5 lessons from a former Planned Parenthood nurse

In 2014, former Planned Parenthood nurse Marianne Anderson told audiences with the Great Lakes Gabriel Project what she witnessed in her two and a half years spent as a nurse at Planned Parenthood in Indianapolis, Indiana, and why she left. In an interview with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ Criterion, Anderson says she was “on the fence” about abortion when she began working for Planned Parenthood, but took a job there because she had seen the aftermath of botched self-abortions and abuse, and believed women who chose abortion should have “a safe place to do it.”

What Anderson witnessed at Planned Parenthood changed her opinion on abortion and made her leave the abortion industry for good. From her interview, which is worth reading in full, we learn the following things about Planned Parenthood:

1. Planned Parenthood isn’t pro-‘choice’ — it’s pro-abortion.

Anderson states that during her time at Planned Parenthood in Indianapolis, some representatives from the national headquarters in New York City came to offer a training session. But what happened was more like cheerleading for abortion:

I started feeling uneasy working there when people came from [the] national [office] in New York City to teach us the conscious sedation process. It was disgusting. These two ladies had this chant they would do: ‘Abortion all the time!’… That was about six to eight months after I started.

Those women from New York acted like an abortion was a rite of passage. They were like, ‘How can you not offer abortion to women? It’s their body. They should be able to do whatever they want. How can you force them to have a baby? Abortion should be free to anybody, anytime.’

2. Planned Parenthood encourages workers to cover up what happens there.

Anderson says there were plenty of medical emergencies during her tenure at Planned Parenthood, in which ambulances had to be called. But, knowing that 911 calls are recorded, staff were told to be careful with their words:

When we had to call 911 for an ambulance, we were told never to say the word ‘abortion’ because they don’t want that broadcast. They knew that the calls were recorded, and could be made public.

Planned Parenthood has also been known to request ambulances to arrive with no lights or sirens, using the least visible facility entrance.

3. Planned Parenthood aggressively sells abortions.

Anderson says Planned Parenthood is a “money-grubbing” organization. This, she says, is because there is a monthly abortion quota, and everything is about making sure to get as many abortion patients as possible:

We would get yelled at if we didn’t answer the phone by the third ring. They would tell us we’d be fired [if we didn’t] because they needed the money….

You have to have so many [abortions] a month to stay open. In our meetings they’d tell us, ‘If abortions are down, you could get sent home early and not get as many hours.’

This same focus on pushing abortion has been reported by former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson.

4. Planned Parenthood takes advantage of vulnerable women and girls — and helps sex traffickers.

Anderson told the Criterion that along with selling abortions, Planned Parenthood did ultrasounds on women they knew were too far along to have abortions — just for the money:

They would allow girls to have ultrasounds that were obviously way too far along [the legal limit for having an abortion in Indiana is 13 weeks and six days]. They said, ‘If they want to be seen, you just put them through, no problem,’ just taking advantage to make money.

Time is money, and time also allows for women to change their minds. Planned Parenthood wasn’t a fan of taking time with patients — something that has been reported by others as well. Anderson says, “I was always getting in trouble for talking too long to the girls, asking if they were sure they wanted to do this.” The abortionist at her facility was more concerned about getting patients in and out, regardless of their emotional distress. Anderson recalls:

These girls would start crying on the table, and Dr. [Michael] King [the abortion doctor for whom Anderson worked] would say, ‘Now you chose to be here. Sit still. I don’t have time for this.’

Anderson believes one of Planned Parenthood’s patients, a Korean girl, was a victim of sex trafficking. But when the girl reported abuse to staff, Anderson was told by a co-worker to “let it go”:

This guy brought in a Korean girl. I had no doubt in my mind this girl was a sex slave. This guy would not leave her side. They could barely communicate. He wanted to make all the arrangements.

During the ultrasound, she told one of the nurses that there were lots of girls in the house, and that the man hits them. She never came back for the abortion. I always wondered what happened to her. One of my co-workers said, ‘You’re better off to just let it go.’

Anderson’s claim squares well with what other investigations have discovered about Planned Parenthood: they help sex traffickers and abusers, ignoring women’s appeals for help.

5. Planned Parenthood knows pro-lifers have a huge impact.

Anderson says staff at Planned Parenthood were very aware of the presence of pro-life sidewalk counselors, and were worried they would cut into abortion profits:

They would remind us in our weekly staff meeting that we need to tell everyone [who called to schedule an appointment] to avoid ‘those people’ [the sidewalk counselors] because we need the money. We were to tell them, ‘Don’t make eye contact with them, and don’t stop in the driveway. If you make eye contact with them or if you stop and roll down your window, they’re going to try their darnedest to talk you out of it.’

But beyond this, Live Action News’ Sarah Terzo previously reported that patients aren’t the only ones who get help from sidewalk counselors:

Sidewalk counselors…have been instrumental in helping some clinic workers quit. Kristin Breedlove, a former clinic administrator, attributes her conversion to sidewalk counselors who persistently prayed for her. Similarly, Abby Johnson went to the sidewalk counselors outside her facility for help and support when she had her conversion.

Anderson also obtained a different job with the help of sidewalk counselors and former Planned Parenthood clinic director Abby Johnson, leaving the abortion industry. “I love my job now,” she says. “I work with wonderful, Christian people. I just love it.”

Because of the tremendous help of pro-lifers, Anderson finally chose to tell her story publicly, saying, “God didn’t give us the right to take another life. I don’t seek revenge. I just want to right a wrong.”