THE RYAN REPORT

Planned Parenthood steaming ahead - killing babies and mothers

In July, the Food and Drug Administration issued a health warning on the risk of rare but serious infection following treatment with RU-486, not always accompanied by fever. It was just such an infection that took the life of Holly Patterson after she received an RU-486 abortion at a Planned Parenthood Golden Gate clinic.

Despite its close ties with the death of this young girl, Planned Parenthood insists RU-486 is safe for the women taking it and said it plans no changes at its estimated 260 facilities around the country that perform "medical abortions."

"There is no reason for a change in medical policy and management at this time, although as with any woman who is pregnant, signs of possible infection need to be investigated," said Dr. Vanessa Cullins, vice president of medical affairs for Planned Parenthood.

When is PP going to live up to its claim of being a health agency?

Planned Parenthood billboard in Indiana

The following item was posted on July 25, 2005 on the blog site of Al Barger:

I KNOW WHAT I CAN AFFORD

Really? This was the entire message of a billboard sponsored by Planned Parenthood that I saw yesterday in a poor black neighborhood in Indianapolis. I probably had a bit of a quizzical look on my face for people seeing me in traffic right at that moment. I must not be understanding. They can't mean what it seems like that would mean. I stowed it away for future reference.

But I've had it running in the back of my mind now for a day, and I can't think of any other viable explanation. "I know what I can afford." So then, the message appears to be that if you figure you "can't afford" to raise a child, come on over and we'll kill that little bugger for you.

Planned Parenthood's failed programs

Planned Parenthood has an active program to bring the philosophies it has been spreading in Europe since the 1960s to the United States. The Planned Parenthood program is currently called "Rights, Respect and Responsibility" and is being pushed by PP affiliates across the country.

This program and its documentation on a Planned Parenthood of Oregon web site were the reasons behind our Planned Parenthood Steals Souls campaign.

In case you're wondering what has happened in Europe as a result of PP's decades-long campaign, we reprint for you here a recent statement by a European official:

EU commissioner calls on Europeans to have more children

LifeSiteNews reports a European commissioner warned that the continent's low birthrate is one of three most pressing issues facing the European Union. "The collapse of social policies in support of working women and families has increased the burden on women, and contributed to the depression of fertility rates," a press release from the office of the EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities stated.

At a conference organized by the commission last month, Commissioner Vladimír Špidla warned, "Between now and 2030, a loss of 21 million people of working age, or 7% of the workforce, will see Europe's potential growth decline from 2% today to 1.5% as soon as 2015 and to as little as 1.25% in 2040.

"We must pull out all the stops to react to this," Špidla emphasized. "Either we help out or we lose out."

"Now is the time to act," the Commission added. "There are just six years before 2011, when a sharp decline in the active working population (aged 15-64) will coincide with a significant rise in the number of over 65s."

The conference was part of the Green Paper process, in which the European Commission opened up a public consultation, until October this year, entitled 'Confronting demographic change: a new solidarity between the generations.' The consultation is a response to Europe's demographic trends, which show people having fewer children and living longer, leading to fewer working age people and more elderly people to care for.

The Green Paper, released in March, warns that the fertility rate for all EU member countries is below that of replacement rate - 2.1 children per woman.

See additional coverage from Catholic Ireland.

Planned Parenthood organizational and facility changes

• Idaho - Planned Parenthood of Idaho's new clinic at 3668 N. Harbor Lane in Boise held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 10, followed by a grand opening celebration. The Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors conducted the ribbon cutting.
• New York - JoAnn Smith appointed interim president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Nassau County. You can read her bio information online.
• New York - Planned Parenthood Mohawk Hudson is moving its clinic in Schenectady from 414 Union Street to a new $2.6 million location at 1040 State Street.
• West Virginia - Planned Parenthood is trying to open a clinic in Morgantown. Pro-lifers are fighting it. See story below.

Recent Planned Parenthood news item links

Each month we present here links to recent stories about Planned Parenthood. (Note that many newspapers move web pages. The links below were working at time this report was initially sent.)

• Planned Parenthood and the nomination of Judge John Roberts:
  • Abortion activists turn thumbs down
  • PPAWI expresses grave concern on nomination of Roberts to U.S. Supreme Court
  • Planned Parenthood Los Angeles urges thoughtful confirmation process
• Planned Parenthood gets teens in Arizona to spread its message of free sex to other teens
• Salve Regina College throws Planned Parenthood fundraiser off campus

STOPP speaking engagements

STOPP's directors, Jim Sedlak and David Bereit, regularly give talks around the country on Planned Parenthood. Our current schedule is always posted on our web site. To schedule a talk in your area, please call our offices at 540-659-4171 or e-mail us at STOPP@ALL.org. We have the following talks coming up; please say hello if you attend any of these presentations:

• September 10, 2005 - Jim Sedlak and David Bereit, Culture of Life USA, St. Augustine, Florida
• September 27, 2005 - David Bereit, Saginaw Right to Life, Saginaw, Michigan
• October 4, 2005 - David Bereit, Healthy Beginnings, Cincinnati, Ohio

New boycott list released by Life Decisions International

Douglas Scott of Life Decisions International has released the latest update to the boycott List of corporations that support Planned Parenthood. This is the only list that STOPP uses and we encourage you all to get a copy. Over 116 companies have already stopped funding Planned Parenthood because of this list. You can get information on how to obtain the list online.

New anti-Planned Parenthood coalition announced in Dallas

On July 28, 2005, Planned Parenthood of North Texas in Dallas held its annual "Teen Savvy" event for the young people in the Dallas area. STOPP's executive director, Jim Sedlak, traveled to Dallas to help local groups protest the event, held at a public high school.

As part of the very successful protest, which had Planned Parenthood people scurrying around trying to keep arriving vans away from pro-lifers handing out factual information, Jim was honored to announce the formation of a new group, Dallas-area Coalition Against Planned Parenthood (D-CAPP). D-CAPP will not replace any of the anti-PP activities currently going on in the city, but will serve as a coordinating group to help existing organizations work together to get out the truth about Planned Parenthood. Founding members of D-CAPP include: Texans Opposed to Planned Parenthood, Catholic Pro-Life Committee of North Texas, Texans for Life Coalition, and Catholics Respect Life - Fort Worth.

Since the formation of TOPP last year, the Dallas area has seen an ever increasing effort to defeat Planned Parenthood. With the formation of this new coordinating group, we expect PP is going to have to defend itself from the truth every time it holds an event or asks for money.

Planned Parenthood protested at Indiana governor's mansion

When Planned Parenthood scheduled a volunteer appreciation dinner at the Indiana's governor's mansion, STOPPers in Indiana turned out in force to protest. You can see pictures and story online.

Indiana STOPPer Eileen Hartman sent us this short report:

On August 11, Planned Parenthood rented a room at the governor's mansion in Indianapolis and honored their volunteers at a party there. Over 80 citizens were organized by STOPP of Indiana and came together to demonstrate our objection and to pray for an end to abortion. We also distributed hundreds of STOPP pamphlets about Planned Parenthood and Margaret Sanger to the volunteers and to cars stopping for a traffic light near the mansion.

State Senator Jeff Drozda was with us and held a press conference in front of the mansion 30 minutes before the event. All of the local TV stations and the Indianapolis Star were notified and came to cover the event."

Congratulations to STOPP of Indiana for a very successful demonstration.

Prayer victory over Planned Parenthood in Lufkin, Texas

Although the battle against Planned Parenthood in Lufkin, Texas has been going on for some time and has seen ever increasing successes, several instances lately have shown the absolute value of prayer in this effort. This was witnessed by STOPP's executive director as he spoke in Lufkin in August.

First, the editor of the local newspaper has been an ardent supporter of Planned Parenthood and his biased newspaper columns have caused outrage in the community. At one point, in the last couple of months, local Christian leaders prayed that God would either change this man's heart or move him out of the paper. "It was incredible," one of the local pastors told Jim, "within a week we got word that the editor had been fired from the paper."

On August 1, Lufkin for Life, the group that fights PP there, together with Jonathan Baldwin of Bound 4 Life, kicked off a week-long silent prayer siege outside the PP facility. The results have been dramatic. Robert Dickens, head of LFL, has told us that they had more people than they could imagine all week long and that things were so successful that local churches decided to continue it for a second week.

Prayer and action - that's the key to defeating Planned Parenthood. We'll bring you more news from Lufkin in the coming months as their struggle against PP continues.

New group against Planned Parenthood in Morgantown, W.Va.

Planned Parenthood is trying to open a new clinic in Morgantown, West Virginia. Upon hearing the news, pro-lifers in the area formed a new effort, Planned Parenthood Hurts Girls.

PPHG's leader, Angela Franks, has written a book about Margaret Sanger's eugenics philosophies and is dedicated to keeping Planned Parenthood out of Morgantown. Anyone in West Virginia interested in getting involved in this struggle can contact her at:

Angela Franks, Coordinator
Planned Parenthood Hurts Girls
c/o WVFL- Monongalia County Chapter
P.O. Box 1479
Morgantown, WV 26507
Phone: 304-296-5741
Email: pphurtsgirls@yahoo.com

Pro-Family Law Center wins critical rulings against Planned Parenthood

We recently brought you information on the finances behind Plan B and the deal Planned Parenthood had worked out with its owner, Barr Pharmaceuticals. We were able to obtain this information because of documents filed in lawsuits brought by the Pro-Family Law Center of Southern California. The law center and its chief attorney, Richard Ackerman, have won rulings from two separate judges that will allow them to move ahead with their cases.

These cases have the potential of exposing Planned Parenthood's shady deals and shine the light of truth on its operations. We congratulate Mr. Ackerman for his legal expertise and tenacity and ask you all to keep his work in your prayers.

Planned Parenthood loses funding in Florida county

Led by Ronda Storms, the county cuts funding to a teen educational program

TAMPA - The idea came from Hillsborough County Commissioner Ronda Storms: eliminate funding for a teen educational program sponsored by Planned Parenthood. Commissioners went along with her Thursday, while expressing none of their personal feelings about the nonprofit group that supports women's reproductive rights.

But Storms had made her feelings clear in a conversation last week, said Barbara Zdravecky, who oversees Planned Parenthood in 15 counties, including the Tampa Bay area.

Storms supports life - Zdravecky remembers hearing her say - and Planned Parenthood supports death.

"I have to say I was pretty shaken," Zdravecky said. "I'm used to taking hits. But I was surprised at her lack of humanity." Zdravecky, other nonprofit officials and proponents had just finished lobbying the commission the night of July 21 and were standing around after nearly three hours of budget discussion.

They wanted commissioners to give them $39,500 during the next two years for Source Teen Theater, a $130,000 program in which Tampa teens teach other kids about such topics as sexual activity, drugs, gangs and family violence.

Storms remembers the conversation, too. She had called for Planned Parenthood's removal from the budget. Zdravecky asked her to reconsider. Surely, Zdravecky asked, the commissioner must support preventing teen pregnancy, even if she doesn't support Planned Parenthood. "There is nothing you can say or do for me to support you," the commissioner said, according to Storms' version of the conversation. "Thank you very much for your comments."

But Zdravecky pressed on.

"I am pro-life and you're not," Storms remembers saying. Storms thanked them and told them she could not support the request. She even remembers that she smiled at them.

She told them that their organization is "pro-death from its founding." She told them how Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger advocated eugenics - the study of improving hereditary qualities by controlling human reproduction - as her basis for supporting abortion.

In an interview with the St. Petersburg Times, Storms continued to make her case.

Pro-Life Memorial Day at Planned Parenthood on October 3

The effort by American Life League to establish the first Monday in October is gaining steam all across the nation.

Current endorsers include: Bishop Michael A. Saltarelli, Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware; Bishop Michael Sheehan, Archbishop of Santa Fe, New Mexico; Bishop Edward Kmiec, Diocese of Buffalo, New York; and Rev. Jerry Falwell; Rev. Don Wildmon; Royce Dunn, president and founder, Life Chain; Mary Ann Kuharski, director, Prolife Across America; Thomas Hilgers, M.D., Pope Paul VI Institute; Colleen Parro, director, Republican National Coalition for Life; and the Office of Pro-Life, Marriage and Family Ministry for the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio.

This year's event will be on Monday, October 3, 2005. See details and get supplies at: www.ProLifeMemorialDay.com.

STOPP is encouraging every opponent of Planned Parenthood to gather on that day outside of your local Planned Parenthood facility and remember the babies. Can you imagine the effect when Planned Parenthood employees, in each facility it operates across the country, look out their windows that day and see pro-lifers all wearing the same shirt and all remembering the babies? It will be an event that will rock their foundations.

We ask you all to plan on holding memorial services outside of PP on that day and to let us know what you have planned. This is a rare opportunity for you to do something in your town that will be part of a nationwide effort to remember the babies.

There is an official Pro-Life Memorial Day t-shirt we encourage all to wear. Note: All T-shirt orders must be received by September 25, 2005.

See you all outside of Planned Parenthood on Pro-life Memorial Day, Monday October 3, 2005.

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