Florida Pro-Lifers to Protest Planned Parenthood Funding

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Aug 31, 2011   |   7:02PM   |   Port St. Lucie, FL

Organized under the banner of St. Lucie Taxpayers Against Planned Parenthood Funding, local pro-life advocates in Florida re protesting the taxpayer-funding of the abortion business in their community.

On Thursday, September 8, the group will picket the Children’s Services Council Taxing Authority (CSC) meeting at 7:30 a.m. in advance of its next meeting. Dr. Michael Hofstee is organizing the protest and he says the CSC has been funding Planned Parenthood with local tax dollars for many years — including $500,000 last fiscal year.

“Altogether, Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortions in the U.S., has benefited from more than $3 million in local St. Lucie tax dollars,” Hofstee explained. “Every year, a portion of St. Lucie residents’ property taxes go to the CSC. The little-known taxing authority can be located on residents’ property tax bill.”

“Planned Parenthood contends that tax dollars are not used directly to fund abortions,” he continues. “However, tax funded programs include graphic sex education youth programs that do not oppose abortion. Additionally, Planned Parenthood staff members have salaries subsidized by taxpayers while they are free to advocate abortion. The abortion giant already receives more than $300 million nationally in tax dollars.”

Protests have worked before as Hofstee says similar programs in Martin County were discontinued after taxpayer watchdogs showed red-faced council members that funded programs could not be substantiated or were already duplicated by other government agencies.

“This year, Planned Parenthood has come under increasing scrutiny from taxpayers across the country as they have been widely implicated for assisting teenage girls in subverting parental notification laws, covering up statutory rape, accepting donations specifically to abort black babies and covering up child sex trafficking,” he said.

After the picket, organizers from St. Lucie Taxpayers Against Planned Parenthood Funding are asking taxpayers to go into the meeting and address the CSC during public forum, and respectfully asking them to cease funding of PP with tax dollars. Each member of the public is allowed to speak for several minutes, the pro-life advocate indicates.

The CSC office is located at 546 NW University Blvd, Suite 201, Port St. Lucie, FL 34986 across from the entrance to Tradition Field. E-mails opposing the PP funding can be sent to the CSC’s Executive Director, Sean Boyle at [email protected].

In other states, Indiana approved a law de-funding Planned Parenthood, and New Hampshire Planned Parenthood centers may close after the state revoked a $1.8 million grant. Montana Planned Parenthood is also grappling with funding cuts and one county in Tennessee de-funded Planned Parenthood.

North Carolina may see the closing of a Planned Parenthood center following de-funding and Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin is making cuts after the abortion business lost $1 million in taxpayer funding there. Ohio lawmakers also filed a new bill to shift funding from Planned Parenthood to health departments. Planned Parenthood could lose as much as $64 million in Texas. Kansas is fighting a lawsuit to try to stop its de-funding efforts.