The news media is turning themselves inside out to report on how Planned Parenthood supporters are flooding the abortion business with donations in lieu of a Trump administration. And my response to this is to ask: If Planned Parenthood has so much support from donations, then do they really need half a billion in federal taxpayer dollars?
On average, since 2000, Planned Parenthood has received 37.5 percent of its revenue from the American taxpayer ($553.7 million dollars last year alone) and 26 percent from private donations:
Planned Parenthood is, of course, thrilled with the donations. According to Time Magazine:
Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards called the outpouring of support “unprecedented.” The organization has received nearly 80,000 donations, many of them in Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s name as a means of speaking out against a controversial anti-abortion law he passed. According to Cosmopolitan, women are sending their receipts from the donations to his office in Indianapolis.
Newsweek had this to say:
Planned Parenthood has not commented on the amount or number of donations in Pence’s name, and did not respond to Newsweek’s request for comment. However, the organization tweeted on Saturday that it’s been “blown away by the support we’ve received,” and said donations are coming in both in Pence and Hillary Clinton’s names.
Planned Parenthood may not have “commented on the amount or number” of donations they’ve received, but they certainly haven’t wasted any time in capitalizing on the donation trend, as seen in a tweet from Planned Parenthood of New Jersey (pictured left).
In Texas, Reuters reports that online donations to Planned Parenthood in the state “have tripled,” while Sarah Wheat, spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, told HuffPo, “We have been overwhelmed by community members making donations and contacting us to offer to volunteer and provide support.”
With all this ‘good’ news, one could assume that Planned Parenthood owes President-elect Donald Trump a “thank you,” given that his election has brought the nation’s largest abortion chain this windfall. And donations to Planned Parenthood are arriving just in the nick of time, since the organization just sunk $30 million dollars into a failed attempt to elect Hillary Clinton as president.
So, what will Planned Parenthood supporters get for their hard-earned donations? The answer is of course, more abortions.
As Live Action News contributor, Josh Denton, pointed out recently:
Planned Parenthood commits over 300,000 abortions per year. Last year alone, they committed 329,999 abortions. That would compute to an average of 887 abortions per day, 37 abortions per hour, and 1 abortion every 97 seconds. According to its own numbers, the nation’s largest abortion chain commits 160 abortions for every adoption referral. Planned Parenthood also claims to be an important provider of breast exams to women, making it seem that if the organization did not exist, women would struggle to find basic health care services. In reality, Planned Parenthood commits 30.6 percent of the nation’s abortions, while providing less than 2 percent of the nation’s breast exams.
The truth is that if people really wanted to help women obtain important medical care, Planned Parenthood would not be the place to invest. After all, the organization does a pitiful job at providing much needed “health care services” for women. According to a Live Action analysis of services provided by Planned Parenthood:
• Planned Parenthood’s U.S. market share for women’s Pap tests is 0.97%.
• Planned Parenthood’s U.S. market share for clinical breast exams is 1.8%.
• Planned Parenthood’s U.S. market share for mammograms is 0.0%. Planned Parenthood does not perform mammograms.
And as previously stated, while on average, approximately 37.5% of Planned Parenthood’s revenue comes from the taxpayer, Planned Parenthood performs 30.6 percent of the nation’s abortions. In addition, according to Live Action News contributor, Susan Michelle-Hanson, “while Planned Parenthood’s 2014 annual report reveals a steady annual decline in the abortion chain’s legitimate health care services (pap smears, breast exams, STI treatment, contraception, adoption referrals, etc.), the most recent IRS Form 990 filed by the organization, covering 2014, shows that CEO Cecile Richards’ salary and compensation skyrocketed, bringing her salary to $957,952. Vice President Dawn Laguens cleared $599,721.”
Michelle-Hanson also noted that Planned Parenthood’s 12 highest paid employees all earn six-figure compensation totaling almost half a billion dollars. The organization is clearly not in dire need if it can afford to pay its executives so generously.
This “surge” in donations comes at a time when federal dollars to Planned Parenthood are already sky-high. Taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood has risen significantly under President Obama. As Live Action News previously reported, in 2008, Planned Parenthood received $363.2 million in government grants and committed 324,008 abortions. President Obama increased Planned Parenthood’s funding by almost 26 percent his first year in office, giving the abortion giant $487.4 million dollars. By 2011, tax dollars to Planned Parenthood increased another 10 percent to $542.4 million. Then, in 2014, tax funding rose an additional 2 percent to $553.7 million. Overall, during Obama’s administration from 2008 through Planned Parenthood’s 2014-2015 fiscal year, tax dollars to the abortion business rose by almost 35 percent — at a time when many Americans were suffering from economic stagnation.
Planned Parenthood’s latest private donation surge proves one thing: Planned Parenthood is perfectly capable of raising money.
If President-elect Trump keeps his promise to defund them, it looks like they may have to.
