by Kristin Sparks
Among its many other preposterous activities, Planned Parenthood Federation of America holds the annual “Maggie Awards” competition, named after — you guessed it — PP’s racist/eugenicist founder, Margaret Sanger.
Beginning in 1978, the Maggie Awards serve as yet another way for Planned Parenthood to plague society with its pro-death views. According to PP, the Maggie Awards, “recognize outstanding media coverage of contraception, teenage pregnancy, sex education, AIDS, abortion, international family planning, or other reproductive health and rights issues”… in other words, most of the evils that are now destroying our culture.
The 2001 Maggie Awards were held in Dallas, Texas, this past March. Producer/writer Alan Zweibel, one of the original writers for the television series Saturday Night Live, hosted the event, with awards being presented by Texas attorney Sarah Weddington, winning lawyer in the tragic legal case Roe vs. Wade, and actress Kathryn Joosten of television’s The West Wing and Dharma and Greg.
This year’s PP “heroes” include the following:
• Music—Education and Advocacy: Musician and PP activist Joan Osborne.
• Film: The Contender. Regarding this “political thriller” directed by Rod Lurie, one reviewer stated, “God himself is a popular target throughout The Contender.” The movie’s protagonist, Laine Hanson (played by Joan Allen), makes the comment, “I do not need God to tell me my moral absolutes.” Obviously the PP ideology. Planned Parenthood cited the film’s treatment of “abortion politics, issues of faith, gender-based double standards, and whether a candidate’s private sexual behavior should determine his or her ability to govern” as reasons for the award nomination.
• Television: NBC’s Third Watch and ABC’s General Hospital, which featured episodes condoning the “complex choices” made by working women experiencing unintended pregnancies, and teenage fornication and birth control use, respectively.
• Television Talk Show: Queen Latifah/Telepictures Productions. Accepting the award was Hilary Estey McLoughlin, senior vice president of programming and development.
• Radio: Hispanic Radio Network Mundo 2000—International Women’s Day. Accepting this award were chairman and CEO Jeff Kline and vice president of programming Isabel Benemelis. PP applauded the network’s broadcast of “important topics, including responsibility for contraception, talking to girls about sex and sexuality, and many more.”
• Magazine: Glamour magazine. PP selected this winner on the “merits” of its anti-life article, “Why I’d Risk My Life to Do Abortions,” by David France.
• Newspaper/Editorial: Editorial columnist and staff writer Debra K. Decker of the Dallas Morning News. Decker is known for her columns supporting a plethora of anti-life agendas, including federal funding for pushing birth control in developing countries, and FDA approval of the abortion drug RU-486.
• Newspaper/Print Health Features: Health writer Shari Roan of the Los Angeles Times. PP stated, “…Roan consistently uses her columns to present a range of viewpoints on key reproductive health issues” — which in essence means pushing pro-abortion propaganda.
• Newspaper/Issues and Commentary: Columnist Patt Morrison of the Los Angeles Times. Morrison was responsible for prompting pro-aborts to retaliate against President George W. Bush’s reinstatement of the Mexico City policy by donating money to Planned Parenthood.
• Fiction: Richard North Patterson, author of the novel Protect and Defend. Patterson’s book depicts a Supreme Court nominee involved in a trial concerning abortion and parental consent issues.
• New Media: The Feminist Majority Foundation’s website, www.feminist.org.
Other awards presented at the 2001 Maggie ceremony included: the PPFA Margaret Sanger Award to actress Kathleen Turner, national chair of the PPFA Board of Advocates; and the PPFA Republicans for Choice Senator Barry Goldwater Award to Sen. Jeff Wentworth of the 25th District of Texas.
(Kristin Sparks is the Editor of HLI Reports. This article appeared in the August 2001 issue of HLI Reports, courtesy of Human Life International.)