By Deanna Wallace

Originally published in Townhall, October 16, 2017.

One hundred and one is a big number, but 328,348 is even bigger- that’s the number of abortions done by Planned Parenthood in 2016. As Planned Parenthood celebrates its 101st birthday, it’s important to remember that because of Planned Parenthood, there are 328,348 children that will never celebrate their birthdays.

When I bring this up, there’s always someone quick to remind me that “Planned Parenthood is more than abortion, and provides care to millions of women with nowhere else to go.” But is this really true? The answer is a resounding “NO.”

A quick look at the numbers from Planned Parenthood’s 2016 Annual report shows a clear picture of their true priorities, and it’s not “women’s health”:

  • Planned Parenthood performed 328,348 abortions, which is up from 2015’s 323,999.
  • When combining all pregnancy services (abortions, prenatal care, miscarriage services, and adoption referrals), abortions accounted for 95.8% of services to pregnant women.
  • Adoption referrals made up less than 1% of pregnancy services.
  • Prenatal services were nearly cut in half, dropping a whopping 46%.
  • Abortion patients made up 13.68% of Planned Parenthood’s patient total.
  • Cancer screening and prevention services fell 2.5%.
  • The number of Breast exams, HPV vaccinations, Colposcopy, and Cryotherapy services all decreased.
  • Contraceptive services decreased 4.6%.
  • The total number of patients continued to fall, from 2.5 million in 2014-2015, to 2.4 million in 2015-2016.
  • The total number of clinics also decreased, with the 2014-2015 report claiming 661 clinics, and the 2015-2016 report claiming, “nearly 650 clinics.”

 

These numbers are nothing new either, but rather are part of a continuing trend of Planned Parenthood taking in more taxpayer money while providing fewer services to women in need. Since 2006, when Cecile Richards became the leader of Planned Parenthood, clinics, patients, and healthcare services numbers have been dramatically reduced, while abortions, revenues, and government funding have increased:

  • There has been a 22.5% decrease in the number of patients served.
  • Cancer screening and prevention services have fallen 66%.
  • Breast exams have decreased by 63.5%.
  • Total services provided by Planned Parenthood have fallen by 6%.
  • Abortions have gone up 13%.
  • Federal funding for Planned Parenthood has increased by 64.7%.
  • Planned Parenthood’s total revenues have increased 33%.

These figures raise an important question: Why should taxpayers continue to fund an abortion business that is providing fewer services, serving fewer patients, and closing clinics, despite increases to their government funding?

After all, it’s no secret that Planned Parenthood clinics are outnumbered by community health centers 20 to one, with over 13,000 clinics nationwide that serve more than 21 million men, women, and children. These full-service medical centers provide routine health services and life-affirming care to millions of American women every year, all without needing to boost their bottom line with profit from abortions.

When you combine the alarming statistics on Planned Parenthood’s declining services with the sheer number of available alternative providers to serve low-income and medically underserved communities, diverting Planned Parenthood’s half a billion dollars in annual government funding to these comprehensive health clinics is clearly a more fiscally responsible use of our taxpayer dollars. The additional funding would allow these health centers to hire more staff, expand services, upgrade equipment, and easily meet the needs of displaced Planned Parenthood patients.

Birthday celebrations are supposed to be about celebrating life and new accomplishments, but instead, Planned Parenthood is throwing a taxpayer-funded celebration of its 101 years of hurting women, killing children, alleged Medicaid fraud, decreasing services, and selling baby body parts. The American people should remind Congress of their promise to defund the nation’s largest abortion provider- and maybe next year we can celebrate the birthdays of 328,348 cute, chubby, 1 year olds instead.

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