Planned Parenthood Reports Record Abortions, High Profits
By Randy Hall
CNSNews.com Staff Writer/Editor
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200706/CUL20070615a.htmlJune 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 nonprofit 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."
"During a year of great change and growth, and in a political climate of increasing assaults on sexual and reproductive rights and health, Planned Parenthood continued to make enormous strides toward protecting and strengthening the reproductive health and rights of women and men worldwide," the statement adds.
Jim Sedlak, executive director of Stop Planned Parenthood (STOPP) International, told Cybercast News Service on Thursday that the flow of taxpayer dollars to the abortion provider "has to be stopped. Since our elected officials won't do their job, it's up to us."
"Clearly, it was a good overall year for Planned Parenthood," he said. "Total income went up 2.4 percent, passing $900 million for the first time."
At the same time, however, he said further analysis revealed "potential trouble spots" for the PPFA.
The report showed that income from clinics was down about $1.5 million from the previous year -- the first such decline in the organization's 50-year history -- while donations also fell by $3.6 million.
So why was Planned Parenthood able to report such a high profit?
"The final category of Planned Parenthood revenue sources is you and me -- the American taxpayer," Sedlak said. He noted that the amount of taxpayer funding reported by PPFA exceeded that of the previous year by $32.6 million, or 12 percent.
"The bottom line is that Planned Parenthood is losing donations, its clinic income is down, and you and I are being forced to pay more so the organization can kill our children through abortion and spread its perverted ideology throughout the land," Sedlak said.
"Everyone is getting the message: Stay away from Planned Parenthood. Everyone, that is, except our elected officials," Sedlak stated. "Without the increase in taxpayer funds, Planned Parenthood would have had an overall decline in income this year."
The jump in taxpayer funding to the PPFA also drew criticism from Douglas Scott, Jr., president of Life Decisions International (LDI).
"This 'not-for-profit' entity ends every fiscal year with tens of millions of dollars in 'excess revenue over expenses,' which is known to regular people as 'profit,'" he said in a statement.
Referring to the closing date of the latest annual report, Scott noted that "on June 30, 2006, PPFA had net assets valued at $839.8 million, of which $330.9 million was unrestricted and another $116.6 million was temporarily restricted."
"This is essentially a savings account," he said. "The money is sitting in a bank and drawing interest that will further advance Planned Parenthood's deadly agenda."
Ratio of abortions to adoptions
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, noted that while the PPFA reported carrying out a record number of abortions in 2005-2006, it "did not record a single adoption referral."
In the previous year, PPFA reported 1,414 adoption referrals, which Sedlak said amounted to one adoption for every 180 abortions.
The fact that the organization chose not to release a number for adoptions in the latest fiscal year, he said, meant that "we can only assume the number was so low that Planned Parenthood didn't want to embarrass itself by revealing it."
"You will not find the word 'adoption' anywhere in the PPFA's 2005-2006 Annual Report," Scott observed.
Cybercast News Service previously reported that Planned Parenthood has faced financial struggles for the past several years. The organization's 2003-2004 fiscal year report showed it was performing more abortions at fewer clinics than in the past.
Cecile Richards became the group's new president in February of 2006, just as the clinics in her home state faced cutbacks and even shutdowns because of budget amendments passed by the Texas legislature.
And last December, STOPP International said that 2006 had been "another year of struggle for Planned Parenthood" since the number of clinics the organization operated had dropped to its lowest level since 1987.
Several abortion rights groups Thursday declined to comment on the finances of another organization.
In a recent statement, PPFA President Cecile Richards argued that more funding was needed for its work.
"Currently, more than 17 million women in the U.S. need publicly-funded family planning services, and there is not enough funding to meet the need," she said. "Nearly 750,000 teenagers in the U.S. will become pregnant this year.
"As the leading advocate and provider of reproductive health care, Planned Parenthood knows that affordable health care services and access to medically accurate health information and education are the keys to reducing teen pregnancy and to building strong, healthy families," Richards said.
But on Thursday, Sedlak saw the PPFA's declining number of clinics as a silver lining in the organization's new report.
"This data should encourage all who fight Planned Parenthood in your community every day," he said. "Planned Parenthood is hurting. It is closing down clinics faster than it can open new ones, and its clinic income is down. Now is the time to rededicate ourselves to a tireless fight against Planned Parenthood."
FRC's Perkins agreed. "With assets totaling more than $839 million, Planned Parenthood hardly needs a government handout," he said.
Copyright 1998-2006 Cybercast News Service
