The Culture of Life Foundation reported on July 26, 2005 its analysis of the results of an Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) study of unplanned pregnancies and abortions in the United States. AGI is the research arm of Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the nation.

The Culture of Life Foundation review of this AGI report reveals that access to contraceptives does not stop unplanned pregnancies.  The AGI research indicates that 53% of women who have unintended pregnancies used a contraceptive method during the month they got pregnant. This rate of contraceptive failure resulted in 1.47 million of the 2.77 million unplanned pregnancies, over 25% of all pregnancies recorded for the year.

The AGI report placed great emphasis on the fact that 48% of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned (over 2.77 million out of 5.76 million). Planned Parenthood’s solution to reduce unplanned pregnancies is more access to contraceptives, including the Plan B morning-after pill. In fact, greater use of contraceptives has led to more unplanned pregnancies and more abortions.

Professor Janet Smith explained this result when she stated, “Contraception leads to more extra-marital sexual intercourse, more extra marital sexual intercourse leads to more unwanted pregnancies, and more unwanted pregnancies lead to more abortions.”

On September 16th Dr. Lauren Streicher (who supports abortion) covered the issue of contraceptive failure in her syndicated column that answers medical questions. She stated, “With the variety of available contraceptives, some people assume a woman who inadvertently gets pregnant must have been careless. The reality is that even the most ‘foolproof’ birth control method has the potential to fail.”

In her testimony before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on September 15th, Karen Pearl, interim president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, stated, “And while we fought hard for that right [abortion], and will fight just as hard to protect it, Planned Parenthood does everything in our power to reduce the need for abortion. Yet, there are forces at work in this nation who seek to restrict comprehensive sex education, birth control, and emergency contraception, the very things that would decrease the number of abortions in this country.”

Really? Quite to the contrary, the information included in AGI’s report demonstrates that Planned Parenthood knows very well that contraceptive use is not effective in preventing unplanned pregnancies. To whatever degree contraceptive availability and use encourage sexual activity outside of marriage, increased demand for abortion must follow because of contraceptive failure. As the largest abortion provider in the nation, Planned Parenthood is very prepared to provide those abortions.

Planned Parenthood must recognize that comprehensive sex education, birth control, and emergency contraception do the exact opposite of what Karen Pearl claims they are intended to do. Otherwise, Planned Parenthod’s push for expanded access to contraceptives would be a serious threat to one of their major revenue sources. The recent 6% annual increases in abortions committed at Planned Parenthood demonstrate their marketing slogan contradicts reality. Actions speak louder than words. 

Bill Beckman