Is Curves Fitness Chain Funding Pro-Lifers?

Fox News ^ | Monday, May 10, 2004

[presidio9]

With its 30-minute workouts, no men, no mirrors and no exorbitant membership fees, Curves International (search) is the fastest growing fitness chain in America, helping more than 3 million women stay in shape.

But in San Francisco, Curves is being called out over abortion because owner Gary Heavin donates millions of dollars to anti-abortion groups.

Ruth Rosen at The San Francisco Chronicle (search) took issue with the pro-life, Christian businessman, writing in a recent op-ed piece that Heavin has given at least $5 million to some of the most militant anti-abortion groups in the country and Curves members who are pro-choice might want to take their business elsewhere.

Heavin denies giving any money to radical groups and said his company has nothing to do with the abortion debate. He’s accused Rosen and the Chronicle of trying to start a witchhunt.

[Made In The USA]

I hope they are funding PRO-LIFE!

[LiteKeeper]

Hope so!

[jwalsh07]

I'll let my wife know about this. We fund pro life organizations the best we can and if she can get in a nice workout at the same time, what the hey.

[dawn53]

I belong to a Curves gym! Tell your wife it's fun!!!

[EllaMinnow]

According to Snopes, it is TRUE.

http://www.snopes.com/business/alliance/curves.asp

[jwalsh07]

You bet. Thanks.

[jtminton]

It's true:

Snopes.com story

[bondjamesbond]

From my understanding of the story, Heavin is giving money to pregnancy crisis centers. The Chron story said he was giving money to political organizations that the Chron considers to be radical. The Chron has since retracted and corrected that statement.

[opus86]

A few months ago I read that Heavin is a Christian, so this doesn't surprise me. If Ms. Rosen and her ilk don't like it they can go to a gym that funds militant organizations like Planned Parenthood.

[dufekin]

Well, I guess the pro-fetus-killing blue-state women won't get any Curves. Not that they need any. (Sorry)

[jwalsh07]

To us, if he was donating to "radical" pro life outfits, that would be a bonus.:-}

[TrueBeliever9]

I will look to see if there is one near me and join if he supports pro-life. I stopped going to Olive Garden years ago because they give money to abortion groups.

[Phantom Lord]

No men? Where is Martha Burke and her demands of equality and inclusiveness?

[anniegetyourgun]

I suspect this is just a new tactic of the baby-killing Left. It's their form of the "mark of the beast."

[rrrod]

HMMMMM, let's see if I have this right..women with curves, pro-life company that helps women......sounds good to me!

[11th Earl of Mar]

Militant pro-life groups?

Name them.

[weegee]

As is typical with Snopes they show their bias (it always comes down to the framing claim). There are errors in the email that was circulated but the claim is given a TRUE (green) rather than SOMEWHAT TRUE/MIXED (yellow) identifier.

The text of the e-mail quoted above was written by Jon Carroll, a columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle. It appeared in that paper on 20 April 2004.

[snip]

Granted, some shortcuts were taken by Jon Carroll in his heads-up about Heavin. The "article in Christianity Today" was actually published in Today's Christian (formerly Christian Reader), a magazine put out by Christianity Today. Also, the "donates 10 percent of Curves' profits" is a misleading way of saying Heavin gave away that much money in 2003 — the wording implies he donates that percentage of Curves' profits on an ongoing basis, yet the source material this information was drawn from speaks only to one particular year (2003), not to any year before it, and not to any plans by Heavin to gift at a similar level in future years. Moreover, the Today's Christian article stated that Heavin donated an amount equal to 10 percent of Curves' profits to "charities," which Jon Carroll has represented solely as "anti-choice groups" — though Heavin does financially support pro-life organizations and might well give only to them, he might also donate to other manner of charitable groups as well, with the 10 percent figure representing the total of what he doled out in charitable contributions in 2003 to various causes, both pro-life and otherwise. Ergo, either Carroll mischaracterized or misunderstood what he read, or he based his statement on information outside that Today's Christian article

[olde north church]

Maybe he's just planning for a long-term customer base.

[pghkevin]

If Heavin (en) can't support life who can?