Catholic university honors Planned Parenthood director at graduation
On June 2, John Yarmuth, a pro-abortion congressman in Kentucky, spoke at the 2007 commencement ceremony for Spalding University.
Spalding University claims to be "rooted in the Catholic tradition," but invited Yarmuth to speak at the school's commencement and receive an honorary doctorate. Local pro-lifers complained to the Archdiocese of Louisville, but the archdiocese refused to try and stop Yarmouth's appearance. STOPP received a report from one local pro-lifer that he was told that, because Yarmouth is not Catholic, the archdiocese didn't see a reason to cancel the planned event.
This answer came despite John Paul II's message in The Gospel of Life of the obligation to defend human life: "This task is the particular responsibility of civil leaders ... No one can ever renounce this responsibility, especially when he or she has a legislative or decision-making mandate."
In addition to being a pro-abortion congressman, John Yarmuth also is a member of the board of directors of Planned Parenthood of Louisville.
Well, despite protests, the event went ahead last Saturday. It was reported to STOPP that, as Yarmouth was delivering his talk from the podium, Archbishop Thomas Cajetan Kelly, O.P. was seated on the stage behind him. The presence of a Catholic bishop at a speech given by a director of Planned Parenthood held at a Catholic university is tremendously scandalous. Who knows how many people may be confused about the teachings of the Church if they feel that the archbishop and the Catholic university endorsed Yarmuth and his pro-abortion ideologies?
We encourage you to contact Archbishop Kelly and politely remind him that "Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense" (CCC #2272) and to reiterate the 2004 statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops which stated, "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles." Ask that he issue a letter of apology to the Catholic community of Louisville and that he take steps to ensure there will be no repeat of this horrible affair. Archbishop Kelly can be reached by calling 502-585-3291 or by e-mail.
We also encourage you to contact Spalding University and insist that the school never again so scandalize the Church by inviting members of Planned Parenthood or any pro-abortion figures to speak or receive honorary degrees at their school. Dr. JoAnn Rooney, the president of Spalding, can be reached by calling 502-585-9911 ext. 2200 or by e-mail.
Planned Parenthood will continue to throw its political weight around
Last week, several pro-abortion groups and individuals attended the National Coalition Meeting for Causes in Common, a group that seeks to combine the forces of homosexual and pro-abortion organizations.
One of the individuals who attended the meeting wrote briefly about it in a post on Feministing, a pro-abortion blog. In her blog she passed on what she felt was "the quote of the morning."
She said that the director of government relations for Planned Parenthood Federation of America, in regard to politicians that oppose Planned Parenthood's philosophies said, "I want to spank these people, and I want them to know that if they go against us, we will go against them."
STOPP tried to get a copy of the quote from conference organizers, but we were told that the conference was closed. Although talks were taped, Causes in Common emphasized to attendees the importance of confidentiality so it would not provide a copy of the quote.
Since we have no reason to believe that the blogger, who is a supporter of Planned Parenthood, made up the quote, we present it here as an illustration of the Planned Parenthood mentality concerning elected officials.
New Planned Parenthood facility
Planned Parenthood of Indiana has opened a new 3,000 sq.ft. facility at 3570 N. Meridian St. in Indianapolis; only five blocks north of its previous location. This new facility is part of a program that PP has undertaken to upgrade its operation statewide to the tune of $7 million.
The funding drive for this expansion and renovation of PP's facilities in Indiana has already raised approximately $5 million. In addition to the donation of private citizens, the Kresge Foundation, an organization whose motto is "stronger nonprofits, stronger communities," agreed to bestow a grant of $750,000 to Planned Parenthood of Indiana if PP raises the remaining $2 million by the end of the year.
STOPP has worked for years with pro-lifers in Indiana and had the privilege of praying with them outside the old PP abortion facility in Indianapolis. We know these dedicated people will continue their opposition to PP at its new killing center. We look forward to the day when we can join them on the streets in front of the new facility and to the time when we can celebrate the closing of all PP facilities in Indiana.
We also encourage our readers to contact the Kresge Foundation and voice your outrage over their grant to Planned Parenthood. Write the foundation and make them aware of how bad Planned Parenthood is for our communities, how it kills babies, hurts women and indoctrinates children into perverse lifestyles.
The Kresge Foundation can be reached by calling 248-643-9630 or by e-mail.
Planned Parenthood plans for the future
In the Wednesday STOPP Report, we bring you short news items about Planned Parenthood and what people across the country are doing to fight them. Although this will keep you abreast of what is going on with PP, sometimes a more detailed article is needed.
These articles appear in American Life League's Celebrate Life magazine.
The latest issue of Celebrate Life features "None dare call it a conspiracy" by Jim Sedlak. It's about Planned Parenthood's plans to control people's real reproductive rights and how the Gardasil shots figure into those plans.
While you're at the web site, why not subscribe to the magazine? For less than $13 a year, you'll get all Celebrate Life articles about Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood denies being abortion giant
Last week, a reader of the Wednesday STOPP Report forwarded an e-mail in which Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards denied an accusation by a political strategist that Planned Parenthood is the most radical pro-abortion group in the country. While American Life League does not take any positions on any political candidates, we must comment when the truth is assailed, which is precisely what Cecile Richards has done.
According to Planned Parenthood's own data, it committed 264,943 abortions in its own business facilities during 2005. It did this by operating the nation's largest abortion chain--with 232 medical and surgical abortion facilities across the country--and continually fighting for the so-called right of every woman to kill her child through abortion.
The president of Planned Parenthood can complain all she wants, but Richards cannot erase Planned Parenthood's relentless attack on the innocent that has claimed more than four million preborn babies (in Planned Parenthood killing centers) since 1970. When an organization ends the lives of 5,095 innocent human beings every week--20 percent of all surgical abortions in the United States--it doesn't make any difference what else it does. Richards' attempt to deny that Planned Parenthood is the most radical pro-abortion group in the country simply has no basis in fact.
Planned Parenthood funding ban lifted in Texas city
In 2003, Planned Parenthood's funding through McAllen's Community Development Block Grant program, which provided HIV screenings, was transferred to the AIDS Council for a similar program. The transfer took place after many people realized that the AIDS Council could do the same work, but would not be overshadowed by the evil of promoting abortion as was the case with Planned Parenthood.
Last week, city commissioners reinstated local funding of Planned Parenthood in McAllen, Texas under the guise of educating people about HPV. Under the new funding the PP clinic expects to receive about $15,000.
The single vote against funding Planned Parenthood's HPV awareness program came from city commissioner John J. Ingram. When asked why he opposed the funding of PP, he mentioned a tremendous amount of phone calls and e-mails. "I've never had so many phone calls on an issue," Ingram said. He went on to say that, "I can't in good conscience approve this."
In the STOPP CD set, Jim Sedlak mentions the importance of calling city commissioners about Planned Parenthood funding. Jim mentions that in all of the communities STOPP has prevented, or removed, funding of Planned Parenthood we asked the commissioners the same question: "How many calls does it take for you to consider something a big problem?" From the smallest town to the biggest city, we have always heard the same response: three. It only takes three calls for a commissioner to consider something is very important because the majority of the time they never hear from anyone about budget issues.
However, Jim also points out in his talk in the CD set that this is three calls for each commissioner, not three calls total. Obviously if more calls to each person can be garnered, all the better, but remember that every member of the committee must be contacted.
In the case of McAllen, we can see that more pressure needed to be put on all of the commissioners to convince them to vote against funding Planned Parenthood. However, with regard to Commissioner Ingram's comments we can also clearly see how effective calling your local officials to defund Planned Parenthood can be.
Pharmacy refuses to stock abortifacient contraception
For years Planned Parenthood has been active in manipulating businesses into dispensing dangerous abortifacient drugs through legislation and threats from its supporters. You may remember a story in a past Wednesday STOPP Report where even the retail giant Wal-Mart has succumbed to Planned Parenthood's bullying.
However, last week Snyder Drug in Great Falls, Montana began giving notes to any customers who came in to fill a prescription for hormonal contraception. The note read that Snyder Drug would no longer be carrying these drugs by the end of May. One customer called one of the owners and asked why this new policy was enacted. The owner told her that these contraceptive drugs were dangerous.
Immediately Planned Parenthood launched a smear campaign and is encouraging its supporters to sign a petition that would demand that pharmacies carry the dangerous abortifacient contraceptives.
We congratulate Snyder Drug for doing its job as a pharmacy by making sure its customers are not hurt by dangerous drugs. We commend the pharmacy for standing up against a big business like Planned Parenthood and for refusing to be bullied into running their own business in any way other than how they see fit as private owners.
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