It is long past time to de-fund Planned Parenthood

Because of the city council and county council's actions, we have all been forced to subsidize this organization that exterminates human lives and corrupts our youth sexually.

Note: This is the speech I delivered at the rally to de-fund Planned Parenthood on July 28, 2015

I stand here before you today, as a citizen of Bloomington and an official write-in candidate for Bloomington City Council, calling for the end of city and county funding of this deplorable organization. The videos showing that Planned Parenthood was selling the body parts of aborted babies shocked the conscience and reminded many who would rather ignore the reality of abortion just how brutal and barbaric this procedure is.

When I announced my candidacy for Bloomington City Council, I said I was opposed to city funding of Planned Parenthood, though I did not expect the issue to become as prominent as it has been the last two weeks. Yet here we are, in response to some truly gruesome revelations.

But the fact that Planned Parenthood has been selling the body parts of aborted babies is far less serious and far less abominable than the fact that they are killing little human beings made in the image of God. And because of the city council and county council's actions, we have all been forced to subsidize this organization that exterminates human lives and corrupts our youth sexually. What does God think of this?

"Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto Me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter, That thou hast slain My children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?" -- Ezekiel 16:20-21

The baby parts selling scandal comes on the heels of this clinic, right here in Bloomington, being written up for severe and disturbing violations by the Indiana health department. The lack of concern for women's health detailed in the citations is just as disturbing as the videos that have caused a nationwide firestorm, and should be more so for those of us gathered here because this is happening in our own community.

How much more evidence do we need that this organization does not deserve funding from our local tax dollars? If Planned Parenthood applies for a grant from the county council's social services fund, that application should be rejected. And city councilor Dorothy Granger, who works as a clinic escort at Bloomington's Planned Parenthood facility, should have disclosed that fact and recused herself from the vote this past June.

No more corporate welfare for Planned Parenthood!