40 Days for Life accused Planned Parenthood in Florida of violating its non-profit status. CEO Shawn Carney said he hopes President-elect Donald Trump will take action to investigate the group for alleged election violations.
(LifeSiteNews) -- 40 Days for Life is accusing Planned Parenthood of violating the law by allegedly coordinating with the Harris-Walz presidential campaign.
LifeSiteNews obtained a copy of the complaint from 40 Days for Life.
The complaint to the Internal Revenue Service says the group has "information about potentially prohibited political activities that may impact the tax-exempt status of Planned Parenthood of Sarasota, Florida."
The accusations, which include photographic evidence, accuse Planned Parenthood of allowing political activities on a property it owns through an art gallery that leases the space.
"The provision of office space juxtaposes its tax-exempt privilege against a politically charged environment, serving as a clear indicator of political endorsement or opposition of particular candidates and parties," the complaint states.
The presidential campaign reportedly held several phone banking events at the gallery in the last several weeks of the campaign, according to the complaint.
"They were giving out flyers that said Tim Walz Tuesdays, which doesn't sound like the greatest time in the world, but nevertheless, they were promoting all these events, of hosting (Walz) Harris campaign events and providing their space to do that, which, of course, they did not do for the Republicans," CEO Shawn Carney told Fox News recently.
"And you just can't do that as a 501c3. This is very, very basic," Carney said. "They were stupid to do it."He said Planned Parenthood in Florida allowed the campaign to use its headquarters in Sarasota.
"Planned Parenthood’s activities, in this case, are starkly different from permissible lobbying," the complaint allegedly states.
The group witnessed the alleged violations because it is regularly outside of Planned Parenthood peacefully protesting, Carney told Fox News.
Carney said he hopes the Trump administration takes action. He noted the group also filed a complaint against Planned Parenthood for providing services near the Democratic National Convention in Chicago (though the bus was not at it).
He said the allegations are against the 501c3 but noted Planned Parenthood has a 501c4, which could do some political activities.
"It was definitely not their action fund," Carney told Fox News.
Carney called the DNC bus and the campaigning "reckless behavior." He said the incidents should further bolster calls to defund the Planned Parenthood.
Carney noted both Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance have called for defunding Planned Parenthood. "They should not get 750 million of our tax dollars."
The 40 Days for Life CEO said he alerted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' team, although this is ultimately a "federal violation."
"We have all the evidence, and we all have the pictures of them just promoting Tim Walz and the Harris-Walz campaign and trying to use their location to get votes for a candidate," Carney said. "It's a clear violation and we look forward to the Trump administration taking up the investigation."LifeSiteNews left a voicemail for Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida's communications representative but did not immediately receive a response to it or an email.
Planned Parenthood backed the Walz-Harris campaign. The losing ticket supported abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. As governor, Tim Walz removed any limits on abortion and removed a requirement to track complications after the killing of a preborn baby.
Planned Parenthood of Minnesota's political arm praised Walz and Harris, thanking them for touring a facility in St. Paul.
"We are proud to have two Planned Parenthood champions at the top of the ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota’s own Governor Tim Walz,” Tim Stanley, executive director of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota Political Action Fund, stated in August 2024. “When they visited the Planned Parenthood in St. Paul this March, they showed the country that they are serious about protecting access to essential health care. Harris and Walz show up. They care.”
Meanwhile, defunding Planned Parenthood remains a possibility for the incoming Trump administration. Although Trump opposes new federal protections for preborn babies, his allies, including Elon Musk, Speaker Johnson, and Vice President-elect JD Vance, support defunding the abortion giant.
“Two specific examples: Planned Parenthood and PBS are in congressional control. Are you planning to axe both of those?” Fox News host Martha MacCallum asked Johnson during an interview in December 2024.
“I would like to. That’s for sure,” he said. However, he said “we have got to build consensus to have the votes to do that.”
