WARNING: This article contains graphic language and concepts not suitable for children. We apologize for this but we believe it is important that Albertans are aware of this campaign.

Why must taxpayers, many of us parents trying to raise our children in a safe environment, continue to pay for the filthy propaganda pumped out by Planned Parenthood in Alberta? Often, the garbage they produce is then promoted in our public schools and aired on television and radio.
Planned Parenthood's latest campaign is truly disgusting. The group is promoting and selling a condom carrier that looks like a keychain. The name of the campaign and the message stamped on the carrier is "Give a F*uck." The case also comes in another version which spells out the F-word in full.
The case contains two condoms and a "tube of lube." According to the group's website, the carriers "promote ready access to condoms and lube and increase the chances of having protected sex." Wow! That's such a huge relief for most parents, don't you think?
Obviously this must be the attitude of our federal, provincial and municipal governments who pour our money into this organization. Each year Planned Parenthood receives thousands of dollars from various levels of government to produce campaigns which promote sexual activity among teens. It operates at a national and local level too.
According to the group's charitable tax return for 2005, the Alberta government donated $95,000 of taxpayers' money to this organization. The provincial group's government support is small compared to Planned Parenthood Edmonton which received $411,147 from all three levels of government in 2005 with more than half, $276,000, coming from municipal governments. The Edmonton group describes itself as providing "pro-choice pregnancy options counseling." It also says it is "heavily active in the public school system in Edmonton and surrounding areas."
These groups pretend that they are teaching kids about healthy sexuality. In fact, Planned Parenthood Alberta, along with many PP groups across the country, is changing its name to "Sexual Health Matters." They say it better reflects their work but it also serves to distance them from many of the crude campaigns the organization here and in the United States have become famous for. Also, Planned Parenthood in the U.S. is the largest abortion provider in the country and the Canadian groups like to distance themselves from that.
If PP's goal is healthy sexuality, they have failed miserably. The group has been promoting its message for years in our public schools and we still have high rates of teen pregnancies and skyrocketing rates of sexually transmitted diseases among young people, particularly young women. These often lead to infertility, cervical cancer and a host of other problems.
On what authority do our elected officials presume to give our money to these groups? Has any health minister or children's services minister or even MLA ever surveyed parents on whether they a) believe a campaign like the "Give a F*ck" is appropriate for their children and, b) would they like to pay for the campaign? Could there be even 10% of parents who believe this is an appropriate and decent approach to teaching young people proper respect for each other?
What will it take to send the message to our municipal, provincial and federal politicians to stop using our money to sexualize our children? At a guess, it will take hundreds, possibly thousands of parents, expressing their outrage to the men and women who come around asking for their vote whenever there is a federal, provincial or municipal election. Politicians want to be re-elected. They want your vote. They respond when large numbers of voters tell them, "We will not vote for you if this activity continues." It really is that simple. But note, it does take large numbers.
Do enough of us care strongly enough about this latest PP Alberta campaign? Do we have the courage to visit our MLAs and demand they turn off the tap to this group?