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The Michigan Department of Community Health has cancelled an approved $200,000 grant to Planned Parenthood Mid and South Michigan as confirmed by Ed Rivet, Legislative Director for Right to Life of Michigan, who I spoke with this morning.

The grant was to help Planned Parenthood furbish its 17,050 sq. ft. mill in Auburn Hills, which at present is just an unfinished big box.

Planned Parenthood paid $733,151 cash for the structure in November 2010.

(Interestingly, Planned Parenthood is misrepresenting how big the building is and how much it paid.)

But there was a wrinkle, a deed restriction on the building barring its use as an abortion clinic. The restriction was put in place by the owners of the Comfort Inn Hotel located behind the building when they purchased it from the former owner of Planned Parenthood’s property several years ago.

In October 2010 Planned Parenthood attorneys tried to pull a fast one by getting the Comfort Inn owners to agree the building could be used as a “medical office[ ],” without mentioning the A-word or telling them Planned Parenthood was the purchaser. Planned Parenthood readily admits this.

After Planned Parenthood went on to buy the building under false pretenses, the Comfort Inn owners balked when learning the new owner’s identity.
Now Planned Parenthood is suing the Comfort Inn owners.

Meanwhile, the Michigan Department of Community Health has cancelled the $200,000 grant, which was to be spent in 2011.

Planned Parenthood’s big box has now been sitting vacant for over a year. It originally planned to open for business last “May/June.”

Lawyers return to court in January. Experts say Planned Parenthood overpaid for the building to begin with, particularly in light of Michigan’s economy.

Planned Parenthood is losing money every day that it is not open, and if it has to sell it stands to lose even more.

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Nor can Planned Parenthood now count on the State of Michigan to help it buy carpeting and plants even if it retains the property.

Pro-lifers have been protesting at the site for over a year, led by Dr. Monica Miller and Citizens for a Pro-life Society and aided by Pro-Life Action League.

Dave Thiesen of RealEstateforLife.org should also be commended for using his expertise to help block Planned Parenthood because of the deed restriction.

[Protest photo via The Oakland Press]

Reprinted with permission from JillStanek.com