Here is GA Right to Life’s statment (on Handel) - it hasn’t changed that I can see:
Mrs. Karen Handel Oversees $1.2 Million Grant
for Planned Parenthood
Dear Friend
Mrs. Karen Handel is not pro-life, regardless of her statements to the contrary and despite her “many pro-life endorsements”. During her tenure as Chair of the Fulton County Commission, Planned Parenthood received $1.2 million over three years. The initial award amount in March 2005 was $425,568 along with two renewals for September 2005 and October 2006; each for $425,568. The total amount of the award was $1,276,704. We have a transcript of the meeting (available on our website) which clearly indicates that she did not raise an objection or speak-out in any way against the original provision which ultimately funded Planned Parenthood each year, for three years at $425,568/yr. She voted “YES”.
In her own words she defended the action,
“Because of the criteria, regulations and parameters of the grant, Planned Parenthood was the only eligible vendor approved to meet the state criteria. Additionally, none of the services were related in any way to abortions or abortion related services.”
This statement is an evasion of the truth. All truly pro-life legislators and candidates are aware that the money which Fulton County taxpayers provide to Planned Parenthood go toward paying salaries and other non-abortion overhead; this, in turn, allows for other undesignated money to be used for the “services” that are mentioned in the grant.
“Vendor is recognized nationally for providing excellent, culturally appropriate reproductive health services to women and teens.”
“Culturally appropriate reproductive health services”, as any pro-lifer knows, is a euphemism for abortion. How many children died as a result of this $1.2 million grant to Planned Parenthood under her oversight?
On March 16, 2005 the Fulton County Commission met to discuss five funding requests for various “services” provided to the county. They ranged from providing concrete, to monitoring storm drains, trash disposal and fence repair. There was sharp debate on the issue of trash disposal, but sadly Chair Handel had nothing to say regarding the $425,568.00 of funding to Planned Parenthood which was item number two. Item 2 elicited no debate. Trash trumps children.
From the March 16, 2005 minutes:
“A motion was made by Commissioner Lowe and seconded by Commissioner Riley to approve numbers 1, 2 [Planned Parenthood], 3, and 5.” (click here)
Commission Chair Handel: “All right. Please vote on one, two, three and five.” (click here)
“The motion carried by a unanimous vote of 7-0-0. Commission Chair Handel, Vice Chair Darnell, and Commissioners Pitts, Riley, Lowe, Boxill, and Edwards voted yes. (click here)
Commission Chair Handel: “That item’s passed. I need a motion to hold four, please.”
(click here)
She asked for a motion to table a trash disposal bid, while remaining ominously silent on provisioning America’s leading abortion provider and filling their coffers with taxpayer funds, that in turn, released other revenue to fund abortions and abortion referrals.
From the grant (contract is available on our website):
“Purpose: Planned Parenthood of Georgia, Inc. will continue to provide family planning services to a minimum of 5,000 unduplicated users. Services will be available on a walk-in basis to the target population.”
Mrs. Handel alleges (on her website) that these funds were appropriate and used only “to provide screening for sexually transmitted diseases, cervical and breast cancer.” However, no where in the grant does it so stipulate. It does mention a “target population”. When we consider that all of Georgia’s Planned Parenthood “clinics” are located in majority minority neighborhoods, it throws a new light on “who” the “target population” is. Couple that fact with the fact that Georgia, according to the CDC, kills proportionately more black children through abortion than any other state in the nation and Mrs. Handel’s silence is chilling.
Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in the US. Nationwide, the organization is responsible for one out of every five abortions in the US. Planned Parenthood receives 33% of its revenue from government grants and contracts such as those supplied by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under Karen Handel and funded by taxpayers.
Georgia has one of the ten highest abortion rates in the nation. In 2006, Fulton County had the highest number of abortions in the state. Fulton accounted for 15% of all of the abortions in Georgia.
For these and many other reasons please reject Mrs. Handel’s pro-life claims. Georgia Right to Life has rejected her claim through the years and we are not alone. The Susan B. Anthony List, a nationally acclaimed organization with ONE purpose . . . to elect pro-life women, has chosen not to endorse her candidacy. What does this say of her false claim to being pro-life?
Please vote as if someone’s life depended on it; because someone’s does.
http://app.e2ma.net/app2/campaigns/archived/31756/de0071d70b7ff645eff2253b53f35aaa/
And here is their explanation on supporting Deal (posted today)
Setting the Record Straight
Lawrenceville, GA, July 26, 2010. Georgia Right to Life PAC (GRTL PAC) is proud to support Nathan
Deal in his bid to become the next Governor of Georgia. He firmly opposes abortions except in cases
where the life of the mother is at stake. Regarding his 1993 vote appropriating funds for fetal tissue
research and Planned Parenthood, Mr. Deal stated, “a lot of us were not fully convinced of who
Planned Parenthood was and what they were doing with their money,” according to Access
NorthGa.com’s article entitled, Abortion Divides GA. GOP Gubernatorial Rivals (7/25/2010).
Over the years, Mr. Deal’s opposition to Planned Parenthood has increased. Mr. Deal says, “…it was
a personal change of opinion. It was one that I had prayerful thought about for a very long period of
time…” He had discussions with his “minister, friends who are religious advisors and friends with the
pro-life community.”
Since 1997, Nathan Deal has had a strong pro-life record as evidenced by a rating of 90% and
above from National Right to Life (NRLC) and, since 2001, he has received a rating of 100% from
NRLC. Georgia Right to Life welcomes converts like Mr. Deal to the pro-life position just as it
welcomed Zell Miller & Ronald Reagan.
Karen Handel says she does not support the mission of Planned Parenthood but as the Fulton
County Commission Chair she approved over $1.2 million in funding for the organization over 2005,
2006 and 2007. During the March 16, 2005 meeting, the Fulton County Commission discussed five
funding requests for various “services” provided to the county. They ranged from providing concrete,
to monitoring storm drains, trash disposal and fence repair. There was sharp debate on the issue of
trash disposal, but sadly Chair Handel had nothing to say regarding the $425,568 (one of three
installments) of funding to Planned Parenthood which was item number two on the agenda. Item 2
elicited no debate.
She approved the contract that states, “Vendor [Planned Parenthood] is recognized nationally for
providing excellent, culturally appropriate reproductive health services to women and teens.” As
many pro-lifers know, “culturally appropriate reproductive health services” defined by Planned
Parenthood includes abortion referrals and services.
When her approval of the Planned Parenthood funding was discovered, she backpedaled by stating
the Planned Parenthood clinics would have received the funding anyway because, according to
KarenHandel.com, it was a “pass-through grant from Congress…” If that is the case, why not vote
“no” to support pro-life principles?
The same $1.2 million dollars that Karen Handel used to fund Planned Parenthood could have been
distributed to other Title X clinics across the state of Georgia that provide the same “reproductive
health” services as Planned Parenthood, except these clinics neither provide nor profit from abortion
services.
Nathan Deal took responsibility for his vote 17 years ago, described his change of heart and has
been a staunch supporter of the sanctity of life ever since.
“We need a true conservative as the Governor of Georgia who is willing to say “no” to the federal
government, stand on principle and take responsibility,” states Nancy Stith, the Executive Director of
the GRTL. “Nathan Deal has demonstrated that he is the candidate for Governor of Georgia who is
able to do just that.”
http://www.grtl.org/docs/SettingtheRecordStraightPressRelease7262010.pdf
___________________________
I’m not a “one issue” voter, I oppose Handel for other things she’s done or not done, but I did want to put out there where GRTL stands on all this.