In 2005, Louisiana was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Thousands lost their lives. Even more lost everything they owned and were displaced, some for years. I remember turning on the television in our waiting room at Planned Parenthood to watch the news and hear the tragic reports rolling in. It was a helpless feeling to sit and watch without being able to be helpful and supportive to those who had lost so much.
As many as 250,000 people took refuge in Houston after Hurricane Katrina. Busses were bringing people by the thousands. The Planned Parenthood I worked for at the time was an affiliate based out of Houston and it was decided that we actually did have an opportunity to help victims of Katrina.
Well, we thought we were helping.
Did Planned Parenthood decide that we would go as a group and help those in shelters? No. Did we collect non-perishable food items for those who had been displaced? Nope. We decided that we would offer victims of Katrina free abortions. That's right. Free abortions. Except they were not totally free. We never did anything for free and were paid one way or another.
In this case, the bulk of the money for these "free abortions" came from the Lilith Fund, a nonprofit based in Texas that raises money for abortions, and private donors. It was easy to not only prey on vulnerable women during their time of crisis but it was easy to raise money because people who believed in abortion weren’t terribly hard to convince about sending us money for “free abortions.”
I can't remember that we actually did that many, but we felt good about this "service" we were providing to the victims.
Now today, following the horror of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, there is an almost identical situation playing out. The Lilith Fund is asking donors to send money again to Texas for women who need abortions. And the pro-abortion Women’s March is also pushing for donations for abortions for these women affected by the hurricane. As if enough lives haven’t been taken already.
While Planned Parenthood this time isn’t taking the lead on preying upon vulnerable women, another abortion chain – one less wealthy and certainly less influential – is: Whole Woman's Health. This abortion chain was made famous, or infamous really, from their Supreme Court case out of Texas, Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstadt.
That case was brought forward by Whole Woman's Health as they were bound and determined not to follow very common-sense safety regulations for women that every other outpatient facility had to follow. Unfortunately, they won the case and continue to subject women to their shoddy facilities and unsafe care, women who they claim have nowhere else to go because of Harvey yet desperately need abortions.
In an attempt to raise money for their failing business, Whole Woman's Health is now offering "free abortions" to those affected by Hurricane Harvey. I hardly believe they are doing this out of charity and for no money at all because remember, the abortion industry does nothing for free. Most likely, they are billing these "free abortions" to their anonymous donor who gives all National Abortion Federation affiliated faculties up to $23 million dollars per year for low income women to have abortions. That donor is none other than population control fanatic, Warren Buffet.
He was always happy to pay any invoice we sent to him and I feel confident that is the case in this particular situation.
Either way, when tragedy strikes, we should work to help victims solve problems, address their immediate needs with compassion and love, and be as generous as we can to help them recover. My organization, And Then There Were None, which helps abortion workers to leave their jobs, is working with organizations in Houston and the surrounding areas to help mothers and expecting moms get what they need for their babies through a baby registry. All items that are purchased are sent directly to these moms in need.
We should never attempt to pile tragedy on top of tragedy, which is exactly what this "free abortion" offer does to women.
Abby Johnson is the author of Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey across the Life Line. She also heads up And Then There Were None.