Planned Parenthood Abortions Outweigh Adoptions

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Planned Parenthood Abortions Outweigh Adoptions

Special Report - April 23, 2009
America’s largest abortion provider performed 62 abortions for every adoption referral it made in 2007, according to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s 2007–2008 annual report released earlier this month. In 2007, Planned Parenthood clinics performed over 300,000 abortion procedures, compared to 4,910 referrals to adoption agencies. The report states that abortion procedures accounted for only three percent of Planned Parenthood’s total services in 2007. It also points out that “the number of adoption referrals at Planned Parenthood health centers increased by more than 100 percent” in 2007,” while the number of abortions “increased by five percent.” However, David Bass, associate editor of the Carolina Journal, noted in a recent blog post that, “The percentages appear significant until one examines the hard numbers. In 2007, Planned Parenthood increased its number of adoption referrals by 2,502 for a total of 4,912 referrals. But it conducted 15,560 more abortions during the same period, totaling 305,310 abortions in all. For every adoption referral, therefore, Planned Parenthood conducted 62 abortions.” Bass adds, “So that is what they mean by pro-choice.”

According to Planned Parenthood’s web site, in-clinic abortion procedures for first-trimester pregnancies cost on average between $350 and $900. A medical abortion, such as the “abortion pill” RU-486, costs between $350-$650 at Planned Parenthood clinics.

The report shows that the largest percentage of Planned Parenthood services—36 percent—involved providing contraception, including distributing over 1.4 million “emergency contraceptive kits.” Emergency contraception (EC), also known as the “Morning After Pill,” is a form of birth control that can reduce the risk of pregnancy after sexual intercourse has occurred, such as through the use of higher doses of birth control pills. EC works in one of three ways: to prevent ovulation, to prevent fertilization, or to prevent implantation of a fertilized egg. Because it can work to prevent implantation, many pro-life groups consider EC to be an abortifacient.

Planned Parenthood received nearly $350 million in government grants in 2007-2008, which means 34 percent of its revenue came from taxpayers. After expenses, it made a profit of $85 million.