CNSNews.com | Randy Hall | June 15, 2007
(CNSNews.com) – Despite a drop in donations and the first fall in income from clinics in its history, the nation’s biggest abortion provider made a high profit last year, thanks to the American taxpayer. Pro-lifers want this to stop.
During its 2005-2006 fiscal year, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America performed a record 264,943 abortions, attained a high profit of $55.8 million and received record taxpayer funding of $305.3 million.
According to its annual report, income is divided roughly into three major categories: clinic income (fees charged to customers at clinics); donations (gifts from corporations, foundations and individuals); and taxpayer money (grants and contracts from federal, state and local government).
For the year July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006, Planned Parenthood received $345.1 million in clinic income, $305.3 million in taxpayer funding and $212.2 million in donations. Total income reached $902.8 million while total expenses came to $847.0 million, leaving a profit of $55.8 million.
Numerous calls to Planned Parenthood offices in both New York City and Washington, D.C., seeking comment for this article, were not returned, but a statement on the organization’s website says that the report “illustrates the achievements of an organization founded to prevent unintended pregnancy and protect women’s health and safety.”
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Planned Parenthood receives hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars in revenue from public health programs annually, yet promotes an agenda that is increasingly at odds with the mainstream views of the US public. Public opinion surveys continue to indicate that the overwhelming majority of Americans, while not supporting an outright prohibtion on abortion, do support measures to significantly reduce the incidence of abortion.
Planned Parenthood deviates from the American mainstream in that it considers the termination of an unplanned pregnancy to be a successful outcome, while the American public views the termination of an unplanned pregnancy to be an undesirable outcome and symptomatic of other problems that deserve greater attention. The American public by far, views the prevention, not termination of unwanted pregnancies as the far greater priority.
It is simply unconscionable and unacceptable, from both a moral and a public policy perspective, that government is paying for women to have repeat abortions, without addressing the underlying causes for their pregnancies.
Pro-Life Groups working with state and federal legislators, ought to lobby for the redirection of the millions of dollars that Medicaid and other public health programs pay Planned Parenthood – away from paying for abortions and towards paying for more pregnancy prevention and adoption assistance. The place to start is to stop paying for repeat abortions, and gradually limit public funding to only those abortions where there is medical neccesity.
Such an effort would enjoy greater public support, be more aligned with sensible public policy priorities, and be less likely to be perceived as an attack on women or their freedom.