By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
In the wake of new scandals and a pro-life controlled House that is determined to strip its funding, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards has released a You Tube video in which she begs supporters to help them fight back.
In the video, Richards refers to upcoming legislation aimed at defunding Planned Parenthood as “the most devastating legislative assault on women’s health care in American history, and an all-out assault on Planned Parenthood as a provider of care.”
She goes on to refer to the work of LiveAction, a youth-led pro-life organization that videotaped numerous Planned Parenthood employees covering up for sex traffickers of young girls.
“While we’re taking on this horrifying agenda, extremist groups have been using outrageous tactics to try to weaken our ability to fight back,” Richard says. “But we are fighitng back because, unlike our opponents, we care about women and families because we serve them everyday.”
Richard has good reason to fear. The lucrative funding stream of taxpayer dollars enjoyed by Planned Parenthood is in real peril on several fronts.
First, is the bill known as a Continuing Resolution (CR1) which would eliminate all Title X family planning programs, of which Planned Parenthood receives $75 million every year. It also calls for the reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy which denies funding for non-governmental organizations that promote or perform abortions overseas, a stipulation that would impact Planned Parenthood’s international operations. CR1 also eliminates a $55 million earmark for the UN’s family planning agency, of which Planned Parenthood also receives a share.
In addition to CR1 are two amendments that would further cripple Planned Parenthood both at home and abroad. Amendment No. 11, proposed by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), specifically prohibits all federal funding to Planned Parenthood through the end of this year. Amendment No. 262, submitted by Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) eliminates the entire budget ($440 million) for international family planning services.
“Planned Parenthood’s supporters in Congress are so shellshocked that they did not even, as expected, introduce their own amendments to restore funding for Title X and other programs,” writes Colin Mason of the Population Research Institute. “They knew they would lose!”
This is why Mason and other pro-life leaders across the country are urging their members to contact their congressman or woman as soon as possible.
“If we work together, we can defund Planned Parenthood and cripple, if not kill, the biggest abortion provider in the U.S.,” Mason writes. “Even if you have never called your congressman before, please do so now. Our message is simple: NO MONEY TO PLANNED PARENTHOOD.”
Click here to see the video
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