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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.””

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):

INDIANA

Family policy organization: Indiana Family Institute

Leading the cause to defund Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers, Indiana passed a monumental piece of legislation, HB1210, earlier this year.  It has subsequently been challenged in court and U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt is expected to make a ruling by July 1^st whether to grant injunction while the court case continues.

The actual text in question can be read below:

“An agency of the state may not:
(1) enter into a contract with; or
(2) make a grant to; any entity that performs abortions or maintains or operates a facility where abortions are performed that involves the expenditure of state funds or federal funds administered by the state.

(c) Any appropriation by the state:
(1) in a budget bill;
(2) under IC 5-19-1-3.5; or
(3) in any other law of the state;
to pay for a contract with or grant made to any entity that performs abortions or maintains or operates a facility where abortions are performed is canceled, and the money appropriated is not available for payment of any contract with or grant made to the entity that performs abortions or maintains or operates a facility where abortions are performed.
(d) For any contract with or grant made to an entity that performs abortions or maintains or operates a facility where abortions are performed covered under subsection (b), the budget agency shall make a determination that funds are not available, and the contract or grant shall be terminated under section 5 of this chapter.”

Full text of the bill can be found here.

KANSAS

Family policy organization: Kansas Family Policy Council

In contrast to the legislative method of Indiana, Kansas effectively defunded Planned Parenthood through their state budget.  This was accomplished by prioritizing the means of distributing family planning funds: first to public entities and secondly to private entities which provided comprehensive health care in addition to family planning services (something which Planned Parenthood is not equipped to do).  The new budget strips about $334,000 in federal Title X funding for the organization, according to Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.

Relevant text can be read below:

Senate substitute for HB2014 Sec. 57:
(a) During the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, subject to any applicable requirements of federal statutes, rules, regulations or guidelines, any expenditures or grants of money by any state agency for family planning services financed in whole or in part from federal title X moneys shall be made subject to the following two priorities: First priority to public entities (state, county, local health departments and health clinics) and if any moneys remain then; second priority to non-public entities which are hospitals or federally qualified health centers that provide comprehensive primary and preventative care in addition to family planning services.

(page 85) (l)
During the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, subject to any applicable requirements of federal statutes, rules, regulations or guidelines, any expenditures or grants of money by the department of health and environment–division of health for family planning services financed in whole or in part from federal title X moneys shall be made subject to the following
two priorities: First priority to public entities (state, county, local health departments and health clinics) and, if any moneys remain, then, Second priority to non-public entities which are hospitals or federally qualified health centers that provide comprehensive primary and preventative care in addition to family planning services: Provided, That, as used in this sub-
section “hospitals” shall have the same meaning as defined in K.S.A. 65-425, and amendments thereto, and “federally qualified health center” shall have the same meaning as defined in K.S.A. 65-1669, and amendments thereto.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Family policy organization: Cornerstone Action

The Executive Council, a body of five elected councilors, is responsible for approving the expenditure of state and federal funds within New Hampshire.  They work with ther Commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services and the Attorney General to manage the business of the state.  On Wednesday, June 22^nd, the Council voted 3 -2 against funding a contract in the amount of 1.8 million dollars with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

According to Union Leader.com, Councilor Dan St. Hilaire said the Planned Parenthood contract “differed (from other health provider contracts) in that the organization directly provides abortions, it’s CEO earns in excess of $250,000 a year, and most of its services and administration are located out of state in Williston, Vt.”

For more information about the Executive Council go here

NORTH CAROLINA

Family policy organization: North Carolina Family Policy Council

Similar to Kansas, the North Carolina legislature successfully voted to defund Planned Parenthood through their budget, overriding the governor’s veto.  According to a Reuters article, Planned Parenthood said it received just over $434,000 a year through state grants and programs, about 4 percent of the group’s budget for operating nine health centers in North Carolina.  The funding for Planned Parenthood’s participation in public health programs will end on July 1. 

Find out more information here.

The actual bill text states:

“PROHIBIT USE OF ALL FUNDS FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD ORGANIZATIONS

SECTION 10.19. For fiscal years 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, the Department of Health and Human Services may not provide State funds or other funds administered by the Department for contracts or grants to Planned Parenthood, Inc., and affiliated organizations.”

TENNESSEE

Family policy organization: Family Action Council of Tennessee

The path to defund Planned Parenthood in TN was long and not without mishaps.  Initially legislators sought to defund through an amendment to the budget (Section 78) which read that funds allocated for women’s health services “shall be used fully” by government-run health agencies and none “shall be paid to third-party providers or private organizations or entities.”  However, at the last moment a “mystery amendment” was snuck in to the budget which stated: “Section 78 of this act shall not be construed to supersede applicable provisions of federal and state law.”  Due to the complicated nature of the various provisions of law referenced, there was legal doubt over the validity of the defunding amendment.

In effort to try and reduce some of the dismay and confusion among lawmakers, the Lt Governor’s office released the following statement:

“The confusion surrounding the language in the budget regarding Planned Parenthood has been unfortunate.  The Office of Legal Services advised House and Senate leadership that it is unconstitutional to amend general law through the appropriations bill (Article II, Section 17), an interpretation which would have put the entire budget document in jeopardy. It was not our intent to allow funding for Planned Parenthood. Our majority in the General Assembly clearly meant to defund them. We are currently working with pro-life activists to resolve this issue with legislation and we will put it to rest immediately upon the legislature’s return in January.”

Many citizen urged Governor Haslam to use his executive power to “fix the mistake” in the recently passed budget.  Finally, on June 11^th the Lieutenant Governor, Ron Ramsey, announced that Governor Haslam had asked the State Health Department to pressure the state’s two largest counties, Davidson and Shelby Counties, to provide family planning services through their respective county health departments (as the other 93 counties in TN currently do) instead of contracting with Planned Parenthood and granting them state funds to provide family planning services on behalf of those two counties.

“We are at long last moving towards the final stages of the Planned Parenthood shell game,” said Lt. Gov. Ramsey. “It has always been the ambition of Republicans in the legislature to defund this organization. I was proud to lead the charge to turn over family planning services to the county health departments effectively defunding the organization in 93 out of 95 counties. I’d like to praise the Governor for working to completely turn off the spigot of taxpayer funds to Planned Parenthood.”

Read more at Examiner.com

TEXAS

Family policy organization: Liberty Institute

Texas, similar to Kansas used a funding prioritization method in their recently passed 2012-2013 budget:

“The Department of State Health Services shall allocate funds appropriated above in Strategy B.1.3, Family Planning Services using a methodology that prioritizes distribution and reallocation to first award public entities that provide family planning services, including state, county, local community health clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and clinics under the Baylor College of Medicine; secondly, non-public entities that provide comprehensive primary and preventative care as a part of their family planning services; and thirdly, non-public entities that provide family planning services but do not provide comprehensive primary and preventative care.”

My San Antonio reports: “Now that the dust has settled on the recently passed 2012-13 budget, the state’s family planning money now hovers at $38 million — $73 million less than the $111 million allocated in the current biennium.“

Click here to read the  article in its entirety.

Another bill currently under consideration, SB 7, would further increase funding prioritization and prohibit public hospitals and facilities who receive public funds from performing abortions.

WISCONSIN

Family policy organization: Wisconsin Family Council

According to a Huffpost Politics article, Governor Scott Walker (R) is expected to sign a budget bill that eliminates state and federal funding from nine of the state’s Planned Parenthood health centers. It directs federal Title V family planning dollars to public health agencies and prohibits them from giving the funds to organizations or its affiliates that provide abortions or abortion referrals.

The article states the new budget would eliminate $1 million a year in funding for nine of Wisconsin’s 25 Planned Parenthood clinics.

Unsuccessful Efforts (MN,  MT, NH ):

MINNESOTA

Family policy organization: Minnesota Family Institute

A bill (SF1224) was introduced that would have prohibited all state family planning funds from going to any organization that performs abortions or is associated with an organization that performs abortions.  Unfortunately it did not pass the chamber of origin.  The actual text states:

“Family planning grant funds” means funds distributed through the maternal and child health block grant program under sections 145.881 to 145.883, the family planning special projects grant program under section 145.925, the program to eliminate health disparities under section 145.928, or any other state grant program whose funds are or may be used to fund family planning services.

Subd. 2. Uses of family planning grant funds. No family planning grant funds may be:
(1) expended to directly or indirectly subsidize abortion services or administrative expenses;
(2) paid or granted to an organization or an affiliate of an organization that provides abortion services, unless the affiliate is independent as provided in subdivision 4; or
(3) paid or granted to an organization that has adopted or maintains a policy in writing or through oral public statements that abortion is considered part of a continuum of family planning services, reproductive health services, or both.

Subd. 3. Organizations receiving family planning grant funds. An organization that receives family planning grant funds:
(1) may provide nondirective counseling relating to pregnancy but may not directly refer patients who seek abortion services to any organization that provides abortion services, including an independent affiliate of the organization receiving family planning grant funds. For purposes of this clause, an affiliate is independent if it satisfies the criteria in subdivision 4, paragraph (a);
(2) may not display or distribute marketing materials about abortion services to patients;
(3) may not engage in public advocacy promoting the legality or accessibility of abortion; and
(4) must be separately incorporated from any affiliated organization that provides abortion services.

Subd. 4. Independent affiliates that provide abortion services.  (a) To ensure that the state does not lend its imprimatur to abortion services and to ensure that an organization that provides abortion services does not receive a direct or indirect economic or marketing benefit from family planning grant funds, an organization that receives family planning grant funds may not be affiliated with an organization that provides abortion services unless the organizations are independent from each other. To be independent, the organizations may not share any of the following:
 (1) the same or a similar name;
(2) medical facilities or nonmedical facilities, including, but not limited to, business offices, treatment rooms, consultation rooms, examination rooms, and waiting rooms;
(3) expenses;
 (4) employee wages or salaries; or
(5) equipment or supplies, including, but not limited to, computers, telephone systems, telecommunications equipment, and office supplies.

(b) An organization that receives family planning grant funds and that is affiliated with an organization that provides abortion services must maintain financial records that demonstrate strict compliance with this subdivision and that demonstrate that its independent affiliate that provides abortion services receives no direct or indirect economic or marketing benefit from the family planning grant funds.

MONTANA

Family policy organization: Minnesota Family Foundation

The Montana Legislature passed a two year budget rejecting federal family-planning funds in the amount of about $4.7 million.

According to an article in the Missoulian, House and Senate Republicans had also voted to remove $1 million in state funding for family planning clinics and rejected a Schweitzer administration proposal to spend another $1.2 million in state and federal funds for higher access to birth control.

The article states that Planned Parenthood, the most prominent abortion provider in Montana, receives about half of the $5.7 million in state and federal family-planning money, for use at its health clinics in Billings, Missoula, Helena and Great Falls.

Rejection of the federal money was a bold statement by lawmakers that they did not want to subsidize the abortion giant Planned Parenthood and other organizations that perform abortions with taxpayer money.  Unfortunately when the budget was presented to democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer, he used his amendment power to restore funding to Planned Parenthood and pressured the legislature to approve his amendments.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NOTE: NH was ultimately successful in defunding PP through the Executive Council.  The following refers to their legislative attempt.

Family policy organization: Cornerstone Action

House Bill 228 specifically named Planned Parenthood and forbid the state from entering into any grants or contracts with that organization or other abortion providers.  It also forbid the use of public funds for abortions or to pay any health insurance costs for policies that cover abortions.

This section does not prohibit the state from complying with the requirements of federal law relative to Title XIX and Title XXI of the Social Security Act.

The methodology of the bill states: “The Department of Health and Human Services states this bill prevents the Department from contracting with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. The Department stated the current contract with Planned Parenthood is in the amount $794,370 of which $428,960 is federal Title X funds and $365,410 is state general funds. Under the contract, Planned Parenthood provides family planning services, reproductive healthcare, HIV testing, STD testing and treatment, and health education. The Department states federal law prohibits these funds from being used to fund abortions. The Department assumes that, without this contract, the federal funds would be returned to the federal government and the general funds would be returned to the general fund.”

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.

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.”

In this case, the statement should have been more explicit to read: “Income from abortions constitutes 37% of Planned Parenthood health clinic revenue.” According to Planned Parenthood’s latest annual report, health clinic income was $404,900,000. The Planned Parenthood website indicates that abortions cost between $350-950, depending on method and location. If one were to use $450 as a very low estimate for abortion cost, revenue of 332,278 abortions would equal $149,525,100, which would be roughly 37% of the clinic revenue. So, when it comes to revenue from Planned Parenthood clinics, and not including government funding and other sources of donations, a huge percent of its revenue comes from abortion.

Grant additionally quoted FRC Action’s statement in the same alert that “The abortion giant performed fewer than 20,000 other services in the last year.” The “fewer than 20,000 other services” is referring to primary health care clients, as indicated in Planned Parenthood’s latest fact sheet. The number of clients reached for these basic health needs is a very small percentage of Planned Parenthood’s services. In the words of Susan Wills writing for the American Thinker, this number reflects “an insignificant part of the total of 11.4 million services nationwide.” Additionally, Planned Parenthood’s overall service reports are not transparent and lead to confusion and deception. A former employee of Planned Parenthood has stated that service-counting was manipulated by a system called “bundling.” In other words, if a woman visited a clinic once but received 12 months of family planning, the clinic would bundle and tally this as 12 services. On the other hand, if the office visit was for abortion care, three visits related to one abortion would be counted only once.

Therefore, the service numbers are not accurate but rather communicate misinformation and downplay abortion.

The remainder of Grant’s article is spent trying to nuance other dark facts about Planned Parenthood, including the reality that out of all services for pregnant mothers, 97.6% are abortions or that Planned Parenthood does no mammograms as they recently have claimed or that the organization made over $85 million in profits in 2008.

Grant does not mention the fact that Planned Parenthood fosters statutory rape according to the release of recent undercover videos.  The videos show at least some of Planned Parenthood affiliates accepting human trafficking as a legitimate enterprise according to these same videos. Nor does he point out that similar undercover videos show that, again, at least some, Planned Parenthood clinics are willing to accept donations by people who want the money to pay for the abortion of minority babies.

No statistical slicing-and-dicing should diminish this sad reality nor that abortion harms the mother, and deprives society of the gifts of the unborn, nor the indisputable fact that Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortion in the nation. While we accept any attempt to ensure our statements are accurate, it would be helpful if a similar effort were made to an abortion business so plagued by unethical mis-conduct and misleading claims.

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.”

Planned Parenthood put out a press release yesterday about the interview. Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Cecile Richards said, “Having failed for now to eliminate breast exams, cancer screenings and birth control that millions of American women count on, Representative Mike Pence continues his misleading and outrageous attacks on Planned Parenthood and the preventive health care our doctors and nurses provide.”

But this assertion is ridiculous. As a report from the Chiaroscuro Foundation notes, women in the U.S. have options for seeking care for cancer screenings outside of Planned Parenthood, regardless of their economic status. Ending Planned Parenthood’s funding would not have affected anyone’s ability to get a cancer screening.

Further, Congressman Pence’s amendment did not cut Title X funding. It simply guaranteed that Title X funds would not go to abortion giant Planned Parenthood.

While Planned Parenthood postures as a women’s health organization and claims that most of their services have nothing to do with abortion, former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson points out, “An abortion is expensive. Its cost includes pay for the doctor, supporting medical staff, their health benefits packages and malpractice insurance.  As clinic director, I saw how money affiliate clinics receive from several sources is combined into one pot, not set aside for specific services.”

She explains: “Planned Parenthood’s claim that abortions make up just 3 percent of its services is also a gimmick. That number is actually closer to 12 percent, but strategically skewed by unbundling family planning services so that each patient shows anywhere from five to 20 ‘visits’ per appointment (i.e., 12 packs of birth control equals 12 visits) and doing the opposite with abortion visits, bundling them together so that each appointment equals one visit. The resulting difference between family planning and abortion ‘visits’ is striking.”

The nail in the coffin is that while Ms. Richards includes breast cancer exams in her description of things that would be lost if Congressman Pence’s bill to defund Planned Parenthood passed, Planned Parenthood doesn’t conduct mammograms, they only provide an exam similar to a self-exam that a woman could conduct at home. Live Action showed in a recent undercover investigation that Planned Parenthood does not provide mammograms to screen for breast cancer. So how does ending Planned Parenthood’s federal money stream negatively affect women who need a mammogram?

Pro-lifers were demonized last week for promoting women’s mental and physical health, and fighting for the life of the unborn. But the fact of the matter is that Planned Parenthood is lying to the American people to maintain its federal money stream during a time of serious fiscal crisis. In this cash-strapped time, cutting their funding is a moral issue we should all be able to agree on.