Judy Blume embroiled in Planned Parenthood controversy - Agency's fundraising push includes letter from famed author

Judy Blume embroiled in Planned Parenthood controversy - Agency's fundraising push includes letter from famed author
By Colleen Mastony
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune
May 9, 2009
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-talk-blumemay09,0,4908644.story


Judy Blume -- author of coming-of-age classics such as "Blubber," "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" and "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" -- sparked a firestorm this week when she wrote a letter on behalf of Planned Parenthood, describing a donation to the group as a "gift any mother will appreciate."

Planned Parenthood, which supports abortion rights, sent the letter Tuesday as part of a Mother's Day fundraising push, distributing it to more than 200,000 people who had signed up to receive e-mails from the organization. But anti-abortion groups quickly unleashed an angry response.

Steven Ertelt, editor of Lifenews.com, called Blume's letter "anti-woman and anti-child" and urged his readers to send letters of protest to Blume. By Friday, the famed author -- a longtime supporter of Planned Parenthood -- had received 300 e-mails. "A lot of them were harassing and intimidating," said Tait Sye, a Planned Parenthood spokesman.

But Blume's fans have fired back, sending e-mails and posting messages on Facebook and Twitter. Planned Parenthood said Friday that Blume has received 25,000 messages of support.

Notes read: "Help Judy Blume!" "Stand up for Judy" and, from one fan, "Are you there Judy? It's me, Carrie. Thx."