In this issue:
Health care reform bill pushes public school clinics
Central Washington woman tells of unwanted abortion at PP
More problems with PP in Washington: PP Spokane overbills Medicaid by almost $630,000
Case dismissed: Pro-lifer arrested on trumped-up charges at Kansas PP abortion center
Dubuque County Right to Life announces Phase II of campaign against PP
Pro-Life Waco hosts STOPP’s national director
Health care reform bill pushes public school clinics
Central Washington woman tells of unwanted abortion at PP
More problems with PP in Washington: PP Spokane overbills Medicaid by almost $630,000
Case dismissed: Pro-lifer arrested on trumped-up charges at Kansas PP abortion center
Dubuque County Right to Life announces Phase II of campaign against PP
Pro-Life Waco hosts STOPP’s national director
Health care reform bill pushes public school clinics
One of the lesser known provisions of the health care reform legislation (House Resolution 3200) is that it has a section that specifically pushes school-based clinics. Long-time readers will recall that school-based and school-linked clinics have been one of Planned Parenthood’s strategies since at least 1986.
A recent opinion piece in the Dallas Republican Examiner looks into the real possibility that this could pave the way for Planned Parenthood to have even more access to our children. We encourage you to read the piece and alert your members of Congress to this additional threat in the health care reform bill.
Central Washington woman tells of unwanted abortion at PP
When she was 16, Christine Weideman was pressured into having an abortion at Planned Parenthood’s Kennewick, Washington, abortion center. She recalled,
I went to Planned Parenthood in Kennewick for a pregnancy test. They told me I was pregnant, then asked me if I wanted to schedule an abortion. It wasn’t five minutes since I had found out I was pregnant – I was still processing the shock – when they asked me if I wanted to go ahead and schedule an abortion. The lady was very cold. It was clear I was just one of millions to her. She couldn’t care less about me.
When Christine heard that Planned Parenthood was planning to open a facility in her hometown of Pasco, she briefly recounted the story of her painful, shocking abortion experience at a Pasco Planning Commission meeting in an effort to enlighten the commissioners and the public about Planned Parenthood’s true nature. Read the full, tragic story of her Planned Parenthood nightmare here.
More problems with PP in Washington: PP Spokane overbills Medicaid by almost $630,000
A state audit of Planned Parenthood of Spokane reveals that the abortion facility overbilled Medicaid by almost $630,000, which it must repay with interest.
According to the Abortion in Washington web site, the audit shows that PPS has been “overbilling Medicaid for condoms; charging for contraceptives without a prescription; 'unbundling’ abortion claims [separating costs such as post-abortion antibiotics, resulting in a higher rate than is allowed for the bundled services]; and claiming patients were having doctor visits when they were just picking up a prescription” as well as billing for pregnancy tests performed when pregnancy was not suspected and without medical necessity.
Dubuque County Right to Life announces Phase II of campaign against PP
A year ago, when Planned Parenthood opened a facility in Dubuque, Iowa, it hit a brick wall of opposition from Dubuque County Right to Life, an American Life League Associate group. The group decried this new “pipeline to abortion” and made good on its promise to have a peaceful, prayerful daily presence outside the center during business hours.
On the first anniversary of the PP facility’s opening, DCRTL executive director Steven Brody announced that his group is launching “a year-long multimedia advertising campaign that will utilize yard signs, digital billboards and stationary billboards, newspaper and radio,” according to Brody’s e-mail to Jill Stanek. The messages will challenge PP to defend itself by exposing the truth about the organization.
The billboards feature a poignant image of a blood-red child’s hand with a heart in the center. The logo can be seen on its Protest PP web site. Jill Stanekfeatures photos of two of the billboards on her web site.
At the August 17 press conference unveiling Phase II of its plan, Brody explained his organization’s reasons for conducting such an intense educational campaign against PP:
We believe that our children need to be protected from sexual predators in the community. We believe that families and the home are the places where sensitive discussions about sexuality should occur. But most importantly, we value life, as does a majority of Americans, based on recent polling conducted by major organizations such as Gallup, Harris, Rasmussen, Fox News, and Pew. We cherish and celebrate God’s creation. No child, created by God, should ever be sacrificed due to any alleged excuse of inconvenience. We will continue to be the voice for those who have no voice, and represent their right to life, just as we have done for the past 25 years.
Pro-Life Waco hosts STOPP’s national director
Pro-Life Waco, another ALL Associate group, is one of the flagship grassroots pro-life programs in Texas. Though the outreach operates on a modest budget derived from donations and is staffed entirely by volunteers, it delivers a powerful punch.
On August 9, pro-life supporters of many ages and faiths packed the parish hall of St. Mary’s Church in Waco for PLW’s monthly gathering. The second Sunday of each month, John Pisciotta, PLW’s director and an economics professor at Baylor University, cooks up a huge batch of his famous homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs, and along with his helpers, serves it up with huge portions of pro-life encouragement.
Rita Diller, STOPP’s new national director, was this month’s guest speaker. Her presentation focused on the avenues that were pursued to expose Planned Parenthood in the Texas Panhandle. The Amarillo campaign culminated in the closure of 18 PP facilities, with the two remaining facilities changing their names and disaffiliating from Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
“Waco is a success story in the making,” Rita assured the attendees. “If you continue to pray and persevere as you have, you are assured of the victory.”
You can contact Rita by e-mail: rdiller@all.org.
Case dismissed: Pro-lifer arrested on trumped-up charges at Kansas PP abortion center
In an apparent attempt to deny free speech rights to pro-life advocates, an employee of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City, Kansas, was arrested without warning at a Planned Parenthood abortion facility in Overland Park in March.
Alliance Defense Fund attorney Daniel Blomberg represented Carrie Kafka at the trial last week. An ADF press release stated that video evidence clearly showed that Carrie was not guilty of violating the law.
On August 12, the criminal charges were dismissed.
“Pro-life advocates shouldn’t be arrested on trumped-up charges and denied their free speech rights,” said Blomberg. “We are pleased that the court dismissed the charges against Ms. Kafka so she can once again exercise her First Amendment rights.”
