You already know you can’t always believe what you read or hear from the media, but one of the biggest violators of truth telling is your local Planned Parenthood affiliate.
In collusion with media and leftist politicians, Planned Parenthood regularly disseminates misinformation and distortions about their business model and what really happens in their clinics.
But the truth always finds a way to the surface and in the case of Planned Parenthood, it recently came from an unlikely source – Planned Parenthood’s own annual report. Diane Robertson shares with us some of the details about the sordid record of the abortion giant.
On behalf of the unborn,
President, United Families International
The Abortion Giant Inadvertently Tells the Truth
by Diane Robertson
Planned Parenthood is a large non-profit organization that specializes in helping women receive vital health care. They are one of the only places women can go to obtain birth control, and while they conduct abortions, abortions are a tiny fraction of the services they provide.
Or so Cecil Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, would have you think. In reality and according to Planned Parenthood’s
own records, none of the above facts are true.
Planned Parenthood a Non-Profit?
Planned Parenthood makes a huge profit each year. For the fourth year in a row, this “non-profit” celebrated more than a billion dollars in total revenue. In addition to its $77 million dollar profit, Planned Parenthood received $554.6 million dollars in tax money from federal, state, and local governments.
Planned Parenthood Essential for Vital Care?
Planned Parenthood can hardly claim that they are a vital care facility. They conduct pap smears, hand breast exams (
but not mammograms), and test for sexually transmitted diseases. Yet, it’s debatable whether this is vital care, and nearly every other medical facility in nation does the same. In fact, Planned Parenthood can only account for
1% of the nation’s pap smears and 2% of the nation’s breast exams and cancer screenings.
Planned Parenthood, One of the Only Places to Obtain Birth Control?
Planned Parenthood is by no means one of the only places women can go to for birth control. If the birth control for just a few dollars at the local drug store isn’t sufficient, anyone can go to a walk-in clinic or see a primary care physician to receive an inexpensive prescription or have any number of other birth control services performed.
In California, where Planned Parenthood has the largest number of facilities, their 114 clinics do not compare to the 1,694 community health clinics. Women have many, many choices, and Planned Parenthood has plenty of competition. Planned Parenthood is no more essential to providing birth control than any other common doctor or health clinic.
Abortion is a tiny Fraction of the Services Provided by Planned Parenthood?
Planned Parenthood says over and over that abortion is only 3% of their services. While it may technically be true,
the number is silly and meaningless. First, Planned Parenthood unbundles all its services so that that an exam, birth control pills, and an STD test, all for one patient, are counted as three separate services.
Second, abortions make up at least a third of Planned Parenthood’s clinic income, and more than 10 percent of all its revenue, government funding included, from its abortion procedures. Any for-profit, or non-profit business wouldn’t deny that a third of their revenue is central to their endeavor. It would probably be a well-protected and consistently developing part of the business—just like Planned Parenthood.
Third, Planned Parenthood is the biggest abortion provider in the United States. They kill more than 300,000 unborn babies each year and make a big profit doing so. From the 2014-15 fiscal year to the 2015-16 fiscal year, Planned Parenthood performed 5,000 more abortions, while cancer exams dropped by 136,244. Planned Parenthood performs 33% of the total abortions in the United States, while their cancer screening is at most 2%. Cancer screening is a minuscule part of what Planned Parenthood does compared to its abortion business.
Over the years Planned Parenthood and its representatives have consistently stated that their clinics provide a huge service by providing pre-natal care, particularly to low income mothers. Yet, earlier this year, when
a pro-life group called 97 Planned Parenthood facilities around the U.S. they found only five clinics that provided prenatal care. The majority of these clinics repeatedly insisted that Planned Parenthood doesn’t provide prenatal care at all and made it clear their specialty is abortion.
Why Defund Planned Parenthood?
Plain and simple, it’s what the tax payers want.
A poll from late January found that two-thirds of Americans oppose federal funding for abortion, including 40 percent of self-described pro-choice individuals. In addition, most Americans want restrictions on abortion, particularly after the 20th week of pregnancy. It may be legal in the U.S. to have an abortion, but that doesn’t mean that tax payers should be required to finance them.
“Defunding” Planned Parenthood doesn’t mean that the government is going to shut Planned Parenthood down; they will remain free to operate. What the government can do, however, is divert tax payer money designated for helping the poor away from a place that profit from killing the unborn and give it to clinics where women can receive more comprehensive care, such as mammograms, prenatal screening and pre-natal care.
Planned Parenthood would still have a profit of $77 million dollars! No wonder Planned Parenthood’s political arms, over the last three election cycles, had
$38 million to pour into electing candidates who make sure the tax dollars keep heading their way.
“Planned Parenthood’s new [annual] report reveals that abortions, taxpayer funding, and profit have all gone up. Meanwhile its cancer screenings, basic breast exams, prenatal services, and even customers have decreased, opines Arina Grossu of Family Research Council. “The time to defund Planned Parenthood is now.”
Planned Parenthood continues to lie to the American people about their “vital procedures that are so important to women” and their “tiny percentages of abortions” making their “non-profit” a billion-dollar industry—an industry that preys on the unborn.
Diane Robertson has been an active pro-family advocate and writer for United Families International for more than 5 years. Diane loves her job as a homeschooling mother of 11 children. She is passionate about freedom, family, religion, and natural health and healing. You can find anyone of those themes in everything she writes.
Diane Robertson has been an active pro-family advocate and writer for United Families International for more than 5 years. Diane loves her job as a homeschooling mother of 11 children. She is passionate about freedom, family, religion, and natural health and healing. You can find anyone of those themes in everything she writes.