As we commemorated in January the 32nd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, it would be appropriate to recognize the most notable beneficiary of that decision — the international conglomerate known as Planned Parenthood.
With the possible exception of the government of China, Planned Parenthood is the premier purveyor and promoter of abortion throughout the world.
As anyone familiar with its operation knows, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is the colossus of the abortion industry. Last year the organization and its affiliates raked in $810 million to promote and supply its own peculiar version of what it calls “family planning.” It’s income came primarily from three sources: private contributions and bequests — $191 million; government grants and contracts — $265 million; and clinic income — $306 million.
Within its clinics, Planned Parenthood provides a variety of “family planning” services, ranging from adoption referrals to sterilizations, and the big money maker, medical and surgical abortions. But the emphasis is clearly on abortion.
Thanks to the Roe decision, Planned Parenthood’s abortion business in this country brought in $104 million last year, accounting for more than a third of its clinic income and nearly one-fifth of all abortions performed, by anybody, nationwide. For every adoption referral to an outside agency, Planned Parenthood aborts 138 babies in its clinics.
According to STOPP (Stop Planned Parenthood) International — a project of the American Life League that has been tracking the PPFA operation for 18 years — PPFA, which is technically a non-profit organization, turned a net profit for the 18th year in a row. Last year’s profit of $35.2 million brought its total profits over the 18-year period to $538 million.
So how does PPFA spend all that money? Most of it goes to running the clinics, performing abortions, etc. After that, the biggest expenses in Planned Parenthood’s budget last year were: $89.9 million for “management and general”; $44.2 million for “sexuality education”; $40.6 million for “fundraising”; and $39.4 million for “public policy.” Two items in that list — “public policy” and “sexuality education” — merit some exploration here.
Although I could find no explanation of what exactly “public policy” expenses were, I think it’s safe to assume that this category is for Planned Parenthood’s lobbying efforts on behalf of (a) itself, and (b) its agenda. Getting politicians to kick in $265 million of the taxpayers’ money to your organization requires lobbyists, well-paid lobbyists, who sell the Planned Parenthood organization while selling its unfortunate agenda.
A perusal of the PPFA Web site will take one to a series of policy statements that define the Planned Parenthood worldview. Under headings such as “Reproductive Freedom,” “Population,” “Abortion,” “Universal Access to Sexuality Education,” and “Adolescent Services,” PPFA spells out its frightening agenda. It’s one in which abortion on demand should be made available to those who can afford it at reasonable cost, and those who can’t at government expense. It’s one in which developing countries should be encouraged to limit their population. And it’s one that promotes guilt-free sex among adolescents.
I found this paragraph especially alarming under “Adolescent Services”:
Planned Parenthood opposes any limitation or restriction on the access of adolescents to confidential reproductive health services, including contraception and abortion. Planned Parenthood also supports a range of activities designed to reduce adolescent pregnancy and childbearing, such as expanded sexuality education, increased service accessibility, enhanced public awareness, behavioral research, and the development of contraceptive methods specially suited to adolescents.
PPFA and its affiliates pursue the sexuality education/adolescent services policy in a number of ways. For example, where parents and school officials are dumb enough, Planned Parenthood representatives are invited to provide sexuality education to teenagers while selling them leaky condoms, among other things. (In a recent Consumer Reports issue, the magazine rated Planned Parenthood’s own brand of condoms the worst of 23 varieties studied.)
Planned Parenthood has traveling vans that offer university students access to emergency contraception (“EC” in Planned Parenthood lingo). According to the NARAL Pro-Choice America Web site: “EC availability varies by school. For example, students at the University of Virginia can get EC 24-hours a day, seven days a week, while students at the College of William and Mary can only get EC on weekdays.”
And the latest maneuver in the Planned Parenthood assault on our children involves forming relationships with Girl Scout councils — e.g., jointly-sponsored Girl Scout/Planned Parenthood events, awarding badges based on participation in Planned Parenthood events, etc. At last count, 26 Girl Scout councils in 14 states have formed such relationships.
Ken Concannon is a freelance writer from All Saints Parish in Manassas, VA.
(This article courtesy of the Arlington Catholic Herald.)
