Another Sign of the Times? 'Planned Companionhood' Advocates for Pet Abortions

June 02, 2017

WRITER

No matter what bombshell report or undercover video surfaces, Planned Parenthood never takes the hit and they just keep trucking along. Try this mental exercise out for a second --- would the left be just as praiseworthy of a group that facilitated pet abortions?

Doc Thompson filled in for Glenn on radio Friday and had an interesting interview with a caller named Rich Pronsky who is starting a business called Planned Companionhood.

"You know, you're still going to have cats and dogs who get pregnant," Rich said. "You know, they have one too many at the kitty bar or whatever, and they wind up with this litter of babies that they might not want. And I believe --- I assume everybody does, the pets have the right to choose. It's their furry bodies, it's their choice."

Just who is this monster you might ask? Rich happens to be none other than former Blaze personality and comedian, Brian Sack. Don't worry animal lovers, Planned Companionhood is not coming to a dog park near you --- you can bark easy.

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

DOC: Hi, there it's Doc Thompson in for Glenn today. Thank you so much for joining me. Joined also by my fellow morning Blaze Brad Staggs and Kris Cruz along with Kal. We're regularly heard on the Blaze radio network. Weekday morning 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. Eastern time just go TheBlaze.com/Doc to find out more about us. We talk a lot about businesses and entrepreneurship, I think that's really the backbone of America. Capitalism and free market. And the more we can teach people that and support businesses, it's going to be better for all of us. So we often give people free airtime. We just say come and promote your business. The listeners get to hear about great stories of entrepreneurial and great products. So if you have a business that you want to discuss, just tweet ought at any time with the #BuildingAmerica. #BuildingAmerica, and we go through from time to time and we'll reach out to you saying, hey, we have an opening. We're usually backlogged a few weeks or so. Obviously a lot of people are interested.

BRAD: Free advertising? Backlog?

DOC: Yeah, imagine that. If you're interested, you can go back and search.

KRIS: And it's interesting you say we will go through me. That we is one person.

DOC: Yeah, by "we" I mean Kris. So we spotlight those. Sometimes their businesses have been around for a while, sometimes startup businesses. We have one of those startup business that is trying to get crowd sourcing trying to get started. It's an interesting startup. Rich is joining us from Planned Companionhood. Rich, How are you doing, buddy?

CALLER: Hi, how are you, Doc?

DOC: Doing well, sir. Give me the basic concept of what your business is.

CALLER: Sure. First, thank you for having me on. This is a great platform for me. I'm very excited. I had this idea that came to me the other night, and I did what pretty much all of my friends on Facebook have done. I started a GoFundMe to kind of raise money for this concept. It's Planned Companionhood and what I want to establish is a series of clinics across the United States that provide health services for pets.

DOC: Okay. That's --

KRIS: That's pretty smart.

DOC: How does that differ from any of the veterinarian services or health services out there?

CALLER: You're right. I don't have a degree in veterinarianism. I'm trying to get one from a prest I cannot online university. It's taking some time. I will have it. But in the meantime, we offer services very similar. We spay and neuter cats and dogs, mostly. And something I thought of I thought was very clever. We're going to offer mammal grams. So they're like a pet mammogram. And, again, I don't have the degree in veterinarianism, so you take the cat booby or whatever the medical term is. And you have the glass plates and see if there are any troubles. Also, we're going to offer pet pregnancy counseling to cats and dogs just to kind of guide -- what to expect when you're expecting kind of thing.

BRAD: To the owners of the pets; right? I mean, you're offering counseling to the owners of the pets.

CALLER: Oh, that's interesting. That's interesting. You know, that's not a bad idea. We include the owners. Bring the owners in.

DOC: Yeah, they could be a part of that. I can see that. So you're doing a lot of reproductive health as part of this clinic; is that right.

CALLER: Absolutely. We're going to offer contraceptives. We have kitty condoms, doggy diaphragms, and the IUD, which I understand is for intrauterine because that's -- I tried it out on him, and he seemed to, you know, not take to it. But we'll see. Maybe it works on other dogs. I don't know.

DOC: Interesting. Interesting. Yeah.

CALLER: And we're going to offer of course pregnancy termination.

DOC: So you can spade and neuter before, but you're also going to terminate pregnancies as well for pets?

CALLER: Well, you know, you kind of have to because even though you make these efforts and try to control pet overpopulation or whatever and get the message out there. But, you know, you're still going to have cats and dogs who get pregnant. You know, they have one too many at the kitty bar or whatever, and they wind up with this litter of babies that they might not want. And I believe -- I assume everybody does, the pets have the right to choose. It's their furry bodies, it's their choice.

DOC: So kitty and doggy abortions is what you're saying.

CALLER: Well, I don't like to use that word so I call it termination.

DOC: Okay. Uh-huh. So if they -- this is -- wow that's kind of new. I hadn't heard that. We always hear spade and neuter your pets. Control pet overpopulation. Spade and neuter.

CALLER: That's where I think Planned Companionhood is different.

DOC: Okay. Is pet overpopulation still that big of an issue where we would have to get to the point where you're aborting -- I'm sorry terminating the kitties and puppies? Is it that big of a --

CALLER: You have orphan pets all over the place and the adoption process for pets can take sometimes minutes to hours to get, you know? These pets and that might be a handful.

KRIS: Kris Cruz here. I just have a question for you. You say you posted this on Facebook. Have you gotten any backlash from, you know, the people who are against puppies abortion or any kind of abortion?

CALLER: Well, honestly, what is the red face mean?

DOC: Oh, the emoji? I don't think that's a good one for you.

CALLER: I haven't looked into it. We have a lot of those, but I can feel the energy shortly after we posted it. But I've really been devoting my morning especially to just kind of coming up with my ideas.

DOC: Kind of formulating them.

BRAD: What about counseling? With this counseling, is there going to be alternatives discussed? I mean --

CALLER: You know, we've -- it's more, you know, more like counseling like scheduling the pregnancy termination. Like, what day works better for you? Would a Friday be better? Do you want to come in on a weekend? Monday after work. Like, what -- we're going to work about -- it's about accommodating the people. The kitties or the doggies.

BRAD: I would think somebody would be willing to take the puppies the kids were born and somebody would be able to take them and adopt them.

CALLER: Yeah, I don't know. It just seems to me, you know, you want to give the pet the right to just say, you know, I want this or I don't want this. Get it out of here, you know? Because honestly, and, again, I don't have a degree in veterinarianism, and I will soon from a prest I cannot and accredited online university. But from what I know, it's just a clump of cells in there until they're born. And --

DOC: So you're saying because of these animals are pregnant, we've got to control overpopulation that it's better to go ahead and just abort them, the doggies and kitties, rather than just have people come by and adopt them?

CALLER: Yeah, because, you know, when a kitty cat or doggy gets knocked up for whatever reason, and they forgot to practice whatever and things happen, and then they get pregnant, you don't want to burden that kitty cat or doggy with puppies and kitties meowing and things.

DOC: Okay. I imagine there's going to be some people -- we're talking with Rich Pronsky from Planned Companionhood or what he hopes will become a series of clinics.

CALLER: Right now, we have raised $34.17.

KRIS: What's your goal?

CALLER: We need at least 250 million.

KRIS: Okay. And that covers.

CALLER: That covers the whole country plus give myself a decent salary.

KRIS: So that covers all the clinics or just one clinic with multiple doctors? I mean not doctors, veterinarians with veterinarianism certification, or is it just you performing all of these procedures?

CALLER: No. No. There will be all scattered all over the country and, you know, people are going to come in, they're going to come in on a leisure, they're going to come in however they want to come in, and we're going to help them.

DOC: So I have to think there's going to be some people who don't like the idea of dog abortions or cat abortions.

CALLER: I did run into a few of those on the sidewalk. Yeah.

DOC: What is your response to them where they're saying, hey, that's a life, and you're killing the little doggies and puppies? What do you say to those people?

CALLER: They made an argument, yes, this is an adorable puppy. How could you do that to an adorable puppy. Like, look at this little puppy right here how cute is she? And I was rubbing her. And I understand what they're saying. But then again, you know, if you have a cat or a dog that has a bunch of puppies or kitties inside, you know? Why not encourage them to kill them?

BRAD: Cost. Let's talk about cost. Is this going to -- you're going to obviously charge people -- the owners, I'm assuming are going to end up paying for these terminations.

CALLER: Preferably the taxpayer would. I'm going to see what I can do about that. But we have gotten some grants from the USDA, which I assume is the United States dog association. I don't really know.

KRIS: We know that Bob Hope; right? He was --

DOC: No, Bob Barker.

KRIS: Bob Barker.

BRAD: Bob Hope's dead.

KRIS: Have you tried to reach out to any celebrities? Because this is something they might want to get involved with.

DOC: Yeah, Drew Carey took over for barker.

CALLER: I haven't thought about that. But if you could recommend that, that would be great. You need that celebrity to help kind of sell your -- you know like when Sean Penn helps sell Venezuela and Hugo Ch·vez, you want someone like that and deliver that message who says take this. It's great.

DOC: So animals come in, and they're already pregnant, and you're saying we're going to go ahead and abort the kitties and puppies.

CALLER: If you don't, they're going to run out and have a back alley pet abortion.

KRIS: Or they're going to go to Mexico and have a abortion, which is dangerous.

BRAD: And then they have the slut term.

DOC: I didn't realize back alley pet abortions were a thing. But what would be the problem with that -- why is that a concern of yours --

CALLER: Because I haven't been in a back alley in a long time. Long story, and it ended poorly. But, you know, I assume that these things are going on in back alleys all the time if we don't establish these clinics.

DOC: So you establish a fee. But is that per kitty or doggy aborted? Or is that per service.

KRIS: Terminated.

DOC: Because, you know, sometimes it could be three or five, and you don't know. So the dog comes in, and you go it's going to be certain fee. But then it ends up being six puppies.

CALLER: Right. We call that jackpot.

DOC: Oh, for you?

CALLER: That's when you go, like, yes. And you do that gesture with your hand, and you go "yes" because that means you're going to make extra money. If you're expecting three, and you got six, that's bonus time.

BRAD: So there is some profit to be had on that backside? That makes sense from a profit standpoint.

DOC: We've heard this forever. Control pet population. How come you still have so many pets getting pregnant like this is for years -- have them spade and neutered, and we still have a pet overpopulation problem. How come we still have it then?

CALLER: A very, very good question. Basically pets in the U.S. are not getting quality sex education. And if you think about it, you know, most cats are locked up in a house like a Saudi wife. And dogs, they're literally kept on a very short leash and, you know, when you see people walking their dogs, you don't see them giving them education in sex, talking about the birds and bees. You just see them letting them pee all over the place.

DOC: And that would be a good opportunity right there, I would think --

CALLER: You get to -- yes, instead of getting down and picking up the pooh-pooh, you get down there, and you say, you know, if the dog's name is Rover, you go Rover, let's get a little awkward now and talk about things.

DOC: I mean, I'm not a fan of abortion. We're talking with rich from Planned Companionhood. I don't like abortion, but I can imagine you getting backlash online from this.

CALLER: Yeah, it does seem to be growing.

BRAD: You can take that awkward moment when your dog is humping your leg to --

DOC: This is a teachable moment.

KRIS: Are you going to lead with pet puppy termination? Or are you just going to be, like, hey, we provide all of this other stuff? Or are you just going to lead with the pet terminations?

CALLER: Well, I think like any business, you're going to go where the profit center is; right? Now, once again, I don't have a degree in business, but I am working on one from a prestigious online university, but I know when I run my business, and I'll just tell you right now we're up to $34.82. When I do run my business, I'm going to go where the profit is.

DOC: Rich, interesting concept. We wish you the best in your business.

What is the Secret Service trying to hide about Trump's assassination attempt?

KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor, Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

This past weekend we were mere inches away from a radically different America than the one we have today. This was the first time a president had been wounded by a would-be assassin since 1981, and the horrific event has many people questioning the competency and motives of the supposedly elite agents trusted with the president's life.

The director of the Secret Service apparently knew about the assassin's rooftop before the shooting—and did nothing.

Kimberly Cheatle has come under intense scrutiny these last couple of weeks, as Secret Service director she is responsible for the president's well-being, along with all security operations onsite. In a recent interview with ABC, Cheatle admitted that she was aware of the building where the assassin made his mark on American history. She even said that she was mindful of the potential risk but decided against securing the site due to "safety concerns" with the slope of the roof. This statement has called her competence into question. Clearly, the rooftop wasn't that unsafe if the 20-year-old shooter managed to access it.

Glenn pointed out recently that Cheatle seems to be unqualified for the job. Her previous position was senior director in global security at America's second-favorite soda tycoon, PepsiCo. While guarding soda pop and potato chips sounds like an important job to some, it doesn't seem like a position that would qualify you to protect the life of America's most important and controversial people. Even considering her lack of appropriate experience, this seems like a major oversight that even a layperson would have seen. Can we really chalk this up to incompetence?

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor | Getty Images

The Secret Service and DHS said they'd be transparent with the investigation...

Shortly after the attempted assassination, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Secret Service, launched an investigation into the shooting and the security protocols in place at the rally. The DHS promised full transparency during the investigation, but House Republicans don't feel that they've been living up to that promise. Republican members of the House Oversight Committee are frustrated with Director Cheatle after she seemingly dodged a meeting scheduled for Tuesday. This has resulted in calls for Cheatle to step down from her position.

Two FBI agents investigate the assassin's rooftop Jeff Swensen / Stringer | Getty Images

Why is the Secret Service being so elusive? Are they just trying to cover their blunder? We seem to be left with two unsettling options: either the government is even more incompetent than we'd ever believed, or there is more going on here than they want us to know.

Cheatle steps down

Following a horrendous testimony to the House Oversight Committee Director Cheatle finally stepped down from her position ten days after the assassination attempt. Cheatle failed to give any meaningful answer to the barrage of questions she faced from the committee. These questions, coming from both Republicans and Democrats, were often regarding basic information that Cheatle should have had hours after the shooting, yet Cheatle struggled with each and every one. Glenn pointed out that Director Cheatle's resignation should not signal the end of the investigation, the American people deserve to know what happened.

What we DO and DON'T know about Thomas Matthew Crooks

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It has been over a week since 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks narrowly failed to assassinate President Trump while the president gave a speech at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennslyvania. Despite the ongoing investigations, we still know very little about the would-be assassin, which has left many wondering if the agencies involved are limiting the information that Congress and the public are receiving.

As Glenn has pointed out, there are still major questions about the shooter that are unanswered, and the American people are left at the whim of unreliable federal agencies. Here is everything we know—and everything we don't know—about Thomas Matthew Crooks:

Who was he?

What we know:Thomas Crooks lived in Bethel Parks, Pennsylvania, approximately an hour south of Butler. Crooks went to high school in Bethel Parks, where he would graduate in 2022. Teachers and classmates described him as a loner and as nerdy, but generally nice, friendly, and intelligent. Crooks tried out for the school rifle team but was rejected due to his poor aim, and reports indicate that Crooks was often bullied for his nerdy demeanor and for wearing camo hunting gear to school.

After high school, Crooks began work at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center as a dietary aide. In fact, he was scheduled to work on the day of the rally but requested the day off. He passed a background check to work at the facility and was reportedly an unproblematic employee. Crooks was also a member of a local gun club where he practiced shooting the day before the rally.

It was recently revealed that sometime before his attempted assassination, Crooks posted the following message on Steam, a popular computer application used for playing video games: "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds." Aside from this, Crooks posted no warning or manifesto regarding his attack, and little other relevant information is known about him.

What we don't know:It is unclear what Crook's political affiliations or views were, or if he was aligned with any extremist organizations. Crooks was a registered Republican, and his classmates recall him defending conservative ideas and viewpoints in class. On the other hand, the Federal Election Commission has revealed he donated to a progressive PAC on the day Biden was inaugurated. He also reportedly wore a COVID mask to school much longer than was required.

Clearly, we are missing the full picture. Why would a Republican attempt to assassinate the Republican presidential nominee? What is to gain? And why would he donate to a progressive organization as a conservative? This doesn't add up, and so far the federal agencies investigating the attack have yet to reveal anything more.

What were his goals?

What we know: Obviously we know he was trying to assassinate President Trump—and came very close to succeeding, but beyond that, Crooks' goals are unknown. He left no manifesto or any sort of written motive behind, or if he did, the authorities haven't published it yet. We have frustratingly little to go off of.

What we don't know: As stated before, we don't know anything about the movies behind Crooks' heinous actions. We are left with disjointed pieces that make it difficult to paint a cohesive picture of this man. There is also the matter that he left explosives, ammo, and a bulletproof vest in his car. Why? Did he assume he was going to make it back to his car? Or were those supplies meant for an accomplice that never showed up?

The shocking lack of information on Crooks' motives makes it seem likely that we are not being let on to the whole truth.

Did he work alone?

What we know: Reportedly, Crooks was the only gunman on the site, and as of now, no other suspects have been identified. The rifle used during the assassination attempt was purchased and registered by Crooks' father. However, it is unlikely that the father was involved as he reported both his son and rifle missing the night of the assassination attempt. Crooks' former classmates described him as a "loner," which seems to corroborate the narrative that he worked alone.

What we don't know: We know how Crooks acquired his rifle, but what about the rest of his equipment? He reportedly had nearly a hundred extra rounds of ammunition, a bulletproof vest, and several homemade bombs in his car. Could these have been meant for a co-conspirator who didn't show? Did Crooks acquire all of this equipment himself, or did he have help?

There's also the matter of the message Crooks left on the video game platform Steam that served as his only warning of the attack. Who was the message for? Are there people out there who were aware of the attack before it occurred? Why didn't they alert authorities?

We know authorities have access to Crooks' laptop and cellphone that probably contain the answers to these pertinent questions. Why haven't we heard any clarity from the authorities? It seems we are again at the mercy of the federal bureaucracy, which begs one more question: Will we ever know the whole truth?

Who will be Kamala Harris' VP pick?

JIM WATSON / Contributor, Chris duMond / Stringer, Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Over the weekend, President Joe Biden officially dropped out of the 2024 presidential election and put forward his endorsement behind his Vice President Kamala Harris.

Glenn recently predicted that Biden would step down due to the mountain of pressure within his party to do so. But now that we are here we are faced with an all-new line of questions, like, who will be the candidate on the Democratic ticket? Who will be their pick for vice president?

As of now, the answer to the first question seems to be Kamala Harris, who received the support of the president and several prominent democrats. It's still too early to call for certain, and Glenn doesn't think it's likely, but assuming Kamala becomes the Democrat nominee, who will her VP pick be? There are endless possible options, but there are a 5 big names that could prove beneficial to Harris' campaign:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom

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Governor Newsom has spiked in popularity within his party since his taking office in 2019 due to his scathing criticisms of President Trump and other Republicans. Newsom has been a popular contender as a possible Biden replacement, and a future presidential bid seems likely.

His widespread recognition may be a boon to Kamala's ticket, but the California governor comes with a dark side. Newsom was famously nearly recalled as Governor in 2021, hanging on to his office by a narrow margin. He also faced criticism for his hypocrisy during the COVID lockdowns, attending large gatherings while the rest of his state was locked inside. There's also the issue that both Newsom and Kamala are from California, meaning that if they were to appear on the same ticket, that ticket would lack geographical balance and would potentially lead to a Constitutional issue that would force the duo to forfeit all 54 of the states' Electoral College votes.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

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Another prominent Democrat Governor, Josh Shapiro has also been floated as a potential VP pick. Governor Shapiro has become a viable pick due to his well-received performance as Pennslyvania's Governor. The governor has good support within the swing state due to his handling of the I-95 bridge collapse, the train derailment in East Palestine, which had effects on his state, and the assassination attempt on the former president last week. Shapiro would bring much-needed support from the swing state if he was put on the ticket.

That being said, Shapiro has little time to build nationwide name recognition before the DNC in August and the November election. This would be Shapiro's debut on the national stage, and he would find himself in the most unforgiving situation possible.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg

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Former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and opponent of Biden during the 2020 Democratic primaries, "Mayor Pete's" name recognition might be what Kamala needs on her presidential ticket. Buttigieg rose to popularity during the 2020 election due to his youth and status as "openly gay." Buttigieg has served as the Secretary of Transportation during the Biden administration for the past four years and has formally endorsed Harris.

Nevertheless, Buttigieg has some dark spots on his resume. The East Palestine train derailment disaster has besmirched his reputation as Secretary of Transportation. And while his youth may work in his favor when compared to the other elderly members of our federal government, it also means Buttigieg lacks the experience and prestige that other politicians enjoy.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

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Yet another governor of a crucial swing state, Whitmer was elected in 2018, two years after President Trump was elected, helping secure the state for the Democrats. Whitmer is known for her strong opposition to Trump, both during his presidency and his reelection campaign. Whitmer serves as co-chair for the Biden-Harris campaign and as vice chairperson of the DNC, which gives her influence over the Democratic party, something that would come in handy as a Vice President. Gov. Whitmer also established the Fight Like Hell PAC, which is dedicated to helping Democrats get elected and to stopping Trump by any means.

On the other hand, in a statement following Biden's resignation from the election, Governor Whitmer stated that her role “will remain the same.” It is also worth noting that if she were to be chosen as Kamala's VP, that would make their ticket all-female, which may foster some "woke points," but is politically risky.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear

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Andy Bashear has seemingly beaten the odds twice, having been elected and reelected as the Governor of Kentucky, despite the deep-red nature of the state. Beshear, who has moderate tendencies, would be a boon to the Harris campaign as he has a track record of reaching rural, typically conservative regions where Democrats tend to struggle. He is also known for his propensity to talk about his Christian faith and willingness to work with Republicans, which are traits that might help win over moderates.

But, like Gov. Shapiro, Bashear has very little time to whip up national support and recognition. He also is unlikely to be very much help for the Harris campaign in winning over important swing states.

Five times Glenn had J.D. Vance on his show and where he stands on key issues

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We finally have an answer to the long-awaited question of who Trump will pick for his running mate, and it's none other than Ohio Senator and friend of the show, J.D. Vance. At the RNC in Milwaukee, Trump officially accepted the party's nomination as the Republican candidate and announced J.D. Vance as his running mate.

Glenn has had Senator Vance on the show several times to discuss everything from DEI to the Southern Border. If you are looking to familiarize yourself with the next potential Vice President, look no further, here are five conversations Glenn had with Trump's VP pick:

Glenn's Show Prep