Planned Parenthood Marks 96 Years of Providing Health Care and Information to Women, Men, and Young People
Founded on the belief that women should be able to plan and space their pregnancies, Planned Parenthood — the nation’s leading women’s health care provider and advocate, and a trusted source of primary and preventive care for women, men, and young people — celebrates its 96th anniversary on Tuesday, October 16.
On October 16, 1916, a small clinic seeking to provide birth control and information to men and women opened in Brooklyn, NY. It was the nation’s first birth control clinic. Its opening would lead to the formation of the American Birth Control League, which became Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), the national leader of the Planned Parenthood movement.
“Ninety-six years later, we are committed more than ever to a world where all people are given the accurate information and the resources they need to live healthy, empowered lives,” said PPFA Chief Operating Officer Lisa David. “One in five women has visited a Planned Parenthood health center at some point her life for professional, nonjudgmental and confidential care. That’s why nearly three million patients rely on Planned Parenthood health centers for care every year. We’re proud of that. And despite the attacks to women’s health and efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, on this 96th anniversary, we’re here to say Planned Parenthood will continue to provide care — no matter what.”
Today, there are nearly 800 Planned Parenthood health centers nationwide. More than 90 percent of Planned Parenthood services are focused on prevention: every year, Planned Parenthood doctors and nurses provide family planning counseling and birth control to 2.2 million women and men, more than 1.1 million pregnancy tests, 770,000 Pap tests, identifying about 94,000 women at risk of developing cervical cancer, nearly 750,000 lifesaving breast exams, more than four million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections including HIV, nearly 1.5 million emergency contraception kits, and education programs to nearly 1.1 million people. The work of Planned Parenthood prevents an estimated 584,000 unintended pregnancies and 277,000 abortions each year in the U.S.
Online, Planned Parenthood websites, including Planned Parenthood En Español, receive an estimated 33 million visits a year from people seeking real health care information in real time. And for over 40 years, PPFA’s Planned Parenthood Global program has helped meet the health care needs of millions of women and men around the world by working with partner organizations in developing countries, providing financial and technical support for women’s health care delivery and advocacy.
In all, Planned Parenthood programs provide health care and education to nearly five million women, men, and young people worldwide each year.
To see a visual representation of how far Planned Parenthood has come, click over to our Who We Are page.
October 16, 2012