Planned Parenthood Event Reveals "Glib" Attitude On Abortion 
By Bob Sekerak

The following article, with some additions, first appeared in the Burlington Free Press

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England held a fundraiser entitled "Our Right to Shoes" on April 19^th in Burlington. The event featured the auctioning of shoes and other items donated by area retail outlets. The glib play on words, ‘shoes’ for ‘choose‘ (in other words, abortion), typifies Planned Parenthood’s disdain for the taking of human life in the womb and the organization’s disordered sense of humor. Similarly, Planned Parenthood has celebrated the Supreme Court decisions Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton, which decriminalized abortion during all nine months of pregnancy, by serving ‘birthday’ cake.

The nation’s largest abortion business has made over a billion dollars for the first time according to the organization’s new 2006-07 report. The report shows an increase in the number of abortions performed from 264,943 in 2005 to 289,650 in 2006. Planned Parenthood is the largest provider of abortions in Vermont. Incredibly, Vermont is one of the few states that allows non-physicians, as well as physicians, to perform surgical abortions on girls (Vermont has no parental notification law) and women of various ages. 

The real issue is not a woman’s "right to shoes", that is to have control of her body. Modern science has revealed that in pregnancy there are two bodies and two lives; two different heartbeats, often two different blood types, two different sets of fingerprints, and two unique sets of DNA. Abortion seeks to replace control of self by demanding instead the right to control the body of someone else. Additionally, choosing an abortion can have devastating effects on the women as well as the child. Sterility, alcoholism, suicidal tendencies, physical injury, self-destructive behavior, and emotional problems are some of the outcomes reported by a number of post-abortive women. We can and must do better to address the needs of women with care and compassion, rather than leaving them and their children to the violence of abortion. 

Here are the thoughts of one Vermont woman who has experienced the negative effects of abortion: "When I heard of the event I immediately thought of all the little feet that would never get to wear a pair of shoes," said Annisa Lamberton, who had an abortion at the age of 18. Later, Annisa suffered a miscarriage. "I saw those little feet with my own eyes and will never forget them……….the ‘shoes’ that are auctioned off to benefit Planned Parenthood’s abortion business will wear out …………but my heartache never will."

Recent polls show a dramatic shift in peoples’ thinking away from the ‘right’ to abortion. This is particularly true among young people, who have realized that one-third of their peers are missing. It seems ironic and a lack of business sense that the various retail outlets contributing to Planned Parenthood’s fundraiser would lend support to an organization bent on eliminating their potential customers in the years to come. 
 

Bob Sekerak, UVM Professor Emeritus, Moderator of "LifeLines," a program produced for public access television (cable), Milton, VT 

See the following links to recent public opinion polling on abortion issues:

Majority of Americans, Blacks, Students Pro-life on Abortion (Zogby International Poll) 

Nation and World Youth Movement Against Abortion (Seattle Times) 

High School Seniors Down on Abortion

Hamilton College Hot Button Issues (Abortion) 

Youth Attitudes on Abortion Encourage Pro-life Groups

New Poll Shows Majority of Americans are Pro-life on Abortion

CBS News Poll: 54% of Americans Take Pro-life Position on Abortion

Poll: Republicans, Young Adults Most Likely to Oppose Abortion