After months of delay, the Reading School Board in Pennsylvania voted 5-4 to keep Planned Parenthood out of their high school.
The vote had been scheduled for May, and then June, before taking place August 23.
The Reading Eagle had a record of the votes. The no votes (votes against allowing Planned Parenthood into the school) included Brian Buerke, Bernardo Carbajal, Jean Kelleher, Julo Martinez, and Eddie Moran. Abraham Cepeda, Robin Costenbader-Jacobson, Manny Guzman and David McCoy voted in favor of allowing Planned Parenthood direct access to high school students.
Buerke previously shared with Live Action News his concerns about results, saying, “Our responsibility as a board is to ensure that our students receive effective instruction and guidance….” The lack of results showing the effectiveness of such a center was again mentioned by Buerke during Wednesday’s vote.
Planned Parenthood’s sex-ed programs are a failure, according to a federal report showing that students enrolled in these programs showed an increased rate of teen pregnancy.
Board member Eddie Moran said he voted no because of “political implications.” Planned Parenthood’s brand has been somewhat tarnished by scandals, exposed without the help of mainstream media. Live Action encouraged readers to reach out to the school board and inform them about the real agenda of Planned Parenthood, as evidenced by their literature for young people on HIV/AIDS.
The program would have been spearheaded by AccessMatters, with Planned Parenthood running operations at the facility. Students would have received free condoms, which some studies have shown may actually increase teen pregnancy, and students would also have been building relationships with Planned Parenthood employees, making imparting the organization’s agenda and influence that much easier.
Students would also be referred for abortions, which board member Manny Guzman downplayed, saying, “No one here is advocating sending students into Planned Parenthood for abortions — that’s just a trigger word (opponents) use to get people riled up…. We’re talking about access to information.” What kind of “information” does Planned Parenthood give to young people? Watch Live Action’s own investigation below:
Guzman’s words would perhaps hold weight if the facility wasn’t run by the nation’s largest abortion chain which currently holds about 35 percent of the nation’s abortion market share. Students seeking abortions would have been referred to Planned Parenthood Keystone, which commits abortions up until 13 weeks, 6 days. Guzman also suggested to “[p]ut politics aside,” which is difficult considering that Planned Parenthood is very politically active, and these activities are taxpayer-funded.
Reading parents had good reason to be express concern, as evidenced by poor results from such facilities in other high schools.
While Wednesday’s vote is cause for victory, AccessMatters plans to try to get the facility back on the agenda, despite proof that sex education from such facilities has detrimental effects on students.
