Planned Parenthood has set its sights on West Texas. The Dallas Morning News announced on March 28 that Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas has received donations of $9.8 million dollars to help build two new centers in West Texas within the year.

The Planned Parenthood abortion clinics in Midland and San Angelo were closed in 2013, after years of prayerful opposition by our faithful people of West Texas and after the Texas legislature passed laws restricting abortion providers. There are currently no Planned Parenthood facilities in Texas west of Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio. Abortions are performed in El Paso, but not by Planned Parenthood.

According to statistics provided by the American Life League, Planned Parenthood closed thirty-two clinics last year in the U.S. They have declined from a total of 938 clinics in the U.S. in 1995 to 597 clinics in 2017. They have also been losing customers, going from 3.1 million customers to 2.4 million. By opening new facilities in West Texas, they would stand a chance of growing their client base and expanding their influence in our local culture.

The dangers of Planned Parenthood are many. One is the fact that they perform more than one-third of all abortions in the United States, according to the USCCB Planned Parenthood Fact Sheet, which is available online. Abortion kills an innocent human life. Any supporter of Planned Parenthood must answer to God for the loss of these innocent lives.

Another danger of this organization is their underlying philosophy. They promote the doctrine of secular humanism, which rejects traditional religion and any belief in the supernatural. This philosophy permeates all their activities, including their educational efforts with youth. People of faith should be concerned when this worldview is pushed on their children in schools.

A further danger of Planned Parenthood is their promotion of uninhibited sexual activity between unmarried young people. For example, one of the books that they have long been distributing for sex education of children is titled It’s Perfectly Normal. The cover of the book states that it is for age 10 and up, but the contents convey a perspective on sexuality that is contrary to the truth of God’s intended purpose of sexuality. This is spiritually harmful for our children.

There are some in our society who make the claim that Planned Parenthood is needed because of the variety of women’s health services that they offer. However, women’s comprehensive health needs are much better served by community health centers and other federally qualified health centers, which serve patients in both urban and rural areas, and outnumber Planned Parenthood clinics 15 to 1 (USCCB Fact Sheet). There are many other clinics in West Texas that have been providing women’s health care for the poor, without the need for Planned Parenthood.

From 2004 to 2015, Planned Parenthood has reported a dramatic decrease in pap tests, breast exams, and total cancer screenings, and they offer no mammograms. In the same time frame, the number of abortions they perform has increased (USCCB Fact Sheet). This represents a clear shift in the kinds of services Planned Parenthood provides, away from comprehensive health services and toward more abortions.

In 2015, a series of undercover videos showed officials of Planned Parenthood discussing how they traffic in the tissues and organs of abortion victims. These videos reveal an attitude of callous disrespect for the dignity of the bodies of those human beings whose lives were taken by abortion.

The annual income of Planned Parenthood is about $1.35 billion. Of that amount, about $555 million comes from the pockets of American taxpayers like you and me (USCCB Fact Sheet). This use of taxpayer money for such a corrosive social influence is not good for our society.

It is my understanding that Planned Parenthood may be seeking to locate its two new centers in any of the following cities: San Angelo, Abilene, Midland, Odessa, or Lubbock. I encourage residents of West Texas to send a clear message to the leadership of Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas that we do not want them in our part of the state. I encourage the signing of petitions which will be circulated in our parishes by our diocesan pro-life leadership. I also encourage public school boards in those cities to send a message to Planned Parenthood that they are not welcome in local schools.

To contractors and local businesses, if you believe in the right to life, the dignity of the human body, and the sacredness of the gift of sexuality, I encourage you to reflect prayerfully before you consider selling to Planned Parenthood, endorsing them, or supporting them. We should do everything possible to avoid cooperation in sinful actions.

Our Catholic faith calls us to be aware of what is going on in the world around us and to speak out in defense of the rights of those who cannot speak for themselves. We must ramp up our efforts to promote respect for human life in response to the current intentions of Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas.

As we enter into this newest phase of our struggle, we pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We pray:

“Lord, may all that we do begin with your inspiration, continue with your saving help, and through your grace be brought to completion, through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

For information on how you can get involved, please contact any of the following:

• Diocesan pro-life director, Jerry Peters, at [email protected]
• Midland-Odessa Deanery prolife coordinator, Gina Aaron, at [email protected]
• Abilene Deanery pro-life coordinator, Jim Sulliman, at [email protected]
• San Angelo Deanery pro-life coordinator, Doug Pustka, at [email protected]