Emails Reveal Planned Parenthood Pressured California to Force Churches to Pay for Abortions

Breitbart-

Internal emails between Planned Parenthood and the California Health and Human Services (CHHS) agency reveal the abortion industry giant pressured the state agency to force religious groups and churches to cover elective abortions.

Three churches filed a notice of appeal Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California that includes the emails revealing conversations between Planned Parenthood and the state health agency, reported Catholic News Agency (CNA) Friday.

In the emails, lobbyists for the abortion vendor insisted that religious groups, churches, and, specifically, Catholic colleges, be forced to offer coverage for elective abortions.

In one email, dated February 3, 2014, Beth Parker, chief legal counsel for Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California (PPAC), wrote to Shelley Rouillard at the state health agency’s Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) — with a copy to, among others, Melissa Goodman at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — on the subject of “[e]xclusion of abortion from health plans”:

Shelley

We are writing to request another meeting with DMHC to discuss plans that are excluding abortion from their coverage. We received a response from Anthem that they believe their practice complies with the law. As a result, Loyola Marymount employees are currently paying additional premiums for third party coverage of abortion. Santa Clara University also has stated that it believes it can exclude elective abortions from coverage.

…

Thanks so much,

Beth

Beth H. Parker, Chief Legal Counsel

Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California

A subsequent email between Planned Parenthood lobbyist Brianna Pittman and a CHHS staffer revealed Pittman stressing the need to “follow up” and “set up a time to meet about PPAC’s priorities this year.”

“[T]he most timely is a spot bill to address the issue that DMHC has approved, and Catholic Universities have been purchasing, large group employee health plans that exclude certain types of abortions,” Pittman wrote, adding she met with “Donna Campbell at HHS yesterday to discuss this and explore whether there is a regulatory/administrative fix or if legislation is needed.”

Pittman continued that Planned Parenthood had already drafted legislation “to address the issue in case there is not a regulatory fix.”

Planned Parenthood’s Pittman then increased pressure on Campbell at the state health agency:  more here