An affiliate of Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) provides birth control, abortions, and other reproductive health services while advocating in favor of left-of-center health care policy and decreased abortion restrictions. PPNNE claims to maintain more than 20 medical centers across Vermont, New Hampshire, and southern Maine. ¹

History

The founding affiliates of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England included the Planned Parenthood Association of Vermont (PPV), founded in 1965, and the Planned Parenthood Association of the Upper Valley (PPUV) in New Hampshire, formed in 1966. In 1984, both organizations merged to form Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. PPNNE eventually expanded its network in the northeastern United States to include over 20 medical centers across Vermont, New Hampshire, and southern Maine. ²

Services

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England provides a variety of services including birth control, abortion services at select sites, cancer screenings, immunizations, and men and women’s sexual and reproductive health care services. ³

Litigation

In the early 2000s, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England sued the city of Manchester, New Hampshire for the zoning board’s “purposeful discrimination” against PPNNE by revoking a building permit for a Planned Parenthood center in Manchester. ⁴ After nearly one and a half years of clashing with the zoning board, PPNNE opened a center in Manchester in 2002. ⁵

In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. The case debated whether PPNNE could challenge the constitutionality of the Parental Notification Prior to Abortion Act before it went into effect and whether the health of minors seeking an abortion was adequately protected by the Parental Notification Prior to Abortion Act. ⁶ The Supreme Court’s ruling upheld the circuit court’s determination only a medical emergency exception could circumvent parental notification laws. ⁷ However, the Supreme Court returned the case to the court of appeals for revision, citing that statutes deemed unconstitutional did not need to be struck down in their entirety, but rather amended to strike the unconstitutional portions. ⁸

Finances

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s tax returns for 2018 reported more than $24.7 million in total revenue and over $24.2 million in total expenses. In 2018, PPNNE granted over $475,000 to the Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund, over $521,000 to the Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund, and over $25,000 to the Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund. ⁹

In 2017, reported revenue was slightly higher at just over $25.5 million, while expenses were a little more than $22 million. ¹⁰ PPNNE reported more than $21 million in total revenue in both 2015 and 2016. ¹¹

In 2019, PPNNE received a $25,000 grant from the Annette and George William Cottrell Jr. Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, a statewide community foundation that awards over $40 million in grants and scholarships each year. ¹²

Leadership

Meagan Gallagher works as the president and CEO of PPNNE. ¹³ Gallagher has been in this role since 2013 and previously worked as PPNNE’s senior vice president of business operations beginning in 2010. Gallagher also worked at the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts and is a graduate of Tufts University. ¹⁴

Margot Milliken is the chair of PPNNE’s board of trustees¹⁵ and a co-founder of the Maine Women’s Fund, a grantmaking organization. ¹⁶ Milliken contributes thousands of dollars each election cycle to Democratic political causes and candidates. During the 2020 elections, Milliken donated over $22,000 to the Democratic National Committee, $25,000 to Biden Action Fund, and $25,000 to Planned Parenthood Votes, among other donations. ¹⁷

1. “About Us.” Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Accessed January 8, 2021. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-northern-new-england/about-us.
2. “Our History.” Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Accessed January 8, 2021. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-northern-new-england/about-us/our-history.
3. “Get Care.” Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Accessed January 8, 2021. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-northern-new-england/for-patients.
4. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, and 24 Penacook Street, LLC vs City of Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S. District Court District of New Hampshire. Accessed January 11, 2021.
5. “Our History.” Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Accessed January 8, 2021. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-northern-new-england/about-us/our-history.
6. “Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.” Oyez. Accessed January 11, 2021. https://www.oyez.org/cases/2005/04-1144.
7. “Our History.” Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Accessed January 8, 2021. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-northern-new-england/about-us/our-history.
8. “Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.” Oyez. Accessed January 11, 2021. https://www.oyez.org/cases/2005/04-1144.
9. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England Inc., Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018
10. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England Inc., Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2018
11. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England Inc., Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2016
12. “Planned Parenthood Receives $25K Grant from NH Charitable Foundation.” Manchester Ink Link. April 13, 2019. Accessed January 11, 2021. https://manchesterinklink.com/planned-parenthood-receives-25k-grant-from-nh-charitable-foundation/.
13. “Board and Management Team.” Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Accessed January 08, 2021. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-northern-new-england/about-us/board.
14. “News Source 2013 Fall/Winter.” Planned Parenthood, 2013. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/2814/0156/0557/13-fall_modified_for_web.pdf.
15. “Board and Management Team.” Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Accessed January 08, 2021. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-northern-new-england/about-us/board.
16. Milliken “Our Founders.” Maine Women’s Fund, February 10, 2015. https://www.mainewomensfund.org/our-founders.
17. “Margot Milliken Contributions.” FEC.gov. Accessed January 11, 2021. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=margot%2Bmilliken&two_year_transaction_period=2014.