A crowd gathers at Tyson Park to celebrate and give thanks to God for closing one of Knoxville’s abortion facilities. One down, two to go!

On Monday evening, Knoxvillians gathered at Tyson Park to offer prayers of thanks for the closing of Volunteer Women’s Medical Clinic, an abortion facility that operated on Concord Street for 38 years.  The closure (reported here) was attributed to Tennessee’s new law requiring abortion doctors to have hospital privileges.

One down, two to go!  The Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health continues to perform mechanical abortions on Clinch Avenue and Planned Parenthood continues to perform chemical abortions on Cherry Street.

A group of young women learn the two facts that are most important to abortion attitudes. They are (1) the humanity of the preborn child and (2) the inhumanity of abortion.

We returned to Market Square in Knoxville earlier this week for another edition of Urban GAP.  It was hot hot, with a temperature in the 90s and a wind-chill of nearly 100 degrees.

Media coverage.  All day long, passersby studied the abortion photos intently.  WBIR-TV ran a story on TV.  The video version is not available online, but you can read the text version here.  There were a number of comments, and you can see that I have responded to many of them.

Monument to Motherhood.  My favorite part of Urban GAP at Market Square is to go over to the monument to leaders of the woman’s suffrage movement in Tennessee (story here).  I figure that the ACLU will have it removed the first chance they get, but for now, we get to enjoy Knoxville’s very own City-owned, pro-life, pro-family, pro-God monument.  On it, you can read the words of suffragette Lizzie Crozier French (1851-1926):

Thanks be to God that in giving Woman the crown of motherhood He made her the giver not the taker of life.  Woman has no greater claim to the rights of the ballot than that she is the producer not a destroyer of life.

Is that awesome or what?  My interest in motherhood is not just professional, but  personal as well.  I’m not a mother myself, but I have one and so does my son.  I’ve watched them both work and they’re pretty good.

Framing Choice. As Planned Parenthood presents what choice means to born people, we display what choice means to the victim. Other signs are visible to the Market Square crowd in the background.

What a difference a year makes. In February 2011, Alaynna McCormick was at the center of controversy in Knoxville. She and her mother blew the whistle on Knox County Schools for allowing Planned Parenthood (PP) to market sex at Hardin Valley High School. Story here, here, here, here, and here.

Note: if you think the claim that “PP markets sex” is an unfair statement of what they do, consider the fact that students were invited to visit websites that would then encourage teenagers to have sex if, among other things, they “trust each other,” “care about each other,” and “have fun together.”  Link here.  Follow the money here.

On Friday evening, PP held their annual “Framing Choice” photo exhibit at Market Square in Knoxville. This year’s theme was “What Choice Means to Me.” So Alaynna and a few of her family and friends brought their own photographs … a set of CBR “Choice” signs.

We put 8 such signs on display in between the stage, where the PP event was taking place, and the rest of Market Square, where the usual Friday night crowd was having dinner and milling around the Square. In keeping with the theme of the event, we added titles like, “What did choice mean to this child?” and “Did this child have a choice?”

We got a lot of good interaction with passersby. We saw several parents use the signs as a teaching moment, to explain abortion to their young children. We’ve never seen a young child who is pro-abortion.  None of these children were tramatized by the pictures.

We were approached by some who objected to our presence, giving the teenagers opportunities to practice the apologetics we taught them the night before. We gave them an abbreviated version of our Pro Life Training Academy (PLTA).  All of the teenagers who attended the PLTA have asked to help with future GAPs.

Planning elements of a successful event at Market Square:

1. Use graphic images to give meaning to the word abortion.
2. Give prior notification of our plans to the Police Department.
3. Occupy public spaces only; do not trespass on PP’s reservation.
4. Set up security camcorder; assign security captain.

The Pro Life Training Academy (PLTA) has prepared these teenagers to answer pro-abortion objections.

Breaking news:  Planned Parenthood has been expelled from Knox County Schools.  At least for now.  News coverage:

• Knoxville News Sentinel
• WBIR-TV
• WATE-TV
• WVLT-TV

I believe this should be considered a victory, but not a final one.  The struggle against evil is a timeless one.

Earlier this week, Live Action released a stunning video of a Planned Parenthood nurse in New Jersey giving aid and assistance to a man posing as a pimp for an underage prostitution ring.  Today, LifeSite News reports that Live Action has now released a second video that shows a similar action by a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Virginia.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iMScbJJS2g

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Learn more at this webcast at 8:30 pm, tonight, Thursday, February 3.  Speakers include Lila Rose, Dr. Alveda King, Tony Perkins (Family Research Council), Abby Johnson, and others.  The webcast may be seen at www.exposeplannedparenthood.com.  Expect even more to be revealed.

Keep abortion merchants away from Knox County students!  If you want to keep Planned Parenthood out of Knox County schools, we need your help today!  Please make the biggest donation you can.  Planned Parenthood has lots of money.  You have money, too, and now is a good time to put it to work!  Even $10 or $20 can help.  A monthly gift of $10 or $20 would be huge!

Pro-lifers lawfully demonstrating on public sidewalks and in the air.

I attended the parent’s meeting at Sacred Heart last Thursday.  A lot of good information was presented.  The best speaker was Alaynna McCormick, the Hardin Valley Academy student who sparked the controversy by telling her mother what Planned Parenthood was teaching at her school.

So far, the school officials are mum.  If they are getting the message, they aren’t letting on.  They don’t seem to understand that their one-page curriculum is almost irrelevant.  What matters is who is teaching and what they are saying.  And in the age of the internet, what websites are associated with the speaker.  It’s not just about what is said in class; inviting PP and the abortion industry into any school is an endorsement.  I don’t care what the anti-smoking curriculum says, I still wouldn’t get Phillip Morris to present it.

Despite the good work done by all who presented, there are two key points that are not coming through, as yet.  The parents are going to have to make policy makers and citizens alike more aware of two key points.

First, the PP websites contain much more debauchery than was exposed by any of the speakers on Thursday night.  It’s just like trying to explain abortion.  If you sanitize it, people don’t get it.  To effectively rid the schools of PP, they need to be exposed.  And they have published plenty of stuff that would make a sailor turn red.  We just need to buck up and read this filth into the public record, no matter how dirty it makes us feel.  Speakers need to blow up and hold up the pictures that are on PP websites and in their books.  Otherwise, we look like a bunch of prudes.  And it’s not just the description of the acts; it’s the encouragement of our teens to “experiment” and do whatever they feel like doing at the time.

Second, we need to expose the profit angle.  In a previous post, FAB documented the amount of money that PP stands to make off marketing sex to our children.  It is an outrageous conflict of interest, and it needs to be exposed.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPe0gXj-s3c

Overall, the report glosses over the PP websites and other material directed at teens.  Not addressed at all are the encouragments for teens to engage in behavior that is depraved and/or dangerous.  We have to do a better job of forcing people to understand the depravity of PP materials.  For example, see the “I didn’t spew” video on the TakeCareDownThere.org website, which is a PP website directed at teens.  Following is a synopsis.  The video itself is so vile, it would surely be rejected by YouTube, so I just performed a few screen captures.

Lisa Morris of ProCET

Below is a statement from Lisa Morris of the Pro Life Coalition of East Tennessee (ProCET).  Note meeting on January 27.

Planned Parenthood has been given access to Knox County students, and at least one presentation has been done without parental knowledge or consent.  Beyond the fact that Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest abortion provider, their “wellness education” includes elements that many parents would consider unacceptable, if not pornographic. We have attached a flyer with excerpts from their Teen Wire website as well as a link to video selections from their “Take Care Down There” website.  [FAB note: If you want to see the depravity of PP materials, go to www.TakeCareDownThere.org and watch the “I didn’t spew” video.]

We are asking for every concerned leader and parent to take a clear and immediate stand against this effort to corrupt our students and degrade the gift of human sexuality with their unacceptable materials.

Please attend an informational meeting:

January 27, 2011
6:30- 8:00PM
The Chancery Office
805 Northshore Drive, SW
Knoxville, TN 37919

We will present additional information on Planned Parenthood’s agenda and history along with our strategy for action to remove Planned Parenthood and any of their endorsed materials from our schools. Our unity in this effort will be critical for success, so please share this information with other concerned friends and family and invite them to join you for this important meeting.

In addition please call or write Governor-Elect Haslam, 615.254.4799, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. McIntyre, 865-594-1620, and Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, 865-215-2005, to express your outrage.

Here are some additional points you may want to include:

• Planned Parenthood has already presented their materials to students at Hardin Valley Academy without parental knowledge or consent.
• Planned Parenthood is the world’s biggest abortion provider; their graphic websites target teens with obscene material that encourages risky sexual behavior and they are under investigation in a number of states for violations of state laws regarding mandatory reporting laws for sexual abuse of minors.
• Please remove Planned Parenthood from the list of approved guest speakers in our schools.

For any questions or to request digital copies of this material, contact Lisa Morris, 865-567-1245.

Please feel free to copy and distribute this information.

Note:  Keep up with the latest on the No Planned Parenthood-Knox County Schools Facebook page.

Want to see the next President?   Get your tickets today!   A new poll from CNN/Opinion Research Corp. shows Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee leading the field of potential Republican presidential candidates for 2012.

Gov. Huckabee will be at the Knoxville Convention Center to speak for CBR / Pro Life on Campus on Monday, February 14.  Group discounts available.

Please plan to attend.  The purpose of this event is to raise money to save babies, so get a table and invite your Christian friends  to sit with you.  It will be a fun evening, and you’ll be glad you came.  I promise.

Details at www.KnoxvilleHuckabeeDinner.com.

Would you like to meet the next President in person?  Want to bring your best customers?  Sponsors are invited to attend a special reception with Gov. Huckabee.  Call 1-800-521-6692 for more information.  Time is running out.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KPqwjGfKQk

I promised a big announcement this week, and here it is!

CBR Southeast / Pro Life on Campus is pleased to host Gov. Mike Huckabee for a spirit-filled evening of dinner and entertainment at the Knoxville Convention Center on February 14, 2011.  Gov. Huckabee was one of the top contenders for the 2008 Republican Presidential nomination and is a possible 2012 candidate.

Also appearing will be Christian comedian Mike Williams, who has made millions of people laugh and will make you laugh, too!  Don’t wait to laugh; start now:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdE70-Os38o

Early-Bird Special.  Single tickets, $75.  Discounts for pairs and groups of 4.  Tables of 10 are $50 per person.  Get a table for your Church group, your Republican group, your pro-life group, or your friends and family.  What great Christmas presents! Reserve now, because tickets will go fast!

Get a table!  If you live anywhere near Knoxville, this is a great opportunity to introduce your friends to the great pro-life work that God is doing on campus.  Please invest $500 in babies and moms today, and the future of our Nation.  Get a table and bring your pro-life friends and family.

Meet Gov. Huckabee and Mr. Williams in person.  Sponsorships are available.  In addition to meeting Gov. Huckabee and Mr. Williams in person, sponsors will receive special recognition in event publicity and program materials.  Please call 1-800-521-6692 or e-mail jeff5120@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing you there!

40 Days for Life at Cherry Street Abortion Clinic

Been wanting to do something about abortion in Knoxville?  Believe in the power of prayer?  Got an hour?  If so, then I’ve got a deal for you!  Pro-lifers from all over Knoxville are praying at the new Planned Parenthood abortion clinic every Friday, and they want you to come and stand with them.  The new clinic is on Cherry Street, just a few blocks south of I-40.  It’s easy to help:

1. Click here.
2. Sign in with your name and phone number.  It’s easy.
3. Pick an hour and sign up.
4. Show up.  Parking is available just across the street at Trinity Tabernacle Church of God, 2615 Washington Avenue.

 I’ve heard it said that 80% of life is just showing up.  If you’ve never been a part of pro-life activism, this is an easy way to get started!  Here’s the link: www.40daysknoxville.com/vigil/

Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 21. Former US Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, will speak at the Tennessee Right to Life banquet at the Knoxville Convention Center.  There will be a special reception at 5:00 pm with the dinner starting at 6:30 pm.  Tickets are available for both events.

Santorum was a pro-life champion in the Senate.  In addition to his position as Senior Fellow at The Ethics and Public Policy Center, he is also a columnist, radio host, and Fox News contributor.  He is considering a run at President.  A father of 7 children, he authored the 2005 best seller It Takes a Family.

For more information, contact Tennessee Right to Life, Knox County Chapter at trlknox@knology.net or 865.689.1339.

What do you think about Mr. Santorum’s chances to be elected President?  Do you think he should run?  Please comment below!

Neighborhood residents sign the Declaration and volunteer for the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil.

People who attended the ProCET Rally for Life in East Knoxville were asked to sign the City of Life Declaration that is being circulated by Matthew Parsons.  Parsons said that “the Declaration has been designed to bring people together for the common goal of making Knoxville a city where not only life, but abundant life can be achieved regardless of one’s race, class, or even one’s status as born or unborn.”  The text of the Declaration is as follows:

We, the citizens and leaders of the Knoxville community, stand together in unity to oppose the presence of Planned Parenthood and the other abortion providers in our city.  We commit to defend and promote a city of life.  Today, we say to abortion providers, “Not in this Community … Not in any Community.”

Steve Arnold of ProCET

Here is a copy of Steve Arnold’s remarks at the ProCET rally in East Knoxville on February 20. Steve did a great job of documenting the way that Planned Parenthood does business. He described the secrecy that surrounded PP’s purchase of property on Cherry Street, the deception that is an integral part of PP’s “education” programs, and the documented cases of PP’s failures to report evidence of sexual abuse of minor children.

Steve’s conclusion:

Planned Parenthood is an organization built on secrecy, deception and outright lies. All through its history, and all across the country, Planned Parenthood has consistently demonstrated that truth does not matter, parent’s rights are not legitimate, and child predators are to be protected.