Category Archives: General

Planned Parenthood Soundbites Just Aren’t Working

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
gallagher@paprolife.org

The soundbite machine at Planned Parenthood just isn’t working as well as it used to.

Unborn baby pictureThere was once a time when Planned Parenthood officials could deliver a focus group-tested soundbite to a news-hungry media and rest easy. Just repeat a few catchy phrases —“war on women,” “trust women,” “trusted health care provider,” and it was onto the next question.

But that was before undercover videos showed Planned Parenthood doctors nonchalantly discussing over salad the harvest of and compensation for baby body parts. Livers? Lungs? Legs? Heads? The American public had never heard Planned Parenthood talking about human organs, heads, and extremities before. What’s all that got to do with choice and women’s rights and breast cancer exams? I mean, those lunchtime conversations were just way off script.

We have been told there are more undercover videos to come, and that these will depict situations even worse than what we’ve seen so far.

Planned Parenthood has promoted itself as advancing the cause of women, but one has to wonder: How does it help a woman to illegally manipulate an abortion procedure to make sure that certain baby body parts remain intact? When the doctor is talking about crushing above or below to ensure that a specific part is preserved, it is clear that the abortionist is not thinking about the woman at that moment. The focus has completely shifted from the woman’s body to another’s body — the body of the baby. But the baby is treated as an organ factory rather than the distinct human being he or she is.

Planned Parenthood does not empower women. It tries to make them dependent on a non-profit with assets of more than $236 million. If a woman keeps coming to Planned Parenthood for her birth control and then she unexpectedly becomes pregnant, they can sell her an abortion, which boosts their clinic income. By giving presentations in schools, they can attract clients when they are young and hold onto them throughout their reproductive years through the emotional pull of brand loyalty.

Planned Parenthood consistently fights right-to-know laws, which require women to be told of the risks of abortion and its alternatives. If women are fully informed, they may in fact not want to patronize Planned Parenthood, and that would be bad for business.

In her recent interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Planned Parenthood chief Cecile Richards tried repeatedly to return to the old talking points: “highest standards,” “1 in 5 women depend on Planned Parenthood for health care,” “Planned Parenthood does not ever profit,” etc., etc.

But the trouble is, those soundbites just don’t work anymore. The national conversation has shifted to what actually happens to a baby’s body during and after an abortion.

And that’s not something Planned Parenthood wants to talk about.

Gov. Wolf Appoints Member of PA Planned Parenthood Board as His New Chief of Staff

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As Planned Parenthood comes under fire nationally for harvesting aborted babies’ organs, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf today appears to have appointed a board member of the abortion giant as his chief of staff.

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Mary Isenhour

According to a biography posted on the website for Mack Sumner Communications, Mary Isenhour, Wolf’s new top advisor, serves on the board of Planned Parenthood of Pennsylvania.

This part of her biography is not in the official state press release, perhaps conveniently so. Nationally, Planned Parenthood faces two federal investigations into whether the abortion chain is profiting off the sale of aborted babies’ tissue and changing the abortion technique for the purpose of harvesting intact organs, both of which are illegal. Watch the undercover videos that led to the investigations here.

Wolf himself served as a volunteer escort for Planned Parenthood at one time, according to Cecile Richards, CEO of the national organization.

In appointing Isenhour, Wolf sends a clear message that he continues to support the abortion giant, even as it is embroiled in scandal.

Second Planned Parenthood Video Raises More Questions

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A second undercover video of Planned Parenthood officials adds further evidence that the abortion giant may be profiting off aborted babies’ body parts and changing the way they do abortions to harvest them.

Tissue pictureIn the video, Dr. Mary Gatter, the president of the Planned Parenthood Medical Directors’ Council, sits down with undercover investigators posing as fetal tissue buyers. Watch the new video here.

First, Gatter explains that Planned Parenthood may be willing to change the way they perform abortions for the purpose of harvesting intact body parts. Gatter describes it as a “less crunchy” abortion technique and admits that it would violate their treatment agreement with patients. Then she dismisses the violation as a “specious little argument.” It also may violate federal law, which says no alteration in the timing or method of abortion may be done for the purposes of fetal tissue collection (42 U.S.C. 289g-1).

Gatter also claims, “I don’t think the patients would care one iota” about changing the abortion procedure. That’s a dangerous assumption.

The top Planned Parenthood official also seems to contradict herself about whether they profit from harvesting fetal tissue. At one point Gatter says they are not in it for the money, but later she emphasizes that they need a reimbursement cost that’s “big enough” to be “worthwhile for me.”

Gatter haggles with the company about the price per specimen. She ends by saying she wants to check with other Planned Parenthoods to see what prices they are getting per specimen before settling.

The exchange raises several questions:

  • If Planned Parenthood is really just receiving reimbursement for the costs of labor and storage, why doesn’t Gatter mention checking on those costs? She seems to be more concerned with making sure they receive a good price for babies’ body parts.
  • Is Planned Parenthood illegally changing the abortion procedure in order to harvest the tissue? Does this put women at greater risk of complications?
  • Are the women fully informed before they choose to donate their aborted baby’s body parts for research? Do women receive information about what will happen to their baby during the abortion? Are women told that Planned Parenthood may change the abortion technique in order to harvest their baby’s organs?

From an organization that aborts more than 300,000 babies and receives half a billion of our tax dollars each year, these questions deserve answers.

Planned Parenthood video brings Americans face to face with reality of abortion

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By now you probably have heard about the shocking undercover video of a Planned Parenthood doctor callously discussing how they harvest aborted babies’ organs for researchers.

deborahnucatola6If you have not seen the video yet, you can watch it here. Please be aware that some of the language is graphic. Abortion doctor Deborah Nucatola eats lunch and casually talks about crushing babies to death and collecting their tiny hearts, livers, and other body parts.

Yesterday, Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards created a video apologizing for her staffer’s callous tone. She didn’t, however, apologize for the actual disturbing part – the act of crushing and killing babies in the womb and then collecting their organs.

I think this scandal is waking up a lot of middle-of-the-road Americans to the truth about abortion. They are coming face to face with the gruesome fact that abortion kills, not a “blob of tissue,” but a human being with a heart, brain, liver and lungs.

Preborn babies are being pulled apart, cut up, or starved to death at the rate of 1 million per year in America. Their little bodies are being treated as commodities, their organs harvested for research. This video unmasks the reality of the “choice” that Planned Parenthood fights for.

I think columnist Timothy Stanely, writing for CNN, sums up the situation well:

“… what’s troubling about modern society is its habit of dressing up difficult things in comforting language — discouraging people from dwelling too hard on the realities of what they are doing.

“We’ve been too casual for too long about some of the terrible problems that lie around us — be they abortions or the poverty and desperation that can drive women to seek one.

“The Planned Parenthood video holds up a mirror to a society that has become compromised by horrors that it regards as ‘every day.’ The face of 21st-century America is Nucatola’s: discussing pulverized lungs and hearts between mouthfuls of salad.”

How I Found Abortion Advocates Targeting Teens at the Library

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A few weeks ago, I decided to see what a local library had available on the abortion issue. I searched the online catalog for “abortion,” “women’s rights,” and “feminism” and jotted down a few titles.

The book I found in the young adults section turned out to be the biggest surprise. I wasn’t surprised by its content, already being familiar with the author; but I was concerned that the library had it sitting in the “Young Adults” section. Curious, I checked it out and took it home. Over the next two weeks, my husband and I read and discussed it.

The tone of the book was just plain scary, considering its intended audience – impressionable teens. Had the author taken a educational tone that meant to inform young people about issues involving sex and abortion, I would not have been so concerned (even if I disagreed). This book, however, was – and I don’t use the term lightly – propaganda.

For example, the author encouraged sexual promiscuity and barely mentioned the potential risks of such behaviors: STDs, pregnancy, heartbreak, etc. Then she gave her “dos” and “dont’s” list. I found myself rolling my eyes when I read one of her few “don’ts”: having sex with a guy who is “anti-choice.”

The author also did a poor job (intentionally?) of explaining a young woman’s options if she does get pregnant. Unsurprisingly, the author encouraged young women to go to Planned Parenthood for all their needs. The author was very clear that never, never should a young woman go to a pregnancy resource center. They’ll just lie and manipulate her into – gasp – keeping her baby. And they’ll do it by offering her free, confidential service like rent assistance and diapers. Oh, the horror!

It’s not secret that the abortion industry, Planned Parenthood especially, targets young people. As pro-lifers, we need to keep a watchful eye for things like this book. My husband and I wrote a note to our library when we returned the book, explaining our concerns. And hopefully, in just a small way, we made a difference.

Why Does Society Push Abortion on Women in Crisis?

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One of the things that compelled me to work in the pro-life movement was when I began to realize that abortion isn’t a choice that most women want to make.

Abortion is sold as the solution to a pregnant woman in crisis. If she is poor or abused, if Sadwomanshe lacks support from her partner or family, if she is still in school, our society tells her she should have an abortion. Many times, it’s the only “choice” she is offered.

Our sister affiliate, Texas Right to Life, recently wrote about the issue for National Right to Life News Today:

Pregnancy magnifies these tragedies in the woman’s life, and the natural conclusion for many is that by eliminating the preborn child, the crisis will go away. In reality, the crisis remains without the child who seems to be exacerbating her ordeal. (Alithea Williams, a pregnancy center volunteer) shares the story of a woman who was utterly under the control of her child’s father. He had the power to have her deported or ejected penniless onto the streets. “She was completely dependent on him and he was physically and emotionally abusive,” the volunteer shared.
But forcing the woman to abort her child proved to be an effortless endeavor for the abusive man; he took her from the pregnancy center to the abortion mill, and the child was dead within hours of their encounter.
Abortion is portrayed as a woman’s right – an inviolable badge of her autonomy and freedom. And yet, every day countless women are forced and coerced into unwanted abortions, and the abortionists who operate under the auspices of “women’s rights” do absolutely nothing to counteract these disasters. “Silent complicity with abusive boyfriends is not what feminism has fought for,” said the volunteer.

A few weeks ago, I read about abortion advocates pushing the U.S. to provide abortions for the girls victimized by Boko Haram. As I read the reports, I kept wondering, is abortion really the best we can offer these victims? The more stories I read, the more women I talk with, the more I feel heartbroken that abortion is often the only solution our society offers pregnant women in crisis.

Thankfully, pregnancy resource centers are working hard to change that by helping both mom and baby through the crisis. They provide free pregnancy and parenting support, options counseling and more. If someone you know is pregnant and needs help, click here to find free, confidential, caring support.

It’s time that we remind our society: Why can’t we love them both?

Pro-Life Volunteers Offer Hope to Hurting at Creation Festival

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Last week, six volunteers and I ran a pro-life outreach table at the annual Creation music festival in Central Pennsylvania. This year, I was surprised by the number of people seeking post-abortion healing.

P1060071One man in his 30s came up to ask how he could become involved. He shared his desire to serve in inner city Philadelphia where he grew up. After talking for a while, he told me that he and his girlfriend had an abortion many years ago.

P1060077McKennaugh, one of our volunteers, talked with a teenager who asked a number of questions about abortion. Her face grew more and more troubled as McKennaugh kindly explained when a baby’s heart begins beating and showed her what a baby looks like at 12 weeks gestation. The teen then revealed that she had had an abortion. McKennaugh tried to console her and offer information about post-abortion healing programs, but she ran away.P1060103

Our volunteer Tiffany listened as another teen shared about how troubled she was by her sister’s abortions. Tiffany offered her information about pregnancy and parenting support, as well as post-abortion healing programs.

These were just a few of our experiences across the four-day festival. By the end, we had given away almost all of our post-abortion healing materials.

We do outreach at Creation every year, but I’ve never heard as many abortion stories as I did this year. Abortion is a painful, controversial topic; and most people avoid it — especially when it has affected them personally. But this year, people opened up to us.

I pondered the fact with our executive director yesterday when I returned to the office, and he suggested that it was because of our volunteers’ attitudes. Thinking back across the week, I believe he is right.

Our volunteers this year were young, passionate pro-lifers who approached people with the utmost kindness and compassion as they shared the truth about abortion. They listened and spoke in love, even to several pro-choice people who approached our table. I know at least one pro-choice person walked away impressed by what we said.

The experience reminded me of how important it is that we be approachable as pro-lifers, that we exhibit an attitude of love. Our young volunteers touched hearts last week by speaking the truth in love. They shared about post-abortion healing programs and pregnancy hotlines, answered challenging questions, and listened to people who just needed to talk.

And as a result, I believe more people today are finding access to the help and healing they need.

If you know someone who is hurting after an abortion, visit RachelsVineyard.org.

Papal Encyclical Sends Clear Message on Value of Life

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
gallagher@paprolife.org

I firmly believe that abortion is a civil rights issue–in fact, the most critical civil rights issue of our time. People of many different faiths–or no religious faith at all–can come to the conclusion that human life needs to be cherished and protected, no matter what the individual’s age or stage of development.

popefrancis42That said, faith leaders do play an influential and essential role in helping their congregations understand the importance of respecting life throughout its beautiful spectrum.

So it is newsworthy when the most Googled faith leader alive says something on the issue of abortion.

Pope Francis’ latest encyclical, Laudato Si’, is about the environment. Yet some pundits were surprised to see that it contains a pointed reference to abortion. The encyclical states:

“Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties? If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of the new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away.”

Pope Francis is sending a clear message–you can’t use your concern about the health of the environment to justify the killing of unborn children. It is especially significant because the Pope’s intended audience here is not just people who attend Catholic church on Sundays–but all people throughout the world.

The pontiff also talks about human life being a gift. Such a concept used to be a given in our society. However, with the push toward aborting babies who have disabilities, there is increasingly an effort to deny this fundamental fact of life.

But this is hardly the first time Pope Francis has spoken out about abortion. Before he became the leader of the Catholic Church, he once stated, “Defend the unborn against abortion even if they persecute you, calumniate you, set traps for you, take you to court or kill you.”

These are not the words of a man ambivalent about abortion. They are the thoughts of an individual who sees children as the world’s greatest resource–and knows the devastation caused by our modern throwaway culture. And it’s a message that’s not meant for people of one particular faith, but for all people of good will.

My Dad Showed Me What It Means to Be Pro-Life

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As Father’s Day approaches, I’ve been thinking a lot about how my dad (and mom, too!) helped to influence my work here at the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation.

Father At Home With Sleeping Newborn Baby DaughterMy dad just retired after 30-plus years as a pastor. Abortion wasn’t a frequent topic in his sermons, but he did speak courageously on the topic several times. More often, he preached pro-life through his actions: adopting my youngest sister when he was in his 50s, supporting local pregnancy centers, helping families with food, rent or heating bills, counseling couples, taking our church to the March for Life. And especially when it came to children, both his own and others, he went out of his way to make sure they felt welcome and valued.

When I was in elementary school, I remember my dad preached a sermon about abortion. I don’t remember the sermon, but I do remember what happened afterward. It was the first time I saw someone yell at my dad. A group of women had gathered around him after the service, and the atmosphere was tense. I watched one woman point her finger and yell at him for saying that abortion kills a baby, for “shaming” women.

But then I heard another woman’s voice cry out. She had tears on her face, but she was determined. She looked straight at the yelling woman and said that she had had an abortion — and because of my father’s sermon, she now knew the truth. She now could accept that her abortion was wrong; and though she was hurting, she could find healing. She let her defenses down and shared her painful past. She defended my father and thanked him in front of the others.

I don’t remember much else from that day, but that brave, hurting woman’s voice still echoes in my head. My dad spoke the truth in love and compassion, and that made all the difference to that hurting woman.

It left a lasting impact on me, too. My dad taught me to not be afraid to speak the truth, and to do it in a loving way. He showed me the reality that even when we fight for what’s right, there will always be people fighting against us – but we need to do it anyway. Because it’s through fighting for what is right that we can truly love others.

So, this Father’s Day, I just wanted to take a moment to thank my dad for showing me what it means to be pro-life, for doing what was right even when it was tough, and, most of all, for teaching me how to love others.

Thank you, Dad!

Hollywood Legends Were Haunted by Their Abortions

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By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
gallagher@paprolife.org

Hollywood is filled with the sad aftermath of abortion, and it has been for a long time.

patricianealThat was one of the surprising lessons I learned in the book “Oasis: Conversion Stories of Hollywood Legends” by Mary Claire Kendall.

I had picked up the book in order to discover more about the faith journeys of the cinematic stars of yesteryear. But what I came to realize is that many of these celebrities had been touched by the trauma and tragedy of abortion.

For instance, after screen legend Gary Cooper began an extra-marital affair with the actress Patricia Neal, Neal became pregnant. The book notes that the affair took an emotional toll on Cooper, his family, and Neal, “complicated by Neal’s pregnancy, which, to her later regret, she terminated.”

The actress Mary Astor, who starred in the movie “Meet Me in St. Louis” had an adulterous affair with a Fox executive and became pregnant. She chose to have an abortion and later remarked that the place she went to “committed such crimes under the fiction of ‘therapeutic treatment'” and gave her a “new burden of guilt to carry.” Years of painful substance abuse followed.

After the beautiful actress Lana Turner filed for divorce, she discovered she was pregnant. Her agent reminded her about MGM’s policy against having a baby while unmarried. She reluctantly had an abortion, and she later wrote that the abortionist nearly killed her as he took the life of her baby. During a subsequent pregnancy, she was pressured again to have an abortion because of career considerations.

In the end, these post-abortive women found hope and healing–but it was a long, painful path to travel. The sadness associated with these abortions lingered for an extended period of time. No amount of Hollywood acclaim could fill the holes in hearts that had been cracked open by the loss of their aborted children.

Reading the pages of the book, I wondered what the lives of these legendary actresses would have been like if they had only received support for carrying their lost children to term. How much heartache they could have avoided, how their lives could have been enriched, by these precious babies. They could have been the true stars of these actresses’ lives.

Hollywood has been promoting abortion for decades. But the American experience has taught us that abortion is not the solution to the problems that women face–problems such as lack of family support, coercion, and difficult relationships.

Abortion only creates additional problems that cannot be resolved in the length of a Hollywood movie. It can take years–decades even–for a woman to come to grips with the impact of her decision to abort her child. And that is a story few screenwriters are likely to tell.