The Duke City
At the last minute of a recent Albuquerque City Council meeting, a $250,000 appropriation for Planned Parenthood was snuck through. That unsettled local pro-lifers, including Councilwoman Renee Grout, who wanted to revisit the subject.
Tara Shaver of Abortion Free New Mexico tells AFN the abortion conglomerate is a $1.5 billion business.
"What was mentioned at the meeting by City Councilor Dan Lewis was that the local Planned Parenthood has a revenue of $4.7 million," Shaver relays. "That was the big question: Why did they need $250,000 of taxpayer money?"
Lewis argued that the local Planned Parenthood in fact did not need the money from Albuquerque taxpayers, and Grout pointed out that it could be better used to address the city's homelessness crisis.
"What happened with that new amendment was that the money to Planned Parenthood was still intact, but then they allocated $100,000 to The Barrett Foundation, which is where Renee Grout wanted the $250,000 to go," Shaver details. "That was a place that everyone could agree on that desperately needs the help, especially in light of the crisis that our city is facing."
The Barrett Foundation's current facility serves 35-40 women and children per night, has a commercial kitchen and staff to provide three meals per day for residents, and employs a dedicated staff to support and empower residents to obtain stable housing.
Even though Planned Parenthood successfully secured its taxpayer-funded supplement this time, Shaver believes the City Council can expect a lot of opposition next time the subject arises.
The City of Brotherly Love
Citizens of Philadelphia are suing Mayor Jim Kenney (D) for his decision to provide $500,000 to the Abortion Liberation Fund of Pennsylvania, an organization whose primary purpose is to promote abortions within the Commonwealth.
"There are both federal and state prohibitions against funding of abortion with the utilization of taxpayer dollars," notes Thomas Breth, special counsel for the Thomas More Society, the law firm representing the citizens.
He points out that Pennsylvania's Abortion Control Act has specific provisions against that.
"No Commonwealth funds and no federal funds which are appropriated by the Commonwealth shall be expended by any state or local government agency for the performance of abortion,” the measure specifically states.
"That's our primary legal theory as to why the City of Philadelphia should not be able to earmark half a million dollars for abortions," Breth explains.
The lawsuit against the city, Mayor James Kenney, Treasurer Jaqueline Dunn, and Controller Rebecca Rhynhart asks the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas to enjoin the city and its officials from transferring the funds to the Abortion Liberation Fund of PA.
A court hearing is scheduled for August 31 in Philadelphia.
