Planned Parenthood Hits Suburbia

[question everything]

The Wall Street Journal

Planned Parenthood Hits Suburbia
Abortion Provider Goes Upscale; Aid For Poor Questioned
By STEPHANIE SIMON
June 23, 2008; Page A1

Flush with cash, Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide are aggressively expanding their reach, seeking to woo more affluent patients with a network of suburban clinics and huge new health centers that project a decidedly upscale image. The nonprofit, which traces its roots to 1916, has long focused on providing birth control, sexual-health care and abortions to teens and low-income women. While those groups still make up the majority of Planned Parenthood's patients, executives say they are "rebranding" their clinics to appeal to women of means -- a move that opens new avenues for boosting revenue and, they hope, political clout. Two elegant new health centers have been built, and at least five more are on the way; the largest, in Houston, will be 75,000 square feet. They feature touches such as muted lighting, hardwood floors and airy waiting rooms in colors selected by marketing experts -- as well as walls designed to withstand a car's impact should an antiabortion protest turn violent... While Planned Parenthood executives describe the tactics as a natural extension of their mission, the moves have opened the organization up to criticism from foes and friends alike.

Antiabortion groups point out that Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider, reported a record $1 billion in annual revenue in its most recent financial report -- about a third of that coming from federal and state grants to care for low-income women. The nonprofit ended the year with a surplus of $115 million, or about 11% of its revenue, and net assets of $952 million... Yet some of Planned Parenthood's political allies question the allocation of those resources. Last spring, the nonprofit -- which has 882 clinics nationwide -- dropped its crusading mission statement setting out the rights of all individuals, no matter their income, to "reproductive self-determination." In its place, Planned Parenthood adopted a crisp pledge to "leverage strength through our affiliated structure to be the nation's most trusted provider of sexual and reproductive health care." Ms. Richards says the new statement implies expanded services for all -- she's especially eager to draw more male patients -- but some outsiders wonder why it no longer mentions affordability or access.


"This is not the Planned Parenthood we all grew up with... they now have more of a business approach, much more aggressive," said Amy Hagstrom Miller, who runs abortion clinics in Texas and Maryland. Ms. Hagstrom Miller competes with Planned Parenthood for abortion patients -- and finds it deeply frustrating. She does not receive the government grants or tax-deductible donations that bolster Planned Parenthood, and says she can't match the nonprofit's budget for advertising or clinic upgrades. She has carved her own niche by touting her care as more holistic -- and by charging $425 for a first-trimester surgery at her Austin clinic, compared with $475 at the local Planned Parenthood. (Both Ms. Hagstrom Miller and Planned Parenthood say they work out discounts and payment plans for the needy.)

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Independent providers often consider Planned Parenthood a partner in the fight to preserve abortion rights, but they'd like to see the nonprofit focus more on expanding access for the destitute or for isolated rural residents. "They've made a decision to go after the young and the hip and the affluent, and they're leaving poor women behind," said Claire Keyes, an independent abortion provider in Pittsburgh. Ms. Richards fiercely disputes that. "We can do both," she said. "...There are 47 million Americans without insurance, and 17 million low-income women who need help paying for family-planning services like birth control. They remain our top priority."

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To accommodate poor patients, Planned Parenthood uses sliding-scale fees. In some markets, though, public clinics are cheaper, though often more crowded. In Denver, an uninsured woman can get sexual-disease tests for free and birth-control pills for $8 a month at a public clinic. Planned Parenthood charges a minimum of $30 for the tests and $25 a month for the pills.

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121417762585295459.html (subscription)

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. I live in a suburb with a Planned Parenthood clinic

and our right wing fruitcake DA is determined to close PP because they perform abortions there.

If you know any criminals looking for fresh turf, send them on over because unless they are involved in abortions, the DA will ignore them.