Pastor Argues That Defunding Planned Parenthood Could Hurt Churches

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Feb 07, 2017

Pastor Argues That Defunding Planned Parenthood Could Hurt Churches

A pastor in Kentucky is arguing against a state effort to defund Planned Parenthood, alleging that this effort could end up taking funds away from Christian organizations as well.

According to LifeNews.com, Pastor Derek L. Penwell argues in a column for The Courier-Journal that Kentucky House Bill 149 could have the unintended consequence of restricting funds from churches and ministries. He gives this example:

“A pregnant young woman comes to my office. After a period of counseling with me, she goes out and gets an abortion. Could it be argued that, though circumstantial, the young woman’s act, so close in proximity to our counseling session, can be construed as my having promoted or encouraged abortion?”

If Penwell is correct in his assumptions, this would mean that Christian organizations could also lose funding for church programs.

“It’s not true in all cases that faith communities don’t receive public funding for various programs they administer. Any loss of funds may very well hamper important services offered by a faith community,” he writes.

Although Penwell purportedly is trying to advocate on behalf of churches, many see his argument as a covert endorsement of abortion and Planned Parenthood.

LifeNews.com notes that Penwell is part of The Ally Network, a group of Kentucky organizations, including Planned Parenthood, which are dedicated to “progressive causes.”

 

Photo courtesy: Flickr.com

Publication date: February 7, 2017



Pastor Argues That Defunding Planned Parenthood Could Hurt Churches