Week in Review
‘Wednesday STOPP Report’: Planned Parenthood Facility Closes in Iowa
The latest Wednesday STOPP Report dropped this week. One of the articles details the closure of a large Planned Parenthood facility in Des Moines, Iowa. American Life League researcher Katherine Van Dyke wrote the following article reporting on the closure:
The Rosenfield Health Center, a large Planned Parenthood facility in Des Moines, Iowa, officially closed its doors last Friday. The news that the Rosenfield Health Center would close came in June 2023, after Planned Parenthood announcedit would shut down three of its nine centers in Iowa due to “staffing shortages” and “increased costs.”
Iowa law currently deems abortion legal up until the baby is 22 weeks gestation and includes all exceptions for abortion past this date in the baby’s development. Planned Parenthood of North Central States claimed it has seen a decrease in abortions since Dobbs v. Jackson but also that it has experienced staff shortages due to the “demand” from women traveling to get abortions in the state.
Because of the facility closures, Planned Parenthood of North Central States also announced a new plan in Iowa: to merge the staff at these former Planned Parenthood locations to its other remaining facilities in Iowa. Mazie Stilwell, Planned Parenthood of NCS’ director of public affairs, said this plan will help increase the number of abortion “services” done in Iowa:
This plan increases float staff in your health centers to meet the staffing needs. The staff will rotate between locations and fill multiple roles to better serve our patients in order to expand abortion access in Iowa and Nebraska. . . . We remain committed to providing our patients with the essential sexual and reproductive health care that they need. Every person deserves the right to control their bodies and futures. And these new changes will allow us to serve more patients and operate more efficiently in this ever-changing post-Roe landscape.
Unsurprisingly, Planned Parenthood is both monetizing and marketing abortion as “efficiency” while simultaneously destroying the lives of preborn children.
However, Planned Parenthood of NCS’ chief medical officer, Dr. Sarah Traxler, pointed to her reasons why Planned Parenthood was forced to undergo a staff merger back in June. She stated, “Since the fall of Roe almost a year ago, we’ve seen a 13% decrease in abortions in Iowa by Planned Parenthood because of a mandated, medically unnecessary 24-hour waiting period that went into effect last year, as well as staffing shortages in our health centers that provide abortion.”
According to Iowa Public Radio, “Traxler said there is burnout among health care staff in general, and she believes the hostility toward Planned Parenthood adds stigma and stress that contribute to challenges in recruiting and retaining staff.”
No matter what different answers Planned Parenthood gives for the shut down and merger of these facilities, the fact is that innocent babies will continue to be murdered and their mothers harmed as long as Planned Parenthood is around.
But we must have faith that our prayers and witness are working. While there is much work to be done in Iowa, the work we can all do first and foremost is to stay steadfast in prayer. Many people have prayed outside this abortion clinic in Des Moines, and their prayers and witness to life have surely impacted others along the way, whether that be staff or the mothers themselves. Though the future of abortion in Iowa remains uncertain, we can remain certain that our prayerful efforts for an end to abortion and an end to Planned Parenthood will not cease.
Charity Watchlist Now Highlights Over 100 Nonprofits and How They Spend Their Money
This month, the ALL research team has added over 100 new nonprofits to the Charity Watchlist.
The Charity Watchlist rates nonprofits on a scale of red, yellow, and green. Charities marked as red show very clear support for anti-life programs such as abortion, embryonic stem cell research, transgenderism, and more. Charities marked as yellow are advised to proceed with caution, as there was not enough information to mark them as red or green. And green charities are those that support life.
New additions to the list include but are not limited to:
- Feeding America
- Doctors without Borders
- Goodwill Industries
- Special Olympics
- Toys for Tots Foundation
For the full list, follow the link here.
ALL in the News
Katie Brown, director of ALL’s Marian Blue Wave, was recently a guest on the Sacred Heart Radio show Driving Home the Faith. Katie spoke with Fr. Rob Jack about the attack on women by the abortion industry and how we can use prayer as a spiritual weapon. Listen to the show here.
Hugh Brown was a recent guest on Relevant Radio’s Trending with Timmerie. He spoke about the Super Bowl and how his experience as a football coach helps him evangelize to young men. Listen to the show here.
Susan Ciancio, editor of Celebrate Life Magazine and director of the Culture of Life Studies Program, writes a weekly commentary on timely pro-life topics. This week she wrote about the Hallow commercial featured in the Super Bowl. The op-ed was published by the Catholic World Report.
Twice a week, Judie’s commentaries are distributed to an expansive media list. The list contains over 100 media outlets such as Fox News, The Federalist, Breitbart, and The Daily Caller, among others. Judie’s commentaries are each featured on the front page of ALL.org.
Pro-Life Education
Culture of Life Studies Program
Celebrate Black History Month by teaching your middle and high school students about pro-life hero Mildred Fay Jefferson—the doctor who helped Governor Ronald Reagan see the humanity of the preborn baby. In 2003, Jefferson said, “I am at once a physician, a citizen and a woman, and I am not willing to stand aside and allow this concept of expendable human lives to turn this great land of ours into just another exclusive reservation where only the perfect, the privileged and the planned have the right to live.” The legacy she left is one we should all be aware of. ORDER HERE
ALL’s Education Materials
It’s vital to understand history and the people who have influenced our culture. Margaret Sanger founded Planned Parenthood and has helped create a culture of death where the lives of preborn babies are not only disregarded but thrown away. This brochure offers a brief biography of Sanger and traces the origins of today’s abortion industry to the birth control movement led by Sanger. This is vital information for all. SHOP NOW
Pro-Life Social Media
How Men Should Respond to Sudden Problems
The scuffle between Kansas City head coach Andrew Reid and tight end Travis Kelce took center stage in the first half of Sunday’s Super Bowl. Passions are inflamed when things don’t appear to go your way and everything is on the line. So when is aggression within the context of competition healthy, and when is it toxic?
Hugh Brown joins Trending with Timmerie to discuss how men can best handle situations that may arise from physical intimidation by someone under your authority. Coach Reid gives us an example of humility in moments of physical intimidation.