Planned Parenthood Federation of America plans to cut staff. Here’s why.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) has made the “strategic decision” to restructure by laying off staff at the national level and using those dollars to “build a powerful movement for abortion access at the local and state level.”

The organization often claims that abortion is not a significant part of its business model — but over the past 20 years, its annual reports have shown an increase in abortion while actual health care services have decreased. The decision to downsize — intended to switch the focus to the affiliate level — comes just one year after the Roe v. Wade decision was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Planned Parenthood’s ‘Restructuring’ Plan 

“Planned Parenthood’s power is in the scale of its infrastructure across the country,” the abortion corporation stated in its press release.

“Our big bet? Centering and scaling health equity in an ever-changing health care landscape, and building the infrastructure at the intersection of movements for freedom is our path forward. And it starts with investing in the states,” Planned Parenthood wrote.

“Beginning this summer, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (‘PPFA’) and Planned Parenthood Action Fund (‘Action Fund’) will deploy our financial resources to better meet the needs of Planned Parenthood patients and communities today, tomorrow, and into the future,” the release also stated.

Planned Parenthood’s restructuring plan would expand “its direct investment in the 49 independent Planned Parenthood affiliates across all 50 states and D.C.” to expand the dramatically decreasing health services they offer, while building “a powerful movement for abortion access at the local and state level.”

This is not the first time that Planned Parenthood has pivoted towards “services” at the affiliate level. In the 1990’s the organization’s reinvention plan backfired when staff and leadership pushed back on efforts to reduce abortion and increase actual health services.

$70M to Build ‘Powerful Movement’ and ‘Shift Societal Beliefs’ for Abortion

“Planned Parenthood has a federated structure, in which each of the independently run clinics are supported by the national office. The national office is responsible for national political campaigns and assisting affiliates with communications, marketing, and scheduling, among other duties,” Daily Beast reported.

Planned Parenthood’s 2022 audited financial report defines affiliates as “separately incorporated in their respective states” which essentially pays dues to the national organization. In 2022, PPFA received $4,429,462 in revenue from their 49 affiliate members as well as $2,944,200 in “other support” from affiliates.

“The National Program Support Plan (NPS) is a membership program between PPFA and PP affiliates. NPS requires affiliates to pay quarterly membership dues to PPFA for the support and national visibility PPFA provides as well as the right to use the PPFA brand,” PP’s financial audit stated.

Planned Parenthood’s restructuring plan will invest $70 million “in the 49 independent affiliates across the U.S” to – in part- “increase access to abortion, and build a powerful movement for abortion access at the local and state level,” Planned Parenthood tweeted.

“Continuing to mobilize supporters to protect and expand access to care, rights, and justice; building an intersectional movement; developing research-based content to shift societal beliefs; and working strategically in states to rebuild the federal right to abortion,” they also wrote.

Laying off staff to shift $70 million to local affiliates seems harsh given that year after year, Planned Parenthood’s excess revenue has been in the tens of millions of dollars. Planned Parenthood’s (2021-22) annual report revealed their excess revenue over expenses hit the highest amount recorded since 2017, a whopping $204.7 million. In addition, Planned Parenthood received over $1.8 million taxpayer dollars every day, an increase of 6% and a record high — equaling more than a third of its revenue. All while donor dollars to the abortion corporation increased over 20% since the prior year’s report.

Yet, while Planned Parenthood raked in millions in excess revenue, staffers at various affiliates claim the corporation failed to pay them a decent wage and unnecessarily furloughed employees.

So what is really going on?

According to Planned Parenthood’s release – which mentioned abortion twelve times and prenatal care zero times – the organization is “Expanding PPFA’s investment in health care service delivery and abortion access by:”

• “directing more resources directly to Planned Parenthood affiliates to expand access to high quality care in the communities they serve, particularly in states that have banned abortion;
• “supporting affiliates who are absorbing the thousands of patients seeking abortion care where abortion is accessible;
• “bolstering patient navigation efforts to help patients get to an abortion provider, whether at a Planned Parenthood health center or an independent clinic; and
• “to support building a powerful movement at the local and state level to restore, protect, and expand abortion access.”

Planned Parenthood abortion prenatal care Gov dollars and Excess Revenue PP ARs 2000 to 2021-2022

Planned Parenthood’s annual reports reveal that in the past 20 years, the number of abortions committed by this abortion corporation has increased nearly 76% (from 213,026 in 2001 to 374,155 in 2021).

Gain Power To Rebuild Federal Right to Abortion

Former Planned Parenthood staffer and author Jessa Crispin once accused Planned Parenthood of being “more concerned with hobnobbing with the powerful, paying the CEOs of its regional chapters salaries in the mid-six figures, making symbolic gestures and coming up with a catchy slogan to sell on T-shirts than with providing care for the people who need their services.”

This sort of allegation is not new. Former president Cecile Richards said it was her goal to make the corporation into the largest ever “kick butt political organization” – and as a result, the corporation has made many political alliances that benefit its bottom line. Year after year, Planned Parenthood’s clients and legitimate health care services decrease while abortions and government funding increase.

Now Planned Parenthood’s political arm (Planned Parenthood Action Fund) is joining PPFA to “harness” their “superpower” to expand access to abortion, and vowing they are “not backing down from the fight.”

“The scale of our advocacy across 50 states is massive, and PPFA and the Action Fund intend to harness that superpower by using the strength of national and local Planned Parenthood organizations across the country to mobilize supporters to protect and expand access to sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice; building an intersectional movement; developing research-based content to reduce stigma and shift societal beliefs; and working strategically in states to rebuild the federal right to abortion. Separately, the Action Fund and PPVotes will continue to make robust investments in national and state elections, ballot initiatives, and constitutional amendments — because when abortion is on the ballot, it wins,” the release stated.

Despite Layoffs, Planned Parenthood Claimed to ‘Value’ Employees

Planned Parenthood Federation of America is claiming to “deeply value” the “staff” they now plan to send to the unemployment line, tweeting, “We deeply value our staff. They have shown up and shown out for us in the darkest of times over the last months and years. We want the best for them, as we do for Planned Parenthood patients. We don’t make these changes lightly.”

Value? Over the years, Planned Parenthood has been exposed for mistreatment of their employees, many of whom have gone public to expose long-held secrets and inner workings of the organization, including failing to pay employees a decent wage, shoddy treatment, discriminating against pregnant employees, and prioritizing profits over care. They also revealed that Planned Parenthood has abortion goals. Staffers have alleged the organization is “more concerned” with power and money than anything else, and exposed the corporation’s ‘perpetually toxic’ culture.

Live Action News previously documented additional accusations of the corporation’s discrimination against its own staffers, which you can view here.

Planned Parenthood Staff: Layoffs ‘Not Dignified’

To fund the move towards abortion power, Planned Parenthood’s president, Alexis McGill-Johnson told ABC News that “10% to 15% of the group’s 725 to 750 employees — possibly around 100 — face layoffs in June.”

A tweet thread by Planned Parenthood Union, DC, indicated Planned Parenthood’s staffers did not feel “valued” — accusing the abortion corporation of failing to support their employees. The union published a statement, accusing PPFA of “pushing out some of our movement’s brightest minds” at a “time when reproductive freedom” is “in jeopardy” and “members are struggling under difficult economic conditions.”

“A month from now will be the 1 year anniversary of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. A week before that, @PPFA will be laying off 10-20% of staff,” Planned Parenthood Union, DC,  wrote.

“Now:@PPFAUnionDC and @PPFAUnionNYC are looking into every way that we can protect our members and ensure they receive the compensation and support they deserve during this “restructuring” period…” @PPFAUnionDC added.

“In a meeting… @PPFA Leadership asked employees to ‘be available’ through any PTO during the week of layoff notifications. No one should have to lose time off to find out if they still have a job,” @PPFAUnionDC also wrote.

“Post Roe, we’ve all been pushed to the limit — now, we’re waiting to see who still has a job next month & we’re working on campaigns we might not get to finish. We have no idea what this new structure looks like/why it requires layoffs. Yet, we are expected to work as usual,” @PPFAUnionDC added.

“@PPFA Leadership claims to lead with ‘dignity and respect’ in this process. But teasing potential layoffs without a concrete plan for months just instills a sense of dread and anxiety. Dangling our job security for three months is not dignified,” @PPFAUnionDC stated.

The Union has also claimed that “Without job security, staff have been leaving for months & @PPFA put a freeze on backfilling those roles, leaving the rest of us to fill in unpaid…”

Layoff notices are expected by June 12, 2023.

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