National Planned Parenthood Fires 20 Percent of Staff After Madoff Scandal
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 12, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The Madoff fundraising scandal has had some beneficial fallout for the pro-life movement. Combined with the current economic downturn, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America is feeling the pinch and has laid off 20 percent of its staff.
The nation’s largest abortion business, which does 25 percent of all abortions in the United States annually, laid off about 30 people this week.
Executives at Planned Parenthood confirmed the layoffs in an interview with the Crain’s New York business publication.
“As with many other nonprofit organizations, Planned Parenthood has had to make staff reductions at our headquarters due to the challenging economic times facing our country,” Planned Parenthood chief operating officer Maryana Iskander said.
“While taking this action is never easy, we want to ensure the millions of women and men who rely on Planned Parenthood as a health care provider that the reductions will not impact our ability to deliver care to those in need," Iskander added.
What Iskander didn’t discuss is the effect of the Madoff scandal on Planned Parenthood’s income.
The Florida-based Picower Foundation, which gave substantial donations to the abortion business, shut down in December because Bernard Madoff had mismanaged its assets. The foundation was worth $1 billion and one of the top financial backers of pro-abortion groups.
The charity has given away more than $189 million since 1999 and a sizable chunk of the money went to abortion advocates, including $3.2 million to NARAL, $2.5 million for the Center for Reproductive Rights, $2.4 million for Planned Parenthood, and $625,000 for the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, according to the American Spectator.
The JEHT Foundation, which gave away $24 million last year to groups, including pro-abortion organizations, also announced in December that it would be shutting its doors. JEHT gave $1.7 million to the ACLU and its foundation and $4.2 million to the Tides Foundation, which heavily funds pro-abortion groups.
News of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America laying off staff comes on the heels of one of its affiliates doing so.
Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota said in December that hard economic times forced it to lay off 10 employees covering nine and a half positions including its South Dakota director.
South Dakota director Kate Looby, who has overseen the lone South Dakota abortion business, run by Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls, since 2003, confirmed she would be fired from her position.
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