By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
Buying poinsettias is a beloved tradition at Christmas, but with the nation’s largest supplier giving much of its profits to Planned Parenthood, pro-life Americans are being urged to continue an ongoing boycott of these plants that has already had a substantial impact on the company’s sales.
The Paul Ecke Ranch of Encinitas, California, which supplies more than 70 percent of all poinsettias sold in America, has made no secret of its staunch support of “a woman’s right to choose” and has been contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars to Planned Parenthood clinics every year.
The family matriarch, Elizabeth “Jinx” Ecke, 77, became an abortion supporter 50 years ago while watching a friend nearly bleed to death after an illegally obtained abortion.
“She very nearly bled to death that night,” Ecke told the North County Times in 2005 at the dedication of a new Planned Parenthood Center in Carlsbad, California that she helped build. “I was a sophomore in college, and it was a horrible, horrible experience.”
Ecke said the experience made her a life-long supporter of women’s reproductive rights and she raised three children – Paul Ecke III, Lizbeth Ecke and Sara Ecke May – to embrace the same cause. As a result, they have all grown up to become supporters of abortion who have donated thousands to the nation’s largest abortion provider.
Several years ago, Paul Ecke III commented on this aspect of his upbringing when he told The San Diego Union-Tribune: “Our mother’s support and perseverance for causes deemed lost or unpopular were a regular part of our growing up . . . we licked a lot of envelopes, we made a lot of phone calls, we walked door-to-door to encourage people to vote. Those causes were for political campaigns, 4-H club, school bonds, Planned Parenthood and others.”
Life Site News reports that in 2005, San Diego based pro-life activist James Hartline decided to use his on-line report to organize and promote a national boycott of Paul Ecke Ranch Christmas poinsettias and his efforts seem to have paid off. The year 2007 marked the first time since the 1920’s that the Ranch decided not to produce its usual large crop of Christmas plants and instead licensed Armstrong Garden Centers to both grow and sell poinsettias under the Paul Ecke Ranch name. The Ranch went from growing and selling anywhere from 300,000 to 400,000 full-grown poinsettias each Christmas to less than 6,000 which are used mainly for promotional purposes.
Hartline is convinced that the ongoing boycott has affected the Ecke business. “I am convinced that our boycott has created major problems for Ecke Ranch. Without churchgoers purchasing their poinsettias, the Eckes will have a real hard time getting that extra cash they need to fund Planned Parenthood. Babies are more important than giving the Eckes blood money for their poinsettias!”
Poinsettia shoppers are being encouraged to continue the boycott this year and to inform their churches not to purchase product from this source. A list of brokers of Ecke Ranch poinsettias can be found at http://www.ecke.com/new1/brokers.asp.
They are also being asked to respectfully express their displeasure to the Paul Ecke Ranch by writing to questions@eckeranch.com or calling 1-760-753-1134.
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