The Planned Parenthood Bailout: Why Aren’t the Anti-Corporate Left Speaking Up?

I was 11 years old when the 2008 financial crash hit, and as a young child, I didn’t understand what mortgage-backed securities or a CDO were, but I did see the panic and pain it caused my parents. What I did understand was that the banks had somehow mismanaged their money, and it still baffles me to this day that they were given a large bailout by the taxpayer.

 

Here were large corporations practically swimming in money that handled their assets poorly, and instead of reaping the rewards of their consequences, they were given a check by the US government because of some perceived notion that they were too big to fail.

 

Following the bailout were protests, an Occupy Wall Street movement, the advent of bitcoin, and a general populist sentiment that contributed to a broader political shift that many analysts say reshaped local and national politics. Those on the left and even on the right have started talking about the ways corporations have mishandled money, abused laborers, and created a toxic work culture. However, those who decry “big business” and “down with corporations” seem to always turn around and applaud one of the most notorious corporate organizations in America: Planned Parenthood.

 

Like many states across the country, New York is in the midst of negotiating its FY 2027 budget, and special interest groups are crowding the elevators in Albany’s Capitol to actively lobby state lawmakers. PP’s NY lobbying arm Planned Parenthood Empire States Act, is no exception, except they’re looking for not only more money, but a government bailout, in essence.

 

On top of the enormous amount of money that they get from the taxpayer, Planned Parenthood’s lobbying arm in New York is seeking to include in the budget a whopping $35 million to backfill their federal Medicaid reimbursements from “The Big Beautiful Bill,” $30 million for a reproductive freedom program. $1 million to fund the New York Abortion Access Fund, whose only purpose is to fund abortion. $20 million to support access to chemical abortion and abortion later in pregnancy, $10 million for a reproductive health care improvement program. $15 million to fund a family planning grant, and then finally $8 million for Gender Affirming care.

 

While the budget is still in talks and nothing is set in stone just yet, they are asking for almost $100 million in funding. What I am wondering is why those on the left are not screaming to stop the Planned Parenthood bailout?

 

Planned Parenthood is legally a non-profit however their scale and function is on par with some major corporations. And like any corporation, when they mismanage their money, they should not be bailed out by the taxpayer. For those who protest working conditions at Amazon or Walmart, Planned Parenthood puts both to shame. With allegations that they union-bust, harass workers, and even long-standing reports of racism, they have proven themselves as an organization that needs significant internal restructuring rather than additional public funding.

 

Planned Parenthood of Greater New York had to issue an apology letter to its staff about their former CEO, Laura McQuade, who was ousted from her role for behavior that many considered toxic. Workers speaking to the press stated that they had “witnessed McQuade yell, berate, slam her fists, verbally abuse, humiliate, and bully employees.” However, even under a new CEO, the organization is still fraught with difficulties.

 

Planned Parenthood’s demise should not be blamed on the Trump administration or even the pro-life movement. Their own mismanagement of the budget led to their downfall. In 2022, after the Dobbs decision, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and multiple affiliates were given a generous donation of $275 million dollars by billionaire and philanthropist McKenzie Scott. Yet three years later, Planned Parenthood announced in a press release that almost 50 centers had to close.

 

And while Planned Parenthood blamed various Trump policies that cut off funding to certain grants and other programs, closures have even come about in deep blue states that have allocated a significant amount of money to Planned Parenthood. The issue at hand is simply that, as a whole, Planned Parenthood mismanages its funds. Salaries they dole out to their CEO’s are astronomically high compared to those they give their everyday brick and mortar workers, and at least in NY, they operate from a deficit rather than a surplus.

 

According to non-profit tax filings, Wendy Stark, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, makes a little over 500,000 a year, while the staffers she oversees are overworked and underpaid, according to a report on the organization by the NY Times.

 

Finally taking some fiscal responsibility, PPGNY chose to sell its Manhattan property for a whopping $39 million, only to announce that the sale wouldn’t increase their budget but instead pay off some debt.  Too big to fail. That was the slogan used to justify bailing out big banks after the financial crisis, and it is the same slogan used to justify Planned Parenthood’s ridiculous demands. Their main talking point is that they are valuable to the community and the only clinic a person can access for low-cost, quality medical care. Just try to ignore the multiple lawsuits they have been in for botched care, or the fact that a host of independent abortion providers speaking to the New Yorker have accused them of being too corporate, stealing clients, and cornering the abortion market.

 

As of writing, there are only three Planned Parenthoods in the entire NYC region, and if they were to close down, their loss would not be felt by 8 million New Yorkers because the city does a good job of making sure that each borough has at least one, if not many more, community health clinics. PPGNY’s flagship location in Manhattan was a 17-minute subway ride to the Callen Lorde sexual health center, a 21-minute ride to the state-funded Chelsea Sexual Health Clinic, and a 6-minute ride to the Charles B Wang Health Clinic. These smaller health clinics don’t have massive lobbying days and provide virtually the same services, if not more, to the local community.

 

Planned Parenthood has proven itself to be fiscally irresponsible and an unnecessary organization in New York State. Rather than give them more money, Albany should tighten their budget and demand that Planned Parenthood of New York restructure and become financially solvent before they even get a seat at the table for budget discussions.

 

To start, Planned Parenthood of New York can shutter more clinics that aren’t making a profit or are located in areas that already have an existing infrastructure of community health clinics. Rather than focusing on abortions, which have a low medicaid reimbursement rate and are only funded through state grants, Planned Parenthood should ditch that unprofitable business entirely and instead focus on prenatal care as well as first-trimester pregnancy aid to really help women, and especially women of color, in need.

 

Our taxpayer dollars should not bail out big corporations that have a history of labor abuse, racism, and monetary mismanagement. Let’s learn from the past and stop bailing out failing corporations that never learn from their mistakes.

 

Bernadette Patel is a pro-life activist living in NYC.

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