Good News & Bad News: Planned Parenthood Offices are Closing; Remaining Offer Medical Abortions

WASHINGTON, DC (06 March 2009) - A new report from American Life League shows that in the last two years 61 additional Planned Parenthood facilities began offering medical abortions.

While Planned Parenthood closed clinics across the United States in 2008, more of the remaining Planned Parenthood facilities are offering medical abortions - abortions involving the administration of drugs specifically intended to kill the preborn child. Some common drugs used for medical abortions are Mifepristone (RU-486) and Methotrexate.

"We're encouraged to see an overall decline in the number of facilities and its affiliates," said Marie Hahnenberg, a researcher for American Life League. "However the report shows Planned Parenthood is simply changing focus from its express clinics to more facilities offering medical abortions." Express clinics are facilities where customers can pick up birth control without having an examination.

The report shows Planned Parenthood facilities down from 855 in 2007 to 844 in 2008. The report also reveals a decrease in the number of affiliates, express clinics and surgical abortion facilities.

"These findings show conclusively that Planned Parenthood is invested more than ever in finding and providing ways to kill," Hahnenberg said. "With these results in mind, it's crucial for Americans to participate in grassroots - local, state and national - efforts against Planned Parenthood and to work to defeat taxpayer funding of the nation's largest abortion chain."

To view the full report, go to:
http://www.stopp.org/pdfs/2008/2008ReportPPFacilitiesUS.pdf
To see exactly where each of the 844 Planned Parenthood facilities are located, visit American Life League's Map Room, an online, interactive map that offers facts, figures and locations: http://www.stopp.org/maps.