Planned Parenthood portrays itself as an indispensable provider of women’s health care. But what do the facts tell us?
Year after year, Planned Parenthood makes hundreds of millions of dollars by performing hundreds of thousands of abortions while providing fewer and fewer non-abortion services. It vigorously seeks to defeat public policies that would limit abortion in any way. And it is heavily subsidized by American taxpayers.
Here’s what everyone needs to know about Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood nationwide
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) performed 321,384 abortions in 2016, according to the group’s 2016- 2017 annual report. That makes Planned Parenthood, by far, the leading practitioner of abortion in the United States.
In recent years, the annual abortion total at Planned Parenthood has remained fairly stable (ranging from about 320,000 to 334,000) even as overall abortions in the country have dropped significantly.
Most of Planned Parenthood’s other services, by contrast, have consistently declined. Contraceptive services have dropped 30 percent since 2009. Cancer screenings (mostly manual breast exams and pap tests) have dropped 64 percent. “Prenatal services” (which were always very rare) have plummeted 81 percent. “Total services” provided by Planned Parenthood are down 15 percent.
Among the three pregnancy-related services Planned Parenthood provides women who are already pregnant (abortion, adoption referral, prenatal services), abortion accounts for 97 percent.
For every one adoption referral, Planned Parenthood performs 83 abortions. The group is 41 times more likely to perform an abortion than to provide any prenatal care.
Planned Parenthood took in a record $1.46 billion in revenue during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017. That’s an increase of more than $100 million over the previous year and a 39 percent rise since 2009—even as the organization has provided fewer services to fewer clients. During just the last five years, Planned Parenthood’s revenue has exceeded its expenses by $420 million.
Planned Parenthood in Minnesota
Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (PPMNS), the regional PPFA affiliate, operates Minnesota’s largest abortion facility in St. Paul. (PPMNS recently joined with another affiliate to become Planned Parenthood North Central States.) The center performed a record-high 6,234 abortions in 2017, according to the Minnesota Department of Health—more than three times that of the state’s next highest practitioner.
In the year ending June 30, 2017, PPMNS generated revenue of more than $47 million, including more than $5 million from the government. The group benefits from Minnesota’s policy of Medicaid-funded abortion, which allows Planned Parenthood to offer “free” (state-funded) abortions to low-income women. PPMNS billed Minnesota taxpayers a record-high $521,596 for a record-high 2,322 abortions in 2016, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Planned Parenthood has increased its tax-funded abortions by 168 percent since 2011.
Planned Parenthood doesn’t deserve our support
Planned Parenthood is in the business of ending the lives of human beings before they are born. And it is a profitable business.
But it does not deserve our support or our tax dollars.
LifeNews.com Note: Paul Stark is a member of the staff of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, a statewide pro-life group.
