Planned Parenthood Takes on North Dakota Religious Liberty Measure

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jun 4, 2012   |   5:53PM   |   Bismarck, ND

Voters in North Dakota will consider on their ballots next week a measure including one that protects religious freedom.

Measure 3 is meant to safeguard religious freedoms without interfering the legitimate needs of government to protect its citizens. With the attacks on religious liberties posed by Obamacare and its recent HHS mandate forcing religious groups to fund birth control or drugs that may cause abortions for their employees, states are pushing back with legislation and ballot proposals to protect their rights.

However, the Planned Parenthood abortion business is pushing back and one new report reveals the North Dakota Secretary of State’s office shows a political arm of Planned Parenthood donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to defeat Measure 3.

“According to the disclosure report, the Planned Parenthood MN ND SD Action Fund is one of only three entities in a group calling itself North Dakotans Against Measure 3,” says CitizenLink, which is affiliated with Focus on the Family. “The other two are a mother and daughter in California who regularly give large donations to pro-abortion causes; they gave a combined $7,000. The Planned Parenthood action fund is based in Minnesota.”

Tom Freier, executive director of the North Dakota Family Alliance Action, talked about Planned Parenthood’s involvement in an email.

“North Dakotans will not be bought by hundreds of thousands of out of state Planned Parenthood dollars,” he said. “Measure 3 is about one thing, and only one thing-restoring the level of protection of our First Amendment religious liberty. The federal government and 27 other states enjoy this well tested level of protection. Dozens of legal scholars have endorsed it. Almost 30,000 North Dakotans signed a petition to put it on the ballot.”

Freier says, “Reporting documents from the Secretary of State’s office reveal that Planned Parenthood has contributed over $500,000 to fund the no vote on Measure 3.”

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“Why would they do that? Why would the nation’s largest abortion provider contribute a half million dollars to defeat a religious liberty measure?” he asked. “Past history shares some insight. They have advocated: eliminating conscience protection for health care providers, requiring religious organizations to cover abortion, sterilization, and contraception in their insurance policies, eliminating faith-based pregnancy centers, and requiring every medical student receive abortion training. And if any should seek protection using their First Amendment religious exercise, then eliminates religious liberty.”

“While this measure is not about abortion, Planned Parenthood’s huge contributions demonstrates not only their interest in abortion and the money it brings to them, but also included in their agenda is the elimination of our religious freedoms,” he concludes.