After Komen, the Next Big Planned Parenthood Fight
Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) supports legislation that would prohibit Planned Parenthood, or any abortion-providing organization, from receiving federal dollars. The group said that many Planned Parenthood local affiliates have ample funds available and do not need a federal handout. DFLA would support redirecting federal funds to assist pregnant women.
Planned Parenthood will come out swinging, said Marilyn Musgrave, a former Congresswoman and director of the Susan B. Anthony List's "Votes Have Consequences" program. "Planned Parenthood will do everything they can to keep their brand from being damaged any more than it already has."
Planned Parenthood has responded rapidly to threats of defunding. Litigation is a key strategy, said Melissa Reed, vice president of public policy with Planned Parenthood Health Systems in North Carolina.
This has been somewhat successful already. In June, North Carolina's general assembly cut $434,000 in Planned Parenthood funding despite opposition from the governor. Two months later, a federal judge ordered the state to honor the Planned Parenthood contracts until the conclusion of a lawsuit Planned Parenthood filed, arguing that the defunding was unconstitutional.
Another strategy is education, Reed said. "One in five women turns to Planned Parenthood. Ninety-six percent of our services are preventative in nature, and we are an essential community provider. We are trying to engage our activists and educate the legislatures." If North Carolina's defunding goes through, Reed said, a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Durham would have to close.
That's exactly what pro-life advocates want. Musgrave said, "In my lifetime, I've never seen more members of Congress willing to work tirelessly to defund Planned Parenthood and stand up for the sanctity of human life. It's very encouraging to me."
Nevertheless, an April 2011 CNN survey found continued widespread public support for Planned Parenthood. The phone survey found that 65 percent of respondents favor continued funding for Planned Parenthood, while 35 percent backed defunding it.
Beckwith told CT that in the short term the pro-life movement might lose the defunding battle. But it's the long-term results that matter. He cited the landmark case Plessy vs. Ferguson, in which the Supreme Court upheld racial segregation laws. In time, however, segregation was outlawed.
"Just the fact that an issue has gone from unspeakable to speakable is itself a huge shift," Beckwith said.
Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra is a writer based in Chicago.
Copyright © 2012 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
Related Elsewhere:
Christianity Today reported yesterday on Komen's decision to end its Planned Parenthood funding.
In June, Zylstra reported on The New Pro-Life Surge, looking at the waves of anti-abortion legislation brought on by recent political developments.
In April, Tobin Grant examined various claims about Planned Parenthood funding.
More articles are available in our Life Ethics and Politics & Law areas, as well as our politics blog.
Sidelining the Stigma of Mental Illness
Starting a Dialogue with Hip-Hop
The Latest in Movie News, June 17, 2013
It's the Thoughts That Count
(on articles open to the public, you must at least register for a free account).
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Newsletters
Google
Comments
Displaying 4–6 of 21 comments
See all comments
Godslion Godslion Godslion
The murder of babies in the womb - falsely called abortion- is NOT health care, its death care! How can anyone who claims to be a Christian not be conflicted that 55 million babies have been murdered in the womb in this country since Roe vs. Wade legalized this monstrous act? Again God says he " hates the shedding of innocent blood!" What blood is more innocent than that of a baby growing in its mothers womb? Moreover the church has ALWAYS been involved in and AGAINST this practice for 2000 years! Moreover the penalty in the Old Testament for killing a baby in the womb was a life for a life! The solution to the baby murder problem is for women to stop playing the whore by having sex outside of marriage and for men to stop playing the whoremonger by having sex outside of marriage, and instead to live by Gods righteous standard and only have sex within the bounds of marriage as GOD COMMANDS! That would end 99% of baby murder in the womb! We need to listen to God!
Anonymous
Planned Parenthood saves the lives of women. Millions of women have depended on them for health care for many many years. 40 years ago they were my only source of health care. I, along with most other women will always support the work of Planned Parenthood. I am not conflicted in the least. I understand Christianity to support the lives of individuals. I believe satan is using the issue of abortion to divide the church. It is not an essential doctrine...if it were there would be more written about it in the Bible. It is not clear and we should not be. In the OT Law a woman's life was valued higher than that of her unborn. The punishment was significantly less if a crime resulted in the death of the unborn. That's about the only scripture we have to go on. Planned Parenthood takes care of women's health. It is not an issue the church should be involved in. Period.
BJ
Update: The Susan G. Komen Foundation has reversed its decision to cut funding for Planned Parenthood and apologized "to the American public," the Associated Press reports.(Feb 3)