The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC)’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) has sent an open letter to Congress, calling on lawmakers to defund Planned Parenthood.
The ERLC sent its letter to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, arguing that the killing of preborn children should no longer be subsidized by American tax dollars.
“The American people should not be forced to subsidize an organization that profits from the deaths of innocent lives. … Many Americans do not want their tax money supporting an organization that profits from the loss of preborn lives and the exploitation of mothers, particularly one with $2.1 billion in annual revenue and more than $2.5 billion in net assets,” the letter states.
ERLC President Brent Leatherwood explained that the organization is hoping that the Trump administration will continue its trajectory of pro-life policies by defunding the abortion giant.
READ: Grandmother pardoned after pro-life activism: ‘I was doing this in obedience to His word’
“The ERLC released its campaign to defund Planned Parenthood that is built on previous pro-life wins,” Leatherwood told the Baptist Press. “President Trump has already reinstated the Hyde Amendment, but now we need Congress to take the next logical step to make the defunding of Planned Parenthood permanent through the reconciliation process.”
In its letter, the SBC affirms its pro-life stance, saying:
Southern Baptists affirm the sanctity of every human life, including the preborn. Scripture testifies that every person is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) and that life begins at conception (Psa. 139:13-16). The Baptist Faith and Message proclaims that children, from the moment of conception, are “a blessing and heritage from the Lord.” As followers of Christ, we must advocate for protecting vulnerable preborn lives and oppose organizations and practices that undermine the value of life.
Leatherwood told the Christian Post that though the abortion giant positions itself as a leader in health care, its primary goal has always been to end preborn lives.
“Their driving concern is to target vulnerable mothers and end the pre-born life that is within them,” he said. “We want to protect those mothers, and we obviously want to protect those children. And the best way for Congress to do that right now is to defund Planned Parenthood.”
He said, “For too long, taxpayer dollars, $700 million last year alone, have been given to this organization that profits from ending life. It is outrageous that promises that have been made for years now have never been turned into real results.”
The ERLC is still seeking signatures for its open letter and is encouraging all Southern Baptists to sign it.
“We encourage all Southern Baptists to sign on to this letter in order to save lives, serve mothers, and make sure the consciences of millions of pro-life Americans are protected,” Leatherwood said. “Together, we can work to end this atrocity at the hands of Planned Parenthood.”
Live Action is also running its own petition calling on government officials to defund Planned Parenthood and that can be signed here.
