The Child Abuse Smear Campaign on Planned Parenthood

I received an email forward a few hours ago originating from the pro-life group, Live Action. The email informed me that Planned Parenthood is lobbying against a bill that would require them and ‘all other organizations’ (because there are tons!) which provide or refer to reproductive health care to report instances and/or suspicions of child abuse. As expected, this group attempted to make Planned Parenthood look like regular sex offenders themselves by connecting this lobby effort with their abortion provisions. Obviously Planned Parenthood must hate little children!

This smear tactic is repulsive, offensive, and in fact is nailed together with the screws lost by those who invented it. As someone with personal experience with child abuse, I know the pain and fear that comes with the thought, “Who can I tell?” The number one thing I dreaded (as I lived with the experience for five years before telling a soul) was the prospect of having to tell big strangers in uniforms. To explain to them where he touched me, how many times it happened, if I told him no. I was seven years old and terrified. This was MY body; I knew enough to know it had been violated, but to me the next grade violation  seemed having to relive it all  over again and let strangers ask me questions. When I finally told my mother, I begged her to please not tell anyone or make me have to tell. I was so much more concerned about that than anything else that it was the first thing I said: “Mom, please don’t tell anyone, but…”

Fortunately for me, my experience was with someone outside of my family. But what if it wasn’t? Who can a child like that turn to in a moment of panic and need? It’s true that so many families in our country are loving and kind. But it is also true that many of them don’t support their children emotionally, don’t support teenage decisions to be involved in sexual relationships/don’t know about them, are abusers themselves, or turn a blind eye to the abuse they witness.  For children and teenagers in these situations, the employees at an organization like Planned Parenthood can be the only people in the world to talk to and trust. Part of a trust relationship is the element of confidant: someone we confide in with the knowledge that our words move no further. A confidant listens and does not judge, wipes tears, nudges and pushes us in directions we are unable to move on our own. Planned Parenthood is that confidant to U.S. American women, our children, and our teenagers. De-funding this organization is not an attack on abortion or child abuse–those are just excuses used by Americans who are afraid of facing the realities that exist in this life. We cannot let fear triumph in what will be the darkest hours for millions of people.

Live Action says it wants to provide hope to a new generation.

I want the same thing.