This week, the legislature in the state of Michigan added a restriction to the state’s budget bill which states that any organization—like Planned Parenthood—that allows abortions will not be able to receive any state funding. In the past, Planned Parenthood received as much as $700,000 from the state. Although the legislators have shut that money down, the language in the budget bill will prevent any government official from circumventing the will of the legislature and of the citizens of Michigan.
Planned Parenthood president, Cecile Richards, was in the news this week and made some questionable statements. In an interview in Fast Company magazine, Richards said, “If you look at the past four years—which were tough in the political environment—we’ve added 3.5 million new supporters.” In the nonprofit world, “supporters” usually means donors. Planned Parenthood’s annual reports actually show that the number of individual contributors to PP has fallen over the last four years from 638,000 (in 2011) to 584,000 (in 2014).
On Monday, pro-lifers were in court in Illinois providing evidence of how Planned Parenthood lied to get an abortion mega-center open. Attorneys from the Thomas More Society explained to justices how Planned Parenthood persuaded the city of Aurora to allow PP to open in part by arguing that it was a for-profit business that would pay taxes and contribute economically to the city. Pro-lifers sued, but their case was thrown out by the Circuit Court. TMS attorneys told the court, “Scarcely was the ink dry on the Circuit Court’s August 29, 2013, summary judgment approving Planned Parenthood’s zoning [as a for-profit medical clinic] . . . when Planned Parenthood hastened to the DuPage County Board and the Illinois Department of Revenue to insist that its use was, and always had been, exclusively charitable, and that it was entitled to a full property tax exemption.” If the justices see the truth, Planned Parenthood could be forced to close this abortion facility.
National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week began this past Tuesday and continues until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 4. By the end of the day on Thursday, over 1,000 photographs had been submitted to the photo contest. The weekend, when all the young people are off from school, is usually the most active time for photo submissions and we look forward to more exciting photos. It is not too late for all readers to get involved in the effort. Go to NPLTW.com and learn what the contest is all about and how you can submit your pictures.