Planned Parenthood will close six clinics in Indiana this year as the number of its patients has dropped dramatically by half.
Pro-life advocates swiftly reacted by saying that the closure of some of the organisation's clinics means that it is driven by abortion and profit, noting that it has yet to close clinics that provide abortions.
"Abortions are their money-maker," said Indiana Right to Life president and CEO Mike Fichter. "Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky has never closed a facility that does abortions."
Fichter said Planned Parenthood centres that only refer for abortions "simply don't generate the profit" that it demands of its affiliates.
He said Planned Parenthood's patients are learning that they can do without the clinic.
"Indiana has 3,667 Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, Medicaid providers and Title V clinics," Fichter said. "Compare 3,667 providers in the state to only 23 Planned Parenthood facilities. Women get better preventative care and more comprehensive care at non-Planned Parenthood facilities."
He said if the abortion provider really cared about women, it would use its $15.7 million annual income "to keep their doors open in small communities around the state."
In a statement, Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky (PPINK) announced that it will consolidate four clinics and close two in the coming months.
Its clinic in Muncie was shut down last July 15 while the one in Terre Haute will be closing on July 20.
The Valparaiso clinic will merge with Merrillville health center on July 21 followed by Fishers with Eastside PPINK health center on July 26.
On Aug. 30, the Avon clinic will merge with Southside PPINK health center and East Chicago clinic will merge with Gary PPINK clinic on Dec. 15.
"While we would much prefer adding locations rather than reducing our number, we recognise that our patients will be better served if we introduce efficiencies that serve our mission best for the long term," said Betty Cockrum, president and CEO of PPINK. "As a nonprofit, we have a responsibility to our patients, our staff and our stakeholders to use our resources wisely."
Cockrum blamed the decrease in the number of patients as the reason for the restructuring.
"It's down from 107,000 patients at the very peak, a number of years ago to about 56,000 at this point. It's incredibly important that we be there and provide the services that we do. Because we serve a particular demographic and are often the only health care provider that our patients see," said Cockrum, according to WishTV.com.
She said advances in reproductive healthcare made regular visits unnecessary including pap tests, which are now only done every three years instead of every year.
Cockrum also said some birth control methods only require visits more than a decade later. She said emergency contraception is now available over the counter.
