Wednesday, November 12, 2008

FAQ #6: What Can I Do?

1) Sign the petition (see top right corner) or click here. (You can see a geographic view of signatories so far.)

2) Vote in our online poll.

3) If you have a blog or other site, please add our logo to your site, or otherwise add a link to this site. (Right click on the logo and select 'View Image', for the logo URL.) If you're on Facebook or Twitter, please mention that you just signed the petition and provide a link.

4) Find your state legislators and send them each an email.

5) Share with others what you did by posting in the comments section for this post.

6) Sleep a little better, knowing that you're making a difference.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

FAQ #5: Does the abortion industry even need this money?

The abortion industry wants you to think that this money is going to "women in need". In fact, it's going into the pockets of abortion doctors and abortion clinic owners. So the question then is, how badly do these people need this money?

The Abortion In Washington blog covered this very well. (reprinted with permission)

Below is a listing of the salaries for some of the top employees of Washington's largest chain of abortion centers -- Planned Parentood -- and the Cedar River Clinic. Remember your tax dollars go to pay the salaries of these people, which makes them essentially sub-contractors for the state.

Wow. Look at those numbers! We've got a suggested recruitment tagline for the local abortion industry: "It may be killing, but it's one heck of a living!"

Planned Parenthood of Western Washington
Christine CharbonneauCEO$259,418
R. Campbell McIntyreVP, Med. Affairs$243,626
Michael RomoCOO$206,185
Mary GrinnellCFO$170,705
Lucile K. ArendtVP, Ext Affairs$148,565
Carole WilliamsVP, HR$129,615
Stephen McCallisterVP, IT$119,615
Anna Kaminski**Asst. Med. Dir$118,063


Planned Parenthood of Central Washington
Anna FranksCEO$127,000
Sarah CateMed. Dir.$101,420
Elizabeth BianchiPart Time Abortionist$97,905 (NOTE: This is for just 12 hours a week!)
Karl EastlundCOO$92,700


Planned Parenthood of Spokane
Penny M. PalmerMD/FT$144,102
Elizabeth BianchiPT Abortionist$102,290 (NOTE: Same woman as part time for Central Wa. Hours for Spokane not listed)


Cedar River Clinics
Dr. Robert L. KothenbeutelFull Time Abortionist$327,390
Dr. Charlie BrowneFull Time Abortionist$156,050
Beverly WhippleFounder & CEO$71,346


(**a.k.a. The papaya abortionist.)


Isn't it time to get the profit motive out of the abortion industry? All of the above are "non-profits". Just how much sacrifice do you think is involved for these individuals? Do we really want a society where an individual can make a very comfortable full-time career doing (or arranging) abortions?

NOTE: All salaries include benefit plan contributions, not just salary total compensation. Numbers are from 2005 and 2006. Names in blood red are for those we know or are almost certain are actually involved in bringing beautiful, innocent lives to an end with their own hands.

Monday, November 10, 2008

FAQ #4: Where is this $7 million going?


County Provider Paid

King Planned Parenthood (PP) of Western Washington $1,204,702

King Cedar River - Renton
$1,145,646

Spokane PP of Spokane $ 424,283

King Aurora Medical Services $ 386,312

Yakima Cedar River - Yakima
$ 355,984

Thurston Sound Choice Health Center $ 237,771

King Aradia (now closed)
$ 229,148

Pierce Cedar River - Tacoma
$ 224,396

Whatcom Mt. Baker PP $ 205,119

Pierce All Womens Health $ 185,238

Oregon Lovejoy Surgicenter $ 174,170

King Seattle Medical & Wellness $ 168,984

Benton PP of Central WA - Kennewick $ 146,689

Clark PP of the Columbia $ 41,170

Yakima PP of Central WA - Yakima $ 28,344

Oregon Downtown Womens Center Inc. $ 25,968

King UW Medical Center $ 16,646

Thurston EWH Inc $ 16,204

King Swedish Hospital
$ 11,448

Oregon Oregon Health Science U. $ 10,119

Spokane Deaconess Hospital - Spokane $ 5,452

Oregon Bours Health Center $ 4,950

King Assoc. of University Physicians $ 4,756

King Harborview $ 3,765

Pierce Tacoma General $ 2,806

King Bellegrove Ob/Gyn Inc PS $ 1,783

King Group Health Coop $ 1,668

Skagit Skagit Valley Hospital Opps $ 1,061

King Evergreen Hospital
$ 785

King Group Health - Puget Sound $ 785

Spokane WomanHealth $ 594

Skagit Fidalgo Medical Assoc PLLC $ 266

Spokane Rockwood Clinic PS $ 266

Spokane Valley Ob/Gyn PS $ 248

King Minor & James Medical PLLC $ 198

King Bellegrove Prof Park $ 198

Skagit Skagit Valley Med. Ctr. $ 198

Skagit Island Family Physicians $ 11

These numbers are from Washington State Fiscal Year 2006. The numbers actually add up to only $5,276,388 (as opposed to the separately published total figure of $7,554,501 because of a narrower interpretation of "abortion-related services"). You can actually multiple these numbers by 30% (1.3) to get the amount of tax money these institutions actually received for the total set of abortion services rendered to Medicaid clients.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

FAQ #3: Who do I contact in the state government?

Good question. In this state, no matter where you live, you have 3 state elected legislators in Olympia:
  • 2 State Representatives, and
  • 1 State Senator.
We encourage you to contact all three.

In order to find out who they are, go here and type in your street address. You can send them an email through the website.

If you are comfortable writing a letter and sending it in the mail, go ahead and do that. Better yet, if you are comfortable calling them up on the phone, that's even better. But if that's too much for you, the email route is a great place to start.

Make sure not only to tell them what you think, but to ask them what their position is, and make it clear you would like a response. When you get a response, please let us know. We're going to track each state legislator's positions.

FAQ #2: What Points Should I Make When Contacting My Legislator?

  1. Make sure they know that you are in command of the basic facts, not just reacting to "some story" you heard. Those facts are that the Department of Health & Human Services spends around $7 million each year paying for about 14,000 abortions. This is through the Medicaid program. That money ends up in the hands of abortion providers. Many of those abortion providers pull down salaries of about $250,000/year. In short, they don't need the money.
  2. Ask them whether they think this is a morally or fiscally responsible way to spend $7 million of taxpayers' money?
  3. Ask them if they support what amounts to subsidies to the abortion industry?
  4. Washington state is one of only four states which pays abortions through Medicaid without exception. Ask what it is we know that the other 46 states don't.
  5. Point out that you only subsidize something if you want to encourage it. Ask them if they support government policies which encourage people to choose abortion.
  6. Ask them if they want to see the abortion rate go down. If so, how does making 60% of abortions free achieve that?
  7. Much of this $7 million goes to Planned Parenthood, which in this state makes a $5 million profit each year, and has doubled its revenues in the last 8 years. They make $7 million of profit just in sales of birth control to low income women. They are increasing their abortion business by 11% each year. Ask your legislators if they support taking money from your family to give handouts to these massively profitable abortion businesses.
  8. If your legislator is "pro-choice", ask them whether they support your right to choose whether or not to pay for someone else's abortion?
  9. Ask them if they would you support legislation to bring Washington's laws into line with the rest of the country and stop using tax money to pay for abortions.

FAQ #1: How Much Tax Money & How Many Abortions?

[From DSHS's 2007 numbers], here are the most recently published figures for the total number of abortions they paid for with your and my money for State Fiscal Year 2006. You paid for 13,830 abortions at an average cost of $546, for a total of $7,554,501.

Here is the table from 2000 on.

YEAR Abortions Paid For Total Tax Dollars Average Price
2000 11,281 $6,369,252 $565
2001 12,397 $7,332,227 $591
2002 13,124 $8,205,061 $625
2003 13,714 $8,288,267 $604
2004 14,165 $7,001,498 $494
2005 13,738 $6,823,267 $497
2006 13,830 $7,554,501 $546
The proportion of all abortions paid for by the taxpayer has risen from 40% about 10 years ago to 55% in 2005. Total abortions for 2006 are not yet released so the percentage change can not yet be calculated.

Here is the data in visual form.





(cross-posted from Abortion In Washington.)

Should Olympia Run A Deficit to Subsidize the Abortion Industry?

Welcome to the new website designed to bring about Change in Washington State. This state is one of the last remaining holdouts that still subsidizes the abortion industry with taxpayers' money.

We're going to change that.

As someone once said, "we may not get there in one year", but in the days ahead, we are going to help all those Washingtonians who object to this outrageous policy, while the government is running deficits close to $3 billion, have their voices heard in Olympia, until the policy is changed.

No more will hardworking taxpayers be forced to take part in the practice of abortion against their will. Regardless what your thoughts are on abortion itself, we're sure you are pro-choice when it comes to your money.

That $7 million of your money that is being given to Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics, and the wealthy abortion doctors across this state needs to be returned to you to buy groceries and gas.

Stay tuned. We don't know how long it's going to take, but we're going to get there. Together.