NOTE: To download a PDF version of this report, please click here.
Illinois People’s Action
Illinois People’s Action (IPA) has received a total of $195,000 since 2012 from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), including its most recent grant of $30,000 during the 2020-2021 grants cycle.
The Illinois People’s Action published a tweet in 2021 advocating for abortion, indicating that the organization itself is ideologically connected to the fight for abortion. In addition to this, IPA is a member of the pro-abortion People’s Action Institute, participated in the pro-abortion, pro-LGBTQ ONE People’s Action event, and its executive director, Don Carlson, is on the board of directors of the ONE People’s Campaign.
On May 26, 2021, IPA retweeted a message that suggests that pro-lifers do not consider the mother of a preborn child with equal dignity to the growing infant in the womb.
While this lone tweet doesn’t prove anything, necessarily, it does suggest a pro-abortion mindset from the organization. And given the relationship IPA has with the People’s Action Institute, it makes sense.
The CCHD absolutely forbids organizations from membership in organizations acting against Catholic teaching. In an FAQ on the USCCB website, the CCHD directly answers the question about whether grantees may be members of coalitions that oppose Catholic teachings. In answer, the CCHD firmly stated, “CCHD will not fund groups that are knowingly members of coalitions that have as part of their organizational purpose or coalition agenda, positions or actions that contradict fundamental Catholic moral and social teaching.”
Despite this, IPA is a dues-paying member of the People’s Action Institute. While there is a disclaimer on the People’s Action Institute membership page saying, “Member organizations are independent and affiliation does not imply agreement or participation in all of the positions or programs of People’s Action Institute,” this does not exempt IPA from the CCHD’s guideline specifically forbidding membership. The fact that IPA is a dues-paying member makes this formal relationship even more serious.
On page 9 of PIA’s 2019 tax form 990, organizational members of People’s Action Institute pay annual dues to the organization.
Additionally, in 2019 IPA’s executive director, Don Carlson, was on the board of directors for People’s Action Institute. IPA’s About page indicates that Don Carlson has been the executive director of IPA since 1996, and has serves on the board of IPA’s “national affiliate, People’s Action Institute.”
The People’s Action Institute tax form 990 referenced above indicates that in 2019, Carlson was on the board of directors, which would have been during the time IPA was receiving CCHD funding.
As far back as 2012, the People’s Action Institute has been advocating for abortion and birth control. In May of 2012, PAI posted an image of Socialist Bernie Sanders and his cry “we’re not going back” regarding women’s access to birth control and abortion. PAI said, in regard to Sanders’ message, “Click LIKE & SHARE if you agree with Bernie Sanders – ‘we are not going back’!”
In September of 2018, PAI posted a call to have Bret Kavanaugh voted down as a candidate for the Supreme Court saying, “We won’t go back to a world without safe, legal abortion.”
In March of 2019, PAI published its “Healthcare For All Platform,” which demanded that all attempts to obstruct access to abortion be stopped, completely.
On June 24, 2022, the very day the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, People’s Action issued a press release calling the landmark ruling a “direct assault on our people’s freedom to make decisions about what’s best for them.” People’s Action then vowed to “fight back,” saying:
“Access to abortion care is central to protecting our bodily autonomy, health care, privacy, and freedom. Anti-abortion legislation is not pro-life: it’s pro-white supremacy and anti-democratic.
“We need to defend our democracy and protect our people. At People’s Action, we’re leading an organizing revival to build a government for us and led by us, the multiracial, poor and working class. This ruling only fuels our righteous rage and determination to fight back.”
In addition to having served on the Board of Directors of the People’s Action Institute, Don Carlson is currently on the Board of Directors for ONE People’s Action.
In fact, Don Carlson was one of the founding board members of the ONE People’s Campaign.
On June 28, 2022, Carlson signed a ONE People’s Campaign letter calling on people to “Fight Dobbs” saying, “We know we will find new ways to care for each other and ensure access to abortion.” The letter also says:
“We need people in office who will protect access to safe, free, legal abortions no matter where the person lives. We need legislators who will be particularly attuned to making sure poor women, transmen and gender nonconforming people, immigrant women, women of color and all people who need an abortion can access one.“
The letter was also signed by Dawn Dannenbring, IPA’s “Lead Organizer” and the only other employee listed on IPA’s website. Here is the letter in full:
Conclusion
The lone pro-abortion tweet published by Illinois People’s Action clearly reflects the pro-abortion mindset of its principle staff, Don Carlson and Dawn Dannenbring. The fact that Carlson and Dannebring both signed the ONE People’s Campaign letter calling for protected and unrestricted access to abortion constitutes direct action on the part of Illinois People’s Action. Furthermore, the fact that IPA is a dues-paying member and has had board member representation on the People’s Action Institute – an organization with a history of promoting abortion as far back as 2012 – there is no way IPA should have ever been considered for a CCHD grant, further exposing the lie that is the CCHD’s “vigorous vetting process.”
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