By Jim Sedlak
It may come as a surprise to many young fighters against Planned Parenthood, but during its first 70 years of operation, the organization managed to keep its nefarious activities secret from the general public in America. There were, of course, many brave people who came to understand the evil of Planned Parenthood and fought hard to change that narrative. The eventual unveiling of the truth about Planned Parenthood came about with the release of two significant books.
The first was written by George Grant. Grand Illusions: The Legacy of Planned Parenthood was published in 1998, and it was the first book to be critical of Planned Parenthood as an organization. It documented what Planned Parenthood was doing to destroy Christian America. It shocked pastors of all denominations and led to a great deal of activism.
The second book was written by Robert G. Marshall and Charles A. Donovan. Blessed Are the Barren: The Social Policy of Planned Parenthood provided an answer to the question of how Planned Parenthood did what it did. It showed how Planned Parenthood operated behind the scenes to influence the positions and activities of public people and entities.
Because of the significance of these two books, I urge all those who join the fight against Planned Parenthood to make reading them their first priority.
Over the last decade, there has been behind-the-scenes-activity by Planned Parenthood brought to light in a lawsuit being handled by Alliance Defending Freedom representing Skyline Wesleyan Church in California.
The lawsuit is bringing to light an incredible tale of deceit and back-door politics at California’s Department of Managed Health Care. Jeremiah Galus, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, gives a clear picture of what transpired:
The deal went down like this: Abortion advocates—upset that Catholic universities had been allowed, consistent with their religious beliefs, to exclude elective abortion coverage from their insurance plans—urged DMHC officials to quietly institute a major reinterpretation of the 40-plus-year-old Knox-Keene Act regulating insurance requirements.
“Quietly” meant intentionally bypassing the democratic process in favor of what Planned Parenthood cheerfully proposed as “an administrative solution in lieu of legislation.” In other words, “Why bother voters and legislators with these pesky little details?”
DMHC officials then contacted insurance providers to inform them of the new, mandatory revisions to insurance policies for churches and religious organizations—revisions that now required them to provide immediate coverage of elective abortion. If the providers were concerned about how these religious groups might respond to the revisions, the DMHC had a simple suggestion: Just don’t tell them.
As crazy as this scheme sounds, it actually succeeded, and health insurance policies were changed to include abortion without any of the churches and religious organizations having a clue. Once the facts became known, lawsuits began.
In January of this year, the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights issued a determination that the state of California violated federal law by forcing all health insurance plans—including those purchased by churches—to pay for elective abortions. Alliance Defending Freedom legal counsel Denise Harle stated:
No one should force a church or any other employer to participate in funding abortion. For years, California’s Department of Managed Health Care has demonstrated hostility to churches by forcing them to pay for elective abortions. The agency has unconstitutionally targeted religious organizations, repeatedly collaborated with pro-abortion advocates, and failed to follow the appropriate administrative procedures to institute its unprecedented mandate. We commend the Trump administration and HHS’s Office for Civil Rights for investigating and taking corrective action against the state of California for its flawed policies, persistent violation of federal law, and its willful disregard for the civil rights and conscience rights of its citizens.
This case continues. A district court refused to hear the case, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling on May 13, 2020, that “the panel reversed the district court’s ruling that it lacked jurisdiction over plaintiff’s federal free exercise of religion claim, vacated the district court’s ruling that it lacked jurisdiction over plaintiff’s other claims, and remanded for further proceedings.”
We pray, of course, that the courts will find in favor of religious freedom and order California to offer insurance plans that do not cover abortion. But the main reason for bringing all of this to your attention is that if Planned Parenthood is doing this in California, you can bet it is still active behind the scenes in Illinois, New York, and elsewhere, trying to “intentionally bypassing the democratic process in favor of what Planned Parenthood cheerfully proposed as ‘an administrative solution in lieu of legislation.’”
The behind-the-scenes-shenanigans of Planned Parenthood that were revealed in Blessed Are the Barren are as prevalent today as they were back then. Remember, Planned Parenthood receives over $600 million in taxpayer money, has over $100 million in profits, and can still afford all these efforts to subvert our democracy and force out our democratically elected president. It’s time to stand up to the organization that was profiled by author Karen Handel in her revealing 2012 book Planned Bullyhood.
Jim Sedlak is executive director of American Life League, founder of STOPP International, and host of a weekly talk program on the Radio Maria Network. He has been successfully fighting Planned Parenthood since 1985.