Letters to | the Editor

My husband and I live on a farm outside of Shenandoah that is within the Shenandoah School District and I volunteer at a Pregnancy Center to help provide the basic needs of mothers and fathers (who often have unplanned pregnancies), as well as contribute my time to help with local parochial, social justice, and religious arts organizations.

Although the media coverage has been limited regarding the response of local residents to the multi-million-dollar grant awarded to Planned Parenthood (PP) of the Heartland, now offered under the umbrella of “TPPI,” to reduce teen pregnancy in Page and other counties, I feel that all groups and communities can benefit from helpful input from those who stand strong in their beliefs and are not afraid to show their faces or give a voice.

At the last TPPI Community Advisory Meeting, well over 100 concerned citizens were told that in order for PP to receive the grant, five local organizations wrote letters in support of PP coming into our communities. However, the PP spokesperson only identified Page County Public Health and the Department of Health and Human Services, both government entities, as supporters.

Last Saturday, June 4, 2016, I attended the Shenandoah Rally & March for Life held in front of Shenandoah City Hall.  Several community and political leaders spoke, including Mayor Dick Hunt, Sen. Mark Costello, Pastors Don Buttry and Chuck Aruta, retired AEA Educator Carma McLaren and keynote speaker, former Planned Parenthood clinic manager, Sue Thayer. This gathering brought hearts and minds together, with the theme of supporting local care and education for our children versus the big government-backed business of PP that has its bottom line as its main interest. We have a caring community that needs to come together to fight for freedom, preserve our children’s innocence and self-respect, and teach them the truth about God’s gift of sex in alignment with Christian values. I was very proud of their clear and forthright message to our community that it is OUR responsibility to contribute to and improve on the care and education of our most precious resource: our youth.

I invite all concerned to come out of the shadows and work with us as one united force. Together we can give a healthy future for our children! Let’s take our concern for the youth out of the pockets of PP, an organization that will not even disclose its local supporters in a public meeting, and put it back into local control where it belongs - governed by leaders who stand boldly in the daylight and offer respect for life, marriage and family. Our youth deserve the BEST!

Anne McDonald

Imogene