Jeff Johnson, CNSNews.com
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002

The Rev. Mark Bigelow is pastor of the Congregational Church of Huntington in Centerport, N.Y., an affiliate of the United Church of Christ. He also serves as a member of the Clergy Advisory Board for Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

In a Nov. 22 letter to Bill O'Reilly, host of "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News Network, Bigelow wrote the following:

"In your show you said that Jesus was not pro-choice and you were sure he would be insulted were he to see this card," referring to Planned Parenthood's "Choice on Earth" holiday greeting card.

"Even as a minister I am careful what I presume Jesus would do if he were alive today, but one thing I know from the Bible is that Jesus was not against women having a choice in continuing a pregnancy," he continued.

"Jesus was for peace on earth, justice on earth, compassion on earth, mercy on earth, and choice on earth," Bigelow added.

Ed Szymkowiak, national director of STOPP International (a project of American Life League), characterized Bigelow's comments as blasphemous.

"Once again, Planned Parenthood is displaying its true colors for all to see, publishing outright blasphemy just weeks before the Christian world celebrates the birth of Christ the Savior," Szymkowiak said. "Planned Parenthood has publicly indicated its religion is 'choice,' and its sacrament is abortion."

STOPP also criticized Planned Parenthood for a second letter to O'Reilly containing a reference to "the sacredness of choice."

"I defy either Planned Parenthood President Gloria Feldt or her clergy advisory board member, Rev. Mark Bigelow, to cite chapter and verse to support Rev. Bigelow's perverse claim that the Bible indicates 'that Jesus was not against women having a choice in continuing a pregnancy,'" said Szymkowiak, calling the remarks "blatant attacks on Jesus."

Wendy Wright - senior policy director for Concerned Women for America (CWA), the nation's largest public policy women's group - also criticized the "Choice on Earth" campaign, saying Planned Parenthood "has chosen to profit from a day sacred to Christians by offending them.

"The group twists a well-known Scripture in which God offers peace on earth, not abortion, through the birth of His Son Jesus Christ," Wright said Tuesday in a statement.

"Planned Parenthood officials are too hardened by their mission of profiting from abortion to see that Christmas itself flies in the face of all they stand for. Christmas is about the gift of life, eternal life in Christ," she explained. "Abortion destroys life."

The scripture referenced, Luke 2:14, describes a celebration over the birth of Jesus saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Feldt rebuffed criticisms in her letter to O'Reilly, claiming that her group is made up of "thousands of staff and millions of volunteers and supporters of all religious beliefs."

"We've sent our 'Choice on Earth' holiday card to supporters for almost a decade. It is a popular sentiment that expresses some of the highest values of our democratic society," she wrote. "And as a result of your show our supplies are sold out and we're going to reprint."

In light of the letters and the greeting card campaign, Wright questioned the taxpayer dollars Planned Parenthood receives.

"The group's offensive profiteering and religious intolerance raises questions about its public funding," she said. "Planned Parenthood's marketing of its contempt for religion reveals it does not need nor deserve taxpayers footing its bills. Congress needs to take a good hard look at public funding for Planned Parenthood's religious intolerance."

Szymkowiak agreed, admitting that his ultimate goal would be to see all 842 Planned Parenthood abortion facilities closed.

"In order to accomplish this task, we must also insist that local, state and federal governments quit using our tax dollars to fund this anti-Christian organization," he said.

While the exact amount of taxpayer money Planned Parenthood receives is difficult to determine, $427.7 million annually is dedicated to "teen pregnancy prevention" sex education and contraceptive distribution programs according to a report prepared by the Republican Study Committee.

By comparison, only $102 million is spent on abstinence until marriage education programs.

As CNSNews.com previously reported at least one Planned Parenthood affiliate has used taxpayer funding to pay "teen outreach workers" to solicit their classmates as new customers for one of its abortion and contraceptive distribution facilities.

Copyright CNSNews.com

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