DBQ Co Right to Life Announces Increased Efforts to Battle Planned Parenthood

On Monday 17 August 2009 Steven Brody (l), executive director of DBQ Co. Right to Life , announced a media campaign targeting Planned Parenthood's facility in DBQ. The announcement came 4 days before the 1st anniversary of the opening of the PP facility of 21 August 2008.

A few months ago I mentioned the campaign to raise funds for this effort. Talking about that effort Steve said: "We received both small and large donations, and due to the amount, decided to embark on an aggressive, specific, fact-based advertising campaign."

Steve said this about their campaign: "It will be a multimedia effort. Shock and awe would be a good way to describe it." He also said: "I want Planned Parenthood to not know what's coming next." He added: "I want Planned Parenthood to be on edge. I want them to be nervous about what the next message is going to be."

Phase I has included the ongoing picketting. As Steve told Jill Stanek in an e-mail to her: "Phase II is a year-long multi-media advertising campaign that will utilize yard signs, digital billboards, stationary billboards, newspaper, and radio. The messages will be fact based and specific to draw out PP and expose them on the truth. They will have to answer each of the messages, which are truthful and factual."

A part of this "shock & awe" is a new website, Protest Planned Parenthood. The website includes information about why PP is bad for DBQ, as well as what is wrong with PP in general.

As I said PP opened their site a year ago today. According to Joe Lock, chief executive officer of Cedar Rapids-based Planned of East Central Iowa: "We are right at about 700 from Dubuque." That actually comes to less than 13.5 people a week. When PP openned up, it said there was a huge need for the services they provided. Despite claims by Lock that the numbers are good & to be expected as a part of a "ramp-up period", the facts are totally different. If there was the huge need for PPs non-abortion services they would have seen a much larger number of people going in. As Steve pointed out "They are not getting the traffic in there -- that's why they are relying on freebies. They can't sustain that."

The only service PP provides that is not readily available in DBQ is abortion. & that is also their big money maker. & despite Lock's claims that abortion services (other than the current referal services) are not in their plans, is is likely they will follow suite as they have so many times before to add abortion, chemical &/or surgical) to their list of services. According to American Life League, a survey of Planned Parenthood affiliates in 2008 and found that medical abortion was added to the list of services at more than 60 facilities across the nation in one year. (2008 Report on Planned Parenthood Facilities in the United States, American Life League, released March 4, 2009). If reports I have heard that they are already looking for a new site are true then it is likely that is when it will happen here as well. As for how, I suspect they will follow true to form & hid behind a cover until the site is ready.

Recently PP had a opinion piece in the local paper talking about the need for their comprehensive sex-ed programs. The eventual goal is to get their programs in the DBQ School system. Which will lead to increasing traffic at their site. & when their contraceptives given out fail, resulting in an upswing in crisis pregnancies, then they will have even more reason to justify providing abortions here in DBQ.

Of course the ongoing presence in front of the DBQ site will continue. As it says on the Protest PP website: "Call it what you wish: praying, protesting, picketing; but the idea is to BE THERE as a visible witness to the harm of abortion and Planned Parenthood’s stance on abortion and parental rights in our community. Agreement on every political, theological or philosophical issue is unnecessary and unlikely. We are united in our common goal to rid our community of the destructive presence of Planned Parenthood. Our physical presence is an unequivocal sign that Planned Parenthood is not welcome in Dubuque."

As I have pointed out many times, PP operates by half-truths, lies & cover-ups. 1 of the biggest things they do is attempt to smear their opponants. Also, I have noticed this time after time in the comment section of various letters to the editor about PP. They either ignore or deny the facts when presented, call the messenger a liar or both. 1 example is the claim that all DCRTL supporters want to do is close the local facility & that we don't care about the women or unborn children. They attack groups like Birthright when we cite our support of those groups as proof we do care. But to be fair, in their mind anything we do to provide an alternative they see only as an attack on abortion, not the help for the women & children it really is. In their minds, abortion is the only valid help for a pregnant woman who doesn't want the child. Thus anything else is not help.

Protesters, billboards, newspaper & radio ads are all important to get the truth out. & DCRTL is going to do as much as it can to get the truth out. Volunteers are important. But it also costs money for the ads & other materials. DCRTL can always use additional financial support to get this done. If you want to help please contact DCRTL @:

Dubuque County Right to Life

2205 Carter Road

Dubuque, Iowa 52001-2932

E-mail: dcrtl@dcrtl.org

Phone: 563.556.5960

If you just want to send a donation to help with this campaign or their efforts in general, you can make out a check to DCRTL & mail it to the above address.

PP can be defeated. I have shared stories of how they have been shut down elsewhere through prayer, peaceful protest & public education. DCRTL is doing all it can to ensure that will happen here in DBQ as well.

PS: I have to add a bit of surprize at the KWWL-TV article refering to DCRTL etc as "Pro-life activists" & "pro-life picketers" rather than the usual anti-abortion used by the media. (Planned Parenthood first anniversary met with protest, celebration)

Source: Group announces ad campaign against Planned Parenthood

Anti-abortion protesters plan 'shock and awe' campaign