Catastrophically wasted postage

"Please kindly refrain from future attempts to solicit donations from me, thereby making me an accomplice in your brand of franchised homicide. I'll be sending a donation to a worthy cause (CARENet) which promotes preserving the value of each innocent human being instead of providing and profiting from abortions by which hundreds of thousands of innocent lives are routinely exterminated each year."

So penned a slightly riled me in the reply section of the self-addressed stamped envelope sent by my friendly neighborhood Planned Parenthood to me in an effort to raise funds to stop the evil pro-life crowd from trying to save babies from being killed under the warped banner of "Reproductive Freedom". Freedom not to reproduce is one thing. Freedom to kill the baby ALREADY produced is quite another. The only "choice" involved in abortion is the one in which a decision is made to kill the already alive child. That is the "choice" which is promoted, performed, and profited from every day by Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

I tend to be frank by nature, and am especially not known for my subtlety when it comes to abortion (see also: outspoken, direct, on fire, pointed, on a mission, cranky).

And stop it. Right now.

All who are tempted to bristle and muse, "Whoa, she is a way off the reservation on this one. What a radical loon. Planned Parenthood is a 'good' organization, providing medical services to women of all ranges, from dispensing birth control, treating STD's, giving breast exams, and providing sex education." Declaring Planned Parenthood a "good" entity based on these types of qualifications fails to meet the standard for intellectual honesty. It is not truth. It is not reality. Stop it.

Attempts to mitigate the fact that Planned Parenthood's primary function and income source is to provide abortions with feel~good~balms like, "they also provide reduced cost medical care and birth control" is akin to saying that McDonalds is a health food restaurant because it also happens to serve a few menu items whose primary components are not deep fried or lipid laden. Planned Parenthood credits over 34% of its total 2004 income from abortions performed (this number increases to almost 50% when chemically-induced abortions are included). Considering that approximately 33% of PPFA's revenue comes from government funds (read: tax subsidies) and a thankfully receding approximate 18% from private donations, it is clear that without providing abortion services, this organization would become insolvent and fail to exist. May I live to see the day.

In a country with an overall declining abortion rate (praise God), "Planned Parenthood increased the number of abortions at its facilities by 6.1 percent to 244,628, according to the FY 2004 report, even though the total number of abortions performed nationwide has been declining since 1997." Nine out of every ten pregnant women who walk into a Planned Parenthood clinic obtain an abortion from PPFA. According to the Ryan Report, and PPFA's 2003/2004 Annual Report: In fiscal year 2004, this supposedly non-profit organization declared a net income of $35.2 million. Since it opened its doors 18 years ago, PPFA has turned in 18 straight years of net profits, to the tune of $538 MILLION DOLLARS. Not~for~profit? What a crock.

Planned Parenthood is making a killing. Literally.

Note to Planned Parenthood fundraising department: You may want to cross~check your potential donor mailing list against those who qualify to be listed in reputable reference materials as the antidote to everything your barbaric organization propagates (a good place to begin this effort would include the mailing list of the national and local Right To Life chapters), before sending out wasted solicitations for money. Just a gentle postage-saving suggestion.

May God forgive me for not doing more to save the innocent souls that perish at the hand of their parents each day. Please let my heart for this cause make a difference. Even if it is just once. Lead me on, Lord.