This week, the Center for Medical Progress released their fifth secretly recorded video, uncovering further the ghastly nature of a business underwritten by the American people to the tune of $500 million dollars a year. The hopes of exposing atrocities and shaking up the social consciousness of Americans fell on a sword of political expediency this week, as Congress failed to defund Planned Parenthood. Conservatives were justifiably upset as some representatives elected on pro-life agendas did not vote or worse, voted against the bill.
Yet amongst the failure, flickers of hope are rising. New Hampshire defunded Planned Parenthood this week. Louisiana has opened an investigation into their state subsidiary of Planned Parenthood. At least six more states are currently discussing potential action that can be taken to cut off funding needed for Planned Parenthood to continue in their state. Kentucky should do the same.
The best path for eradicating the destructive practices of organizations like Planned Parenthood is at the state level. For example, over $300,000 goes to Planned Parenthood of Kentucky. The budget of a state—like that of a nation—reflect its interests and where elected officials believe our tax dollars are best allocated. $331,000 to an organization that destroys, dismembers, and sells aborted baby parts cannot be found within the moral compass of this commonwealth, and consequently should not be found within its budget or funnelled through any state agency. We are Kentuckians, from conception to death. We, as Jesse Stuart once said, take Kentucky with us embedded in our brain and heart, flesh and bone and blood. This is true of the couple in a nursing home in Covington, the single Mom in Campbellsville, and the unborn child in the mother’s womb in Carrolton. We cannot look away, the moral imagination of our commonwealth is at stake.