Are Taxpayer Dollars Being Used to Mislead Women?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JULY 18, 2006 NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio and other leading advocates ask state’s health department if taxpayer funds are being used to support anti-choice lobbying Cleveland, OH- NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, the state’s leading advocate for personal privacy and a woman’s right to choose, partnered with the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland and Planned Parenthood of Greater Cleveland to ask the Ohio Department of Health for reassurances that no taxpayer dollars are directly or indirectly funding, religious instruction or lobbying against reproductive choice. The request followed the release of the report Do Taxpayer Funds Support Religious Instruction or Lobbying Against Reproductive Choice? compiled by the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland and coincided with the release yesterday of Rep. Henry Waxman’s (D-CA) investigative report, False and Misleading Health Information Provided by Federally Funded Pregnancy Resource Centers. “Anyone looking for health-care information or services deserves full, unbiased, and relevant facts. Our tax dollars certainly should not go to support organizations that subject women to misinformation or harassment,” said Kellie Copeland, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio. “I applaud the research done by the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, and look forward to a response from the state’s health department.” The letter to Dr. Nick Baird, who leads the Ohio Department of Health, highlights key points from Do Taxpayer Funds Support Religious Instruction or Lobbying Against Reproductive Choice? including: ¸ In 2002 Elizabeth’s New Life Center (ENLC) received a 3-year $2,155,213 government grant award, which accounted for 73.6% of the organization’s $2,938,397 budget for the year. Abstinence-only-until-marriage funding allowed this anti-abortion agency’s annual budget to increase nearly 372% between 2001 and 2002. According to information filed by ENLC with the IRS, “Elizabeth's New Life Center is a Christian ministry who is offering Christ's love and healing to those who are struggling with an unintended pregnancy or other sexual issues.”
¸ Heartbeats of Licking county’s website states that “ . . . we are a nonprofit, Christian ministry that offers emotional, physical, and spiritual support to those who find themselves in the midst of an unexpected pregnancy. Believing that Christ is the foundation of this ministry, we endeavor to model Him in every aspect. Obeying Christ’s command to love, we desire to be His hands and feet and provide the best possible services.” In 1997, Heartbeats of Licking County received $44,193 in government funding, representing 32.5% of the agency’s $135,802 budget that year. By 2002, however, Heartbeat’s of Licking County was receiving $394,489 in government money, mostly for abstinence-only-until-marriage programs, representing 68.9% of the agency’s $572,477 budget that same year.
¸ Pregnancy Decision Health Centers (PDHC) states two principles of service on their website: to “promote life-affirming choices for pregnancy and sexuality” and to “promote abstinence as the positive life choice for unmarried persons.” A few of the “values embodied in our programs” are chastity, marriage and family, church, prayer, and the sanctity of every human life. According to the website, “These values are rooted in and flow from the Christian faith of the PDHC Board, Staff, and Volunteers.” Between 2000 and 2002, 2003, and 2004, government funding to the Pregnancy Decision Health Centers increased by 8-fold, 7-fold, and 6-fold, respectively, largely the result of abstinence-only-until-marriage funding, helping the organization grow by 94%.
¸ In 2000, the Tri-County Right to Life Educational Foundation received $21,230 in government funds, representing 19.1% of the agency’s total 2000 income. Government funding – largely for abstinence-only-until-marriage programming – steadily increased in subsequent years, reaching $576,111, or 68.5% of the agency’s total income, in 2004.
Further, according to a report done for Rep. Waxman by the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) have received more than $30 million in federal funding since 2001, while additional “capacity-building” grants have been distributed to 25 centers. Investigators found that 87 percent of these centers give women misleading information, including spreading the myths that choosing abortion increases the risk of breast cancer and sterility – each of which has been debunked by expert scientists, doctors, and breast cancer awareness advocates. For additional information on CPCs, please visit NARAL Pro-Choice America’s website. The complete text of the Waxman report can be found at www.democrats.reform.house.gov.
Contact: Kellie Copeland (216) 283-2180 ###
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