Planned Parenthood's business model depends on delivering death

Planned Parenthood's business model depends on delivering death
by Rita Diller and Katie Walker
-The Washington Times 9-29-10

While Planned Parenthood continues to sit on its annual report for 2008-2009, new documents found hidden on its labyrinthine website give taxpayers an insider's look into the beleaguered abortion monopoly it is helping fund.

The numbers paint the grisly picture of an organization beset by financial problems yet determined to increase income by killing more preborn human beings.

But that's not the surprising part. The shocking thing about these numbers is that they are finally dispelling the ubiquitous Planned Parenthood lie that the organization is about something other than abortion.

Planned Parenthood's own numbers dispel the myths:

Myth 1: Planned Parenthood offers "choices"to women. While Planned Parenthood claims it is all about "choice,"a look at its maternity-related services to pregnant women paints a horrific picture of death and destruction inside the innocuous-looking facilities found in nearly every major American city.

The 2008 service figures show that 96.5 percent of pregnant women who received maternity-related "services" from Planned Parenthood aborted their children, with only 3.5 percent receiving prenatal care or adoption referrals.

So much for "choices."

Myth 2: Planned Parenthood is working to reduce abortions. While many Americans continue to believe the urban legend that Planned Parenthood is in the business of reducing abortions through birth control and sex education, the numbers tell a different story.

The year 2008 marked the 26th consecutive year Planned Parenthood increased its share of the U.S. abortion market, by performing 324,008 abortions. All told, Planned Parenthood affiliates brought in an estimated $152,283,760 via its abortion business.

Another disturbing trend is Planned Parenthood's uncanny ability to monopolize and profit off a "service" on the decline. Nationwide, abortion numbers fell dramatically in the 1990s and into the beginning of the millennium. But while national rates were going down, Planned Parenthood managed to more than triple its share of the market. In 1990, Planned Parenthood performed 8 percent of U.S. abortions. By 2008, its share of the abortion market had catapulted to 26.8 percent.

Myth 3: Abortion is only 3 percent of Planned Parenthood services. Knowing that community support and government funding will evaporate if the American people understand the truth, Planned Parenthood has been aggressive in marketing the oft-quoted notion that abortion is only 3 percent of what it does.

Pencils ready? Planned Parenthood arrives at 3 percent by dividing its total number of abortions by its total number of "services." For 2008, that would be 324,008 divided by 10,940,609.

To illustrate the absurdity of such a statistic, note that if Planned Parenthood hands out 97 condoms, it could count that as 97 "services." Then it does three abortions and claims that, because it also handed out 97 condoms, abortion is 3 percent of its business. This statistic is specifically designed to lead the American people and the legislators who continue to give government money to Planned Parenthood to believe that a very small portion of Planned Parenthood's business is abortion-related.

A better way to illustrate Planned Parenthood's abortion-centered business model would be to see what percentage of its total clinic income is attributable to abortion. When we do the math, we see that Planned Parenthood's estimated $152,283,760 abortion income in 2008 amounts to 40.6 percent of its 2007-2008 clinic income.

Here is an invitation to Planned Parenthood: Please prove us wrong. While Planned Parenthood cannot argue with the facts stated above, one way to dispel the many theories surrounding Planned Parenthood's failure to produce its annual report would be for it to actually release the report.

In the last five years, Planned Parenthood has been rocked by internal and external scandals. It has seen dedicated pro-life groups release tape recordings and videos shedding light on what really happens in its facilities. It is facing fraud and child-abuse allegations. It has seen the black community raise a loud voice against its operations because of its racist roots and current practices.

And while the organization's own statistics prove that Planned Parenthood's abortion numbers are rising, one of the most credible theories surrounding the group's refusal to release the annual report says that Planned Parenthood is in a tight financial bind and doesn't want word to get out. As Planned Parenthood has already seen three affiliates - in South Palm Beach, Fla.; El Paso, Texas; and San Francisco - collapse owing to financial issues, this makes sense.

One of the ways to make up for financial shortfalls, according to former Planned Parenthood facility director Abby Johnson, is to increase abortion income - its most lucrative "service."

For Planned Parenthood, increasing abortions is simply a good business move - a cold-blooded, calculated business move. This becomes horribly macabre when one stops to consider what abortion is - the intentional killing of a preborn human being.

Rita Diller is the national director of American Life League's Stop Planned Parenthood project and Katie Walker is American Life League's communications director.