Planned Parenthood Closing Four Clinics in Wisconsin After De-Funding

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Apr 26, 2013   |   10:43AM   |   Washington, DC

Planned Parenthood is closing four abortion referral clinics in Wisconsin thanks to efforts by pro-life advocates to get the state legislature to yank taxpayer funding.

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has closed its Shawano County clinic in cutbacks following the de-funding and it is one of four Wisconsin Planned Parenthood facilities that will close this year. The abortion giant ran its Shawano location for 34 years.

A local news report has more:

Twenty-three of 27 Wisconsin Planned Parenthood clinics in the state will remain open. The closest to Shawano are in Ashwaubenon and Appleton; each is about 40 miles away.

“It only took one vote by our state Legislature to end health care for Planned Parenthood patients in Shawano and surrounding communities,” the organization said in a statement.

Planned Parenthood also plans in the next three months to close facilities in Beaver Dam, Johnson Creek and Chippewa Falls. It blamed the elimination of $1 million in state funding for the group in the last budget.

Barbara Lyons, Executive Director of Wisconsin Right to Life, told LifeNews she is elated by the news.

“Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin is the state’s largest abortion provider and, nationally, refers over 90% of the pregnant women it sees to abortion clinics,” she said. “The closure of four feeders to Planned Parenthood’s three Wisconsin abortion clinics is excellent news.”

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin performed 4,827 Wisconsin abortions in 2010 (62% of all abortions). Its annual report for that year lists zero adoption referrals and zero prenatal care recipients. The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and its affiliates received over $542 million in state and federal taxpayer dollars in 2011. In addition, PPFA has mandated that all of its affiliates perform abortions by 2013.

Lyons added, “It is far past time for Wisconsin citizens to recognize that Planned Parenthood, through its local clinics, refers the overwhelming majority of pregnant women it sees to abortion clinics, most probably one of its own abortion clinics, where a fee is extracted from the women. It is a good outcome for women and children that the four abortion clinic feeders are closing.”

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With pro-life Gov. Scott Walker signing the state budget into law in June 2011, the Badger State became the fourth state recently to cut funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion business.

The legislation redirects $1 million in state and federal family planning funds away from Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. In 2010 Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin received more than $18 million in federal and state family planning funds that it claims has reduced abortions. However, the abortion business did 5,439 abortions in 2009, a 56% increase from 2008.

Wisconsin Right to Life praised Walker, with legislative director Susan Armacost saying, “Governor Walker and the state legislature acted courageously to protect Wisconsin taxpayers from having their tax dollars used to destroy human life. While there is more work to be done to protect taxpayers from paying for abortions, this state budget has greatly improved the situation.  On behalf of Wisconsin Right to Life members and supporters throughout the state, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Governor Walker and the legislature.”

Sen. Glenn Grothman, a Republican, said he is glad Planned Parenthood is losing some of its taxpayer funding in Wisconsin, but he wants to see the de-funding effort move forward with eliminate all or most of the remaining $18 million Planned Parenthood receives annually.

“There’s a very ugly side to this organization, and I regret that they’re going to take such a tiny cut in this budget,” Grothman said.