[Coleus]

In This Issue

• Hawaii legislator accuses Planned Parenthood of interfering in state sex ed efforts
• Congressional committee demands information from Planned Parenthood
• National Day of Protest at Planned Parenthood grows to 300 locations
• More states cutting Planned Parenthood funds

Hawaii legislator accuses Planned Parenthood of interfering in state sex ed efforts

In the midst of all the uproar over Planned Parenthood’s involvement in baby body parts, another possibly illegal effort by Planned Parenthood has been brought to light by a courageous state legislator.  Planned Parenthood is noted for establishing long-term plans and then working relentlessly to carry out those plans. In 1973, the Supreme Court issued the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions that effectively decriminalized abortion throughout the country. At the time, newspaper reporters noted the rise in opposition to abortion and asked Planned Parenthood how it was going to ensure the decisions were not overturned.

On May 3, 1973, Dr. Alan Guttmacher, then president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, told the Washington Star newspaper: "Then how can the Supreme Court decision be absolutely secured? The answer to winning the battle for elective abortion once and for all is sex education."  Since that time, Planned Parenthood has been fighting the battle for abortion in school classrooms all across the country. It knows that its sex programs get more young people involved in sex. This increases the sale of birth control products—sold at a huge profit by Planned Parenthood. When the birth control products fail, as they all do, Planned Parenthood sells these same children abortions—garnering an even larger profit.

All this has played out over the last few years in Hawaii. The people of Hawaii have been fighting an outrageous program called Pono Choices, which we’ve covered in past issues of the WSR. Recognizing the rights and interests of parents, the Hawaii Department of Education changed the way sex education is taught and issued new regulations requiring that parents must “opt-in” to any sex program.  Planned Parenthood tried hard to undo this change and championed a bill in the legislature to do just that. The bill could not get support and died. Planned Parenthood then targeted the Hawaii Board of Education—which has the power to overrule the Department of Education. After intensive lobbying by PP, the Board of Education reversed the Education Department’s regulations and re-established an “opt-out” policy which virtually assures mandatory sex education.

While PP celebrates, Representative Bob McDermott (HD40 Ewa Beach) has sent a letter to the IRS asking it to investigate allegations that Planned Parenthood excessively lobbied the state legislature and the Board of Education in order to gain valuable curriculum development contracts in Hawaii’s public school system. 

Using Planned Parenthood’s own documents, McDermott showed the extent of Planned Parenthood’s activities and asked the IRS to look at seven specific points:

1. Whether the 501(c)(3) organization, now known as Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and Hawaiian Islands, conducted inappropriate "educational activities" or engaged in illegal and excessive lobbying based on the substantial part test or expenditure test. Per the Hawaii State Ethics Commission website, the 501(c)(3) organization has one registered lobbyist for 2015-2016 and her name is Laurie Ann Temple Field.

2. How are all their activities, including posing for photos on Facebook with state legislators on the grounds of the State Capitol building, considered "educational" as defined under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code?

3. What was communicated in their conversations with state legislators and members of the Hawaii Board of Education?

4. How frequently did the organization's lobbyist(s) communicate with state legislators and members of the Hawaii Board of Education? What do the Board of Education's visitor logs show?

5. How much time did the organization spend on lobbying activities, relative to other activities conducted by the organization?

6. How much money did the organization spend on lobbying activities, relative to other activities funded by the organization?

7. Did Planned Parenthood ever disclose their blatant financial conflict of interest as a curriculum advisor/developer when relentlessly lobbying for these changes at the Legislature and the State Board of Education?

ACTION: 

1) Pray for Rep. McDermott as he goes forward in this battle. 

2) Planned Parenthood pushes its sex programs in every state, especially focusing on middle schools. Please fight PP sex programs. Jim Sedlak’s book Parent Power!! will assist you in this fight. 
Congressional committee demands information from Planned Parenthood

On August 14, the House Oversight Committee sent a letter to Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, requiring her to submit the following information by August 28, 2015:

1. For each year from 2010 through present, provide the cumulative amount of funding that Planned Parenthood received from the federal government, and identify all program(s), grant(s), and other sources of the federal funds.

2. For each year from 2010 through present, provide all financial statements and annual reports, including but not limited to Internal Revenue Service Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax.

3. For each year from 2010 through present, identify and provide an accounting of all Planned Parenthood activities that were financed with federal funds, to include the specific amount of federal funds used for each expenditure.

4. For each year from 2010 through present, provide the cumulative amount of funding that Planned Parenthood received from Medicaid programs by state.

5. For each year from 2010 through present, provide a list of the 50 highest paid Planned Parenthood employees. Include the individual’s title, annual salary, bonuses, and any other compensation.

6. According to the 2013-2014 Annual Report, Planned Parenthood “supports 66 independently incorporated affiliates, operating approximately 700 health centers across the U.S.” Provide a list of these affiliates and health centers including a contact with phone number or e-mail for each.

7. Identify, specifically, what procedures services, or other medical treatments are available only or exclusively at a Planned Parenthood affiliate or health center that are covered by either a state’s Medicaid program or a health plan sold via a state exchange or HealthCare.gov under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Do not include services or procedures that could otherwise be provided by a private health care provider.

Clearly, the committee is trying to cut through the rhetoric and identify specifically why Planned Parenthood claims it is so necessary to the general public. Other sources have reported that, while there are only 662 Planned Parenthood centers in the country, there are over 11,000 Federally Qualified Health Centers that can do everything Planned Parenthood does except abortions. 

National Day of Protest at Planned Parenthood grows to 300 locations

As part of the current efforts against Planned Parenthood, a coalition of 53 groups, including American Life League and STOPP International, is calling for a National Day of Protest this Saturday, August 22, 2015, at Planned Parenthood facilities all across America. Our goal is to raise awareness of the heartless and even illegal activities of Planned Parenthood by going to where the killing and harvesting of body parts from aborted children takes place.   Creating a presence at neighborhood Planned Parenthood facilities is essential to inform the public about what goes on behind closed doors. Local sidewalk counselors and activists are a key component to shutting down Planned Parenthood in the long term.  The National Day of Protest will strengthen local efforts by raising their profile with the local press, the community, and other pro-life activists. Together, the protests held on August 22 will put pressure on the media, both local and national, to report the truth about Planned Parenthood, and on government officials to stop funding this discredited organization.

We encourage all the readers of the Wednesday STOPP Report to participate in this event.

What: Protest PP’s harvesting and selling of aborted baby parts

Where: Planned Parenthood facilities across America

When: August 22, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

As we were going to press with this edition of the WSR, there were almost 300 protests in 44 states scheduled for August 22. Join or start one in your area.

To find out more information, locate a protest near you, or start your own protest, go to ProtestPP.com.

See you on the streets on August 22. 
More states cutting Planned Parenthood funds

Despite efforts by the Obama administration to force states to provide Medicaid and other funding to Planned Parenthood, the momentum against PP continues to roll.  Last week, Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson reportedly ordered the Department of Human Services in the state to sever its Medicaid contract with Planned Parenthood.   Governor Hutchinson said, “It is apparent that after recent revelations on the actions of Planned Parenthood, that this organization does not represent the values of the people of our state and Arkansas is better served by terminating any and all existing contracts with them.”

In Utah, Governor Gary Herbert told the Utah Department of Health to “stop distributing federal funds to the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah,” Utah senate president Wayne Niederhauser said, “I wouldn’t support any more money going to Planned Parenthood. I think we ought to be looking at other organizations that are qualified.”   These two states join Alabama, Louisiana, and New Hampshire in taking money away from Planned Parenthood after the release of undercover videos at Planned Parenthood locations.

The Obama administration is warning states that they cannot stop Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood, but the governors have pointed out that the contracts signed by Planned Parenthood have clauses allowing either party to cancel the contracts with appropriate (15 – 30 day) notice.  Let’s all continue to praise God for the victories He is giving to people who have been fighting Planned Parenthood for so long. If we continue to pray, and act, it may be possible that Planned Parenthood may not survive to see its 100th birthday on October 16, 2016.

[Coleus]

9-2-15

In This Issue

• What a summer!
• Is Planned Parenthood needed?
• Imminent actions against Planned Parenthood
• Victory in Nebraska and Iowa

What a summer!

This has been an incredible summer in the fight against Planned Parenthood. Of course, the impetus for all the activity is the three-year undercover investigation by the Center for Medical Progress. The release of the first undercover video, showing the business of selling baby body parts, was released on July 14 and changed the effort against Planned Parenthood.  The reaction from news reporters and individuals alike all had the same sentiment. Most people had never thought about what happens to the body parts of the over one million babies who die by abortion every year in America. Most just assumed that the fetal remains were disposed of as “medical waste.” As disturbing as that idea was, the truth now being exposed to all the world is even worse.

Planned Parenthood recently admitted to Congress that, in those affiliates where baby body parts are harvested, it receives $60 per part. How many PP affiliates are involved in this grisly trade? It depends on whom you ask. Planned Parenthood told Congress in a letter that only two affiliates are involved. Then, later in the same letter, it said six were involved just six weeks earlier. The Center for Medical Progress says it has evidence that 14 PP affiliates have been involved. That’s almost a quarter of all PP affiliates. This is “business-as-normal” for Planned Parenthood.

Elected officials in states around the country reacted with outrage. Very quickly, states began taking steps to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood. Noting that Medicaid contracts with Planned Parenthood allowed either party to cancel with 15 – 30 days’ notice, states issued the notifications. Planned Parenthood reacted by whining that it is entitled to taxpayer money. It got its friends in the Obama administration to help, and the administration has threatened to cut off federal money to any state that cuts Planned Parenthood funds. Planned Parenthood has even taken some states to court, and the U.S. Justice Department is defending its position. As I write this, all these situations are still up in the air.

Everyday people have become so outraged at the situation that a coalition of over 60 pro-life groups called for a National Day of Protest at Planned Parenthood. That event took place on August 22 and over 78,000 individuals stood in front of 354 Planned Parenthood centers across the country. It was the largest single-day protest of Planned Parenthood in its 99 year history. A half-dozen locations had 1,000 people or more and the largest protest was one in which 4,000 people showed up in St. Paul, Minnesota.  In the midst of all of this, a majority of the United States Senate (54 senators) voted to support defunding Planned Parenthood at the federal level. We expect another vote in the Senate and a vote in the House over the next few weeks.

Here at ALL’s STOPP program, the phones have been ringing off the hook. State lawmakers talk about how to defund Planned Parenthood, and ordinary people ask how they can start an effort against Planned Parenthood in their own towns. Then there’s always the pressing question: When will the next video be released?  Yes, this has been the busiest and most fascinating summer in our 30-year history of fighting Planned Parenthood. For decades, those opposed to Planned Parenthood have prayed that God will end the reign of the terrorist organization that is Planned Parenthood. It is absolutely incredible to be in the center of the action when God decides now is the time to move.

Planned Parenthood thinks it is up against human beings and is trying everything it can to use its usual tactics to fend off its opposition. What Planned Parenthood doesn’t understand is that it is facing a series of events set in motion by God. Those opposed to this organization know the weapons that are needed in this battle—prayer and action.  In talking with reinvigorated STOPPers all across this nation, we find that the outcome is clear. In the not too distant future, Planned Parenthood will be no more. God always triumphs over evil.
Is Planned Parenthood needed?

Many people have argued for years that women need Planned Parenthood. We disagree.  Those who argue for Planned Parenthood often insist that Planned Parenthood is needed because it provides health care for poor people. What most people don’t understand is that a “poor person” is simply an individual or family who has an income that is less than 150 percent of the official federal poverty level. Here in 2015, 150 percent of the federal poverty level is $17,655 for an individual. Any person not making that much money is, by definition, a “poor” person.

Planned Parenthood says that 78 percent of its clients are at or below the federal poverty level. We know that 70 percent of Planned Parenthood’s clients are under the age of 25. Thus, its primary customers are high school and college students. Most people are not aware that, when a high school or college student goes into PP, only her own personal income counts. So any high school or college girl who does not make $17,655 is a “poor” person. These are the majority of the poor people at PP.

In addition to this fact, many people are seriously examining the question of whether or not PP is really needed to serve even these “poor” people. One research group that took on this task is the Charlotte Lozier Institute. This group released a study that concluded, “If Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, were to be defunded from receiving over $500 million in taxpayer funds per year, there already exist over 13,000 non-abortion providing federally qualified health center (FQHC) service sites and rural health clinics (RHCs) that could receive this sum instead and continue to provide comprehensive women’s healthcare.”  In other words, Planned Parenthood is not needed. If you go the link above, you will see two graphic images that clearly show that Planned Parenthood centers are dwarfed by the health centers in every state in the nation.
Imminent actions against Planned Parenthood

1. This Friday, September 4, at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, FOX NEWS is scheduled to run a one-hour documentary on the undercover videos at Planned Parenthood entitled Planned Parenthood - The Hidden Harvest.

FOX describes this report as follows: “This summer, a series of secretly recorded videos have exposed a business in fetal tissue. Already a number of politicians have called for the defunding of Planned Parenthood, a primary target of the sting, while others support the organization and call this just another salvo in the War on Women. The Fox News Reporting special Planned Parenthood - The Hidden Harvest delves into the controversy, featuring exclusive new details about the making of those videos, and investigating an industry and field of scientific research that many didn’t even know existed.”

2. American Life League is a member of the #WomenBetrayed coalition. On Thursday, September 10, the coalition is organizing the #WomenBetrayed: The Real Stories Rally & Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. The intent is to put pressure on Congress to pass a budget that does NOT fund Planned Parenthood. It hopes that Congress will then put this on President Obama’s desk for him to sign and defund the abortion giant once and for all. If not, he will show the country that he defends Planned Parenthood and its practice of harvesting and selling the body parts of aborted babies. Find out more information at WomenBetrayed.com. 

3. American Life League and STOPP International are active members of the #ProtestPP coalition. The coalition ran the successful National Day of Protest at Planned Parenthood on August 22, and is planning additional activities. We encourage all of our readers to visit ProtestPP.com on a regular basis to keep up-to-date on everything that is being planned.
Victory in Nebraska and Iowa

In the midst of all the activity we’ve described in this WSR, God granted a major victory to those fighting Planned Parenthood in Nebraska and Iowa.  In April 2011, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland announced plans to open a total of 12 new centers in the two states—six in Nebraska and six in Iowa. Planned Parenthood even named the communities in each state where it intended to locate its new centers.  At the time, the organization was operating a total of 28 centers in the two states. Once Planned Parenthood made its plans public, American Life League worked with concerned citizens in both states to stop this expansion.

The folks in Nebraska formed Nebraskans Against Planned Parenthood. The group put together an active plan for each community and invited Jim Sedlak to speak in each targeted town. Local people became very active and had petitions signed in an effort to keep Planned Parenthood out of town. A similar effort was run in Iowa by Iowa Right to Life.   Over the years, not only did Planned Parenthood not open the new centers, but it closed facilities in both states.   Then, just last week, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland announced it is dropping its plans to open the new centers! Praise God!

The actual number of Planned Parenthood centers remaining in the two states is 16—12 less than it had four years ago. Thus, Planned Parenthood actually has 24 centers less in the two states than it announced it planned to have.  Congratulations to all who worked so hard to successfully stop the Planned Parenthood expansion in Nebraska and Iowa.