In 1892, Lizzie Andrew Borden stood accused of murdering her father and stepmother with an axe. Apparently that made her something of a role model: over a century later, “extreme” porn director Janet Romano began releasing films under the name “Lizzy Borden.” Taking a colorful approach to cinema, many of her early works featured women drinking blood and urine. The most famous of these, Forced Entry, included scenes of a pregnant woman being gang raped, tortured, and killed.
Ms. Romano’s fans once had to purchase her material on DVD, but that’s no longer the case. Websites modeled after Youtube now offer clips from every porn genre, all free of charge. These probably aren’t the best sites for teens to hang around on. After all, given the amount of porn that doesn’t involve condom use, they may get the impression that this “safe sex” business is overblown. In any event, no responsible adult would ever introduce a 15 year-old girl to such a site. Doing so would be reckless, unconscionable, and could result in a felony conviction.
Or it could get you a job at Planned Parenthood.
Live Action has released videos shot by undercover volunteers in half a dozen states. In each case, the volunteer visited a Planned Parenthood facility and identified herself as an underage teen looking for relationship advice. Time and again, those volunteers were instructed by staff to visit porn sites and act out what they saw. The recommendations included whipping, bondage, and asphyxiation–a sexual practice that has the potential to turn fatal.
Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky president Betty Cockrum maintains that this behavior “does not reflect our professional standards or training protocols.” The fact that Planned Parenthood staff in multiple states engaged in the same misconduct suggests that those “standards” and “protocols” could use some work.
Such lapses aren’t uncommon at Planned Parenthood; staff often forget that they have a legal duty to report sexual abuse rather than cover it up. While it’s certainly deplorable, this sort of callousness isn’t surprising. After all, being callous is essential to Planned Parenthood’s business model.
Planned Parenthood is America’s largest abortion provider, performing over three hundred thousand of them every year. The bulk of these take place in the first trimester and consist of vacuum aspiration, i.e. sucking someone’s son or daughter out through a tube. More aggressive measures are needed around the start of the second trimester, with the fetus typically being pulled apart by a set of forceps. That’s probably not a pleasant experience, especially in light of evidence compiled at the University of Tennessee by Dr. Kanwaljeet Anand. His research suggests that a fetus can feel pain at twenty weeks gestation.
You might think it’s reasonable that lawmakers consider the potential for fetal suffering when they decide how abortion should be regulated. If so, then I have two pieces of news. First, polls show that you’re well within the political mainstream. Second, your chances for a career at Planned Parenthood just got a lot more iffy.
Planned Parenthood argues against fetal pain legislation–bills designed to restrict abortion after 20 weeks. And, while many pro-abortion advocates will at least concede that a newborn should receive legal protection, Planned Parenthood seems to feel otherwise.
In 2012, Florida passed legislation to protect children delivered during botched abortions. While testifying before the state legislature, Planned Parenthood spokesperson Alisa Snow said that if a baby is delivered following a botched abortion, that child’s fate should be left up to the “the patient and her doctor.” When state representative Jose Oliva asked if an infant gasping for air and wracked with pain wouldn’t also qualify as a patient, the question seemed to produce confusion. Judging by Ms. Snow’s facial expression, it appears that the idea had never occurred to her.
How does such an outfit can stay in business? Well, getting a half billion dollar check probably helps. Last year, Planned Parenthood received over five hundred million in federal funding, some of it to pay for the “sex education” efforts described above. If you aren’t completely enthused about this, you’re not alone.
Live Action has created an online petition asking Congress to defund Planned Parenthood. You can find it here, along with other evidence of Planned Parenthood’s misdeeds. There are plenty of organizations that can provide youth with advice, guidance, and role models. A group that encourages teens to emulate violent pornography isn’t one of them.
