Opinion
Planning not to be parents?

By Dale O'Leary
Posted: 4/29/2011

Planned Parenthood puts itself forward as a defender of women's rights, when in fact it is a facilitator of statutory rape, sexual child abuse, incest, prostitution, and domestic violence. Its educational activities and philosophy of absolute sexual liberation contributes to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and infertility. Women who avail themselves of its services as adolescents and young adults may find that parenthood is something you can't plan on.

If you don't believe me, read "Unprotected: A campus psychiatrist reveals how political correctness in her profession endangers every student" by Dr. Miriam Grossman, a psychiatrist working at UCLA.

Dr. Grossman writes of how young women come to her with sexually transmitted diseases, post abortion trauma, and depression. Young women, who have been sold the Planned Parenthood philosophy, discover later that they can't become pregnant when they want to. They didn't know that what Planned Parenthood was planning was a reduction in the number of women who could become parents.

In the battle over its funding, Planned Parenthood has tried to divert attention away from its profitable abortion business, to the other health care services it offers. It claimed -- a claim subsequently exposed as false -- that it provides mammograms. It does perform breast exams which may leave women with a false sense of security since these can't detect early cancer.

Planned Parenthood also performs screenings for cervical cancer. It is a case of causing the problem and then providing the solution. Cervical cancer is caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) and women get HPV from sexual intercourse. When Planned Parenthood gives teenagers or young women contraceptives and sends them out to engage in sexual relations, it is almost certain they will be back with HPV or some other STD. Planned Parenthood insists that they encourage clients to use condoms along with their oral contraceptives, but condoms provide virtually no protection against HPV.

Planned Parenthood tests and treats STDs, but for many women the treatment may be too late, because infection with chlamydia or other STDs may have already destroyed their ability to have children later in life.

Abortion is Planned Parenthood business. Women looking for good advice on preventing disease would be better served by general health care providers. Abby Johnson, former director of Planned Parenthood in Texas and now pro life, explained how Planned Parenthood fudges the numbers: "Planned Parenthood's claim that abortions make up just 3 percent of its services is also a gimmick. That number is actually closer to 12 percent, but strategically skewed by unbundling family planning services so that each patient shows anywhere from five to 20 Planned Parenthood "visits" per appointment (i.e., 12 packs of birth control equals 12 visits) and doing the opposite with abortion visits, bundling them together so that each appointment equals one visit."

Planned Parenthood claims providing contraceptives prevents abortion, but its own research shows that 43 percent of women having an abortion are repeaters. Whatever they are recommending isn't working.

But the worst crimes against women committed by Planned Parenthood are the instances in which its staff fails to protect vulnerable women. Young women have reported being forced into abortions by their boyfriends, parents, and abusers. In order to document the callousness and illegal activities of the Planned Parenthood staff, pro-lifers have made calls and visits to Planned Parenthood facilities.

A woman called Planned Parenthood pretending to be 14 and pregnant by her 24 year old boyfriend -- a clear instance of statutory rape. The receptionist told her how to cover up the statutory rape when she came in for the abortion. In a recent case, a man posing as a pimp came to discuss abortions for pregnant underage prostitutes and secretly filmed Planned Parenthood staff telling him there would be no problem.

Defunding Planned Parenthood is about more than abortion. As Catholics we are as committed to the health of women as we are to the lives of yet to be born babies.

Dale O'Leary is an internationally recognized lecturer and author of "The Gender Agenda: Redefining Equality."