By Jim Sedlak
STOPP has pointed out for years that Planned Parenthood has more medical centers in California than in any other state. Currently, it operates 109 centers, and that number is increasing. One of the primary reasons for all these centers is that the state of California has several taxpayer-funded programs that funnel money to the organization.
To illustrate the kind of funding available to Planned Parenthood, we will look at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, which is the biggest (by income) Planned Parenthood affiliate in the country, operates 34 of the PP centers in California, and reports a total income of $121 million. (Note: All PPMM financial numbers in this article are taken from its Federal Form 990 covering the year from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019).
PPMM reported that it received $36 million from California’s Family PACT (Planning Access Care Treatment). Low-income women, men, and teens seeking birth control may qualify for the state’s Family PACT funding program, which includes some no-cost services. Eligible women may receive birth control, routine periodic exams, and pap smears, as well as testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases or vaginal infections. Men can receive condoms and STD testing/treatment as well as vasectomy services. (Note: When a high school or college student goes into Planned Parenthood for its services, only that individual’s personal income counts toward determining if they qualify as “poor” people; their parents’ incomes do not count.)
PPMM also reported receiving $35 million from California’s Medi-Cal program. Medi-Cal will pay for most of Planned Parenthood’s services, including birth control, STD testing, pregnancy testing, prenatal care, and abortion services. (Note: Planned Parenthood frequently claims that taxpayer money cannot be used to pay for abortion services. That is NOT true in California or in 15 other states [Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington].)
Finally, PPMM reported receiving $6.6 million from the Medi-Cal/Medicaid program. Not all Planned Parenthood centers in California have providers that qualify as federal Medicaid providers, but many do.
Thus, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte reports that a full 64 percent of its annual income is taxpayer money from these three programs.
There are six other Planned Parenthood affiliates in California. Although all the affiliates also receive taxpayer monies from these three programs, their numbers are smaller than PPMM.
There has been significant attention to the increase in healthcare funding in California during 2021. Although the state budget for the next two years was signed within the last two weeks, the final numbers have not yet been settled; additional funding is expected to be tacked on to the budget through what California calls “trailer bills.”
What is clear is that California is significantly increasing its expenditures for “healthcare” and that Planned Parenthood is positioning itself to be a large recipient of those funds—not only in its traditional roles involving abortion (including the abortion pill) and birth control but also in emerging economic opportunities such as “transgender services.”
Facing its future, Planned Parenthood is beginning to increase its number of centers in the state.
Jim Sedlak is executive director of American Life League, founder of STOPP International, and host of a weekly talk show on the Radio Maria Network. He has been successfully fighting Planned Parenthood since 1985.
