Number of Abortion Centers Nationwide Falling, Pro-Abortion Legal Group Says
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 24, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A pro-abortion legal group that represents abortion businesses in lawsuits against pro-life laws in almost every state in the nation says the number of abortion centers nationwide is falling. The figures come as Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion business, increases its number of abortion facilities.
The Center for Reproductive Rights released the results of a study it conducted saying the number of abortion businesses and abortion practitioners has decreased by 25 percent since the 1990s.
CRR indicates some states, such as Mississippi and North Dakota, have only one abortion facility while Missouri has three. Alabama has seven while Texas has 40 abortion centers across the state.
The pro-abortion group says the proliferation of state legislation limiting abortions, with laws such as parental involvement, informed consent and waiting periods, has lowered the number of abortion centers.
“The result is not just endangerment and marginalization of abortion providers, but a denial of rights for the one in three American women who will seek an abortion in their lifetimes," CRR president Nancy Northup said.
"The number of abortion providers in the United States fell by 25% just between 1992 and 2005. Without providers, the right to abortion is meaningless," she added.
According to CRR, nationwide 87 percent of counties in the country have no abortion facility and nearly 25 percent of women do not have one within 50 miles of where they live.
Though CRR’s report shows fewer abortion centers, Planned Parenthood has increased the number of places that it operates doing abortions.
The leading pro-abortion group has been consolidating its abortion and family planning centers and local affiliates to cut costs in the midst of a troubled economy and the new numbers reflect that.
At the end of 2008, the total number of Planned Parenthood centers dropped from 855 in 2007 to 844 last year. The number of local affiliates of the Planned Parenthood federation decreased from 108 to 99.
While Planned Parenthood cuts its total number of centers providing non-abortion services, the number of abortion facilities is in the rise. It jumped to 295 last year from 287 the year prior.
Though Planned Parenthood is working hard to change its image from an abortion business to a women’s health care outlet, the numbers make it clear that more of its resources are going into doing abortions.
The numbers also show that the abortion business is putting more of its weight behind using the dangerous abortion drug that has killed more than a dozen women worldwide and injured more than 1,200 in the United States alone.
While the number of surgical abortion centers it runs dropped from 179 to 174 during the last year, the number of places with the mifepristone abortion drug rose from 108 to 121.
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