Washington, DC – Activists from several national and international pro-life groups gathered at a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in the nation’s capital this morning to protest Planned Parenthood’s racist roots and policies and to call for the defunding of the nation’s largest abortion provider.

The protest, organized by the Washington, D.C. based Christian Defense Coalition, featured “sheets of shame” displayed on the lawn outside the Planned Parenthood facility as well as signage that informed the public that Planned Parenthood has killed more African-Americans than the KKK.

Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger believed in using abortion to keep minority populations in check and was even to speak at KKK rallies. About 13 percent of American women are black, but they
account for over 35 percent of the abortions. Planned Parenthood is known to target minority neighborhoods for abortion.

Literature from Life Dynamics, Inc. was distributed documenting these facts.

“This racist targeting of minorities, especially African-Americans, should be more than enough for our government to stop dumping millions of our tax dollars in Planned Parenthood’s coffers each year,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman, who attended the event. “A black baby is three times more likely to be murdered in the womb than a white baby. With Planned Parenthood providing the majority of abortions in our country, they are almost single-handedly decimating the African-American community. We say: Not with our tax dollars!”

The protest was attended by activists from all over the nation and several foreign countries. Some of the groups represented included Operation Rescue, The Survivors, and Stand True.

Topeka, Kansas — The Kansas Senate voted 24-15 yesterday to pass a bill that would force two annual inspections of abortion clinics, ban telemed “webcam” abortions, and give the Department of Health and Environment authority to fine and close abortion clinics that do not comply with the new law. It will also require abortionists to maintain hospital privileges within 30 miles of their clinic.

The bill earlier passed the House and now heads to the desk of Gov. Sam Brownback, who has promised to sign it.

“This new law, for the first time, will allow authorities to exercise true oversight of abortion businesses that have never been inspected or accountable to anyone until now,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “These common sense standards will also save lives and protect women by preventing the expansion of dangerous web cam abortions into this state. We applaud the Kansas Legislature, especially efforts by Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, for ensuring that abortion clinics comply with the law or close. We expect that some will close rather than clean up, which says a lot about the abortion cartel’s general lack of concern for the health and safety of women.”

Four other times, similar clinic regulation bills passed with comfortable majorities in both the House and the Senate, only to be vetoed by former Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a rabid promoter of unrestricted abortion who now serves as Secretary of Health and Human Services. The last state-wide elections swept away the last administration that created a political climate that covered up for abortion abuses.

Operation Rescue worked in support of the new clinic regulations.

“This is a victory that was years in the making. We thank our supporters for calling and writing Senators in Kansas in support of this new law that will save the lives of babies and provide protections to vulnerable women who are preyed upon by unscrupulous abortionists that cut corners on safety in the interest of increasing profit,” said Newman.

Kansas has a history of notoriously troubled abortion clinics. Operation Rescue discovered appallingly filthy and unsafe conditions when it bought and closed a Wichita abortion clinic in 2006. Another Wichita abortion clinic was responsible for at least one patient death and sent numerous women to the hospital suffering life-threatening abortion complications. A clinic in Kansas City was found to be operating under unbelievably filthy conditions and closed because the abortionist lost his medical license, not because of the conditions themselves.

Three abortion clinics remain in Kansas.

Earlier this session, Kansas passed a ban on abortions after 20 weeks gestation based on the fact that pre-born babies can feel pain and a new parental consent law that requires abortionists to obtain notarized signatures of both parents before girls 17 or under can get abortions.

Des Moines, Iowa – Operation Rescue will join Iowa Right to Life and other groups in a press conference to be held tomorrow at the Iowa State Capitol to support the passage of House File 5, the Fetal Pain Bill, in light of new information was released yesterday that gives new urgency to the passage of this bill.

Press Conference details:

When: Wednesday, April 27, 2011, at 1:00 PM
Where: Room116 on the 1st floor, Iowa State Capitol, located at East 9th and Grand, Des Moines, Iowa.

Operation Rescue has announced that the Maryland Board of Physicians has launched a full investigation into LeRoy Carhart’s late-term abortion business in Germantown, Maryland, that could result in the loss of his medical license in that state. The investigation is based on a complaint filed by Operation Rescue.

Carhart moved his late-term abortion business to Maryland after his home state of Nebraska passed the first Fetal Pain law that bans abortions after 20 weeks when studies show that a pre-born baby can feel pain. Iowa’s HF 5 is modeled after that ground-breaking law.

Carhart announced plans to open a late-term abortion clinic in Council Bluffs, Iowa, in the next few months even though the community has expressed overwhelming opposition to the location of an abortion clinic there. With his license in jeopardy in Maryland, Carhart seeks to reestablish his lucrative and risky late-term abortion business in Iowa, one of the last states to provide protections for late-term babies.

HF 5 passed in the House and now is stalled in the Senate. The Legislative session ends on Friday, compounding the urgency of the situation.

“We are asking Iowa to join the states of Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Idaho in enacting protections for women and their viable babies, which can feel the pain of abortion,” said Operation Rescue Senior Policy Advisor Cheryl Sullenger. “Carhart was driven out of Nebraska, blocked from relocating to Kansas, and now faces discipline in Maryland. Iowa needs to take quick action to avoid becoming a ‘safe haven’ state for dangerous and unscrupulous abortionists like Carhart. The last thing Iowa needs is to become the nation’s Late-term Abortion Capital.”

Sullenger will be present at the press conference to discuss her complaint, and present evidence of the dangers of late-term abortions, such as the ones Carhart plans to bring to Iowa.