Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and one of its larger members. PPFA provides reproductive health and maternal and child health services. Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Inc. (PPAF) is a related organization that lobbies the U.S. political system for pro-choice legislation, comprehensive sex education, and access to affordable health care.
The organization has its roots in Brooklyn, New York where Margaret Sanger opened the country's first birth control clinic. Sanger founded the American Birth Control League in 1921, which in 1942 became part of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. Since then, it has grown to have over 820 clinic locations in the United States, with a total budget of approximately US $1 billion, and provides an array of services to over three million people.
Planned Parenthood originated in 1916 when Margaret Sanger, already a nationally known birth control advocate, and associates opened the first US birth control clinic in Brooklyn, New York. It resulted in her being jailed.[3] In 1938, the clinic was organized into the American Birth Control League, which became part of the only national birth control organization in the US until the 1960s, but the title was found too offensive and "against families" so the League began discussions for a new name. [4] By 1941, the organization was operating 222 centers and had served 49,000 clients.[5] By 1942 [1] the League had become part of what became the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.[4]
By 1960, the Federation's grassroots volunteers had provided family planning counseling in hundreds of communities across the country.[5] Planned Parenthood was one of the founding members of the International Planned Parenthood Federation when it was launched at a conference in Bombay, India in 1952.[6][5]
Following Sanger, Alan Guttmacher became president of Planned Parenthood and served from 1962 till 1974.[7] During his tenure, the Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of the original birth control pill, giving rise to new attitudes towards women's reproductive freedom.[5] Also during his presidency, Planned Parenthood convinced the federal government to fund domestic and international family planning programs.[5] The Center for Family Planning Program Development was also founded as a semi-autonomous division during this time.[8] The center became an independent organization and was renamed the Guttmacher Institute in 1977.[8]
Faye Wattleton was the first woman named president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 1978 and served till 1992.[9] She was the first African-American to serve as president, and the youngest president in Planned Parenthood's history.[10] During her term, Planned Parenthood grew to become the seventh largest charity in the country, providing services to four million clients each year through its 170 affiliates whose activities were spread across 50 states.[11From 1996 to 2006, Planned Parenthood was led by Gloria Feldt.[12][13] Feldt activated the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the organization's political action committee, launching what was the most far reaching electoral advocacy effort in its history.[14] She also launched the Responsible Choices Action Agenda, a nationwide campaign to increase services to prevent unwanted pregnancies, improve quality of reproductive care and ensure access to safe and legal abortions.[5] Another initiative was the commencement of a "Global Partnership Program" with the aim of building a vibrant activist constituency in support of family planning.[5]
On February 15, 2006, Cecile Richards became president of the organization.[15]
Planned Parenthood has received federal funding since 1970, when President Richard Nixon signed into law the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act, amending the Public Health Service Act. Title X of that law provides funding for family planning services, including contraception and family planning information. The law enjoyed bipartisan support from liberals who saw contraception access as increasing families' control over their lives, and conservatives who saw it as a way to keep people off welfare.[34]
In the 2007–08 Annual Report, clinic income totalled $374.7 million and miscellaneous operating revenues $68.9 million.[35] Approximately two-thirds of the revenue is put towards the provision of health services, while non-medical services such as sex education and public policy work make up another 16%; management expenses, fundraising, and international family planning programs account for most of the rest.
Planned Parenthood regional chapters have been active in the American courts. A number of cases in which Planned Parenthood has been a party have reached the US Supreme Court. Notable among these cases is the 1992 case Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the case that sets forth the current constitutional abortion standard. In this case, "Planned Parenthood" was the Southeast Pennsylvania Chapter, and "Casey" was Robert Casey, the governor of Pennsylvania. The ultimate ruling was split, and Roe v. Wade was narrowed but upheld in an opinion written by Sandra Day O'Connor, Anthony Kennedy, and David Souter. Harry Blackmun and John Paul Stevens concurred with the main decision in separately written opinions. The Supreme Court struck down spousal consent requirements for married women to obtain abortions, but found no "undue burden" — an alternative to strict scrutiny which tests the allowable limitations on rights protected under the Constitution — from the other statutory requirements. Dissenting were William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Byron White. Blackmun, Rehnquist, and White were the only justices who voted on the original Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 who were still on the High Court to rule on this case, and their votes on this case were consistent with their votes on the original decision that legalized abortion.[60] Only Blackmun voted to maintain Roe v. Wade in its entirety.
Other related cases include:
- Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth (1976). This was a constitutionality challenge by Planned Parenthood to a Missouri law encompassing parental consent, spousal consent, clinic bookkeeping and allowed abortion methods. Portions of the challenged law were held to be constitutional, others not.[61]
- Planned Parenthood Association of Kansas City v. Ashcroft (1983). This was a constitutionality challenge by Planned Parenthood to a Missouri law encompassing parental consent, clinic record keeping, and hospitalization requirements. Most of the challenged law was held to be constitutional.[62]
- Planned Parenthood v. ACLA (2001). The American Coalition of Life Activists (ACLA) released a flier and “Wanted” posters with complete personal information about doctors who performed abortions. A civil jury and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals both found that the material was indeed "true threats" and not protected speech.[63]
- Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood (2003). In this case, Planned Parenthood sued Attorney General Gonzales for an injunction against the enforcement of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. Planned Parenthood argued the act was unconstitutional because it violated the Fifth Amendment, namely in that it was overly vague, violated women's constitutional right to have access to abortion, and did not include language for exceptions for the health of the mother. Both the district court and the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit agreed,[64][65] but that decision was overturned in a 5-4 ruling by the Supreme Court.[66]
- Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (2006). This relates to a constitutionality challenge by Planned Parenthood et al. of a 2003 New Hampshire parental notification law related to access to abortion.[67][68] In Sandra Day O'Connor's final decision before retirement, the Supreme Court sent the case back to lower courts with instructions to seek a remedy short of wholesale invalidation of the statute. New Hampshire ended up repealing the statute via the legislative process.[69]
Recorded stings by pro-life activists
Pro-life activists have carried out actions against Planned Parenthood in attempts to substantiate claims that Planned Parenthood did not follow applicable local laws. The groups typically call or visit a Planned Parenthood health center posing as victims of statutory rape,
[70] minors who would need parental notification for abortion,
[71][72] racists seeking to earmark donations for abortions for black women,
[73] or pimps who want abortions for child prostitutes.
[74] Video and audio recordings of these dialogues show employees being seemingly sympathetic to potentially criminal acts, leading to allegations that the health centers in question are violating the law. None of these stings have led to criminal conviction including the 2011
Live Action recordings.
[75] Some Planned Parenthood employees have been fired for not following policies, and the organization has committed to retraining its staff.
[73][76] However, an official federal inspection in 2005 by the
Bush administration's Department of Health and Human Services "yielded no evidence of clinics around the nation failing to comply with laws on reporting child abuse, child molestation, sexual abuse, rape or incest."
[71]
[edit] Court cases
Planned Parenthood has been criticized for withholding court-subpoenaed medical records of patients. Planned Parenthood defended its refusal on the grounds of medical privacy. In Indiana, Planned Parenthood was not required to turn over the records.[77] In Kansas, redacted copies of the records were turned over pursuant to stringent court-ordered protections.[78] In October 2005, Planned Parenthood Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota was fined $50,000 for violation of a Minnesota state parental consent law.[79]
In 2004, a Kansas-based Planned Parenthood clinic was investigated by Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, regarding possible violations of late-term abortion and statutory rape notification laws. Kline's successor, Paul Morrison, notified the clinic that no criminal charges would be filed following a three year investigation. He said "an objective, unbiased and thorough examination" showed no wrongdoing. Morrison stated that he believed Kline had politicized the attorney general's office.[80]
[edit] Anti-abortion violence
Planned Parenthood clinics have been the target of many instances of anti-abortion violence perpetrated or incited by pro-life supporters, including but not limited to bombing, arson, and attacks with chemical weaponry.[81][82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89] In 1994, John Salvi murdered Shannon Elizabeth Lowney, a receptionist at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Massachusetts.[90]
Planned Parenthood receives about a third of its money in government grants and contracts (about $360 million in 2009).[36] A coalition of national and local pro-life groups have lobbied the federal government to stop funding Planned Parenthood.[37] Federal legislators have also proposed laws that would ban Planned Parenthood from receiving federal money for any purpose.[38] By law, Planned Parenthood cannot allocate any federal funding for abortions.[37] Some abortion opponents, like Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, have argued that allocating money to Planned Parenthood for the provision of other medical services "frees up" funds, which are inherently fungible, to be re-allocated for abortion.[38][39]
Planned Parenthood is also funded by private donors, with a membership base of over 700,000 active donors whose contributions account for approximately one quarter of the organization's revenue.[35] Large donors also contribute a substantial portion of the organization's budget; donors have included the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Buffett Foundation, Ford Foundation, Ted Turner Foundation, the Cullmans and others.[40][41][42][43] The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's contributions to the organization have been specifically marked to avoid funding abortions.[40] Some, such as the Buffett Foundation, have specifically marked funds for abortion services.[40] Pro-life groups[who?] have advocated the boycott of donors to Planned Parenthood.[44][45]