Abortion Clinic Follow up

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I was going to contact Planned Parenthood to talk to them about donations.  Those of you who are new around here might not know I used to work at a Planned Parenthood affiliate, so I am familiar with the basic structure of the organization.

First, I called the Planned Parenthood Federation of America which is the umbrella national organization that certifies all local PP affiliates.   It is amazing how quickly mentioning that I have a blog got me talking to someone in the media relations department.  Anyway, PPFA told me that any new clinic decisions would be made at the local level so they directed me to contact the local Planned Parenthood affiliate in South Dakota.

When I called Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota,   I tried to get ahold of the Media Relations person, but got her voicemail.  She is probably a little busy today, heh.

Then I called the development department.  In case you are curious, the development department is where all donations go.  There, if they are designated for a specific issue or project, they are marked so the proper accounting can take place.   

The person I talked to stated that PPMNDSD was not contacted prior to President Fire Thunder’s statement and has no plans to open a PPMNDSD clinic on the reservation at this time.   They also do not currently have a fund set up to handle such donations.   To be a PP clinic, any new clinic would either have to be built by PPMNDSD and/or be approved by PPFA. 

Of course, the clinic President Fire Thunder is talking about may not necessarily be a PP clinic.  She could open a stand alone abortion clinic that isn’t at all affiliated with PP.

BUT, to my knowledge, at this time there is no 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization accounting for those funds.  As someone who is familiar with the massive amount of money that is required to build and operate a clinic, it takes a LOT more than a one-time flood of donations.  Without 501(c)(3) status, there is no way of knowing how the funds being sent will be accounted for or used. 

Also, I am not sure what the tax deductabilty status of such donations would be if it is just going to a tribal body, not a nonprofit.  Not that this is the biggest concern for me and my donation, but I just thought I should mention it because without tax deductions the really rich people who fund 90% of most nonprofits probably won’t donate.  Without the big donors OR federal and state funding, it is EXTREMELY difficult for such a clinic to be built and stay open.

I guess what I am saying is that since last night, my initial burst of enthusiasm for this idea has been tempered by the reality of the task.  Opening abortion clinics on tribal land is a great idea, but it isn’t something that can be done overnight.  It is something that needs legal research and a lot of funding. 

I am going to send my donation to PPMNDSD until I see more information about the plans (if there are any).  I am still going to hold on to that glimmer of hope though.  We don’t have to go down without a fight.

You can CLICK HERE if you want to make a donation to PPMNDSD to help them fight the ban in the courts.

You can also click HERE if you would prefer to donate to Planned Parenthood’s political action PAC.  They are the ones who do lobbying and voter education campaigns nationally.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Edited to add:

A press release is now on the PPMNDSD website:

Planned Parenthood Expresses Gratitude To OGLALA SIOUX – Has No Plans To Move Clinic TO Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

Sioux Falls, SD — Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota President and CEO Sarah Stoesz expressed gratitude today to Cecilia Fire Thunder, President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, for offering to establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on her land, but said that there are no immediate plans for opening another clinic on the South Dakota Oglala Sioux Pine Ridge Indian reservation.

In a statement to the press earlier this week, Cecilia Fire Thunder, President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe was quoted as saying she would "personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land…” in protest of Governor Round’s signing of a sweeping abortion ban in the state of South Dakota.  Many residents of South Dakota have expressed outrage at lawmakers’ attempts to criminalize abortion.

"While we sincerely appreciate President Fire Thunder’s genuine support for Planned Parenthood and for women everywhere in South Dakota, we have no intentions of closing our existing clinic in Sioux Falls, nor do we plan to open another clinic at this time.  Our doors at the Sioux Falls clinic will stay open, and we will use every resource necessary to ensure continued access to birth control and other essential healthcare services including abortion care.  We will fight the abortion ban at every level.  All the women of South Dakota can rest-assured that our doors will say open in both Rapid City and Sioux Falls," Stoesz said.