Planned Parenthood Building Big North Texas Abortion Biz

State   |   Susan Michelle   |   Nov 29, 2011   |   11:38AM   |   Fort Worth, TX

Planned Parenthood, which makes its living aborting future generations of families, is expecting again. When it comes to Planned Parenthood in Texas, the favorite child is the Houston abortion facility that opened last year, offering a full range of services including late-term abortions. But in the works is a multi-million dollar abortion center in another part of the state, as Planned Parenthood of North Texas (PPNT) is in the midst of a capital campaign to replace its Fort Worth facility with a sprawling new center to expand its services. This facility is slated to open within the next year and a half.

Calling it a “flagship” center, like its Houston center, the Fort Worth center is estimated to be over 20,000 square feet, but with a capital campaign goal of $21.5 million, a full $5 million more than the Houston mega-center that opened last year, there seem to be some pricey upgrades planned.

In order to keep this project moving, PPNT has publicly promoted its capital campaign. One email response to a potential donor gave more information:

“Planned Parenthood will be opening the new flagship facility, which will include a larger medical space and family planning facility, as well as administrative offices that house our Education department, within the next year and a half. Unfortunately, for safety reasons, we cannot disclose an exact location or open date, but the project is on track and moving forward.”

While most of the attention has been lavished on the oversized Houston center which, as we learned recently, still turns uninsured girls away without help if they have no interest in abortion, the north Texas region seems to be a gold mine of new opportunity for death.

According to Planned Parenthood’s own annual report for 2008-2009, when the Houston facility was built, it more than doubled its space from 35,000 square feet in two buildings to 78,000 square feet in one. When Fort Worth builds its new facility, one representative said in an email we obtained, it will quadruple its current space.

The current Fort Worth center is appraised at $218,581, but Planned Parenthood’s replacement building is estimated at $6.5 million, which is only one part of its $21.5 million capital campaign. Says a representative:

“In Fort Worth, we own our administrative office and health center at 301 S Henderson, 76104. Unfortunately, that building (built in 1952) is less than 5,000 square feet and is too small to adequately meet the needs of Tarrant County’s growing community. The new facility will provide nearly four times the space!”

In fact, the building on Henderson Avenue is estimated by the Texas Appraisal District to have closer to 5400 square feet, so if that quadruples, that’s almost 22,000 square feet. While the Planned Parenthood website says it will triple the size, the fact remains, whichever source is right, it’s going to vastly expand the facilities and, as the campaign cite points out:

“[R]eplace Planned Parenthood’s existing Fort Worth medical and administrative facility, which is neither large nor modern enough to accommodate the needs of the growing Tarrant County community.”

It adds a very troubling line:

“Fully $2 million will be directed to health center improvements, including implementing electronic health records and improving and relocating specific sites to more accessible locations.”

Consider what relocating sites to more accessible locations means. Since the abortion centers are already in public places and one can drive to them, accessible likely means easier to reach target audiences, such as the Houston center which is placed on a major freeway and between three minority neighborhoods and next to a university.

News in Texas has been focused on the cuts that have contributed to closing several Planned Parenthood offices. In fact, seven of the 12 closures are part of the PPNT affiliate (and Tyler, TX, which is on the verge of closing is also part of this affiliate). One has to wonder if the closures and cries for help are really more of crying wolf because this center has been in the works all along, certainly before Texas slashed the budget a few months ago.

However, despite its public façade of the funding crisis leaving poor women without health care, PPNT says:

“…Despite the devastating funding cuts after the 2011 Texas Legislative session, Planned Parenthood continues to move forward with its capital campaign. We have made various changes to adapt to the loss of government funding, and with the help of our generous supporters and the funds raised through the capital campaign, Planned Parenthood of North Texas is looking forward to a bright and strong future. The new facility in Fort Worth has not been impacted by the decisions made by Texas legislators this year.”

This news sheds new light on the need for Planned Parenthood to have any funding from public sources. Lamenting the state’s cut budget, Planned Parenthood has launched an all out attack on what it notes are “anti-choice extremists” in many of its media communications, but if it can still afford to build a huge new facility, one has to wonder how much the organization is really hurting financially.

As we launch new prayer efforts to keep this center from becoming a reality, let’s pray for a continued revelation of this tragic organization. Tax-exempt and filled with rich donors, the “planned” behind Planned parenthood has more to do with birth control, which includes abortive options, and abortion itself. It’s a moral crime to stand by and watch it grow. The only pregnancy that should be aborted is Planned Parenthood’s upcoming abortion center.

LifeNews Note: This column originally appeared at Bound4Life’s blog and is reprinted with permission.