SALT LAKE CITY, August 1, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Planned Parenthood printed a childhood religious phrase often used by young school students on a special run of condoms it intended to distribute at a dissident religious event last week.
The Planned Parenthood Action Council of Utah (PPACU) stamped the front of the prophylactics with the letters “CTR” emblazoned upon a shield.
The acronym, which stands for “Choose The Right,” and logo are familiar to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The term, something like a Mormon predecessor of “WWJD,” came into LDS usage after a hymn by that title gained popularity.
Beginning in 1970, a ring bearing the letters “CTR” atop a shield was given to every Mormon between the ages of six and seven to remind them to behave in a moral fashion.
An elementary Sunday School curriculum entitled “Choose the Right” contains titles like “I Can Follow Jesus Christ by Serving Others.”
PPACU created the specialty line of contraceptives to coincide with the annual symposium of Sunstone magazine, a dissident Mormon publication, which was taking place in Salt Lake City.
PPACU originally defended its choice in a Facebook post, saying, “While we acknowledge that this tongue-in-cheek messaging does not appeal to all audiences, Planned Parenthood often uses humor as a rhetorical device to spark open, honest conversations about sex.”
After public backlash, the liberal magazine said it would allow Planned Parenthood – one of 30 official vendors at the event – to distribute the condoms but not to display them openly.
However, Mormon church spokeswoman Kristen Howey said the logo and its distinctive shield design belong to the church, and Planned Parenthood had not sought permission to use its intellectual property. Scholars said the church would likely prevail in a lawsuit.
Although church officials did not confirm nor deny whether they had threatened legal action, Planned Parenthood announced it would not distribute the “CTR” condoms, after all.
“Our intent was never to offend, but to use the idea of ‘choosing the right’ to spark open, honest conversations about sexual health and contraception,” said Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Katrina Barker.
Planned Parenthood has a history of mocking religion. In 2002, it released a line of pro-abortion Christmas cards with the phrase, “Choice on Earth.”
The abortion provider later sold Christmas gift certificates that, its press release stated, “allow you to give the gift of life to your loved ones.”
Two years ago, Planned Parenthood offered buyers a S’mores kit that included a marshmallow with the abortion chain’s logo.