Planned Parenthood's X Factor
By Tony Perkins, Family Research Council903. That's how many children are aborted by Planned Parenthood every single day. That's one baby--one unique, God-created life and future--erased every 96 seconds. In 800 clinics across America, the body count keeps growing--thanks in part to the staggering amount of money that Congress is funneling to Cecile Richards's group. Americans have known for years that their government is a major shareholder in the international abortion business. What they didn't know--until recently--was how much Planned Parenthood relies on unwilling taxpayers to keep their grisly operation afloat.Based on its annual report, Richards's group rakes in almost half of its budget (46%) from federal, state, and local grants. The government's contributions are a whopping $487.4 million, mostly from Title X funds. Of course, Planned Parenthood is quick to point out that, by law, none of those dollars can directly finance abortions. But by paying the clinics' other bills--like overhead--there's no telling how many millions of dollars the government is freeing up for Planned Parenthood to pursue the darkest side of its business.And, as of New Year's Day, abstaining from abortion is no longer an option for Richards's clinics. In its words, "...[Planned Parenthood Federation of America] does not provide abortion care itself, but its member affiliates offer that service throughout the United States , and as of January 2013, all member-affiliates will be required to do so."That makes what Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) is proposing all the more important. Today, the Tennessee Congresswoman introduced a bill that would stop HHS from wiring "family planning funds" to abortion businesses under Title X unless they certify that they won't provide or refer for abortions. That eliminates Planned Parenthood altogether, now that Richards is ordering affiliates to offer the procedure. Rep. Black, who led this fight as far back as 2011, is hoping to build on the support her former colleague, Gov. Mike Pence, won for the legislation in previous Congresses.Obviously, Planned Parenthood isn't the only abortion company that receives Title X funds, but it's certainly the largest. And since abortion still makes up a jaw-dropping 91% of Planned Parenthood's services for pregnant women, it's time for Congress to put some meaningful distance between taxpayers and the Left's "health care." You can help by contacting your representative and asking him to co-sponsor Rep. Black's Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act. In the meantime, find out where your tax dollars are going by checking out FRC's pamphlet: What Everyone Should Know about Planned Parenthood.
Cardinal Uses Bill to Peck Apart Marriage Myths
After a four-state sweep in November, homosexual activists had plenty of reason to celebrate. But in the weeks following the votes on marriage, it looks like liberals are getting a little ahead of themselves in their nationwide campaign. With their sights on Ohio, Minnesota, and Illinois, homosexual lobbyists are doing what they can to capitalize on their success. But is America really ready for a march down the same-sex aisle?In the land of Lincoln, homosexuals could be pushing their luck with an overzealous push to make Illinois the 10th state to approve same-sex "marriage." Although a Senate committee voted 8-5 yesterday to advance a homosexual "marriage" bill, gay rights groups still didn't have enough support to move the bill before the session adjourns on January 9. And that was with a 35-24 Democratic majority!Maybe they were persuaded by the strong words of Chicago's Cardinal Francis George, who blasted the legislation as an "affront to human reason." In the archdiocese's newspaper, George wrote that the idea of same-sex "marriage" is so contrary to natural law that the "legislature might just as well repeal the law of gravity." The nature of marriage, he insisted, "is not a religious question. Marriage comes to us from nature. Sexual relations between a man and a woman are naturally and necessarily different from sexual relations between same-sex partners. This... was true before the existence of either Church or State, and it will continue to be true when there is no State of Illinois and no United States of America." Agreeing to this bill would mean that "we are all pretending to accept something we know is physically impossible," he wrote.No doubt Cardinal George would have the backing of Pope Benedict XVI, whose Christmas homily was roundly criticized for celebrating the natural family. On the official White House website, the Left has launched a petition calling for the entire Catholic Church to be labeled a "hate group." Again, this liberal intolerance proves that anyone who holds to traditional sexual ethics--no matter how compassionate they are--is vulnerable to attacks from the homosexual movement. FRC's Ken Blackwell and Bob Morrison tackle the subject in their new op-ed, "What Does the Reaction to Pope Benedict's Christmas Message Reveal?"
Something Special Is in the Air--and on It!
Starting this Monday, you can get your daily fix of FRC in our new daily radio show, "Washington Watch with Tony Perkins." Live from 5:00-6:00 p.m. (ET) every Monday through Friday, we'll be offering our unique perfective on inside-the-beltway news on the American Family Radio (AFR) network and other stations. Don't miss the exciting launch January 7 by listening live on AFR, TonyPerkins.com, or Sky Angel (channel #114). Our first weeks' guests include Gov. Mike Huckabee, Sen. Pat Toomey, Rep. Jim Jordan, Sen. David Vitter, Dr. David Jeremiah, Dr. Russell D. Moore, and others! For a list of stations near you, click here.** Tune in to Washington Watch Weekly with Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), who drops by to talk about the new Congress, as well as his new role as Chairman of the Republican Study Committee. Also, Freshman Congressman Jim Bridenstine (R-Okla.) will be on the show to talk about his goals for the House. For more information or to find a radio station near you, visit FRCRadio.org.
