Abortion fundraiser lists sponsors without their knowledge
UPDATE 3/21, 5p: Although Pro-Choice Resources claims it met its goal, doing so was done with eight fewer sponsors than it started with.
UPDATE 3/13, 6:20p: Awesome! Another supposed backer of this abortion bowl-a-thon has responded that he had no knowledge and wants out. I wonder how many ever really knew?
3/13, 5:16p: The 21 annual Pro-Choice Resources Bowl-A-Thon is undergoing scrutiny as never before, and the findings are revealing – particularly to sponsors who never signed up to support this abortion group’s fundraiser.
Brian Gibson, Executive Director of Pro-Life Action Ministries in St. Paul, Minnesota, sent emails to all the businesses listed on the Bowl-A-Thon’s sponsors’ page that weren’t aligned with abortion (like NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota and Medical Students for Choice) and heard back from five six (one more removed this afternoon) that they never gave Pro-Choice Resources permission to list them as sponsors.
“One went so far as to tell me the application filled out by PCR did not even include the name of the organization,” reported Gibson in an email alert. Shadiness, what a surprise.
Gibson reported to me that the names of all five have since been removed from PCR’s sponsors’ list. Here was one sample response:
Gibson told the businesses he would not publicize their names if they backed away from supporting PCR.
Phil Weber, owner of Park Tavern Bowling & Entertainment Center in St. Louis Park, Minnesota – a first time host of the bowl-a-thon – took the nefarious “It’s only business; wink, wink, I’m really with you” approach. Read his email and Gibson’s excellent response here.
Neverthless, at least Park Tavern’s name has been removed from PCR’s list of sponsors…
These six five (one removed after story posted) businesses refused Brian’s request to rescind sponsorship of PCR’s bowl-a-thon:
- Brave New Workshop Comedy Theatre (2 show tickets)
- Izzy’s Ice Cream (four ice cream cones)
- Peace Coffee (coffee beans, brewed cups)
- PedalPub (half-off tour)
- Time Out Fitness, whose owner, Jeanne Marie Schmit, got a bit snarky in her correspondences with Gibson
One of Pro-Choice Resources’ activities is to “provide[] no-interest loans, grants, and resources to teens and women who choose abortion but are unable to afford one.”
So sponsors and the bowling alley enabler are helping pay for abortions, some of them minors.
Gibson also notified Pabst Brewing Company that PCR is associating the Pabst brand with itself, and the company has responded that it is having its legal department investigate.
[HT: lead moderator Carla and reader Maria]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Says a lot about abortion when the pro-aborts have to hide who they really are in order to trick companies into sponsoring them!
Living near the Twin Cities, having bowled at Park Tavern, I refuse to ever be a patron at that bowling alley. Nice work Mr. Gibson and thank you for posting this Jill!
I live in Minneapolis, and I had to contact my family’s favorite ice cream shop to tell them we wouldn’t be back. Thanks for sharing, Jill.
I don’t understand what Weber and Schmit’s problem is… Why did they get so sketchy and defensive when asked a simple question?
Frankly, if I owned a business, I’d proudly sponsor any pro-life fundraisers, and have no problem whatsoever with broadcasting it.
Thank you Dani! Please contact Park Tavern and let them know.
Those that are proabortion have to try and puff up their numbers and try drum up support from others that do not support them.
Thank you Dawn!!
—The Time-Out Studio emails are odd; the woman infers that Time Out makes donations to pro-life causes, then asks that this be investigated.
Why doesn’t she just note what they, corporately, support? This is all obfuscation. My guess is that in her mind, this fitness studio does support pro-life groups, if you squint your eyes some, and glance at their donation recipient list from a distance. How much more trouble would it be to note that they give annually to a crisis pregnancy center? Or to some adoption-related organization?
I hope Brian Gibson does follow up, and ask.
Either way, he is correct: somewhere along the line, individuals and companies need to decide whether they believe abortion kills a human being or not. If so, then figure out the justification (mom’s right to a convenience abortion trumps baby’s right to life, the personhood issue, the sentience issue, the pain issue, etc.). If not, simply counter the claim that abortion kills a human being, end of discussion.