PLANNED PARENTHOOD: Good deeds documented

The CDA Press ^ | Saturday, Jan 31, 2009 | FATHER PAT BELL

[narses]

When I became a board member at Planned Parenthood of the Inland Northwest a few months ago, I was trained in my calling; but nothing could have prepared me for the letter to the editor by Hans Neumann of Spirit Lake that appeared on Tuesday, Jan. 27.

Mr. Neumann, whom I have not met, began with a rant, "Elections have consequences. We lost; they won, so they can do what they want for now."

As a clergyman for most of my adult life, I do not accept "them and us" divisions among and between people with differing views. Planned Parenthood supports keeping abortion legal because it protects women's health and lives. However, we never try to convince someone who opposes abortion they are wrong. Instead, we trust people and seek the middle ground. We understand that the only way to reduce the need for abortion is to ensure people have the family planning information and services they need to apply their own moral compasses and make their own decisions.

Hans Neumann may want to focus on abortion, but at Planned Parenthood our focus is on health care and prevention. Is there really anyone out there who is against the breast and cervical cancer screening we do, the testing for and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, the testicular cancer screening, the annual exams for women who are often too financially disadvantaged to afford anything but the sliding scales we offer to both Washington and Idaho residents? I trust not.

It is pretty clear that the voters of this nation are tired of vitriol being passed off as truth. I will say, however, that from my point of view there is no "we" or "they." And I have seen no indication that "we" have any intention of trying to run over our opposition on any issues.

FATHER PAT BELL

Hayden

[narses]

Comments are allowed without registration at the CDA Press. Speak up!

[narses]

+

Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:

Add me / Remove me

Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of interest.

Obama Says A Baby Is A Punishment

Obama: “If they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”

[farmer18th]

"...my point of view there is no "we" or "they."

A perfect statement of the "we" generation. There is no "they," because "we" kill them.

May hell open wide for this hypocrite.

[narses]

RESPONSE: Writer has it all wrong

Posted: Saturday, Feb 07, 2009 - 07:11:16 pm PST
Email this story Printer friendly version

 

I was totally floored reading the letter to The Press by Father Pat Bell published Feb. 1 as "Good deeds documented."

It is not my intent to attack the good father, as he did Mr. Neumann, but Father Bell is very, very wrong in asserting that there are no "we" or "they" when it comes to the issue of killing children in the womb. There is a tremendous division when it comes to pro life vs. pro choice Americans. For you to say that Planned Parenthood urges the "client" to take the middle (neutral?) ground is disingenuous at best.

At least a full one-third of PPFA's revenues for the year 2006 (2007 and 2008 stats are unavailable) were from abortions performed in their clinics. The other "services" performed by PPFA are barely incidental. Prenatal care? There were 96 abortion patients for every four receiving prenatal care at PPFA clinics in 2006. Adoption? The same year saw abortions vs. adoption referrals at Planned Parenthood at a 120 to one margin. Infertility? There was a total of only 316 infertility patients from all of PPFA's clinics for the same year, yet there were 289,750 abortions performed at clinics associated with Planned Parenthood Federation of America. These are your figures taken from PPFA's annual reports and tax returns.

Did you really mean to say, father, that "... at Planned Parenthood our focus is on health care and prevention?" I would contend that figures cited above are evidence that PPFA isn't much more than an abortion mill.

Father Pat, you are in a most enviable position right now to do God's work. You sit as a board member on Planned Parenthood of the Inland Northwest. Why don't you use your position to urge your fellow board members to consider giving up this vile, detestable practice of killing children and concentrate PPFA's efforts in all of the other areas that seem to shine for PPFA? Then again, with revenues looking to be in excess of $1 billion for 2009, of which more than one-third will come from your clinics, I guess I'm just dreaming.

I'll close with this shocker, father. Since it was God who said "I knew you before you were in the womb," it may very well be that He is a pro lifer. In fact I'll bet my life on it, just as you have.

RICHARD E. ALBERTS

Hayden

[mvpel]

Hans Neumann may want to focus on abortion, but at Planned Parenthood our focus is on health care and prevention. Is there really anyone out there who is against the breast and cervical cancer screening we do, the testing for and treatment of sexually transmitted infections, the testicular cancer screening, the annual exams for women who are often too financially disadvantaged to afford anything but the sliding scales we offer to both Washington and Idaho residents? I trust not.

Strawman arguments are all the abortion lobby has left in their repertoire, it would appear.

[CondorFlight]

“However, we never try to convince someone who opposes abortion they are wrong. Instead, we trust people and seek the middle ground.”

What kind of “middle ground” can there be? Isn’t this kind of like saying, “We never try to convince someone who is opposed to genocide that they are wrong. Instead, we trust people and seek the middle ground”?

[tx_eggman]

Leviticus 18:21

Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God.

[LiteKeeper]

SMOKE SCREEN ALERT!!!!!!!!!

[jdfromny]

I can envision this guy saying something like this whilst pressing the button for the gas chambers at some “Anti-Human Being Concentration Camp” run by the DNC.

[Campion]

“Father Pat Bell” is an Episcopalian, if anyone was wondering.

[Tennessee Nana]

Planned Parenthood supports keeping abortion legal because it protects women’s health and lives.
_____________________________________________

DUH...

Half the lives that are lost in abortions are women’s lives...

HELLOOOOO

[deannadurbin]

Where’s the barf alert for this article?

PP is the biggest abortion provider in the country. That’s how they make the bulk of their money. So stop with the cervical screening crapola, they can go other places for that stuff, and to doctors and midwives who do NOT do abortions.

[Faith]

Unfortunately, many churches and members of the “religious” community have rationalized their support of PP. The fact that our taxpayer dollars are going toward the murder of innocents is something that should eat at every American with a conscience.

[Faith]

Pray to end abortion.

http://www.40daysforlife.com

[LizardQueen]

In my area, PP was one of the lowest cost womens health clinics in the area and a help to those broke and/or without insurance.

I did go there when I was fresh out of college and without insurance and they provided a ton of cheap health care and birth control to a lot of people I know (including myself), so this guys argument is not entirely without merit.

They caught and treated my friends cervical cancer - she couldn’t afford a regular doc and would have been in deep doodoo without treatment.

In no way do I approve of the abortion side of their business, but at least in my AO they’ve likely prevented more unwanted pregnancies than they’ve ended (from the local stats I’ve seen re: # of abortions vs # of women treated and provided w/BC).

I’m no more a fan of abortion than you guys are but PP does have some value in its non-abortion services and discounting those ends up undermining the cause and makes people discount your arguments.

And some of those non-abortion services prevent the unwanted pregnancies that would be in danger of being terminated if they happened.

LQ

[narses]

And the Third Reich inspired and built the autobahn and the VW. Evil is still evil.

[LizardQueen]

So the fact that they provide services that prevents the evil from occurring in the first place means nothing to you, then.

Talk about throwing the baby out with the bath water.

I’d rather see them just shut down the abortion side and keep the other side of the business open.

The common sense solution to abortion is to prevent the unwanted pregnancies from happening in the first place.

LQ

[narses]

So the fact that they provide services that prevents the evil from occurring in the first place means nothing to you, then.

You talk about "services that prevents the evil from occurring in the first place" - meaning conception is evil?

[RobbyS]

Amen!

[LizardQueen]

No, the abortion is evil. But if someone who would have an abortion if they got pregnant avoided getting pregnant in the first place, how is that a bad thing?

LQ

[narses]

Abortion is the ultimate answer to failed contraception. If you fall for the contraception is good fallacy you end up supporting abortion.

Planned Parenthood is the brainchild and proud successor organization to the evil Margaret Sanger, a racist eugenist whose hatefilled evil continues to this day.

[MrB]

The common sense solution to abortion is to prevent the unwanted pregnancies from happening in the first place.

Gosh... wouldn't know how to do that...
Wait! Perhaps not having sex with someone who is not your husband might do the trick!

And perhaps we could encourage that behavior by not subsidizing out of wedlock births and abortions!

Wow! Why didn't anyone ever think of that!

[Mr. Lucky]

That’s one of the best letters to the editor ever written.

[LizardQueen]

Clearly, that is the best solution. But in case you haven’t noticed, humans are flawed hormonal impulsive creatures who don’t always keep it in their pants.

I’m a realist - humans are going to screw up no matter how hard you hammer home the abstinence message. And I’d rather they screw up using birth control than not using it and ending up ending a pregnancy.

LQ

[anniegetyourgun]

Most of which are apostate.

[MrB]

Thinking along the lines of incentives,

do you think there would be more or less extramarital sex (ie, biblical adultery)

if someone else wasn’t paying for the consequences?

Also, birth control fails, but it sure gives a false sense of security so that there are less disincentives for the behavior which we should be discouraging.

[wagglebee]

So the fact that they provide services that prevents the evil from occurring in the first place means nothing to you, then.

Which "services" are you referring to? Do you mean the distribution of abortofascients?

The common sense solution to abortion is to prevent the unwanted pregnancies from happening in the first place.

Then why has the rate of unintended pregnancy gone UP in the past several decades?

[wagglebee]

No, the abortion is evil. But if someone who would have an abortion if they got pregnant avoided getting pregnant in the first place, how is that a bad thing?

There is a 100% FOOLPROOF METHOD for avoiding pregnancy and it doesn't cost a penny.

[LizardQueen]

Honestly, I don’t think the gov’t baby payments have anything to do with most out-of-wedlock pregnancies (except maybe in the cases of welfare women who plan on getting more money per baby and plot accordingly. Or those pitiful girls who have a baby so “something will love them”, like the way you’d get a dog or a cat).

The times where myself or the people I know who screwed up (yes, I confess, I was a hellion and had a rather wild adolescence despite being raised by VERY strict Christian parents) the LAST thing we were thinking about was “oh, if I get pregnant the gov’t will pay me for it”.
Most thoughts beyond the immediate moment just weren’t there, except for a dim realization that maybe BC would be a good idea (and thank God for that dim thought or I would’ve ended up a statistic).

And no, BC is not foolproof. But it’s a helluva lot better than flinging caution to the wind and not using anything at all.

LQ

[MrB]

Honestly, I don’t think the gov’t baby payments have anything to do with most out-of-wedlock pregnancies

Statistics say your assertion is unfounded. You can directly chart the out of wedlock birth explosion directly to the introduction of welfare policy. Trending down before introduction of gov't baby subsidies, and shooting up afterwards.

[verga]

There is a 100% FOOLPROOF METHOD for avoiding pregnancy and it doesn't cost a penny.

There you go again using logic and common sense.

[LizardQueen]

Do you really think the genie can be put back in the bottle by cutting the subsidies? (honest question, I’m not trying to slam you).

Maybe it can, but I doubt our libtard society would permit the pain that it would cause (short term, until people got a grip and started keeping it zipped) to happen.

LQ

[LizardQueen]

True, abstinence works. WHEN PEOPLE DO IT (or don’t do it ;) ).

Unfortunately, as I said above, people are flawed and screw up and often don’t do what they should.

LQ

[MrB]

The only way I see it happening is the total default of the US gov’t, which is coming.

You can’t keep spending more than the GDP will support and not have a crash, no matter if you borrow, increase taxes, or inflate the currency.

It may be possible, however, for states to say enough of this destructive policy and stop distributing checks.

[farmer18th]

That’s all a bit like saying, “the Nazis kept the trains running on time.” The collosal evil of their central activity—killing children—complete overshadows any “good” they might be doing. Children of the devil, by their nature, can’t do any good.

[nothingnew]

Comments are allowed without registration at the CDA Press. Speak up!

I won't bother. It's too hard to talk to a nitwit let alone trying to reason with one. Thanks anyway.

FMCDH(BITS)

[wagglebee]

Moral Absolutes Ping!

Freepmail wagglebee or DirtyHarryY2K to subscribe or unsubscribe from the moral absolutes ping list.

FreeRepublic moral absolutes keyword search
[ Add keyword moral absolutes to flag FR articles to this ping list ]

[wagglebee]

Pinged from Terri Dailies

[SuziQ]

Is there really anyone out there who is against the breast and cervical cancer screening we do...

So is this why the Susan Komen Foundation gives money to Planned Parenthood?

[FDNYRHEROES]

Abortions have consequences...

[SuziQ]

Yeah, I was wondering, though I assumed he wasn’t a Catholic priest.

[SuziQ]

Unfortunately, as I said above, people are flawed and screw up and often don’t do what they should.

That includes those who SHOULD use birth control, but just can't seem to bother, because they
1. Are teenagers, and think they're 10' tall and bulletproof
2. Know they have a backup (abortion), or
3. Don't care because if they have another baby, they'll get more money from the govt.

[Gene Eric]

>> As a clergyman for most of my adult life,...
>> Planned Parenthood supports keeping abortion legal because it protects women’s health and lives.

So until the female becomes a woman, its life is not worth protecting?

The division between my Faith and the clergy folk who claim the right to its representation grows deeper every day. But who cares what this clergy guy thinks - abortion is first and foremost a humanitarian concern. You don’t need ‘religion’ to figure that out.

[MountainFlower]

EXCUSE ME? This is a priest backing PP? Did I read that right?? No freaking way! IF all PP did was those types of screening no one would bother them or care.

[MountainFlower]

your seeming logic excuses their behavior...our society is full of the 'pass the buck' or 'pass the blame game'. No excuse. Sin is sin. There isn't a "pick the lesser of 2 evils" here.

you want to excuse the contraceptives, but...abortefaceints are murder as well. They kill after conception. and the contraceptives are just another way to get away with inappropriate, sinful behavior. Outside of marriage it is wrong. Point blank. No questions. People want to continue living their sinful livestyle without having to face it, so...birth control and abortion... sacrifice innocence and the innocent on the alter of convenience and self-centeredness.

[MountainFlower]

PING!

[MHGinTN]

And he represents his father, not The Heavenly Father. Up is down and wrong is right, and Episcopalians are betray in a rush, with no fight. I left them in their demonic spittle.

[deannadurbin]

For Christian conservatives the bottom line should NOT come down to finances but BIBLICAL MORALITY. Are you going to give YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT to an organization THAT MURDERS MILLIONS OF INNOCENT BABIES? If you do that you are HELPING to fund them so they can MURDER MORE INNOCENT BABIES!

No matter WHAT other “services” they provide that should NOT matter to someone who makes the important decisions of their lives on MORALITY and not expediency or finances.

[verga]

Unfortunately, as I said above, people are flawed and screw up and often don’t do what they should.

So this means we should give up, roll over, and play dead. Parental / family abstinance education costs virtually nothing. Informing children/students over and over will have an effect. it will take time, but it is the only proven birth control.