“Botched Care” at Planned Parenthood

Written by David E. Smith

The New York Times recently published a revealing article, titled “Botched Care and Tired Staff: Planned Parenthood in Crisis.” In her article, author Katie Benner details a litany of alarming problems at Planned Parenthood clinics across the U.S. The report asserts that many clinics face a high level of staff turnover that is fueled by substandard pay and poor working conditions.

Drawing from clinic documents, legal filings, and interviews with over 50 current and former executives, consultants, and medical staff, the article highlights a pattern of financial strain, understaffing, and inadequate training that has compromised patient care.

In some cases, staff turnover has made it difficult for the organization to keep its staff well-trained. Unsurprisingly, problems with the training and retention of staff have led to problems in Planned Parenthood’s treatment of it’s victims. Many complaints have been leveled against the organization; the allegations include botched insertion of birth control implants; the insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) into a patient who was already pregnant, leading to a stillbirth; and a botched abortion, among others.

The article opens with the story of Nakara Alston, who underwent a failed abortion at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Albany, New York. Despite assurances from staff that the procedure was successful, she later discovered in an emergency room that her pregnancy persisted, resulting in a traumatic delivery of a baby who died shortly after birth. This case is presented as one of many, with the article citing “scores of allegations” of poor care.

The report suggests that Planned Parenthood’s recent difficulties are caused by several factors. One is pro-life pressure on governments to reduce or eliminate public financial support for Planned Parenthood. The organization faces a crisis as the number of customers have declined from a peak of 5 million across 900 clinics in the 1990s, driven by factors like the Affordable Care Act shifting patients elsewhere and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still another is a self-created problem. Apparently, the bylaws of Planned Parenthood Federation of America call for the organization to spend most of its funds on “the legal and political fight to maintain abortion rights,” not on financial assistance to its state affiliates and abortion clinics. Therefore, while the national organization takes in a staggering amount of donations ($498 million in 2022), most of that money does not get spent on actual medical treatments.

Poor treatment of patients and staff should be expected from an organization that promotes, performs, and profits from child sacrifice (abortion) and now, hormone treatments for gender confused victims. Planned Parenthood cares nothing for unborn babies; they care nothing about the physical and mental health of those suffering from gender dysphoria; we should not expect the organization to care about its employees or its patients.

Without a doubt, Planned Parenthood would like to use the Times’s report as an excuse to cry for more taxpayer-funded largesse to fund its bloody business. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and his abortion cheerleading allies would be happy to oblige.

As of the most recent data, there are approximately 29 abortion facilities in Illinois. Planned Parenthood of Illinois operates 13 abortuaries across the state. The latter reflects recent changes, including the closure of Planned Parenthood mills in Chicago (Englewood), Ottawa, Decatur, and Bloomington (effective after March 2025). The rise in chemical abortion may also contribute to the shuttering of brick-and-mortar locations. The Guttmacher Institute reports that the abortion pill accounts for 63 percent of all abortions in the U.S.

Pro-life Christians should be praying fervently for the demise of Big Abortion in Illinois, across the nation and around the world. Specifically, Planned Parenthood should be starved of taxpayer funds. A 2023 Knights of Columbus/Marist poll showed 60 percent of Americans against taxpayer dollars funding abortions. Tax dollars should not be used to promote child sacrifice, whether it be surgical or chemical abortion.

The good news, the calls for Congress to defund Planned Parenthood are once again ramping up. U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) has introduced legislation to prohibit federal funding for Planned Parenthood, saying:

“We must fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, and nowhere is that more true than when it comes to defending the most vulnerable among us – the unborn.”

“We should be focused on funding women’s health instead of fueling the abortion-on-demand agenda championed by radical left-wing groups.”

The Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act (S. 177) would prevent federal tax dollars from going to Planned Parenthood or its affiliates, subsidiaries, successors, or clinics. Unfortunately, we cannot expect abortion extremists like Illinois U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth to support this important legislation.

Read more:

NYT Admits the Ugly Truth: Planned Parenthood is a Corrupt, Dangerous Train Wreck
(Operation Rescue)

Students for Life of America Calls on Trump to Defund Planned Parenthood
(Students for Life)

Why An Immediate Ban On Abortion Drugs By Mail Is Essential For The Trump Administration
(Harbinger’s Daily)