Planned Parenthood Abortions Increase, Now 20 Percent of U.S. Total
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
December 12, 2005
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — When it lobbies state lawmakers or the American public, Planned Parenthood says it does more than just abortions. But the number of abortions the business performs has risen in each of the last two years and is now almost 20 percent of the 1.3 million abortions that take place annually in the United States.
According to figures from Planned Parenthood’s annual report, its centers nationwide performed 244,628 abortions in 2003, a 6.1 percent increase from the year before. In 2004, Planned Parenthood performed 255,015, another 4.3 percent increase.
"Twenty years ago, PPFA was directly responsible for more than 5.5 percent of all abortions committed in the United States," explained Life Decisions International president Douglas Scott. "It is now responsible for nearly 20 percent."
While abortions are on the rise, the number of women Planned Parenthood refers to adoption agencies is decreasing.
In 2003, PPFA referred just 1,774 pregnant women to adoption agencies, which was a 9.6 percent decrease from the previous year. In 2004, that low number declined to 1,414 women, a nearly 20 percent decrease.
As a result, Planned Parenthood performs 180 abortions for every woman it refers to an adoption agency, according to its own figures.
"[I]f a woman wants to give birth to a healthy baby, PPFA kicks her out the door with a referral slip. After all, adoption is not where the money is," Scott said.
Not only has Planned Parenthood increased the number of abortions it performs, its centers have become more specialized as abortion facilities and more abortions are performed at fewer centers.
In 1985, Parenthood operated 763 facilities nationwide. That number increased to 922 in 1992. At that time, PPFA announced it would attempt to expand to 2,000 facilities by the year 2000.
Instead, the abortion operation encountered opposition in many areas where it attempted to expand. Rather than open new facilities, PPFA was forced to close some and combine others.
As of June 2004, PPFA said it operated only 850 facilities — an 8 percent decrease from 1992. It has closed more since then.
