March 23, 2012

2011 not Planned Parenthood's best year

   
Though Planned Parenthood's annual report for 2011 shows an increase in the number of abortions it performed, pro-lifers see the decrease in abortion facilities as a victory.

Jim Sedlak of the American Life League (ALL) tells OneNewsNow that Planned Parenthood closed more facilities than it opened in 2011, marking the sixth straight year of facility decline.

 "They opened 11 new facilities, and they closed 47 of their existing facilities," he reports. "So at the end of 2011, Planned Parenthood now has 749 clinics across the country."

That is the lowest count since 1984, according to Sedlak, and is due in part to states eliminating or reducing funding for the clinics. Facilities that were not making a profit were also closed. But the Obama administration insists on continuing to grant $350 million in taxpayer contributions annually to the abortion-provider.

 "Barack Obama is so in love with Planned Parenthood that he will sacrifice anything for that organization," Sedlak offers. "He is so beholden to them for helping get him elected that earlier this year, he threatened to shut down the entire government rather than take one penny away from Planned Parenthood." That has become a campaign issue, notes the pro-lifer.

 While the number of clinics dropped, the number of medical and surgical abortions performed by the agency increased 41 percent. However, ALL's senior research analyst, Robert Gasper, concludes in his report that 2011 was a "remarkable year in the fight against Planned Parenthood," with the U.S. House of Representatives voting to deny federal funding to the abortion giant, and nine states passing legislation to defund the organization.

Contact: Charlie Butts
Source: OneNewsNow