By Michelle Bauman
Planned Parenthood, the leading provider of abortions in America, recently released its annual report to the public. Despite dismal media coverage, some of the disclosures are definitely worth noting. So, in case you missed it, here are the highlights:
First, the report revealed that more than one-third of Planned Parenthood’s revenue comes from American taxpayers. Taxpayers like pro-life you and me. Now, I suppose that if you’ve been watching the news lately, that reality may not come as much of a surprise; after all, government leaders have made their positions clear. They’ve simply put their money where their mouth is, so to speak.
The report also disclosed that Planned Parenthood received a 6% increase in funding over the previous year. We may be tempted, through the influence of reasonable and unbiased sources, to believe 6% is a small and sensible sum. After all, there is the price of inflation to consider.
Yet, small and sensible might not be entirely accurate when the numbers are actually crunched: A 6% increase means that Planned Parenthood is the happy recipient of $1.8 million tax dollars each day. (Or at least they were last year. With the rise in inflation, perhaps this year will necessitate more.)
And what do they do with these funds? A variety of things, we’re told. They provide cancer screenings, preventative care, adoption referrals, and contraceptive services, to name just a few. Quite literally, a few, in comparison to the number of abortions they carry out.
With over $204.7 million in excess revenue, it should be no surprise then that Planned Parenthood has been able to expand their services in recent years. By the end of 2021, 41 of their 49 affiliates also offered transgender services – an increase of over 1500% from the previous year.
Yet, we all know where Planned Parenthood’s real work is focused: the lucrative business of abortion. Unlike the selfless service and laudable humanitarian efforts we’re led to believe Planned Parenthood offers to the poor and underprivileged, the truth is abortion facilities prey on women in crisis situations and make money off of their fear-filled decisions.
And the numbers are staggering.
According to their own records, each day Planned Parenthood kills 1,025 preborn babies in America. (About 40% of the grand total of daily abortions in America.) Now I don’t know about you, but it’s difficult for me to grasp how many 1,025 of anything, let alone babies, really is. I need a number that’s a bit more manageable. So, let’s break it down. If 1,025 babies die each day from abortion at Planned Parenthood, that means 43 babies die each hour. And if 43 babies are killed each hour, that means Planned Parenthood kills one baby every 84 seconds.
In other words, in the time it took you to read this far, Planned Parenthood has disposed of at least one gift, one little human life, that God intended to give to the world. That’s a deeply sobering reality.
And it’s not just sobering, is it? As Christians, we likely feel even more: Shock. Sorrow. Frustration. Anger even. Perhaps the unfairness of it all is so overpowering that we feel our blood begin to boil. Like David does so often in his psalms, we long for the Lord to intervene. We cry out for His justice.
And those feelings aren’t inherently wrong. God makes it clear in both Old and New Testaments that we are our brother’s keeper (Gen 4:9-10). We are called to uphold life, both mother and child’s (Isaiah 1:17), to protect the innocent (Prov. 24:11-12, Matthew 18:10), and to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves (Prov. 31:8-9).
And because we recognize that abortion not only ends at least one life but also scars women and wounds families, we may also be moved to do whatever it takes to end this tragedy. We may even be tempted to believe that we can bring an end to abortion in America, that with enough passion and hard work, we can win this war against abortion permanently and forever.
I wish it were so. But in the words of King Lear, “That way madness lies.”
Please don’t mistake me. Working to close down an existing Planned Parenthood or prevent one from entering your community is laudable, God-pleasing work, as is sidewalk counseling and participating in other pro-life events. And it is work that yields life-saving results.
The truth is though, abortion exists because of sin. We know this. Whether fear, mistrust, selfishness, or threat of violence causes a woman to choose an abortion, the fundamental reason abortion exists is because the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh work to create doubt and cause harm in our lives. No matter how much we want to change that reality, the devastating truth is that we can’t do it.
But there is hope. God can defeat sin, and He already has through the perfect life and death of a perfect sacrifice, His Son. Christ has done the work necessary to conquer sin, and He has won the battle for us. In baptism, He exchanges our death for His life!
Having received His gifts, Christ now calls us to share them with others: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34).
So, what does that mean for us? It means that instead of worrying about winning battles He’s already won, we are free to focus on upholding lives. Instead of responding with anger over injustices, we respond to those experiencing injustices with love.
Rather than offering death as a solution to life’s difficulties, we uphold the lives of men, women, and children who find themselves in crisis situations. And instead of preying upon a woman for financial gain, we offer free alternatives that address her needs and fears.
Rather than treating life as a disposable commodity, we affirm the truth that father, mother, and child are unique and irreplaceable children of God, valuable and precious in His sight.
When it comes to public policy and taxes – we have a response to those things too. Because we rest in the sure and certain knowledge that God is faithful, we joyfully work to change laws and policies that devalue life, confident that no matter what happens, He will uphold His people.
This is the Gospel-motivated approach; this is the way we work to uphold life in the world.
As we look forward to and celebrate the one-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe vs. Wade on June 24, may we rejoice in the gift of life, a gift we have because He first loved us. And may we use our freedoms to love and uphold the lives of others!
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