Betty Dodson with Carlin Ross
Better Orgasms. Better World.
They just won't give up the fight against intentional motherhood. Abortion opponents are pressing state and local governments to stop sending taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood, arguing that the nonprofit group has plenty of cash and shouldn't be granted scarce public funds at a time of economic crisis.
Planned Parenthood receives about $335 million a year -- a third of its budget -- from government grants and contracts to subsidize contraception, sex education and non-abortion-related health care for poor women and teenagers.
The group is also the nation's largest abortion provider, and critics have long argued that the public funds indirectly subsidize abortions by keeping hundreds of Planned Parenthood clinics afloat.
But the new lobbying effort, backed by conservative Christian groups such as the Family Research Council, focuses more on economic than moral concerns. The campaign paints Planned Parenthood as a wealthy organization that doesn't need taxpayer help. Planned Parenthood reported record revenue and a $115 million budget surplus last year, and it is building a network of elegant health centers to attract middle-class clients.
"The money needs to go to local organizations that actually need it and don't have the backing of a multimillion-dollar organization," says Scott Tibbs, an antiabortion activist in Bloomington, Ind.
Planned Parenthood responds that its health-care services fill a critical need, especially now, when so many people are losing their jobs -- and their health insurance.
A new effort by abortion opponents to pressure Planned Parenthood relies on lobbying based on economic concerns, rather than demonstrations. Past reductions in government funding have forced local chapters to close clinics, raise fees and cut back on subsidized contraception, which Planned Parenthood's president, Cecile Richards, described as "a lifeline for millions of people."
In recent weeks, Planned Parenthood chapters have lost public funds in two states as elected officials juggled tight budgets.
Fulton County, Ga., which includes Atlanta, canceled a $420,000 contract as part of statewide cuts in health care.
Sarasota County, Fla., ended years of subsidizing Planned Parenthood's sex-education programs with annual grants of as much as $30,000.
"It had nothing to do with Planned Parenthood's mission," said Paul Mercier, who recently retired as a county commissioner. "It had everything to do with them not needing the funding."
The Family Research Council is developing a kit to help grass-roots activists dig through financial reports so they can make detailed presentations to elected officials about the assets and revenue of local Planned Parenthood chapters. The council has sent letters to 1,200 state legislators describing Planned Parenthood's strong financial position and urging "a second look" at public funding.
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