California Planned Parenthood: To Hell With Teachers, Libraries & Senior Citizens, We Need to Make More Profit

“This is a big deal”

Planned Parenthood launches drive to stop funding cuts as California’s budget crisis reaches disastrous proportions, pro-lifers see massive deficit as rare chance to defund abortion giant
Now that California voters have overwhelmingly rejected a package of budget measures and the state faces a more than $20 billion deficit, Planned Parenthood affiliates in the state are sending out urgent email alerts to their supporters pleading with them to contact the legislature to prevent any reduction in the millions of taxpayer money Planned Parenthood receives each year.

On Tuesday, May 19, voters rejected by huge margins four ballot initiatives proposed by the governor and the legislature to narrow the budget gap. After the measures failed, state officials said this year’s deficit could reach as high as $24 billion and that the state could run out of money as soon as July. Two days after the special election, Planned Parenthood affiliates in California began sending emails to their supporters imploring them to contact their legislators immediately.

“We need your immediate help because the Governor is attempting to solve the state's budget crisis by cutting family planning,” wrote Darrah D. Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of San Diego & Riverside Counties in one such email message. “We are at a crisis point,” Johnson’s message continued.

“It is critical that your elected officials hear from you today and tomorrow in as many ways as possible! Please take five minutes of your time today and help us save services for thousands of women and families in California. We need you to pick up the phone today and tomorrow and place a call to your elected officials in addition to sending them a fax. Call your legislator today!”

According to the website of the California Attorney General, Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties had 2006 revenues of $33,179,930 and assets totaling $24,465,790.

Pro-lifers elsewhere in California note that Planned Parenthood affiliates in their area also show millions of dollars in revenue, and say they see the state’s deepening financial crisis as an opportune time to cut state spending or defund Planned Parenthood altogether. “While most companies struggle to survive in the current state of our economy, recent annual reports show that business has never been better for Planned Parenthood and profits have never been so high,” wrote Gingi Edmonds, a 23-year-old pro-life activist from Hanford, in a May 21 email message sent to readers of her blog, Gingi Edmonds ProLife Opinion. “In a press release last weekend, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards admitted that clinics like Mar Monte, California have seen as much as a 21 percent jump in the number of women they perform abortions on in a weekly basis.”

“Our budget in California is wacked,” continued Edmonds. “With the continued global recession we face a certain $15.4 billion shortfall. This is resulting in teacher lay-offs, library closures and reductions in prescription drug coverage for senior citizens. With this in mind, it's obvious that Planned Parenthood which netted more than one billion dollars in clear profits last year – and which is now strapping 21% more women into the cervical scraping stirrups -- clearly needs no help from taxpayers.”

According to Edmonds, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger already has included funding cuts for Planned Parenthood in his proposed revisions to the state budget. “This is a big deal,” wrote Edmonds. “We're talking about the nation's largest abortion provider losing 90% of its funding in the State of California.” Edmonds points to the “emergency emails” being sent out by Planned Parenthood affiliates “begging pro-abort activists to contact their legislators and elected officials and plead for a halt to the budget cut.”

“Well guess what pro-lifers?” says Edmonds in response. “There are a lot more of us than there are of them, according to four recent national polls. We need to call our elected officials in California RIGHT NOW and demand these long overdue budget cuts that will stop the funding of this abortion giant, and potentially save 73,000+ lives that are currently marked for death on our dime.”

To find your legislator if you wish to send a message on the subject, Click Here.

To contact Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger:

Phone: (916) 445-2841

Fax: (916) 558-3160

Mail: Office of the Governor, State Capitol Building, Sacramento, CA 95814

To email the governor, Click Here.