Planned Parenthood Timeline
October 16, 1916: Margaret Satcher, Ethel Byrne, and Fania Mindell open the United States’ first birth control clinic in Brooklyn, New York. The three women are arrested for violating provisions of the Comstock Act, which stated that you could not trade or circulate "obscene literature and articles of immoral use."
1921: The clinic is organized into the American Birth Control League.
1941: The League is operating in 222 centers across the United States.
1942: The American Birth Control League is renamed to the Planned Parenthood Association of America, after some people found the original name to be “offensive to families.”
1952: The International Planned Parenthood Federation is launched in Bombay (now Mumbai),
India.
1955: Planned Parenthood begins advocating abortion law reform.
1960: Planned Parenthood provides family planning counseling for hundreds of communities
across the country.
1962: Alan Frank Guttmacher becomes president of Planned Parenthood after Margaret Sanger. He served until 1974. During his tenure...
- The FDA approved the sale of the original birth control pill, giving rise to new attitudes towards women's reproductive freedom.
- Planned Parenthood lobbies the federal government to support reproductive health, culminating with Richard Nixon's signing of Title X to provide government subsidies for low-income women to access family planning services.
- The Center for Family Planning Program Development was founded as a semi-autonomous division.
1966: Planned Parenthood begins awarding the Margaret Sanger Award to annually honor "individuals of distinction in recognition of excellence and leadership in furthering reproductive health and reproductive rights." Some of the recipients include Martin Luther King, Jr., Lyndon B. Johnson, John D. Rockefeller, Jane Fonda, Hillary Clinton, and Ted Turner.
1969: Planned Parenthood calls for an appeal of all anti-abortion laws.
1970: President Richard Nixon signs into law the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act. Title X of that law provides funding for family planning services, including contraception and family planning information. Planned Parenthood has received federal funding ever since.
1973: Planned Parenthood plays a pivotal role in the case Roe v. Wade, which ruled that a right to privacy under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment extended to a woman's right to have an abortion.
1976: In Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth, Planned Parenthood challenges the constitutionality of a Missouri law encompassing parental consent, spousal consent, clinic bookkeeping and allowed abortion methods. Portions of the challenged law are held to be constitutional, others not.
- The FDA approved the sale of the original birth control pill, giving rise to new attitudes towards women's reproductive freedom.
- Planned Parenthood lobbies the federal government to support reproductive health, culminating with Richard Nixon's signing of Title X to provide government subsidies for low-income women to access family planning services.
- The Center for Family Planning Program Development was founded as a semi-autonomous division.
1966: Planned Parenthood begins awarding the Margaret Sanger Award to annually honor "individuals of distinction in recognition of excellence and leadership in furthering reproductive health and reproductive rights." Some of the recipients include Martin Luther King, Jr., Lyndon B. Johnson, John D. Rockefeller, Jane Fonda, Hillary Clinton, and Ted Turner.
1969: Planned Parenthood calls for an appeal of all anti-abortion laws.
1970: President Richard Nixon signs into law the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act. Title X of that law provides funding for family planning services, including contraception and family planning information. Planned Parenthood has received federal funding ever since.
1973: Planned Parenthood plays a pivotal role in the case Roe v. Wade, which ruled that a right to privacy under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment extended to a woman's right to have an abortion.
1976: In Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth, Planned Parenthood challenges the constitutionality of a Missouri law encompassing parental consent, spousal consent, clinic bookkeeping and allowed abortion methods. Portions of the challenged law are held to be constitutional, others not.
1978: Faye Wattleton becomes the first African American president of Planned Parenthood. She was the youngest president in Planned Parenthood's history and served until 1992. During her tenure...
- Planned Parenthood grew to become the seventh largest charity in the country.
- Planned Parenthood provided services to four million clients each year through their its 170 affiliates, whose activities were spread across 50 states.
1983: In Planned Parenthood Association of Kansas City v. Ascroft, Planned Parenthood challenges the constitutionality of a Missouri law encompassing parental consent, clinic record keeping, and hospitalization requirements. Most of this challenged law was held to be constitutional.
1992: The Planned Parenthood v. Casey trial reaffirms the rights in the case of Roe v. Wade.
1994: John Salvi enters a Brookline, Massachusetts Planned Parenthood clinic and opens fire, murdering receptionist Shannon Elizabeth Lowney and wounding three others. He then fled to another Planned Parenthood clinic where he murdered Leane Nichols and wounded two others.
- Planned Parenthood grew to become the seventh largest charity in the country.
- Planned Parenthood provided services to four million clients each year through their its 170 affiliates, whose activities were spread across 50 states.
1983: In Planned Parenthood Association of Kansas City v. Ascroft, Planned Parenthood challenges the constitutionality of a Missouri law encompassing parental consent, clinic record keeping, and hospitalization requirements. Most of this challenged law was held to be constitutional.
1992: The Planned Parenthood v. Casey trial reaffirms the rights in the case of Roe v. Wade.
1994: John Salvi enters a Brookline, Massachusetts Planned Parenthood clinic and opens fire, murdering receptionist Shannon Elizabeth Lowney and wounding three others. He then fled to another Planned Parenthood clinic where he murdered Leane Nichols and wounded two others.
1996: Planned Parenthood is led by Gloria Feldt, and she served until 2006. During her tenure...
- She activated the Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF), the organization's political action committee, launching what was the most far-reaching electoral advocacy effort in its history.
- She launched the Responsible Choices Action Agenda, a nationwide campaign to increase services to prevent unwanted pregnancies, improve the quality of reproductive care, and ensure access to safe and legal abortions.
- She commenced the a "Global Partnership Program," with the aim of building a vibrant activist constituency in support of family planning.
2001: In the case of Planned Parenthood vs. ACLA, The American Coalition of Life Activists (ACLA) releases a flier and "Wanted" posters with complete personal information about doctors who performed abortions. A civil jury and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals both find that the materials were indeed "true threats" and not protected speech.
2003: In the case of Gonzalez v. Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood sues Attorney General Gonzales for an injunction against the enforcement of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. Planned Parenthood argued the act was unconstitutional because it violated the Fifth Amendment, namely in that it was overly vague, violated women's constitutional right to have access to abortion, and did not include language for exceptions for the health of the mother. Both the district court and the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit agreed, but the decision is overturned in a 5–4 ruling by the Supreme Court.
2005: Planned Parenthood Minnesota / North Dakota / South Dakota is fined $50,000 for violating a Minnesota state parental consent law.
2005: A review by the Bush administration's Department of Health and Human Services "yielded no evidence of clinics around the nation failing to comply with laws on reporting child abuse, child molestation, sexual abuse, rape or incest".
- She activated the Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF), the organization's political action committee, launching what was the most far-reaching electoral advocacy effort in its history.
- She launched the Responsible Choices Action Agenda, a nationwide campaign to increase services to prevent unwanted pregnancies, improve the quality of reproductive care, and ensure access to safe and legal abortions.
- She commenced the a "Global Partnership Program," with the aim of building a vibrant activist constituency in support of family planning.
2001: In the case of Planned Parenthood vs. ACLA, The American Coalition of Life Activists (ACLA) releases a flier and "Wanted" posters with complete personal information about doctors who performed abortions. A civil jury and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals both find that the materials were indeed "true threats" and not protected speech.
2003: In the case of Gonzalez v. Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood sues Attorney General Gonzales for an injunction against the enforcement of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. Planned Parenthood argued the act was unconstitutional because it violated the Fifth Amendment, namely in that it was overly vague, violated women's constitutional right to have access to abortion, and did not include language for exceptions for the health of the mother. Both the district court and the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit agreed, but the decision is overturned in a 5–4 ruling by the Supreme Court.
2005: Planned Parenthood Minnesota / North Dakota / South Dakota is fined $50,000 for violating a Minnesota state parental consent law.
2005: A review by the Bush administration's Department of Health and Human Services "yielded no evidence of clinics around the nation failing to comply with laws on reporting child abuse, child molestation, sexual abuse, rape or incest".
February 15, 2006: Cecile Richards becomes president of the organization. She is still serving today.
2006: In the case of Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Planned Parenthood challenges the constitutionality of a New Hampshire parental notification law related to access to abortion. In Sandra Day O'Connor's final decision before retirement, the Supreme Court sent the case back to lower courts with instructions to seek a remedy short of wholesale invalidation of the statute. New Hampshire ends up repealing the statute via the legislative process.
2006: The Indiana Court of Appeals rules that Planned Parenthood is not required to turn over its medical records in an investigation of possible child abuse.
2006: Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline releases some sealed patient records obtained from Planned Parenthood to the public. His actions are described as "troubling" by the state Supreme Court, but Planned Parenthood was compelled to turn over the medical records, albeit with more stringent court-mandated privacy safeguards for the patients involved.
2007: Phill Kline's successor, Paul J. Morrison, notifies the clinic that no criminal charges will be filed after a three-year investigation, as "an objective, unbiased and thorough examination" shows no wrongdoing. Morrison states that he believed Kline had politicized the attorney general's office.
2010: Live Action begins to release several series of undercover videos filmed in Planned Parenthood centers. No criminal convictions resulted, but some Planned Parenthood employees and volunteers are fired for not following procedure, and the organization commits to retraining its staff. Additionally, one center is placed on probation.
2012: A Kansas district attorney finds that the practices of the Kansas City-area Planned Parenthood clinic are "within accepted practices in the medical community" and drops all of the remaining criminal charges.
2012: A Texas state court judge, Gary Harger, denies Planned Parenthood a request for a temporary restraining order against the State of Texas, concluding that the State may exclude otherwise qualified doctors and clinics from receiving state funding if the doctors or clinics advocate for abortion rights.
2012: A Grand Chute, Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood clinic is subject to a bombing perpetrated by an unknown individual.
2013: Planned Parenthood reports seeing 2.7 million patients and having 4.6 million clinical visits.
2014: Planned Parenthood's Annual Report says that they have seen over 2.5 million patients in over 4 million clinical visits and performing a totally of 9.5 million discrete services. Planned Parenthood has over $1.3 billion in revenue.
2015: A Planned Parenthood clinic in Pullman, Washington is heavily damaged by arson.
2015: An anti-abortion organization named the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) releases several videos that had been secretly recorded. Members of the CMP posed as representatives of a biotechnology company in order to gain access to both meetings with abortion providers and abortion facilities. The videos did show how abortion providers made fetal tissue available to researchers, although no problems were found with the legality of the process. Members of CMP are later indicted by a Texas grand jury on felony charges for tampering with government records, but the charges are later dismissed. All of the videos are also found to be altered, according to analysis by Fusion GPS and its co-founder Glenn Simpson.
August 2015: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal attempts to end Louisiana's contract with Planned Parenthood to treat Medicaid patients at a time when there was an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases in Louisiana. Planned Parenthood and three patients sue the state of Louisiana, with the United States Department of Justice siding with Planned Parenthood.
November 27, 2015: A gunman shoots and kills two civilians and a police officer during a five-hour gun battle at the Colorado Springs, Colorado clinic. The 57-year-old gunman, Robert Dear, surrenders to police and is taken into custody. During his arrest, he gave a "rambling" interview in which, at one point, he said "no more baby parts", echoing language used in the news media about the clinic following the CMP videos.
January 25, 2016: A Texas grand jury indicts CMP founder David Daleiden and member Sandra Merritt while finding no wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood. These charges against Daleiden and Merritt are dismissed six months later.
February 2, 2016: The U.S. House fails to override President Obama's veto of H.R. 3762, which would have prohibited Planned Parenthood from receiving any federal Medicaid funds for one year.
2006: In the case of Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Planned Parenthood challenges the constitutionality of a New Hampshire parental notification law related to access to abortion. In Sandra Day O'Connor's final decision before retirement, the Supreme Court sent the case back to lower courts with instructions to seek a remedy short of wholesale invalidation of the statute. New Hampshire ends up repealing the statute via the legislative process.
2006: The Indiana Court of Appeals rules that Planned Parenthood is not required to turn over its medical records in an investigation of possible child abuse.
2006: Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline releases some sealed patient records obtained from Planned Parenthood to the public. His actions are described as "troubling" by the state Supreme Court, but Planned Parenthood was compelled to turn over the medical records, albeit with more stringent court-mandated privacy safeguards for the patients involved.
2007: Phill Kline's successor, Paul J. Morrison, notifies the clinic that no criminal charges will be filed after a three-year investigation, as "an objective, unbiased and thorough examination" shows no wrongdoing. Morrison states that he believed Kline had politicized the attorney general's office.
2010: Live Action begins to release several series of undercover videos filmed in Planned Parenthood centers. No criminal convictions resulted, but some Planned Parenthood employees and volunteers are fired for not following procedure, and the organization commits to retraining its staff. Additionally, one center is placed on probation.
2012: A Kansas district attorney finds that the practices of the Kansas City-area Planned Parenthood clinic are "within accepted practices in the medical community" and drops all of the remaining criminal charges.
2012: A Texas state court judge, Gary Harger, denies Planned Parenthood a request for a temporary restraining order against the State of Texas, concluding that the State may exclude otherwise qualified doctors and clinics from receiving state funding if the doctors or clinics advocate for abortion rights.
2012: A Grand Chute, Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood clinic is subject to a bombing perpetrated by an unknown individual.
2013: Planned Parenthood reports seeing 2.7 million patients and having 4.6 million clinical visits.
2014: Planned Parenthood's Annual Report says that they have seen over 2.5 million patients in over 4 million clinical visits and performing a totally of 9.5 million discrete services. Planned Parenthood has over $1.3 billion in revenue.
2015: A Planned Parenthood clinic in Pullman, Washington is heavily damaged by arson.
2015: An anti-abortion organization named the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) releases several videos that had been secretly recorded. Members of the CMP posed as representatives of a biotechnology company in order to gain access to both meetings with abortion providers and abortion facilities. The videos did show how abortion providers made fetal tissue available to researchers, although no problems were found with the legality of the process. Members of CMP are later indicted by a Texas grand jury on felony charges for tampering with government records, but the charges are later dismissed. All of the videos are also found to be altered, according to analysis by Fusion GPS and its co-founder Glenn Simpson.
August 2015: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal attempts to end Louisiana's contract with Planned Parenthood to treat Medicaid patients at a time when there was an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases in Louisiana. Planned Parenthood and three patients sue the state of Louisiana, with the United States Department of Justice siding with Planned Parenthood.
November 27, 2015: A gunman shoots and kills two civilians and a police officer during a five-hour gun battle at the Colorado Springs, Colorado clinic. The 57-year-old gunman, Robert Dear, surrenders to police and is taken into custody. During his arrest, he gave a "rambling" interview in which, at one point, he said "no more baby parts", echoing language used in the news media about the clinic following the CMP videos.
January 25, 2016: A Texas grand jury indicts CMP founder David Daleiden and member Sandra Merritt while finding no wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood. These charges against Daleiden and Merritt are dismissed six months later.
February 2, 2016: The U.S. House fails to override President Obama's veto of H.R. 3762, which would have prohibited Planned Parenthood from receiving any federal Medicaid funds for one year.
This Information came from the Planned Parenthood Wikipedia page, which can be accessed by clicking here.