Most people reading this article have recently completed that annual ordeal known as filing income taxes. We “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s”—plus some, in most cases. Unfortunately, over the years, “rendering unto Caesar” has come to include a bit more than paying for innocent projects such as building the roads we drive on. Somewhere along the way, the public has been hoodwinked into becoming abortion philanthropists—usually unknowingly.
Yes, this includes YOU and your hard-earned money. While taxpayers may be hard pressed to force an immediate stop to this outrageous—and deadly—use of our money, we can certainly stop the ignorance. This is one reason why STOPP International, a project of American Life League, has recently released The Ryan Report Special Edition 2003. STOPP is dedicated to stopping Planned Parenthood and its anti-life activities, which in this case involves siphoning taxpayer dollars to fund their diabolical mission.
“This special annual report—which uses information from Planned Parenthood’s own reports along with exclusive research that has been conducted by STOPP International—exposes Planned Parenthood’s gross abuse of women and preborn children through its taxpayer funded activities,” said Jim Sedlak, founder and executive director of STOPP.
The money trail
For anyone who might not believe that the astounding statistics examined here are legitimate and accurate, a quick perusal of PP’s own annual reports, service reports and IRS 990s will put any doubts to rest. Read it and weep.
Speaking of weeping, we might as well dive in by saying that Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s total income since 1987 is almost $7.6 billion, of which we the people have footed approximately $2.5 billion via government grants and contracts. (Yes, that’s “billion” with a “b.”) Just to break that down a little: The Ryan Report’s latest data shows that tax dollars to PPFA increased nearly 19 percent, from almost $203 million in the 2000-2001 fiscal year, to almost $241 million in FY 2001-2002.
While a portion of this taxpayer funding came from state or local governments, PPFA got an overwhelming majority of it—about 73 percent—from the federal government. If that’s not federal empowerment of eugenic socialism, I don’t know what is.
But the buck doesn’t stop there. The U.S. government has also deemed it appropriate to funnel millions of taxpayer dollars to the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) as well as the Alan Guttmacher Institute, which is the official Planned Parenthood research arm. In FY 2000, these organizations received tax money to the tune of $15.8 million and $1.1 million, respectively—and that’s just the tally for one year.
Stated Ed Szymkowiak, STOPP’s national director and a chief author of The Ryan Report Special Edition, “Planned Parenthood’s own financial data shows an organization that clearly operates on the back of the American taxpayer. It is time the American public is given the truth about Planned Parenthood.”
The culprits
As The Ryan Report shows, this abortion funding can be traced to a number of federal programs. The culprits include Title X (which can best be described as the U.S. domestic population control program), Medicaid, social service block grants, maternal and child health services block grants, and the insidious “unspecified” category.
Risky business
When they’re not using these programs to rob the average citizen in order to fund their affiliates and partner organizations, Planned Parenthood is making money by doing what it does best: killing babies. According to The Ryan Report, “PPFA reported that it performed 213,026 abortion procedures in 2001. That represents an 8.1 percent increase over the previous year.” So much for safe and rare. Using the average cost of $375 per abortion, STOPP estimates that PPFA had a total income of almost $80 million from abortion procedures in 2001 alone. By adding up each year’s estimated abortion income from 1977 to 2002, STOPP reports a total of almost a BILLION dollars in income from abortion. With income like that, the incentive for PPFA to make abortion “rare” seems practically nonexistent.
To address this ongoing scandal, one member of the U.S. Congress has recently taken steps to halt the flow of citizens’ money into pro-abortion coffers. On April 2, 2003, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) introduced legislation before the House of Representatives that would significantly defund Planned Parenthood and its ilk. Paul explained that the Freedom of Conscience Act of 2003 “prohibits any federal official from expending any federal funds for any population control or population planning program or any family planning activity,” adding that, “it is immoral to force the American taxpayers to subsidize programs and practices they find morally abhorrent.”
Paul also introduced the Partial-birth Abortion Funding Ban Act of 2003. According to Paul, “this bill prohibits federal officials from paying any federal funds to any individual or entity that performs partial-birth abortions. The taxpayer must not be forced to fund this barbaric procedure.”
What can I do?
Hopefully the day will soon come when taxpayers will not only see the end of their forced funding of pro-aborts and their crimes, but will also see the end of abortion itself. Hitting Planned Parenthood in the pocketbook is one of the many means to achieve this end. Readers are encouraged to take action by performing an analysis similar to that of The Ryan Report on the tax forms of their local Planned Parenthood affiliates, available at www.guidestar.com. The results can then be publicized and shared with elected representatives.
“It is a disgrace that the American taxpayer is forced to fund an organization that has nothing to do with mainstream American values,” said Sedlak. “Our special edition shows that there is declining support from the American people. It is time for the government to defund Planned Parenthood immediately.”
(To read The Ryan Report Special Edition 2003 in its entirety, visit American Life League’s STOPP International’s web site at www.stoppinternational.org.)
Kristin Giganti is a free-lance writer from Alexandria, Va.
ACTION NOTES
The Ryan Report is made possible thanks to the generosity of our donors. Please consider supporting STOPP with a tax-deductible gift: STOPP International, P.O. Box 1350 Stafford, VA 22555. Thank you!
To schedule a talk in your community by STOPP’s executive director, Jim Sedlak, call 540-659-4171. Please pray that God will lead us in our work and that we will always have the courage to do His will. Visit STOPP online at www.stoppinternational.org.
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