Pennsylvania Planned Parenthood Grant Upsets Pro-Life Advocates
by Maria Gallagher
LifeNews.com Staff Writer
June 22, 2004
York, PA (LifeNews.com) — A decision to award a special grant to a Planned Parenthood affiliate in York, Pennsylvania has prompted an outcry from some members of the community.
The York County Community Foundation has awarded $2,500 to Planned Parenthood of Central Pennsylvania to "conduct ten focus groups to assess the need for educational programs for parents about sexual health," according to the York Dispatch newspaper.
The award worries some local residents, who say that Planned Parenthood is not a reliable source for information for parents.
"It greatly disturbs me that this money will be used to further fill the coffers of Planned Parenthood of York County, which not only promotes and refers (for abortion), but actually performs 600 abortions per year," Sue Karlovich, a Pennsylvania pro-life activist, told LifeNews.com.
"It is merely another opportunity for them to promote their propaganda and further deceive the people of our community regarding their true mission, which is to promote abortion and exploit women for profit," Karlovich added.
The foundation did not return requests for comment from LifeNews.com.
Planned Parenthood is one of 14 local non-profit agencies to receive money under the Foundation’s "Venture Grants" program. The Foundation awarded a total of $35,000 to various educational, cultural, and public service organizations.
But those familiar with Planned Parenthood’s operations say the nation’s largest abortion outfit does not belong on the list of award winners.
"Where is the wisdom in allowing Planned Parenthood, which views abortion as a means of birth control, to teach sex education to anyone?" Karlovich asked.
Planned Parenthood of Central Pennsylvania covers the Pennsylvania counties of Adams, York, Franklin, and Fulton.
The pro-abortion organization has centers operating in Chambersburg, Gettysburg, Hanover, Red Lion, Waynesboro, and York, but pro-life leaders believe the center in York is the only one that actually performs abortions.
Pro-life leaders in Pennsylvania note that Planned Parenthood has been attempting to target the Keystone State, claiming that there are too few abortion centers there.
After years of decline, the abortion rate in Pennsylvania inched upward in the years 2000 and 2001, but fell in 2002. Pro-life leaders worry that the rate could rise again because of a campaign by Planned Parenthood and for-profit abortion center chains to expand operations in the Commonwealth.
According to the Foundation, the Venture Grants are designed to "improve the quality of life for York County residents" and to encourage collaboration among non-profits.
But pro-life leaders say that, rather than improving life for York County citizens, Planned Parenthood has undermined the quality of life in the area, discouraging pregnant women from giving birth to their babies.
Related web sites:
Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation – https://www.paprolife.org
