Northern California – Three Planned Parenthood clinics will be shutting their doors by the end of June. Californians for Life confirmed the closings of Planned Parenthood clinics in Vacaville, Pittsburg and central Richmond.
California Planned Parenthood officials blame a lack of health reimbursements for California’s poor as the reason for the shutdown. They also site the American Health Care Act as an issue. The plan, passed by the United States House of Representatives, would cut all federal funding to Planned Parenthood for a year.
Yet a 2016 report revealed that Planned Parenthood in Northern California had an annual revenue of over $50 million dollars, with annual expenses totaling $45 million dollars. This budget left clinics with over $5 million dollar of additional revenue.
“Clearly there is no shortage of funds, including millions of dollars in tax payer money for Planned Parenthood. As their client numbers decline, this money should be re-directed to non-abortion, comprehensive health care providers for women” Wynette Sills, the Director of Californians for Life, said in a press release.
Pro-life groups like Californians for Life are excited to see what will be in store for women’s health now that the abortion provider is closing its doors.
“As more Californians understand the humanity of the child in the womb, abortion rates continue to drop,” Sills said. “There are fewer clients going to the nation’s largest abortion provider.”
Women will not be left without health care options in Northern California after the clinics close at the end of the month. The Vacaville Community Medical Center, which is located in the same building as the Planned Parenthood Clinic, provides primary medical care, Ob-Gyn appointments, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, and pre-natal care for women. In the Richmond and Pittsubrg areas, Contra Costa Health Services and La Clinica have over twelve locations to serve women. Their services include PAP smears, breast exams, medical referrals, ultrasounds and extensive treatment plans for women with more complicated conditions.
The clinic closings in California come after Planned Parenthood’s 2015-2016 report was released. The report revealed that unique patient visits have declined by over 100,000 in the past five years.
Yet despite the loss of patients, abortion still remains as Planned Parenthood’s most used service offered to women. Planned Parenthood clinic workers performed more abortions in the 2015-2016 year (328,348) then the previous year (323,999). During the 2015-2016 year, other services provided by the clinic declined, including contraception and cancer screenings.
Californians for Life sited the investigative videos into Planned Parenthood’s clinics as a reason for the upcoming clinic closings. The videos revealed Planned Parenthood’s involvement in body part harvesting.
“More women know the humanity of the child in the womb, have experienced the pain of abortion and are getting the help they need when facing an unexpected pregnancy, so that the number of abortions, even here in California continues to decline, which is financially impacting the abortion industry” Sills said.
The California closings join a list of thirteen other Planned Parenthood clinics that have been slotted to close in 2017. Others include four clinics in Iowa, two in Pennsylvania, two in Colorado, and three in New Mexico.
