Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - At least one affiliate of the nation's largest abortion provider is using taxpayer dollars to recruit new customers, according to documents obtained by CNSNews.com Monday.

Planned Parenthood of North Central Ohio applied for and received a $5,145 grant from the Morrow County, Ohio, Job and Family Services agency's "Wellness Program Committee" for the 2002-2003 fiscal year. The committee administers taxpayer funded grants including those from the federal/state Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program.

The abortion and contraceptive seller plans to use the money to pay eight "teen outreach workers" to recruit new customers from among their peers. Under the proposal, select teens from Morrow County schools would be paid $100 to complete "outreach" training, and $5 for each new customer, up to 20, referred to Planned Parenthood's abortion clinic in Cardington, Ohio.

Ed Szymkowiak - national director of Stop Planned Parenthood (STOPP) International, a division of American Life League - said Monday that such misuse of taxpayers' money "should enrage parents."

"I think that most people would have no problem with giving temporary assistance to needy families from their tax dollars for food, clothing and shelter," he said. "But, our tax money is being used to recruit more clients for Planned Parenthood and our kids are the ones who are the recruiters."

Szymkowiak believes the abortion giant is developing new recruiting methods because its long-term strategy for finding new customers faces increasing opposition.

"One tactic Planned Parenthood has used in the past is to get kids interested in sex and then become contraceptive customers and then, perhaps, even later, abortion customers is to have sex education classes in the schools," he explained. "[But] in some areas, parents have been able to successfully mobilize and get Planned Parenthood kicked out of school systems."

Using teens to lure friends and classmates to its facilities allows the group to sidestep parents' objections, Szymkowiak said.

"The genius of this plan for Planned Parenthood is not only that they've managed to get us, the taxpayers, to pay for it, but they've also managed to get a way that is going to be very difficult for parents and school administrators to counter," he added.

"They know that their name causes controversy so they're going to do whatever they can to fly under the radar," Szymkowiak said.

By its own admission, Planned Parenthood has tried to keep parents from finding out about its activities

"[P]rinted advertising or public relations to announce the opening was not done," the group's northern Ohio affiliate wrote of its Cardington abortion clinic, "in order not to create or stir controversy from those who do [not] want Planned Parenthood to have a presence. We have quietly distributed referral cards, agency brochures, and fliers to area schools, guidance counselors, social service agencies and physicians, amongst other referral sources."

Szymkowiak noted that even Planned Parenthood's grant application betrays its attitude toward abstinence education and parental rights.

"It says, 'Which of the following strategies does your proposal reflect?' and there are ten choices listed," he recalled. "You'll notice that 'abstinence programs' are not checked off, and 'activities to promote parent-child communication about responsible sexuality and/or parenthood' are also not checked off."

The application indicates that Planned Parenthood's desired outcome for the program is to "maximize the number of teens who practice birth control."

"Planned Parenthood makes no money from getting teens to be abstinent. If they can get the kids on birth control, then they start making money," Szymkowiak charged. "Planned Parenthood is a big business and this is a means of recruiting more customers for the business."

Calls to Planned Parenthood seeking comment on this article were not returned.