Jill Stanek's Pro-Life & Abortion News and Information

Planned Parenthood unaccountable to Government Accountability Office

2010-08-02T18:53:26Z

From a July 30 Washington Times piece by Rita Diller of American Life League:

Where's the money? That's the question on everyone's mind after reading the recently released Government Accountability Office report. The GAO numbers on money paid out to Planned Parenthood between 2002 and 2008 reveal an unaccounted-for $1.3B.

No answers have been forthcoming. In typical Planned Parenthood style, the abortion giant has done nothing to shed light on the question. In fact, it has done just the opposite....

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After weeks of investigation by ALL's Stop Planned Parenthood project, it appears the reason the GAO was not able to account for the expenditure of the great majority of the government money received is that PP will not produce its internal audits for the GAO to analyze.

Because of this, the GAO had to rely on reports filed by PP affiliates under the Single Audit Act, and those reports grossly underreport the amount of government money expended by PP.

The American taxpayers are left with more questions now than before:

Why didn't Planned Parenthood hand over its internal audits to the GAO as it did in 2001 in the face of a similar inquiry into its spending?

Why is the organization allowed to disregard the request of 31 U.S. senators and representatives to account for its expenditure of government funds? What is Planned Parenthood hiding?

Why do we continue to fund PP to the tune of $349M annually and not hold it accountable for how it spends that money?

Most important, why is an organization that kills more than 300k innocent unborn children each year sanctioned and funded by our government?...

... PP's national office used to publish 2 annual documents that gave elected officials and the general public an understanding of its operations. After all, because taxpayers provide at least one-third of Planned Parenthood's income, it is only right that we should at least know how the money is being used.

The first of those documents was PP's annual service report. It gave the reader a real inside look at PP's operation. Although that report has very valuable data and is still used within the organization today, the last time it was released to the public was 1992.

Planned Parenthood likes to portray itself as a trusted health care provider with a loyal following of clients. Yet that 1992 service report revealed that PP lost 43% of its customers in 1991. A look at other reports reveals it lost 41.9% of its customers in 1990 and 42.2% in 1989. This is not the picture of an organization with a loyal client base.

That 1992 report also told us that 42.7% of abortions at Planned Parenthood in 1991 were committed on minority women. This was despite the fact that minority women accounted for just 26% of the group's regular customers. In addition, previous service reports showed minorities accounted for 44.5% (1990), 40.7%(1989), 40.5% (1988), and 44.5% (1987) of abortions. In other words, Planned Parenthood's own data show that it targets minorities for abortion.

When these facts about client loyalty and the targeting of minorities for abortions were highlighted by pro-life groups, PP stopped making the service reports public.

Fast-forward to 2010. For the past several years, those opposed to Planned Parenthood have been making public the facts and figures from PP's annual reports. These facts have shown the ever-increasing number of abortions performed: 244,628 (2003), 255,015 (2004), 264,943 (2005), 289,750 (2006) and 305,310 (2007), and the huge increase in taxpayer funds going to the organization (from $265.2M in 2004 to $349.6M in 2008).

In the midst of all the controversy over the GAO report... it appears that PP... has decided simply to stop issuing its annual report.

We don't know how many abortions Planned Parenthood facilities performed in 2008 or 2009 because it is not releasing the numbers. We don't know the extent of government funding during its 2008-09 or 2009-10 fiscal years because it is not releasing the numbers.

If PP - a tax-exempt organization bankrolled to a staggering extent by the government - won't hand over its internal audits or let the public know the details of its operations, our government should stop handing over the taxpayers' hard-earned dollars to the organization....

[HT: Katie Walker of ALL; PP logo via 2SecondsFaster.com]

Jivin J's Life Links 8-2-10

2010-08-02T18:00:00Z

by JivinJ, host of the blog, JivinJehoshaphat

NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has what I would consider a glowing column about RU-486 abortions in developing countries. There's no mention in the column about complications or risks (including death) to women (except to say they're supposedly no greater than miscarriage) who attempt to abort their children using these drugs. We're told the only "serious downside" is that it can cause birth defects.

Kristof is almost giddy about women buying cheap abortion drugs and having illegal home abortions after taking the time to interview two abortion advocates, one of whom seems to be gung-ho about using RU-486 for later-term abortions.

The FDA has re-approved Geron's Phase I trial using human embryonic stem cells.

The editorial board of the Detroit News apparently doesn't care in the least about whether or not abortion is the killing of human beings. In an editorial about the MI governor's race, they claim jobs are the only thing worth talking about or working on:

The state has no time for a tug-of-war over abortion....

If a candidate isn't talking only about jobs, jobs, jobs, then he has no business in this race.

Lunch Break: Dad life

2010-08-02T17:00:00Z

To give us a break from the daily grind...

Email LauraLoo with your Lunch Break suggestions.

[HT: Bethany]

Stanek mini-vacation

2010-08-01T16:24:28Z

UPDATE 8/1, 8a: I wouldn't have planned 2 blog mini-vacations back-to-back, particularly in the midst of a titanic (what it's turned into) software move.

But meshing everyone's complicated summer scheduling means I had 4 grandsons visit last week for our church's VBS and am taking 3 grandsons (along with my dad, bless his heart) camping today through Tuesday afternoon. Kelli and the mods will again keep the blog afloat, and this time there will be some posting while I'm gone - Jivin J's Life Links, Susie A's (Prolifer)ations, and Laura Loo's Lunch Breaks....

]]> Hopefully while I'm gone the software move will be completed! Meanwhile, here are a few photos from last week, starting with a shot of the boys-will-be-boys wrestling in bed (click all to enlarge)...

This is us one night after VBS, wearing our "High Seas Expedition" (this year's theme) t-shirts...

And this last one is of the boys and Grandpa, eating ice cream after the VBS closing program...

UPDATE 7/29, 1:20p: Am sitting in the screened-in porch eating lunch with Grandson #4, who did not go home last night after VBS as previously planned. He's explaining the sound locusts make to me, among many other things. So bear with me as I take one more day of blogging vacation... :)

7/26, 1:08p: We have 4 of our 5 grandsons visiting to attend our church's annual Vacation Bible School through Wednesday, ages 9, 6, and 3x2.

In my old age am no longer equipped to multi-task, so I'm afraid my blogging must be put on hold until Thursday morning.

Our wonderful moderators and Kelli will still be hanging around the blog, so comments will remain open. Thanks!

Sunday funnies 8-1-10

2010-08-01T13:02:03Z

Couldn't find any political cartoons on our issue this week, but here were my top 5 favorites otherwise, beginning with liberal Joel Pett's hysterical inference that conservative journalists somehow have the bigger megaphone and are overwhelming Obama with propaganda, via GoComics...

... when here's the proven reality, by Michael Ramirez at Townhall.com (click to enlarge)...

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and more of the reality, by Clay Jones at GoComics.com...

... and yet more of the reality, by Steve Kelley at Townhall.com...

... and more, by Steve Kelley at Townhall.com...

Weekend question: What do you think of Time magazine's graphic cover photo?

2010-07-31T16:48:14Z

When I read about this, of course I thought of the graphic images pro-life activists use to show the reality of abortion. Consider our rationale to Time magazine's rationale for posting its cover photo this week:

Our cover image this week is powerful, shocking and disturbing. It is a portrait of Aisha, a shy 18-year-old Afghan woman who was sentenced by a Taliban commander to have her nose and ears cut off for fleeing her abusive in-laws. Aisha posed for the picture and says she wants the world to see the effect a Taliban resurgence would have on the women of Afghanistan...
I thought long and hard about whether to put this image on the cover of Time....

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I'm acutely aware that this image will be seen by children, who will undoubtedly find it distressing. We have consulted with a number of child psychologists about its potential impact. Some think children are so used to seeing violence in the media that the image will have little effect, but others believe that children will find it very scary and distressing - that they will see it, as Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston, said, as "a symbol of bad things that can happen to people." I showed it to my 2 young sons, 9 and 12, who both immediately felt sorry for Aisha and asked why anyone would have done such harm to her. I apologize to readers who find the image too strong, and I invite you to comment on the image's impact.

But bad things do happen to people, and it is part of our job to confront and explain them. In the end, I felt that the image is a window into the reality of what is happening - and what can happen - in a war that affects and involves all of us. I would rather confront readers with the Taliban's treatment of women than ignore it. I would rather people know that reality as they make up their minds about what the U.S. and its allies should do in Afghanistan.

Our story and the haunting cover image... are meant to contribute to that debate. We do not run this story or show this image either in support of the U.S. war effort or in opposition to it. We do it to illuminate what is actually happening on the ground. As lawmakers and citizens begin to sort through the information about the war and make up their minds, our job is to provide context and perspective on one of the most difficult foreign policy issues of our time. What you see in these pictures and our story is something that you cannot find in those 91,000 documents: a combination of emotional truth and insight into the way life is lived in that difficult land and the consequences of the important decisions that lie ahead.

Do you agree or disagree that Time should have shown so publicly displayed that distressing photo on its cover? Does Time's rationale for publishing its photo hold for pro-life use of graphic photos of aborted babies?

(Prolifer)ations 7-30-10

2010-07-30T22:43:00Z

by Susie Allen, host of the blog, Pro-Life in TN

Culture Campaign heralds NJ 's Gov. Chris Christie's veto of a bill that would have given a $7.5M grant for family planning to Planned Parenthood....

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Professor Michael J. New reviews Clarke Forsythe's book on pro-life political incrementalism, entitled Politics for the Greatest Good. Forsythe (senior counsel at AUL), discusses the incrementalist efforts of both William Wilberforce and Abraham Lincoln which led to the abolition of slavery.

Big Blue Wave discusses an Abortioneer's dilemma about whether she should tell a woman the truth about the abortion pill and what it actually does, or allow the woman to continue to believe it simply "bring[s] on one's period." Commenters on the Abortioneers blog think it's best to keep the woman in the dark. And they accuse PRCs of peddling misinformation?

Life Training Institute shows readers how to refute the "don't like abortion, don't have one" argument featured in a recent Birmingham Atheism Examiner article.

Wesley J. Smith objects to use of the term "murder" when discussing the killing of animals:

Murder is defined as the unlawful killing of a human being by another human being with malice aforethought.... Using the word 'murder' to describe the unlawful killing of animals is just another way to blur the crucial distinction between us and fauna.

The school year is upon us, and Mommy Life features some concerns regarding the National Education Association's continued support for abortion. It makes you wonder if these teaching professionals even like children.

Generations for Life gives us an update on their recent tour and applauds the knowledge and compassion of pro-life teens by including footage of an on-the-street exchange between a pro-life student and a pro-choice man. You can tell this student has been well-schooled in pro-life apologetics:

[Image via FirstThings]

Pro-abort prank call to police results in pro-life picket at Planned Parenthood

2010-07-30T21:14:15Z

Bryan Kemper of Stand True Ministries called me this morning with a great story, which he also blogged....

]]> Bryan and his teen troupe are in Castle Rock, CO, preparing to host a pro-life booth at this weekend's Heaven Fest.

Earlier today Bryan was awakened by a call from the nearby Longmont Police Dept. wanting to discuss his intentions to picket the Longmont Planned Parenthood. Someone had tipped the police off, Bryan was told.

Trouble was, Bryan had no plans to picket the PP... until he got the call. Bryan is pretty sure he knows the pro-abort who played the harassing prank - which backfired.

Bryan thought, hey, what a great idea, and took his teens to the PP and called me on location. What a hoot.

NARAL spent only 6.7% of the $10 million it promised during 2008 election cycle

2010-07-30T20:38:33Z

The Politico article I posted on earlier today included some interesting financials on NARAL:

Abortion rights groups have long lamented the challenge of conveying a sense of urgency to their supporters when their policy positions align with those of the ruling party. Shortly after Roe v. Wade... NARAL saw donations drop "'drastically' because supporters thought the battle was over," sociologist Suzanne Staggenborg writes....

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Thus, President George W. Bush... did serve a purpose as a figure for abortion rights supporters to rally against and raise funds off of. NARAL's political action committee, for example, had its flushest years during reelection bids of Bush and the 1st President Bush, hauling in $4 million in the 1992 election cycle and $3.2 million in 2004, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.

But with Bill Clinton in the White House, fundraising dropped to about $771,700 in 1994 and remained at similar levels throughout his two terms.

NARAL's PAC has raised just $526,431 to date in the 2010 election cycle.

"To be completely honest, it's really hard," said NARAL's political director, Elizabeth Shipp....

Actually, what's hard for NARAL is to be honest. Reading all that reminded me of a promise NARAL made several times to spend $10 million during the 2008 election cycle. For example, according to The Hill on September 5, 2008:

Hoping to drive a wedge between the pro-life GOP base and party centrists who favor abortion rights, NARAL Pro-Choice America plans to raise and spend $10 million to communicate to voters in 34 to 35 congressional districts and battleground states.

Today I wondered what those actuals were. And according to the Center for Responsive Politics, NARAL only spent a total of $672.1 thousand, or 6.7% of what it promised, on campaigns and candidates in 2008. Incredibly, NARAL spent about the same on administration and fundraising, or $663.2 thousand, as it spent on the election. That's pretty bad fundraising, if not shifty...

Bottom line, always remember that killers are liars.

Jivin J's Life Links 7-30-10

2010-07-30T18:00:00Z

by JivinJ, host of the blog, JivinJehoshaphat

How much does Planned Parenthood love Barbara Boxer? Enough to spend a cool million to help her keep her job. If Boxer loses, who else will get up and make such a fool of themselves defending partial-birth abortion?

CO pro-lifers are protesting a Catholic hospital where an OB/GYN who also performs abortions at Planned Parenthood is on staff...

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Reached at home following the protest, [Dr. Richard] Grossman (pictured left) said he was "very happy" he lives in a country where we can speak our minds."

He said that, as a Quaker, he objects to depictions of abortions as sinful. He said licensed medical professionals provide greater care than "garage mechanics" or people who care only about money.
"The reason I perform abortions is because I'm a Christian," he said.

He denied that he performs "late-term" abortions, a term which he said has no medical definition.

When asked when life begins, he said, "Personally, I believe in the strength, intellect and fortitude of women. When a woman says a fetus is a person, I think it is one. I believe the woman empowers the fetus."

A mother is suing her child's school district for forcing her to remove her pro-life t-shirt:

According to earlier Sun-Star reports, a McSwain Elementary School 6th-grader said she was forced by school administrators to remove her abortion opposition t-shirt in 2008.

... The lawsuit claimed that the district violated [the student's] free speech rights, right to due process, conducted an unreasonable seizure of her property and committed battery by forcefully grabbing the girl's arm.

[Grossman photo via examiner.com]

Lunch Break: Hoops and YoYo - Pour us a cup of coffee

2010-07-30T17:00:00Z

To give us a break from the daily grind...

Email LauraLoo with your Lunch Break suggestions.

[HT: Mike S.]

Politico: Pro-lifers "bullish," pro-aborts "skittish"

2010-07-30T15:28:27Z

There's a good Politico piece this morning entitled, "Abortion groups caught off guard." For starters I was happy Politico omitted "rights" after "Abortion," a word that gives pro-aborts a psychological edge.

Multiple topics were covered in the article, so I'm going to write 2 or 3 separate posts. The following excerpts focus on the deflated pro-abort movement:

Anti-abortion groups leapt into action last month when the National Right to Life Committee warned that elective abortions would be covered under a PA insurance program created by the health care reform law....

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The Susan B. Anthony List and the Family Research Council blasted the news to the media and supporters. NRLC began scouring other state plans for similar provisions. Top congressional Republicans sent a letter of protest to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

And within a day, the anti-abortion groups got what they wanted: a nationwide ban on coverage for most elective abortions in the so-called high-risk insurance pools, a position reaffirmed in a HHS regulation released on Thursday.

Abortion rights advocates were caught completely off-guard....

Planned Parenthood and NARAL didn't publicly petition HHS until after the new ban was imposed. And it took sympathetic Democrats on the Hill a full 10 days to write a letter expressing disappointment with the HHS -- and even then, they were so squeamish about the issue that they never even used the word "abortion" in their protest.
For abortion rights advocates, the HHS episode was both a reminder of the health reform battle they lost and a warning about the risks ahead: Having a president on their side doesn't mean they can sit back and expect success....

"We're stuck in a slow backpedal," said Laura MacCleery, government relations director for the Center for Reproductive Rights....

Even with many allies in Washington, reproductive rights groups have not found the city particularly hospitable. All the reproductive health groups that Politico spoke with said they were not consulted on the decision to bar elective abortion coverage in the high-risk pools.

"I don't see any evidence that there is a willingness to fight for important principles about access by women to constitutionally protected abortion services," MacCleery said...

Obama has been a strong defender of reproductive rights....

But Obama's signature legislative accomplishment - the health care reform law he signed in March - was a mixed bag for abortion rights groups....

On abortion, though, advocates have been bitterly disappointed. The health care reform law settled on a system under which insurers that cover elective abortion on the public exchange would be required to collect 2 payments from all subscribers: one for abortion coverage, another for everything else. Advocates criticize the requirement as overly burdensome and as a strong disincentive for abortion coverage....

The administration's decision to disallow abortion coverage in the high-risk pools and the lethargic response of the staunchest abortion rights defenders in Congress have left activists frustrated....

Reproductive rights groups are trying to remain optimistic. "There are some disappointments, but I think overall he has been a wonderful president for us," says PP's [Laurie] Rubiner, [VP for public policy]. "Nothing is perfect, right?"

But where pro-life groups are bullish - NRLC has released a 7-point plan on where it expects the abortion battle to flare - pro-choice groups sound skittish....

Sunday funnies 7-25-10

2010-07-25T14:10:34Z

Political cartoonist Michael Ramirez was on a roll this week. Here were his contributions to Townhall.com, all great...

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Weekend question: Are pro-lifers going to adopt all the unwanted babies?

2010-07-24T11:39:02Z

Read the following email chain...

So what is the pro-life answer to the question, "Why don't you people put up or shut up - pay for the care of pregnant mothers in crisis and adopt the unwanted or "defective" babies?"

(Prolifer)ations 7-23-10

2010-07-23T21:00:00Z

by Susie Allen, host of the blog, Pro-Life in TN

Live Action questions the lack of current yearly report from Planned Parenthood. The last one published was in 2007.

Pro Life Blogs posts good news from MI: abortions there declined by 13.9% in 2009....

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Albert Mohler responds to the discovery of a sperm bank for "celebrity lookalikes" by lamenting society's obsession with "good looks" as opposed to simply being healthy. Who decides what is beautiful?

Wesley J. Smith takes exception to a negative review of his book that states he doesn't address animal abuse as "debasing our humanity" when, in fact, he does.

Big Blue Wave has some excellent thoughts on an Abortion Gang post which reveals feminism isn't really about promoting women.

Catherine Palmer at Ethika Politika examines the stranglehold of abortion on "modern feminism":

To say that abortion is fundamental to a woman's equal place in society is one of the lowest blows against my gender; for to say this is to propagate one among several discriminatory, anti-woman beliefs inherent in the pro-choice mentality....

The responsible modern-day woman will go on the Pill so that her fertility does not become an undesired burden to society. Her biology is consistently high-maintenance and potentially expensive, so artificial birth control and abortion are necessary means of mastering her reproductive ability. On its own, a woman's body just isn't good enough.

To strip women of their distinct sexuality in the name of feminism is senseless. It suggests an underlying belief that only those qualities which are male are valuable, or worth celebrating, or deserving of respect. It propagates the lie that pregnancy is a problem up to women to prevent at any and all costs - even the cost of their own dignity.

[Photo by Planned Parenthood via Feminists for Choice]