The lies and racism of Planned Parenthood
A student-run magazine at UCLA is dogging Planned Parenthood relentlessly. First was last year’s undercover investigation that outed Planned Parenthood employees covering up statutory rape. Even after being threatened with a lawsuit, The Advocate followed up with recorded calls to PP requesting that a potential donation be earmarked for the abortion of black babies. In more than one case, PP was happy to oblige. Drudge now has a couple headlines on this story front and center (nearly a month after the video was posted). He links the Idaho Statesman’s write-up. It’s good to see this getting national attention.
Planned Parenthood of Idaho officials apologized Wednesday for what they called an employee’s “serious mistake” in encouraging a donation aimed at aborting black babies.
They also criticized The Advocate, a right-to-life student magazine at the University of California-Los Angeles, for trying to discredit Planned Parenthood employees in seven states in a series of tape-recorded phone calls last summer.
The call to Idaho came in July to Autumn Kersey, vice president of development and marketing for Planned Parenthood of Idaho.
On the recording provided by The Advocate, an actor portraying a donor said he wanted his money used to eliminate black unborn children because “the less black kids out there the better.”
Kersey laughed nervously and said: “Understandable, understandable. … Excuse my hesitation, this is the first time I’ve had a donor call and make this kind of request, so I’m excited and want to make sure I don’t leave anything out.”
On Tuesday, The Advocate released transcripts and audio recordings of this phone call and another to fundraising representatives in Ohio.
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On Wednesday, Planned Parenthood of Idaho “firmly and unequivocally” denounced racial bias, admitted making a mistake and said the group had taken corrective action.
“A fundraising employee violated the organization’s principles and practices when she appeared to be willing to accept a racially motivated donation,” said CEO Rebecca Poedy in a written statement. “We apologize for the manner in which this offensive call was handled. We take full responsibility for the actions of the fundraising staff member who created the impression that racism of any form would be tolerated at Planned Parenthood. We took swift action to ensure that each of our employees understands their responsibility to communicate clearly with donors about the fact that we believe in helping all individuals, regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation, make informed decisions about their reproductive health care.”
A spokeswoman for the organization would not say whether further disciplinary action was taken against Kersey, saying that was a personnel matter.
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The national Planned Parenthood office did not return phone calls Wednesday, but local officials denounced the editor of The Advocate as “a known anti-choice extremist.”
“While the actions of our staff member were unacceptable, it’s also unacceptable for opponents of abortion to use racist, deceptive tactics to smear Planned Parenthood,” Poedy said. “The race-baiting tactics on display in this case are not news ‘exposes,’ but rather the product of the most cynical form of politicking.”
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The Advocate is waiting for responses from Idaho and Ohio before releasing recordings from Planned Parenthood organizations in several other states, she said. In the meantime, the magazine is calling for UCLA to cut its ties with Planned Parenthood.
“Anti-choice extremist”? Because everyone has a constitutional right to finance the infanticide of a racial minority of their choosing, right?
BTW:
Planned Parenthood in the Kansas City area is also having some legal problems.
A recent dumpster discovery in Michigan deserves heavy media coverage, for sure. Key quote:
“I was aware of the reality of abortion, but it was unnerving,” Police Sgt. Vincent Lynch said of viewing the evidence, adding that “intact fetuses” were among the debris.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists in the UK just released a landmark study that directly contradicts the propaganda on Planned Parenthood’s teenager-geared website regarding the mental and emotional effects of having an abortion.
The truth:
Several studies, including research published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry in 2006, concluded that abortion in young women might be associated with risks of mental health problems.
The lie:
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, anti-choice organizations continue to spread the false idea that it is common for abortion to have severe, emotionally negative effects. They want people to believe that most women who choose abortion suffer severe and long-lasting emotional trauma. This is not true.
Tell that to Emma Beck.
