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Planned Parenthood: Like a Wounded Animal

By Jim Sedlak

As we move further and further into 2017, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its various affiliates across the country have started to lose a great deal of support. Since the election of Bill Clinton in 1992, Planned Parenthood has become used to winning. Even though the signs of unrest were visible at the local and state levels, PP continued to win at the federal level. It felt invincible.

After Clinton, PP escaped relatively unscathed during the “W” administration. Then came Obama and all was well in Planned Parenthood’s world. Even though there were uprisings in the House and Senate and several successful votes to take away its federal money, Barack always had its back. Planned Parenthood felt no reason to panic. After all, when Barack left office, Hillary would take over and it would flourish for at least another eight years. By then, as Mark Crutcher pointed out, PP felt it would be considered an integral part of the US government and would feed on the taxpayer teat forever.

Planned Parenthood suffered a major wound in July 2015 when the Center for Medical Progress began releasing its undercover videos of PP selling baby body parts. It spent millions trying to convince everyone the videos were false. It felt that, as long as it could get to the 2016 election, it would have time and federal support to recover.

We all know that Planned Parenthood suffered a second major wound last November when Hillary lost the election. PP’s president, Cecile Richards, communicated the next morning how devastated Planned Parenthood was. Richards knew the organization was in trouble.

Next came the reports of both the House and Senate investigating committees on the baby body parts business. It was another wound for Planned Parenthood. Both the House and Senate committees referred various Planned Parenthood affiliates to the US Justice Department for criminal prosecution. Spurred on by the videos, the committees found evidence that Planned Parenthood and others were breaking the law.

During the first three months of the Trump administration, Planned Parenthood has suffered four more wounds in rapid succession:

  • President Trump got Planned Parenthood to admit the importance of its abortion business when PP insisted it would rather lose all $500 million of its government funding rather than stop doing abortions.
  • The House and Senate passed, and President Trump signed, a bill allowing states to take Title X money away from Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. Planned Parenthood tried to get senators to vote against this bill, but failed as the bill passed on a 51-50 vote.
  • President Trump nominated, and the US Senate confirmed, Judge Neil Gorsuch to the US Supreme Court. This was a nomination Planned Parenthood fought vehemently against. The Senate was even willing to change its rules to get Judge Gorsuch confirmed.
  • The 2016 reconciliation bill making its way through Congress contains a section that shuts off all federal Medicaid money to Planned Parenthood for a full year from the date of its implementation. PP gets about $400 million a year from this one program. Although the bill is being delayed, PP finds it unbelievable that it is other areas of the bill—not the cutting of PP funds—that is the reason for delay.

So, how is Planned Parenthood reacting to all these wounds?

Like any wounded animal, it is thrashing about trying to cause harm to its attackers in an effort to survive. We continually receive reports from across the country of Planned Parenthood’s reaction. Planned Parenthood is taking to the streets with sometimes violent protests (e.g., the Women’s March) demanding it be allowed to continue with “business as usual.” Furthermore, it appears that PP is looking for any public demonstrations intended to protest the Trump administration and wrongly claiming they are demonstrations to show support for Planned Parenthood.

On college campuses, and in a number of communities, pro-lifers are reporting an increase of violence as cross displays and information signs are destroyed. Many of these events seemed to be stirred up by college professors loyal to Planned Parenthood.

As the peaceful, legal, and political attacks on Planned Parenthood continue to have success, Planned Parenthood supporters appear to be getting more frustrated and turning to violent outbursts against pro-life material and individuals. It’s as if Satan himself were under attack and he was running out of options.

You can be assured that the pro-life movement will continue to respond to Planned Parenthood’s desperation with peaceful prayers and actions as we once again build a culture of life in the United States of America.

Jim Sedlak is executive director of American Life League and founder of STOPP International. He has been fighting Planned Parenthood since 1985.