Pro-life Group Challenges Planned Parenthood to Publicly Answer for System-Wide Violations, Defend Public Funding

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 3, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) President Marjorie Dannenfelser challenged Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) to publicly answer for violations recorded in two undercover videos released this week showing employees of clinics in New Jersey and Virginia aiding and abetting in alleged human sex trafficking and prostitution of female minors.  

“Planned Parenthood is scrambling to do damage control and still failing to answer charges of illicit activity,” said Dannenfelser.  “The organization receives large subsidies from the federal government—the American taxpayer—and now refuses to publicly address these charges.

“It is unacceptable to answer questions about PPFA’s acts of exploitation of sexually trafficked young girls with:  ‘our training is excellent’ and ‘we called the authorities’ on those exposing the horror.  Equally unsatisfying is ‘we fired her’ when the systemic problem of failing to protect girls with institution-wide controls is well documented.

“We demand that Planned Parenthood answer to the public for this reprehensible activity, without hiding behind a press release.”

The first undercover video, released Tuesday, is one of the latest in a series of more than a dozen previous Live Action sting operations coordinated by 22-year old Lila Rose and her investigative team.  Footage shows a clinic manager conspiring with a man posing as a pimp to secretly secure STD testing, contraception and access to abortion services for his prostitutes, as young as 14 years old, despite their age and enslavement.

On Thursday morning, Live Action released a second video depicting similar violations at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Richmond, VA.  The clinic and the Planned Parenthood national office have yet to comment on the second video or to honor requests to appear live on television with pro-life leaders.  

Planned Parenthood representatives have cancelled a debate appearance with Marjorie Dannenfelser and refused to appear live with Live Action founder Lila Rose, opting instead for a separate interview.

Tonight, SBA List and a coalition of pro-life leaders will host a webcast discussing the videos and encouraging pro-life activists to contact their local Members of Congress about defunding Planned Parenthood of the taxpayer dollars it currently receives.  The webcast will be streamed live at 8:30pm ET at www.ExposePlannedParenthood.com.

The Susan B. Anthony List spent $11 million during the 2010 midterm election cycle. Overall, the SBA List was involved in 90 races including 62 wins and 28 losses. Successes included: defeating 15 of 20 so-called “pro-life” Democrats who voted for abortion funding in the health care reform bill; increasing the number of pro-life women in the House by 70 percent; filling the void of pro-life women in the U.S. Senate and increasing the number of pro-life women governors from one to four.

 
For further information, please contact Kerry Brown at (703) 470-1926 or [email protected].   
 
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