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Planned Parenthood supporters at a rally in Philadelphia, Pa. (AP photo/Matt Rourke)
(CNSNews.com) - Planned Parenthood performed 332,278 abortions in the United States in 2009, according to a fact sheet the group published last month.
That is about as many as the 333,012 people who lived in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2009, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The 332,278 abortions Planned Parenthood performed over the 365 days of 2009 equals an average of 910 lives terminated per day--or about 38 per hour, or one every 95 seconds.
Planned Parenthood, according to its most recent annual report, also received $363.2 million in government grants and contracts during its fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2009.
Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Tait Sye recently told Bloomberg Businessweek that 90 percent of that $363.2 million came directly from the federal government or from Medicaid, a federal-state program. Thus, Planned Parenthood received about $326.88 million from federal programs in 2009.
Although the money from federal programs that went to Planned Parenthood in 2009 theoretically paid for things other than the 332,278 abortions the organization performed that year, the fact remains that Planned Parenthood—an abortion provider--received subsidies from federal programs that equaled about $932 per abortion it performed.
When the Republican-majority House of Representatives first passed a continuing resolution in February that would have kept the federal government funded for the rest of fiscal 2011, it included an amendment sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence (R.-Ind.) that would have expressly prohibited any funding of Planned Parenthood for the rest of this fiscal year.
The Pence amendment was approved by the House on a 240-to-185 vote. Ten House Democrats crossed party lines to vote for it.
That CR, however, was not approved by the Senate.
Planned Parenthood has now launched a campaign to stop any Pence-type amendment from being attached to any CR.
“This week, the Senate is expected to pass a budget and decide whether to bar all federal funding for Planned Parenthood health centers. This could be our last chance to protect this crucial funding,” says Planned Parenthood in an appeal on it website.
“Due to the overwhelming response from Planned Parenthood supporters, Senate offices will be experiencing a large volume of calls. If you can't get through right away, please keep trying until you reach your senator's office,” says the appeal.
Suggested talking points attached to Planned Parenthood’s appeal say: “Tell your senator’s office that you are a Planned Parenthood supporter and that: …. You demand that your senator vote NO on any legislation that targets Planned Parenthood or women’s health.” [Emphasis in original.]
Planned Parenthood has not yet reported how many abortions it performed in 2010.