Planned Parenthood pressured to give answers
Activists wonder about organization's reporting, reformation
A team of volunteers at Live Action Films who earlier released videos of two Planned Parenthood offices advising how to conceal a reported sexual assault on a child now wants the abortion company to answer a few questions, such as how many abortions does it perform and how many reports does it submit to Child Protective Services.
In an open letter and a video released today, the pro-life organization said the public should know what is going on at the company that gets millions of federal taxpayer dollars annually.
"This is an organization that consistently engages in deceptive practices and lawbreaking," said Lila Rose, the 20-year-old president of the group. "And these practices have very real consequences on real people."
"We've just got to keep pressing this issue," she said, and soon there will be questions from authorities and lawmakers.
Among the questions that need to be answered, she said, are:
* How many abortions does Planned Parenthood perform?
* How many reports does it submit to Child Protective Services regarding minors who enter its businesses?
* And how does Planned Parenthood expect to reform itself when the agency charged with the assignment is run by a former staff member for PP?
The issue of the number of abortions is raised in a newly released video which documents a discrepancy of more than 10,000 in the number of abortions PP formally reports and the number a staff member confirmed.
The video, which cites formal reports of about 4,000 abortions and a staff member's confirmation that only one of the three businesses in the state does about 90 abortions a week, also is embedded here:
Rose also wondered about the reports to Child Protective Services, based on Live Action Films' video documentation of employees in two clinics advising how a juvenile should not report an apparent case of statutory rape.
Rose called for Planned Parenthood of Indiana to release publicly the number of reports to Child Protective Services in conjunction with the number of minors provided STD testing, abortion counseling, pregnancy testing and birth control.
Comparing the numbers, Rose said, would give the public a more accurate picture of the extent to which the business reports – or fails to report – adult-child sexual relationships.
Her request came following a public statement from Betty Cockrum, the president of the Indiana business, who defended its operations in light of the revelations in the undercover videos.
"Planned Parenthood of Indiana may either opt for transparency in service to the rule of law, or choose to continue in the same secrecy that has already caused deep public distrust and summoned a state investigation," Rose said.
She questioned the abortion company's dedication to reforming its operations given Live Action's discovery that Prevent Child Abuse Indiana, the group chosen by Planned Parenthood for internal reforms, has close ties with Planned Parenthood.
According to Live Action, Prevent Child Abuse of Indiana's lead "prevention specialist," Carol Pool, worked for Planned Parenthood of Indiana for 13 years, giving sex education workshops.
"For Planned Parenthood to enlist the help of its friends and former employees at PCAI in the name of reform is like a predator saying he will babysit his victim," said Rose.
She also said Planned Parenthood's statement regarding staff re-training is just deceptive.
"All employees in the videos expressed knowledge of their legal obligation to report the rape," said Rose. "This is not a matter of knowing the laws. When Planned Parenthood doesn't like a law, they break it."
The earlier videos, which also are available on YouTube, document statements from Bloomington and Indianapolis staff members who told a girl they believed to be 13 how to not report a 31-year-old boyfriend.
Rose noted other cases of actual adult-child sexual relationships that have been covered up in Arizona, California, Ohio, and Washington D.C.
"These incidents, and our undercover work, reveal a disturbing pattern of lawlessness," Rose explained. "Planned Parenthood needs to release all applicable statistical data on the number of minors it treats in sexual abuse situations and the number of these cases it reports to law enforcement."
Rose, who already was honored for her pro-life work this year, also today was named the 2008 Person of the Year by Operation Rescue.
"Lila Rose exemplifies the new wave of pro-life activism and best reflects Operation Rescue's own efforts to expose illegal conduct in our nation's abortion mills," Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said.
"Her work has helped raise public awareness of the seedy underbelly of the abortion industry and has helped to launch criminal investigations that we pray will eventually hold out-of- control abortionists accountable for their criminal acts," he said.
Source: WorldNetDaily
Source URL: http://www.wnd.com
Publish Date: December 30, 2008
Link to this article:
http://www.ifrl.org/ifrl/news/090102_3.htm
The IFRL is the largest grassroots pro-life organization in Illinois. A non-profit organization, that serves as the state coordinating body for local pro-life chapters representing thousands of Illinois citizens working to restore respect for all human life in our society. The IFRL is composed of people of different political persuasions, various faiths and diverse economic, social and ethnic backgrounds. Since 1973 the Illinois Federation for Right to Life has been working to end abortion and restore legal protection to those members of the human family who are threatened by abortion, infanticide and euthanasia. Diverse though we are, we hold one common belief - that every human being has an inalienable right to life that is precious and must be protected. IFRL is dedicated to restoring the right to life to the unborn, and protection for the disabled and the elderly. Click here to learn more about the IFRL.
