The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention has initiated a strategic effort to leverage the current Republican majorities in Congress and the executive branch to defund Planned Parenthood by eliminating the organization’s federal funding. The ERLC is mobilizing Southern Baptists to achieve this objective during the ongoing congressional reconciliation process, though various means, including a public sign-on letter.
- What is reconciliation? Reconciliation is a legislative means through which Congress can pass items related to the budget, tax issues, or other matters of fiscal importance. The defund Planned Parenthood campaign specifically targets the allocation of federal funds to the organization.
- Why is it helpful? What makes this process helpful for defunding Planned Parenthood is that the typical vote threshold of 60 in the Senate is reduced for reconciliation bills to require only a simple majority, allowing Republicans to pass policies like defunding Planned Parenthood without the support of Democrats.
ERLC President Brent Leatherwood further explained to The Christian Post:
Republicans have had historic commitments and made pledges that see clearly the evil that Planned Parenthood is responsible for, the millions of deaths of preborn children, and the ways that they target vulnerable mothers . . .
And with the reconciliation process beginning with a Republican House, a Republican Senate, and a Republican-controlled White House, we think now is the time to follow through on those commitments and fully defund Planned Parenthood so that taxpayer resources aren’t going to this sort of horrific behavior and activity.
Here are seven reasons why every taxpayer, especially Southern Baptists, should support efforts to defund Planned Parenthood:
1. Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in America—and the largest recipient of federal funding for “family planning”
Based on their most recent annual report, Planned Parenthood performed 392,715 abortions between October 2021 and September 2022, a 5% increase from the previous year.
Planned Parenthood is the largest single recipient of federal funding for family planning. From June 30, 2022 to June 30, 2023, the organization received more than $699 million dollars from government sources. Every year, Planned Parenthood gets more than a half a billion dollars from the American taxpayer.
2. Planned Parenthood promotes abortion in other countries
Planned Parenthood Global, the international arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, actively works to “Support brave advocates to push for liberalized abortion in at least 6 countries” over the next five years.
Additionally, Planned Parenthood Global’s is working to “Create new, and amplify existing, pathways to abortion and SRH care in 5 countries.” These initiatives further demonstrate the organization’s active role in promoting abortion services internationally, which conflicts with the values and preferences of many American taxpayers.
3. Planned Parenthood opposes abstinence-only education and promotes sexual confusion
Planned Parenthood strongly opposes sex education that focuses on abstinence and has gone so far as to file lawsuits against school districts that have decided to implement abstinence-only programs. The organization claims to offer “value-neutral” sex education but promotes many practices that Christians find objectionable.
4. Planned Parenthood systematically engaged in fraudulent ‘overbilling’ to maximize revenue from government-funded programs
A 2017 report on investigations of Planned Parenthood financial data and practices conducted in 12 states found hundreds of thousands of abortion-related claims were billed unlawfully to Medicaid. Auditors and investigators have specifically identified Planned Parenthood affiliates as the source of at least $12.8 million in waste, abuse, and potentially fraudulent overbilling and penalties.
The audits also found numerous improper practices resulting in significant federal funding overpayments of more than $8.5 million, and overbilling of state family planning programs amounted to more than $123.8 million.
5. While taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood doubled, the number of cancer screenings they provided dropped by half
One of the justifications Planned Parenthood uses to acquire federal funding is the claim that they provide necessary medical services, such as cancer screening. But while Planned Parenthood’s total services since 2010 have decreased by 17%, cancer screenings and prevention services have dropped more than 50%.
6. Planned Parenthood promotes “gender transitioning” to teenagers
Planned Parenthood promotes “gender affirming” transitioning for both adults and teens with their expanding provision of hormone therapy and other gender-affirming services to minors as young as 16 years old. Planned Parenthood offers hormone replacement therapy to patients 16 years and older in some locations, with parental consent required for those under 18.
Additionally, Planned Parenthood’s rapid expansion of gender-affirming care services, with a 49% increase in recent years, raises concerns about the organization’s shift in focus and use of taxpayer funds for these controversial treatments.
7. Planned Parenthood supports infanticide through advocacy of partial-birth abortion
For almost three decades, Planned Parenthood has consistently supported partial-birth abortion and opposed any efforts to ban this infanticidal practice. The ERLC has opposed this grievous practice by advocating for federal legislation banning it to be upheld for over two decades.
If you do not want your tax dollars funding abortions, help us defund Planned Parenthood by signing a petition for Congress. Sign your name here.
