I was asked today by a reporter if any groups in Iowa were targeted by the IRS. I didn’t know at the time. I now have my answer. The Coalition for Life of Iowa when it was applying for tax-exempt status received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service requesting details about their prayer.
The excerpt of the letter in question…
Please explain how all of your activities, including the prayer meetings held outside of Planned Parenthood, are considered educational as defined under 501(c)(3). Organizations exempt under 501(c)(3) may present opinions with scientific or medical facts. Please explain in detail the activities at these prayer meetings. Also, please provide the percentage of time your organizations spends on prayer groups as compared with the other activities of the organization.
Wow, wow and wow…. Apparently the folks that wrote this didn’t realize that churches who are also 501(c)(3) organizations (usually) pray a lot and offer opinions all of the time. So the idea they can only present opinions with “scientific or medical facts” is categorically false.
This on top of the news that the Treasury Department knew about this scandal back in 2012. Surely they didn’t keep it quiet to shield President Obama did they?
The letter is below after being made public by the Thomas More Society:
Shane Vander Hart
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Churches don’t protest Planned Parenthood. That’s a political stance and this phony org doesn’t deserve tax exempt status. Quit mooching off the government!
Your logic is flawed. Is the government sending them money? Getting to keep money donated (hence the word non-profit) is not mooching off the government.
Your facts are wrong. Donations should be taxed This is not a social welfare group. This is a political group. Glad the phony tp groups were targeted.
Considering most pro-life groups are 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) I don’t think I’m the one who is wrong in this instance.
Of course you are wrong. I’m not the only one calling you out on your ignorance re:non-profits. But that’s what happens when you attend Bible College, I guess. BAHAHAHA
I guess the fact I worked for non-profits almost my entire adult life, I’ve read up on the incorporation process, and have spoken with several attorneys who specialize in this is totally irrelevant. I mean you are the *expert* after all.
Honey, being a janitor for a non-profit doesn’t make you an expert.
No, but serving in leadership and serving on non-profit boards does. What exactly are your credentials?
I’ve never been a janitor.
Dude, you’re a right wing nut job. An embarrassment to this great nation. End of Story. There’s a good reason you and your ilk are considered a National Joke.
Oh, I attended a liberal arts college.
So now not only do I know you’re a pathological liar, God does, too!
Trinity International University is a fully-accredited Christian liberal arts college, not a Bible college.
They are only a political group 501(c)(4) if they lobby for specific legislation. Even then the donations are not taxed, they are just not tax-deductible.
Unless your church meets in the parking lot of a Planned Parenthood you’re not an educational organization and probably don’t need to be tax-exempt.
No churches are considered religious charities and are eligible for 501(c)(3) designations. Having been a pastor, churches are educational – just probably not the type of education you’re looking for.
My point was that harassing Planned Parenthood doesn’t mean you should be tax exempt. That anti-choice group isn’t a charity, an educational group, or a religious institution. As such they shouldn’t be tax exempt.
Ah, but murdering babies SHOULD be tax exempt, huh? You poor, deluded, scumsucking little liberal…
1) Planned Parenthood primarily provides educational service (less than 10% of their services are abortion related).
2) it’s not a baby, it’s a fetus.
3) if you’re such a committed Christian: forgive me.
So I guess you are a doctor and you could medically determine when a child is a child. I guess you are glad that your momma didn’t abort you because she recognized you as a child and not a fetus or glob.
And that 10% figure doesn’t hold water. In 2009, in NYC, 80,000 abortions took place with 47% of them African American. In 2011, 1.2 million abortions took place.
So much for 10%.
1) Not a doctor (are you?) but I can certainly go to a dictionary and look up the definition of fetus and baby.
2) Actually, I’m glad because I was healthy and without complications. If I was going to be born with Down’s or my mother would have died giving birth to me abortion would have been preferable.
3) You’re assuming that all of those abortions took place at Planned Parenthood.
Referring to a premature infant as a fetus is a way to dehumanize a rapidly growing baby. Are you sure you want to be a part of that group?
The one that believes women should be allowed to control their reproductive destiny? Certainly. Do you want to be a part of the group that opposes IVF?
Should an innocent premature infant have any rights? Over 3,220 are killed a day. 1.21M abortions in 2008.
You didn’t answer my question. If you’re not a hypocrite you oppose exceptions for rape and incest as well as opposing IVF. A premature infant is not a fetus.
Do you think it’s possible to love both Mom & baby? I think we can do a better job.
You’re still not answering my question. Listen, I wish no one had to get an abortion, but I’m glad they have a choice.
Where do you place value on human life? The victim doesn’t usually get a choice.
A sight that I have found helpful is the Endowment for Human Development partnered with National Graphic. They share fascinating videos of a growing baby. My favorite “A burst of growth” 10 weeks & response to light.
You did not answer my question either. It’s okay to discuss ideas & agree to disagre. No need for name calling such as “hypocrit”
yes I did, I said that a premature infant is not a fetus, you’re comparing apples and oranges. I didn’t call you a hypocrite, I said if you were anti-choice but were fine with IVF and abortion in cases of rape and incest you were a hypocrite.
Fetus is a term. What is a fetus? –Human unborn young. A rapidly developing baby with unique characteristics that will never again be duplicated. You are unique! I prefer not to use dehumanizing language.
55 million babies were harassed by slaughter. 17 million African American babies were harassed by slaughter.
The church doesn’t believe in harassment. We believe in life as afforded to us by the Creator. How dare we destroy a child to bury an “inconvenience?”
Every day, 1000 abortions take place. In NYC in 2009, for every 1000 African American babies that make it alive, 1498 babies die at the hands of Planned Abortionhood. With 165 Planned Abortionhood clinics throughtout the country, they are strategically placed in African American and Hispanic neighborhoods.
Abortion is a deliberate strategic operation to systematically kill off African Americans. As the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Clearly, there is a conspiracy to deliberately kill off our people in the womb. The most dangerous place for the African American is the womb. Abortion is a clear and present danger to us, as well as to others. Adultery and fornication is the root cause of 98% of abortions in the US.
Planned Abortionhood claims that abortions should be legal, safe, and rare. Hardly rare when you see 55 million babies killed in 40 years. Hardly safe when you factor in Tanya Reeves.
These statistics makes Germany lenient and America as a better exterminator than Hitler and Germany in exterminating the Jews.
So before you accuse the church of harassing Planned Abortionhood, just know that every lie will come under the light of truth.
There is no conspiracy, and unless you can provide proof beyond quotes from a century ago, I don’t really care to entertain that theory.
I hope you’re consistent: do you oppose abortion in cases of rape and incest, do you oppose IVF?
As someone who is Jewish I find that comparison patently offensive. I’m sure you’ll agree with me: no one should be forced to have an abortion. However, to compare a woman exercising her right to choose (again, I’m pro-CHOICE, I believe the choice should be left to the woman) to control her reproductive destiny to the systematic slaughter of the Holocaust is ignorant to the extreme. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Your statistics don’t match up (1,000 abortions a day only adds up to 15 million abortions in 40 years) and your concern for Tonya REAVES is so deep you can’t even spell the woman’s name right.
Abortion is a legal medical procedure. Get over it. Quit forcing others to believe exactly what you believe.
They certainly are educational. They provide information on this particular issue, they provide information about other alternatives, and they help people who are facing that “choice.” I don’t believe you understand the law in this area. Now arguably Planned Parenthood could not be considered a non-profit since they actually make a profit off of some of their services.
In my experience these groups don’t provide information, they provide pseudo-science, lies, and doctored photographs while harassing women at these clinics.
Also, look up what a non-profit is because it appears YOU don’t know what that means.
They are not educational. They provide false information as well. They don’t help people facing that choice. They force and intimidate. PP, on the other hand, does provide accurate medical information. They will remain a non-profit and they deserve that status. Funny how the people who want to force women to bear these children are all old white men. Just a matter of time before…well…you get the picture…….
Most of the most passionate people in the pro-life movement are women. Most of the groups are led by women. Your point is really irrelevant (and untrue) and fortunately the IRS isn’t supposed to make their decision based on your or my opinion on what is “educational.”
SHough610 is correct. These groups don’t provide educational info, they provide lies based on pseudo-science. Most groups are not lead by women. I battle you morons on a daily basis. (just got some of you arrested in my state) You will never force your stupid religious beliefs on another US Citizen. It that clear enough for you, zippy?
Obama loves abortion and hates Christians.
More of the War on Children
So, I’m a Christian, a member of the Tea Party AND I subscribe to Life Site News, am very pro life and vocal about all three! I guess I am on multiple lists at this time.
If you’re applying for tax exemptions for being a religious group rather than a party political action committee this is a reasonable question.
Actually it is not a reasonable question. It shouldn’t matter what a group prays about. We have a little thing called the First Amendment.
Yes. And that First Amendment allows you to pray to whatever god you believe in and however you choose. It does not allow you to be tax exempt though.
No one is stopping you from praying.
Yeah, if it’s wanted. Quality of life over quantity.