Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey Across the Life Line (24 page)

Notes

1
Planned Parenthood affiliates continue to make this assertion in some of their literature, such as the “Planned Parenthood and Parental Notification” statement, which says, “Planned Parenthood believes that the best way to make abortion rare is to make sure women, families and teens have access to confidential and affordable reproductive health care services.” See http://www.plannedparenthood.org/rocky-mountains/plannedparenthood-parental-notification-10565.htm (accessed September 4, 2010). When reacting to the 40 Days for Life campaign in 2010, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast released this statement: “Planned Parenthood does more than any other organization to prevent unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion.” See Stephanie Palmer, “‘Forty Days for Life’ Campaign Kicks Off,” KBTX.com, September 21, 2010, http://www.kbtx.com/local/headlines/103489104.html (accessed September 22, 2010).

2
These general figures are confirmed by Rachel K. Jones, Jacqueline E. Darroch, and Stanley K. Henshaw, “Patterns in the Socioeconomic Characteristics of Women Obtaining Abortions in 2000–2001,”
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
34, no. 5, September/October 2002, http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3422602.html.

3
Just after assuming her post in 2006, the current president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America told the
New York Times
, “No one does more to reduce the need for abortions in this country than Planned Parenthood.” Robin Finn, “AntiAbortion Advocates? Bring ‘Em On, Texan Says,” New York Times, March 10, 2006, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/10/nyregion/10lives.html?_r=1 (accessed October 1, 2010).

4
Rachel K. Jones, Lawrence B. Finer, and Susheela Singh, “Characteristics of U.S. Abortion Patients, 2008,” Guttmacher Institute, May 2010, http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/US-Abortion-Patients.pdf (accessed September 22, 2010).

5
In 2010, Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas and Planned Parenthood of Louisiana and the Mississippi Delta became known as Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. Though they had been working as merged affiliates for about five years, they held on to their respective names until September 1, 2010. See http://www.plannedparenthood.org/gulf-coast/who-we-are-33227.htm.

6
Potential serious side effects of these drugs are well established. See, for example, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “Medication Guide: Mifeprex,” revised July 19, 2005, http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm088643.pdf and National Abortion Federation, “Facts about Mifepristone (RU-486),” updated February 2008, http://www.prochoice.org/pubs_research/publications/downloads/about_abortion/facts_about_mifepristone.pdf (accessed September 29, 2010).

7
The affiliate’s 2008–2009 annual report acknowledges that the hurricanes, sluggish economy, and other financial challenges had made the year a difficult one: “Uncertain economic times called for an affiliate-wide response. We were able to close our fiscal year on a positive note due to across the board expense cuts, a reduction in force and a freeze on employee merit increases.” See Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas, “Annual Report 2008–2009,” http://www.plannedparenthood.org/gulf-coast/images/Gulf-Coast/AR_2008-2009.pdf.

8
Cindy Horswell, “AntiAbortion Protestors Target Planned Parenthood,” January 18, 2010,
Houston Chronicle
, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/health/6821521.html; Cindy George, “Planned Parenthood Debuts New Building,” May 20, 2010,
Houston Chronicle
, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7015381.html.

9
In its 2008–2009 Annual Report, Planned Parenthood of Southeast Texas and Houston refers to a cutback in these funds, saying “And despite lower allocations of Federal family planning Title XX funds to our health centers in Texas, more than 52% of our visits were provided at low or no cost to our clients.”

10
Increasing the number of abortions at our clinic would simply reflect the overall rise in the number of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood Federation of America over the past several years: There were 264,943 abortions performed in 2005; 289,750 in 2006; 305,310 in 2007; and 324,008 in 2008, the latest year for which figures are available. These statistics come from Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s 2006–2007 and 2007–2008 Annual Reports, as well as Planned Parenthood Federation of America, “Planned Parenthood Services,” fact sheet, September 2010, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/fact_ppservices_2010-09-03.pdf.

11
The Book of Common Prayer, According to the Use of The Episcopal Church
(New York: Church Publishing Incorporated, 1979), 355.

12
Ibid., 137, 266, 657; taken from Psalm 51:10,
KJV
.

13
For an interesting look at the way Planned Parenthood often thinks like a business, see Stephanie Simon, “Extending the Brand: Planned Parenthood Hits Suburbia,” Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2008, http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB121417762585295459-lMyQjAxMDI4MTI0MzEyNzM3Wj.html (accessed October 1, 2010).

14
See, for example, Planned Parenthood Action Center, “Fighting Anti-Choice Extremism,” http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/positions/opposing-attacks-womens-health-785.htm (accessed October 4, 2010).

15
Ashlea Sigman, “Planned Parenthood Director Leaves, Has Change of Heart,” KBTX.com, November 1, 2009, http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/68441827.html.

16
The Book of Common Prayer,
454–455.

17
Tracy Clark-Flory, “The Conversion of a ProChoice Warrior,”
Broadsheet
, Salon Media Group, November 3, 2009, http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet/feature/2009/11/03/planned_parenthood (accessed September 4, 2010).

18
Anne-Marie Dorning, “Planned Parenthood Clinic Director Joins AntiAbortion Group,” ABCNews.com, November 5, 2009, http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/plannedparenthood-clinic-director-joins-anti-abortion-group/story?id=8999720 (accessed September 22, 2010).

19
Dialogue taken from
Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas, Inc. and Planned Parenthood of Southeast Texas Surgical and Comprehensive Health and Services, Inc. v. Abby Johnson and the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life
, which was heard in the Brazos County, Texas, 85th Judicial District on November 10, 2009. The actual names of Planned Parenthood staff have been replaced with the pseudonyms used throughout the book. Some punctuation has been tweaked for clarity and consistency.

20
Matthew Watkins, “Planned Parenthood Denied Injunction,”
Bryan-College Station Eagle
, November 11, 2009, http://www.theeagle.com/local/PlannedParenthood-denied-injunction (accessed September 4, 2010).