Is Planned Parenthood Violating its Tax-Exempt Status?
“Help Keep Politics Out of the Exam Room!”
–Planned Parenthood Website
Since I have relentlessly railed against theocratic church leaders abusing their tax-exempt status by endorsing, overtly or otherwise, specific political candidates, I feel compelled to engage in a little equal-opportunity indignation:
Clever — but is it legal?
The Planned Parenthood Action Fund had stationed volunteers outside, handing out “Protect Yourself From John McCain” condoms. The group has over 700 pounds of pink-papered condoms to give out over the convention week, and Kinsey Hasstedt, 25, an employee of the political arm of the abortion rights group, said that so far, they had been “exceedingly well-received.”
The answer is of course that it is perfectly legal:
Contributions to the Action Fund are not tax-deductible as a charitable contribution or business expense because they fund hard-hitting electoral and lobbying work. Your donation may be used for political purposes such as supporting or opposing candidates.
Contributions to the “real” Planned Parenthood, meanwhile, are indeed tax deductible.
Still, I doubt many people will see the McCain condom and think, “Ah yes, Planned Parenthood Action Fund.” They will merely think, “Ah yes, Planned Parenthood.” So clearly there is some incestuous free-riding between the two entities.
Legal? Apparently. Ethical? Meh.
On the other hand, wouldn’t it be refreshing if the theocrats did the same thing: set up non-deductible funds to support their bigot candidates openly and notoriously, rather than endlessly flouting, and occasionally outright breaking, the tax laws (and then having the gall to cry “church and state” after the fact)?
(Via Hunter of Justice.)
Previously:
–CRS Recommendation: Political Activity by Tax-Exempt Institutions
–Theocrat Clerics to Stage Frivolous Tax Protest Stunt
–Tax Exemption Abuse Receiving More Scrutiny
Filed under: First Amendment - Religion, First Amendment - Speech, Law, Politics, Society, Religion, Culture Wars, Taxation & Fiscal Policy
From a design standpoint, the line break and color change should be between "Yourself" and "From" not "From" and "John." "From" is associated more dominantly with the name "John McCain" than "Protect Yourself" in this context. Too many designers these days forget that design is first and for most about presenting a message, not simply making something that looks pretty at a glance.
On an unrelated note, I hope I'm never in a situation in which I need a condom to protect myself from John McCain (yuck). It's a clever idea, but if I'm using a condom, I'd prefer if John McCain (or for that matter Barrack Obama) were the furthest things from my mind
.
“Help Keep Politics Out of the Exam Room!”
It's interesting to think that most of PP's supporters (and possibly PP itself) support socialized medicine, which brings politics into every facet of medicine.
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