{"id":279821,"date":"2022-11-17T08:46:21","date_gmt":"2022-11-17T14:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=279821"},"modified":"2022-11-21T00:21:58","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T06:21:58","slug":"planned-parenthood-record-federal-defunding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/planned-parenthood-record-federal-defunding\/","title":{"rendered":"Planned Parenthood\u2019s egregious record should result in federal defunding. Here’s why."},"content":{"rendered":"
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According to the Congressional Research Service<\/a>\u00a0(CRS), \u201cThe recipients of federal financial assistance are obligated to comply with various laws and regulations, including the requirements of four major civil rights laws: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), which bars discrimination based on sex in educational programs; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504), which forbids discrimination based on a disability; and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, which bars discrimination based on age. Congress and federal courts have often treated these statutes as interrelated, as all four prohibit discrimination in federally funded programs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Federal agencies are supposed to enforce these requirements for federal funding recipients so that “federal aid is not used to support discrimination,” otherwise, “enforcement proceedings… can suspend or terminate assistance.”<\/p>\n

Knowing all of this and given Planned Parenthood’s controversial and scandalous history as well as present-day accusations of racism against employees \u2014 why is this organization still receiving federal funding?<\/em><\/p>\n

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A long list of infractions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite years of complaints from staffers about discrimination, retaliation, abuse, and racism, the organization has\u00a0committed<\/a> nearly 6.4 million abortions since 2000 and has received a whopping $9.3 billion in taxpayer dollars.<\/p>\n

Over the years, accusations of\u00a0abuses,<\/a>\u00a0scandals<\/a>,\u00a0fraud<\/a>, racism, pregnancy discrimination,\u00a0privacy breaches,<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Medicaid fraud<\/a>\u00a0have piled up against Planned Parenthood \u2014 yet the U.S. government under the Biden Administration continues to funnel millions in taxpayer dollars to the organization. The corporation disseminates\u00a0unscientific, fabricated and misleading medical information<\/a>\u00a0to women considering abortions, and former\u00a0staffers have\u00a0revealed<\/a>\u00a0how Planned Parenthood\u00a0misinforms women<\/a>\u00a0about the\u00a0development<\/a>\u00a0of their preborn babies, how they have a\u00a0poor standard of care<\/a>\u00a0for clients (with former managers accusing them of \u201ctreating women like cattle<\/a>\u201d), and how they utilize\u00a0ultrasound<\/a>\u00a0only for\u00a0abortions<\/a>, not for informed consent purposes.<\/p>\n

Accusations of systemic racism\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Dr. Laverne Tolbert<\/a>, who served on the board of Planned Parenthood NYC between 1975 and 1980, later told<\/a> Newsmax TV, \u201cThere is no way to justify continuing to fund Planned Parenthood. Its roots are racist!\u201d What Dr.Tolbert discovered would be repeated by many Planned Parenthood staffers who learned it wasn\u2019t just PP\u2019s roots<\/em> that were racist.<\/p>\n

2022:<\/strong> Concerns of antisemitism at Planned Parenthood are alleged in a discrimination lawsuit<\/a> filed by Ilana Gamza-Machado de Souza, who is Jewish and formerly worked as Planned Parenthood\u2019s Senior Brand Marketing Director in the Communications & Culture Department.<\/p>\n

2021:<\/strong> A discrimination lawsuit<\/a> was filed by former Planned Parenthood employee Nicole Moore, whose complaint<\/a> laid out a damning case alleging Planned Parenthood \u201ctokenized\u201d staff of color and often retaliated against them when they spoke up. The 51-page lawsuit is replete with allegations of tokenism, mistreatment, and retaliation; it also alleges that Planned Parenthood \u201chas not taken a single step to remedy the race discrimination which continues to harm its staff of color.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile Planned Parenthood has publicly boasted its commitment to racial equality, the organization \u2013 whose tagline is \u2018Care. No matter what\u2019 \u2013 has blatantly ignored reports by dozens of its Black employees of systemic unequal hiring and promotion, more work for lower pay, overt hostility, and trafficking in stereotypes by leadership,\u201d Moore\u2019s legal claim reads<\/a>. \u201cInstead of addressing the issues, Planned Parenthood has doubled down by punishing employees of color who dare to speak up, pretextually disciplining them and creating working conditions so intolerable that they are effectively forced to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Renee Bracey Sherman, a Black reproductive justice activist and former Planned Parenthood consultant who is mentioned in the suit, said<\/a> she read the complaint and was not surprised by it. \u201cI\u2019ve experienced and been told stories similar to those outlined in the complaint. It\u2019s hardly my first experience and I doubt it will be my last,\u201d she told The Daily Beast. \u201cI\u2019m so tired of being quiet about racism in [the reproductive rights movement] for the sake of saving Roe. We lost Roe. Now we need to deal with the white supremacy and exploitation underlying our movement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another Black abortion advocate told<\/a> The Daily Beast, \u201cThey\u2019ve been such a mess for so long, who can keep up? I\u2019m glad she is suing.\u201d<\/p>\n

2021:<\/strong>\u00a0Chris Charbonneau, CEO of a Seattle-based Planned Parenthood affiliate with nearly 40 years at the corporation, was fired<\/a>\u00a0after being accused of racism.<\/p>\n

2020:<\/strong> In July 2020<\/a>, hundreds of past and current Planned Parenthood of Greater New York (PPGNY) employees published an open letter<\/a> which alleged<\/a> the abortion organization was \u201cfounded by a racist, white woman\u201d and had a \u201cpresent steeped in white supremacy.\u201d Additional employees at other affiliates told Buzzfeed News they had witnessed<\/a> \u201copen racism,\u201d endured \u201csegregated\u201d offices, and experienced overall unequal treatment of Black and minority employees at multiple Planned Parenthood centers across the country. Planned Parenthood\u2019s \u201csystemic racism<\/a>\u201d was later acknowledged by multiple affiliates<\/a>. Nineteen separate Planned Parenthood affiliates with operations in 33 states\u00a0issued statements<\/a> admitting<\/a> PP\u2019s racism. An internal audit also confirmed<\/a> that Planned Parenthood Federation of America has a racism problem.<\/p>\n

Employees claimed<\/a>\u00a0PPGNY, for example, put into place \u201ca revenue-driven, assembly-line approach to PPGNY clinics \u2013 one that put patients, and in particular Black and other patients of color, at potential risk,\u201d reported<\/a> Live Action News.<\/p>\n

According to Jezebel<\/a>, PP\u2019s affiliate CEO \u201cfloated an initiative to encourage the use of long-term contraceptives, like IUDs, in schools whose students were largely Black and Latinx.” That initiative was described as \u2018white saviorism.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re talking about public schools where black and brown children are because they\u2019re so hypersexual and need to be controlled?\u201d Michelle Adams, Planned Parenthood’s customer service manager,\u00a0said<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s a direct link to the history of forced sterilization.\u201d<\/p>\n

Planned Parenthood\u2019s discriminatory actions were confirmed on social media.<\/p>\n

Former staffer Kate Kelly tweeted<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cThis tracks w my experience working at Planned Parenthood. Deep, long-standing problems w treatment (dehumanization) of employees in general & POC employees in particular. At PP there was ZERO willingness to even budge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Image:

Kate Kelly on Planned Parenthood racism (Image: Twitter)<\/p><\/div>\n

A Tweet from former staffer Amber J. Phillips\u00a0read<\/a>, \u201c\u2026 I worked at @PPact <\/a>on the @PPGenAction<\/a> team and it was the most racist and toxic work environment I have ever experienced in my life\u2026\u201c<\/p>\n

\"Image:

Amber Phillips on Planned Parenthood discrimination (Image: Twitter)<\/p><\/div>\n

2016:<\/strong> Asia Blunt, a Black woman with a disability, filed a discrimination lawsuit<\/a> claiming<\/a> Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri fired her because of her race. Blunt claimed<\/a> she \u201cwitnessed numerous instances of discriminatory and disparate treatment toward other African American employees, including in hiring, discipline, and termination.\u201d<\/p>\n

2005:<\/strong> Former Planned Parenthood Los Angeles (PPLA) staffer Andrew Jones filed a lawsuit<\/a> which alleged<\/a> that PPLA regularly allowed<\/a> overt racism and sexism to infect its facilities, did nothing when one of its employees was called the N-word, and consistently portrayed Black males as being irresponsible. Sworn affidavits from female PPLA staff alleged, \u201cthere was a sense that any employee who was not a white female was going to be carefully watched.\u201d Additional \u201chigh level PPLA employees … were fired for whistle-blowing or complaining of racism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Image:<\/p>\n

Planned Parenthood LA former employees claimed racism lawsuit filed<\/p>\n

2004:<\/strong> Life News reported<\/a> that a group of Black and Hispanic employees filed a federal lawsuit alleging<\/a> that they were treated in a racist manner by officials at a Planned Parenthood in southern California. One complaint from a Black employee accused a PPLA official of referring to him with a racial slur.<\/p>\n

1999:<\/strong> Texas Business Today detailed<\/a> a lawsuit filed by Lamarilyn Fadeyi, an African American employee who was fired by Planned Parenthood in Lubbock. Fadeyi alleged<\/a> she had been \u201cunlawfully discriminated against during her tenure with Planned Parenthood.\u201d The article describes the allegations made by Fadeyi against Planned Parenthood, \u201cincluding a claim that the office director gave her and another African American worker an \u2018application\u2019 to join the Ku Klux Klan (which was supposed to be a joke).\u201d<\/p>\n

Failure to comply with mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Live Action News has documented Planned Parenthood\u2019s willingness to\u00a0aid sex traffickers<\/a>,\u00a0willingness to commit\u00a0sex-selective abortions<\/a>, and much more. All of these should disqualify Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funding.<\/p>\n

Live Action\u2019s\u00a0Aiding Abusers<\/a>\u00a0investigative report and docuseries, which\u00a0includes<\/a>\u00a0actual criminal cases and\u00a0testimony<\/a>\u00a0from the\u00a0attorney<\/a>\u00a0of two victims, exposed how Planned Parenthood covers up child sexual abuse. In addition,\u00a0Live Action undercover investigative videos\u00a0documented<\/a>\u00a0Planned Parenthood employees at 15 different facilities showing a willingness to cover up\u00a0child sexual abuse<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0child sex trafficking<\/a>.<\/p>\n