The Nov. 2 gala, to be held at the Newseum in Washington D.C., is intended to celebrate AUL’s 40th anniversary in the presence of about 80 federal lawmakers.

Co-chairing the event with Perry are U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.); the keynote speaker has yet to be confirmed.

AUL has listed as “honorary hosts” 16 U.S. senators — all Republicans — including Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), John McCain (Ariz.), Rand Paul (Ky.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.). Among the 63 U.S. House representatives listed as “honorary hosts” are 2012 GOP presidential contenders Reps. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) and Thaddeus McCotter (Mich.). Other attending GOP representatives influential in the anti-abortion rights movement include Reps. Trent Franks (Ariz.), Mike Pence (Ind.), Joe Pitts (Pa.), Paul Ryan (Wis.), Cliff Stearns (Fla.) and Allen West (Fla.).

Reps. Renee Ellmers (N.C.), Bill Huizenga (Mich.), Randy Hultgren (Ill.) and Chris Smith (N.J.) all participated in last month’s press conference about the report AUL drafted to encourage Congress to investigate — and then defund — Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

AUL’s gala is a pricey affair: The organization is asking supporters to become sponsors — for $5,000, $10,000 or $25,000 in order to offset the costs of the event.

In a recent lengthy profile on Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, the Christian Science Monitor describes how Yoest — who is not a physician, attorney nor lawmaker, though she has a doctorate of philosophy in government — has become “Public Enemy No. 1″ for abortion-rights advocates. In November, the group will celebrate its influence on select laws, such as defending the Hyde Amendment before the U.S. Supreme Court and establishing the “intellectual groundwork” for the fetal homicide legislation that has passed in 38 states.

Despite four decades of lobbying and drafting model legislation to enact abortion restrictions throughout the country, much of the national recognition AUL has earned has come in 2011. Yoest’s group has taken credit for 22 of 86 anti-abortion laws enacted this year, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

In February, Mother Jones blamed AUL for controversial laws cropping up in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota that, if interpreted in a certain way, would have allegedly legalized the killing of abortion providers. AUL denied the accusation, claiming that however lawmakers might have adapted AUL’s model “Pregnant Woman Protection Act” was out of the organization’s control.

Ten days after the AUL gala, Yoest will set sail as a guest speaker on a National Review-sponsored cruise.

As of yet, Perry has not signed the Susan B. Anthony List’s highly-publicized anti-abortion pledge, but in other ways, Perry has already presented himself as an ardent abortion opponent and dedicated evangelical Christian. Perry’s relationship with AUL has been positive since he became governor of Texas in 2000. When AUL released its annual “Defending Life” publication of model legislation, Perry’s testimony was used to promote the publication:

This state-by-state scorecard of progress in the effort to defend life lets elected officials, grassroots activists and citizens know exactly where we are on our shared priority. I am proud that the report reflects the sweeping reforms we have enacted in Texas, saving thousands of lives in the process. This is not a book you leave on the shelf to collect dust. This information is ammunition in a fight that is far from over. I know you will find this guide informative and useful as you continue to promote and protect life in your state.

In AUL’s latest “State of the States” report card, Texas ranked fifth — making it one of the most restrictive states regarding abortion rights.

In May, Perry signed a controversial Texas bill into law requiring women seeking abortions to wait 24 hours after seeing a sonogram of their fetus. The law is facing litigation. He also signed into law a bill making “Choose Life” license plates available to Texas drivers, directing the revenue from those plates to state crisis pregnancy centers.

According to a recent analysis by NARAL Pro-Choice America about Perry’s abortion-related legislative record, “many of the laws he signed inject political interference into women’s private decision-making.”

Among the highlights of Perry’s record, NARAL noted that the governor signed a proclamation declaring April 2009 “Abortion Recovery Awareness Month” in Texas.

But what’s unclear is where the money that would have gone to these 28 Planned Parenthood of Indiana clinics will go. Even Daniels’ office is not quite sure how the defunding will work, especially with regard to Medicaid, or exactly how much money clinics will lose.

“There is about $20 million for these services in a 90-10 split with the federal government,” governor spokesperson Jane Jankowski said in an e-mail. “Should the federal government reduce funding to the normal Medicaid split of 66-34, the shortfall would be approximately $3.9 million. If the federal government provides no funding, the figure is about $17 million.”

In an initial fiscal impact statement (PDF) about the bill, advised by fiscal analyst Kathy Norris, Indiana legislators conceded they are uncertain how the new law will interact with federal regulations concerning the Medicaid program.

From the statement:

Assuming the Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning (OMPP) cannot implement the provisions of the bill (due to federal supremacy), there would be no impact on state expenditures for Medicaid and service contracts.

[...]

The bill would impact a current Planned Parenthood contract with Madison State Hospital (MSH) and Planned Parenthood grants and contracts made by FSSA for the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) and ISDH. It may also prohibit Planned Parenthood from participating as a Medicaid provider.

[...]

The Medicaid provider agreement is a contract. This bill could potentially impact Planned Parenthood’s ability to bill for Medicaid services. OMPP reports that in FY 2010, Planned Parenthood clinics in Indiana were paid $195,915 in Medicaid fee-for-service claims, and $1,167,748 in claims were paid by the managed care organizations.

As far as what will happen to the money that does not go to Planned Parenthood, Jankowski said she did not know.

But Planned Parenthood has a pretty good idea of what they could lose.

Betty Cockrum, president and CEO of PPIN, told The American Independent that the affiliate stands to lose about $3 million in federal funding. Broken down, she said that about $2 million comes from Title V, X and XX grants, from which about $150,000 goes to HIV/AIDS prevention for women and men. PPIN then receives about $1 million in Medicaid funding, which Cockrum said provides family services to about 9,300 people. Altogether, she said the cuts would impact about 22,000 Hoosiers.

But Cockrum said Planned Parenthood will file an injunction the second the governor signs the bill; they are filing actions against several provisions in the bill, including one provision that compels doctors to tell women what some believe is medically inaccurate information about abortion, such as that it directly leads to breast cancer.

“There is so much about House Bill 1210 that is horrible and frustrating,” Cockrum said. “We’re going into this [injunction] with confidence. We have an exellent team of lawyers.”

PPIN has also sparked statewide rallies to encourage the governor to veto the bill.

Daniels has defended the bill in the face of critics who say the new law will result in lost health care for women. In a statement released last week, his office reviewed access to services across Indiana and confirmed that non-abortion reproductive health services will be available in all 92 counties. The governor’s office says the law will affect seven entities in Indiana which have a total of 34 locations in 21 counties throughout the state (Cockrum said six out of those seven entities are abortion providers only, and do not receive any federal funding). And in those 21 counties, Daniels’ office said there are approximately 800 Medicaid providers eligible to provide Medicaid clients with health and family planning services.

Cockrum said that she does not believe all 800 providers offer the range of services Planned Parenthood clinics do, and has heard legislators offer a crisis pregnancy center as an example of a place where a woman could go to seek her family planning needs. But CPCs are not known for providing birth control or pap smears.

Of the 28 centers in PPIN’s network, four of them offer abortion services. Eight of the centers, located in mostly rural areas, rely entirely on federal funding and still collectively run at a $90,000 operating loss, Cockrum said. The rest of the money is made up by private funding.

“If we were to lose the entire $3 million, it would be very difficult for those eight centers,” Cockrum said. Though she is confident about PPIN’s lawsuit, she said there is a possibility some centers might have to close.

Daniels has offered a solution to Planned Parenthood’s funding dilemma: ”Any organization affected by this provision can resume receiving taxpayer dollars immediately by ceasing or separating its operations that perform abortions.”

The new law will not affect Medicaid funding for the state’s hospitals or ambulatory surgical centers.

Now that Indiana’s legislative session has adjourned, Daniels, who is finishing his final term, will soon announce whether or not he will run for president. Speculated to take his place as governor is Indiana’s own U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, who authored the failed bill to defund Planned Parenthood on a federal level. Pence was expected to announce his gubernatorial run on Monday but postponed a press conference in light of the Sunday killing of Osama bin Laden.

So far two Midwest states have taken the lead: Minnesota and Indiana.

As The Minnesota Independent previously reported, on Monday, Minnesota senators introduced Senate File 1224, which would effectively ban state family planning money from going to organizations that offer abortion services. As The Minnesota Independent notes, aside from county public health departments, most family planning funds in Minnesota are given to Planned Parenthood clinics that do not perform abortions. Thus, the added clause in the bill preventing funds from going to any clinic with “the same or a similar name” to one that provides abortion services or abortion referrals seems to target Planned Parenthood.

Also on Monday, in Indiana — home state of U.S. Rep. Mike Pence, the author of the failed congressional amendment to defund Planned Parenthood in Congress — the state Senate added several amendments to House Bill 1210. The legislation proposes a host of abortion restrictions related to fetal pain and late-term abortions. One amendment added to the bill would bar state agencies from fulfilling existing contracts and beginning new ones with entities that not only provide abortions but also those that maintain or operate a facility where abortions are performed. However, this defunding measure would not apply to state hospitals or ambulatory surgical centers.

As in Minnesota’s case, the measure does not mention Planned Parenthood by name, but according to the Indianapolis Star, the abortion provider was mentioned on the Indiana Senate floor as lawmakers debated the amendment.  The Indy Star reports that Republican Sen. Scott Schneider, who introduced the amendment, told his colleagues that other health care providers in the state offer the family planning services Planned Parenthood provides, such as cancer screenings, pap smears, birth control and tests for sexually transmitted diseases.

The Senate’s approved (36-13) adding the amendment to the legislation, but the vote did not come with unanimous Republican support: Sens. Vaneta Becker and Ron Alting voted with Democrats against the measure.

As the Indy Star reports:

Opponents of the de-funding measure said that cutting off funding to Planned Parenthood would leave thousands of low-income Hoosier women without birth control and other health services and would ultimately make abortions more frequent. One conservative Republican — Rep. Sean Eberhart, R-Shelbyville — opposed it the first time it came up for that reason.

Today Sen. Vi Simpson, D-Elletsville, asked Senators on the floor: “How many unwanted pregnancies do you think there would be if low income women could not access birth control from Planned Parenthood?”

Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, pointed out that hospitals will still be able to provide abortions and receive taxpayer money, and called the measure an effort to punish Planned Parenthood.

Before it can make its way to Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels’ desk to become law, the Senate must vote on the revised bill and then the House must approve the new version with the defunding measure.

Planned Parenthood of Indiana released a statement calling the Senate decision an “abomination.”

“It is unfortunate that anti-choice zealots are comfortable misrepresenting the truth about this funding and how it is used,” said PPIN President and CEO Betty Cockrum. “It is unfortunate that they continue to tell untruths about PPIN.”

According to PPIN, which claims to serve approximately 85,000 Indiana patients in 28 health centers annually, the proposed legislation would effectively prevent clinics that provide abortion from accessing approximately $3 million in federal family planning and Medicaid funds — which the U.S. Senate voted not to eliminate last week. Specifically eight PPIN health centers — in the northwest and the rural south — will be in jeopardy if HB 1210 becomes law. According to PPIN, even with federal funding, the eight centers that rely on federal grant funds operate at a net loss of more than $90,000, which is made up with private fundraising.

The state Planned Parenthood branch also predicts this measure would cost the Indiana government more in the long run, projecting that the state might have to pay an additional $68 million in Medicaid expenses following the notion that reduced access to contraception could lead to more unintended pregnancies.

The U.S. House Subcommittee on the Constitution is scheduled to hold a hearing Friday titled “Defending Marriage,” called by subcommittee chairman Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), who has recently called for the impeachment of President Barack Obama because of his decision to order his administration to no longer defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Neither the witness list nor the intent of the hearing has been made public. A representative of the Subcommittee on the Constitution told The American Independent to expect release of probably three witness names and written testimony by 10 a.m. Thursday morning via the committee’s website. (Update: The list is now posted on the Judiciary Committee’s website.)

People For the American Way Senior Fellow Peter Montgomery predicts Franks’ hearing will be a parade of “extremists.”

Montgomery told TAI during a phone interview that Rep. Franks is “at the far-right fringe of the far right.” Montgomery also assumed the only purpose of the Franks Defending Marriage hearing would be “To promote that far-right agenda and provide them propaganda against the administration from here until 2012.”

Franks is the founder of an official Focus on the Family affiliate called the Center for Arizona Policy (CAP). Formerly known as the Arizona Family Research Institute, the CAP was instrumental in the passage of Arizona’s Prop 102 adding an amendment to Arizona’s constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

Montgomery would not speculate on who would be called as witnesses. But according to a recent article in The Washington Blade, Maggie Gallagher, chair of the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage (NOM) said that she would appreciate the chance to speak at a hearing on DOMA. (Update: Gallagher is scheduled to appear at the hearing.) Gallagher has testified on marriage laws before the Subcommittee on the Constitution previously and recently before the New Hampshire and Maryland legislatures. The Maryland legislature unexpectedly shelved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage last month that was believed to have broad support.

Montgomery told TAI he experienced Franks’ views first hand at the Take Back America conference in St. Louis in 2009. In a speech at the event, Franks called President Obama, “An enemy of humanity.” During the conference, Franks also staked claim on his belief in the “birther” conspiracy.

“This is the kind of ranting you would expect to hear from a talk show host, not a subcommittee chair,” Montgomery said of Franks’ statements.

But the statements made at the 2009 conference are just a sample of Franks’ far right positions.

Franks, along with other representatives, claimed a Muslim civil rights group was using congressional interns to spy on Congress. Franks also aligned himself with a movement that believes abortion policy is committing genocide against African Americans going so far as to introduce legislation barring so-called “race-based” abortion — a bill that led the chairman of the Frederick Douglass Foundation to praise Franks for being “a trailblazer.”

Franks’ co-sponsor of that bill was fellow Judiciary subcommittee member, Vice-Chair Mike Pence (R-Ind.). Pence has been in the national spotlight since introducing the eponymous Pence Amendment aimed at defunding Planned Parenthood –- an issue that nearly caused a government shutdown last week.

TAI recently reported on Pence’s connection to Focus on the Family affiliate — the Indiana Family Institute — that led the successful effort to pass an anti-gay marriage amendment in the Indiana Senate last month.

A call for comment to Representative Franks’ office was not returned.

The United States government was on the verge of shutting down over a dispute involving funding for Planned Parenthood and clinics like it. Riders on the continuing resolution bill — like the one blocking funding for Planned Parenthood — led to major party-line disagreements. #

Though Title X funds are not used to perform abortion services, many Republicans (the majority of whom are male) supported the riders that would lead to drastic cuts to clinics that often operate in underserved communities. #

The shutdown was eventually averted by a funding resolution between Republicans and Democrats, but those staunchly opposed to federal funding of Planned Parenthood are still bringing attention to their cause. Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., the leader of the Republican charge to defund Planned Parenthood, even released a statement late Friday, announcing that reports that he would be willing to compromise were “erroneous.” #

In an April 11 email, a group called “Students for Life of America” said the deal was still a boon to the anti-abortion movement. “While, our goal of de-funding of Planned Parenthood was not achieved, we advanced the ball forward, pushing through the misleading rhetoric on Capitol Hill, and obtained the opportunity for an historic vote which will take place in the U.S. Senate this week,” reads the email. #

According to her online bio, Students for Life’s executive director, Kristan Hawkins, served as a political appointee in the George W. Bush Administration at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. #

In the April 11 email, titled “We are your bad conscience,” Hawkins wrote that the stopgap budget deal will “force the pro-abortion leaders in the U.S. Senate and President Obama to accept the pro-life Dornan Amendment, which prevents tax-paying funding of abortions in the District of Columbia.” #

From the email, which is also available on the Students for Life blogroll: #

This is huge! Just 2 months ago, experts were telling me that getting a vote in the Senate would be impossible, and I shouldn’t even hope for it. #

Further, think about this…Our efforts were so effective that the disagreements over Planned Parenthood funding between the pro-life House and pro-abortion Senate leadership almost caused a government shut down. #

… #

Last week may have ended without de-funding Planned Parenthood, but that decision should not break our defiance. #

We will continue to fight for women and their preborn babies until we see an end to abortion. As the members of the White Rose, the student-led Nazi opposition group, once stated, “We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience.” #

Students for Life is a member of the Expose Planned Parenthood coalition, which is comprised of of anti-choice groups whose main aim is to defund the organization. The coalition’s website contains several strong claims against Planned Parenthood, going so far as to say it has “proven itself to be the best friend and perfect partner for a sex trafficker and statutory rapist” and says that Planned Parenthood does little more than provide abortions. #

Those opposed to Title X defunding argue that Planned Parenthood provides health care services to underserved populations and arguably helps prevent many abortions and health issues by offering birth control and STD testing services. #

At this point, several Republicans have already said they will not support the bill, and as Roll Call points out, more Democratic support will likely be needed to pass the budget. But, of course, there’s opposition in that camp, too.

From Roll Call:

Boehner had hoped to get at least 218 Republicans to support the final package as a demonstration of GOP unity heading into more difficult debates on raising the debt ceiling and passing a 2012 budget. But in a sign of how difficult the Ohioan’s challenge is as leader of a Republican Conference packed with Members eager to demonstrate their independence, few Republicans immediately embraced the hard-fought deal.

[...]

Although the deal was crafted to garner a filibuster-proof 60 votes [in the Senate], aides cautioned Monday that there could be opponents in both parties and said it was too early to estimate how much support the measure would get.

[...]

Only 28 GOP lawmakers, including [Reps. Jim] Jordan and [Mike] Pence, opposed the latest three-day continuing resolution. However, a more accurate prediction for the final tally of Republican support for the six-month spending bill is thought to be the March 15 vote on a stopgap spending measure that garnered only 186 Republican votes. Fifty-four House Republicans opposed the measure, compared with just six for the first short-term CR this Congress.

Democratic aides had mixed reactions on whether House Democrats will support the final package. In the past three votes, Democratic leadership has been split on whether to support the measures. One Democratic leadership aide said Democratic support of the final package isn’t guaranteed, particularly if Republicans can’t get over the 218-vote hump of passing the bill on their own.

The House is expected to hold a floor vote Wednesday, and the Senate will vote on Thursday.

Several Republicans — such as Pence (Ind.) and Jordan (Ohio) and Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) – threatening a ‘no’ vote have been motivated by what is not in the bill, particularly the absence of riders to defund Planned Parenthood and NPR and to block implementation of health care reform. Democratic lawmakers  have objected to the deep spending cuts, along with the D.C. abortion and voucher provisions — highlighted by D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray’s protest and arrest at the Hart Senate Office Building Monday night.

The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday released a summary of the final 2011 Continuing Resolution (PDF). A few highlights, taken directly from the summary:

• The final CR will include a total of $1.049 trillion in funding, a nearly $40 billion reduction from last year’s (fiscal year 2010) levels. This includes the $12 billion in reductions previously approved by Congress and signed into law under the previous three continuing resolutions, as well as nearly $28 billion in additional new spending cuts.
• The CR also includes $6.75 billion for the Special Supplemental Feeding Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), which allows the program to support more than 9 million income-eligible mothers, infants, and children up to 5 years of age.
• Defense Funding: The Department of Defense is funded at $513 billion in the CR – approximately $5 billion above last year – providing the necessary resources for the safety of our troops and the success of our nation’s military actions. The bill also includes an additional $157.8 billion for overseas contingency operations (emergency funding) to advance our missions abroad.
• The CR restores a long-standing provision against the use of federal and local funds for abortions in the District of Columbia. The bill also includes the reauthorization of the DC Opportunity Scholarships, along with a $2.3 million funding increase, to stop the termination of the program and allow new students to participate. The legislation also eliminates four Administration “Czars,” including the “Health Care Czar,” the “Climate Change Czar,” the “Car Czar,” and the “Urban Affairs Czar.”
• The CR terminates funding for more than 55 programs, for a total savings of well over $1 billion. In addition, the bill terminates two programs funded in ObamaCare (the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) and the Free Choice Voucher programs). The bill makes reforms to the Pell Grant Program that are estimated to save more than $35 billion over the next 10 years by eliminating the ability of students to draw down two Pell Grant awards at the same time. Finally, the CR will return Title X funding to fiscal year 2008 levels.
• The Transportation, Housing, Urban Development and Related Agencies section of the CR contains a total of $55.5 billion, a $12.3 billion, or 18%, reduction from fiscal year 2010 levels, and a reduction of $13.2 billion, or 20%, from the President’s fiscal year 2011 request.

On Tuesday morning, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) rolled out the House GOP’s “budget blueprint” for 2012. Meanwhile, the White House and the GOP-controlled House still have not reached an agreement on how to to continue funding the government through the end of the current fiscal year, which ends in September.

Both sides have stated the desire to reach a compromise before the April 8 deadline, in an effort to avoid a federal government shutdown. However, as The New York Times reported Tuesday, the White House rejected an offer from Republicans to keep the government’s doors open for one more week in exchange for another $12 billion cut from the current year’s spending. Obama and Senate Democrats have agreed to cut $33 billion, $1 billion more than the House GOP originally asked for in February.

A poll from the Pew Research Center released Monday shows that the American people overwhelming favor a budget compromise over a shutdown, despite various pushes for a government shutdown in the name of effective political strategy from people such as Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.

Where Americans’ opinions differ is on whom should shoulder the blame in the event of a shutdown, congressional Republicans or the Obama administration.

According to Pew, 39 percent of the 1,507 Americans polled from March 30-April 3 believe Republicans would be the most to blame for a government shutdown; while 36 percent believe the Obama administration should take most of the heat. Those who believe both sides should be blamed equally make up 16 percent of respondents, while 9 percent said “neither” or that they did not know.

Asked if “lawmakers who share your views on this issue should stand by their principles, even if it means the government shuts down,” 36 percent of those polled agreed with this statement, while 55 percent said lawmakers agreeing with their views should “be more willing to compromise even if they pass budget you disagree with.” Those who didn’t know made up 10 percent.

Breaking it down along party lines, 50 percent of republicans voters said their party lawmakers should stand by their principles, while 43 percent said they should compromise. Among those who identify as Democrats, 69 percent were in favor of a compromise vs. 21 percent. Among Republicans who agree with the tea party, 26 percent said they were  in favor of a compromise vs. 68 who said they favored a shutdown.

Pew points out that these opinions are much different today than they were during a similar budget/government shutdown dispute in 1995, when polled in a Washington Post/ABC News survey shortly before the government actually shut down. At that time, 46 percent of Americans polled said Republicans would be at fault in the event of a shutdown, while 27 percent blamed the Clinton administration.

The political action committee Susan B. Anthony List is footing a $90,000 bill to run a 10-day cable television ad campaign, from March 29 through April 7, in Washington, D.C., the group revealed Tuesday.

The ad shows a beaming, lavender-bedecked Johnson telling the camera what she learned during her eight years working for the women’s health care provider in Bryan, Texas.

“Planned Parenthood is not about women’s health at all,” Johnson tells the camera. “Their entire corporate culture is about abortions.”

Her statement is followed by a voiceover, which tells viewers that 98 percent of what Planned Parenthood does is perform abortions and that they receive more than $360 million in taxpayer funding every year.

Planned Parenthood has challenged the “98 percent” claim. Planned Parenthood spokesperson Tait Sye told the Huffington Post that the ad distorted the services figure by only comparing the amount of abortion services to the amount of adoption referrals.

In its most recent annual report (PDF) for the fiscal year ending in 2009, Planned Parenthood reported that for 3 million patients seen that year, 36 percent of total services went to providing contraception, 31 percent went to providing testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, 17 percent went to cancer screening and prevention and 3 percent went to abortion services.

The Susan B. Anthony List and Planned Parenthood have been at the helm of the abortion wars this legislative season. Early this month, both ran competing bus tours around the country, pushing for their respective sides on the congressional debate over whether to strip Planned Parenthood of federal funding.

According to Roll Call, the Susan B. Anthony List has spent $11 million during the 2010 election cycle and donated money in 90 different races, including to Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who authored the No Tax Payer Funding for Abortion Act.

The ad:

Johnson has become the anti-abortion rights movement’s darling since she resigned from her position as director a Planned Parenthood clinic in Bryan, Texas, in October 2009 and joined the Coalition for Life. On talk shows, paid speaking events and in her book Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader’s Eye-Opening Journey across the Life Line (published in January 2011), Johnson has repeatedly asserted that she left the clinic because of pressure from her superiors to increase abortions at her facility and because of a traumatizing experience witnessing an ultrasound-guided abortion of a 13-week-old fetus, during which she swears she saw the fetus recoil from the doctor’s instrument.

Both claims have been challenged by stories broken by Salon.com and Texas Monthly shortly after Johnson’s departure, which suggested Johnson’s reasons for leaving (and her subsequent accusations against Planned Parenthood) were likely tied to the fact that three days earlier, the director had been disciplined by her superiors for allegations of poor job performance. The publications also questioned the veracity of Johnson’s testimony witnessing the ultrasound-assisted abortion because the next day she was on the Bryan public radio program Fair and Feminist, where she reportedly excoriated the Coalition for Life and defended Planned Parenthood. Johnson has defended her former statements.

Pro-abortion rights activist Joyce Arthur in 2000 wrote “The Only Moral Abortion Is My Abortion: Why the Anti-Choice Choose,” using testimony from doctors and counselors working at abortion clinics across the country, to point out the phenomenon of anti-abortion rights advocates who would have an abortion one day and then protest outside the very same clinic the next. But Johnson, who admitted to having two abortions when her book Unplanned came out this year, is a rare breed to make the leap from providing abortions to protesting against them.

Participating in campaigns to help strip federal funding from her old employer, Johnson has appeared at as many as four speaking events in a given week. Johnson’s next speaking event is at an annual fundraising banquet for Hope Pregnancy Centers, Inc., in Belton, Texas.

The group, a state affiliate of Colorado-based Focus on the Family that has been the leading political force behind the anti-same sex marriage amendment –- House Joint Resolution 6 (HJR6) — that passed the Indiana Senate this week, got a $50,000 grant from a subsidiary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services called the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) in 2005.

Church-state watchdogs and civil rights advocates say direct federal funding of the Indiana Family Institute, coupled with its partnership with the Indiana Department of Child Services, is troubling because of IFI’s intimate political involvement with and activism surrounding the launch and passage of HJR6.

Rob Boston, senior policy analyst at Americans United for Separation of Church and State told The American Independent it was the first time that he’d seen such an official partnership between a right-wing Christian organization and a state government entity.

The Indiana Healthy Marriage program is funded through 2013 under a provision in the Social Security Act called a Section 1115 Waiver. Waivers allow states to expand typical parameters for Medicaid spending from actual health care to experimental and pilot programs like Healthy Marriage or Fatherhood Initiatives.

As part of Indiana DCS Healthy Marriage Initiative, the Indiana Family Institute provides regular couples workshops through their Hoosier Commitment: TWOgether program. Workshops are offered free of charge to singles and couples.

The American Independent submitted questions to Ann Houseworth, communications director for the Indiana Department of Child Services, about the possible impropriety of an official relationship between the state and the overtly religious, anti-gay and politically active Indiana Family Institute. And, because the IFI’s recent tax returns were filed with a 990EZ which doesn’t require breaking out government grants from overall grants — The American Independent asked for details about the amount of tax-payer funding passed through the Indiana Department of Child Services to the IFI.

After initially responding via email that she would provide answers to The American Independent, Houseworth replied days later, “I will unfortunately be unable to obtain the information you requested. I should not have indicated we could provide this information before I knew we could do so.”

Houseworth did not respond to requests for clarification, except to say she was working on collecting financial information regarding the DCS partnership with IFI. She had no information at the time of publication.

Although the Indiana Family Institute’s relationship with the state is unique, the connection between these types of groups and politics is not. Boston said, “Unfortunately, this kind of relationship,” between Christian conservative groups, politics, and their receipt of federal funding “is par for the course.”

In addition to receiving direct federal funding and partnering with the state, Indiana Family Institute was slated to received third-party money as a partner of the Gary-based Abstinence for Singles (AFS) program supported by a federal Community Based Abstinence Education grant awarded yearly in the amount of $960,000 running from 2006 to 2011.

However, Abstinence for Singles was defunded (PDF) in 2008 after failing to properly organize as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, a requirement to receive funding. It is unclear if the federal government recovered any funds as a result. Nor is it clear -– as AFS no longer exists -– whether or how much funding was passed through to the Indiana Family Institute.

The Indiana Family Institute is a 501(c)3 that also formed a PAC called Indiana Family Action. Although registered in different physical location — IFI in Indianapolis and the PAC in Zionsville — both entities appear to share office space and employees. According to a past Iowa Independent investigation, this type of organizational overlap can lend itself to federal money awarded to the 501(c)3 inevitably benefiting the partnering PAC.

The Indiana Marriage Amendment

The Indiana marriage amendment passed the Senate Judiciary Committee last week and passed in the Republican heavy Senate Tuesday by a 40 – 10 vote. The amendment now must pass again in 2013 or 2014 before it could be added to a 2014 ballot and be put to popular vote. If it were to pass a 2014 ballot initiative the amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman would be added to the Indiana Constitution.

The reintroduction of the anti-same sex marriage amendment was announced by its legislative co-sponsors, Republican state Reps. Eric Turner and Dave Cheatham, at an Indiana Family Institute event in 2009. Republican Dennis Kruse sponsored the successful HJR 6 bill in the Senate 2011 session. Kruse is currently listed as an advisor for the Indiana Family Institute.

“They [IFI] absolutely are the driving force behind it – the amendment – they worked very, very hard to get not moderate Republicans into office and to introduce this legislation,” said Lori Morris, President of the Indiana Stonewall Democrats during a phone interview with the Independent. Stonewall is a PAC that works to elect LGBT persons to local and national office as well as support gay-rights legislation across the country and at the state level.

Morris talked about the far reaching impact IFI has on anti-gay legislation, as well as public opinion, in Indiana, “of course they have had a huge impact on LGBT issues here, every article, I mean every article, that someone reads in the papers have the Indiana Family Institute’s commentary in it.”

Deep Political Connections in and out of Indiana

The Indiana Family Institute has deep political ties beyond Indiana. The group’s president, Curt Smith, worked in Washington D.C. for 15 years as press secretary, campaign manager, communications director, state director, and chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Dan Coats and U.S. Rep. John Hostettler.

In the mid-1990s, Coats introduced a group of bills known as the Project for American Renewal. This initiative is described on the Dan Coats for Indiana Senate as “a comprehensive initiative aimed at shifting power and funding from Washington directly to local, faith-based and non-profit groups which are successfully working to resolve many of the Nation’s social problems.”

Smith is also connected to U.S. Rep. Mike Pence. Pence is cited on IFI’s website as a “founding congressional sponsor” of the group’s One America Hoosier Congressional Policy Leadership Series program. The program, according to IFI’s website “offers leadership skills training and an in-depth look at today’s hot topics in the public and private sectors. With special “who’s who” speakers and a trip to Washington, D.C., the goal of the series is to prepare and connect like-minded leaders to be servants in their communities.”

Smith touts attending a Butler University basketball game in Indianapolis with Rep. Pence, posting a photo of him, Pence and Sen. Coats on the IFI blog standing courtside at the game.

While working closely with IFI while it gets federal funding, Pence has been at the forefront of the nationwide effort to defund Planned Parenthood based on erroneous claims that the women’s health provider uses federal funds to perform abortions.

In addition to its role in launching the anti-gay marriage amendment, the IFI also is opposed to hate crime legislation that would protect LGBT persons, calling the effort “the brain-child of activists hoping to promote homosexuality, bisexuality and gender identity disorder.” Smith also spoke at a National Organization for Marriage “Summer for Marriage: One Man One Woman” bus tour stop in Indiana in 2010.

The Indiana Family Institute is not the only state affiliate of Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council that has received federal funding.

In South Carolina, the Palmetto Family Council was awarded $1.2 million through Healthy Marriage and Abstinence Only grants from 2004 to 2009. According to its blog, the “top priority” for the group in 2006 was South Carolina’s anti-gay marriage amendment. Palmetto’s president, Oran Smith, condemned public funding of a gay and lesbian group’s annual statewide festival, citing concerns about using “public funds for a festival that is political or indecent or both.”

The Iowa Family Policy Center (IFPC) received more than $3 million in federal funds to pay for a marriage-mentoring program. The program, called Marriage Matters, was found not to be a third-party contractor but rather a trademark of the outspoken anti-gay group. IFPC has garnered headlines for its opposition to same-sex marriage, including public allegations that homosexuality poses a greater public health risk than second-hand smoke. IFPC recently changed its name to The Family Leader and is now a major player in Iowa politics.

An email to the Indiana Family Institute regarding its official relationship with the state and amount of federal funding per year wasn’t returned. Calls to the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and the Region V Healthy Marriage Specialist, Dianna Durham to clarify the level of funding through the Section 1115 Waiver were not returned.

Despite the fact that Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and others have tried to encourage all GOPers to refuse to approve a spending plan that doesn’t have certain social riders, such as the amendment to defund Planned Parenthood, the bill passed with 55 House Republicans voting against and 85 Democrats voting for it.

Anti-abortion rights group Family Research Council released a statement praising the Republicans who voted against today’s continuing resolution. Of the vote, FRC President Tony Perkins said:

“We thank Representatives Mike Pence, Jim Jordan and their colleagues who refused to vote for a spending bill that continues to use taxpayer dollars to directly pay for abortions in Washington, D.C. and continues to fund scandal-plagued Planned Parenthood. The time to bring our fiscal house in order is now, and ending the federal gravy train for Planned Parenthood and other Left-wing groups is the first step to show that this Congress is serious about doing so.”