Actress Mila Kunis has become the latest celebrity to donate to Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. She’s doing so in Vice-President Mike Pence’s name, regarding her move of reoccurring donations “a peaceful protest” when she made the announcement during last week’s appearance on “Conan.”
Kunis’ statement about the organization, and about Pence, seems to convey a clouded view:
I apologize if I’m offending anybody. It’s not so much a prank as much as I agreed with some of the stuff Pence was doing and was trying to do, and so as a reminder there are women out there in the world who may or may not agree with his platform, I put him on a list of reoccurring donations that are made in his name to Planned Parenthood… Every month to his office he gets a little letter that says ‘an anonymous donation has been made in your name.’ I don’t look at it as a prank, this is just like I strongly disagree and this is my little way of showing it.
Regardless as to if Kunis views the move as “a prank” or not, it highlights an issue facing many Americans in this country. Planned Parenthood receives over half a billion dollars of taxpayer funding every year, at an increasing rate. Whether or not such a “little letter” is sent, pro-lifers like Pence and countless everyday Americans already send money over to the organization, whether they agree with its tactics or not, simply by being law abiding citizens who pay taxes.
In what was surely not an intentional move on her part, Kunis opened up another conversation on the issue of funding Planned Parenthood. If Americans freely choose to donate to Planned Parenthood on their own—or, in this case, conscript those who don’t agree, in what can only be seen as a cheap shot, regardless of the intent—then they surely don’t need taxpayer dollars.
Kunis’ statement is misguided in other ways. Planned Parenthood, for instance, doesn’t apologize for their offense, whether it’s over aborting an unborn child roughly every 97 seconds, or impugning women who would dare to be pro-life and vote in such a way.
Further, there have been pranks against Pence, a pro-life stalwart. One of the more unseemly and memorable examples included the “Periods for Pence” campaign, after he signed pro-life legislation as the governor of Indiana in 2016. Such legislation has since been struck down by courts.
Kunis’ decision to visibly support an abortion provider also stands in contrast to a character her husband, Ashton Kutcher, portrayed in Netflix’s “The Ranch,” in which he was against the abortion of the unborn child his ex-girlfriend was planning on, while still being supportive of her and his child.
READ: New Season of Ashton Kutcher’s Netflix Sitcom Features Character Who Rejects Abortion
Pence, however, ever a classy individual, chose to react by focusing on the pro-life efforts in response to Kunis’ donation.
Susan B. Anthony List, which endorses pro-life candidates for office, is likewise accepting donations in Pence’s name, as reported by the Daily Wire. In his response shortly after the pro-life organization announced their intentions over Twitter, Pence said he was “honored” and “I’m in.
I'm honored. Thanks for all @SBAList does for life. I'm in. https://t.co/3wWGRHc7yU
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) November 4, 2017
As Kunis blithely expected during her late-night appearance, suggesting she may not have been so apologetic after all, there have been other reactions, including backlash. Many are calling for a boycott over Jim Beam, which uses Kunis as their spokesperson.