“The appointment of Cecile Richards as president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America confirms that the organization’s focus is not on health care, but rather on political advocacy,” said Jim Sedlak, executive director of American Life League’s STOPP International. “This appointment shows the Planned Parenthood board of directors has abandoned all pretenses that PPFA is a health care organization.”
“Richards’ entire background is that of political activism,” said Sedlak, adding that Richards has absolutely no health care experience. “From her positions as a union organizer, to her work with the Texas Freedom Network and her leadership of America Votes, Richards has demonstrated that she is the consummate political mover who will stop at nothing to achieve her goal.”
Sedlak said Planned Parenthood began to abandon its claim that it is a health care organization when it issued its Vision 2025 document in 2000. “The ten goals enumerated in the document had nothing to do with health care and everything to do with political activism. The appointment of such a radical political activist to head the organization is a logical compliment to that document.
“Planned Parenthood is already under fire for RU-486 deaths and its failure to report child predators,” said Sedlak. “We can only imagine how much further its health care component will diminish under Richards.
“Now that Planned Parenthood has made its direction clear,” Sedlak said, “we ask elected officials and the Department of Health and Human Services to withdraw all taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, which amounted to over $250 million last year. We also ask all American women to seek medical treatment from real health care providers and not from this political advocacy group.”
Release issued: 11 Jan 06
