Sometimes it seems like all political change originates from the White House, Congress, or even the State Capitol. It is true that last year’s election results give the pro-life cause excellent opportunities to pass pro-life legislation in Washington, D.C. Pro-life champion Dennis Richardson’s election as Oregon’s new Secretary of State is an amazing statewide victory. The opportunities the November election offers exist only because pro-lifers exercised their civic duty to vote. But, we must not stop here.
Perhaps the biggest impact pro-life Oregonians can have right now is through local politics, particularly school board elections. The importance of having pro-life school board members cannot be overstated if for no other reason than that they have the power to keep Planned Parenthood out of their local schools.
Planned Parenthood is, right now, using our schools to push their pro-abortion agenda, thereby helping its bottom line. The nation’s largest abortion business is using a growing number of school-based health centers (SBHCs) statewide as a way to refer students for abortions. Youth Advisory Councils, usually trained by Planned Parenthood, are taught to market information to their peers regarding sexuality and SBHC services, including abortion. Once built, SBHCs have little accountability to parents and are operated by non-school personnel. They can easily refer students for abortions at Planned Parenthood and, because of a new Oregon law, parents’ insurance policies can now be billed without their knowledge. With Planned Parenthood’s influence and pro-abortion laws, SBHCs are a perfect way for Planned Parenthood to funnel kids into their clinics.
Furthermore, Planned Parenthood has been sending employees into Oregon schools to teach sex education. Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette claims to be the “largest provider of sex education in Oregon and Southwest Washington.” PPCW received federal grant money specifically for health education in Portland and Salem schools. A brochure published in 2014 boasts of their Teen Outreach Program (TOP), which “includes a variety of classroom lessons … in nine different Portland and Salem high schools.” Planned Parenthood partners directly with the Oregon Department of Education to create the sex education materials it uses.
Pro-lifers have an opportunity to work against Planned Parenthood’s influence in our school systems. We desperately need people like you to serve on your local school boards.
Running for school board is easier than you think. You just need to be willing to invest your time and efforts to make schools in your communities better. The next school board election is in May. The filing deadline to run is March 16.
If you are interested in running for your local school board, know someone who might be, or have any questions, please call our office at 503-463-8563 and ask for David. Together, we can figure out whether this is a good way for you to make a huge difference for life in your community.
