{"id":316555,"date":"2024-08-06T08:50:19","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T13:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=316555"},"modified":"2025-03-03T23:05:36","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T05:05:36","slug":"top-myths-debunked-planned-parenthood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/top-myths-debunked-planned-parenthood\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Myths DEBUNKED: Planned Parenthood"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Planned Parenthood \u2014 an organization founded by “white supremacist” Margaret Sanger in 1916, is still accused today by its own staffers of being systemically racist. It has grown exponentially since its founding, now committing 40% of all abortions in the United States. It also continues to receive millions of taxpayer dollars every year, and the frequently-believed myths below continue to allow this corporation to fool the public while receiving ever-increasing excess revenue.<\/p>\n

Myth #1: “Planned Parenthood is about health care. Abortion is only a tiny fraction of what they do.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Truth:<\/strong> Planned Parenthood is an abortion advocacy organization, and their own attempts to downplay their abortion services have been labeled “misleading.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Planned Parenthood presents itself<\/a> primarily as a health care organization, despite the fact that it commits 40% of the national market share<\/a> of reported abortions.<\/p>\n

In the 1990s, Planned Parenthood attempted to reinvent itself<\/a> as an organization focused on broader, more general health care \u2014 but that attempt was disfavored by some within Planned Parenthood, because it diverted resources and focus from the corporation’s \u201creproductive rights\u201d (abortion) emphasis. Later, in 2019, the organization selected Dr. Leana Wen as its president, and she was ousted<\/a> when she attempted to move away from advocating for abortion to advocating for legitimate health care.<\/p>\n

In a\u00a0letter<\/a> to her colleagues posted to Twitter\/X<\/a>, Wen wrote, \u201cThe new Board leadership\u00a0has determined that\u00a0the priority of Planned Parenthood moving forward is to double down on abortion rights advocacy<\/strong>\u201d (emphasis added).<\/p>\n

\"Image:

Leana Wen statement Planned Parenthood abortion advocacy (Image Leana Wen Letter on Twitter 07-16-2019)<\/p><\/div>\n

While Planned Parenthood does offer limited health care services, many of these services have been on the decline for decades. The corporation’s latest annual report<\/a> from 2022-23<\/a>\u00a0reveals that over the past several years, the following services have decreased:<\/p>\n

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  • Contraceptive services<\/strong> (includes counseling and care): Down 44% since 2009<\/li>\n
  • Overall cancer screenings<\/strong> (breast exams and pap smears): Down nearly 79% from 2004<\/a><\/li>\n
  • Breast cancer screenings<\/strong>: Down over 80% from 2000<\/a><\/li>\n
  • Pap Tests<\/strong>: Down over 83% from 2004<\/a><\/li>\n
  • Adoption referrals<\/strong>: Down nearly 65% from 2007<\/a><\/li>\n
  • Prenatal care<\/strong>: Down 80% from 2010<\/a><\/li>\n
  • STI treatments<\/strong>: Down nearly 15% from 2019<\/li>\n
  • Clients<\/strong>: Down nearly 34% from 2006<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    While these have decreased, abortions at Planned Parenthood have increased<\/a> nearly 100% <\/em><\/strong>since 2000. In total, since that year, Planned Parenthood has committed over 7.1 million abortions, making it the largest abortion corporation<\/a> in the United States.<\/p>\n

    In addition, Planned Parenthood\u2019s 2022-23 annual report<\/a> claims<\/a> that abortion now makes up 4% of its total services, up from 3% previously reported. But in 2015, the Washington Post Fact Checker called<\/a> Planned Parenthood’s then-“3%” abortion services claim “misleading,” writing: “The 3 percent figure that Planned Parenthood uses is misleading, comparing abortion services to every other service that it provides. The organization treats each service \u2014 pregnancy test, STD test, abortion, birth control \u2014 equally. Yet there are obvious difference between a surgical (or even medical) abortion, and offering a urine (or even blood) pregnancy test. These services are not all comparable in how much they cost or how extensive the service or procedure is.”<\/p>\n

    In 2023, Planned Parenthood\u00a0committed<\/a> a total of 392,715 abortions, the highest number recorded to date.<\/p>\n

    Myth #2: “Planned Parenthood is one of the main places women go for prenatal care.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The Truth:<\/strong> Planned Parenthood’s prenatal care services have plummeted 80% since 2010, and it commits 62 abortions for each reported prenatal care service provided.<\/em><\/p>\n

    In the mid-to-late 1990s<\/a>, Planned Parenthood\u00a0suggested<\/a>\u00a0in an annual report that prenatal care was its \u201cfastest-growing area.\u201d Today, the tune has drastically changed. Prenatal care at Planned Parenthood has been on the decline even as its abortion numbers continue to increase year after year.<\/p>\n

    Live Action’s own undercover investigation into Planned Parenthood’s alleged “prenatal care” services not only exposed this fiction but caused the corporation to purge<\/a> misleading ‘prenatal care’ text from its own website.<\/p>\n

    Today, Planned Parenthood\u2019s\u00a0website<\/a> reflects the fact that only \u201csome\u201d Planned Parenthood facilities actually offer prenatal care.<\/p>\n