Do Tax Dollars Fund Abortions?
This article, by HuffPost, has been shared frequently of late by liberals attempting to "prove" that tax dollars are not funding abortions. Let's see if their side can pass muster. See counter arguments below, any one of which completely destroys the assertions made in the article:
Argument 1 - #fakenews
Article is written by HuffPost. Enough said. Case closed.
Argument 2 - Financials
Go to Google and search for Planned Parenthood Financials. From 2015, they report total income of $1,146 Million. They report total expenses of $1,085 Million. That is a net income of (positive) $61 Million.
However, they also report government funding of $553 Million. Meaning, they would have lost $492 Million without government funding. The numbers are comparable as far back as you want to check.
Without government funding, Planned Parenthood turns a loss of $492 Million in 2015.
Even if they performed a single abortion, it would have been government funded. Planned Parenthood reported performing 323,999 abortions in 2015. Case closed.
Argument 3 - Helms Amendment
Some liberals argue that since the Helms Amendment was passed in 1973, that no US tax dollars have funded overseas abortions. This is clearly impossible since it has already been demonstrated that Planned Parenthood cannot afford to perform a single abortion - domestic or abroad - without US Government funding.
Business entities essentially operate out of a single business account - money goes in and money goes out. Naturally, they may use multiple actual bank accounts to accomplish this, but it is really quite simple to funnel money from one account to the next. Case closed.
Argument 4 - specific costs
I can hear the less financially savy liberals saying now: "well, they had a net operating positive income of $61 Million, couldn't that pay for the abortions, and couldn't that specific money have come from another source?"
Glad you asked.
The average cost for an abortion is $648 through 11.6 weeks. The price goes up as the pregnancy progresses. However, the range of prices is from $350 to $3500, depending on area, income, method, and other factors. As a very conservative estimate, let's use the $648 figure.
It is safe to presume that with such a wide range of pricing, and with it being income-based, that the cost of the abortion procedure itself is likely to be $648 or more. Actually, the safest estimate is to take the top figure - $3500 - and divide it in half as standard business practices often involve doubling the raw cost. That would be a cost of $1750 per abortion. But some women choose the pill, and it would likely be much less expensive, so maybe it evens things out. Maybe. So let's use $648.
At a cost of $648 per abortion performed, and multiply by Planned Parenthood's self-reported 323,999 abortions performed, and we get a cost of just under $210 Million. Let's call it $209 Million for the snowflakes out there who think I might fudge the numbers.
Remember that net positive income of $61 Million? Yeah, that whole amount gets totally swallowed by the estimated $209 Million in actual abortion procedure & pill expenses.
But, let's suppose that they were all done via the pill (they weren't). Planned Parenthood charges at least $350 for the abortion pill. $350 per pill times 323,999 abortions is $113 Million dollars - well over the stated $61 Million threshold.
So, any way you slice it, Planned Parenthood cannot perform a single abortion without government assistance. Case closed.
Argument 5 - rhetoric
The final argument today will be one of rhetoric. Have you ever noticed that when the suggestion of ending government funding is made, one of the top responses is "women will be forced to seek unsafe abortions?" In other words, the liberals arguing know that tax dollars fund the abortions. They argue the rhetoric emotionally, forgetting that they are actually admitting to the grievance in so doing. Case closed.
Counter Point
It could be argued that since the US does not have a balanced budget, that it's not actually taxpayer dollars funding Planned Parenthood, and therefore, the abortions that Planned Parenthood facilitates. OK, fair. It's borrowed dollars, not actual taxpayer dollars.
Yet.
Who do you think will have to repay the debt?
Case closed.
Argument 1 - #fakenews
Article is written by HuffPost. Enough said. Case closed.
Argument 2 - Financials
Go to Google and search for Planned Parenthood Financials. From 2015, they report total income of $1,146 Million. They report total expenses of $1,085 Million. That is a net income of (positive) $61 Million.
However, they also report government funding of $553 Million. Meaning, they would have lost $492 Million without government funding. The numbers are comparable as far back as you want to check.
Without government funding, Planned Parenthood turns a loss of $492 Million in 2015.
Even if they performed a single abortion, it would have been government funded. Planned Parenthood reported performing 323,999 abortions in 2015. Case closed.
Argument 3 - Helms Amendment
Some liberals argue that since the Helms Amendment was passed in 1973, that no US tax dollars have funded overseas abortions. This is clearly impossible since it has already been demonstrated that Planned Parenthood cannot afford to perform a single abortion - domestic or abroad - without US Government funding.
Business entities essentially operate out of a single business account - money goes in and money goes out. Naturally, they may use multiple actual bank accounts to accomplish this, but it is really quite simple to funnel money from one account to the next. Case closed.
Argument 4 - specific costs
I can hear the less financially savy liberals saying now: "well, they had a net operating positive income of $61 Million, couldn't that pay for the abortions, and couldn't that specific money have come from another source?"
Glad you asked.
The average cost for an abortion is $648 through 11.6 weeks. The price goes up as the pregnancy progresses. However, the range of prices is from $350 to $3500, depending on area, income, method, and other factors. As a very conservative estimate, let's use the $648 figure.
It is safe to presume that with such a wide range of pricing, and with it being income-based, that the cost of the abortion procedure itself is likely to be $648 or more. Actually, the safest estimate is to take the top figure - $3500 - and divide it in half as standard business practices often involve doubling the raw cost. That would be a cost of $1750 per abortion. But some women choose the pill, and it would likely be much less expensive, so maybe it evens things out. Maybe. So let's use $648.
At a cost of $648 per abortion performed, and multiply by Planned Parenthood's self-reported 323,999 abortions performed, and we get a cost of just under $210 Million. Let's call it $209 Million for the snowflakes out there who think I might fudge the numbers.
Remember that net positive income of $61 Million? Yeah, that whole amount gets totally swallowed by the estimated $209 Million in actual abortion procedure & pill expenses.
But, let's suppose that they were all done via the pill (they weren't). Planned Parenthood charges at least $350 for the abortion pill. $350 per pill times 323,999 abortions is $113 Million dollars - well over the stated $61 Million threshold.
So, any way you slice it, Planned Parenthood cannot perform a single abortion without government assistance. Case closed.
Argument 5 - rhetoric
The final argument today will be one of rhetoric. Have you ever noticed that when the suggestion of ending government funding is made, one of the top responses is "women will be forced to seek unsafe abortions?" In other words, the liberals arguing know that tax dollars fund the abortions. They argue the rhetoric emotionally, forgetting that they are actually admitting to the grievance in so doing. Case closed.
Counter Point
It could be argued that since the US does not have a balanced budget, that it's not actually taxpayer dollars funding Planned Parenthood, and therefore, the abortions that Planned Parenthood facilitates. OK, fair. It's borrowed dollars, not actual taxpayer dollars.
Yet.
Who do you think will have to repay the debt?
Case closed.
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