This week’s revelation that Planned Parenthood is actively marketing, selectively identifying and selling the body parts of pre-born children should enrage anyone.
Anyone in the Pregnancy Help Community should be outraged—but not surprised. Planned Parenthood lives off of abortion, in itself a gruesome crime against humanity. We should not be shocked when this organization simply exploits a related revenue stream.
The question we face today is, “What shall we do?” Jay Hobbs, in his excellent piece on this topic, says this could be a tipping point. The abortion Goliath can be toppled. Now.
But what do we do? What are a few reasonable action steps anyone in the pro-life community can take? We can’t all go to Washington. And because of obligations to our families and places of work, it can be difficult to take on expansive roles in this effort.
Yet, there are three manageable action items any one of us can complete in literally minutes. Minutes, not hours. And each of these three could have a major impact on the future of Planned Parenthood, the future of the pro-life calling, and the future of those who are already turning this country toward valuing life once again.
Tweet This: 3 things to shift a culture. @KirkWalden #PPSellsBabyParts #prolife
Three. Anyone. And we can shift a culture.
Here they are, in ascending order:
First, we need an investigation and the suspension of funding for Planned Parenthood
Congress is already ramping up for an investigation, so half of this goal is complete.
The other half? Any pro-life individual can write his or her congressional representative and ask that Planned Parenthood’s federal funding—more than $500 million each year--be suspended while the investigation plays out.
The truth is, at moments like these the pro-life community often takes a big swing, and misses. We call for immediate defunding and it never happens.
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But, pro-choice representatives in swing districts can likely be persuaded to go along with a suspension of funding based on the seriousness of these charges. If Planned Parenthood is found guilty of atrocities—which they likely will—then we can go for defunding. For now however, the smartest play is to ask for a halt in funding until this situation is resolved.
Anyone can write an email to a representative in Congress. It took me 15 minutes. Ask for a suspension of funding, pending congressional investigations. This is a battle we can win.
Second, look to corporations
While government funding constitutes 46.1% of Planned Parenthood’s income, corporate and other private gifts ($257.4 million) make up another 22.4% of its $1.1 billion budget.
Take a few minutes and log on to 2nd Vote, where you can find whether the companies you purchase from support Planned Parenthood. Find a business you already support which could use a little more information on what—exactly--they are funding.
Tweet This: How can we make a difference? 3 ways. #PPSellsBabyParts #prolife @KirkWalden
This is not about boycotting (which yields mixed results at best). But it only takes 15 minutes to say, “I enjoy your product, but have concerns regarding your contributions to an organization now padding its funding through black-market trafficking of human body parts. Regardless of Planned Parenthood’s public pronouncements, its actions are directly opposed to my values and I would assume, your company’s values as well. I ask that you reconsider this financial investment of your profits, to which I contribute.”
If you own stock in a company, as a shareholder, you have even more clout. Use this influence with care and wisdom, being gentle yet firm.
Third and most important, turn the tables.
The third idea? There are more than 2500 pregnancy help centers and organizations in this country alone. These ministries provide life-affirming help and support to those facing unplanned pregnancies, they build two-parent families, and they offer to the hurting a perfect picture of the love of Christ.
These ministries are closer than ever to becoming the new first choice for those facing unplanned pregnancies. Our support can help these centers build their services, expand their outreach, compete head-to-head with the abortion industry—and win.
You know what we need to do? Find a nearby center here and write a check. For most of us I’m speaking figuratively; almost all of these organizations have online giving sites we can utilize. But you get the picture. Whether online or with pen and a checkbook, give.
Let me be bold. Do we need to pray about giving? Certainly. But we’re not praying about “whether;” we’re praying about how much. These ministries are advancing the love of Christ and reaching out on behalf of lives God created. Let’s purpose to give them the support they need.
Here’s a stunning statistic: If we factor polling on abortion, roughly 44% of Americans claim to be pro-life. This amounts to about 50 million households with a pro-life world view. If only one-fifth of these households gave $100 dollars to a life-affirming pregnancy help ministry, this sudden influx of funds would virtually equal Planned Parenthood’s yearly budget.
And if we shared this idea with friends, we could do this in days. That’s how powerful the pro-life community can be, should we choose to act.
Some of us can give much more, some less. But if each of us said, “I’ll do it” and asked our friends to join us, we can turn the tables virtually overnight.
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The first two action points have the potential to slash two-thirds of Planned Parenthood’s funding; the third would more than double the funding of pregnancy help organizations across the country and create a new dynamic that could turn our culture in a new direction.
Any one of us can accomplish all three in less than an hour. Can you imagine what would happen if tens of thousands of pro-life individuals took one hour out of their days to take these three easy, simple steps? What about hundreds of thousands? Millions?
Sure, some will say this is naïve; that it is impossible to believe so many would choose to take these three steps.
My thoughts? Forget the naysayers; let’s just get the job done. Let’s each accomplish three simple tasks. Then, let’s tell our friends. Share these ideas as you wish.
But above all, let’s get started. The time to turn the tables is here. Now.
