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One particular community-based organization churches and parents should be very wary of is Planned Parenthood.
As the US economy struggles, churches and community-based organizations can build partnerships to address critical issues like homelessness, hunger, substance abuse, violence, or abandonment. In fact no one entity can typically address all the needs and it makes sense to team up. Even issues related to teenagers can create opportunities for community agencies and churches to work together.
The challenge in these types of partnerships is to make sure every participating group has similar goals, such as disciple-ing people to develop a biblical work ethic versus giving them a handout to make them dependant on agencies. Or in the case of teens, teaching them respect for themselves and others versus do whatever you need or want to make yourself happy!
One particular community-based organization churches and parents should be very wary of is Planned Parenthood. While often locally led by friends or church members, Planned Parenthood’s corporate philosophy has become hostile to biblical teaching.
Their newest effort actually seeks to side step parental guidance, via the teenager’s cell phone: through texting about sexual issues and answering questions teens might have about their sexuality.
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains is now in the business of texting with today’s teens about matters that parents and the church should be addressing. Setting up this quasi-cyber texting relationship with PPRM is as easy as one, two, three – and parents likely won’t know anything about it.
For starters, a teen with questions simply goes to PPRM’s “In Case You’re Curious” webpage. Once there, teens with questions about their “sexual health” are encouraged to text PPRM—a number is provided—and told that their questions will be kept anonymous and that they will receive a response via text within 24 hours.
Among the information available from PPRM by texting are locations of “health centers” where teens can get HIV testing, contraceptives, and, of course, abortions. Moreover, teens don’t even have to text to find out where to have an abortion. Rather, they can just click the link marked “find one here.”
Planned Parenthood clinics also ignore cases of statutory rape when young girls come in seeking abortions. Instead of reporting the abuse as anyone concerned for a young girl would, the clinic instructs them not to mention the boyfriends’ age if they are over 18.
With the Centers for Disease Control reporting: 1 in 4 American girls contracting a sexually transmitted disease before the age of 19 (48% among African Americans); 35% of all throat cancers being caused by human papilloma virus; new HIV infections increasing steadily; all STD’s (with three temporary exceptions) rising steadily since the 1960's, some 80% of STD’s occurring in those under 25; a 540% increased risk of the most deadly form of breast cancer for women who begin oral contraceptives prior to age 18, this is one community organization that is more foe than friend.
Michael Norton is an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund and contributed to this article.
