BY LT. GOV. KAY IVEY AND STATE REP. TERRI COLLINS:
The facade has been shattered. The truth about Planned Parenthood and its abhorrent practices has been revealed. The organization will continue to insist comments were taken out of context and defend those who made them, but there’s no going back on what Americans have now seen and heard.
What we, as a country and state, do next is significant. Will we turn a blind eye or call Planned Parenthood to task?
As the Alabama members of the National Pro-Life Women’s Caucus, we support the immediate defunding of Planned Parenthood by Congress and passage of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
Funding from federal, state, and local governments — meaning your tax dollars — comprise almost half of Planned Parenthood’s revenue. In 2014, that was over $528 million. Planned Parenthood cannot stay in business without government funding, which is why it is so critical for Congress to stop payment to the organization.
We applaud Governor Bentley for his timely action to terminate the Alabama Medicaid Agency’s contract with Planned Parenthood, becoming the third state to take similar action since the Center for Medical Progress videos were released. Unfortunately, though, it may not be that easy to end our affiliation with the organization. The Governor’s decision was quickly challenged by the Obama administration. It is alarming that President Obama is clearly more concerned with ensuring Planned Parenthood can continue business as usual than insisting on an immediate and thorough investigation into the organization’s potentially criminal operations.
We also support passage of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and have signed, along with our colleagues in the National Pro-Life Women’s Caucus, a letter to that effect that will be sent to our U.S. Senators. The United States is one of just seven countries, including China and North Korea, that allow elective abortions after 20 weeks. We must put an end to this brutal practice.
At its very core, Planned Parenthood is an abortion organization that harvests unborn babies using targeted methods to preserve their lungs, hearts, livers, and other body parts that may be sold for laboratory use. Do not be deceived by their numbers that tell only part of the story about the services they provide or by the biography of its founder which history has misconstrued. Planned Parenthood has hidden in the shadows, guarded by government and societal elitists, for too long.
We are at a pivotal moment. Never before have we had this kind of ammunition to fight for the hundreds of thousands of babies who are aborted each year. We have an opportunity to take significant action to protect the life of the unborn who cannot speak for themselves. We are committed to speaking — loudly and clearly. Are you?
Kay Ivey is Alabama’s Lieutenant Governor and Terri Collins is a member of the Alabama House of Representatives. They are both members of the National Pro-Life Women’s Caucus.
