They say there's no such thing as bad press -- but what about bad praise? GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump seems to be testing that theory after Planned Parenthood applauded him for what the group considers a more moderate approach to abortion. Back in August, Cecile Richards's group cast plenty of doubt on Donald's pro-life credibility when they applauded his position as a reasonable one.
"Donald Trump seems to have realized that banning all abortions, shutting down the government, and defunding Planned Parenthood are extreme positions that are way too far outside the mainstream for even him to take," spokesman Eric Ferrero said. "We hope that the rest of the GOP field will wake up and reconsider their extreme and unpopular positions on defunding preventative care, abortion bans, and the other economic issues that women and their families care about."
When America's biggest abortion business starts saying complimentary things about a Republican, warning bells should go off in every pro-lifer's head. In South Carolina this week, Donald muddied the waters more, putting together a string of statements about the "wonderful things" Planned Parenthood does -- and raising plenty of eyebrows in the process. For a man who's spent the last several months trying to paint his pro-life conversation as a genuine one, statements like: "We have to help women. So we have to look at the positives, also, for Planned Parenthood" don't help. "There's two Planned Parenthoods, in a way," Trump has argued. "You have it as an abortion clinic. Now that's actually a fairly small part of what they do, but it's a brutal part. And I'm totally against it, and I wouldn't do that. They also, however, service women..." That might be a convenient talking point for the Left, but any conservative should know that abortion is not a "fairly small part" of Planned Parenthood's business.
FRC's Arina Grossu debunked that myth in her latest paper, pointing out that since Planned Parenthood committed 323,999 abortions in 2014-2015 and served 2.7 million people... then 12 percent of all their patients received abortions. And while not every Planned Parenthood clinic does abortion, every Planned Parenthood affiliate is required to have at least one clinic that performs it. That ought to prove how extreme the organization is. They're not just another health clinic that "happens to do abortion" here and there. It is a vital -- and in fact, mandatory -- part of business. And the most lucrative part, at that. In 2014, if a pregnant woman walked into a Planned Parenthood facility, she was 160 times more likely to receive an abortion than an adoption referral. As for these other "services" the group provides, even those are in steep decline. "From 2009 to 2014, cancer screening and prevention programs have consistently decreased, and dropped by close to two-thirds..." despite making up a major part of the group's advertising.
In those five years, breast exams also dropped by more than half (56 percent), thanks in large part to Planned Parenthood's non-existent mammogram program. Just last year, Cecile Richards finally owned up to the fact that Planned Parenthood doesn't offer the service, contradicting her 2011 claims that it did. Apart from misleading the public, aborting 330,000 babies, trafficking in the sale of baby body parts, fighting conscience rights, opposing safety standards and clinic upgrades, what "wonderful things" does Planned Parenthood do exactly?
We all agree that women need sound, comprehensive care -- which is why conservatives support redirecting the government's money to community health centers, who provide more services than Planned Parenthood without the criminal and political baggage. Can people change their mind on abortion? Absolutely. Look at Norma McCorvey, the Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade. But when it comes to selecting the next president of the United States, Americans want -- and deserve -- to see that change manifested in concrete policies that advance the culture of life. In February, Donald Trump declined to name any. "I just don't want to talk about that right now. Everybody knows my views and I think my views are very plain," Trump replied. His views may be plain, but his plan isn't. And until Americans see one, they should be very skeptical of a presidential candidate that exchanges praises with the nation's largest abortion provider.
DISCLAIMER: Tony Perkins has made an endorsement in his individual and personal capacity only, and it should not be construed or interpreted in any way as the endorsement of FRC, FRC Action, or any affiliated entity.
