Opponents of abortion and critics of Planned Parenthood seem sure they know what the general public wants and thinks. The problem is, they are wrong.
Planned Parenthood has been in Republican crosshairs this summer after the Center for Medical Progress, which was set up just to discredit the medical provider, released videos purporting to show Planned Parenthood officials talking about selling aborted fetuses.
Citing the heavily edited videos, which were shown to some lawmakers before they were made public, conservative Republicans in Congress are pushing to take away Planned Parenthood’s federal funding. Planned Parenthood receives more than $500 million in public funds annually, much of it through Medicaid, which pays for medical services for the poor. Federal money does not pay for abortions, which account for only 3 percent of the services Planned Parenthood provides.
“The American people, if they see those videos, they understand this is wrong,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, told Real Clear Politics. “They understand that this organization shouldn’t be getting taxpayer support. Simple.”
Actually, it is not that simple.
Despite the Center for Medical Progress’ years-long effort to malign Planned Parenthood and numerous congressional investigations into its fetal tissue donation program, the public remains supportive of Planned Parenthood, which provides cancer screenings, prenatal care, contraception and other care to women across the country.
Only 26 percent of respondents supported defunding Planned Parenthood in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. The majority, 54 percent, said they supported federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Other recent polls have had similar results.
Apparently, the public understands better than some lawmakers that Planned Parenthood provides needed health care and screenings that many women, especially poor women, would go without in Planned Parenthood’s absence. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that as many as 650,000 women would have reduced access to care if Planned Parenthood were defunded.
Cynically, Planned Parenthood opponents argue that many other entities can provide the same care. When Louisiana sought to end Medicaid contracts with Planned Parenthood, state officials argued there were 2,000 other medical providers who could provide the same care. When Planned Parenthood challenged the law, a federal judge was incredulous that the state’s list of practitioners who provided family planning included dentists, ophthalmologists and audiologists. A pared-down Louisiana list included 29 providers, some of which aren’t accepting new patients; others don’t provide contraception.
Yet, conservative Republicans continue to push to end federal funding for Planned Parenthood, tying it to a must-pass resolution to continue funding for the federal government. Without passage of the resolution, the government would shut down on Oct. 1.
On Friday, the House passed a bill to bar federal funding, for one year, from Planned Parenthood clinics and affiliates that perform abortions. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, a Republican who represents Maine’s 2nd District, voted for it. He argued that the bill would increase funding for women’s health care in his district by sending additional funds to federally qualified health centers. In a press release, he included a link to these centers. The list includes nursing homes, dental clinics and homeless shelters, but few clinics that provide women’s health services. First District Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat, voted against defunding.
The defunding debate now moves to the Senate, where the nonsense should be stopped. Sen. Angus King opposes it. Sen. Susan Collins opposes defunding all Planned Parenthood clinics but last month introduced a measure to withhold funding from seven clinics that she says should be investigated for their role in harvesting fetal tissue.
Not content just to malign Planned Parenthood, abortion opponents also are seeking to ban abortion after 20 weeks. Such a ban would be an unnecessary and dangerous infringement on a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions.
One of the worst aspects of this proposed federal law is that it puts unreasonable restrictions on victims of sexual abuse. To gain an exception for rape, for example, a woman must prove that she first received counseling or medical treatment for the rape. In the case of a minor, the rape must be reported to police. Currently, only about a third of sexual assaults are reported to law enforcement.
The House passed the measure in May. Poliquin voted for it; Pingree voted no. The Senate is expected to vote on it next week. King opposes it; Collins is still reviewing the language because she opposes late-term abortions but believes there should be exceptions.
Congress has much more important work to do, like passing a spending plan, than its continued attacks on Planned Parenthood and abortion. Its full attention should be devoted to that work.
