The woman replacing Al Franken, the Democrat U.S. senator from Minnesota who is being forced to step down in the face of allegations of past sexual misconduct, is a former vice president with the Minnesota franchise of abortion giant Planned Parenthood.
Now Minnesota’s lieutenant governor serving under Governor Mark Dayton, Tina Smith (shown) first showed up in Minneapolis in the 1980s, working for General Mills. In 2003 she signed on with Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota as the abortion provider’s vice president for public affairs — in reality serving as a high-paid lobbyist canvassing legislators and other government functionaries for taxpayer handouts.
As reported by pro-life news site LifeNews.com, during Smith’s tenure with Planned Parenthood MN from 2003 to 2006, the abortion provider was responsible for 9,717 of the murderous procedures, and was reimbursed nearly $460,000 by Minnesota taxpayers for performing almost 2,000 abortions on low-income mothers. During that time Planed Parenthood took the lead in abortion procedures in the state and raked in a whopping $12.65 million in government funding.
Prior to being elected lieutenant governor, Smith was Gov. Dayton’s chief of staff, during which time she helped facilitate the pro-abortion governor’s veto of several common-sense measures designed to protect pre-born babies and their mothers, “including licensing of abortion facilities and protection for pain-capable unborn children,” reported LifeNews.com. “He also vetoed a bill to stop the public funding of abortions at facilities like Planned Parenthood.” Additionally, reported the pro-life news site, “during Smith’s three years as lieutenant governor, Dayton again dutifully vetoed bills to ban taxpayer funded abortions and to require licensing and inspection of abortion facilities, including Planned Parenthood.”
“Gov. Mark Dayton’s appointment of Tina Smith to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate is overwhelmingly disappointing to the state’s pro-life majority,” said Leo LaLonde of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life. He noted that “most Minnesotans are pro-life. They support greater protection for unborn human beings. Minnesotans need someone who will fight for justice for the most vulnerable among us, the unborn.”
Kristan Hawkins, a Minnesota resident and president of the national organization Students for Life of America, said that “as a successor to Al Franken, who preyed on women, it only makes sense that his replacement would be someone who used to make money preying on vulnerable women for Planned Parenthood. Students for Life of America strongly opposes the selection of Tina Smith. Planned Parenthood continues to oppose even common-sense legislation, such as requiring health standards for abortion facilities, protecting minors, and prohibiting abortions based on race and gender.”
The Washington Examiner noted that these days Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota is well-positioned for its lucrative abortion business, “sitting on $62 million in total assets and about $50 million in net assets according to its annual report. Revenues from abortions and other services hit $25 million last fiscal year, buttressed by more than $5 million in government grants.”
Meanwhile, as reported by The New American, the U.S. Justice Department has launched an investigation of Planned Parenthood over charges that it has been selling the tissue and body parts of the babies aborted at its facilities. The action comes following an undercover investigation by the pro-life group Center for Medical Progress, which provided an overwhelming amount of video showing Planned Parenthood officials openly discussing the sale of the body parts and tissue of aborted babies.
Photo of Tina Smith: AP Images
