► Wednesday STOPP Report - March 4, 2009
by Marie Hahnenberg
Released March 4, 2009

In this issue:

American Life League's 2008 Report on Planned Parenthood Facilities in the United States
Obama reviews Bush's conscience clause
Amendment introduced to take away PP money
Lives saved!
  

American Life League’s 2008 Report on Planned Parenthood Facilities in the United States

Each year, American Life League conducts a nationwide survey to determine the exact number and types of facilities operated by each of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America affiliates. The survey was completed on December 31, 2008. The following is a summary of what we found. To view the entire 2008 report, click here.

Results

The data show that the Planned Parenthood Federation of America has decreased its total number of affiliates, express clinics and surgical abortion facilities.  There was, however, an increase in the total number of facilities that perform medical abortions. This information shows that Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion chain in the country, is focusing more on its medical abortion business. In the span of the last two years, Planned Parenthood has increased its number of facilities performing medical abortions by 61. 

At the end of 2008, Planned Parenthood had a total of 844 clinics, down from 855 from the year 2007.  Of these, 31 clinics are considered express clinics, while the remaining 813 are non-express clinics (one fewer than 2007). The total number of express clinics has decreased by 11.

Since the previous survey conducted in 2007, 26 Planned Parenthood clinics were removed from the list and 15 clinics were added.

In 2008, Planned Parenthood had a total of 549 facilities that performed chemical abortions only. (Oftentimes, when Planned Parenthood clinics do not perform medical or surgical abortions, it will refer its customers to a Planned Parenthood facility that does.) A total of 121 facilities were counted that perform both chemical and medical abortions. This is an increase of 13 from the year 2007.

There were a total of 295 medical and surgical abortion facilities, which is an increase of eight from 2007. The number of surgical abortion facilities has decreased by five. In 2007 there were a total of 179 surgical abortion facilities and in 2008 there were a total of 174.

At the end of 2008, there were a total of 99 affiliates – a decrease of nine from 2007. Part of the reason Planned Parenthood merges its affiliates is to cut costs and increase its overall profits.

The table below shows that the total number of medical abortion facilities have increased during 2008 as compared to the total number of affiliates, total number of clinics (which includes non-express clinics and express clinics) and surgical abortion facilities – all of which have decreased.

Discussion

After collecting and looking through the data on Planned Parenthood clinics across the U.S., it is clear to see that Planned Parenthood is increasing its abortion business and has closed down many express clinics. As its express and non-express clinics are steadily declining, the number of facilities performing medical abortions continues to increase.

To see exactly where each of the 844 Planned Parenthood facilities are located, be sure to visit the American Life League’s Map Room, an on-line, interactive map that offers facts, figures and locations (www.stopp.org/maps).

To view the entire 2008 Report that includes tables, graphs and more, please visit: http://www.stopp.org/pdfs/2008/2008ReportPPFacilitiesUS.pdf.

Obama reviews Bush’s conscience clause

Last week the Obama administration announced that it will be reviewing the conscience clause that became effective during the end of the Bush administration. This gave protection for doctors, pharmacists and other health care employees who would refuse to provide abortions and contraception.  Planned Parenthood believes this is Obama’s first step in rescinding the regulation, which it claims, “undermines the country’s fragile health care system as well as patients’ access to health care information and services.”

Now of course we all are used to PP’s mumbo jumbo. However, one might ask, what harm is done by having this conscience clause? How does protecting American health care workers, who know abortion is killing the life of a human being and that drugs such as the birth control pill and other birth control products could kill a preborn baby, go against patients’ access to health care? Because PP believes abortion is “health care.” Because PP believes that poisoning your daughter with the birth control pill and pushing promiscuous lifestyles onto our youth is “health care.”

As Judie Brown, president and cofounder of American Life League said,  “There is no way that a sound-thinking, upright Christian member of the medical community is going to be able to survive under the Obama onslaught unless at some level, lawmakers or judges see through the dictatorial attitudes of a president who appears to have no respect for anyone’s perspective other than his own.” We must do something. We can see how much of an influence the largest abortion chain in the country has on the Obama administration. We all know PP worked very hard to get Obama elected since one of the first things he promised he would do once in office is to sign the Freedom of Choice Act. Is this the first step to that? We certainly hope not.

Sign the petition to stop FOCA, the Prevention First Act and all of Planned Parenthood’s agenda.

The petition states:

“Planned Parenthood cannot be allowed to push its agenda without opposition. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! We, the undersigned, ask all elected officials to say NO to FOCA, PFA and all other legislation pushed by Planned Parenthood."

Sign it here: http://www.stopp.org/agenda/foca.php.

Amendment introduced to take away PP money

On March 2, Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana introduced an amendment in the Senate (S. Amdt. 601) to the omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 1105) that would exclude PP from receiving Title X funds. The amendment reads, “None of the funds appropriated under this Act shall be made available to Planned Parenthood for any purpose under [T]itle X of the Public Health Service Act.”

Last year PP received $336.7 million from our tax dollars and Title X makes up about 23 percent of PP’s total government funding.

The fact that this amendment has been introduced is good news! The last time we have seen an amendment that would have excluded PP from receiving Title X funds was the Pence Amendment, introduced and voted on in 2007 in the House of Representatives. The amendment failed by a vote of 189-231. However, a similar piece of legislation has now been introduced to the Senate and we need your help!

If this amendment is voted on and passes, it would be a major victory in the pursuit of cutting off our tax dollars from the hands of PP.

Please contact your senators immediately and let them know what you think of the Vitter Amendment!


Lives saved!

As David Bereit reported on day six (March 2) of the spring campaign of 40 Days for Life, a total of 33 lives have been saved from abortion since pro-lifers across the country began this campaign on February 25.  Since day six, even more lives have been saved. Praise God!

We wanted to share with our STOPP readers some of the stories that came from the 40 Days for Life campaign and took place outside of PP clinics. 

The first report is from Christine in Houston, Texas:

"We know of at least two women who had appointments at Planned Parenthood today who left after speaking to the sidewalk counselors and went to the downtown pregnancy help center! Please remember them in your prayers."

The second report is from Alejandra in Orange County, Florida:

At 7:30 a.m., Gloria and her daughter were the only ones praying. Minutes after they arrived, a man was already leaving Planned Parenthood. He asked them why they were there. She said, 'We are pro-life and we don't accept abortion. We are praying to end abortion.' The man burst into tears and said that his wife was inside the clinic. But that he didn't want her to have the abortion. He went inside to talk with his wife. Two hours later, the man came out in tears and said, 'I got her out! Thank you!' By then more volunteers had joined the vigil and were celebrating!

As Gloria was waving goodbye to the prayer group, she saw volunteers talking to another woman that was leaving the clinic. She stopped at the prayer team and thanked them for their prayers, saying, 'I didn't do it! Thank you!'

Be sure to read the other fantastic reports by the participants of 40 Days for Life at: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/. 

Share your own Pro-Life Story here!