Planned Parenthood has finally released its much-anticipated annual report, which shows an increase in the number of “abortion services” from 323,999 in the organization’s 2014-2015 report to 328,348 in the latest 2015-2016 report.
It’s an increase that is somewhat noteworthy, considering that both abortion rates and teen pregnancies are on the decline nationwide. In fact, the latest Planned Parenthood report heralds these changes, despite the group’s own increase in abortions.
“This country is at a 30-year low in unintended pregnancy, a historic all-time low in teenage pregnancy, and — thanks to affordable access to effective contraception — we’re at the lowest abortion rate since Roe v. Wade was decided,” the report reads.
While the organization had an increase in STI testing and treatments from 4,218,139 to 4,266,689 between the two reports, it actually provided fewer contraceptives to patients. The 2014-2015 report noted that 2,945,059 contraception services were provided, but that number fell to 2,808,815 in the latest 2015-2016 report.
And a similar dynamic unfolded on the cancer screening front, with Planned Parenthood offering 682,208 services under “cancer screening and prevention” in the 2014-2015 report and 665,234 in the latest document.
One of the big critiques to emerge of late is that some Planned Parenthood locations reportedly offer no prenatal care to women. Earlier this year, pro-life group Live Action accused Planned Parenthood of “pushing profitable abortions, often at the expense of health care services for the women it claims to serve,” releasing an investigative video that purported to prove that claim.
In a clip, titled, “The Prenatal Care Deception,” Live Action said it contacted 97 facilities across 41 of Planned Parenthood’s affiliates, and found that only five facilities offered prenatal care for women who wished to carry their pregnancies to term.
Regardless of the overall services offered by Planned Parenthood, the group’s latest report shows a dramatic decrease when it comes to prenatal care. While 17, 419 prenatal services were offered in the 2014-2015 report, the latest update for 2015-2016 places that number at 9,419.
The report also made note of the ongoing undercover video releases that have plagued the organization since the summer of 2015 when the Center for Medical Progress, a pro-life group, began releasing a series of videos purporting to show the sale of fetal body parts.
“In July 2015, anti-abortion extremists began releasing heavily edited undercover videos of Planned Parenthood of cials and providers,” the report reads. “In investigation after investigation by the media, the medical community, and forensic experts, their allegations were widely and resoundingly discredited.”
The organization also hit back at political efforts to strip it of public funding, warning that patients would be cut off from essential care. The latest report essentially provides fodder to both sides, showing that substantial numbers of people do receive non-abortive services at Planned Parenthood clinics, though decreases in many of those services will certainly raise questions among critics.
Read the report for yourself here.
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