Maine Family Planning flooded with contributions after faith-based taunt

Sign posted on the wall at Maine Family Planning

Sign posted on the wall at Maine Family Planning

Just three days after the clinic picketers at the Christian Civic League claimed in an email blast that their prayers had caused Maine Family Planning to receive fewer contributions this year, more than 155 new donors have already stepped forward to help prove them wrong.

As of Sunday at 5pm, MFP had already raised an additional $5,981, more than doubling the amount they had received for their Pledge-a-Picketer campaign to that point and far outpacing both their goals for the campaign and last year’s total contributions.

Nice job, folks.

Mainers from across the state began contributing to the effort after my blog post on Friday, but the fundraising really got going thanks to the support of Seattle-based sex and relationship advice columnist Dan Savage, who engaged his considerable social media following in the cause. After Savage’s tweets and blog post, individuals from all over the country and the world started making contributions to the Maine clinics.

MFP was kind enough to share some of the messages they received along with the contributions:

To the staff- keep up the good work. To your patients – continue to take care of yourself and your family as you see fit. To both – be strong!  –Maine

Thank you for bravely continuing to offer medical care to women in need!   –Texas

Thank you for the work you do and please pay no attention to the “Maine Christian Civic League.” They know very little about God.  –Maine

Keep up the good work! As a woman from Georgia who had to drive 100 miles to the nearest family planning clinic, this is awesome. Rock on! I wish I had more to donate. –Brooklyn

Thank you, thank you! Your work is all about supporting new life and health for women and families. –Maine

Keep on making life better. You’re on the right side of history and of daily medical care. Here’s to the day when this whole issue will be a historical footnote. –Massachusetts

I trust women to make their own healthcare decisions. A woman’s reproductive health isn’t just a woman’s issue, it’s a human issue. –Maine

My wife is from Belfast and we want you to keep fighting the good fight! –Washington, D.C.

In honor of Pastor Bob Emrich, Chairman, Christian Civic League of Maine, 70 Seawall Street, Augusta, ME  04330 –Maryland

We deeply appreciate all that Maine Family Planning is doing to ensure the health and safety of all Mainers.  —Maine

You are wonderful. –NYC

You are amazing! Trust yourself. Thank you, thank you, thank you, MFP! –Maine

As I said on Friday, access to safe health care and abortion services is an important social, community and economic issue, not just for the women who visit Maine Family Planning’s clinics, but for everyone in Maine. It’s great to see so many people come together to make this kind of statement.

Is it too much to hope that the Christian Civic League, who claimed their intercessory prayer had affected MFP’s fundraising, will recognize this reversal as an Easter miracle and reevaluate their campaign of mockery and harassment? Perhaps, but I still look forward to their next email.

Mike Tipping

About Mike Tipping

Mike is Maine's longest-writing political blogger and explores state politics and policy with a focus on analysis and explanation. He works at the Maine People's Alliance and Maine People's Resource Center.