{"id":239,"date":"2009-11-06T10:50:37","date_gmt":"2009-11-06T10:50:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/11\/why-push-planned-parenthood.html"},"modified":"2009-11-06T10:50:37","modified_gmt":"2009-11-06T10:50:37","slug":"why-push-planned-parenthood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/11\/why-push-planned-parenthood.html","title":{"rendered":"Why Push Planned Parenthood?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I knew you were a staunch supporter of Planned Parenthood, but there’s one comment in your response that really has stunned me.  <\/span>And, that’s not easy to do.  <\/span>I can’t believe that you really believe that it is “morally outrageous that one of the most well-respected sources of information on sexuality and pregnancy prevention is given so little government funding…”   <\/span>Barry, “so little” government funding?  <\/span>Planned Parenthood receives hundreds of millions of dollars in federal taxpayer money each year – some $350-million last year alone.  <\/span>You believe they need more taxpayer money?  <\/span>How much more would you like to give them?  <\/span>And, the only thing that’s “morally outrageous” is the fact that the federal government continues to fund the nation’s largest abortion provider with our tax dollars, year after year.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Not only are Americans fed up with subsidizing Planned Parenthood at the federal level, there’s growing concern at the local level as more communities take action to keep their state and local taxes from going to subsidize Planned Parenthood.<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Ohio example is just one of many.  <\/span>In recent months, local communities across the country have said no to Planned Parenthood funding including Orange County, California<\/a>.  <\/font>In Tennessee<\/a>, lawmakers voted to redirect more than one million dollars that would have gone to PP to local health organizations.  <\/font><\/font><\/font>And, now there are new reports from Texas where a former Planned Parenthood employee <\/a>says a clinic was pushing employees to strive for abortion quotas to boost profits.  <\/span>The former employee, who quit after viewing an ultrasound-guided abortion, told a reporter that “abortion is the most lucrative part of Planned Parenthood’s operations.” <\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font> <\/p>\n

As we continue to pursue this very troubling multi-million dollar fraud case against Planned Parenthood affiliates in California<\/a>, <\/font>we’ll be watching a Supreme Court case very closely that could very well have a direct bearing on our fraud case. <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On November 30th<\/sup>, the Justices will hear arguments in Graham County Soil & Water Conservation District v. U.S. ex. rel. Wilson<\/i>, a very different case – but a case that raises similar issues addressed in our fraud case – issues involving the False Claims Act.  <\/span>We’ve just filed an amicus brief <\/a>with the Supreme Court in this case. <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As I reported in my earlier post<\/a>, <\/font>the case we’re involved in is on appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In that case, Gonzalez v. Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles (PPLA),<\/i> we represent Victor Gonzalez, an ex-employee of the PPLA affiliate. He accuses the PP state affiliates of over billing to the tune of some $100 million. A federal district court threw the case out, however, on the basis of two supposed “public disclosures” of the information underlying the fraud claim. Both alleged disclosures came from state government proceedings. On appeal, we’re arguing that the state government disclosures should not bar Gonzalez’s suit.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Graham County case, now before the Supreme Court, addresses the question to what extent, if any, state and local government disclosures can bar False Claims Act lawsuits. As you know, since Supreme Court decisions bind lower courts as well, a victory for the claimant in the Graham County case could translate directly into a victory for us in the California fraud case.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Graham County case is important to the ability of citizens to blow the whistle on state and local government fraud. We’re urging the Supreme Court to read the False Claims Act in a way that is consistent with its text, structure, legislative history, and purpose of encouraging private citizens to root out frauds against the federal taxpayer.  <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font>That’s exactly the kind of citizen involvement that took place in our fraud case when Gonzalez blew the whistle on Planned Parenthood. <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font> <\/p>\n

To subscribe to “Lynn v. Sekulow” click <\/font>here<\/font><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I knew you were a staunch supporter of Planned Parenthood, but there’s one comment in your response that really has stunned me.  And, that’s not easy to do.  I can’t believe that you really believe that it is “morally outrageous that one of the most well-respected sources of information on sexuality and pregnancy prevention is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,276],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-courts","category-planned-parenthood"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Push Planned Parenthood? - Lynn v. Sekulow<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/11\/why-push-planned-parenthood.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Push Planned Parenthood? - Lynn v. Sekulow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I knew you were a staunch supporter of Planned Parenthood, but there’s one comment in your response that really has stunned me.  And, that’s not easy to do.  I can’t believe that you really believe that it is “morally outrageous that one of the most well-respected sources of information on sexuality and pregnancy prevention is…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/11\/why-push-planned-parenthood.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lynn v. Sekulow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2009-11-06T10:50:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jay Sekulow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Push Planned Parenthood? - Lynn v. Sekulow","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/11\/why-push-planned-parenthood.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why Push Planned Parenthood? - Lynn v. Sekulow","og_description":"I knew you were a staunch supporter of Planned Parenthood, but there’s one comment in your response that really has stunned me.  And, that’s not easy to do.  I can’t believe that you really believe that it is “morally outrageous that one of the most well-respected sources of information on sexuality and pregnancy prevention is…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/11\/why-push-planned-parenthood.html","og_site_name":"Lynn v. Sekulow","article_published_time":"2009-11-06T10:50:37+00:00","author":"Jay Sekulow","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/11\/why-push-planned-parenthood.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/11\/why-push-planned-parenthood.html","name":"Why Push Planned Parenthood? - Lynn v. Sekulow","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/#website"},"datePublished":"2009-11-06T10:50:37+00:00","dateModified":"2009-11-06T10:50:37+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/#\/schema\/person\/d09bc4c4bba2ac87034ee529f100fbaf"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/11\/why-push-planned-parenthood.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/11\/why-push-planned-parenthood.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/2009\/11\/why-push-planned-parenthood.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why Push Planned Parenthood?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/","name":"Lynn v. Sekulow","description":"A debate blog about church, state, faith and politics with Jay Sekulow and Barry W. Lynn","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/#\/schema\/person\/d09bc4c4bba2ac87034ee529f100fbaf","name":"Jay Sekulow","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/574\/574bc7f1605fea9a78a1b3bac65ceb15x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/574\/574bc7f1605fea9a78a1b3bac65ceb15x96.jpg","caption":"Jay Sekulow"},"description":"Jay Alan Sekulow is Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a law firm and educational organization that focuses on constitutional law.  He is also Chief Counsel of the European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Jay Sekulow has also served as a faculty member for the Office of Legal Education at the United States Department of Justice.  As a member of the faculty he instructed Assistant United States Attorneys and investigators in the First Amendment issues associated with prosecution of obscenity. An accomplished and respected judicial advocate, Sekulow has presented oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in numerous cases in defense of constitutional freedoms. Several landmark cases argued by Sekulow before the U.S. Supreme Court have become part of the legal landscape in the area of religious liberty litigation.  In the Mergens case, Sekulow cleared the way for public school students to form Bible clubs and religious organizations on their school campuses.  In the Lamb's Chapel case, Sekulow defended the free speech rights of religious groups, ensuring that they be treated equally with respect to the use of public facilities.  And, most recently, in McConnell v. FEC, Sekulow ensured that the constitutional rights of young people remain protected with a unanimous decision by the high court guaranteeing that minors can participate in political campaigns. A nationally recognized and respected defender of religious freedom, Sekulow has assembled one of the most prestigious law firms in the nation.  Founded in 1990, the American Center for Law and Justice focuses in constitutional law.  The ACLJ, under Sekulow's direction, is involved in public interest and public policy issues working to protect religious and constitutional liberties. In 2007, the Chicago Tribune concluded that the ACLJ has \"led the way\" in Christian legal advocacy.  In 2005, TIME Magazine named Sekulow one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America and called the ACLJ \"a powerful counterweight\" to the ACLU.  Business Week said the ACLJ is \"the leading advocacy group for religious freedom.\"  Sekulow's work on the issue of judicial nominees - including possible vacancies at the Supreme Court - has received extensive news coverage including a front page story in The Wall Street Journal.  In addition, The National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \"100 Most Influential Lawyers\" in the United States (1994, 1997).  He is also among a distinguished group of attorneys known as \"The Public Sector 45\" named by The American Lawyer (January\/February 1997).  The magazine said the designation represents \"45 young lawyers outside the private sector whose vision and commitment are changing lives.\" Sekulow brings insight and education to listeners daily with his national call-in radio program, Jay Sekulow Live!, which is broadcast throughout the country on nearly 850 radio stations.  Sekulow also hosts a weekly television program, ACLJ This Week, which tackles the tough issues of the day and is broadcast on a number of networks nationwide including the Trinity Broadcasting Network and FamilyNet.  Sekulow is also a popular guest on nationally televised news programs on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, CNBC, and PBS.  He frequently contributes articles and commentary to national publications and is often quoted in the nation's leading newspapers including USA Today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Washington Times. A graduate of Mercer University, Sekulow graduated cum laude receiving both a bachelor's degree and doctor of jurisprudence from Mercer University where he served on the Mercer Law Review as an editorial staff member.  Following graduation, Sekulow served as a tax trial attorney in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service.  In that capacity, Sekulow prepared and brought to trial tax cases on behalf of the United States Department of Treasury in United States Tax Court. He also received a Ph.D. from Regent University, with a dissertation on American Legal History, and is the author of numerous publications and law articles. Sekulow serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, DC.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/author\/jsekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/163"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lynnvsekulow\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}