Planned Parenthood Clinic Offers 'Black Friday' Discount for Birth Control, Abortions
The traditional first-day of Christmas shopping known as "Black Friday" has taken on an entirely different meaning for a South Florida Planned Parenthood clinic that offered special pricing on birth control and emergency contraception to women if they visited the clinic between certain hours.
In what appears to be an email offer to a supporter, the message read: "Dear Anne, We are truly thankful for all our patients and supporters, so this Thanksgiving we are offering a day after Thanksgiving special! Visit the Kendall or West Palm Beach health center for this one-day deal."
The Coupon by Planned Parenthood of South Florida offered $10.00 off for a visit on Friday, November 23, between the hours of 10 am and 2 pm. The coupon was also good for $5.00 off of an "emergency contraception."
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Pro-life blogger Jill Stanek had posted it on her website Friday after the ad was forwarded to her by a friend. The ad on Stanek site can be seen here.
"You may think I'm setting you up for a spoof, but no," wrote Stanek. "Planned Parenthood brings new meaning to the term, 'Black Friday,' doesn't it."
"When you step back and look at the ad objectively, there is no legitimate clinic that offers ads like this for women's healthcare," Stanek, who is an evangelical Christian, told The Christian Post. "I mean we're not talking about Lasik [eye] surgery here. This is about killing babies. I think the ad is simply insidious."
This isn't the first time an abortion clinic has offered a discount for their services. According to LifeNews, the Orlando Women's Center has offered discounts on Sunday since last November.
However, according to advocates of Planned Parenthood, the discounts were not for abortions, but for birth control pills. Stanek disagrees and says the $10 off part reads as if it could be used for an abortion procedure.
The Christian Post attempted to contact Planned Parenthood's national offices to confirm exactly what services the coupon covered, but received no response prior to publication.
"Pills Now, Pay Late," read the ads headline. "Free yourself from month-to-month worries about getting to the clinic for your birth control. Tired of spending time and gas money picking up your pills every month? Having trouble fitting birth control pick up into your schedule? Want to secure the price of your birth control in a tough economy? Wish you had enough pills to last you through the holidays, school breaks, or vacations? If you answered YES to any of these questions – Pills Now, Pay Later is for you!"
Michelle Smith, East Texas Area Director for Concerned Women for America, thought the true intent may have been the "shock value" it produced.
"Obviously the coupons are encouraging a lifestyle," Smith told CP. "It gives me a dark feeling in the pit of my stomach that our society is offering discounts to kill our children. I also think the strategy behind the coupon is to solicit a shock factor in people. And it worked. I was shocked when I read the ad."
The South Florida clinic that ran the ad hosted a rally for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), an outspoken abortion supporter, last year.
