As Planned Parenthood released its annual report listing the number of abortions and other services it provided in 2020, Catholic leaders referred their followers back to comments made after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision.

Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement titled “Life After Roe: Pray For Protections For Unborn Life In Florida.” In it, they condemned abortion and spoke to the need for pro-life laws in Florida since Dobbs v. Jackson brought the issue of abortion back to the states.

In Planned Parenthood’s report, under the “abortion care” heading, the group said, “Abortion is essential health care that cannot wait for the end of a pandemic or the whims of politicians.”

The report also stated that Planned Parenthood performed 383,860 abortions in 2020, a large portion of the nation’s total cases. The report was issued shortly after Catholics rejoiced in response to the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

Catholic News Agency writer Katie Yoder noted that Planned Parenthood performed 41% of abortions in the United States in 2020. She also reported that Planned Parenthood received $633.4 million in government funding for abortions during the 2020–2021 fiscal year.

Catholic pro-life activists used the release of the report to criticize the group. Students for Life America and Live Action founder Lila Rose recently took to Twitter concerning Planned Parenthood, saying, “Shut them down now!”

The Catholic Church has long stood firm against abortion despite evolving biological theories about when life begins, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) said. It cites the Catechism for guidance, which says, “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law” (No. 2271).

Numbers from a May 2021 Gallup Poll found that the majority of Americans do not support unrestricted access to abortion. Almost half (48%) of the respondents said they believe abortion should only be legal under certain circumstances, while 19% said they believe abortion should be illegal in all circumstances and 32% said they believe abortion should be legal in all cases.