Florida County Gives 500K to Planned Parenthood Abortion Business

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Sep 13, 2007   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Florida County Gives 500K to Planned Parenthood Abortion Business Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 13,
2007

Port St. Lucie, FL (LifeNews.com) — Pro-life advocates in southern Florida are upset that the members of the St. Lucie County Children’s Services Council have voted to give nearly half a million dollars to a Planned Parenthood abortion business. Members of the county commission are defending the decision by claiming the money will prevent abortions.

Critics say the decision to give $492,000 to the nation’s largest abortion business will do nothing to prevent abortions from being done in the county, located north of Ft. Lauderdale.

The council held two meetings on the abortion funding, which constitutes over five percent of the council’s $9.6 million budget. Local pro-life advocates like Louis Eha of Port St. Lucie strenuously opposed the funding.

"Planned Parenthood’s goal is to make money by killing kids," Eha told the Palm Beach Post. "I’d like documentation my tax money isn’t being spent on abortions."

Despite strong local outcry from pro-life residents, County Commissioner Paula Lewis defended the grants saying "Educational programs are to prevent the need for abortions."

"I wish other groups had applied for this money so we would have some options," she told the newspaper.

Raimundo Rojas, the Hispanic outreach director for National Right to Life, told LifeNews.com he was very disappointed as well.

"It is unbelievably unimaginable that the world’s largest abortion provider — who overseas a multi-billion dollar abortion industry — would need further financial assistance from St. Lucie County," he said.

Lewis said the money would not be handed over to Planned Parenthood but that the abortion business must turn in receipts for the programs and will receive reimbursements.

According to the Post, the abortion center will get $61,346 to target Hispanics in the community with promotional materials, more than $316,000 to target teenagers, and another $102,08 to promote Planned Parenthood to adults in the area.

Rojas told LifeNews.com the county has acted contrary to the pro-life views of most Hispanics in southern Florida by giving Planned Parenthood money to target their community by promoting abortion.

"It is insult added to injury that Planned Parenthood plans to use that money to target Hispanics in St. Lucie," he said. "But it goes perfectly well with their worldview of targeting minories all over the globe."

Council member Queen Townsend voted, like all of the members of the commission, for the funding and said it would mostly go towards comprehensive sexual education.

ACTION: Express your opposition to the funding by contacting the St. Lucie County Children’s Services Council at 546 NW University Blvd, Suite 201, Port St. Lucie, FL 34986. Call (772) 408.1100 or fax a letter to (772) 408.1111, or email [email protected].

Related web sites:
St. Lucie County Children’s Services Council – https://www.cscslc.org