Claudia Stravato
By Dave Andrusko
Last week we ended with a story that drew a lot of response: “Heads of Two Texas Affiliates Explain Why They Left Planned Parenthood over New Abortion Mandate.”
Based on a story that appeared in the Houston Chronicle, it is an incredibly revealing look at the pressure the national office of PPFA is putting on local affiliates in its determined campaign to expand its abortion empire.
The two featured players are Claudia Stravato and Amanda Stukenberg. They are anything but pro-lifers; their scorn for us is unmistakable. But they have no love for national PPFA, out of which they pulled their clinics.
In one way they remind you of Abby Johnson, who fled a Texas abortion clinic to become a pro-life stalwart. All were attracted by Planned Parenthood’s non-abortion services. All were turned off by the relentless campaign to increase the number of abortions and the number of clinics providing abortions. (Stravato’s and Stukenberg’s clinics didn’t.)
“The women say recent reforms within the organization have fed the stereotype of Planned Parenthood as a pseudo nonprofit run by New York suits chiefly concerned with dominating the abortion industry,” according to the Chronicle’s Lisa Falkenberg.
Stravato and Stukenberg see that by defining itself as the champion for abortion rights, Planned Parenthood “is giving up its leadership in the area of prevention.” Stukenberg says that there is “great sadness” in the “brand of Planned Parenthood [coming to be] used as synonymous with abortion services” in “state after state.”
Both pulled their affiliates out and left the Planned Parenthood Federation of America when the national organization began to pressure them to add abortion to their affiliate services. Stravato and her affiliate pulled out in 2008, reforming themselves as a new group called “The Haven.”
Stukenberg pulled her group out in December of 2010, shortly after it became known that Planned Parenthood was going to require every affiliate to have at least one abortion performing clinic by 2013.
According to the Chronicle, Stravato and Stukenberg “believe the organization has deviated from its mission, and allowed itself to become mired in a culture war over abortion” that jeopardizes the rest of its services.
PPFA affiliate representatives approved the new abortion mandate early in 2010. According to the Chronicle, “Lisa David, PPFA senior vice president for health services, said the change was driven by feedback from clients wanting consistency among clinics.”
David estimated that there were only about nine affiliates currently holding out against the abortion mandate. “This is a small number of affiliates that are left, that don’t provide abortion services, and the majority of them really want to,” he told Falkenberg.
The last three paragraphs of the story perfectly illustrate the mindset of corporate PPFA and why at least some affiliates are saying “No!” in thunder
“Peter Durkin, CEO of Houston’s Planned Parenthood affiliate, strongly supports requiring abortion services, which he calls a vital part of the “continuum of care” and “a moral imperative.”
“’We have to have the courage of our convictions,’ Durkin said. ‘Particularly in red states, we have to say, ‘I’m proud of this service.’ ”
“Stravato and Stukenberg say they don’t regret their decision to leave. They regret the divisive, dangerous road they believe Planned Parenthood has taken, and the harmful impact it’s had on women’s health care.”
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