Not long ago, Republicans in the House of Representatives revealed that they were moving forward to change the Affordable Care Act (more commonly known as Obamacare), one of their campaign promises. One of the most significant changes in the proposed plan is the removal of federal funds (often through Medicaid reimbursements) for clinics who provide abortions in addition to other services. This provision was largely directed toward Planned Parenthood, who receives about $500 million per year in federal funds. Because of existing legislation known as the Hyde Amendment, no federal funds can be given for the actual abortion procedures, but the reality is that by subsidizing the other things Planned Parenthood offers (and I’ll speak more to that below), the organization is able to use private donations and patient fees to provide more abortions and counseling intended to convince the women who enter those facilities to end the life of their babies.
In what I can only describe as a brilliant political move, President Donald Trump caused Planned Parenthood to expose, in as clear a manner as I have seen in a long time, that abortions are both the philosophical and practical foundation on which the organization is built. He did so by offering to personally fight for every federal dollar Planned Parenthood was set to receive if it would only do one thing: stop performing abortions. I describe this as a brilliant maneuver because Planned Parenthood is always quick to declare that abortions only make up 3% of the services it offers. [A quick side note: in order to achieve such a low number, Planned Parenthood counts every single interaction with a client, whether it is giving them an ibuprofen for a headache or an abortion, the same. This means that if a woman comes in nine times for counseling, each time being told to get an abortion, and on the tenth visit does so, Planned Parenthood would only count abortion as 10% of what it does for that woman. Of course, it was really 100%, but the organization is not going to allow facts to get in the way of statistics.] After Trump’s proposal, Planned Parenthood was quick to respond, with its president Cecile Richards saying, “Planned Parenthood is proud to provide abortion—a necessary service that’s as vital to our mission as birth control or cancer screenings.”
As much as it may be politically incorrect to say, Planned Parenthood’s purpose is, and always has been, to abort babies. It is, and always has been, an evil organization; there is no other way to accurately describe it. However, it has been rather adept, especially in recent years, at its attempts to obfuscate its purpose behind any number of supposed health care options offered to women. For example, Planned Parenthood and its supporters, such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), have been trumpeting how many women rely on the organization for mammograms. Planned Parenthood does not have a single facility for offering that service and provided exactly zero mammograms. Zero. Yet it is the largest provider of abortions in the US, revealing its priorities.
There is no doubt that we must continue to stand firm against the culture of death that celebrates abortion on demand. We should continue to support all attempts to prevent public funds from going to Planned Parenthood. And we must continue to fight for legislation that prevents the slaughter of the innocents. However, may we never lose sight of the fact that none of these will change a single heart. Only God, through His grace and the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, can do that. If our prayers were answered and Planned Parenthood disappeared, would we be ready to fill the void with the Gospel? Just something to think about…
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