Planned Parenthood tries to silence the truth
A Sioux Falls, South Dakota school district is receiving complaints from a Planned Parenthood-led coalition regarding a full-page ad in the annual Sioux Falls public school directory. The ad came from the Alpha Center, a pregnancy resource center, and said, "Abortion hurts women" and "There is hope and healing at the Alpha Center."
Chris Cassidy, spokesman for South Dakota Campaign for Healthy Families, a coalition of Planned Parenthood, NARAL and a few other abortion-supporting groups, fumed, "It's definitely outrageous that not only is a political message delivered by a nonprofit, but also the fact that this political message is going home in children's backpacks."
What really has Planned Parenthood upset, of course, is that the ad reveals the truth that abortion hurts women and that there is help available. Planned Parenthood takes in over $118 million a year from its abortion business. Publicizing the fact that these abortions not only kill babies but also hurt the women who have them is bad for PP's business.
District policies restrict handing out any political material; however, the ad does not endorse or target any specific candidate or ballot issue, including South Dakota's soon-to-be-voted-on abortion ban initiative. Alpha Center is merely trying to help those who have been hurt by abortion and spread the pro-life message that abortion is definitely not the answer. Kimberly Martinez, Alpha Center's executive director, said, "Because this directory is going to parents in the Sioux Falls area, it seemed like an obvious place to advertise."
Cassidy said that the ad makes claims not supported by science and that there is no psychological harm caused by first abortions. However, according to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, "Martinez disagreed. She said more women have stepped forward recently looking for help, including one this week in response to the notice in the directory." Martinez also said, "No, I do not regret running the ad."
American Life League applauds the Alpha Center and encourages other pro-lifers to spread the pro-life message in any way possible.
Planned Parenthood sneaks into Dubuque
It met opposition; it was presented with a petition asking it not to come to Dubuque; there were protesters there before its "open" sign was displayed for the first time; it even encountered some rain on opening day; yet it still came when it wasn't wanted. Much to the citizens' dismay, Planned Parenthood opened its doors at 1766 Central Avenue in Dubuque, Iowa at 10:00 a.m. on August 21.
There were four protesters holding signs outside of the clinic as it was opening. One of the protesters, Ellen Markham, commented that the light rain coming down Thursday morning was "teardrops marking the opening of Planned Parenthood." Markham, Dubuque County Right to Life's recently retired executive director, discussed a coalition recently formed to fight Planned Parenthood: "We are a coalition to expose the truth about Planned Parenthood. I'm retired, but pro-life is in my blood. You can't let people kill children."
STOPP has been covering this story for several weeks now and has been kept up to date by Steven Brody, Dubuque County Right to Life's executive director. Planned Parenthood officials commented that there was a need for PP to offer Dubuque healthcare services. Maureen Ward, chairwoman of the board of Dubuque County Right to Life, commented, "It shows how arrogant Planned Parenthood is that they think Dubuque needs them. It's the height of arrogance."
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Planned Parenthood plays the victim
Planned Parenthood has been making outrageous comments ever since it began, and now pro-life activists in Illinois are asking that it be held accountable for its lies.
Planned Parenthood of Illinois has filed a motion with the Kane County Circuit Court to be protected from a libel lawsuit, Scheidler vs. Trombley. The lawsuit is in reaction to Planned Parenthood's comments about those who protested the opening of the Aurora, Illinois Planned Parenthood mega-clinic. Planned Parenthood of Illinois Director Steve Trombley sent a letter to the mayor and city council of Aurora, claiming that the protesters had "a well-documented history of advocating violence against both persons and property as well as other related criminal activity."
Eric Scheidler, plaintiff and communications director for the Pro-Life Action League, had this to say: "As you may already have heard, Planned Parenthood is trying to pervert the new 'Illinois Citizens Participation Act' into a license to lie about me, my father [the famous pro-lifer Joe Scheidler] and the Pro-Life Action League. It's a complicated case, but in a nutshell, Planned Parenthood is claiming that I filed my libel suit in order to intimidate them and keep them from having a voice in our local government."
PP is filing a motion under SLAPP, which stands for "Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation." SLAPP was created with the intent of protecting small grassroots organizations from larger corporations. "The billion-dollar Goliath is trying to misuse a law intended to protect David," Scheidler said. "If this motion stands, Planned Parenthood would be getting away with labeling peaceful citizens as domestic terrorists. It would give them a license to lie."
"Planned Parenthood's interpretation of this act is a 'SLAPP' in the face of the First Amendment in the United States," says Peter Breen, attorney for the Thomas More Society of Chicago, which filed the original libel suit. "This law is meant to protect the little guy who speaks out against big business wrongs and political corruption. If Planned Parenthood is able to twist it to its means, it would set a precedent that could be used by corporations to slander into silence anyone who opposes them."
American Life League has long worked with Joe Scheidler and the Pro-Life Action League. Please keep the case and the Scheidlers in your prayers. Planned Parenthood cannot be allowed to say whatever it pleases and then try to hide behind laws not intended for them when they might get into trouble.
Pro-Life Memorial Day only five weeks away!
Medical and surgical abortion has claimed the lives of 49,640,776 preborn babies since 1973. That number drastically increases if you include all those who killed by "contraceptives" that cause early chemical abortions. In memory of the babies lost, American Life League is sponsoring the fourth annual Pro-Life Memorial Day.
This year's Pro-Life Memorial Day will be on October 6. That date is the first Monday of October, which is the first day of the Supreme Court's new term.
"In 1973, through the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions, the Supreme Court took it upon itself to steal personhood and all rights associated with personhood from the preborn children of the United States," said Erik Whittington, director of youth outreach at American Life League.
American Life League has organized a large group of protesters to gather outside of the U.S. Supreme Court building and asks everyone to gather at their local abortion facilities and pro-life memorials around the country for prayer vigils, demonstrations and memorial services. Specially designed 2008 Pro-Life Memorial Day T-shirts and armbands are available at www.prolifememorialday.com. The web site is completely revamped this year and has some great new features.
"This year, October 6 marks the first day of the Supreme Court's new term and is a reminder to the nation that these children's hidden and court-sanctioned deaths will not be forgotten," said Whittington. "Pro-lifers are determined to end abortion, stand up for human life and proclaim the personhood of the preborn from the marble halls of government to the classrooms of our nation's schools. We invite the entire pro-life movement to join us in memory of our lost brothers and sisters and pray for an end to the atrocity of abortion."
Planned Parenthood closes teen theater
A small theater that was created to spread Planned Parenthood's lies to the youth of Carrollwood, Florida has been shut down. Planned Parenthood said that it closed its Source Teen Theatre because it wants to spend the money elsewhere.
Source Teen Theatre was open for approximately nine years, and encouraged students to write and perform "morality plays" on "teen issues," according to the Tampa Tribune. Students discussed drugs, bullying and sex. Planned Parenthood is known for spreading its agenda to high school students by encouraging them to come to a PP clinic and learn how to practice what they call "safe sex." "It's one thing to be told 'Don't do it because it could get you pregnant,'" said Bonnie Amson, former director of Source Teen Theatre. "But when you play the part of that pregnant teen, you really have to get into the character."
The program's closing is great news for the area's pro-life activists. There is now less PP influence in the lives of youth and fewer of PP's lies being spread to them.
The last remaining PP theater in this area is in Sarasota and has been open for 20 years. Please pray that this program is soon shut down as well.
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