Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 6, 1990 TAG: 9004060496
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: BF EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In full-page newspaper advertisements and letters to supporters, the president of Planned Parenthood, Faye Wattleton, is urging Americans to "voice their opposition to this act of corporate cowardice" and to donate AT&T stock or proxies so that Planned Parenthood can have some influence on the corporation's policies.
After 25 years as a supporter of the federation's programs to prevent teen-age pregnancy, the AT&T Foundation decided last month to end its donations because of the group's "emphasis on abortion advocacy."
"With the increasing politicization of the abortion issue, it became clear as the '80s ended that both sides . . . viewed AT&T's support of Planned Parenthood as a vote for abortion," said Burke Stinson, AT&T spokesman.
"We have always had the same stance, which is not to take a position on abortion, but the foundation decided to disengage, as best they could, from the politics of abortion."
The decision to drop support for Planned Parenthood comes in advance of the corporation's April 18 board meeting, at which a shareholder resolution opposing "support of any organizations that endorse, counsel or perform abortion" is to be voted on. The management of the company has advised shareholders to vote against this proposal.
"There really isn't any irony or any conflict there," Stinson said. "We advise voting against that because we don't want to be manipulated into taking a position on abortion, which we believe is a personal issue, not a corporate one. And we're ending our contributions to Planned Parenthood for the same reason.
"Frankly, we had hoped for a graceful exit from this situation, only to find ourselves in the thick of a new controversy with both sides mad at us. It's symptomatic of how politicized the whole issue is."
AT&T's decision was prompted in good part by a letter-writing campaign and boycott threat by anti-abortion groups, including the Christian Action Council.
In his March 12 letter telling Planned Parenthood of the corporation's decision, Reynold Levy, president of the foundation, said: "Over the past year, AT&T's philanthropic support of Planned Parenthood has given rise to an unprecedented number of expressions of concern from employees, customers, suppliers and shareowners. Essentially these parties believe that by virtue of its assistance to Planned Parenthood, AT&T funds abortions."
AT&T's $50,000 grant to Planned Parenthood this year, as in recent years, is being used not to provide abortions but to pay for teen-age pregnancy prevention programs.
Wattleton said AT&T's action amounted to capitulation.
"AT&T, a major American concern, has been brought to its knees by a fringe group and has allowed fanatics to dictate its corporate policy," she said.
by CNB