To say that 2011 has been a watershed year in the battle against Planned Parenthood is an understatement. This has been a year that has seen the effort to close down Planned Parenthood escalate to new and successful heights.
But, don’t take my word for it. Here are just a few examples of what Planned Parenthood leaders are saying:
Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America: “…unprecedented attacks on Planned Parenthood. Politicians escalating their anti-women rhetoric as they try to outdo each other in their attacks on Planned Parenthood and women’s health.”
Peter J. Durkin, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Gulf Coast: “2011 was one of the most discouraging years ever.”
Jeffrey Hons, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Trust of South Texas: “It doesn’t take much reflection on any of our parts to say we’ve never seen a year like this.”
Gee, it makes you just feel so bad for them, doesn’t it?
Oh, wait a minute. This is the organization that says it ended the lives of 332,287 preborn human beings in 2009 and over five million since it started doing abortions in 1970. The fact that it is struggling this year is a good thing.
Regular readers of the Wednesday STOPP Report know that we have been reporting on the growing battle against Planned Parenthood all year. Week after week we have brought you the news of states defunding Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood facilities closing, and the battle in the halls of Congress over federal taxpayer money going to this nefarious organization.
The good news is that Planned Parenthood is having a bad year. The bad news is that the fight against Planned Parenthood is a long way from being over.
Had this fight happened 10 years ago, it might have spelled a speedy demise of Planned Parenthood. But, over the last decade, Planned Parenthood has gotten stronger and more capable of surviving these attacks—as long as they don’t last too long.
In 1998-1999, Planned Parenthood had a total annual income of $660.7 million and total assets of $633.2 million ($312.4 million in cash). That year, Planned Parenthood reported receiving $176.5 million in government grants and contracts—accounting for 26.7 percent of its income.
In 2008-2009 (the last year for which it has released data), Planned Parenthood had an income of $1.1 billion and total assets of $1.2 billion ($546.9 million in cash). It reported receiving $363.2 million in government grants and contracts—accounting for 33 percent of its income.
You can see that, although Planned Parenthood has grown significantly and has much more money in the bank, it has become more reliant on taxpayer funding. In fact, as Planned Parenthood announces new capital campaigns and the building of new mega-clinics, it is “betting the ranch” on the increased taxpayer funding it expects to receive as the nation implements Obamacare over the next few years.
The message is clear to those who want to end the reign of terror that is Planned Parenthood: keep up the pressure in 2012 and beyond. Never give an inch and never compromise on Planned Parenthood funding. Even one dollar of taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood is one dollar too much.
STOPP has been publishing regular reports on Planned Parenthood (first monthly, now weekly) since 1985. We strive to bring you the latest, most accurate data on Planned Parenthood—what it is doing and what people are doing to fight against it. You can sign up to receive the WSR at no charge at https://www.stopp.org/wsr.php.
Now is the time to increase all your efforts against Planned Parenthood. Be sure to make Planned Parenthood funding an issue in every election for every office this coming year. If we elect the right people to office, the spigot pouring millions of dollars into Planned Parenthood’s coffers will be shut off.
Jim Sedlak is vice president of American Life League and a recognized expert on Planned Parenthood. Jim is the author the book, Parent Power. Jim cofounded and was director of STOPP (Stop Planned Parenthood) from 1986 to 1994. He founded and was president of STOPP International from 1994 to 1998.
