Planned Parenthood portrays itself as an indispensable provider of women’s healthcare. But what’s the reality? Here’s what everyone needs to know about Planned Parenthood 

 

Planned Parenthood and Abortion

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Planned Parenthood performed a record-high 402,230 abortions in 2023, according to the group’s 2023-2024 annual report. That makes Planned Parenthood, by far, the leading practitioner of abortion in the United States.  

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In recent years, the annual abortion total at Planned Parenthood has increased even when overall abortions in the country have trended downward. Most of Planned Parenthood’s other services, by contrast, have consistently declined. Contraceptive services have dropped nearly 40 percent since 2010. Cancer screenings (mostly manual breast exams and pap tests) have dropped 73 percent. “Prenatal services” (which were always very rare) have plummeted 77 percent. “Total services” provided by Planned Parenthood are down 14 percent. 

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Among the three pregnancy-related services Planned Parenthood provides women who are already pregnant (abortion, adoption referral, prenatal services), abortion accounts for 98 percent. For every one adoption referral, Planned Parenthood performs 187 abortions. The group is 57 times more likely to perform an abortion than to provide any prenatal care. 

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Planned Parenthood and Money 

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Planned Parenthood took in $2.026 billion in revenue during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023. That’s a 93 percent rise since 2010—even as the organization has provided fewer services. Planned Parenthood’s revenue consistently exceeds its expenses by tens of millions of dollars (and sometimes more)—the difference was $27.4 million in the last fiscal year alone. 

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In the year ending June 2023, Planned Parenthood received $792.2 million in government reimbursements and grants. Although federal dollars are not supposed to directly fund abortion (except in rare cases), the money Planned Parenthood receives is fungible and serves to support its abortion activities. Moreover, some states, including Minnesota, directly reimburse Planned Parenthood and other abortion centers for elective abortions through their Medicaid programs. 

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Planned Parenthood and Politics 

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Planned Parenthood’s political arms oppose any restrictions on abortion considered by Congress, state legislatures, and the courts. Planned Parenthood opposes limits on late abortions, partial-birth and dismemberment abortions, and taxpayer funding of abortions. It opposes parental involvement (for minors) and informed consent requirements before women undergo abortion. It opposes licensing and inspection of abortion facilities. And—perhaps most of all—it opposes any reduction of its own taxpayer funding. 

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Planned Parenthood also spends heavily to elect candidates to office who favor unlimited abortion and support funding for Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood has become, as the Washington Post reports, “a powerful political juggernaut.”

 

Planned Parenthood and Scandal 

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Abortion isn’t the only reason that Planned Parenthood is controversial. Some former employees, for example, have filed whistleblower lawsuits alleging fraud, and many audits have found Planned Parenthood facilities overbilling the government. A 2018 investigation found numerous cases of Planned Parenthood failing to report child sexual abuse. And sting videos show Planned Parenthood executives discussing the harvesting of fetal body parts (such as liver and brain) in exchange for compensation from outside companies.

 

Planned Parenthood and Minnesota

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Planned Parenthood North Central States (PPNCS), the regional Planned Parenthood affiliate, operates the state’s largest abortion facility in St. Paul and four other Minnesota centers that offer chemical abortions. Planned Parenthood performed a record-high 7,533 abortions in Minnesota in 2023, according to the Minnesota Department of Health—nearly five times that of the state’s next highest practitioner. 

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Contrary to state and national abortion trends, abortions at Planned Parenthood in Minnesota have consistently gone up. As the overall state abortion total decreased 18 percent from 2009 to 2021, Planned Parenthood increased its abortions by 79 percent. In 2009, the organization performed 32 percent of Minnesota abortions; 12 years later, it performed 70 percent.  

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Planned Parenthood benefits from Minnesota’s policy of Medicaid-funded abortion, which allows the group to offer “free” (state-funded) abortions to low-income women. Planned Parenthood billed Minnesota taxpayers a record-high $773,459 for a record-high 3,643 abortions in 2021, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Planned Parenthood increased its tax-funded abortions by 321 percent between 2011 and 2021. 

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Planned Parenthood and Women’s Health 

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Planned Parenthood claims that it is essential to women’s health. But it provides a very limited range of actual health services. Better alternatives are available for women who need care. 

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Federally qualified health centers, unlike Planned Parenthood, provide comprehensive health care to low-income women and men. They also outnumber Planned Parenthood clinics by approximately 15-to-1. If women’s health care (rather than abortion) is a priority of government, then public funding should be redirected from Planned Parenthood to these full-service health centers. That’s what federal proposals to defund Planned Parenthood have sought to do. 

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For women facing unexpected and challenging pregnancies, pregnancy resource centers provide practical support and assistance. Unlike Planned Parenthood, they offer women positive alternatives to abortion. And they greatly outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities both in Minnesota and nationwide.

 

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