Planned Parenthood Closes Center Near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jun 14, 2011   |   1:08PM   |   Doylestown, PA

An affiliate of the Planned Parenthood abortion business that operates in Pennsylvania is closing one of its centers just north of Philadelphia due to financial concerns. The Doylestown center did not do abortions but made abortion referrals.

The Philadelphia Intelligencer newspaper indicates the Planned Parenthood center will close June 28 and the abortion business explained why.

“Medicaid rates are an issue. We are the only family planning center in Bucks County to receive funds under that program,” Helen Bosley, interim CEO of the Planned Parenthood Association of Bucks County, said. “For us to serve the uninsured, underinsured and low income individuals, it’s an important part of what we do. For years, our funding has not covered the costs of our services.”

Bosley told the newspaper that about 30 percent of the customers at Planned Parenthood are on Medicaid and that Planned Parenthood had been relying on lesser qualified staff to keep costs low, but still could not afford to keep the facility open.

“We lose that much money with each person who walks through the door. With the economy, we can’t make that up through fundraising,” Planned Parenthood of Bucks County spokeswoman Maggie Groff added, saying that while a visit costs $150, Medicaid only plays $20. “We would love to keep our Doylestown office open, but we just can’t afford it.”

With the closing, the abortion business will refer women getting non-abortion services in Doylestown to its Pennsylvania centers in Quakertown and Warminster. Planned Parenthood of Bucks County also operates centers in Bensalem and Bristol as well that the pro-abortion organization says have about 16,000 customers annually for abortions and family planning.

The closing of the Pennsylvania center follows Planned Parenthood of Central Texas closing two of its centers that make abortion referrals to its main location. The affiliate of the national abortion business did not give any reasons for closing the locations in Groesbeck and Marlin, Texas.

Officials with the group Pro-Life Waco noticed the recent information PPCT put on its web site, saying, “Planned Parenthood Health Centers in Marlin & Groesbeck are temporarily closed until further notice.”

The web site of the abortion business encourages people to make appointments at its main location in Waco and, while no reason is given, the abortion business said earlier this year it is concerned about losing its taxpayer funding given efforts in Congress to yank the tens of millions the national abortion business receives from the federal government.

The closings follow the permanent closure of a Planned Parenthood abortion referral center in Ohio. Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio will be closing one of its centers north of Columbus, in Galion, because it says it is has come up on financial difficulties that make it necessary to consolidate.

Planned Parenthood has confirmed its plans to expand its abortion business nationwide. It came under fire from one of its own affiliates in Texas, which left the national abortion business because it did not want to operate an abortion facility. Corpus Christie, Texas based Planned Parenthood of South Texas affiliate announced it has resigned its status as a network of clinics aligned with Planned Parenthood because of the new abortion mandate.

Later, Lisa David, senior vice president of Health Services Support for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, confirmed the abortion expansion and the mandate in an interview. The mandate would compel every Planned Parenthood affiliate to run at least one abortion center.

Earlier this year, David said the 85 regions or affiliates aligned with Planned Parenthood must operate an abortion center by 2013 — which would ensure all 820 Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide either do abortions or provide abortion referrals to a Planned Parenthood abortion center.

In February, a new report the Planned Parenthood national abortion business recently released showed  the embattled agency did more abortions in 2009 than it has done in any prior year. The report also shows it providing fewer pregnant women with non-abortion services.