“Planned Parenthood is the number one enemy of unborn babies, and of American families,” declared Eric Scheidler, Communications Director of the Pro-Life Action League, at the conclusion of a closed-door summit of pro-life leaders on September 18 on how to confront Planned Parenthood.
The summit was the first of its kind, drawing pro-life leaders from across the nation to share strategies for defending American families from Planned Parenthood. Among those in attendance were David Bereit of 40 Days for Life, Jim Sedlak of STOPP Planned Parenthood, Janet Morana of Priests for Life, Ray Ruddy of Gerald Health Foundation and Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life of America.
Statement Pledges New Pro-Life Strategy
The summit group drafted a Joint Statement [PDF] entitled “Defeating Planned Parenthood: A National Pro-Life Strategy”, which outlines why opposition to Planned Parenthood is especially critical for the pro-life movement, and what specific measures they pledge to take.
We hereby pledge to coordinate our efforts in a bold, new, national campaign to defend American families from Planned Parenthood.
—Pro-Life Joint Statement
“Not only is Planned Parenthood the nation’s largest abortion provider with a long history of targeting the young and vulnerable, especially minorities,” remarked Scheidler in presenting the Joint Statement, “but they are currently undergoing a massive expansion effort, fueled in large part by taxpayer dollars.” The Statement notes that Planned Parenthood performs over a quarter-million abortions per year and receives over $300 million in government funding.
In their Joint Statement, the pro-life leaders pledge to cut Planned Parenthood funding from both government and corporate sources, increase the pro-life presence at Planned Parenthood facilities, expose Planned Parenthood’s agenda in the media and empower parents and teachers to protect young people from Planned Parenthood.
The statement also pledges to implement the “Aurora treatment” of massive grassroots opposition to new Planned Parenthood construction projects, a reference to the historic pro-life campaign the League has been waging in Aurora, Illinois since August 2007.
“Planned Parenthood is the Goliath of the abortion industry,” Scheidler said. “When Planned Parenthood falls, the rest of the abortion lobby will crumble—and unborn babies will finally be safe again in our country.”
The full text of the Joint Statement can be found below, and is also available for download [PDF].
Pro-life leaders from across the nation gather Sept. 18 for a summit hosted by the Pro-Life Action League on confronting Planned Parenthood
A Joint Statement by National Pro-Life Leaders
Defeating Planned Parenthood: A National Pro-Life Strategy
Whereas, Planned Parenthood operates the nation’s largest abortion chain, reporting 289,750 abortions in 2006, 24% of the national total; and
Whereas, Planned Parenthood targets adolescents with a message that divests human sexuality of any moral character, encourages unsafe, irresponsible sexual behavior, and undermines the relationship between parents and their children; and
Whereas, Planned Parenthood has a well-documented history of shielding child predators by failing to comply with mandatory reporting laws regarding child and statutory rape; and
Whereas, Planned Parenthood, founded by eugenics advocate Margaret Sanger, continues to pursue racist business practices, by targeting abortions disproportionately to minority women; and
Whereas, Planned Parenthood has embarked on a major nationwide expansion effort, building massive new abortion centers in major metropolitan areas, skirting local zoning regulations, and attempting to lure more affluent clients with a new “upscale” image; and
Whereas, Planned Parenthood is assisted in their anti-child, anti-family agenda by the infusion of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars annually—a third of their billion-dollar national budget;
Therefore, we, the undersigned pro-life leaders from across the nation, hereby pledge to coordinate our efforts in a bold, new, national campaign to defend American families from Planned Parenthood.
Together, we will put Planned Parenthood out of business by implementing proven strategies across the nation, to achieve the following goals:
- To mobilize massive grassroots opposition to all new and proposed Planned Parenthood construction projects: close scrutiny of permits and applications, community advocacy, legal action and multi-faceted demonstrations; and
- To eliminate Planned Parenthood’s government funding at the local, state and federal levels; and
- To drastically reduce corporate funding of Planned Parenthood;and
- To utilize all media, both traditional and alternative, to expose Planned Parenthood’s attack on women, children and families; and
- To deprive Planned Parenthood of business and save unborn babies from abortion by expanding the pro-life presence at Planned Parenthood facilities; and
- To safeguard the health and innocence of children by empowering parents and teachers to remove Planned Parenthood programs from their communities; and
- To hold public officials accountable for enforcing all applicable laws, such as parental involvement and mandatory reporting of statutory rape; and
- To call upon all people of faith and conscience to unite in prayer for an end to Planned Parenthood and its detrimental programs and policies.
Signed this 18th day of September, 2008:
- Patricia Bainbridge
- Life Decisions International
- Bill Beckman
- Illinois Right to Life
- David Bereit
- 40 Days for Life
- Thomas Brejcha, Esq.
- Thomas More Society
- Steven Brody
- Dubuque County Right to Life, Inc.
- Al Carlson
- Citizens for Life, Rapid City, SD
- Shawn Carney
- Coalition for Life
- Dr. Brian Clowes
- Human Life International
- Day Gardner
- National Black Pro-Life Union
- Lorraine Gariboldi
- Life Center of Long Island
- Jennifer Giroux
- Women Influencing the Nation
- Kristan Hawkins
- Students for Life of America
- John Jansen
- Generations for Life
- Joe Langfeld
- Human Life Alliance
- Keith Mason
- Personhood USA
- Janet Morana
- Priests for Life
- Steve Peroutka
- National Pro-Life Action Center
- Ray Ruddy
- Gerard Health Foundation
- Lila Rose
- Live Action
- Eric Scheidler
- Families Against Planned Parenthood
- Joe Scheidler
- Pro-Life Action League
- Doug Scott
- Life Decisions International
- Jim Sedlak
- American Life League
- Mary Strom
- The Women’s Centers
- Jill Stanek
- JillStanek.com
- Kathleen Sullivan
- Project Reality
- Fr. Norman Weslin
- Gabriel’s Corner
- Erik Whittington
- Rock for Life
- Kyleen Wright
- Texans for Life Coalition
In addition, the following pro-life leaders and organizations have signed on to this Joint Statement subsequent to the initial September 18 signing:
- Lawson Lipford-Cruz
- Black Students for Life
- Troy Newman
- Operation Rescue
- Ruben Obregon
- No Room for Contraception
- Dr. Peggy Elliot
- Dr. Peggy Elliot Ministries
- Kim Lehman
- Iowa Right to Life
- Steve Mosher
- Population Research Institute
- Mary Maschmeier
- Defenders of the Unborn
