The Girl Scout Council of the National’s Capitol is handing out a statement to people who are inquiring about the charges I and others have made about the far-Left agenda at Girl Scouts HQ.  Let’s take a look:

Regarding the charge that the Girl Scouts’ official policy is to admit transgender toddlers, the statement reads:  “Our Council has not dealt with requests from families of transgender youth. Our focus remains on girls in kindergarten through…”  It does not say they will not admit transgender boys and in fact it is the national policy that they do so if ever there is a request.

More from their statement:  “And, contrary to rumors, we do not make donations to this group [Planned Parenthood]. The fact is that as a charitable organization we do not make donations to any other organization.”  We see your Straw Man, ladies!  Nobody is claiming that you donate money to Planned Parenthood, so disclaiming it gets you nowhere.  The charge is that you “partner with… Planned Parenthood organizations across the country,” in the words of Girl Scout CEO Kathy Cloninger on The Today Show.

More:  “Girl Scouts of the USA is one of the 145 Member Organizations of WAGGGS, which promotes mutual understanding and cross-cultural opportunities for girls around the world.”  Ah yes, they are touchy about the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, an aggressively pro-abortion organization which openly partners with the International Planned Parenthood Federation.  Girl Scouts USA often makes the point that they are just one of many member organizations; they don’t like to admit that Girl Scouts USA is the single largest national component of WAGGGS, making up over a third of its 10 million members.

More:  “the WAGGGS program is separate from our Girl Scout program, and your Girl Scout membership dues and cookie sales proceeds do not support WAGGGS.”  Not so fast.  Every little girl who signs up for the Girl Scouts is automatically made a member of WAGGGS, and there are apparently 6 different ways that Girls Scouts USA fund the radical WAGGGS.    If Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capitol refrains from every one of these 6 funding streams, they should prove it.  Girl Scouts USA paid about 1.5 million dollars in “member quota” dues to WAGGGS in 2009.

Finally, a small change was in order to my blog on the Girl Scouts from yesterday.  In the 4^th FACT about Girl Scouts and abortion, I clarified that Girl Scout “councils” are regional and multi-county entities, since people tend to confuse troops with councils.

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I recently opined in the Washington Times  that people should forgo the Thin Mints this year because of the far-left sociopolitical agenda pushed by Girl Scouts HQ. Others, too, have sounded the alarm. Feathers have been ruffled.

While their transgressions are sundry (forcing troops to admit cross-dressing boys being just one example), Girl Scout executives and their apologists seem most eager to defend the Scouts’ supposed “official neutrality” on abortion and “official non-partnership” with the nation’s abortion giant, Planned Parenthood.

Here are just five facts for the skeptic to consider:

FACT: On March 5, 2004 Girl Scouts CEO Kathy Cloninger admits on NBC’s The Today Show: “We partner with many organizations. We have relationships with…Planned Parenthood organizations across the country.” Watch her admit it here:

FACT: In January 2012, Girl Scouts employee Renise Rodriguez wears “Pray to End Abortion” t-shirt during off-duty visit to her Tucson Girl Scout office and is ordered to turn the shirt inside out or leave. See Renise in her t-shirt here.

FACT: For fourteen years the Girls Scouts in Waco, TX co-sponsor sex ed conference with Planned Parenthood. “It’s Perfectly Normal” book (written by Planned Parenthood executive) given to all children in attendance says abortion can be “a positive experience.” View the 2003 event brochure listing Girl Scouts as a cosponsor here [PDF].

FACT: In national survey, sixteen other regional, multi-county Girl Scout councils admit to partnering with Planned Parenthood; many other councils refuse to answer survey question. Watch interview about the survey on The O’Reilly Factor here.

FACT: In 2010-2011 Girls Scouts in New York partner with Planned Parenthood sex ed program, “Real Life. Real Talk.” The program website touts their partners: “Real Life. Real Talk. is proud to count the following organizations, faith communities and companies as partners: …Girl Scouts of NYPENN Pathways.” See screenshot of program web page showing Girls Scouts as partner here.

There are many other things to consider, especially for those for whom this is not an academic exercise (i.e., if you have a daughter in Girl Scouts). Please, please visit www.100questionsforthegirlscouts.org or any other of the Girl Scout watchdog sites proliferating on the Internet.

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Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell yesterday approved new regulations that ”will make it more difficult for clinics providing abortions to operate and potentially close down most of the state’s 22 facilities” http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/capital-land/2011/12/mcdonnell-approves-sweeping-abortion-changes/2045296#ixzz1i3AQv7Gd.

The new health rules are not onerous: They require that facilities that perform abortion “to comply with standards for surgery centers constructed after 2010 — from expanding the width of hallways and the size of operating rooms to providing covered entrances and increasing the number of parking spaces at a facility … They also will require increased medical staffing and allow for unannounced inspections of the clinics and reviews of individual patients’ records” http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/virginia-politics/2011/sep/15/25/pro-choice-anti-abortion-advocates-address-regulat-ar-1312067/.

The necessity of these standards is demonstrated by the news that two physicians who practiced at a now-shuttered abortion clinic in Maryland have been “charged with multiple counts of murder under the state’s viable fetus law” (http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2-doctors-accused-of-performing-late-term-abortions-in-md-arrested-and-charged-with-murder/2011/12/30/gIQAfhXOQP_story.html).  The Washington Post reports that “the two doctors were indicted by a grand jury after a 16-month investigation (which) began in August 2010 after a botched procedure at Brigham’s Elkton clinic. An 18-year-old woman who was 21 weeks pregnant had her uterus ruptured and her bowel injured, and rather than call 911, Brigham and Riley drove her to a nearby hospital, where both were uncooperative and Brigham refused to give his name, authorities said. A search of the clinic after the botched abortion revealed a freezer with 35 late-term fetuses inside, including one believed to have been aborted at 36 weeks, authorities said.”

Christians need to be involved in all facets of culture: The arts, media, enterprise both large and small, church ministries, charities – and also politics.  Under former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, the State Board of Health – the majority of whose members are appointed by a sitting governor – would never have approved the new regulations.  The nine McDonnell appointees to the Board approved them, to a person.  The regulations themselves would never have been enacted unless first passed by socially conservative majorities in the Virginia House of Delegates and State Senate.  And if Gov. McDonnell and State Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli had been defeated by their pro-abortion rights opponents in the 2009 election, the regulations would have been stultified in a never-land of litigation and/or inaction.

Politics cannot transform culture nor the hearts of those who compose it.  However, politics can encourage public virtue and constrain public evil.  That’s why elections matter.  Bob McDonnell and his pro-life colleagues in Virginia prove it.

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On December 27, 2011 Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) released it latest Annual Report for 2009-2010.

Here is some of the information included in the report:

- PPFA performed a total of 329,445 abortions during this time period.

- PPFA provided 841 adoption referrals during this same time (therefore for every adoption referral there were 391 abortions performed).

- PPFA had a total budget of 1.0482 billion dollars.

- PPFA had an excess of revenue over expenses of 18.5 million dollars (in other words, this billion dollar non-profit organizations profited 18.5 million during that time).

- 46 percent of the total PPFA budget comes from tax payer dollars in the form of government funding.

I encourage you to take time to read through the report in its entirety at: http://issuu.com/actionfund/docs/ppfa_financials_2010_122711_web_vf?mode=window&viewMode=doublePage.

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On July 20^th the New York Times published an editorial “Sound Medical Advice” which despite its name ironically included misinformation about the recent IOM report recommending that contraceptives be covered by all health plans with no co-payment.

The writer states that the report was guided by medical evidence but makes no mention of the dissenting committee member who would not put his name to the recommendations because “evaluation for evidence lacked transparency… The process tended to result in a mix of objective and subjective determination through the lens of advocacy.”

Additionally the writer suggested that “studies show that cost is a major barrier to regular use of contraceptives” when in fact the opposite is the case. The Guttmacher Institute, originally the research arm of Planned Parenthood, a group that stands to benefit enormously from this report, reports that only 12 percent of women not using contraception are doing so because of financial reasons.

Lastly, the writer criticizes groups, such as the FRC, who oppose this mandate but does not delve into the science and rationale behind the opposition: drugs included in this recommendation have modes of action that will not only prevent the creation of life, but also in fact destroy it in its early stages. While this might be an insignificant point to the writer of the editorial, it is of utmost significance to the millions of pro-life Americans who deserve transparency and should not be forced to pay for abortions.

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My colleagues over at Americans United For Life released a very thorough report yesterday providing a glut of information about Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), the nation’s largest abortion provider. I most highly encourage anyone interested in protecting life to take the time to read through this report.

It might seem a bit daunting at 174 pages, but the actual report is really only the first 31 pages, followed by a number of wonderful appendices, including Planned Parenthood’s financial statements from 1988-present, PPFA’s service reports from this same period of time, lawsuits against the abortion giant, and more. The report also gives excellent information on Medicaid fraud and how this relates to PPFA.

For any concerned citizen who really wants to do their part in defunding the abortion giant, I encourage them to read this new report in conjunction with a few paragraphs from our own FRC brochure, “Planned Parenthood–What Every Parent, Teacher, Woman, Community Leader and Elected Official Needs to Know.”

“It is very likely that your local Planned Parenthood receives federal, state and/or local government funding. We are frequently asked by people who want to protect their children and the unborn what they can do to combat the Planned Parenthood message in their community. While every situation is unique, we would suggest the following steps.

a. Information Gathering. Do you have a local affiliate? A simple internet search will reveal any local Planned Parenthood affiliate. Find out its name and the leaders of the organization so that you are more aware of their local influence and whether they are on the local school board, hold public office, own businesses, etc. Not all Planned Parenthood affiliates perform abortions. Some offer only medical abortion (RU-486), others might also perform suction aspiration abortions, and dilation and evacuation (D & E) abortions. Some might refer patients to abortion clinics in the area. If they don’t perform abortions, find out where they refer patients to. Ask if they perform abortions every day of the week. In some instances doctors fly in from out of state and abortions are performed only once a week. The more information you can find out, the better. It isn’t difficult to obtain this information.

b. Funding. You have many options to learn more about your local affiliate’s funding. Knowledge is power. The more you know, the more you can do something to protect life. A good place to start is with your state’s health department. You can look on their website to see what family planning services and groups are funded through the state and find out which perform abortions.

i. As previously indicated, we suggest looking at federal funding streams to learn more about Planned Parenthood finances, as well. One good source is the previously listed site for HHS grants. You can also look through the HHS Family Planning Database to find who is a recipient of Title X (family planning project) funding in your state or local area. http://www.opaclearinghouse.org/db_search.asp.

ii. IRS 990 tax forms are public information, and can be relatively easily accessed. Request your local affiliate’s 990 form to see how much money they have made, where it is coming from, how much they invest, etc. Another way of accessing this information is through Guidestar. http://www2.guidestar.org/

iii. Check city, county and state budgets. In situations where grant or contract recipients are not listed, we strongly encourage you to ask and keep asking until you obtain a listing of the actual names of the groups providing the services mentioned in this booklet.

c. Familiarize yourself with and befriend city council members and state legislators to identify pro-life champions. Be active in your community. Networking, being knowledgeable about the groups in your local area, and having relationships with leaders in your community is critical in this process. One citizen was actively involved in a local coalition of health organizations, of which Planned Parenthood was a part. She knew that the coalition received significant county funding, but was unable to ascertain if Planned Parenthood was receiving part of that money. After seeing the annual report and finding the recipients were not listed, she began asking more questions of her local elected officials. At this point, having a friend who was equally concerned and had a relationship with a local elected official was important and helpful. In the end, she learned that Planned Parenthood was receiving a significant amount of county funding and helped to ensure that it was ultimately defunded.

d. Legislation. Call upon your state and local elected officials to pass legislation that will protect life and force transparency for Planned Parenthood. Americans United for Life have a variety of draft legislation here.

e. Sonogram. Offering free sonograms across the street from abortion clinics has sometimes led to their eventual closing. Sonograms are a wonderful tool in promoting the truth about the dignity of the unborn. Click here for more information. The provision of sonograms constitutes the practice of medicine and should always be used under the direction and supervision of a licensed physician. For more information on the provision of sonograms click here.

Pray and peacefully protest outside of your local Planned Parenthood. In the words of former Planned Parenthood director, Abby Johnson, “Having a vigil outside an abortion clinic is vital…having people out there…praying, pricks the conscience of everyone walking in. Any time you brought a member of the clergy that was particularly effective.””

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Yesterday New Hampshire joined the growing number of states seeking to defund abortion giant Planned Parenthood.  The trend seemed to start last year when New Jersey Governor Chris Christie passed a budget which eliminated about 7.5 million dollars worth of family planning funding.

As reported by Kevin Smith, the Executive Director of Cornerstone, the Granite state’s leading family policy organization:

“This has truly been a banner day for the babies here in the Granite State… in a completely unexpected and under the radar move today, the NH Executive Council (which is like our lieutenant Governor, but it’s made up of 5 elected officials from across the state), which along with the Governor has to approve all state contracts above $2499 (yes, you read the correct) voted to REJECT the state contract for Planned Parenthood worth $1.8 million over the next two years!! This is simply amazing news!  The vote was 3-2 and it is the first time that a state contract with PP has ever been rejected!”

The story can be found here.

Here is a list (with the legislation in question as well as the state organizations that led the way) of some of the successful efforts this year, as well as three valiant efforts that did not pass.

Successful Efforts (IN, KS, NH, NC, TX, TN, WI):

Continue reading »

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FRC previously has reported on the allied relationship between Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and the Girl Scouts of America (GSA) as well as their international branch, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAAGGS). Because of the increasingly close connections between these groups, pro-life young women who desire to grow and do good through involvement in the GSA have found themselves in increasingly difficult, and even compromising, positions.

Onto that backdrop, two teenagers and former girl scouts, Tess and Sydney Volanski, using some of the very skills acquired in scouting formation (Discover, Connect and take Action), have come forward in an effort, what they describe as a “moral imperative”, to educate their friends and girls around the country about the relationship between PPFA and GSA; to “speak the truth about the girl scouts” via a new blog.

I would highly recommend the blog — it is very informative, and includes the Volanskis’ personal story about leaving their scout troop after eight years of involvement, as well as other information about GSA and abortion, such as a look at major GSA role models (many who are active abortion advocates). It also includes interesting quotes from Abby Johnson, a former PP clinic director who is now a pro-life activist. In the Volanskis’ words, “It was a very difficult experience to discover that we had unknowingly been promoting and supporting a group that stands for the opposite of the beliefs we hold deeply in our hearts. We want to do everything we can to prevent this heartbreak for other girls and their families.”

For those girls and families who are looking for a wholesome scouting alternative to GSA, the Volanskis make a few suggestions on their website, including American Heritage Girls.

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Last week on the day that the House and Senate were set to take a vote on defunding Planned Parenthood, Christianity Today writer Tobin Grant authored a “fact checking” piece on the debate over tax funding for America’s primary abortion provider. The author dedicated much of the article to “fact checking” one of Family Research Council’s pieces about the abortion giant.

Grant quoted a recent alert (the alert was actually from Family Research Council’s sister organization FRC Action) that stated “Income from abortions constitutes 37 percent of [Planned Parenthood’s] total profit” Grant wrote that this statement was “false.”

Continue reading »

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NRO’s Kathryn Jean Lopez tweeted late on April 8 after Democrats and Republicans had reached a budget deal to avert a government shutdown, that “the Planned Parenthood education campaign has only just begun.” Last week, Planned Parenthood’s calculated propaganda campaign painted this abortion giant as a women’s health organization. This is hardly the case.

As Congressman Mike Pence said in an interview with ABC’s This Week over the weekend, “[Planned Parenthood] tried to make [my amendment] about women’s health. It wasn’t about that. Let me share with you this fact: Planned Parenthood’s clinics focus mainly on abortion.” He then gave the facts: In 2009, Planned Parenthood made 977 adoption referrals, had 7,021 pre-natal clients, and performed 332,278 abortions.”

Continue reading »

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In the midst of the budget debate last week an important premise was planted:  That President Obama is willing to risk a lot, and lose a lot, in order to keep the federal spigot open and tax dollars flowing to Planned Parenthood.

The New York Times report on the budget negotiations included this gem:

At one crucial moment in the game of chicken over a looming shutdown of the United States government, President Obama and the House speaker, John A. Boehner, faced off in the Oval Office. Mr. Boehner, a Republican heavily outnumbered in the room by Democrats, was demanding a provision to restrict financing to Planned Parenthood and other groups that provide abortions. Mr. Obama would not budge.

“Nope. Zero,” the president said to the speaker. Mr. Boehner tried again. “Nope. Zero,” Mr. Obama repeated. “John, this is it.” A long silence followed, said one participant in the meeting. “It was just like an awkward, ‘O.K., well, what do you do now?’ ”

That meeting broke without an agreement. But while Mr. Obama may have held tough on the abortion provision, he and the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, had already made a broader concession — agreeing to tens of billions of dollars in spending cuts that would have been unthinkable had Republicans not captured control of the House from Democrats in midterm elections last year.

Keep in mind, Mr. Obama wasn’t protecting a right to abortion, but something even more radical:  the right of America’s largest abortion provider to reach into our pockets!

Planned Parenthood has almost one billion dollars in net assets and $737 million in reported revenues, not counting the $363 million from taxpayers.   Isn’t that a special favor for “Big Business”?

And what a business.  From its most recent report we learn that Planned Parenthood clinics aborted 332,278 American children, about the same number of people who populate the city of Cincinnati. (For more important facts on Planned Parenthood, see this wonderful piece by Susan Wills)

The budget negotiations revealed, again, President Obama’s abortion zealotry.  We have the Republicans congressional leaders to thank for that.  As my colleague Tom McClusky asks:  “Who is the hard liner on abortion?”

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The American Thinker posted a wonderful piece by Susan Wills yesterday explaining in detail some of the major inaccuracies currently being spread about Planned Parenthood services. This is a must-read for anyone interested in knowing the real story about Planned Parenthood.

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Lila Rose, President, Live Action and Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council talk about Live Action’s undercover videos of Planned Parenthood. To watch the entire webcast, click here.

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As Family Research Council has previously reported increasing access to contraception does not decrease the number of abortions. In fact, studies show quite the opposite.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its allies are banging the “family planning decreases the abortion rate” drum on Capitol Hill these days. However the Guttmacher Institute, previously PPFA’s own research arm, reports that over half the number women who had an abortion in 2008 –54%– were using a form of contraception during the month they got pregnant.

In the words of Kristin Powers, who blogged on this story earlier today, “what is truly astonishing about the Guttmacher statistics is that they are completely unchanged from a decade ago.”

She is correct. This is not new. Family Research Council wrote on this very topic in our Top Ten Myths of Abortion piece a few years ago,

“In the United States, a decrease in contraceptive use in recent years correlates to a decrease in the number of abortions. From 1995 to 2002, the rate of contraceptive use decreased from 64 percent to 62 percent,43 while the number of abortions fell from 1,359,400 to 1,293,000.” “Contraceptive Use,” Facts in Brief, The Alan Guttmacher Institute (March, 2005). These numbers represent use among all women age 15-44, and thus, because many women in this age group would not be sexually active, the rate of use among sexually active women would be higher.

There is more. A study recently published in Contraception conducted in Spain from 1997-2007 showed as contraceptive use increased from a rate of 49.1 to 79.9%, simultaneously the elective abortion rate increased from 5.52 to 11.49 per 1000 women.

“[R]esearch here and abroad shows that increasing access to contraception is not a solution to the problem of soaring abortion rates. In fact, it makes the problem worse. In Sweden, for example, an increase in affordable access to contraception and the presence of free contraceptive counseling have resulted in a substantial increase in the teen abortion rate. The abortion rate has climbed from 17 abortions per thousand teens in 1995 to 22.5 abortions per thousand teens in 2001.(Edgardh, K., et al., “Adolescent Sexual Health in Sweden,” Sexual Transmitted Infections 78 (2002): 352-6)

According to Professor Peter Arcidiacono of Duke University, increasing teenagers’ access to contraception “may actually increase long run pregnancy rates even though short run pregnancy rates fall. On the other hand, policies that decrease access to contraception, and hence sexual activity, are likely to lower pregnancy rates in the long run.” Peter Arcidiacono, et al., “Habit Persistence and Teen Sex: Could Increased Contraception Have Unintended Consequences for Teen Pregnancies?” (Oct. 3, 2005), Working Paper, p. 29.

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On Saturday, February 26^th, the New York Times ran two pieces on the topic of abortion and women’s health that were misleading and erroneous. “The War on Women” ignored critical facts on the recently released Planned Parenthood videos related to human trafficking. This editorial leaves one with the wrong impression that PPFA had one recent questionable instance related to the sex trafficking of minors and immediately fired this employee.  However, in truth, the problem is deeply systemic: five videos with questions related to the sex trafficking of minors featuring a number of PPFA employees and clinics across the U.S. have been released, leading to serious questions about the ethical and legal conduct of Planned Parenthood.  It is especially noteworthy that PPFA relies heavily on federal funding, having received $363 million in 2009.  This amount composes roughly one-third of PPFA’s budget.

The second piece, “The GOP’s Abandoned Babies,” by columnist Charles Blow, missed an acutely critical point in that one of the physiological consequences for women who choose to have an abortion is that their ensuing pregnancies frequently result in pre-term deliveries, leading to a higher infant mortality rate in the U.S.   Despite the rhetoric of abortion-proponents, scientific fact supports the reality that abortion is not good for women — physiologically or psychologically — much less their developing babies.

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On Valentines Day 2011 pro life advocates united across the country to pray for victims of sex trafficking. The vigil was organized as a response to the recent release of videos connecting two very dark industries: abortion and sex trafficking.

From Washington DC to Orange County, CA, people took time from work to ask God to bring hope and healing and light into the lives of the victims of this most heinous crime.

Abortion and sex-trafficking are sinister and they rob people of their inherent dignity. But God is about truth, life, light, beauty, freedom and recognizing the dignity of the human person. He is all powerful and He hears our prayers, especially where groups are united. Lets join together to continue to pray that God will bring light and healing into even these darkest of situations.

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Live Action’s Lila Rose explains in today’s Politico why Congress should defund Planned Parenthood particularly in light of her undercover investigation showing the abortion giant’s willingness to cover up child prostitution:

Americans are outraged by the abuse and an overwhelming majority has for years consistently opposed taxpayer funding of abortion. As the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood receives one-third of its budget from the federal government, i.e. the American taxpayer. Last year alone Planned Parenthood received more than $350 million in taxpayers subsidies. Since 2002, Planned Parenthood has received billions of dollars of taxpayer subsidies. In 2008-2009, Planned Parenthood performed more than 650,000 abortions and recorded profits of $63.4 million. This is outrageous given Planned Parenthood is legally organized as a “non-profit.”

Read the rest here.

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CNSNews.com reported last Thursday that Planned Parenthood received $349.6 million in taxpayer’s dollars for fiscal year ending June 30, 2008 and that its organization paid Cecile Richards, its president, $385,163, plus an additional $11,876 in deferred compensation and benefits – a whopping total of $397,039. This payment was for overseeing the machinations of 324,008 abortions – the population of the city of Chicago at the time of the Great Fire in 1871. Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood continues to work hard to convince us that we actually want to fund their version of “an honest day’s work.” It’s finally time that we de-fund Planned Parenthood. Our nation’s children would appreciate it.

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As an update to my blog last week, it appears that Planned Parenthood is receiving much more government funding to teach your children about sex than initially obvious from the HHS award announcement.

In fact, Planned Parenthood even seems a little confused internally about how much money they are getting. Their own press releases conflict in terms of the bottom line dollar amount, one claiming $19 million nation-wide and the other claiming $20 million in the northwest alone. Either way it is an alarming figure.

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An astute constituent recently brought to my attention a mistake concerning Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s (PPFA) fiscal year 2009 Internal Revenue Service 990 tax form.

I wrote recently that Planned Parenthood NETTED an income of $106 million in fiscal year 2009. What I should have said was that according to its 990 tax form, PPFA (headquarters) brought in REVENUE of approximately $106 million in fiscal year 2009. Of course, revenue is not profit. The actual amount the organization claimed as profit is $21,773,569, still a hefty chunk of change and well below the estimated $350 million Planned Parenthood gets annually from various federal, state and local taxpayers.

It is critical to understand the larger context of Planned Parenthood’s net profit. The best source for PPFA’s annual profit is the organization’s annual report (here is a link to the latest). You will notice that the data seem somewhat outdated, with June 2008 being the final date listed.

A lot has happened in the U.S. since June 2008, most notably the election of a President who vowed on the campaign trail to do all he could to expand Planned Parenthood’s reach, and has populated his Administration with staff who share that goal.

PPFA’s annual report encompasses information on abortions, adoption referrals, government grants, income, revenue, expenses, contracts, etc. The annual report compiles most data from affiliates around the United States, whereas the IRS 990 form details only a small portion of the Planned Parenthood budget.  For example, in Fiscal year 2008, PPFA’s annual report states that the organization made a profit (“excess of revenue over profits”) of approximately $85 million dollars. However, PPFA’s 990 form for the same year (2008) reads that the profit was only $16,429,108. Why the difference? The 990 form only accounts for a fraction of the entire organization’s budget; the amount noted in the 990 is likely only headquarter costs.

So, the mistaken $106 million figure might not be that different from the profit reported in PPFA’s annual report. But we won’t know for certain until (and if) Planned Parenthood publishes the annual report.

Planned Parenthood typically publishes its annual report in April of each year. Thus far this year, PPFA has not made this information public.  The bigger question is why is it taking so long now that they have so many friends in Washington, D.C.

We at FRC always strive to make sure our information is as accurate as current data allow us to be.  We are grateful to the constituent who contacted FRC about this matter.

At the same time, it is our hope that PPFA will be forthcoming and fully accurate about its financial status.  The taxpayers of our country, who subsidize PPFA to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars annually, deserve no less.

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