In This Issue
- Planned Parenthood admits its racist roots. But will it admit it’s racist presently?
- As another Planned Parenthood facility closes, we once again see how our fervent prayers make a difference.
- A new Catholic university will begin accepting students this fall. We share its dreams.
Lift Every Voice and Sing: Planned Parenthood Must Pay Reparations to Celebrate Black History Month
By Ed Martin
Planned Parenthood admits it is racist and that it is embarrassed by its founder Margaret Sanger—so much so that her name has been removed from its buildings. (Sanger is widely described as a bigot who sought to eliminate “non-preferred” types of people—meaning that she thought black people were subhuman and must not be allowed to have families.)
American Life League’s research report entitled Planned Parenthood’s Racism . . . In Their Own Words is required reading. A few quotes will underscore the organization’s racism:
- “We recognize that Planned Parenthood has been complicit in upholding systemic racism.”
- “We also acknowledge our past and our present participation in white supremacy.”
- “Failing up is a luxury not afforded to people of color, and disappointingly all too common for the white women within the organization.”
- “(Our founder) Margaret Sanger was a part of a eugenics movement that was rooted in ablest and racist ideals.”
Sounds like an ugly place to work.
However, while it’s true that Planned Parenthood’s words and employment practices hurt people, it is its killing that is so evil. Estimates are that approximately 15 percent of the child-bearing population is black, yet black mothers have nearly 40 percent of the abortions. Estimates are that over 20 million black babies have died at the hands of Planned Parenthood’s preferred procedure. It is both terrible and tragic.
That makes us wonder: Will Planned Parenthood celebrate Black History Month by paying reparations for its racist conduct and the people it has hurt? Will it pay the families of the millions of babies targeted in the African American community? Will it endow scholarships for those who have been harmed by its conduct?
If Black History Month is to be meaningfully observed by Planned Parenthood, it must make amends. But it should also be held accountable for its actions today because the killing continues.
One more note of interest: A new book by Hal Shurtleff entitled The Racist Roots of Planned Parenthood and Its Legacy of Death was recently published. It’s an extraordinary and important accounting of Planned Parenthood. The book is dedicated to the late Dr. Mildred Jefferson, with whom ALL founder Judie Brown had a close and fruitful friendship. It is a must read!
Planned Parenthood Facility Closes in Iowa
By Katherine Van Dyke
The Rosenfield Health Center, a large Planned Parenthood facility in Des Moines, Iowa, officially closed its doors last Friday. The news that the Rosenfield Health Center would close came in June 2023, after Planned Parenthood announced it would shut down three of its nine centers in Iowa due to “staffing shortages” and “increased costs.”
Iowa law currently deems abortion legal up until the baby is 22 weeks gestation and includes all exceptions for abortion past this date in the baby’s development. Planned Parenthood of North Central States claimed it has seen a decrease in abortions since Dobbs v. Jackson but also that it has experienced staff shortages due to the “demand” from women traveling to get abortions in the state.
Because of the facility closures, Planned Parenthood of North Central States also announced a new plan in Iowa: to merge the staff at these former Planned Parenthood locations to its other remaining facilities in Iowa. Mazie Stilwell, Planned Parenthood of NCS’ director of public affairs, said this plan will help increase the number of abortion “services” done in Iowa:
This plan increases float staff in your health centers to meet the staffing needs. The staff will rotate between locations and fill multiple roles to better serve our patients in order to expand abortion access in Iowa and Nebraska. . . . We remain committed to providing our patients with the essential sexual and reproductive health care that they need. Every person deserves the right to control their bodies and futures. And these new changes will allow us to serve more patients and operate more efficiently in this ever-changing post-Roe landscape.
Unsurprisingly, Planned Parenthood is both monetizing and marketing abortion as “efficiency” while simultaneously destroying the lives of preborn children.
However, Planned Parenthood of NCS’ chief medical officer, Dr. Sarah Traxler, pointed to her reasons why Planned Parenthood was forced to undergo a staff merger back in June. She stated, “Since the fall of Roe almost a year ago, we’ve seen a 13% decrease in abortions in Iowa by Planned Parenthood because of a mandated, medically unnecessary 24-hour waiting period that went into effect last year, as well as staffing shortages in our health centers that provide abortion.”
According to Iowa Public Radio, “Traxler said there is burnout among health care staff in general, and she believes the hostility toward Planned Parenthood adds stigma and stress that contribute to challenges in recruiting and retaining staff.”
No matter what different answers Planned Parenthood gives for the shut down and merger of these facilities, the fact is that innocent babies will continue to be murdered and their mothers harmed as long as Planned Parenthood is around.
But we must have faith that our prayers and witness are working. While there is much work to be done in Iowa, the work we can all do first and foremost is to stay steadfast in prayer. Many people have prayed outside this abortion clinic in Des Moines, and their prayers and witness to life have surely impacted others along the way, whether that be staff or the mothers themselves. Though the future of abortion in Iowa remains uncertain, we can remain certain that our prayerful efforts for an end to abortion and an end to Planned Parenthood will not cease.
Training Scientists in the Truth of Life
Some great news has recently come out of the Sunshine State! A new university—Catholic Polytechnic University—will open in the fall, and it will focus on science and technology. This focus will not be misled by scientists with agendas, political gamesmanship, or the ideology of the left.
The president of the new university is Dr. Jennifer Nolan—a neuroscientist, wife, mother, AND one of our allies at STOPP. She is the executive director of a Pasadena pro-life group and has been an invaluable resource in our growing efforts at STOPP to highlight the impact of chemical abortion on water supplies.
The university will begin classes in the fall of 2024 with plans for both bachelor’s and master’s degrees and then expanding from there. The obvious benefit to students is clear: They will be educated in the truth and not led astray. But there is also a benefit to the faculty who can live their faith without fear of their university challenging their conscience. Dr. Nolan stated:
I want an institution where professors and researchers are not afraid to do pro-life research or pro-religious research—that they can operate freely. . . . For example, I’ve had some professors reach out to me who work in biochemistry on stem cell research, and they’ve been pressured to do embryonic stem cell research. . . . And they don’t want to do embryonic stem cell research. They want to do adult stem cell research or umbilical cord stem cell research.
This is excellent news for students and faculty—and for life! Best wishes to Dr. Nolan and her team. Please add them to your prayers.