By Michael Farris
No doubt you’ve heard about Planned Parenthood in the news lately. They’ve been criticized for covering up the sex trafficking of minors, and they’ve come under media investigation. Their dishonorable techniques have once again been exposed by Live Action’s president Lila Rose. They have counseled an investigator posing as a pimp on how to avoid detection and yet get abortions and other related services for girls as young as 14 and 15. Of course, Planned Parenthood is utterly committed to the proposition that parents have no right to knowledge or consent of the activities of their teenaged daughters when they walk in the door of these deadly clinics. Even if the girls are being held as sex slaves, Planned Parenthood wants to keep both parents and government out of their grisly business.
And, of course, one of the most stalwart and effective defenders of the rights of Planned Parenthood to secretly perform abortions on underaged girls is the American Civil Liberties Union.
Lila Rose, a young woman raised by a fine homeschooling family in California, has taken on the giant of Planned Parenthood and she is winning. She is the example of the kind of young person that is sent forth to help America become a better place when parents are free to train their children in truth and uprightness.
The Opposition’s Deep Pockets
I was at a meeting last week with the Speaker of the House and other top leaders in Congress and the pinnacle of the talk was on Lila Rose’s activities, as well as a movement in Congress to defund Planned Parenthood – they received $363 million in government (tax payer) funds last year.
I pointed out that Lila Rose had been homeschooled and that we needed to be sure that the Parental Rights Amendment is passed to ensure that all parents have the ability to be involved in the crucial decisions for their children’s future.
There was a good reason that Planned Parenthood and the ACLU were on my mind during this meeting with the Speaker of the House.
Last week, when Montana’s Senate Judicial Committee considered a resolution urging Congress to adopt the Parental Rights Amendment (PRA) and send it to the States for ratification, Planned Parenthood of Montana, the ACLU, and the Human Rights Campaign (a “gay rights” organization) spoke against it.
For all their troubles now, Planned Parenthood remains a heavy hitter with an annual budget of $1.117 billion – and they have taken aim at the PRA. Not that they succeeded in this case – the resolution passed out of committee by a vote of 7-5 on Friday, and will now proceed to the Montana Senate floor.
But Planned Parenthood will not stop there. Like a cornered beast, they will lash out wherever they can, and right now that seems to mean our resolutions and Amendment.
Take Action
We cannot hope to counter the misinformation campaign of Planned Parenthood unless we all recommit ourselves to a deeper involvement in this issue. Remember, Planned Parenthood received $363 million from the federal government last year; we didn’t receive a dime. We are dependent on concerned partners like you if we are to keep spreading the truth. Please consider helping us in the following ways:
1) Please donate today. Advertising isn’t free. Our website isn’t free. Our staff is very lean and we need to be able to meet our obligations to them and their family. Our giving this year is down and we simply cannot lead this effort to victory without your support. We need your support in this crucial hour. If you can give on an ongoing, monthly basis, please check the appropriate box on the Donate form. But whatever you can give, please do it now.
2) Track the status of the resolution in your state and be ready to speak in its favor. Please email Michael Ramey if you can speak to a committee to support a resolution in your state. If you live in Montana, call your state senator now and urge him (her) to support SJ 9 in favor of a federal Parental Rights Amendment. You can identify your senator and find contact information here.
3) Get ready to fight in Congress. We have been working behind the scenes in the House to put together a new leadership coalition to lead our efforts to pass the PRA. Our former champion, Pete Hoekstra, retired from the House to run for Governor of Michigan. We have assurances from the GOP leadership in the House that they will help us push the PRA. I fully expect that we will have hearings, committee votes, and then floor action in the House this year.
This is our time to push the PRA through the House of Representatives. We need your help now more than ever. Being attacked by the likes of the ACLU and Planned Parenthood is a good sign that we are on the right track and that we are getting close to victory.
Michael Farris is President of ParentalRights.org, Chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association, and is the Chancellor of Patrick Henry College.