Planned Parenthood Found 2009 Difficult With Abortion Centers Closing Rapidly

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Dec 30, 2009   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Planned Parenthood Found 2009 Difficult With Abortion Centers Closing Rapidly

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
December 30
, 2009

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion business in the United States, doing 305,310 abortions in its own facilities or just under one-third of all American abortions. But the billion-dollar abortion giant faced a tough year in 2009 as it saw abortion centers close at a higher rate than normal.

Jim Sedlak, the director of STOPP International, a watchdog group, told LifeNews.com today that he’s seen Planned Parenthood centers close over the year but never as fast as in 2009.

"STOPP has been fighting for 25 years to close down Planned Parenthood abortion facilities. During that time, we have seen the number of Planned Parenthood non-express clinics fall from a high of 938 in 1995 to 797 today," he explained.

"More significantly, 2009 saw the rate of Planned Parenthood closings go from one a month to over two a month," he said.

"Although the organization reported record income ($1.04 billion) and a record number of babies killed in its own facilities, there have been a number of signs that Planned Parenthood is beginning to feel the relentless pressure from those of us who will not stand by and watch it take our money and kill our children," he said.

After the elections in 2008, Planned Parenthood president, Cecile Richards, was ecstatic. She sent a message to her organization saying how Planned Parenthood was going to stop the slide in its number of center, Sedlak says. She cited how the abortion business would open more centers in rural areas.

However, STOPP’s survey of Planned Parenthood locations shows Planned Parenthood did not increase its number of clinics in 2009.

"In fact, this was a record year for Planned Parenthood clinic closures," he said. "Incredibly, Planned Parenthood closed a total of 38 clinics in 2009."

While the abortion giant opened 11 new center, overall, 27 communities that had abortion centers at the close of 2008 did not have them at the end of this calendar year.

Sedlak explains to LifeNews.com that a revocation of government funding, thanks in part to government budget cuts, is responsible for closing some centers.

"Planned Parenthood relies heavily on taxpayer funding of its operations. Taxpayer funding provides 33.7 percent of its total income," he said. "The year 2009 saw some significant strides in cutting state funding to Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood in Indiana, for example, reported that most of the six clinics it closed there were closed because of the loss of funds from the state."

Sedlak also noticed that more pro-life advocates appeared outside abortion centers this past year — helping women find positive alternatives.

Finally, 2009 saw, as Sedlak says, Planned Parenthood enduring "it’s worst nightmare."

"A director of one of its abortion facilities who left, became pro-life, and is now telling the world how abortion is the most profitable single procedure at Planned Parenthood and how Planned Parenthood is actively trying to increase the number of abortions at its facilities to increase its income and profits," he said.

With predictions that 2010 will see the election of more pro-life advocates in Congress, Planned Parenthood will be on the defensive as pro-life advocates continue working to cut off or reduce its federal funding.

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