There’s no doubt that abortion is an emotional and divisive issue in the United States. For many women and men who have considered an abortion or lost a child to an abortion, it’s also personal. And while pro-lifers disagree with those who support abortion, there are some pro-choicers with whom we can have a respectful and civil debate.
But one thing that’s unfair in all of this is that in our society, abortion supporters have an unfair advantage. I am forced to fund my enemy when my taxpayer dollars go to Planned Parenthood.
Back in February, I discussed the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court cases of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which merit constant mention because their judicial overreach is still so unbeliveable in many ways. These cases legalized abortion on demand in all 50 states, for pretty much any reason, and for all nine months of pregnancy.
Now, since we’re still living in a society where Roe and Doe are the law of the land, how is the pro-life movement supposed to be on any kind of an even playing field? We’ve done a heck of a good job doing what we can, especially at the state level, as the increase in pro-life laws over the years has shown. But it’s still undeniable that the Supreme Court gave the abortion movement an unfair advantage.
That’s why I’m all the more incredulous that we pro-lifers still have to fund Planned Parenthood.
If you want to donate every cent you own to Planned Parenthood, I may not agree with that, but I can’t stop you. It’s your decision to do what you want with your money. I should be free to do the same.
Supporters of Planned Parenthood, especially those in the mainstream media who write about defunding efforts, point out that taxpayer dollars can’t legally go towards abortion – the key word being legally. Can we, in light of all of the undercover videos from Live Action and the Center for Medical Progress, really believe that Planned Parenthood cares about what’s legal? Besides this, the heart of the matter is that money is fungible. Where Planned Parenthood has taxpayer money to fund all their other operations and costs, other money they receive is freed up for abortion that much more easily.
But many of us are just not comfortable with any of our money going with an organization which is the nation’s largest abortion provider.
As blogger Matt Walsh has communicated, it doesn’t matter what other services Planned Parenthood provides. They provide a whole lot of abortions – 327,653 of them per year – and that’s what it comes down to for many Americans.
It’s not as if Planned Parenthood is without funds otherwise. Their own 2013-2014 annual report shows they raked in $391.8 million in private donations. That’s 30 percent of their revenue. And despite all the clamor we’ve seen from supporters claiming Planned Parenthood could be defunded out of existence, I would bet that the abortion giant would be just fine with the private donations they took in if they were defunded.
Apparently Planned Parenthood, as a private organization, doesn’t find it awkward to take money from people who fundamentally disagree with them and are are being forced to fund their activities, with no other choice.
I’m not complaining about how hard it is to be pro-life, because being pro-life is worth it, no matter what. It’s just something for those in the abortion movement to think about, if they’re willing to go outside their comfort zones.
