Obama's Blessing of Planned Parenthood 'Outrageous,' ACLJ Asserts
The American Center for Law and Justice has blasted President Barack Obama for his blessing of Planned Parenthood, calling it "outrageous" and reminding Americans that PP is responsible for over 300,000 abortions every year.
Speaking at the pro-choice group's national conference in Washington, D.C., last week, Obama said: "I want to thank all of you for the remarkable work that you're doing day in, day out in providing quality health care to women all across America. You are somebody that women -- young women, old women, women in between -- count on for so many important services. And we are truly grateful to you."
The president concluded his address by saying: "Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you. God bless America. Thank you."
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In a letter to supporters on Monday, the ACLJ called that blessing "outrageous," with Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow reminding Americans: "Planned Parenthood ends the lives of over 330,000 babies every year while taking over 500 million of our tax dollars."
PP provides various women's services, and has been in the center of the abortion controversy for years. It has grown to become the largest pro-choice organization in America. But pro-life groups like the ACLJ argue that the abortion industry is what facilitates people like doctor Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia abortionist currently on trial for killing seven babies after they were born from botched abortions.
"Make no mistake about it – Planned Parenthood's policies and actions clearly support a culture of death. That's why it is so critical that efforts continue to defund Planned Parenthood – put an end to the flow of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that it receives each year," ACLJ stressed in an earlier statement.
PP has denied accusations that it supports killing babies after they have been born, but has campaigned against laws seeking to punish doctors who perform such crimes, claiming that such laws will only increase the number of poor women who are forced by circumstances to turn to unsafe options for medical care.
Obama has been a strong supporter of the pro-choice group, and said that "no matter how fierce the opposition," the past few years have shown that "Planned Parenthood is not going anywhere. It's not going anywhere today. It's not going anywhere tomorrow."
Over 138,000 people worldwide have signed ACLJ's petition urging the government to defund Planned Parenthood. The pro-life group argues that cutting taxpayer funds will mean fewer abortions.
"Giving taxpayer funds to abortion businesses that also provide non-abortion services subsidizes abortion," the petition says.
