by Elyse Apel
A recent report from Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) shows that more women across the nation are getting abortions, an increase that continues despite the efforts of pro-lifers to prevent it.
The 2022–2023 Annual Report the nation’s largest abortion provider claims that the organization performed almost 400,000 abortions for that time period. That’s a 5 percent increase from the 380,000 reported for 2020 to 2021.
The rising number of abortions comes in the wake of the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which returned abortion regulation, or lack thereof, to the states. In its report, Planned Parenthood touts its legal efforts to overturn and prevent abortion restrictions in dozens of states.
“One year after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision ended the constitutional right to abortion, Planned Parenthood litigators and coalition partners had filed lawsuits against abortions bans in a total of 20 states,” the report describes. “While some of these bans have since gone into effect, the delay Planned Parenthood fought for meant that more people could get the care they needed, when they needed it.”
The organization has continued its pro-abortion campaign, with its political action group spending millions of dollars to back pro-abortion candidates around the nation in a bid for the 2024 election.
Increased Taxpayer Funding of Abortion
Not only are abortions up, but government funding of abortion is also on the rise.
Planned Parenthood reported $633 million in revenue from government reimbursements and grants in 2020 to 2021. By the end of 2022, its funding had increased to nearly $700 million, a 4 percent increase — and nearly half of its total yearly revenue.
Lila Rose, a prominent pro-life activist, called attention to this massive funding by the government of a highly controversial issue.
“Planned Parenthood murdered an average of … 1,076 babies every day, 45 babies every hour, 1 baby every 80 seconds,” Rose said on X. “We must defund & shut down Planned Parenthood NOW.”
Overall, Planned Parenthood saw increased revenue from every source of funding. The total increased by $350 million, from $1.45 billion in 2020 to 2021 to $1.8 billion in 2022 to 2023.
Planned Parenthood Heads Up Global Movement
Since Dobbs, Planned Parenthood has tried to remain at the forefront of the pro-abortion cultural movement. Key to its plan is enlisting social media influencers to contribute to the “national campaign” to “destigmatize abortion.”
“We collaborated with a group of 28 social media influencers to expand PPFA’s digital presence and reach their combined 34.7 million followers,” the organization reports. “This influencer collective produced 648 posts on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube about sexual and reproductive health and rights.”
The organization’s campaign also has international reach. According to the report, Planned Parenthood Global, which works “to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights globally,” has achieved “policy wins” in eight different countries. PP Global specifically targeted “Africa and Latin America” this past year, hosting events intended “to inspire and connect” women.
Unfortunately, it seems that, for now, Planned Parenthood’s campaign is working. It remains to be seen how voters will respond to its efforts in November.
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Elyse Apel is the Social Media Coordinator for The American Spectator. She is a senior at Hillsdale College who is majoring in politics and minoring in journalism. In her free time, she freelances for local newspapers, travels with her husband, and enjoys taking long walks exploring Hillsdale.
Photo “Planned Parenthood Supporters” by Fibonacci Blue. CC BY 2.0.
