By Scott Tibbs, May 7, 2013
The following is an open letter to the Bloomington City Council.
Councilors,
I am writing you to once again express my opposition to Planned Parenthood's request for funding through the city's John Hopkins social services funding program. I would like to draw your attention to two statements made by Planned Parenthood representatives:
When Planned Parenthood lobbyist Alisa LaPolt Snow was asked what should happen to a baby that survives an abortion and is born alive, she said "We believe that any decision that’s made should be left up to the woman, her family, and the physician."
This is shocking extremism. While I oppose abortion, there are well-intentioned people who legitimately believe the fetus is not a "person" and does not have the rights that go along with "personhood." But Planned Parenthood's ideology is so extreme that they actually believe it should be legal to kill a newborn baby. This is no different from the practices in the house of horrors operated by notorious butcher Kermit Gosnell. Should city government really be funding an organization that embraces such extremist ideology, that is so radically out of the mainstream even in famously liberal Bloomington?
CNN.com reports that Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards said "Age barriers to emergency contraception are not supported by science, and they should be eliminated." This is also shocking extremism. Richards (and by extension Planned Parenthood) is openly lobbying for the government to take away parental authority and violate the God-given right and responsibility of parents to protect their daughters from sexual predators. This is the ultimate "nanny state" move by government, and Planned Parenthood's support of it demonstrates their lack of trust in and respect for American families.
Again, is an organization with such extremist views something that city taxpayers should be supporting?
My other objections should be familiar to you. In my letter to you last year, I pointed out that Planned Parenthood of Indiana reported taking in over $900,000 more than they spent in what was then their most recent fiscal report. In the report currently available on PPIN's website, they report $14,336,668 in revenue and $13,984,785 in expenses - a profit of $351,883. Do they really need another $5,000 handout from city government, given the amount of money they have. I do not need to remind you that many local charities who are seeking funds from you do not have the backing of a highly profitable state and national organization.
The only reason they are seeking a grant is to get a political endorsement from city government. This is shameful. They are showing a grave disrespect to the taxpayers of Bloomington and the other social service organizations by seeking funding they do not need and could be much more helpful were it given to a worthy organization that actually needs it.
A year ago, Planned Parenthood's request for funding was not approved by the city council. I thank you and praise you for making this wise and fiscally prudent decision. I respectfully ask you to make the same decision in 2013 and reject PP's request for funding.
Scott Tibbs
Resident of City Council District I.
