By Jim Sedlak
At the STOPP offices, we field questions about Planned Parenthood on a daily basis. People call from across the country asking for statistics, strategy, and advice. We also get questions about why Planned Parenthood is doing some of the things it does in the local community.
One recent question came from an individual who read a story about campus safety in the student publication of the University of South Alabama. Below are some excerpts from the article:
USA’s chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action plans to host a campaign launch party to increase lighting on campus in effort to prevent sexual assault and violence. . . .
“At USA’s Generation Action’s first meeting of the semester, sexual assault prevention was at the forefront of the discussion,” Allie Broadway, Planned Parenthood Southeast field organizer, stated. “Specifically, attendees expressed concern for their safety when on campus after dark. Unlike most campuses of its size, USA does not have blue-light emergency phones installed on campus. More specifically in dimly lit areas that are frequented at night.”
According to the University’s 2016 crime statistics, available on USA’s website, there were eight cases of on-campus reported rape in that year. There was also one case of stalking, two cases of non-consensual fondling and ten cases of dating violence on campus in 2016. . . .
Generation Action is scheduled to brainstorm ideas to make the new lighting a reality at the launch party and will plan future events to raise awareness and promote safety, according to USA Generation Action Secretary DeJarra Johnson. . . .
According to Broadway, USA Generation Action plans to use student surveys to identify areas of concern on campus and determine where installation of the new lights will be.
Funding for the project will come from a $5,000 . . . grant that USA Generation Action received called The Planned Parenthood Action Fund, a fund created to support a proactive sexual assault prevention campaign on campus. . . .
“At a time when an average of one in five women will be sexually assaulted during college, this seems like a small price to pay for the safety of our students,” Broadway stated. “What’s more, with the United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ recent announcement of her plans to roll back Obama-era guidance on sexual assault, it is clear that the burden of effecting policy changes related to this issue lies on our students.”
To understand what is behind this activity, which is seemingly a bit of a stretch for an organization that bills itself as “providing healthcare,” there are a few points we need to make.
First, there are two national Planned Parenthood organizations. One is the Planned Parenthood Federation of America—a 501(c)(3) educational organization—and the other is the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) political organization. Although they are separate legal entities, Cecile Richards is president of both.
PPFA is the organization that runs medical facilities across the country, while PPAF is primarily involved in activities aimed at political and social activism.
Understanding the difference and rereading the story above, we must note that the group identified as being active on the USA campus is Planned Parenthood Generation Action. PP Generation Action is part of the PP Action Fund, and the one mentioned in the story is one of over 300 such groups on college campuses across the country established to “harness the power, energy, and enthusiasm of young people to fight for reproductive freedom and for fundamental justice for all.” In other words, it exists to get young people to support Planned Parenthood’s political agenda.
In addition to establishing campus groups, PP Action Fund also spreads its work through the use of field organizers. According to job descriptions published by Planned Parenthood, the field organizer:
- Develops and implements grassroots organizing and advocacy
- Supports the state and local public affairs team in implementing voter identification, voter engagement and mobilization programs
- Develops and mobilizes a strong volunteer base and cultivates volunteer community leaders through direct community outreach, grassroots field work, voter contact and leadership development programs
- Recruits, trains, supports and mobilizes activists in targeted geographic areas on local, state and national reproductive health issues
- Builds organizing capacity and grassroots partnerships to effectively advance state and federal policy initiatives
According to published reports, PP field organizers make $34,000 to $44,000 a year.
In the situation described in the story, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund will donate $5,000 to the light project at the University of Southern Alabama. While this sounds altruistic, what PPAF actually hopes to accomplish with this money is to leave a positive impression in the minds of USA students so they will support Planned Parenthood’s political agenda. Money for votes, if you will.
We bring this to your attention because our sources tell us there will be a major upturn in this type of activity by local Planned Parenthood action groups from now until the 2018 elections. We will address this further in future issues, but for now just understand why Planned Parenthood does this. It is a clever way to garner support for its contraception and abortion agenda.
If you are not convinced that this is a political ploy by Planned Parenthood, just reread the last paragraph in the story—a direct attack on the Trump administration and its efforts to roll back the Obama agenda.
Jim Sedlak is executive director of American Life League, founder of STOPP International, and host of a weekly talk show on the Radio Maria Network. He has been successfully fighting Planned Parenthood since 1985.