'Like so many Planned Parenthood lawsuits, this was baseless'
Former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson with Coalition for Life
Director Shawn Carney (photo: Coalition for Life)
Planned Parenthood, the American abortion industry's leading player,
"quietly" has dropped its lawsuit against a former clinic director who
quit her job after watching an abortion.
The news comes from the Alliance Defense Fund, which had been assisting
former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson.
"This was the latest in a series of national Planned Parenthood
scandals," said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Steven H. Aden.
"It wasn't about one woman or one clinic. Planned Parenthood is a
national organization that has been kept afloat by hundreds of millions
of dollars in taxpayer funding. The American people need to understand
that this organization has been involved in scandal after scandal and
has never owned up to them. Like so many Planned Parenthood lawsuits,
this lawsuit was baseless, so we are pleased that it has been
withdrawn," he said.
Among other accusations, Planned Parenthood falsely claimed Johnson
violated a confidentiality agreement and breached an employment
contract, even though she never had one, according to the ADF.
WND reported earlier when a judge refused to grant Planned Parenthood's
demand for an injunction against Johnson.
The judge also rejected the abortion company's demand for an injunction
targeting the Coalition for Life, an organization whose members oppose
abortion in the College Station, Texas, area where Johnson had worked.
The ruling from Judge J.D. Langley concluded Planned Parenthood did not
offer reasons that would convince him of the need for "the extreme
remedy of injunctive relief."
The company had sought court intervention to block disclosure of
confidential patient information, which Johnson said she never
considered doing anyway.
The ADF confirmed the order withdrawing the lawsuit was issued by the
Brazos County District Court.
In its request, Planned Parenthood admitted, "Plaintiffs no longer
desire to pursue this cause of action against Defendants, Abby Johnson
and the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life."
The request, dated Nov. 13, was signed by the court Nov. 17. Marc
Hamlin, district clerk, said, "In accordance with Rule 306A Texas Rules
of Civil Procedure you are hereby notified of the entry of the Order on
Motion for NonSuit."
WND reported when Johnson was interviewed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike
Huckabee on his Fox News Channel show:
And in an earlier interview with WND, Johnson told of Planned
Parenthood's abortion quotas, which she said were needed to generate
revenue for the organization.
"We'd have a goal every month for abortion clients and for family
planning clients," she said.
Johnson, 29, said the Bryan, Texas, Planned Parenthood clinic performed
surgical abortions every other Saturday, but it began expanding access
to abortion to increase earnings. She said her turning point came when
she was told to assist with an abortion.
"For whatever reason I was called in to help. My job was to hold the
ultrasound probe on the abdomen," she said. "When I looked at the
screen, I saw a baby on the screen. She was about 13 weeks pregnant at
the time. I saw a full side profile. I saw face to feet on the
ultrasound.
"I saw the probe going into the woman's uterus. At that moment I saw
the baby moving, trying to get away from the probe," she continued.
"I thought, 'It's fighting for its life.' I thought, 'It's life. It's
alive.'
"I dropped the ultrasound probe. I scrambled and put [the probe] back
in place. So many things were going through my mind. I was thinking
about my daughter, who's three," she said.
"I was just thinking, 'What am I doing here? What am I doing here?
There was life in here and now there's not.'"
Johnson later was mentioned by name during the U.S. House debate over
an amendment designed to limit taxpayer funding of abortions.
In remarks on the House floor, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said,
"Self-described as 'extremely pro-choice,' but now pro-life, Abby
Johnson said she watched an unborn child 'crumple' before her very eyes
as the infant was vacuumed and dismembered by a suction device 20-30
times more powerful than a household vacuum cleaner. 'I could see the
baby try to move away … I just thought what am I doing … never again.'"
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.
