In the public domain, Planned Parenthood masquerades as a healthcare organization; yet, the organization’s CEO, Cecile Richards, has no healthcare experience. In fact, Richards’ resume reads like a who’s who of the Democratic Party.
Planned Parenthood is an expert in forceful politics, bilking taxpayers out of half a billion dollars every year under the guise of healthcare. But in 2015 alone, Planned Parenthood committed over 328,000 abortions and has cornered nearly 35 percent of the abortion market in the U.S. A look at Planned Parenthood’s most recent annual report reveals excess revenue to the tune of $77.5 million dollars. Not a shabby revenue stream for an alleged “non-profit” organization that may be much more akin to a hungry political monster.
CEO Richards is quite the political organizer. A 2003 Brownsville Herald report revealed that she co-founded America Coming Together (ACT), a political action committee described by the paper as a “Democrat-leaning group.” ACT was headed by Ellen Malcolm, president of the radically pro-abortion group EMILY’s List, and funded largely by none other than Democrat multimillionaire (drumroll, please) George Soros.
Richards was also the president of America Votes, another political organization which, according to its bio at Open Secrets, “coordinates the activities of more than 20 Democratic interest groups….” Before becoming CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), Richards also served as deputy chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Richards is not alone; many political insiders have landed lavish careers at Planned Parenthood.
According to the website, Open Secrets, 11 out of 16 Planned Parenthood lobbyists in 2016-2017 previously held government jobs. A public disclosure search for Congressional lobbyists in just 2017 alone reveals many are political insiders.
Planned Parenthood Lobbyists 2016 to 2017
Brad Mollet worked with Capital Counsel LLC and lobbied on behalf of PPFA. His online bio says he formerly worked with Congresswoman Betsy Markey (D-Colo.), Congressman Jim Matheson (D-Utah), Senator Tim Johnson’s staff (D-S.D.).
Shannon Finley worked with Capital Counsel LLC and lobbied on behalf of PPFA. According to her bio, Finley began her career in Washington as the Saxophone Club director for the Democratic National Committee, and served for eight years as consultant and political adviser to Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.).
Jennifer Fogel-Bublick also worked with Capital Counsel LLC, and lobbied on behalf of PPFA. She was formerly an adviser for Senators Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), according to her bio.
Ann M. Jablon also worked with Capitol Counsel LLC as a PPFA lobbyist and formerly served as the long-time chief of staff to Congressman Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.).
Naomi Aberly, Chair of the Planned Parenthood Federation Board of Directors
Planned Parenthood Board Chair Naomi Aberly
Planned Parenthood describes Aberly online as, “a political activist and civic volunteer” and states that she has been, “deeply involved in progressive politics, policymaking and fundraising at the state and federal levels for the past fifteen years.” She has also been, according to Planned Parenthood, “a substantial fundraiser for Senate, House and Gubernatorial campaigns nationwide since 2004.”
In fact, according to the Dallas Observer, Aberly, who is married to hedge fund manager Larry Lebowitz, raised over one million dollars for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, even holding fundraisers for him in her home.
The media outlet writes, “In the lead-up to the 2008 election, she began serving as a bundler for Obama, one of the people who gather checks from their friends and acquaintances before handing them to the campaign in a large, neat package. She raised, according the New York Times, on the order of $400,000. That was then, before the Democrats became seriously [sic] outgunned by deep-pocketed Republican Super PACs, and this is now. According to the Times, Aberly has raised $1.14 million for Obama’s 2012 campaign, roughly three times what she pulled in in 2008.”
Aberly is also the Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and a member of the Democratic Victory Task Force of the DNC. In 2015, she was brought on board the DNC’s finance committee.
Aberly was also caught up in the Wikileaks scandal, reports one media outlet, that “In an April 25 email, one staffer sent Naomi Aberly, a vice chairwoman of the DNC’s national finance committee and major Democratic fundraiser, a list of donors to contact “who have maxed the past few years but have yet to max this year.”
Kevin Griffis, Vice President for Communications
Kevin Griffis, Planned Parenthood VP of Communications (Image: LinkedIn)
In April of 2017, PPFA hired former Obama administration staffer, Kevin Griffis. According to the PPFA announcement, “Griffis previously served as the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President Obama…. Prior to joining HHS, Griffis worked as communications director for U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), and as communications director and senior advisor for Booker’s successful 2013 special election…. Before joining President Obama’s campaign, Griffis served as communications director for a 2006 U.S. Senate race in Arizona and for the state coordinated campaign during Tim Kaine’s successful 2005 gubernatorial bid in Virginia.”
Dana Singiser, Vice President for Public Policy and Government Relations
Dana Singiser, Vice President for Public Policy and Government Relations
Singiser was added to PPFA’s team while working in the White House as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs to the Obama Administration in 2011. According to Planned Parenthood’s announcement, prior to working for the Obama administration, “Singiser held leadership positions on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, as well as then-Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign, where she focused on women’s outreach…. [S]he was Staff Director for the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee…. Earlier in her career, Singiser worked for President Bill Clinton, both in the White House and the Department of Commerce. Additionally, she worked on both President Clinton’s presidential campaigns and Howard Dean’s campaign for president.”
One Political Agenda for Planned Parenthood: Advancing Abortion
Despite all the rhetoric, Planned Parenthood has one political agenda: to advance abortion. On one hand, the organization claims abortion is a tiny percentage of what it does (a false claim Live Action has debunked), while politically, it fights every reasonable effort to regulate the procedure, fights to fund abortion with tax dollars, and fights again limiting late-term abortions, sex selection abortions, and abortions on minor children.
Even left-leaning NBC’s Chuck Todd understands just how politically driven Planned Parenthood is. In a 2015 interview with Cecile Richards on Meet the Press (following Congressional testimony over Planned Parenthood’s gruesome baby body parts scandal), Richards called the abortionist caught on undercover video by the Center for Medical Progress haggling over aborted body parts “an excellent doctor.” Todd rightly observed that Richards “came from the world of politics.”
“It is notable you’re not a women’s health specialist and you replaced someone who was head of Planned Parenthood who basically came from the world of heath care,” Todd noted. “In 2008, you were quoted as saying — when you wanted to ramp up Planned Parenthood’s political activities, you said — quote, ‘The largest kick butt political organization’ is what you were going to… going to grow.”
The New York Times also quoted Richards as saying at the time, “We aim to be the largest kick-butt political organization.”
Jennifer Baumgardner reported in The Nation an earlier version of that same vow. In June 2006, she quotes Richards as saying, “We have the potential to swing the vote… and that’s a lot of power. The question is, what are we going to do with it? And the answer is, we’re going to use it. We’re going to marry our current reality as the largest reproductive healthcare provider in this country with our opportunity to be the largest kickass advocacy organization in the country…. ”
And Planned Parenthood is keeping that vow.
Millions Dedicated to Electing Pro-Abortion Democrats
According to a report published by the Daily Signal in November 2016, “From the 2012 election cycle through the 2016 cycle so far, the political action entities, employees, and families of employees of Planned Parenthood and its affiliates devoted $33.9 million to outside spending mostly related to electing Democrats, according to data compiled by the OpenSecrets project of the Center for Responsive Politics.”
The report added, “In the 2016 cycle, Planned Parenthood’s affiliated organizations, political and advocacy arms, employees, and their family members gave $5.5 million to Democrats, but nothing to Republicans. They spent $10.4 million against Republicans, according to the most current data, compared with less than $7,000 against Democrats.”
Today, despite claiming to be a women’s health organization, abortions are up while legitimate health services (and patients) are decreasing. Yet, Planned Parenthood’s government funding, which has nearly doubled since Richards took office, is still intact. For the organization’s dedication to their political allies, Planned Parenthood continues to receive over half a billion dollars a year to end the lives of nearly 900 preborn babies each day. Meanwhile, Richards and Planned Parenthood remain cozy with D.C. insiders, largely from one political party.
