. The new landlord terminated the lease with PP. In 2002, Planned Parenthood was operating an abortion clinic in Troy, so it might seem that the pro-lifers eventually failed. Not so! Every day pro-lifers delay the opening of a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic is a day that no babies will die there. Surely, if the efforts of these Troy pro-lifers saved even only one baby from death, the efforts were a victory.

Bettendorf, Iowa

Pro-lifers in Bettendorf invited STOPP to do a series of talks on PP as they were opposing the opening of a Planned Parenthood education office in the quad-cities area. Although warned that PP would eventually want to do abortions in the area, local politicians believed PP when it said it would never do abortions and only wanted to open an education office.

Then, in 1995, Planned Parenthood announced that it wanted to build an abortion clinic in Bettendorf, Iowa. Pro-lifers mobilized and fought hard. They prayed, picketed, gathered about 4500 signatures on a petition against the abortion facility, and spoke out at the city council meetings urging the council not to allow the abortion clinic to be built. They even got local realtors involved. These realtors did an extensive study which they presented to the city council. The study concluded that the PP abortion facility would have a detrimental impact on the community as a whole, and on property values in particular. The city sided with the pro-lifers. Planned Parenthood was forced to take the city to court four times during a span of about 5 years. After repeated attempts, Planned Parenthood finally convinced a judge to order the city not to enforce its zoning ordinances. The first killings at the PP facility took place in 2000. While this may seem like a defeat, think of the many babies that weren't aborted because of the huge delay pro-lifers caused in the opening of the PP killing center. Furthermore, the pro-lifers did not give up. They continue a prayerful peaceful protest at the abortuary and they established a crisis pregnancy center right across the street from the PP killing center to help save even more babies.

College Station, Texas

Pro-lifers in College Station invited STOPP to give presentations in the area when they found out that Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas wanted to do abortions at its clinic near Texas A&M. Although PP eventually opened its abortion facility, its plans were delayed for a number of years and local pro-lifers succeeded in making PP (which had been in town for over 20 years) into a controversial organization. PP was thrown out of the Chamber of Commerce and pro-lifer's activities are so persistent that national PP leaders still refer to the area as the most "anti-choice" area in which PP operates. The group in that region leading the fight is The Brazos Valley Coalition for Life. Its website is at: http://coalitionforlife.com/

Houston, Texas

Building on their efforts in College Station, pro-lifers are also now fighting other clinics run by Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas. In 2002, after becoming informed about the offensive nature of the Planned Parenthood promoted book, "It's Perfectly Normal," at a Houston Coalition for Life informational meeting, one of the attendees of the event mobilized citizens of Montgomery County to have the book removed from local libraries. As a result, Montgomery county commissioners agreed to ban the obscene material. The shocking book targets children "age 10 and up" with dozens of indecent cartoon pictures. The controversy was covered on multiple major television networks and news radio stations. The Houston Coalition for Life website is at: http://houstoncoalition.com/

Menlo Park, California

In 1999, The Menlo Park (Calif.) Planned Parenthood Clinic on Middlefield Road, site of numerous anti-abortion protests, closed its doors. PP claimed that shifting demographics led to the decision to sell the Menlo Park clinic. But clinic was the site of weekly anti-abortion protests held by Belmont resident Ross Foti. The protests were so effective that the city enacted a sign law which banned signs on public streets, sidewalks and walkways and limited to three square feet the size of signs carried, by protesters.

Saratoga County, New York

In the mid 1980's, the Saratoga County, NY board of supervisors voted 17 to 6 to drop Planned Parenthood from its list of agencies approved to receive state aid. One supervisor stated, "It's a question of whether the county wants to give… public funds to a national organization that has abortion as its goal. It's a question of whether this organization is good for our society."

Charlotte, North Carolina

In 1985, pro-lifers in Charlotte, NC started a battle against county funding of Planned Parenthood. The funding had started in 1978. During the first year of the battle they were not able to convince any county commissioners to vote against PP. In 1986, the vote was 5 -2 in favor of PP. But in 1988, after PP was getting over $100,000 yearly from the county, the commissioners voted 4 -3 against Planned Parenthood funding. Persistence and prayer pay off!

Sussex County, New Jersey

In the late 1980's, pro-lifers in Sussex County, NJ succeeded in getting all county funding for Planned Parenthood removed from the budget.

Trinidad, Colorado

The Peublo Chieftain newspaper reported on March 24, 1989 that pro-lifers in Trinidad, CO had attained a major victory over Planned Parenthood. After months of activity, which included prayer, and the sending of 1,000 postcards to the chairman of the Animas county health board, the pro-lifers were able to have the health board vote 5-2 not to renew PP's lease and have PP move out of Animas county health department's offices.

Canastota, New York

In the 1980's, parents in Canastota, NY conducted an effective fight against a harmful Planned Parenthood program in their schools. PP apparently recruited a qualified counselor to interest the local school board in starting a PP sponsored program to counsel children in the school who had been victims of child abuse. Parents publicly decried the fact that an organization that killed children in the womb and inflicted mental child abuse on children, through its sex ed programs, was trying to "buy" public support by sponsoring a small "good" program. After a very heated public debate the school board was swayed by the qualifications of the counselor and agreed to the program. But six months later the counselor left the area and the school board later told parents they decided not to restart the PP program because of all the controversy it generated among the parents.

Watertown, New York

For almost 20 years Planned Parenthood had been receiving funds through the Jefferson County, NY budget. The budget for 1990 was passed with a total of $13,700 in funds for PP. Members of Right to Life of Watertown asked to have the monies withheld. They mounted an effective campaign which raised the issue of parental involvement. As a result, the PP funds were tabled for a month. During this month, the pro-lifers educated the county legislators about PP. The pro-lifers exposed some examples of PP's obscene literature and showed the legislators that, despite PP's claims to the contrary, it was lobbying for abortion freedom at the state level. After all this activity the legislators voted to de-fund PP!

San Diego, California

In 2002, one woman, Pat Martin, of San Diego, CA took it upon herself to oppose a PP home tour fundraiser in her neighborhood. She prayed, fasted, sought the intercession of The Blessed Mother, contacted STOPP for advice, circulated a petition, wrote a letter to the local newspaper, and planned a prayer vigil to coincide with the day of PP's home tours. Soon, local newspapers and television were interviewing her. She had to defend herself by responding to attacks in the letters to the editor column of the San Diego Tribune. On the day of the prayer vigil there were enough people present to keep the 50-person tent she obtained full for six hours. Two TV stations sent crews to cover the vigil. While PP went ahead with the home tours, Pat's efforts were a public relations victory for the pro-lifers. Pat used PP's own event to focus the region on the truth about PP and abortion.

Houghton, Michigan

In 2001, Copper Country Pro-Life (CCPL) mounted an intense campaign against a new Planned Parenthood clinic in Houghton, MI. CCPL educated the community about the evils of PP via letters to the editor and a series of presentations by STOPP. The local Catholic Bishop, Most Rev. James Garland, joined with a letter of his own urging people to defend themselves against PP. A large banner that said "Planned Parenthood Kills Babies" was hung on the side of a local bridge and picketers began a regular presence at the clinic. Then the city threatened to pass a sign ordinance that would have severely restricted the protestor's rights. The pro-lifers said they would take the matter to court and the city backed down. The pro-life protesters plan to continue the efforts as long as the clinic is open. CCPL leader, Pastor Keith Snyder, says, "They hope for an early end to the battle, but as long as the clinic is open, it provides a focus for the efforts of those who desire to call people to repentance for their selfishness, sexual immorality, and willingness to sacrifice the next generation on the altar of convenience." CCPL's website is www.disinformed.org.

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