National Education Association (NEA) Contains Deceptive Family Planning Philosophy

The National Education Association (NEA) touts great public schools for every student.

The NEA is also the nation’s largest professional union.   Since its beginning in 1857, the NEA has crusaded for the “rights of all educators and children”.  The collective ‘voice ‘of the NEA has swelled to some 3.2 million members working “to make a quality education an essential right for every American child”.

The NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.

Lurking beneath this admirable mission, however, lays a deceptive family planning resolution, as follows:

• “The National Education Association supports family planning, including the right to reproductive freedom.
• The Association urges the government to give high priority to making available all methods of family planning to women and men unable to take advantage of private facilities.
• The Association also urges the implementation of community-operated, school-based family planning clinics that will provide intensive counseling by trained personnel.”

At the 1998 NEA Assembly in New Orleans, LA, a first time delegate asked the following 3-part question (from the resolution above) at the microphone:

• Through the words “reproductive freedom” in our Resolutions document, does the NEA support the choice to abort after the first trimester?

Response from the chair: Yes.

• Through the words “reproductive freedom” in our Resolutions document, does the NEA support a woman’s choice to abort after viability?

Response from the chair:  Yes.

• Through the words “reproductive freedom” in our Resolutions document, does the NEA support the decision to abort up to, and including delivery, commonly termed by the media a “partial birth abortion?”

Response from the chair:  We have NO limitations.

In recent years the NEA has repeatedly defeated measures that would have neutralized its abortion stance.  Further, the NEA continues to rile many citizens and conservative leaders who disagree with some of its other radical agendas on homosexuality, sex education, gun ownership, and illegal immigration to name a few.

NEA endorsed political candidates have, in most cases ,proven to be supporters of “abortion rights” and the organization itself has routinely contributed to organizations that support legalized abortion.

In 2008, the NEA Headquarters Building in Washington, D.C. hosted George Tiller, noted Kansas late-term abortionist.

The NEA’s Women’s Caucus includes a goal to “support, provide and disseminate information regarding a woman’s right to choose.”

The NEA cannot deny its political activism.

The NEA committed a very generous $60 million for President Obama’s re-election campaign in 2012, backing for a second time his policy of abortion on demand that has resulted in some 55 million students ‘missing’ nationwide since 1973.

Karen Cross, National Right to Life’s Political Director remarked, “Barack Obama’s extremist pro-abortion agenda is a poison pill for our nation’s classrooms,” Cross added. “It borders on the incomprehensible that our nation’s educators would get behind a candidate whose agenda will result in more and more missing children.”

Indeed.  By promoting the abortion of future students, the NEA may very well be moving toward putting itself out of business for good. Barack Obama is, hands down, the most pro-abortion president in our nation’s history.  It is unconscionable that our educators would support a president whose policies would cause so many empty classroom seats.

Bob Pawson, National Coordinator for Pro-Life Educators and Students, said, “We (teachers) joined NEA for collective bargaining; not to be bullied or misrepresented on moral, social, or political issues. NEA must repeal its 'Family Planning' resolution and other policies, out of respect for the diversity of 3.2 million members. NEA must totally disengage from abortion; become truly neutral and non-involved."

Prior NEA Conventions have seen pro-life teachers and area residents gather to protest the organization’s abortion connection.  Signs typically include slogans such as, “Abortion is a savage act of violence”, “25 abortions = 1 lost classroom and 1 fired teacher”, and “Abortion kills teacher’s careers”.

This year, the NEA will gather at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta from June 26 – July 6, 2013 hosting some 16,000 people, including 10,000 delegates, from across the country.

Georgia Right to Life, in cooperation with Pro-Life Educators and Students (PLEAS) needs YOUR help.  On Monday morning, July 1, 2013 from 8:30 AM until 12:30 PM, life advocates of all types will present a “Picket and Pray” demonstration outside the NEA Convention.

"We're inviting pro-life parents, students and children, teachers, clergy, taxpayers, and everybody else to come. Bring your pro-life friends, family members, and picket signs," said Bob Pawson, National Coordinator of Pro-Life Educators of America (PLEA). “If you can’t be there all four hours, then join us for an hour or two.”

This will be a peaceful and prayerful way to promote awareness of the NEA’s abortion connection.  It is non-confrontational but very informational!  Bring your own standard pro-life message signs or pick up an NEA specific sign on site.

If you can’t be there, you can still help by sharing the details with your family and friends and on social media.

For more information, call (770) 339-6880 or email, questions@grtl.org .

by Suzanne L. WardGRTL Public Relations/Educationsuzanneward@grtl.org