But is Bush’s claim that Planned Parenthood, and women’s health care generally, is receiving too many government dollars actually that different from the rest of the Republican field?
Advertisement
Jeb Bush is again defending his slip about cutting funding for women’s health organizations this week, but not from Hillary Clinton, but instead against former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina’s assertions at Thursday night’s Republican debate.
“I’m not sure we need half a billion dollars in funding for women’s health programs”, Bush told a gathering at the Send North America Conference, a meeting of evangelical Christians, on Tuesday. Then, he segued into discussing what could be done with the more than $500 million yearly in government funds that Planned Parenthood receives.
Bush, a former governor of Florida, said the federal government should stop financing Planned Parenthood.
The question of Planned Parenthood’s funding leapt into the 2016 presidential contest this week amid an ongoing row into the release of graphic videos, secretly recorded by anti-abortion activists, that show officials of the group describing how they sometimes provide fetal tissue to medical researchers.
Jeb Bush, the presidential candidate from the Republican Party, vowed on August 4 that he will close off any federal funding destined for Planned Parenthood in case he becomes the US President. “This backwards ideology isn’t only the exact opposite of what women need from their next president – it could put the health of millions of women in jeopardy”.
Bush later issued a statement, saying in part, “I misspoke”.
President Barack Obama has vowed to veto any defunding bills while Bush has taken a firm position to cut funding.
The idea that there are “countless” under-funded community clinics that are just waiting to get money that is otherwise sucked up by Planned Parenthood is a misunderstanding of how the women’s health organization is funded.
The potential for the stray comment to hurt Bush in the long term is obvious: The remarks-which were captured on video and preserved on YouTube-were pretty much tailor-made for a general-election attack ad. They aren’t as meme-worthy as Mitt Romney’s “binders full of women”, but liberals won’t have to get almost as creative to give them some staying power.
Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton immediately denounced the comments as “absolutely, unequivocally wrong”.
“Given the atrocities of these children being destroyed, shouldn’t we make that an issue and say not one more red cent for Planned Parenthood?” he asked. That might have the additional benefit of being true; I can’t say.
Advertisement
“When women have access to health care, families are healthier and stronger”. Scott Walker tweeted his own dig at Clinton, saying she should be “ashamed” for supporting Planned Parenthood.
