By Jim Spencer
SpencerSpeaks.com
A column I wrote gets cited three times in a lie-packed brochure attacking a new Planned Parenthood building in
The brochure is now being distributed in the neighborhood where Planned Parenthood of the
The brochure reaches a realm of ridiculousness so absurd that I believe it actually defeats itself.
If not, well, shame on us, not the anti-abortion groups that are likely behind KeepPeaceInStapleton.com.
The peace in Stapleton doesn’t depend on Planned Parenthood. It depends on the protesters who show up to harass women making use of counseling, family planning, birth control and - when they choose - legal abortion services.
Abortions make up a small percentage of what Planned Parenthood does.
Whether or not the people in the neighborhood support a woman’s choice to end a pregnancy, the folks I talked to understand that. So don’t misunderstand their out-of-context quotes in the brochure.
One of the two women mentioned had used Planned Parenthood’s birth control services. The other knew people who had. Both knew the burden to kids and the community of bringing unwanted children into the world.
Free speech rights of anti-abortion protesters may disturb the lives of these two women once Planned Parenthood moves in across the street. But the women also know that it is the protesters who are responsible for any inconvenience and disruption, not the family planning facility.
Furthermore, outside of small minority of zealots, you will find that most people agree with Planned Parenthood’s claim that it has “been a good neighbor for 90 years.†That was the third quote from my column cited in the inflammatory brochure.
The vast majority of people who have had first-hand dealings with Planned Parenthood or know someone who has realize Planned Parenthood’s mission is to let women control their own bodies, not to dictate any particular type of behavior.
One of the lies of omission that the new brochure tells involves a quote from a woman I talked to. She opposes abortion and said she “might move out†once Planned Parenthood moved in.
But here’s what else she told me:
“I’ve gone to Planned Parenthood. I’ve done birth control. When I hear Planned Parenthood, I don’t think ‘death camp.’ They offer a lot of services to low-income people. If money goes to keeping people from having babies they can’t take care of, that’s a good thing.â€
The easiest way for everyone to test the lies of the brochure is to examine their own lives. I’m betting they won’t discover that Planned Parenthood has been “exposing your children to pornography and deviant sexual acts,†as the brochure alleges.
I’m also betting they won’t find Planned Parenthood “passing out sex toys and condoms designed for children.â€
Among the harshest claims in the brochure are charges of racism. This includes a quote from someone identified as “Pastor Biff,†who purportedly said, “I’ve read the research; Planned Parenthood has devastated our black community.â€
Once again, it’s time to test experience against allegation.
Claims of racism against Planned Parenthood stem from founder Margaret Sanger’s attempt to bring down birth rates among poor blacks.
The brochure includes a tasteless logotype that says “Neighbors Against Planned Parenthood.†The words surround a photo of the head of an African-American baby sucking on a pacifier.
Whatever Sanger said about the need to control African-American births during the 1930’s, the test 70 years later are actions. The numbers simply don’t show Planned Parenthood encouraging black women to have abortions, as critics suggest.
In 2006, only 5.7 percent of women who chose to have abortions at Planned Parenthood of the
You don’t see that number quoted and footnoted in the new brochure because it doesn’t fit the story anti-abortion groups want to tell.
Neither does the fact that abortions made up only six percent of Planned Parenthood’s services in 2006.
Make no mistake: People who oppose abortion have the right to protest.
The rest of us have the responsibility to recognize their lies.
Copyright 2007 by Jim Spencer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
10 users commented in " Let Experience, Not Brochures, Judge Planned Parenthood "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackThose who oppose abortion do have the right to protest, but it should not be in the guise of being “pro-life.”
If they were pro-life, they’d be in the forefront of national adoption efforts, not to mention loudly and publicly vilifying the current administration and other governments around the world for the too-many-thousands of needless, senseless deaths — American, Iraqi, Afghan, African — that have taken place over the past 7 years. They’d also be leading efforts to improve medical care and education for children of every socio-economic level in and out of the United States.
Instead, they’re opposing contraception.
They may be “pro-birth,” but they’re not “pro-life.”
Arnoldguy1944 (and you, Jim) said all that needs to be said. Freedom of choice adherents haven’t killed any doctors or nurses. So-called pro-lifers have.
Wow, you’re a fool Jim.
“Abortions make up a small percentage of what Planned Parenthood does.”
They don’t help “plan” anyone’s parenthood. If you want to become a parent, yet you’re having a hard time getting pregnant, Planned Parenthood can’t help you. If you are pregnant, and want to become a parent, Planned Parenthood won’t deliver your baby.
“Whether or not the people in the neighborhood support a woman’s choice to end a pregnancy”
That’s a nice lie. This debate is not about a woman’s choice to end a pregnancy. ALL pregnancies end Jim. A woman can’t choose to NOT have her pregnancy end. A pregnancy ends with a live baby or a dead one, that’s what the debate is about.
I checked out their site- it seems they’re more worried about the effect that Planned Parenthood would have on this neighborhood than anything, which is what your original article was about, right Jim? I mean, your article spoke about whether the neighbors wanted Planned Parenthood in their neighborhood, and those quotes you gave said they didn’t- for varying reasons of course. I have to agree that it’s kind of shady for them to walk into a predominantly black neighborhood right next to a large park. While they’re words might say they aren’t targeting blacks and minors, they’re actions seem to say otherwise.
I can only think of negatives to having PP in your backyard, regardless of your view on abortion itself. Honestly, i can’t think of one positive. Maybe they should just stay where they are where it’s not causing so much trouble.
“The debate is not about a woman’s choice to end a pregnancy”….
You are right, Jesus, it’s not about a woman’s choice to end a pregnancy. It’s about a woman’s choice WHEN to end a pregnancy.
And that’s just the point. It’s not your choice, or my choice, it’s HER choice. Capice?
Jim,
You state that the brochure in question is “lie-packed” but the only “lies” you seem to be able to mention are “lies of omission.” From a quick survey of a few dictionaries at hand the common consensus seems to be that a lie is an “intentionally false or inaccurate statement.” Since an omission is the absence of a statement a “lie of omission” seems to be akin to the chimeric “square circle.”
Later on in your article you state, “Abortions make up a small percentage of what Planned Parenthood does.” Well, lets look at the numbers and see how small of a part of Planned Parenthood’s business abortions really are:
According to Planned Parenthood’s own numbers on page 6 of its 2006 annual report(1) Parenthood committed a total of 264,943 abortions (22% of the nation-wide total of 1.2 Million the Guttmacher Institute reports (2) making PP the nation’s largest abortion provider by a long shot.)
At an average of $450 per abortion (a conservative estimate since Planned Parenthood itself states, “The fee is based on how far along [one’s] pregnancy is”(3) and some “abortion cost calculators”
show a range of $500 from the least to most expensive abortion(4)
Now, 264,943abortions x $450 = $119,224,350. Yes, you read that right, over 100 Million dollars.
Again, according to Planned Parenthood’s 2006 annual report since it had a clinic income of $345,100,000 abortions made up for approximately 34.5% of Planned Parenthood’s clinic revenue.
If over a quarter of a million abortions didn’t seem like a lot, then certainly over a third of its clinic income generated through committing abortions doesn’t sound like a very “small percentage” of Planned Parenthood’s services.
As your article goes on you further explain the context of the quote from Monique stating that she would consider moving out if Planned Parenthood moved in. The thing that is very odd is that even with full context this doesn’t change the fact that she “might move once they put [the clinic] there.” That said, how exactly was the brochure inaccurate at expressing Monique’s concerns about Planned Parenthood being in her neighborhood?
However, of the entire article above the part that is most interesting to me is the bet you make that, “they won’t discover that Planned Parenthood has been ‘exposing your children to pornography and deviant sexual acts,” and that “they won’t find Planned Parenthood ‘passing out sex toys and condoms designed for children.”
I will gladly take that bet Jim. You see, I grew up in southeast Denver and as a teen attended George Washington High school. Located in my neighborhood, and literally across the street from my school was a Planned Parenthood. During my high school years I witnessed firsthand various promotional gimmicks that Planned Parenthood used to entice my peers. Special “holiday packaged” condoms given out at Halloween, coupons and even movie passes being given out to kids who referred their friends to Planned Parenthood. I have also (again first hand) seen the lollipop shaped condoms that Planned Parenthood distributes. If all of this isn’t clearly marketing to children Jim, then I’m not sure what is.
For further proof just take a quick peek at TeenWire.com, Planned Parenthood’s website designed for kids. There (as the brochure points out) you can see Planned Parenthood telling children things like “there is nothing wrong with urinating on another person” (5) Please explain to me how this material on a website intended for children is not a case of Planned Parenthood exposing children to deviant sexual acts.
Near the end of your article you then go on to discount Sanger’s clearly racist quote as not representing Planned Parenthood. The reality is that Planned Parenthood’s eugenic ties go far beyond Margaret Sanger.
A member of the board of directors of Planned Parenthood was a man named Lathrop Stoddard who’s claim to fame was a book he wrote called The Rising Tide of Color Against White World Supremacy.
Planned Parenthood had a publication called The Birth Control Review. Articles were featured in this publication by a man named Dr. Ernst Ruden, who was the head of the Nazi sterilization program. After World War II Planned Parenthood formed an affiliate group in Germany. This affiliate was started by Dr. Hans Harmsen, who wrote all of the sterilization laws for the 3rd Reich. He later went on to greater positions in International Planned Parenthood.
In 1952 when the International Planned Parenthood Federation was formed in London the office space was given by the English Eugenics Society and the furniture was paid for by the Race Betterment Society.
Sanger herself was a member of the American Eugenics Society until the day she died in 1966. Her successor Dr. Allen Guttmacher president was also a member of this organization.
While I agree that Planned Parenthood’s long history of active participation and promotion of eugenics is not the sole reason that people wouldn’t want it in their neighborhood, but that in no way erases that history, Jim.
On a closing note you accuse the creators of the brochure of being liars and “support” that claim by stating one of the “lies of omission(?)” is that, “the fact that abortions made up only six percent of Planned Parenthood’s services in 2006″ was not mentioned. If that is true then does it make you a liar that you failed to mention that this figure is based on every single thing Planned Parenthood does, each and every individual condom etc. etc. and not on the actual customers? If the numbers were, then it would reveal the fact that Planned Parenthood commits an abortion on about 9% of its customers. Are you also lying Jim when you fail to mention that Planned Parenthood commits at least 180 abortions for every one adoption referral? If Planned Parenthood’s abortions are a good service to be providing in a neighborhood then why are you and Planned Parenthood so afraid to acknowledge the fact that Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion provider?
In the end though, I appreciate the fact that you wrote your initial article about neighbor’s concerns about Planned Parenthood moving into their neighborhood as well as for following up with the article above. I appreciate the fact that you are helping generate awareness about Planned Parenthood and its operations in our communities.
(1)http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/Annual_report.pdfPlanned
(2)http://guttmacher.com/media/presskits/2005/06/28/abortionoverview.html
(3)http://www.plannedparenthood.org/rocky-mountains/abortion-services.htm
(4)https://plannedparenthood.ctsg.com/ppgg/appointments/calculator.aspx
(5)http://www.teenwire.com/ask/2007/as-20070712p1544-shower.php
Great editorial. Spot on!
In the last few years I’ve felt at mercy of “the religious right”, which seemed to be taking over the country. Lately a lot of conservative Christians have been speaking out against the fringe element that Bush & Co. define as their “base”. It’s a hopeful sign.
Wildflower said, “You are right, Jesus, it’s not about a woman’s choice to end a pregnancy. It’s about a woman’s choice WHEN to end a pregnancy.
And that’s just the point. It’s not your choice, or my choice, it’s HER choice. Capice?”
If it’s her choice, why are their numerous laws in the US against this “choice” in the late 2nd and 3rd trimester”?
Why can’t she make the simple “choice” after its born?
Would you be for a woman who chose to abort her baby solely because it was genetically shown that it would turn out to be gay?
I am for birth control so that women can choose when they are able to have, and properly care for,a child, thus there would be no need for abortions.I would be thrilled if there were no need for abortions someday!If every child brought into the world was loved and wanted, with parents who were able to provide for them in every way.
Like everyone, I find any abortions other than 1st trimester repugnant. But sometimes it is necessary for medical reasons.
I also find repugnant parents who neglect and abuse their unwanted children. And I don’t see other people (people opposed to abortion)stepping up to help these children who are neglected and abused,or even acknowledging them, until the papers print the story of their death.Surely if it is “Jesus’ choice” He would choose to free these tormented little souls before a life of misery, neglect, abuse.
If a woman chose to abort a child because it is gay, that would be a fundamentalist’s child.And it would be her choice. (Kind of contradicts their belief that gay is a “choice” though doesn’t it?)
Quite simply, abortion is a woman’s choice, unless we want to go back to the stone age you refer to and find our young women butchered in back allies. Women of means have always found a way to have a “choice”,(remember when they used to go to Sweden?) so it would only be scared young women and the poor or disadvantaged who used the quacks in the back allies.
I often go to planned parenthood in St. Louis and I carry a sign that says, “Pro-choice” I normally ask the Christians outside a few questions.
1) What percent of the general population gets to go to heaven?
2) Don’t the aborted babies all go to heaven?
3) If you end abortion won’t a huge percent of those babies grow up to be in the general population?
My contention is…end abortion and you’ll reduce the number of souls in heaven.
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