By Susan Ciancio
As parents, we do our best to teach our teens right from wrong. We talk to them about religion and politics. We share the truths of the faith and the reasons why we believe as we do. But, at the end of the day, they are individuals who might choose to believe what society tells them rather than what we teach.
It can feel incredibly distressing to see your teens stand for something that you abhor, like Planned Parenthood. And we know it can be difficult to have a conversation with them about it. Sometimes kids need to hear the truths in the privacy of their own rooms, with no distractions, and time to process the information without feeling attacked.
That’s why we created this letter highlighting just a few facts about Planned Parenthood and written as a loving message to your child. (We included only a few facts, as we want your teen to feel compelled to continue reading rather than become bogged down with facts.) We suggest that you copy and paste the text below into an e-mail so that your child can read it on his own time and in his own space (we suggest an e-mail because the letter includes links to articles and videos). Then follow up with a conversation. Explain why you want to talk. Don’t be combative. Show your love and compassion for your child and for others. Ask his opinion, but remain firm in your beliefs and in standing behind the facts.
These can be difficult conversations to have, but in order to create a culture that respects life from the very beginning, we must teach the next generation the truth—a truth they won’t hear on social media or on a secular news outlet.
(Add anything you think appropriate to the letter below. Tailor it to your teen, wording it so that he will be receptive. And most importantly of all, send it with love.)
Dear [Teen],
I want you to know that you are an amazing young man/woman, and I’m beyond blessed to be your mom/dad. I know this world you’re growing up in is confusing. I know you are bombarded with messages that make sense to you right now. And I know you may not want to hear something in opposition to what you believe.
But what I’m writing to you comes from a place of love, and I hope you take the time to read this and then discuss it with me. I know you have your own opinions, but what I’m going to show you are facts. They may upset you, and you may disagree or find them contrary to what you’ve been told by teachers, friends, or by people on the Internet, but I want you to read what I’ve written and truly think about it. And when you are ready, we’ll talk it over because I respect and value your opinion, and I want to hear what you have to say.
I know you’ve heard a lot about Planned Parenthood, and I know you think the organization helps women. That’s what they want you to think. But I want to share some facts with you about Planned Parenthood and about abortion.
Planned Parenthood makes the majority of its money by killing tiny preborn babies through surgical and medical abortions and abortifacient birth control.
Here are just a few facts (yes, they are facts) about PP’s abortion services:
- PP killed 345,672 preborn babies during the 2017-2018 fiscal year. At an average charge of $600/abortion, that equates to about $568,200 every day.
- 79% of Planned Parenthood abortion facilities are located near either an African American or a Hispanic neighborhood, and 45% are placed so that they are within walking distance of both types of minority neighborhoods.
- In New York City, more black babies are aborted than are born.
Abortion doesn’t just kill babies. It hurts the moms and dads too. The parents who abort their babies often feel depressed and angry over what they’ve done. And sometimes, the abortion injures or even kills the mother. Did you know that post-abortive women have a higher percentage of suicide than women who have not had abortions?
I’d like you to read a couple articles about two different abortion doctors who have seen the deadly truth of abortion. They offer some eye-opening insight into the reality of abortion: hli.org/resources/dr-anthony-levatino and hli.org/resources/leroy-carhart. Along with reading these articles, I encourage you to watch the videos embedded in them. You will see the testimony of Dr. Anthony Levatino, an OBGYN who used to perform abortions, but who stopped when he realized the humanity and value of the preborn baby. In front of a Senate Judiciary Committee, he stated this about a dilation and evacuation abortion:
A D&E [dilation and evacuation] procedure is a blind abortion. So, picture yourself introducing this [the Sopher clamp] and grabbing anything you can blindly, and pull. And I do mean hard. And out pops a leg about that big [he holds up his fingers to indicate about 3 inches] which you put down on the table next to you. Reach in again. Pull again. Pull out an arm about the same length, which you put down on the table next to you. And use this instrument again and again to tear out the spine, the intestines, the heart, and lungs. A head in a baby that size is about the size of a large plumb. You can’t see it. . . . You know you did it right if you crush down on the instrument and white material runs out of the cervix. That was the baby’s brains. Then you can pull out skull pieces.
Dead babies are what PP makes its money from.
(Aborted baby images can be found at wisconsinrighttolife.org/pictures-of-aborted-babies. Depending on the age and temperament of your teen, you may choose to insert them here or not. Warning: They are disturbing.)
In addition, Planned Parenthood is an organization founded on racism, and racism still pervades this organization. Do you know who Margaret Sanger was? She founded Planned Parenthood. If you would like to read about her, this informative article will give you some insight: cultureoflifestudies.com/blog/margaret-sanger-where-is-she-now.
If you would rather hear the facts about racism from some professionals, here are a couple people who have made it their life’s work to protect vulnerable preborn babies:
Ryan Bomberger is an African American man who was conceived in rape and adopted. You can read his story at theradiancefoundation.org/ryan. He started an organization to make people aware of what abortion does, especially to minorities.
And here’s a brief 4-minute interview (youtube.com/watch?v=ADOgYThRre8) with Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who explains abortion and how Planned Parenthood targets minorities by putting its abortion clinics in their neighborhoods.
Planned Parenthood itself admits its history of racism. Nineteen of its affiliates have recently issued public statements not only admitting that Sanger was a racist, but also admitting its racist actions today. You can read a few of these statements at:
Our country has almost 1,400 federally qualified health centers. In addition, it has 12,409 federally qualified health center service sites that do the same things PP does—except abortions. PP has about 575 clinics. People don’t need Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood needs people. It needs people in order to make money. That’s what it’s all about.
And with a [possible] new administration, your tax dollars will go straight to this organization. So many people in our country have needs. They’re facing hunger, poverty, homelessness, loss of jobs, and more. Yet this new administration would want to give money to Planned Parenthood rather than earmarking it for things like help for pregnant women, education, or programs where people can better themselves.
I love you so, so much. You’re an incredibly bright [young man/young woman] and I am so proud of you. If I didn’t care, I would not want to teach you these truths. There are many other organizations you can support—organizations that truly help people. Planned Parenthood is not an organization that helps people.
Please read these articles and watch these videos. Please do that for me. Then let’s talk, because I want to hear your opinion as well.
You are valuable and loved, and these millions of babies killed by Planned Parenthood are valuable—and they deserve to be loved as well.