While so many of us may have enjoyed the lazy days of summer, it has been anything but an idle time for Planned Parenthood here in South Carolina. The group is fast expanding their footprint across the state with a brand new office opening in Charleston later this year.

Planned Parenthood Health Systems, Inc., now a four-state (SC, NC, VA & WV) powerhouse for “reproductive health services”, is forging new inroads in the low country and could soon be pulling some much stronger weight in Palmetto State politics.

These lines from their 2007 annual report make it clear…

In 2007, we recruited thousands of new advocates. We mobilized hundreds of volunteer lobbyists to meet with their state legislators and members of Congress. We encouraged dozens of supporters to submit letters to the editor and conduct voter registration drives. We need to do more.

In fact, the group is currently looking to hire a new fund raiser to “direct a development program in Coastal South Carolina and possibly state-wide”.

What does this means for conservatives? Unless we band together and strengthen our social and moral stance on issues, our once-strong voice will soon become overwhelmed by a vocal minority that is bound and determined to drive a new agenda into our communities. Just last year, they claim to have defeated 17 pro-life measures before our legislature and fought against the ultrasound bill that required women contemplating an abortion to view an ultrasound of their fetus before the procedure.

While they’re widely known and associated in conservative circles with abortion procedures, 65% of Planned Parenthood’s medical efforts are directed toward pregnancy testing, condom and contraception distribution, STD/STI testing, and an expanding research component that includes some level of new contraceptive medical testing.

Based on past history in other states, expect Planned Parenthood to push for changes in SC’s Comprehensive Health Education Act which outlines sex education guidelines for our schools. Currently, that law

• promotes abstaining from sex outside marriage
• addresses dealing with peer pressure
• limits explanations of contraception methods to the context of future family planning

We should expect that they’ll working with local school boards’ sex education committees to thwart these stated guidelines in every way possible. To see how Planned Parenthood is promoting their education agenda in other states, just take a look at www.TakeCareDownThere.org. [WARNING: Content on this site is graphic in nature.]

We’ll be working to keep you informed on these and other topics as this blog expands. If you have ideas or comments, please direct them to SCConservative@sc.rr.com.