Health services down, abortion and profits up: Why Planned Parenthood shouldn’t get taxpayer funding

Live Action has created a simple way for supporters to send public comments to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on its proposed “Protect Life Rule” change to the federal Title X family planning program, which sends approximately $60 million to Planned Parenthood annually. Planned Parenthood receives half a billion in state and federal dollars annually, and is one of the largest recipients of Title X dollars. Live Action News has previously documented how Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer funding actually pays for abortion staff and facilities:

Health services and contraceptives have plummeted

According to calculations from Live Action News, while Planned Parenthood only serves approximately 4 percent of women of reproductive age, a review of the organization’s reports reveal that this massive government spending is not translating into real solutions for women. In just the past few years, Planned Parenthood’s own numbers show that:

• The percentage of Planned Parenthood’s contraceptive services declined from 34 percent in January of 2014 to 28 percent in January of 2018.
• The estimated number of unintended pregnancies averted by contraceptive services each year dropped 22.33 percent, from 515,000 in January of 2014 to 400,000 in January of 2018.
• Between 2014 and 2016, the estimated number of abortions averted by contraceptive services each year declined nearly 9 percent.

A review of Planned Parenthood’s “services” over the past ten to eleven years reveals:

• Breast exam services declined nearly 62 percent (882,961 in 2006 to 336,614 in 2016).
• Pap tests decreased nearly 74 percent (1,070,449 in 2006 to 281,063 in 2016).
• Cancer screenings plummeted 67 percent (2,007,371 in 2006 to 660,777 in 2016).
• Contraception services dropped by over 32 percent (3,989,474 in 2006 to 2,701,866 in 2016).
• The organization’s overall services decreased nearly 10 percent (2006 to 2016).
• The organization shuttered more than 280 facilities (2007 to 2017).
• Planned Parenthood lost over 700,000 patients, dropping nearly 23 percent (3.1 million in 2006 to 2.4 million in 2016.)

Profits — and abortions — have risen

And yet, figures indicate that while profitable abortions are on a steady decline nationally, Planned Parenthood’s marketshare has climbed to nearly 35 percent nationwide.

Also while other services decreased, abortions increased 11% at the abortion corporation:

Despite this, between 2006 and 2016, overall taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood increased 61 percent and private donations also increased, by nearly 106 percent. In addition, while the taxpayer foots a large portion of the abortion corporation’s budget, excess revenue over spending (yes, profit) increased by 27 percent in just one year, from $77.5 million in 2015 to a whopping $98.5 million in 2016. And almost every year since 2000, Planned Parenthood’s revenue has exceeded its expenses by tens of millions of dollars (yearly surpluses range from $12.2 million in 2001 to a high of $155.5 million in 2010).

Planned Parenthood excess revenue over expenses 2000 to 2016

While massive profits with decreasing services and increasing abortion market share are more than enough reasons Planned Parenthood should not be taxpayer funded, Live Action has also found:

• Documented evidence that women do not need Planned Parenthood for contraceptive services.
• Documented evidence dispelling the organization’s 3% abortion myth.
• Documented evidence that the organization lies about the services it provides, including prenatal care.
• Documented evidence that the organization does not provide mammograms, despite claiming that it did.
• Documented evidence that funding Planned Parenthood also funds its abortion facilities.
• Documented evidence that the organization has abortion quotas.
• Documented evidence that abortion is the primary service that taxpayer-funded Planned Parenthood offers pregnant women because as a former worker testified, “they made their money if somebody had an abortion.”
• Documented evidence regarding the poor standard of care the abortion corporation gives to their clients. Former Planned Parenthood managers accused the abortion focused organization of “treating women like cattle” and using ultrasounds only for abortions.
• Documented evidence that Planned Parenthood is misinforming women about the development of their babies.
• Documented evidence that Planned Parenthood was a eugenics-based organization at the time of its founding.
• Documented evidence that Planned Parenthood has been cited for overbilling abuses and Medicaid fraud, and for violating patient privacy.
• Documented evidence on the kind of sex “education” the abortion corporation is giving to teens, promoting BDSM and other disturbing sexual practices.

Along with this, a recent Live Action report and docuseries detailed the decades-long child sexual abuse cover-up at Planned Parenthood, which failed to report child sexual abuse (a violation that alone should result in the organization losing millions of taxpayer dollars granted to it under the federal Title X Family Planning Program).

Currently, Title X requirements allow recipients to discuss abortion with patients; however, the proposed rule change will provide “a clear separation between Title X programs and programs in which abortion is presented or provided as a method of family planning,” and require that “A Title X project may not perform, promote, refer for, or support, abortion as a method of family planning, nor take any other affirmative action to assist a patient to secure such an abortion.”

The change will also require that recipients abide by mandatory reporting laws on sexual abuse, among other important things.

Find out more about these rule changes and leave your comment for HHS by visiting Live Action’s website here. Public comments will remain open until July 31, 2018.

Editor’s Note, 11/13/18: Added information regarding 11% increase in abortions at PP, as well as accompanying video.