The much publicised claim of Planned Parenthood to not only provide abortions but also health services such as mammograms have been proven as false. Following President Obama’s repeated assertion of the claim in the second Presidential Debate, observers from all sides were quick to point out that Planned Parenthood owns no mammogram equipment and has never provided this service. Indeed, a Freedom of Information request from as far back as June confirmed this.
Planned Parenthood’s imaginary provision of such health services for women has been repeatedly used by abortion supporters to portray pro-life and pro-religious freedom activists as ‘anti-women’. Yet despite the feverous nature of this assertion in the past, even former director of Planned Parenthood, Abby Johnson, has stated that this has never been the case. To further demonstrate this, Abby Johnson, now a pro-life campaigner, coordinated a campaign where thousands of women made telephone calls to Planned Parenthood clinics across the country, requesting mammograms.
The dismantling of yet another false claim from Planned Parenthood is crucial in the battle to show that not only does Planned Parenthood end the lives of unborn children; they do not provide the health care which is referenced to justify the gross amount of federal funding which they receive. Abortion is their primary concern; this should not be forgotten. The cynical trick of portraying an abortion company as a health care provider demonstrates the deluge of false information used to create a smokescreen, a manipulative ploy designed to avoid the real issue.
Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura and Dignitatis Humanae Institute Advisory Board Member, spoke on behalf of the Institute of his hope for truth and clarity going forward:
“This debate is not something that should be marginalised or in any way distorted. The deliberate choice of who lives and who dies is a fundamental issue that cannot be hidden away behind slogans – because it goes straight to the heart of the matter: do we recognise the inviolable human dignity of the most vulnerable and voiceless in our society or not? Going forward, we must seek to promote a culture of life, and ensure that expectant mothers receive the support and all of the counseling they require.”
