United for life in Jackson County

United Way of Jackson voted in December to withdraw its $10,000 grant to Planned Parenthood Mid and South Michigan.

The board of directors voted 17-1 to scrap its decision several weeks earlier to fund Planned Parenthood's "Talk to Me" program, which was pitched as a way to help lower Jackson's high teen pregnancy rate. Jackson Right to Life President Kathy Potts led the movement to ask United Way to reconsider its decision.

"United Way is too important a resource in Jackson to cast its reputation and judgment into doubt by this partnership," Potts wrote in a January 3 letter in the Jackson Citizen Patriot. "It was wise to stop Planned Parenthood from stealing its good name and donors' money."

Potts said that Planned Parenthood's commitment to making money through abortion made them a poor choice to help lower teen pregnancies."

"Look at Planned Parenthood Mid-Michigan Alliance's Form 990 for 2005-2006," she wrote. "It records more than $5.3 million in medical services, yet only $331,000 on education. I would not say that 6 percent of its activity can imply a focus on education."

Planned Parenthood participated with several other organizations including abstinence groups in a search by United Way for ways to help lower teen pregnancies in Jackson. Potts said she found out about United Way's initial support of the program through the community and decided that she had to find a way to change their minds. "We need to do anything to keep dollars out of Planned Parenthood's hand," she said.

Potts wrote a letter to the United Way board providing them information she believes Planned Parenthood wasn't up-front about. She said a major point in convincing them was Planned Parenthood's teen web site, teenwire.com.

"We directed people to their web site," she said. "It absolutely astonished people."

Planned Parenthood didn't quietly watch as Jackson Right to Life tried to take away their funding. They were very vocal in their attacks on prolife citizens.

"The editor of the Citizen Patriot let us have a guest column simply because attacks from the pro-abortion side were really fierce," she said. "Planned Parenthood went into full attack mode. They put a half-page ad in the paper saying prolife people don't care about the teen pregnancy problem."

Potts said that ultimately her success hinged upon an open discussion of the facts and United Way's commitment to respectfully listen to her concerns about their decision.

"I attribute the success of this to the United Way board," she said. "The board has some people with a lot of courage and integrity."

Not only was there $10,000 less going to the number one abortion provider in America, but the best accomplishment was letting people know what Planned Parenthood was all about, Potts said.

"It was very successful not only because of the outcome," she said. "It has been a rigorous and healthy discourse and a great chance to inform the community. When you provide the truth in a kind way, people are really receptive to listening."

Potts also was very thankful for the support of community members, especially past presidents of Jackson Right to Life, whom she said were instrumental in making the project a success.

She said that United Way does not plan to fund Planned Parenthood at this time and will continue to find other groups' programs to lower the teen pregnancy rate.

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