The Present Debate

In the present debate about the U.S. government defunding Planned Parenthood we should stick to the following
facts:

  1. Fully-developed unborn children are being aborted and then dissected for their organs by Planned
    Parenthood — some of them, apparently, born alive.
  2. Planned Parenthood is profiting from the sale of fetal parts.
  3. Planned Parenthood is routinely violating federal law.
  4. Planned Parenthood does not care about women.

Recently elected Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, said in a Sunday morning interview that he doesn’t believe
that Planned Parenthood should “get a red cent from the taxpayer.” “I’ve always believed that, even before these
disgusting videos came out,” Ryan told Bash. We’re just beginning to start a committee to investigate Planned
Parenthood. That’s important. So the special committee on Planned Parenthood, I think, should be in the driver’s
seat overseeing this process.”

Abortion apologists have always been fond of directing attention to something other than the issue in front of
them. Point out that they kill babies, and they will say you hate women. Point out that abortion harms women,
and they will remind you that they are a nonprofit organization. Point out that sales of fetal parts are making them
a lot of money, and they will note that abortion is a small part of their services.

The national media uses these responses, even if they phrase them differently. The fact that there has been
virtually no coverage of the ten Planned Parenthood videos released over the summer betrays the biases of the
electronic and print reporters. Some politicians, as demonstrated in recent Congressional votes, take the same
view. They rationalize away the videos even as they ignore all the other evidence of abortion’s inherent evil. Their
wall of resistance seems impenetrable.

That wall can be surmounted by logic, fact, and appeals to conscience. Persistence, persuasion and prayer can
change minds and hearts. We Christians must make our arguments in defense of the unborn and their mothers.
We must use ultrasound and photos. We must use stories that capture the realities of both abortion and
decisions by moms who decide to keep their babies. We must remind everyone that help is available including
hundreds of homes for pregnant women (such as Joseph’s House in Syracuse.)

We must continuously petition a merciful God.