Planned Parenthood’s motto is “Care. No matter what.”
Depending on your disposition, that motto can strike you as either deeply twisted or ironic to the point of being sadly comedic. The pro-life movement, and even some outside of the pro-life movement, can agree that abortion does not meet the standard of “care” as it is commonly understood today.
Debating that point with a Planned Parenthood employee or volunteer will likely end in both sides becoming frustrated and angry.
So how can members of the pro-life community effectively dialogue with groups like Planned Parenthood without the conversation devolving into a shouting match?
Believe it or not, the pro-life movement and the abortion industry have a lot in common. They both focus on the woman.
This single fact can lead to more productive conversations at the ground level, and more effective strategies at an organizational level. It is clear from the abortion industry’s own data that they are investing less in the care that women are asking for, and more in the product that bolsters their bottom line: abortion.
Planned Parenthood recently released its 2023 annual report. The report revealed a record number of abortions in a single year for Planned Parenthood at over 392,000, accounting for 40% of all abortions in the United States in 2023. However, other health services such as preventative-care visits, prenatal care visits, pap tests, cancer screenings, and adoption referrals all decreased year over year from 2022, continuing a decade-long trend.
Planned Parenthood continues to prioritize abortion over health services, despite their claim of holistic “care.”
The abortion industry’s priorities stand in direct contrast with what women are saying that they actually want. In a study done among women who have had abortions, 6 out of 10 women said that they would have preferred to choose life if they had access to emotional and financial resources.
"6 out of 10 women said that they would have preferred to choose life if they had access to emotional and financial resources."
The Effects of Abortion Decision Rightness and Decision Type on Women’s Satisfaction and Mental Health (May 2023)
An organization that truly cares about women would take this data into consideration, and offer pregnant women the care that they are actually seeking, rather than decreasing services in favor of abortion.
Many workers at Planned Parenthood genuinely believe they are providing the highest level of care for the women that step through their doors, but the data tells a different story. The pro-life movement has a responsibility to actually provide these emotional and financial resources, through Pregnancy Help Centers and by funding advertising to connect women to those centers. Women deserve a higher standard of care; one that doesn’t include abortion.
Heroic Media is taking a women-centric approach. Unlike Planned Parenthood, Heroic Media prioritizes giving women all the accurate and factual details about abortion, as well as the facts about carrying a pregnancy to term and the resources available to a woman should she choose to do so. This commitment ensures that women are equipped to make fully informed decisions, and in our experience leads to many abortion-seeking women changing their minds about abortion and choosing life.
