Planned Parenthood received nearly $2B in taxpayer money, $90M in COVID loans

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Saturday, December 16, 2023

Planned Parenthood received nearly $2 billion in federal taxpayer money over the course of three years, and the corporation's affiliates received $90 million in relief funds intended for small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, a government report shows. 

According to a Government Accountability Office report released in response to a request from Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., the country's leading abortion provider received $1.78 billion between the fiscal years of 2019 and 2021.

The International Planned Parenthood Federation, which advocates for global abortion and contraceptive access, received $2.03 million. 

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Other abortion providers, such as MSI Reproductive Choices (formerly Marie Stopes International), received $1.35 million, and four domestic, regional abortion providers received $107.74 million, according to the report.

In January 2022, Sen. Blackburn and 142 congressional lawmakers requested that the GAO release a report detailing the federal funding for Planned Parenthood and federally qualified health centers. 

The GAO report found that 38 Planned Parenthood affiliates received 44 Paycheck Protection Program loans between April 3, 2020, and May 31, 2021. As the document noted, the amount ranged from approximately $500,000 to $10 million. 

"In total, Planned Parenthood affiliates received approximately $89 million in loans, of which the entire amount — including interest — had been forgiven as of May 1, 2023," the report stated. 

The report also found that the Department of Health and Human Services' obligations to Planned Parenthood went from $5.71 million to $27.06 million between 2021 and 2022. This increase is likely due to the Biden administration overturning the previous administration's Protect Life Rule. 

Under the rule, recipients of Title IX funds were required to establish a "strict physical and financial separation between abortion-related activities and Title X project activities." The Trump-era regulation was intended to prevent "the use of Title X funds to perform, promote, refer for, or support abortion as a method of family planning."  

Blackburn called it "appalling" that abortion providers like Planned Parenthood and other organizations continue to receive federal taxpayer funding. 

"While small businesses struggled to make ends meet during the pandemic, Planned Parenthood illegally siphoned over $90 million from the Paycheck Protection Program, specifically designed to help our mom and pop shops keep their doors open," the senator claimed in a statement provided to CP. 

"The American people want their tax dollars spent responsibly and in line with our nation's values — not on the Left's abortion-on-demand agenda. I will never stop fighting to protect the unborn and end taxpayer-funded support for the abortion industry," she continued. 

Republicans have maintained that Planned Parenthood shouldn't receive federal funding under the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from being used for abortion. Planned Parenthood has maintained that its Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements are for other services it offers besides abortion, such as cancer screenings. 

Under the Trump administration, Planned Parenthood was not eligible to receive PPP loans meant for small businesses as its affiliates employ over 16,000 people nationwide.

Rep. Smith, co-chair of the Congressional Pro-life Caucus, said it is "unforgivable" that Planned Parenthood received $1.78 billion at a time when many businesses were struggling to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"This included $90.14 million in forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program — money that could have gone to struggling small businesses, many of which were forced to close," the congressman stated, declaring that federal taxpayer dollars should not go toward funding corporations like Planned Parenthood.

According to Planned Parenthood's 2019-2021 annual report, the corporation's affiliate centers conducted 354,871 abortions between Oct. 1, 2018, and Sept. 30, 2019. 

Planned Parenthood's annual report for 2021-2022 report shows the corporation performed 374,155 abortions for the year ending on June 30, 2022, while collecting $670.4 million in government grants and reimbursements. The abortion total was the second-highest yearly total and was approximately 40% of the abortions conducted in the U.S. during that time.