What Percentage Of Services By Planned Parenthood Are Abortions

THE MEDIA: Impress.

WHO SAID It: Cathi Herrod.

TITLE: President of Center for Arizona Policy.

THE TARGET: Planned Parenthood.

THE Comment: "Planned Parenthood has worked hard to re-make itself as a women'due south health provider, but their main business is still ballgame."

THE FORUM: Quote in an Arizona Republic article published online on June 26.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT: How much of Planned Parenthood's operations involve abortions and abortion-related services?

Analysis: Planned Parenthood unremarkably cites a figure that only three percent of its services are for abortions. Of the virtually ix.5 million services Planned Parenthood provides nationally each year, 328,348 are abortion procedures, co-ordinate to the organization's almanac report.

A "service" includes anything provided to a patient, whether information technology's a pregnancy test or an abortion, and some patients receive multiple services. Each service is given the same weight, even though an abortion is costlier and more time-consuming than many other services.

In terms of patients, Planned Parenthood served 2.4 meg people last year and provided 328,348 abortions, according to its annual report. That works out to xiii.vii percent of patients.

The national Planned Parenthood part did non respond to requests for an interview and niggling data is bachelor outside of its annual reports, which consist of broad outlines. The reports don't include specifics such equally all ballgame-related visits, expenses or acquirement.

Local numbers provide more particular.

The Arizona branch of Planned Parenthood produces its own report on the organization's activities in the state. Jodi Liggett, vice president of public affairs for the grouping, said of 33,181 Arizona patients 5,732 had an ballgame in 2016.

That is about 17.27 percent of patients and 11 percent of all visits.

The residue received services including cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infection testing and contraception. Nationally, STI testing and contraception were a part of more 7 million visits.

Part of Herrod's argument stems from a disparity betwixt the number of visits for an ballgame and those for prenatal intendance or adoption referrals.

Nationally, Planned Parenthood provided 9,419 "prenatal services" and 2,889 adoption referrals in 2016. It'southward possible that some patients visited multiple times for these services, but it's unclear from the national organization's numbers. Assuming each visit was from a different person, prenatal services and adoption referrals combined for 0.5 percent of total visits.

"I think that information technology's fairly clear that the primary focus is to go along to promote abortion," Herrod said.

Liggett said that while Planned Parenthood is "proud to offering" abortions, they counsel patients about all options.

She argued that comparing prenatal/adoption services to abortions is a "fake equivalency" considering a lot of OBGYNs don't offer abortions.

"(They) don't provide the same range of services. I don't think that's productive. We look for unmet needs and effort to meet them," Liggett said.

Due to strict Arizona laws regulating abortion, Liggett said information technology's more hard for local clinics to perform abortions than Planned Parenthood's facilities. Four of Planned Parenthood'southward 10 facilities in Arizona provide surgical or medication-based abortion services.

Many clinics and doctor'south offices provide prenatal care but not abortions. Some Planned Parenthood offices don't provide prenatal care, instead referring the patient elsewhere.

Liggett said the decisions on what to offer are based on patients' needs in the area. She said that generally, Planned Parenthood's clientele is younger and trying to avoid pregnancy.

On the financial side, Planned Parenthood brought in $1.three billion in acquirement from three major sources in 2016: authorities grants ($550 million), non-government wellness services ($306.eight 1000000) and private contributions and bequests ($257.nine million), among other much smaller sources.

It is illegal to use government grant money for abortions.

Nationally, Planned Parenthood spent $798.eight 1000000 on medical services in 2016. The report doesn't break downwardly specific medical expenses, and so it's unclear how much of that went to abortion services. Information technology's as well unclear how much acquirement was derived from abortions.

In Arizona, the state Planned Parenthood branch brought in $13.eight million in revenue in 2016. About $3 million of that came from abortion services, Liggett said, which accounts for nearly 21.7 pct of Planned Parenthood Arizona's full revenue.

The state co-operative spent about $9.22 million on all medical expenses, Liggett said. Of that, most $two.28 million was on abortion services, totaling 24.7 percent of medical spending. This breakdown of revenue and expenses for abortions is not reflected in the grouping'due south report; the numbers were provided to The Republic in response to questions.

BOTTOM LINE: Though abortions account for more than than 3 percentage of Planned Parenthood'south operations, it's one of many services offered to its patients. It's also not the largest source of revenue, nor does it account for a majority of its expenses.

About thirteen.7 percent of clients received an abortion nationally and about 17.25 percent in Arizona did and so.

Abortion services made upward about a quarter of Planned Parenthood Arizona medical expenses (most $two.2 million) and more than than a 5th of revenue (virtually $3 million).

Abortion is a primary service offered past Planned Parenthood, but it'south not "their main concern."

FINDING: One star, mostly faux.

SOURCES: Phone and email interviews with Cathi Herrod, Center for Arizona Policy president; telephone and email interviews with Jodi Liggett, Planned Parenthood Arizona vice president of public diplomacy; Planned Parenthood 2016 annual report; Planned Parenthood Arizona 2016 annual written report; Planned Parenthood fee FAQ; "To defund Planned Parenthood, Arizona wants a say in residents' family unit planning," The Arizona Democracy; "Fact Cheque: How Does Planned Parenthood Spend That Government Coin?" NPR; "These Numbers From New Planned Parenthood Report Show Need to Defund Ballgame Giant," Daily Betoken.