**Big Bucks in the Sanctimonious Abstinence Business..Leslee Unruh rakes in the dough

I have heard the pontificators of abstinence saying again and again that "abstinence is the only 100% safe birthcontrol" as they imply in the next breath that abstinence policy is equally effective. It is of course bullshit and they know it, but it sure is good business. The information below is from the source indicated at the end. Earl Pike says that Leslee Unruh compensation information is from "Abstinence Clearinghouse and Alpha Center’s IRS 990s, in which the organizations have to report revenue and expenses. The 990 requires information on any salaries over $50K. These are reports that Unruh herself signed and submitted to the IRS, so the info is solid."

Here is the whole press release as far as I know. I seems to me this is information that the SD corporate media should have been digging out when the Unruh family was testifying as if they are experts at the summer legislative "Tsk, Tsk-Farce on Abortion". Maybe the eager-beaver reporters can now see if they can determine if Leslee Unruh has any college degrees which might suggest competence in thie area or any other area she has testified on..or for that matter that her husband has testified on. Perhaps they should limit their public statements to Business School forums on "How to make Big Money with a Non-Profit". They could find several more of the type here in SD too.

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National Abstinence Clearinghouse May Have Conflict of Interest Again

The AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland is calling for a complete investigation of whether the national Abstinence Clearinghouse violated federal law or ethics guidelines by lobbying for specific legislation recently passed by the South Dakota legislature which would ban all abortions except to save the life of the mother.

The South Dakota legislation is now the most restrictive in the country, and does not includes exceptions in the case of rape or incest. It is not known whether the governor of South Dakota, Republican Mike Rounds, will sign the bill.

Chief among South Dakota proponents publicly lobbying for the highly-restrictive legislation was the national Abstinence Clearinghouse and its executive director.

The Abstinence Clearinghouse, located in South Dakota, is a national organization with affiliates throughout the United States, including over a half-dozen affiliates in Ohio. Since 2002 the organization has received nearly $3,000,000 in government funding to develop national criteria for the review of abstinence-only curricula, develop a directory of approved curricula, provide technical assistance and consultation to federal abstinence-only grantees, and provide medically accurate training and information to grantees. Recently U.S. Representative Henry Waxman (D-CA) has called for a federal investigation of the Abstinence Clearinghouse, contending conflicts of interest in contracting and inappropriate use of funds for lobbying purposes.

The AIDS Taskforce is now adding to that call for a federal investigation, noting that Abstinence Clearinghouse executive director Leslee Unruh lobbied on behalf of the South Dakota abortion ban under the name of the Abstinence Clearinghouse, despite the fact that the non-profit organization receives taxpayer funds.

In 2003 and 2004 federal IRS tax filings, Ms. Unruh is listed simultaneously as executive director of the Abstinence Clearinghouse, and also as executive director of the Alpha Center, an anti-reproductive choice crisis pregnancy center that, like the Abstinence Clearinghouse, is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 2004 Ms. Unruh reported compensation for 40 hours weekly as executive director of the Abstinence Clearinghouse was $109,920. In the same year her reported compensation as executive director of the Alpha Center at 30 hours a week was $57,547. In 2003 filings, her reported compensation as director of the Abstinence Clearinghouse was $42,456, and her reported compensation as executive director of the Alpha Center was $45,272, bringing her two-year, combined compensation between the two organizations to $255,195.

To the AIDS Taskforce, these simultaneous directorships also raise significant concerns about potential conflict of interest. We encourage others to write to their elected representatives and urgently request a fuller investigation.

Earl Pike, AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, 3210 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 441

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*** Stay tuned even if you aren't a teenager dreaming about converting your own sexual abstinence vows into a quarter of a million bucks every two years or so...The family that preys together profits together---Doug Wiken

Comments

[dhp]

What bothers me, even though it's quibbling a bit, is that the VP can get away with hunting sans licence. I grew up in a family of hunters in Iowa, but I imagine that SoDak is much the same. If you hunt with out a licence in Iowa, even if you pay for it after the fact, it's called poaching. Minimum of a night in jail and a $500 fine. Apparently the Veep is a creep, and above all that.

[Nicholas Nemec]

Not only does she rake in a big salary but she travels all over the world on her nonprofit's dime. At the Abstinance Clearing House web site she has posted photos of herself at conferences in Africa and Taiwan. She also travels all over the US for appearances to spread the message.

[Lloydyboy]

Leslee lobbies for abstinence education. The Bushies dedicate a pile of money to help spread the word. Leslee notices that there's a dearth of abstinence education materials. Leslee asks for, and receives, $3 million in federal money to develop said materials. Leslee then tells others around the country to apply for federal grant money to tell children to not screw -- and by the way, get your abstinence education materials here.
Nice scam.

[task force member]

I just wanted to add to your list of Dr. Unruh's unbelievable quotes. When we were "discussing" why there are significant differences between western Europe and the US with regard to teen abortion rates, teen pregnancy rates, and teen STI rates (all reported by government agencies), I proposed that the reason these rates are significantly lower in western Europe was due the the comprehensive sex education which is standard in these countries. Dr Unruh then explained to me - in only a way that he could do - was that in Europe, pregnancies were diagnosed and reported differently than in the US. Of course as a board certified Ob/Gyn, I was curious as to how the diagnosis of pregnancy was different. His reply was that he didn't know how they diagnosed pregnancy, but he knew it was different, and that was why there statistics were "better" than the US.

[task force member]

This is the quote from Dr. Wilke current president of the international Right to Life when asked about the difference between Europe and the US with regard to abortion rates. “Muslim countries forbid abortion. Furthermore they have large families. Many of you are reading right now about the mixed up election in Germany for instance. One of their main problems is they don’t have enough workers at the bottom. Germany’s birth rate is 1.2. That means that the average woman has 1.2 babies in her lifetime. Well, in a developed country, she has to have 2.1 just to replace the current population. In an underdeveloped country with more infant mortality you may have to have 2.3, 2.5. With any case, Germany’s only got 1.2. That is the Aryan Germans. What is happening? They’re importing Turkish workers who do all of the more menial labor and right now there are over 1500 mosques in Germany. The Muslim people in Germany have an average of four children. The Germans are having about one. So it’s only a question of so many years and what do you think Germany is going to be? It’s going to be a Muslim country.

Now that same thing is happening in almost every Western nation in Europe. France is a little better, 1.6. Italy’s 1.2. Well, let’s try Greece for instance for an interesting example. Greeks have fought the Turks as you know for centuries. Dominica is in Northern Greece and it’s maybe half Turk - it’s near Istanbul - it’s half Turkish, half Greek. Almost all the Greek people are Greek Orthodox Christians. That church is very, very definite about condemning abortion. However, deeply ingrained in the Greek culture is that you marry a virgin and that if she has been deflowered, she is used goods, and so it is - even in a rape - so it is of great importance to her that she is known to be yet a virgin. She becomes pregnant. She may well be a good Orthodox Christian, but (indecipherable) other values and so she gets aborted. Birth rate in Greek 1.2, birth rate in the Turks about three or four. So it’s only a matter of time until Turkey, this time does conquer Greece and (indecipherable) takes over. The same ratio is between the Israelis and Palestinians. In France now, something like ten or twelve or fourteen percent of the population are Algerian and so it goes. One of our friends used a good phrase: Europe - Western Europe - is going to become a Christian museum. And it will become a Muslim set of nations at the rate it’s going.” Dr. Wilke ------Now tell me this isn't about religion.
tfm