As you may have heard, Planned Parenthood has endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, also giving her $20 million. But isn’t Planned Parenthood a non-profit organization and so forbidden, like Christian ministries, from overt political involvement? And since one-third of its income comes from the government, doesn’t that mean that tax dollars are funding a political campaign?
It turns out that Planned Parenthood has formed a separate advocacy group to be its political arm. It presumably is financed by separate money. Still, I remember how careful Christian organizations I’ve been involved have had to be to distance themselves from the very appearance of political involvement in order to protect their tax-exempt status. When it is being said that “Planned Parenthood” is endorsing, rather than “the Planned Parenthood Action Fund,” that would normally invite IRS scrutiny.
Anyway, the endorsement may backfire, both against Planned Parenthood and against Mrs. Clinton. Bernie Sanders supporters are furious at the endorsement and are pulling their funds from Planned Parenthood.
From Planned Parenthood, in Its First Primary Endorsement, Backs Hillary Clinton – First Draft. Political News, Now. – The New York Times:
Planned Parenthood, which has become an ideological minefield in the 2016 presidential election, said Thursday that it would endorse Hillary Clinton — its first endorsement in a presidential primary in the nonprofit’s 100-year existence.
Mrs. Clinton will officially accept the group’s support Sunday at a campaign rally in Manchester, N.H. The decision to break with tradition and endorse Mrs. Clinton comes as the House has approved a measure, endorsed by the leading Republican presidential candidates, that would repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act and strip away federal financing for Planned Parenthood, which provides reproductive and health care services.
“Everything Planned Parenthood has believed in and fought for over the past 100 years is on the ballot,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood.
In a statement, Mrs. Clinton said she was “honored” by the endorsement and called the bill to defund the group “a jarring reminder of what’s at stake in 2016,” adding that as president she would “defend against attacks on reproductive health care, and protect access to affordable contraception and safe and legal abortion across the country.”
The endorsement, technically made through the nonprofit’s advocacy arm, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, brings with it at least $20 million to spend in this election cycle on presidential and Senate races in crucial battleground states, including New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
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