Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Matt Birk declined a recent invitation to the White House in order to make a very pointed statement about the abortion issue.

Birk and his fellow teammates had been invited to the White House to meet President Obama at a ceremony honoring the Ravens’ victory in Super Bowl XLVII.

Birk says he chose to sit out the White House Super Bowl tribute because President Barack Obama invoked God’s blessing Planned Parenthood.  “About five or six weeks ago, our President made a comment in a speech and said, ‘God bless Planned Parenthood,'” Birk said. “I’m very confused by that statement… For God to bless a place where they’re ending 330,000 lives a year?  I just chose not to attend.”

While Birk says he meant no disrespect to the office of the Presidency, he explained that he could not endorse President Obama’s support for Planned Parenthood “in any way.”

“I am Catholic, I am active in the pro-life movement, and I just felt I couldn’t deal with that,” he concluded.

President Obama made his infamous comment at the close of his keynote address in April to the annual meeting of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. 

Obama told attendees:  “I want you to know that you’ve got a President who’s going to be right there with you, fighting every step of the way.  Thank you, Planned Parenthood.  God bless you.”

Birk participated in the annual March for Life in Washington in January, saying that it is “one of the coolest things I’ve done.”  Quite a statement from somebody wearing a Super Bowl ring.

“It seems like our society and media want to push pro-lifers to the side and hope we would shut our mouths and go away quietly.  I say let’s not do that.”